Crabgrass Puppet Theater - African Adventure Tales

As a lover of the theater, the arts and all the different styles of both, I went to see a one day puppet theater performance, today. The Newburyport Firehouse presented, African Adventure Tales, a children's puppet theater production by Crabgrass Puppet Theater. African Adventure Tales presents two short African folktales; "Koi and the Kola Nuts," and "Anansi and the Talking Melon."
Koi and the Kola Nuts tells the story of a son of an african chief who inherits three Kola nuts from the family Kola tree. He ventures out into the wilderness in the hopes of making his own fortune. Along his journey, he meets three animals; a colony of ants, a snake, and a crocodile. He helps each one of them by giving them each a single Kola nut. In return each animal assists him in tasks that are appointed to him to prove his status. This tale teaches the lesson that kindness towards others are often rewarded in return.
Anasi and the Talking Melon tells the story of a spider, named Anasi, who eats a number of large melons and finds himself stuck in the biggest one. While stuck, he is able to walk around and talk. A passing ELephant comes across the melon and hears Anasi talking inside. Believing that the melon is magical and can talk, he goes to every animal he is friends with in the kingdom. From a Hippo to a Rhino and finally to the king of the kingdom, a Monkey. All but the king hear the melon talk and actually believe the Elephant. After being cast aside, Anasi frees himself from the melon and becomes hungry again, eating himself into a banana in the end.
My favorite part of the show was the design of the puppets and sets. The sets were minimalistic, yet very suggestive, and for a puppet show, thats all that there needs to be. The puppets themselves were very creative and faithful to African cultural designs. And their performances were entertaining and engaging. Each puppet being puppeteered by Crabgrass co-founder, Jamie Keithline. This show was obviously made for children. However, just because a puppet show is more kid friendly that doesn't mean that people of all ages can't enjoy them either. When we see puppet shows, we obviously see the puppeteer controlling it, but if we pay more attention to the puppet itself, we begin to see them more as the actual characters who's stories are being told on stage. It's why we still enjoy watching the Muppets on television and movies. There is an art to puppet theater, not just in making the puppets but in performing as them as well. So, with that all said, if any of you readers have kids who like to see live puppet shows, or if you are a fan of the art of puppet making, I recommend checking out other productions by the Crabgrass Puppet Theater company. They perform at schools, theaters, libraries, etc. For more information check out their website at www.crabgrasspuppets.com.

 

(Special Blog)-the Importance of being modest

In my blog article on "An afternoon of Arthur Miller," I said, "Theater can be performed anywhere and by anyone." This saying sums up the connection between a community of theater goers. Theater, as well as the many different mediums of art, has been the central entity that has held a community of people together. Most of these bonds have been held together by the similar interests of the medium that is shared between the community, whether it be critiquing theater, producing theater, performing in theater, or simply observing theater. The more time the community spends time in theater, the more their interests expand and the closer the bond grows between one another.
Some people look at community theater and describe it as a less mainstream version of a theatrical production. True, the production value for a number of community productions are much less than that of a professional production, most of the time. The technical elements of the production are not state-of-the-art, the cast and crew don't always get paid or work on the production full time, the productions themselves may not run for months on end, and the stars in the production might not be as well known on Broadway as Sutton Foster or Joel Grey. With all that being said, in the long run, what is most important is taking a community of theater goers and putting on a show for other theater goers.
The theaters I have worked with, have taken the forms of all shapes and sizes. Ranging from large cathedral halls, to small dinner theaters, to the open outdoors. Each one using the space to their advantage, and each one having a certain charm and atmosphere to their houses. This charm was assisted by the that of their staff members. Particularly, their cast of performers. With community theater, people will always see some familiar faces during the run of the productions, whether onstage performing or in the audience observing. The more times people comes to these places to see these productions, more often they can call them, "a place where everybody knows your name."  
For seven years, I have worked closely with a wide range of community theater companies. Both onstage and backstage. Some have been an established company with a long history and others have, unfortunately had to step down from their places in their communities. These establishments, with their long history, have formed such close bonds. Families of friends. As understandable as the reasons may be, it has still remained heartbreaking for me to see the homes that sheltered these families fade away into obscurity. Within the house of these theaters, their history is preserved by different forms of memorabilia for outsiders to observe. When they are shut down, their history is preserved within the memories of those who were there, and share them with others through word of mouth.
As fleeting as these small theaters might be, there will always be a group of people who love theater enough to venture out on the town and enter a realm of comedy, tragedy, and sometimes music. Thus bringing us to the true meaning of community theater. It is a form of live theater created by the community and presented for the community.  

