Enchanted April: The Collective Face

For those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine, it may very well be worth your while to stop off at New Covenant Church on Bull Street to see the first offering of the newly formed Collective Face ensemble. Though not without its problems, the production is handled ably and offers a bit of family friendly joy for anyone in need of a lift.

Stepping into the place of Savannah's venerable Epworth Players, the ensemble of the Collective Face manage to aquit themselves admirably. Lottie, played by Karla Knudsen, bored wife of a solicitor, leads a contingent of women who are enamoured with wisteria to an Italian castle where romance blooms and renews for each person involved. The ensemble nature of the cast really and truly prevents one from picking out individual favourites, and they simply must be applauded en masse.

Yet how can these actors not help but be refreshed by the delightful settings. Director/Designer David Poole manages to ably turn dreary English sitting rooms and clubs into an atmosphere light and energetic to the point that the relatively cramped fellowship hall at New Covenant receives a breath of fresh air. Assisted in costumes by Chann Givens, Enchanted April is, well... truly enchanting.

The down note, however, comes in the script by Matthew Barber. It begins as a fairly trite examination of class mores and morals. And, in all honestly, one must ask if we really need another of these. Coupled with the assembly of a highly predictable cohort of archetypes (The Free Spirit, The Tortured Matron, The Prude, and The New Woman with Old Secret) one can roughly plot the entire course of the play once each of the characters has been introduced.

Mr. Barber's script then moves quickly into a sort of Edwardian Thelma and Louise. The complications seemingly pile one on the other out of nowhere. There is a lost child, dual identities, secret widow, cultural misunderstandings, and drug abuse. However, each of these seemingly insurmountable problems is quickly disposed of with minimal effort. A prime example would be the example of Federick Arnott (Donald Jarvis) who writes and attends parties under the libertine name of Florian Ayers. Though married to Rose Arnott (April Arnone), he arrives at the castle under the identity of Florian Ayers to see the Lady Caroline (Rhianna Van Helton), the libertine's lover. Given that Caroline has professed a love for him, and he was unawares that his wife was a travelling companion to the Lady... there is prime opportunity for misunderstanding, complication, and true drama. However, where in Thelma and Louise potentially gordian problems are solved by a gun, in Enchanted April it seems to be solved by simple British Good Manners (where nothing is said). Though there are some beautiful phrases and engaging tales told onstage, Mr. Barber's script is as steeped as Tetley in conflict avoidance. Though one would never want to arrive at a castle to find one's wife AND lover taking the breeze together, an audience member will pay good money to see what happens when someone does.

Though they have to fight to keep the script interesting, drown out disruptive children, and keep an audience precariously perched on uncomfortable seating in a stuffy hall engaged, the Collective Face Ensemble rises to the task admirably. Bravo to these enterprising folks at the Collective Face, one cannot help but look forward to their future endeavours.

By Matthew Barber, adapted from the book by Elizabeth von Armin; directed by David I.L. Poole; sets by David I.L. Poole; costumes by Chann Givens & David I.L. Poole; lighting by Miles Boinest; sound by Miles Boinest; A Collective Face production, presented by Epworth Community Players and New Covenant Church. At the New Covenant Church, 2201 Bull Street, Savannah; (912) 232-8511. April 29 & 30, May 1, 6-8, 13-15.

WITH: Karla Knudsen (Lottie), Eric Nauert (Mellersh), April Arnone (Rose), Donald Jarvis (Arnott), Rhianna Van Helton (Lady Caroline), Richie Cook (Wilding), Dandy Barrett (Mrs. Graves), Bridget Tunstall (Costanza).

Sordid Lives: Bay Street Theatre

“Ain’t it a bitch, sorting out our sordid lives?”

Well, it most certainly is. The Bay Street Theatre's latest offering of Del Shores' Sordid Lives manages to make the best of a difficult situation and show forth a production of this "black comedy about white trash" with charm and care.

This selection is by far one of Mr. Shores' weaker offerings. Following on the heels of the far stronger (yet less critically acclaimed) Daddy's Dyin' (Who's Got the Will?), Sordid Lives gives us a series of scenes poorly sutured together with monologues from Ty Williamson (Chris Stanley) and songs from Bitsy Mae Harling (Kimmi Sampieri). Mr. Stanley offers us a moving story of a homosexual actor trying to come to terms with his identity and Texas upbringing from within the monologues, and Ms. Sampieri sings ably... but the whole thing really does not hang together well.

