Friday, September 30, 2011

Bridge to the New Season!




After a successful friends and family night and a rousing round of performances for local schools, Bridge to Terabithia is ready to open tonight!

Traditionally, Evergreen's Young Performers season opens with a well known and well loved fairy tale.  Fairy tales will always have their value, and we choose plays with the young audence in mind as much as the young actors.  That said, when I was a young performer I was dying to play a real person, with thoughts and experiences like I had, in a story to which I could truly relate.  The actors in Bridge to Terabithia had complex characters in a heartfelt story, and each and every one of them rose to the challenge.   I was especially a fan of the mom and dad.  It's hard to play a character so much older than yourself, and both these actors did so in a genuine and convincing way.


The scenery was a simple set of levels for the performers to play on and transform into the space they needed, rather the way the characters Jesse and Leslie would transform the woods around their farm houses into their own magical kingdom.  The set was further transformed by the beautiful lighting.  But what stuck most in my mind was the music.  It served as another feature to the scenery, adding dimension to mundane school days with David Cassidy,  dreamy tunes when building Terabithia, and aggressive techno while the fifth graders are psyching themselves up for a big race. 



Bridge to Terabithia has a short run, just the September 30th through October 2nd.  Be sure to get your tickets!


All pictures are courtesy of Becky Bourget of Captivating Images by Becky.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Moving on Up

One day you've got an amazing production of Our Town on stage, the next morning every physical aspect of it is disassembled and packed away to make way for a whole new show.   Not twelve hours after the curtain came down and Bridge to Terabithia is taking shape on the stage.


Such is the nature of theatre, but no tears please!  There was breakfast food.
Costumes are lined up and ready to be fit!
You wouldn't ask your friends to move a couch
without buying them pizza...




Diligent volunteers.

As a sometimes designer, I have to say that I am salivating not only at that coffee cake, but at the levels created by those platforms going up on stage.  I can't wait to see the actors in this space!  Check back in a few days for a review and behind the scenes photos.  And don't forget to get your tickets!  Bridge to Terabithia is the opening show of our Young Actors season.  And Young Actors shows are not only for young audiences, but for the young at heart.  We open September 30th at 7 p.m. and have two matinees on Saturday the 1st at one and four p.m. and Sunday the 2nd at one p.m.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Our Town Winds Down, Bridge Gears Up

Our Town begins it's second set of shows tonight and after a well deserved rest, the cast and crew are ready to hit the stage and backstage, respectively.  In case you missed it, Warren Gerds of the Press Gazette gave us three and a half stars.  But I'm not here to boast.  Today I've got a little feast for your eyes...


Wednesday, September 14, 2011

On the Outskirts of Our Town

One of the many perks of being the Evergreen Blogger (and let's face it, there are a bunch!) is being able to sneak into the final dress rehearsal for Our Town.   I did just that last night...

The actors prepare.  
In school, one is taught to start a review with a synopsis.  With most plays I could say: "There's been a murder and no one knows where the diamonds are!" or "A boy likes a girl, but she doesn't care for him" or "This prince's dead father asks for vengeance and hilarity ensues."

The narrative of Our Town is different; the first act is about daily life, the second is about love and marriage, and the last act is about death.  Honestly though, I could have saved your time and simply typed that Our Town is about life and death.

 A friend of mine loves to comment that Our Town is the most successful play in American history where nothing really happens.  Yes, well, the reason it's so successful is that every person lives and dies, and this play has something to say to each and every one of them.

Getting a feel for the space.

Enduring as the source material is, the Evergreen cast and crew make it sing.  The design of the play seems spartan on first glance, but the music, lights and costumes come together to create a town around two tables and two archways.   Simple, but perfect.  

I urge you to see this play.  Let it work on you, and let yourself be taken in by it.  I'm not too proud to admit I cried through the last act.  I dare say I was the only one because, being a dress rehearsal, everyone else there had seen the play fifty times.  Such heartbreak is a testament to the actors themselves.  I certainly don't remember crying when I first read the play!

The director tells the actors where to stand for their curtain call.  You will be standing as well!
Our Town opens this Friday, September 16th, at 7:30 and runs through this weekend and the next.  Call the St. Norbert College's Ticket Office at (920) 403-3950 or order tickets online.  Tickets start at 12 dollars...seriously, that's a dollar more than a movie in 3D.  For one more dollar you could see a play in 4D!  Don't miss the opportunity to see Evergreen's production of Our Town.  Take someone you love, or just someone you like.  

And as always, let me know what you think in the comments, or on our facebook page.  Don't let me be the only reviewer!