Newburyport Firehouse - Almost Maine

It's friday, the night is clear and filled with coldness. The northern lights materialize, glow and glimmer high above the clouds. All elements that make the perfect date night in the small town of Almost, Maine. The off-broadway play, by John Cariani, opened last night at the Newburyport Firehouse Theater. Almost, Maine is a series of romantically comedic vignettes, which by the end of the play all connect with each other.
   The first vignette, "Her Heart" staring Robert Ringuette and Jasmine Rush and directed by Bob DeLibero, revolves around two characters. Glory, played by Rush, camps out in the yard of local mechanic East, played by Rignuette, in the hope of seeing the northern lights in the sky in memory of her late husband, West, while carrying her broken heart in a paper bag. What starts out as a funny misunderstanding becomes a sign of fate written brightly in the sky.
   The second vignette, "Sad and Glad" staring Josh Paradis, Christin Clohosey, and Kate Ventiglimia and directed by Jannie Kitchen, is about two former lovers, Jimmy played by Paradis and Sandrine played by Clohosey, meeting each other after several years and catching up by coincidence in a local bar, constantly being interrupted by their enthusiastic waitress, played by Ventiglimia. Sandrine has moved on to another partner, while Jimmy has stayed in his state of woe since the break up. For Jimmy, as one door finally closes another opens.
   The third vignette, "This hurts" staring Abigail Seabrook and Conor Burke and directed by Stephen Faria, is about two neighbors, Marvalyn played by Seabrook and Steve played by Burke, in the laundry room of their apartment complex. Marvalyn accidentally hits Steve over the head with her ironing board, to which he assures her everything is alright by explaining to her he cannot feel any sort of pain. Through their conversations together, Steve learns the differences between two types of pain. Physical and emotional.
   The fourth vignette, "Getting it Back" staring Lily MacLeod and Christian Doyle and directed by Kimm Wilkinson is about a couple, Gayle played by MacLeod and Lendall played by Doyle. Gayle begins to break up with Lendall, returning all the "bundles of love" he has given to her throughouttheir relationship and demanding that he return her's to her. By the end of the fight, Gayle discovers that the bundles of love one gives to another can take all sorts of shapes and sizes.
   The fifth vignette, "They Fell" staring Will Fraser and Michael O'Malley and directed by Tim Diering is about two co workers, Chad played by Fraser and Randy played by O'Malley, spending the night together drinking beer and complaining about how much they fail at holding their relationships. By the end, they both realize that some relationships can actually be held up. All it takes is a little fall.
   The sixth vignette, "Where it Went" staring Jeffery Rath and Adrienne Montezinos and directed by Stephen Faria is about a married couple, Phil played by Rath and Marci played by Montezinos, are discussing their flaws with their marriage after iceskating while simultaneously trying to find Marci's shoe. Phil and Marci spend so much time trying to find out what can be done and try to find a sign as to what should be done. By the end, they find it. The shoe as well.
   The seventh vignette, "Story of Hope" staring Kyle Linehan and Sarah Gibby and directed by Bob DeLibero is about Hope, played by Gibby, trying to find a young man after she abandoned him years ago. She finds a man, played by Linehan, and discovers a revelation. One that parallels that of "Where it Went." Love that once was, has now lost hope.
   The eighth vignette, "Seeing the Thing" staring Julie McConchie and Jim Manclark is about two co workers, Rhonda played by McConchie and Dave played by Manclark, who have spent a long time having fun with each other and enjoying each other's company. On this night, Dave decides to show Rhonda an encoded picture of how he feels about her. Rhonda, not being able to see the picture, struggles with understanding what Dave's feeling is. By the end, Rhonda discovers the big picture and what Dave is trying to tell her. When searching for the meaning to something, one must simply look closer and closer.
   Finally, one vignette, which was the Prologue, the Interlogue, and the Epilogue, staring Max Sklar and Kari-Lyn Mayne. The vignette is about two friends, Pete played by Sklar and Ginette played by Mayne, hanging out on a park bench. After Ginette declares her love for Pete, he tells her that she is not close enough (based on the circulation of the planet). This forces Ginette to walk away from Pete. As time goes by, Pete sits on the bench waiting for her to come back. By the end, Pete realizes that the farther she gets from him the closer she gets back to him.
   These plays were very well constructed, well directed, and well performed. The performers ranged from laugh-out-loud funny to realistically sympathetic. They all have this touch of pathos to them that is backed up by the humorous dialogue written by author John Cariani. Each story describes what adult life in northern Maine is like. What works very well with the acting and dialogue are the technical elements. The set, designed by David Stawasz consists of rotating platforms that, while minimalistic, make it clear to the audience that this scene takes place in a local bar or the front porch of a log cabin. The lighting, designed by James Atkins, shine brightest, pun intended. The backdrop of the set, for each vignette, is a starry night backdrop that shine in multicolors and twinkles magically and romantically.
If you are looking to treat yourself to an original, live, romantic comedy, representing one of our neighboring states in New England, and expressing the highs and lows of real life relationships, then this play comes highly recommended. The Newburyport Firehouse's new production, Almost, Maine continues throughout this weekend, Saturday March 21 at 8:00pm and Sunday March 22 at 3:00pm.
             
  
        

Sea Change Theater - La Duse: Woman & Actor

The theater has always been the home for all forms of drama. One of the earliest forms was known as the "Melodrama." This type of piece was praised and celebrated in the romantic period of modern art and literature. Melodramas would portray characters who were strictly good or bad with strong morals, stories that display poetic justice from great danger for the characters to overcome, and would show the beauty in the poetry of both the story and characters. Celebrating writers like Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Eugene Scribe, etc. As well as performed by great actors such as, Sarah Bernhardt and the subject of this play, Eleanora Duse.

