Over the years, Fresno City College’s annual “Teasers” production has gained a loyal following. The program features 10-minute plays written and directed by students. Here’s this year’s lineup with the playwrights:
Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree, Mohammad Shehata
The Plan, Shane Gelegan
Spirit of the Legend, Anthony James Mele
Otaku, Ethan Hardcastle
On the night in Question, Donald Pomnitz
The Weight of Friendship, Carlos Amarillas
Beyond the tracks, Tou Moua
Performances are 7:30 p.m. today, Tuesday and Wednesday at the college’s Studio Theatre. Tickets are $5. I’m told that shows sell out, so it’s best to get there early. I wrote an advance story about “Teasers” in Monday’s Life section. You might recognize Shehata’s name, pictured, from his recent participation in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.
The title of the 1917 play “Why Marry?” is, of course, a question. Another that might come to mind is this: How could characters from nearly 100 years ago possibly have anything relevant to say about marriage as an institution?
It turns out the answer is quite a lot, as we learn in Fresno City College’s studious and insightful production, which continues through Saturday.
Jesse Lynch Williams’ play, which won the very first Pulitzer Prize for drama, isn’t often revived these days. It doesn’t have the poetic richness or thundering humanity of a Eugene O’Neill, say, who won the Pulitzer in 1920 and 1922. There’s a formality to the language and a professorial approach to the theme — as if we’re in a classroom and we’ve just been told, “The subject is marriage, now discuss” — that makes it hard to bond emotionally with the material.
I received a thoughtful note from Brigid de Jong, a Fresno State music professor:
Thank you for the fine article about our local players participating in the Fresno Phil’s pops concert on Saturday. Jazz is alive and well in Fresno.
I was disappointed, however, that you didn’t mention the connection that exists between Fresno City College and Fresno State. The fine teaching that the students receive at FCC can segue into a degree with a jazz emphasis at Fresno State, headed by Alan Durst (whose name you did mention, but perhaps you didn’t know he developed and runs our instrumental jazz major.)
Since you made a point of acknowledging the strong jazz program at FCC, I think it would have been good to point out that our local students can continue that fine beginning by earning a BA in music with an emphasis in instrumental jazz. As it is a relatively new option, this would have been a great opportunity to inform the community about it.
Thank you for your extremely thorough and thoughtful coverage of the arts in our area. You do the community a great service by constantly showing the people here that the arts are alive and well in the Fresno community.
ArtHop for the northern part of the Fresno area — held the third Thursday of the month — doesn’t get as much ink (or pixels) as its downtown/Tower District sibling. Which is why I want to highlight a couple of interesting events:
BOLING FINE ARTS
The Down Syndrome Association of Central California is presenting a special exhibition of artwork created by children and adults with Down Syndrome. The show, “The Colors of Down Syndrome,” highlights the artistic abilities of various individuals expressing their vision through painting. Proceeds from the purchase of the art will benefit Down Syndrome Association programs. ArtHop North Reception is 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Boling Fine Arts Gallery, 5100 N Sixth, Suite 120.
If you thought last weekend was busy, wait till you see this one. Be sure to see our full coverage in Friday’s 7, including a roundup of classical music concerts.
1. SEE ‘ORDINARY DAYS’
It’s beautiful. There are only three performances left: 8 p.m. Friday; and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Director Anthony Taylor’s Q&A interview is here, and my review is here. [Details]
Fresno City College’s theater department tackles the provocative play “Tape,” which opens Friday and continues through Dec. 8. I talked with director Janine Christl about the play for a piece in the 7 section. Here’s the extended version of that interview:
What is “TAPE” about, briefly?
Two high school friends, Jon and Vince, meet up at a motel room in Lansing, Michigan ten years after graduation. The night turns into a high stakes ride when the conversation turns towards an incident years earlier with a girl they both dated, Amy. Vince eventually pressures Jon into admitting that he had possibly date raped Amy and then reveals that he has taped his confession. To top it off, Amy is on her way over to meet them for dinner. Full of suspense and questions of motive, truth and perception, “Tape” delivers a dynamic roller coaster ride of lifelike drama.
Pictured: Will Jorge, Rebecca Hustedde and Javier Padilla.