The problem is essentially one of dramatic efficiency and construction. Mr. Shores' script (which won awards in LA for the playwriting, somehow) relies far too heavily on an episodic vignette format where angry women burst into bars (with guns, of course) for no discernible reason. Though each bit is funny in and of itself, the overall arch is akin to a badly directed mashup between Rowan & Martin's Laugh In and The Redneck Rampage. One can sense a real disdain for his characters, and at the end of the day... (particularly if one has even glanced at Jim Gode's Redneck Manifesto) even white trash characters deserve to be treated kindly.

Despite all of this, The Bay Street Theatre's production shines with tongue-in-cheek jokes and careful understanding. The cast, under the direction of Kimmi Sampieri (making her directorial debut), manages problematic material well. Sissy Hickey (Kathy Alderman) is a delightfully focused bundle of neuroses trying to quit smoking in the aftermath of her sister's death and ensuing family drama. Ms. Alderman plays with heart and excellent comic timing. Also reliably delightful is the drunken barfly Juanita (Genie Brazzeal), who manages to portray inveterate drunkenness without becoming simply obnoxious (a more difficult task than one would actually imagine). Also of note are Odell Owens (Logan Padilla), a Baby Hueyesque redneck with a penchant for cat's cradle and boundless enthusiasm; Earl "Brother Boy" Ingram (Neal Scott), a transvestite homosexual who has resisted almost 23 years and 68 "dehomosexualization" treatments at the hands of a vampish and oversexed Dr. Eve Bollinger (Khara-Beth Chandler); and Mr. Stanley as a touching and heartfelt Ty Williamson.

The cast is rounded out by Bay Street stalwarts Valerie Macaluso and Travis Harold Coles with Gwyn Yarbrough and Peter Grffin also making appearances.

12 Angry Men: Fairweather Productions LLC.

Reasonable doubt. Perhaps no two words link the world of criminal justice and dramatic arts as strongly as these. When seeking to convict an accused criminal, the jury must be convinced beyond this. When seeking to independently produce a theatrical work, with the requisite time, money, and effort, the average producer will want similar assurances of the return upon their investment.

This piece, adapted by Reginal Rose from a teleplay by the same title, and produced by Fairweather Productions LLC under the direction of Christopher Soucy marks the first dramatic production facilitated by Indigo Arts with verve that settled any doubt abuot their eventual success.

Contemporary American Cultural Policy is largely one of laissez faire when it comes to undertaking independent production. National Endowment and copyright/royalty provisions aside, those who seek to create theatre will operate largely free from government interference and assistance. This new production of 12 Angry Men may very well mark a new chapter of free initiative in Savannah's Theatrical community. To quote JinHi Soucy Rand in a recent interview with SavannahNow.com, "The local performers got together and said this is a play they wanted to see done." Such initiative on the part of performers is highly laudable, and we look forward to seeing Indigo Arts and Fairweather Productions assist even more artists in fulfilling their ambitions.

The piece itself is a classic crimial melodrama about the power of doubt. Though the message, the benefit of critical thought and sound argumentation, is a timely one in this age of political soundbites and Tea Party Rage, Rose's script is not without certain limitations. Closing people in a room, though powerful in terms of Neoclassical unity of place, also denies the audience direct consideration of the evidence. Though the witnesses discussed in the teleplay could be directly seen through flashback and other cinematic techniques, one is left with having to take second hand word from jurors while onstage. Further, aside from occasional demonstrations where jurors "reconstruct" events of the crime based upon their own recollections, the piece is highly static onstage.

The cast, built pursely out of local actors with grit contains notables such as Bill DeYoung, Ryan McCurdy (appearing opening weekend in place of Gabriel Ricard), Phil Keeling, Mark Rand, Al Paderewski, and Walter Magnuson. To pull together disparate elements of Savannah's theatrical community, figures from various artistic "orbits" into a single piece is an accomplishment which has not been rivaled since JinHi Rand's spearheadings of the late lamented Savannah Shakespeare Festival. It goes to prove that there ARE a variety of men in our theatrical community, it just has to be the right project.

Also, a number of the performances come down as particularly high caliber. Walter Magnuson's "Miss Manners" portrayal of Juror 2 gives a clear indication of this character's dedication to form. Al Paderewski, as the recently immigrated Juror 11, has a calm, contemplative manner that inspires a certain reverence for American due process. Mark Rand, as Juror 10, proves his artistic versatility and ability to play unsympathetic characters (see earlier comments regarding Doubt: A Parable) in this depiction of the case's most racially prejudiced juror. The ensemble cast proves itself highly capable of passing focus and limiting interruption.

