Great Weekend of Theatre in Marquette Area
Theatre talents shine this weekend in 3 performances from ballet to Shakespeare!
Marquette, MI – I’ve had the pleasure of attending two shows, “An American in Paris” at NMU and “An Evening with Teens—Two One-Act Plays” at MSHS, plus and open rehearsal of “King Lear” by the Westwood Shakespeare Company at Westwood High School. A very satisfying weekend on multiple levels.
Friday Night…
An American in Paris, ballet production at NMU’s Forest Roberts Theatre 2014 in Marquette, MI. (photo courtesy Forest Roberts Theatre)
The first production in my great weekend of theatre in Marquette area begain Friday night. I went to see “An American in Paris”, a ballet choreographed to the great George Gershwin work of the same name. I won’t pretend to be qualified to review what I saw…I am not a dancer, walking presents enough challenges! I will instead direct my commentary more on the significance of the event and the entertainment that it provided.
Cast of Forest Roberts Theatre production “An American in Paris” in Marquette, MI, February 2014. (photo courtesy of the Forest Roberts Theatre)
This production was the capstone project for graduating senior Alycia Heckathorn. Alycia will be the first student to graduate from NMU with a Dance Minor. For years the dance instructors at NMU have fought to get NMU to offer a minor in dance and now their efforts are paying off. Alycia, along with instructor and choreographer Jill Grundstrom, assembled a troupe of dancers and choreographed a ballet inspired by Gene Kelly’s dancing in the movie, George Gershwin’s music, and modern ballet moves that was a delight to watch. Jill has an impressive resume in dance and we are lucky that the lure of family and home have brought her back to the area from New York. She is quickly leaving her mark on all aspects of local dance and theater having done choreography for everything from youth theater to NMU.
It should also be noted that the senior capstone projects, formerly simply known as “Lab Shows”, have been elevated in their import by the current Director of Theatre at NMU, Ansley Valentine. Capstone projects must now be selected when the regular season is and are considered to be part of the Studio Series and are promoted all year long just like the main stage productions. It adds credence and value to the senior’s work. I applaud this change.
Saturday Night…
MSHS theatre cast members performed two recent productions “Walkin Home” and “The Empty Chair” on Saturday February 8, 2014 in Marquette, MI. (photo courtesy of the MSHS Drama Club)
Saturday night it was off to Marquette Senior High School to see their production of two one-act plays, “The Empty Chair” and “Walkin’ Home”. These two shows were directed by Laura Kagy, my successor at MSHS. I am very pleased to say that the program I left last year is in great hands. The shows she chose are both newer works and had strong messages for teens and adults alike. They were well presented in the MSHS Little Theatre. The first, “The Empty Chair”, deals with teen addiction and teen suicide. The setting is a group session with once chair conspicuously empty. The group facilitator does her best to get everyone engaged in the conversation. One by one the teens come forward and open up about their departed comrade and themselves.
There were a couple standout performances. One was by Janae Peterson, portraying an addict named “Twitch.” She did a great job with the physicals, her fingers twiddling and tapping, fidgeting in her seat, playing with her clothes and hair. She immersed herself in the character. Joel Wooley also gave a heart-felt and gut wrenching performance. My bride almost couldn’t watch because she knew she would be crying with him. Most importantly, the entire cast seemed to believe what they were saying. They were credible and all delivered solid performances.
MSHS theatre cast members perform a dramatic piece onstage entitled “Walkin Home” Saturday February 8, 2014 in Marquette, MI. (photo courtesy of the MSHS Drama Club)
“Walking Home” was the story of a family ripped apart by one of the two daughters, Sonja, leaving home two years prior. It is set on Thanksgiving Day, with the father dejectedly sitting on the sofa, steadfastly waiting for his baby to come home. The show uses multiple flashbacks and double casts some of the roles to achieve this. Sonja in particular, a troubled girl who wants to “seed it all and do it all” is played by Paige Barber in “real time” and Janae Peterson in the flashbacks. Both girls did a great job of playing the yin and yang of a girl who won’t believe that her family cares and wants to break free and the girl, two years later, road weary and worn down by the experiences she’s had. Sonja is accompanied by Stan, portrayed by Robert Smedman. In real time, Sonja and Stan are just outside the door to the family home. Sonja trying to screw up the courage to retrieve her key and open the door. Stan doing his best to thwart that idea entirely. Stan is best described as a “bad-advice bear” (those familiar with “Avenue Q” will get the reference). He is somehow able to show Sonja the past as well as recounting all the times that he’s been there for her in the past couple years. Teaching her along the way how to cheat on exams, where to get pills so she can stay awake to study, and many other bad behaviors. Yes, he has stood by her the entire time, but he certainly is no real friend. Ultimately, Sonja does decide to use her key to return to the family. A Prodigal Son type of ending, but touching and effective.
Sunday…
The Westwood Shakespeare Company prepares for their production of “King Lear”. (photo courtesy of Kate Clark)
Sunday included a trip to the open rehearsal of the Westwood Shakespeare Company’s presentation of “King Lear”. The Company is a new theater group dedicated to performing Shakespeare in all its glory. Founded by BG Bradley, the Company will produce one show per year and feature open rehearsal to which the public is invited. BG and Director Denise Clark hope that this will encourage people to get an idea of what the process is like, get them interested in the show itself, and ultimately build the audience for the productions in August at Westwood high School. It is fascinating to watch them work to bring BG’s adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s greatest works to the stage. “Lear” is a rambling work, over 3 hours in length when performed in its entirety. BG slaved to edit the script to a more manageable and accessible length without sacrificing the drama or meaning of the Bard’s script. He has succeeded admirably and Denise has assembled a very talented troupe of actors to bring this work to life.
Director Denise Clark of the Westwood Shakespeare Company’s production of “King Lear” works with her cast during a rehearsal. (photo courtesy of Kate Clark)
The Company holds rehearsal in rotating locations: Westwood HS, Peter White Library, The Joy Center and others. When and where can be found at their facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TheWestwoodShakespeareCompany. I am serving as the scenic designer/technical director for this production, so I may be less than an impartial observer, but every time I do attend a rehearsal I am more in awe of the talent in this cast and of Denise’s direction of this difficult material. You should catch at least one rehearsal if you can. And definitely do NOT miss the actual performances in August.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login