About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 2011)
POVERTY. ROMANCE AND DANCING There are a few productions for your enjoy ment coming up this month and there will be more in the next few weeks. Many companies are still in rehearsal and will open their shows later this month and in March.. SHARKwiNG Comedy presents a Valentine- themed show on Feb. 10 at Flicker Theatre & Bar. Athens Creative Theatre presents Live Art: Sweethearts of the Stage, Feb. 11-12, 18-20, at Quinn Hall, Memorial Park. See www.athenscreativetheatre.com for more info. Athens Academy Middle School presents Once Upon a Mattress, Feb. 10-12. This now- famous play was originally written as a one- act for Camp Taminent in Pennsylvania, and starred a young actress named Carol Burnett. It was later expanded into a full-length musi cal, which opened on Broadway and launched Ms. Burnett's career. North Oconee High School presents Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Feb. 18-20. UGA presents Ruined, by Lynn Nottage, Feb. 15-20, in the Cellar Theatre. See www. drama.uga.edu for more info. Rose of Athens continues No Shame Theatre at Hendershot's Coffee Bar every Tuesday night. Town and Gown Players present Dancing at Lughnasa, by Brian Friel, Feb. 11-13, 17-20. Celtic musicians will play after the Sunday, Feb. 13 performance. T&G will also hold auditions for Little Shop of Horrors, Feb. 14 & 15. See www.townandgownplayers.org for more info. In previous columns I've described the richness of theatre opportunities in the Athens area, mainly from the perspective of those who wish to attend theatre. But there are riches to be found for those who wish to par ticipate in theatre as well: backstage, onstage, directing, designing, front of house and administrative manage ment, classes and many more areas. One can participate in any area of theatre and at a level suited to one's experience and interests. I'll illustrate what I mean using Town and Gown's production of Dancing at Lughnasa as an example. (Disclaimer: I've been involved with T&G for more than 20 years in every aspect except costum ing, although I've worn many of them. This is not a pitch for the show, just an illustration, I promise. There are other theatre companies in the area that offer similar opportunities and I'll cover those in future columns.) Town and Gown Players is the old- T&G's est continually operating all-volunteer community theatre in Georgia. All-volunteer means nobody gets paid, of course, so people participate for many reasons and they bring a wide variety of experience, skills, backgrounds and energies to the tasks. Director Leara Rhodes said she wanted to direct this play because of her Irish heritage and her interest in historical research, as well as the script itself. The costumes and set pieces have been carefully researched and reflect the design and look of the time period: 1936. As Rhodes says, "Friel [the playwright] layers this play with religion, politics, history, gender issues, fam ily, poverty, romance and dancing. How can anyone resist a play like this?" Rhodes also coordinates the activities of 45 people directly involved in the produc tion and directs the eight cast members who appear onstage: Thomas Guillebeau, Virginia Simmons, Kris Schultz, Hannah Broom, Gillianne Gentzel, Marisa Castengera, Benjamin Ray and Hue Henry. Of these eight actors, production of Dancing at Lughnasa runs through Feb. 20. one has extensive professional theatre experi ence but is a newcomer to T&G; five have . performed or worked at T&G, and three are newcomers. Two of the cast are under 21 years old, and one is "pushing 60." One is an Athens attorney, two are UGA students, one is an oncology nurse. As you can see, local theatre attracts a fairly diverse crowd. Rhodes is a UGA journalism professor, a writer with two books out, a playwright and a T&G veteran. Of the other 36 people who work on the production, the stage manager is a T&G veteran, and one of her assistants is the 15-year-old daughter of the assistant direc tor—a woman who has 20 years of experience in theatre and works her day-job at a non profit rehab center. The costumor, who has also created costumes for Rose of Athens and other theatres in the area, is a professional biologist by day; the set designer, musical director and master carpenter all work in IT; the scenic artist is an actual artist, designer and actress; and the choreographers are actually dance teacher—one at UGA and the other at the Montessori School. In addition to these folks, the box office and front of House (ushers and house manager) volunteers are trained and coordinated by members of the T&G Board of Directors (also volunteers). The list goes on, and the oppor tunities are abundant. Other theatre companies in the area also invite volunteers to participate in their pro ductions, and many companies offer classes in various aspects of theatre. Again, I'll cover more of these op ior- tunities in future columns. So, by all means, go see live the atre, but also know that opportunities abound for you to be a part of the creation of these performances, whether it is onstage, backstage or handing out programs and helping to make the audience members feel welcome. Check it out. Rick Rose thealre@flagpole.com r Jjgbgi see kai run 146 e. clayton st. 706-354-8631 • www.helixathens.com . J I4C *. (LflVTON WOT • DOWMTOWM mm • 70Q-CI3-9773 1K0 DGLETUOM 4MHU* • WOTIW • 70C-UQ-PI2 Visit the Westside Location to try our NEW SPECIALTY PIES plus WHOLE WHEAT CRUST HAPPY HOUR! Oglethorpe Ave. Mon-Wed • 4:30-7:50pm $ 1 OFF Select Beer Bottles & Pitchers, Wine Specials Downtown All Week • Noon-7pm Join us for a Town Hall Meeting February 22, 2011 6-8 p.m. Lanier Gardens, 801 Riverhill Dr. Discuss policy changes such as this with other local community members. 'Refreshments will be served. Those traveling by bus or taxi to the event are eligible for reimbursement. 'b O) C CD ACCA 0> n ; on R. S. V.R Jessica Bankston ibankston @accavinv. orv (706) 549.4850 14 FLAGPOLE.COM • FEBRUARY S, 2011