As we look ahead to the end of November and early December — always one of the busiest cultural times of the year — here’s a quick glance at local theater you don’t want to miss.
‘ORDINARY DAYS’
This new musical from composer Adam Gwon is a last-minute addition to the schedule. I just received word today it will be staged Nov. 30-Dec. 8 by Fresno’s Organic Theater Factory at The Voice Shop. From the company’s website:
Ordinary Days tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. Directed by Anthony Taylor and performed by Terry Lewis, Taylor Abels, Ashley Taylor and Dominic Grijalva; Adam Gwon’s vibrant score rings startlingly true to life.
The cast recording has received prominent priority on my iPod ever since I bought it. The show includes the beautiful song “I’ll Be Here,” which Audra McDonald sang at her most recent Fresno concert.
1. DRUM NIRVANA: The Los Angeles-based TAIKOPROJECT is a big deal in the world of Japanese drumming groups. The ensemble has performed at the Academy Awards, the Grammys and the TV show “The Voice.” I was impressed when it performed at Fresno’s Shaghoian Hall in 2010. Now the group is back Saturday as the highlight of the 25th anniversary concert of Fresno Gumyo Taiko in Fresno High School’s Royce Hall. This will be a great chance to sample TAIKOPROJECT’s theatrical approach that includes storytelling, music, hip-hop choreography, multi-media and dance. [Details]
From top, Mohammed Shehata, Kerry Cavin and Olivia Stemler in “Mauritius” at Fresno City College.
Two collegiate-level plays opened last Friday in Fresno, and both show how invigorating it is to be exposed to recent acclaimed work from American playwrights at the top of their games. While Fresno State’s “Wonder of the World,” by David Lindsay-Abaire, takes us on a zany journey of self-discovery, Fresno City College’s snappy “Mauritius,” from the powerhouse playwright Theresa Rebeck, maneuvers us in an opposite direction. It’s a brisk and subtle thriller laced with an undercurrent of menace — as well as offering a chortle or two about the craziness of family dynamics.
It continues through Saturday at the Fresno City College Theatre.
For those not up on their philately, the title of the play refers to the island nation of Mauritius, which early in the history of postage produced two of the rarest stamps in the world, known as the “Post Office” series. It turns out those two stamps ended up in a collection in the hands of two adult half-sisters: the younger Jackie (Olivia Stemler); and the middle-aged Mary (Bridget Manders-Martin).
Both sisters have reasonable claims to the collection. Jackie just finished a traumatic run nursing her dying mother without any help from her long-absent sister, and she considers the collection a payoff for her troubles. Mary, on the other hand, has a strong personal connection to the stamps, having helped her grandfather collect them.
Olivia Stemler, Mohammed Shehata and Kerry Cavin in Fresno City College’s “Mauritius.”
In last Friday’s 7 section, I promised you an extended interview on the Beehive with director Charles Erven about the Fresno City College production of “Mauritius.” Consider this Part 1 of 2 of Better Late Than Never. (I’m also posting a full interview with director Brad Myers talking about “Wonder of the World,” which I also promised in the 7 section.) Here’s the post:
You might not think of stamp collecting as a way to anchor a compelling play about human nature, but that’s what Theresa Rebeck does in her acclaimed “Mauritius.” In Friday’s 7 section, I talk with director Charles Erven about the new production opening Friday at Fresno City College. Here’s the extended version of the interview:
Question: What’s the play about?
Answer: Two estranged sisters fight for possession of a valuable stamp collection left by their deceased mother. When one of the sisters takes the stamp collection to have them appraised the sisters find themselves thrust into a world of high stakes collecting and dangerous characters. The play is called “Mauritius” because the two most valuable stamps in the world come from the Island of Mauritius and are worth millions of dollars.
For the newest installment of 7Qs, I’ve managed to nab our biggest celebrity yet: the one, the only — Kopi.
I was a judge at the Fresno City College talent show recently with Kopi and I must say, I admire the patience and friendliness he shows every single person that approaches him. And they were many. He took pictures, signed autographs, chatted with people, hugged them. He even answered some stupid questions from a dumb blogger who stuck a camera in his face.
