We've been able to get out and catch a few plays recently, and have quite a few on our upcoming list as well. So here's a report on the most recent ones.
One of our favorite weekend run-aways is to head to the charming southwestern Virginia town of Abingdon, and the two stages of Barter Theatre. We selected the one weekend on which we could catch the three shows we wanted to see - only to discover that it was also the weekend of the Bristol NASCAR races. Ouch. The hotel we normally use was about three times the usual nightly rate, but being stubborn, we went anyway. It was a lot of fun. We saw "Four Places" in Barter Two on Friday night and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on Saturday afternoon on the main stage -- both excellent productions, for completely different reasons. Finally, we saw "Adjoining Trances" at Barter Two Saturday night, which (chiefly because of the play) was the weak link of the trip.
We followed that with a shortened adaptation of "Ghosts" by Henrik Ibsen at Triad Stage. As usual, good acting, good set, good lights, good sound ... but just not destined to be one of my favorite plays.
But the interesting continuing trend noted in these four plays -- every one of them except "Joseph" was a 90-minute (or nearly so) no-intermission show. There's been enough of that lately to really believe it IS a trend.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
"Dearly Beloved" - just a whole lot of fun!
I've been a little slack in getting on the blog and writing up Kernersville Little Theatre's production of "Dearly Beloved," most decidedly a "Southern comedy" that may not play well in certain parts of the country but sure enough played well last Friday and Saturday nights in Kernersville. We found it a fine production, with a strong cast that had no weak links in our opinion (and believe me, that is not always the case). The set was a good one, and I had no problem hearing anyone (also not always the case with shows, not just KLT's). It was fun to see Myla O'Brien back on stage after a long gap -- and I thought she was having fun with her role, which seemed a good way to get her "stage legs" back.
The leads were fun to watch, too, and good character work by several folks I had not seen on the KLT stage before. Several folks who had had smaller roles here or elsewhere in the past, too, handled a step up quite well. Kudos, KLT and cast and crew and all!!
Now we have a little time off from plays -- but before long, a three-play weekend at Barter Theatre, "Ghosts" at Triad Stage, plays and the Helen Hayes Awards event in D.C. and an April long weekend in the Big Apple. Whee!!
The leads were fun to watch, too, and good character work by several folks I had not seen on the KLT stage before. Several folks who had had smaller roles here or elsewhere in the past, too, handled a step up quite well. Kudos, KLT and cast and crew and all!!
Now we have a little time off from plays -- but before long, a three-play weekend at Barter Theatre, "Ghosts" at Triad Stage, plays and the Helen Hayes Awards event in D.C. and an April long weekend in the Big Apple. Whee!!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
On the Play-Going Trail
'Tis the season for going to see more plays. OK, it's true, it's nearly always that season for us, but speed is picking up again, it seems.
Last night, we took in GTCC's production of "Under Milk Wood," Dylan Thomas' poetry-driven view of life in a small Welsh town. We enjoyed the myriad characters, sound effects and vision of the multiple characters making up the town. Kathy had performed in it back in high school days, and it also happened that Lori Koenig, who will direct KLT's "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown," starting in April, directed this performance. Good job, we thought!
And in the category of confessions to be made, as I always do when there are young people ages 18-30 in something, I sat there with my program making notes on the performances I like. Since the day I finished writing "Conversations in a Cafe," I have watched particularly for the part I figure might be the hardest to fill in the play -- a young woman 20-25 to play "Meredith." My file folder is filling up with programs that have notes on them such as "She could be Meredith!" or "He could be Brad or Josh!" I saw two potential Merediths and one potential Brad in this show. Distracting? Yes, a little bit, but I enjoy it.
Tonight we'll see "Dearly Beloved" at KLT, then we have tickets for "Ghosts" at Triad Stage, shows at Barter Theatre, and just found out yesterday that we'll manage a NYC trip in April and perhaps cram in five Bwy. shows while we're there. Wonderful!!!
Last night, we took in GTCC's production of "Under Milk Wood," Dylan Thomas' poetry-driven view of life in a small Welsh town. We enjoyed the myriad characters, sound effects and vision of the multiple characters making up the town. Kathy had performed in it back in high school days, and it also happened that Lori Koenig, who will direct KLT's "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown," starting in April, directed this performance. Good job, we thought!
