Jeanie Bishop - Page 2

'The themes in this play, as in all in the Cycle, are universal. Unfortunately some of those themes and challenges are still relevant today. It is imperative that as a cast we explore and examine these themes before we even begin to tackle the language. Fortunately enough August Wilson's language succinct and inspiring. His characters are so clearly and powerfully structured that the journey for a cast to 'know' and 'find' these people. They are richly drawn,' Hemphill concluded.

Of course, we can continue to produce our own work- and there is a growing amount of that being done in the Valley. Some of the companies in town have had their awareness awakened to this issue and have started choosing scripts by and for women- some even have roles for women our age! There are also groups of women forming to address the issue - Arizona Women's Theatre has expanded its mission to that express purpose and mounted Eve Ensler's 'Necessary Targets' at MET in September. The Bridge Initiative is focusing on works by and for women. What concerns me is how we approach it. I hope that rather than be bitter and becoming entrenched, we find ways to work within the system to change it. We all need to challenge ourselves to be more proactive in ferreting out scripts that represent those not being represented- not just 'women of a certain age', but disabilities, cultures, creeds - and when we select those scripts - casting from those populations.

Being out there, in nature, learning what many consider classic or ancient forms of performance, was almost a step back in time. It was a place to strip down theatre to its purest form, the actor/poet in space. It taught me to never take theatre for granted and to understand that it is a sacred practice and should be treated as such.

I have seen Scott this year in two different productions of Gypsy. He played the character Herbie in both of them. I'm inordinately fond of that show and have been a little in love with Herbie since I first saw the film sometime in the late '60s, with Karl Malden in the role. There have been many fine Herbies along the way, but none hit as many of the character's emotional and dramatic notes as did Scott in both productions, even surpassing Malden, in my view.

Loosely inspired by the life of Van Gogh, EAR is a story as old as time. A boy loves a girl. To prove he loves the girl, the boy gives her a gift. A BIG gift. The kind you can't take back. And now the boy is in a mental hospital, at the mercy of a doctor who's even crazier than he is. And the girl? Well, she's starting to hear things, WEIRD things, late at night. It's an all-American story about love, insanity, auditory phenomena, experimental therapy, cannibalism, and talking birds.

'This story explores a different, darker side of the classic Odd Couple scenario. 'The majority of my adult life has been spent living with roommates in order to afford the cost of an apartment in the new economy' says Maticic.

Devon Mahon is a delightful actor whom I've seen in several performances, including at Brelby in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Unexpected and at B3 in Droppin' Johns. Earlier this week, I reviewed Brelby's production of his first full-lenghth play, Whisper Sweetly.

Whisper Sweetly, directed with crackerjack control and precision by Perovich. Mahon has created a world that is at once funny and terrifying. He has approached his creation with wild abandon, and the story is an hilarious nightmare.

Shrewdly directed by the great Ilana Lydia, B3's searing production of My Love, My Lumberjack opened last Friday and runs for only two more performances, next weekend. The piece is presented on B3's modest, storefront stage, however the production feels remarkably eerie and magical - and, GLORY BE, the voices aren't amplified!

Director Cambrian James' fast paced, delightful Kiss and Tell gave this grumpy critic more laughs than she has experienced in a good long time - and the rest of the Hale's opening night audience was right there with her.

Amanda Glenn's turn as Louise is lovely and heartbreaking. Glenn has a beautiful voice and exquisite is her painstaking, delicate interpretation of the awkward, plain Jane who becomes the iconic burlesque queen.

In an eerie forest by the sea, far removed from the comfort of her village, Sandra escapes from loneliness into the arms of Peter, her simple, handsome lumberjack.

Wildly talented, vastly experienced director/choreographer Cambrian James' staging is at times crisp and clear and spot on.

Arizona-based playwright and theater producer James E. Garcia will dedicate this weekend's performances of '1070 (We Were Strangers Once, Too)' to the memory of Heather Heyer, the young civil rights activist killed in Charlottesville.

Droppin' Johns is as shamelessly subversive, as courageously adventurous and as boldly resolute a piece of Feminist Fringe Theatre as any you'll find, anywhere.

I guess I've never been one to shy away from risky material. I think art is the most useful and impactful way to tackle some of these topics, and I think this script does it with honesty and beauty. The women in this show are put into an incredibly ugly situation, but they also exude a level of strength that I think many can connect to and find inspiration in. In their own ways, both of our primary female characters take ownership of the way they have been treated by the men around them and in turn they take control of their storylines.

Ilana Lydia is an Arizona-based playwright and director. Her new play, Droppin' Johns is produced by B3 Theatre Company and premieres at SIC Sense July 14th and runs just two weekends, closing on the 22nd. The play is clever and shocking, funny and profoundly sad, but reading it didn't leave me crying - I was chuckling and shaking my head.

Megan O'Connor's The Pledge is a startlingly clever new play that opened last Friday at Historic Downtown Glendale's Brelby Theatre Company.

Jennifer Gantwerker is an Illinois native. She told me she made her theatrical debut at age eight in a summer camp production of Prejudice is an Ugly Color. 'There was definitely face paint and a candlelit performance of Imagine,' she said. She went on to graduate from the University of Southern California with degrees in Theater and International Relations. Having spent four years arguing cases for the nationally-competitive USC Mock Trial team, she said she 'ultimately decided to follow the career path that guaranteed her the smallest income.'

The relationships in unexpected take surprising turns - thus, the title. The story follows a Hero's Journey trajectory, but remains unpredictable, which allows for some marvelous exchanges. There is genuine pathos in the play, however Perovich's skillful construct doesn't allow the fable to be bogged down in sentimentality.