BLACK MILK: If you like hip-hop like I like hip-hop — which is to say, not the stuff on the radio — then see Black Milk at Fulton 55 on Wednesday night. Dude is doooooope.
XZIBIT: If you like hip-hop that I liked in 1996, then go see Xzibit at Rome Nightclub on Thursday night. I honestly can’t tell ya what Xzibit has done in the last five years, but his first two albums were also doooooope.
WILD BLUE: Iconic Fresno band The Wild Blue gets together again for a reunion show on Saturday night at Fulton 55. Last time it did one of these, the show was paaaaaaacked.
CELEBRATE THE EXPRESS + XOTICA: It’s anniversary time at The Express, Fresno’s popular gay nightclub. On Thursday night, the Xotica drag show celebrates its eight-year anniversary then The Express itself celebrates nine years on Saturday night.
1. MUSIC YOU CAN SEE
The Fresno Philharmonic is offering a pops program of “photochoreography” — matching beautiful photographic images with such stalwart composers as Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber. I did an interview with the creator of photochoreography in Thursday’s Life section. [8 p.m. Friday at the Saroyan; details here.]
There’s a lot of theater going on right now in the Fresno area, and it’d be a shame if the offbeat and atmospheric “Almost, Maine,” which continues through Saturday at Fresno City College, was overlooked because of the rush. This whimsical and light-hearted play is directed with a sure hand by Janine Christl and imbued with a handsome sense of place by a team of talented designers.
The play is a series of nine self-contained vignettes all set on the same winter night in a far northern town in Maine. Ranging in setting from the laundry room of a rooming house to the wide-open expanse of a frozen lake, we’re presented with tales that run the gamut of love, from the first blush of infatuation to the gritty residue of long-term relationships gone awry. All take place under a big Maine sky that offers as its reward the shimmering beauty of the Northern Lights.
In Friday’s 7 section I talk to Janine Christl, director of Fresno City College’s new production of “Almost, Maine,” about the play, which opens tonight. Here’s the extended version of the interview.
Question: What is the show about?
“Almost, Maine” is a mythical town in northern Maine where the Northern Lights will be at their peak. On this particular Friday night, the town’s residents are falling in and out of love all at the same time! Nine stories emerge as the sky lights up and we learn a little about the complications and beauty of loving in many ways.
Talk a little about the play’s performance history.
“Almost, Maine” was originally developed at the Cape Cod Theatre Project in 2002 and later by the Portland Stage Company where it received its world premiere in 2004. The run was sold out, making Almost, Maine the most successful play in the company’s 32 year history. In the winter of 2005, it opened off-broadway to critical acclaim. The Wall Street Journal named Almost, Maine as one of the best theatrical productions of the 2004-2005 season.
1. LOVE AND OPERA
Tenor Scott Piper headlines “Love Conquers All,” the fundraising concert by Youth Orchestras of Fresno. He’ll be joined by soprano Layna Chianakas and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra for a program of arias and duets from favorite operas. 7 p.m. Sunday, Shaghoian Concert Hall. [Details]
A few recommendations for what promises to be a bustling ArtHop, the monthly open house of galleries and studios in the downtown and Tower District neighborhoods:
CHRIS SORENSEN STUDIO
As you’d expect, several venues are running with the Valentine’s theme. (Hearts get their own month, it seems.) The Chris Sorensen Studio features the juried show “Art from the Heart,” with winners announced during ArtHop. The work pictured below is from Debra Cooper Havens, a resident artist at the studio. Proceeds from the sale of Havens’ work will go toward funding Fresno Fire and Metal, an industrial art school founded by the artist. The school is “a non-profit educational facility that seeks to offer both fine and industrial arts instruction to youth and adults with an emphasis on eco-friendly practices and providing scholarships to under-privileged youth,” according to its website.
Cool indie rock show at The Voice Shop with Achievement House, The Quiet Americans and others. The Voice Shop?! It’s the Wishon Row space (near Tower Sports Club, drunkypants) that’s a voice school and sometimes hosts theater and music performances. An indie rock show like this is new, though. You go, Voice Shop.
We’re getting jazzy the next two days, as Jonathan Kreisberg (today) and Gretchen Parlato (Wednesday) visit the ol’ Ash Tree City (and Clovis too).