Though Bill DeYoung capably and earnestly depicts Juror 4, there is a bit too much of Atticus Finch (which he played recently for the City of Savannah's production of To Kill a Mockingbird) in his manner, and some difference would help to demonstrate his range. ALso, John Turner's depiction of Juror 8 comes oddly across as the lovechild of the late Heath Ledger and an emergency alert tone. Having seen Mr. Turner turn in far more energetic performances (Rocky Horror- Bay Street Theatre), one would hope for a slightly more emphatic defense of one's principles. After all, as Juror 8 often repeats "There is a man's life at stake."

Further, it seems that the climactic scene, where Keeling's Juror 3 finds himself isolated in his continued stance of guilty, simply snaps like a damp firecracker and the show packs up as quickly as possible. Partially, the static staging simply leaves the actors to toss some form of platitude at his back, and none of these points seems to gain enough force to precipitate the violence of Keeling's reaction. In true Neoclassical style, the script has torn away all extraneous detail to allow us to focus on the struggle in the room itself (the actual verdict is really immaterial once the spiritual battle in the room is decided), but the staged climax fails to build on this platform and instead fizzles.

At the end of the day, the cast and production company (Fairweather) do well for themselves. This particular advertisment for the CSI Effect treads the boards with dignity and power, and we here at The Savannah Dramaturgy hope to see Fairweather building off its success here and helping to facilitate other artistic ambitions.

Further Thoughts on Community-Based Dramaturgy

Recent reports received while I was speaking to some folks who had attended the recent production of Pirates of Penzance at the newly revitalized Asbury Memorial Theatre has recently brought my thoughts back around to the prospect of Community-based dramaturgy.

However, we here at The Savannah Dramaturgy would like to apologize for our recent lack of writing and output. The pressures of a feverish job hunt on the part of the chief editor, along with the duties currently executed in his positionas Temporary Theatre Instructor at AASU, have negatively impacted general output. It is our hope that we can push through this and return to our serviced to the Savannah theatrical community.

Digression aside, one of the most telling points regarding this recent production is the sheer volume of attendance. Informal reports give the attendance at a couple hundred spectators, with a fairly healthy level of ticket sales. The chief question is, at this point, from whence come all of these enthusiastic theatregoers?

It comes down to the difference between accidental and integral audience. These concepts, coming from Richard Schechner's book Performance Theory, can help to explain some of Asbury's level of success. This measure controls, first of all, for artistic quality. Having not seen Pirates it is difficult, if not impossible, for The Savannah Dramaturgy to judge the merits of the performance itself. And the adage of "support local awesome" only comes into play if the performance fills both criteria. So assume, for the purposes of the discussion here, that this production most certainly does fulfill the "local" and "awesome" standard.

But consideration of the nature of the audience itself is where our theatrical community will find the most benefit in this discussion. As illustrated by Schechner, the integral and accidental audience hold only one thing in common. They both come to see the show. As this seems to be one of the biggest challenges faced by budding theatres, it is the one best considered for future health. Quite simply, the accidental audience comes to see the show on something of a lark. They pay for their tickets looking only to be entertained or engaged on some level. They are, at the end of the day, no less important the other audience members, but attracting them is a matter of marketing and market forces in an already busy tourist city.

The second form of audience, the integral audience, comes to see the show out of some form of obligation to the production itself. This is not to indicate any level of active coercion, or lack of interest in the show as entertainment/engagement, but simply the relationship of the audience to the production. The integral audience consists of those who have some form of substantive relationship to the community and project (family members, friends, parishioners, drama critics, etc.). Their attendance can, to a certain level, be assured.

I would submit that the box office success of the Asbury production, as opposed to other productions of comparable quality, may have a great deal to do with this form of audience typing. Asbury's relationship to the Savannah community generally, vis a respected worship congregation, helps to build an integral audience for their productions as there are a number of people external to the performing arts community that have an interest in the success of the production. Similar in impulse is the university summer production that takes care to cast a significant number of local children, knowing that casting little Jimmy will sell at least on ticket to Jimmy's mom, Dad, auntie, and all four grandparents. There is a vested interest, and the seeing of the production becomes an event in itself. Again, this is not to denigrate Asbury's artistic achievement, but to explicate (in part) the healthy attendance.

Such an example should provide effective tutelage to those aspiring thespians in our community. Theatre exists to serve the community around it, and as such one should engage with the community in the attempt to create an integral audience base. Asbury aside, one can also see the beginnings of this in the current vitality of Savannah's Indigo Arts, building interest in the performing arts as an endeavour in itself and key to the good life.