And in the category of confessions to be made, as I always do when there are young people ages 18-30 in something, I sat there with my program making notes on the performances I like. Since the day I finished writing "Conversations in a Cafe," I have watched particularly for the part I figure might be the hardest to fill in the play -- a young woman 20-25 to play "Meredith." My file folder is filling up with programs that have notes on them such as "She could be Meredith!" or "He could be Brad or Josh!" I saw two potential Merediths and one potential Brad in this show. Distracting? Yes, a little bit, but I enjoy it.
Tonight we'll see "Dearly Beloved" at KLT, then we have tickets for "Ghosts" at Triad Stage, shows at Barter Theatre, and just found out yesterday that we'll manage a NYC trip in April and perhaps cram in five Bwy. shows while we're there. Wonderful!!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
New stuff, old stuff
I'm nearing the end of my annual writer's retreat to the Outer Banks of N.C., which is really just using a timeshare we bought years back and have been unable to unload on today's incredibly wonderful and active real estate market. But it does allow me a little time to unload, upload and clear the brain, which usually results in at least a little bit of meaningful writing.
I started the week off by deciding to take some thoughts that had been kicking around in my head and, rather than putting them into a new script I had just started, I went back and fit them into "All About Faith," which of course I had thought was finished. I think the new page of dialogue towards the end of scene three, however, improves the set-up for scene four and some "explanation" of my thinking in general, and helping the audience even a little bit is in my opinion a good idea.
And then because of one three-second panning shot in something I was watching, I started writing something altogether new as a potential new play script, and have added to it since. Why? who knows? Creativity is funny. We'll just have to see if it continues to go somewhere.
And as for the other scripts already finished? The waiting, dad blast it, continues.
I started the week off by deciding to take some thoughts that had been kicking around in my head and, rather than putting them into a new script I had just started, I went back and fit them into "All About Faith," which of course I had thought was finished. I think the new page of dialogue towards the end of scene three, however, improves the set-up for scene four and some "explanation" of my thinking in general, and helping the audience even a little bit is in my opinion a good idea.
And then because of one three-second panning shot in something I was watching, I started writing something altogether new as a potential new play script, and have added to it since. Why? who knows? Creativity is funny. We'll just have to see if it continues to go somewhere.
And as for the other scripts already finished? The waiting, dad blast it, continues.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
And the nominees are ...
I have no doubt made mention of my son, Andy (www.andrewcissna.com), and the fact that he studied lighting design at (now) University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, graduating in 2006 and heading north to a fellowship at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Liking his odds in the theater-heavy atmosphere of the District and nearby Maryland and Virginia, he stayed on, taking a job as the man in charge of the lighting equipment at the Atlas Performing Arts Center and designing, assistant designing and doing electrician work as a freelancer in a variety of theaters.
We have tried hard to see most of his work, particularly that on which he was the lead lighting designer. As such, last fall, we took in a very appealing (if you like that kind of thing) production of George Orwell's "1984," done at the Atlas by the Catalyst Theater Company, which had just moved to that location.
In Washington, the theater world has a set of awards for the region called the Helen Hayes Awards, with a localized level of prestige somewhat parallel to the Tonys at the national level. Imagine our pleasure and surprise to learn that, out of some 170 productions reviewed by Helen Hayes Award judges for the 2008 season, Andy was nominated as one of the six best lighting designs during the season for "1984" (which, he said with no bias, was pretty spectacular). And another nominee was for a show on which Andy worked as assistant. All in all, a pretty good year for our son, and we can't wait to hear how April 13th (awards night) works out!
Liking his odds in the theater-heavy atmosphere of the District and nearby Maryland and Virginia, he stayed on, taking a job as the man in charge of the lighting equipment at the Atlas Performing Arts Center and designing, assistant designing and doing electrician work as a freelancer in a variety of theaters.
We have tried hard to see most of his work, particularly that on which he was the lead lighting designer. As such, last fall, we took in a very appealing (if you like that kind of thing) production of George Orwell's "1984," done at the Atlas by the Catalyst Theater Company, which had just moved to that location.