Tonight sees Kreisberg — a celebrated New York City-bred guitarist — strumming over at Shaghoian Concert Hall with the Buchanan High jazz band. And Wednesday is quite the coup with Parlato, a Grammy nominee and critically acclaimed vocalist, performing at Fresno City College.
What with the holidays and all, some stuff in my inbox slipped through the cracks. Here’s a digest of tidbits:
NEA HONORS: The Lively Arts Foundation landed a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s one of 162 Challenge America Fast-Track Grants awarded nationwide. From Lively Arts’ press release:
The award is to help support the Foundation’s Discover Dance Outreach presentation of Alonzo King’s LINES BALLET in “Scheherazade” at the William Saroyan Theatre, Friday evening, February 24, and will also help underwrite a contemporary ballet master class for dedicated Central Valley dancers as well as an introductory movement class in the celebrated Alonzo King idiom for interested community members who may be only recreational or casual dancers.
In addition to its internationally-celebrated interpretation of “Scheherazade” the LINES company on Feb. 24 will also perform its popular “Dust and Light;” contemporary ballet choreography to 15 classical melodies of Faith by Archangelo Corelli and Francis Poulenc.
Fresno City College theater professor Debbi Shapazian reminds me that a very special person on the college’s faculty is retiring:
Just wanted to let you know that Linda Quinn is going to retire from teaching acting classes at Fresno City College and we are having a reception after the Dec. 10 matinee performance of “Drunken City” to honor her. She has been with us for a very long time and has worked her magic on many students who had no idea what theatre was. Sometimes a counselor just plopped them into the class and even though they may not have pursued a career in the arts they walked away a better human being.
In Backstage Spy, an occasional Beehive feature, we ask cast members from various local theater productions to carry a camera backstage during a typical performance and give us a feel for what it’s like behind the scenes. For this installment we hooked up with Esau Mora, pictured at right, part of the costume crew for “The Drunken City,” which is heading into its final weekend at Fresno City College. Here’s his report:
A completely “candid” shot! (Jochebed Smith, Bridget Manders, Lena Agulian).
Fresno City College gives Adam Bock’s “The Drunken City” a rousing college try, but it didn’t give me much more than a slight buzz. The production, which follows three women friends celebrating a bachelorette party that goes sour in New York, is an uneven experience. (It continues through Saturday.)
As you might glean from the title, the actors spend much of their time on stage playing drunk, which is a big challenge. The ability to convey inebriation without actually taking a drink is difficult even for veteran professionals to pull off convincingly. Sure, it’s easy to slur words and stumble, but doing so without it coming across as merely “playing drunk” is tougher. The talented City College actors in this show are scrupulously prepared and make a tightly knit ensemble, but they’re swamped a little by the extended drunken behavior called for in the script.
On this busy theater weekend, the folks at Fresno City College hopes you’ll be attracted to a contemporary play that has a lot in common with a “Sex and the City” episode. I have a roundup of theater openings in Friday’s 7 section, and in it I write about “Drunken City,” which opens Friday night. Here’s my extended interview with director Chuck Erven.
What attracted you to this play and playwright?
Over the years Adam Bock has become one of the most prolific and produced playwrights working. It seems like he has a new production opening every other month. I’d read a few of his plays such as, The Office Plays and really liked them. There is something about his Mamet-like dialogue and his sometimes minimalist approach to storytelling that is very fresh and appealing. When I read The Drunken City I immediately responded to those qualities as well as to the play’s generous spirit and humor. The characters and their conflicts are honestly drawn and completely accessible. They grapple with issues like being true to oneself (even if it hurts others) and making life altering decisions about love, marriage and friendship. In many ways the play is similar to the movies, Bridesmaids but is also a gentle coming-of-age story. There’s also a bit of A Midsummer Night’s Dream sprinkled in for good measure. Ultimately what appealed to me was the hopeful quality that the play left me with (And around the Christmas season, I don’t think that’s a bad thing to be left with).
Over the years, Fresno City College’s annual “Teasers” production has gained a loyal following. The program features 10-minute plays written and directed by students. Here’s this year’s lineup with the playwrights:
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