Last night, Sea Change Theatre Company opened it's newest play, La Duse: Woman & Actor, written by Walt Vail, Directed by Jason Schaum and performed by Maggie Brooks, Laura Liberge, Tom Kelleher, and John Meredith. The play chronicles the career of Romantic stage actor, Eleanora Duse, as she transitions from the end of the melodramatic romantic period in into the Modern period of live theater. The two major factors in Eleanora's life, that the play touches upon, is her love for the romantic simplicity of melodramatic theater in Europe as well as her off again/on again relationships with the great writers, actors, and poets in the same realm. Her greatest flaw being her inability to decipher love from passion, believing that she can live out her real life as romantic as the melodramas she performs in, until it is too late.

This play was beautifully performed by the four person ensemble. Maggie Brooks is gorgeous in both appearance and performance as Eleanora. Seeing her perform as the actor is equal to seeing Greta Garbo in Camille, as she begins as a dreaming romantic to an independent heroine. Laura Liberge, as Matilde Serao, shines as the strong hearted independent spirit Eleanora will eventually become. She plays the writer and her friend as the voice of reason in Eleanora's life. Tom Kelleher plays two of Eleanora's numerous lovers, Martino Cafiero and Gabrielle D'Annunzio. The chemistry between the two real life lovers, is both beautiful and natural. As both men, Kelleher shows a dominating and demanding presence whenever he is on stage. Which works due to how domineering both men were in their relationships with Eleanora. John Meredith plays another lover of Eleanora's, Tebaldo Checchi. One of the good men she has been in a relationship with, who didn't take advantage of her. His performance as Checchi comes off as both romantic and charismatic.

The look of this play was beautiful yet very minimalistic. The majority of the set (Designed by Aubrey Mueller and constructed by Paige Hall) was painted black (by Ivy Neff) and arranged close together to easily represent the many different locations throughout Eleanora's life. Every transition would consist of Eleanora approaching down stage center, illuminated by classic footlights (Designed by Simon Skymba), monologuing about the transitions she experienced in her life, and changing into costumes (Assistant designed by Ally Rush) that some would harken back to the style of the heroines she portrayed on stage. What stood out the most for me about the transitions was that, even though the set was minimalistic, the set pieces that would show the audience where the scenes were taking place were a number of different landscape paintings (Illustrated by Jes Banta). 

This production comes highly recommended. If you are a fan of the Romantic stage period and wish to see an original production about one of the giants of said period, then this production will be a fantastic art piece to look upon, fall in love with, and sympathies with by the end. Sea Change Theatre Company's production of La Duse: Woman & Actor continues March 7, 13, 14, 20, and 21. Fridays at 8pm and Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm.    

Newburyport Firehouse - An Afternoon of Arthur Miller

My theater history professor once said, in a lecture, "Theater can be performed anywhere." I soulfully and wholeheartedly agree with that statement. With that said, I add my own statement to piggy-bag off of that statement, "Theater can be performed by anyone." Every piece of live theater doesn't have to be performed by young, up-and-coming, actors and singers between the ages of 17 to 45. Children still in their single digits can still perform and even elderly adults can still perform. I learned that statement a long time ago, but was reminded of it today.
Today was the one day only that the Newburyport Firehouse Senior Readers performed, "An Afternoon of Arthur Miller," a stage read compilation of several scenes from some of the author's best works. Such classics like; The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, All My Sons, A View From the Bridge, After the Fall, Broken Glass, I Can't Remember Anything, and The Last Yankee. The stage readings of these plays were segmented by certain scenes. Each play would only be performed in two scenes. Some of the actors who read through performed in more than one scene, sometimes right after another.
The Firehouse Senior Readers is a live stage reading group of individuals at age 55 and older, where their performers can sit comfortably on stage with the script in front of them with no memorization or acting experience required. The group meets for classes on Tuesdays for seven weeks and performs not only at the Newburyport Firehouse, but at Senior Centers and Assisted Living Centers as well. The Senior Readers are also sponsored by The Firehouse, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Biolabs, and the Friendship Foundation. If you wish to see one of their performances or join their group, registar online at www.firehouse.org/srt.
I can easily say that I had a great time watching this. Not just because Arthur Miller is one of my favorite playwrights, but because of what was said in the opening curtain speech, by the group's instructor Charles Van Eman. He talked about how, after all the snow storms Massachusetts has been getting and all the classes they have had to cancel, the readers pulled through and made to the stage for their presentation. Those who remained with the group showed dedication to the show, and I applaud them for their determination and perseverance. This is one of the many reasons why I have so much love and respect for community theater. No matter how busy their lives and everyday routines might be, community actors, writers, directors, designers, and technicians will still show their dedication to their cause through the amount of how much work they put into it. As well as giving living proof of both my professor's lesson and mine; "Theater can be performed anywhere and theater can be performed by anyone."