In Washington, the theater world has a set of awards for the region called the Helen Hayes Awards, with a localized level of prestige somewhat parallel to the Tonys at the national level. Imagine our pleasure and surprise to learn that, out of some 170 productions reviewed by Helen Hayes Award judges for the 2008 season, Andy was nominated as one of the six best lighting designs during the season for "1984" (which, he said with no bias, was pretty spectacular). And another nominee was for a show on which Andy worked as assistant. All in all, a pretty good year for our son, and we can't wait to hear how April 13th (awards night) works out!
Early 2008 Short Plays, Greensboro
I was able to fit in a visit last Thursday night to the black-box stage of the City Arts Center in Greensboro, where twice a year, short plays written by members of the Greensboro Playwrights Forum are produced. This was my third visit, and there is always something interesting going on with one or more of the plays -- the number performed varies from presentation to presentation.
This set of shows had seven scripts by six authors, and a wide-ranging group of actors, some of whom I had seen before. Dick Strohmeier, a KLT regular, was in one of the shows (and did well, I might add), and Randy Morris, who has acted and directed with KLT in addition to others, authored one of the scripts, called "Copyright." In my subjective opinion, it was one of the 3 best in the show, though one must have to be a fan of "dark" drama to like it a lot (I am, but I also know that many theatergoers are not.) It was a two-person show, and particularly well acted by the female actor.
Compared to the past two I have attended, I didn't find quite as much to like in this one, though that was more script-related than acting-related. Though there was one script I might have liked better if one of the actors had projected better and been more articulate.
Nevertheless, esp. as I am trying my hand at some short scripts myself, it was an interesting 1.75 hours in the theater, and well worth the suggested donation of $5.
This set of shows had seven scripts by six authors, and a wide-ranging group of actors, some of whom I had seen before. Dick Strohmeier, a KLT regular, was in one of the shows (and did well, I might add), and Randy Morris, who has acted and directed with KLT in addition to others, authored one of the scripts, called "Copyright." In my subjective opinion, it was one of the 3 best in the show, though one must have to be a fan of "dark" drama to like it a lot (I am, but I also know that many theatergoers are not.) It was a two-person show, and particularly well acted by the female actor.
Compared to the past two I have attended, I didn't find quite as much to like in this one, though that was more script-related than acting-related. Though there was one script I might have liked better if one of the actors had projected better and been more articulate.
Nevertheless, esp. as I am trying my hand at some short scripts myself, it was an interesting 1.75 hours in the theater, and well worth the suggested donation of $5.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Recent shows
We're firing up for another round of playgoing as I await word on a variety of play projects out there in the world, just awaiting a status report.
Recently, we took in "Virtue of Fools," presented as part of the Greensboro Fringe Festival at Open Space, and including Neil Shepherd, Ken Ashford and Cheryl Ann Roberts in the cast. We thought it was quite a mature script for a young woman recently graduated from college, and very much enjoyed the performances even if the audience was, well, compact. In discussion on the way home, we found what we considered to be some holes in the storytelling, but still, it was an interesting night of theater that held our attention. Can't say that about everything I see!
We also took in "Black Pearl Sings!" at Triad Stage Saturday night, and found that to be well-written and performed as well, taking one to a place one did not know particularly well. The point of it was: it had GOOD performances, if one stronger than the other in our opinion. Yet, the vast majority of a fairly large audience stood at the end for an ovation. See diatribe below about standing ovations.
Next on the slate: the short plays at City Stage, also part of the Fringe Festival.
Recently, we took in "Virtue of Fools," presented as part of the Greensboro Fringe Festival at Open Space, and including Neil Shepherd, Ken Ashford and Cheryl Ann Roberts in the cast. We thought it was quite a mature script for a young woman recently graduated from college, and very much enjoyed the performances even if the audience was, well, compact. In discussion on the way home, we found what we considered to be some holes in the storytelling, but still, it was an interesting night of theater that held our attention. Can't say that about everything I see!
We also took in "Black Pearl Sings!" at Triad Stage Saturday night, and found that to be well-written and performed as well, taking one to a place one did not know particularly well. The point of it was: it had GOOD performances, if one stronger than the other in our opinion. Yet, the vast majority of a fairly large audience stood at the end for an ovation. See diatribe below about standing ovations.
Next on the slate: the short plays at City Stage, also part of the Fringe Festival.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