So, thespians, seek to embedd yourselves in the community, as then there will be far more interest in your success. Bowling alone may be the general modus operandi, but it is simply not sustainable.

Choices, A Romeo and Juliette Story: AWOL

If you're looking to prove that a group of kids can do Shakespeare, then one should let them do Shakespeare. I was struck by this thought while recently watching the recent production at the Lucas Theatre of Choices: A Romeo and Juliette Story produced by A.W.O.L. (All Walks of Life). As the company directors mounted the stage during the curtain call, and the show director was eventually called up, the young people who worked so hard on this truly enjoyable show were duly praised, re-praised, and justly applauded. Bravo to the cast and crew on a job well done.

However, there are inherent weaknesses that keep this excellent project from being even better. Firstly, if you're looking to prove that kids can do Shakespeare, then that is what one should let them do! Altering the script in a substantial way, as has been done to this piece, essentially means that the performers are doing something else. And yet, given the role of this piece as a part of a longer-ranging hip hop project (and though it departs from stated mission is laudable nonetheless), alteration of the script should not only be allowable but laudable. The simple problem in this case is that the adaptation used by director Lakesha Green does not go far enough, but instead is a simple transliteration into fairly flat, mildly stilted contemporary English. If hip hop is the point, then allow these young poets to adapt Shakespeare's words into their own poetry. Or do the Shakespeare script true to the meter and poetry originally. Half-measures can be deadly in the theatre, robbing both audience and spirited performer of strong options. We had seen samples of these options when A.W.O.L. performed with the now-moribund Savannah Shakespeare Festival, but this same verve was dimmed at the Lucas.

Yet the vigorous young folks of the ensemble really do succeed in spite of this substantial handicap. Being treated like professionals, they truly do deliver an engaging and fairly nuanced performance. In such an ensemble piece, it would simply not do (nor could our bandwidth handle) to try and recognize each individually. So at the risk of forgetting someone, The Savannah Dramaturgy will err on the side of caution.

Further, there is much to be lauded in terms of community-building on the part of Choices. Through cooperation with Abeni Cultural Arts Dance Studio a positively mesmerizing dance was performed for the deaths of Tye (Tybalt) and Maurice (Mercutio). Accompanied by slam poetry that effectively sums up the lessons, A.W.O.L. has succeeded in a feat of cross-collaboration that hasn't been seen in this city since the aforementioned Shakespeare Festival. For this alone, A.W.O.L. deserves praise and recognition, not to mention the simple quality of performance given.

Quite simply, Savannah needs more of this. Our youth are our single greatest resource, to be husbanded and nurtured by the current generation of artists. The only issue is that the gurus need to step from the limelight in order to help facilitate this. Plato knew the power of the arts, even if he didn't value it. And so, we here at The Savannah Dramaturgy turn to the artistic leaders in our community and echo the words of A.W.O.L.'s youth. Life is about choices. We all have to make them. Lets make the right ones.

Whence the Musical?

Recently, while musing on the conditions of theatre in our nation, particularly some of the dreck that has been passing in the big musical houses these days, I stumbled across this. The Savannah Dramaturgy respectfully submits the following as one of our greatest fears for the future of dramatic arts.

To Finish...

Recent buzz in the Savannah Theatre scene had painted a doom and gloom picture in regards to the scaling back of operations for both the Little Theatre of Savannah annd Savannah Cultural Arts Theatre. However, according to a far more recent article in the Connect, it may have been a bit premature to begin hiding from Apollyon and the Locusts just yet.

Indeed, we here at The Savannah Dramaturgy applaud Ms. Rand for her drive and willingness to step in an keep this potential venue from being converted back into little more than a shed in a glorified industrial park. That she, and her organization, will be operating this as a venue as opposed to a production agency is perhaps the single best way to try and ensure it remains in artistic hands.

What we would be interested in hearing, however, would be precisely how this new organization will be meeting this heavy fiscal obligation that has already set two other nonprofits back on their heels. If the rent of presenters isn't the primary income stream, then the question still remains on how to keep the roof up, perpetual fundraising? Given Ms. Rand's creativity, I'm sure she has thought of something. Indeed, we are looking forward to this interest meeting on Jan. 11th, as she will most undoubtedly answer any questions we have in this realm.

Regardless, 2009 has been an interesting year here in our beloved community. It is our hope that in 2010, with renewed artistic support from figures like Ms. Rand and others who have found ways to support our theatrical community through service that Savannah's theatre artists will manage to find the way into the Beautiful Process and truly begin enriching the community around us... because then, the community might return the favor.