Posts Tagged ‘Lights’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Starving Artist Theatre nurtures fledgling actors
By Janet Rems
Courtesy of Starving Artist Theatre
Creatively, the 5-year-old Starving Artist Theatre is not hungry, founder Sage Costanzo says. Its mission to provide a venue for Metro-area theater artists to “take the leap into professional theater” is going strong, according to Costanzo, a 31-year-old resident of Falls Church.
Financially, however, the small non-profit, whose shows run about $5,000 each, is suffering some malnourishment. “The bigger fish tend to eat all the little fish. … I try to be mature, but it’s tough,” she says of the shrinking pool of grant monies for the arts. But, Costanzo vows, “we won’t crumble.”
And though the plan to permanently locate in Fairfax County was thwarted by lack of affordable space, Starving Artist found a congenial rental location at the DC Arts Center in Adams Morgan, where it conducts two productions a year.
That, in combination with solid ticket sales, is good news for the actors and playwrights seeking to advance their careers at Starving Artist, including Costanzo, a playwright with a degree in creative writing from George Mason University.
Starving Artist was born out of frustration, says Costanzo, who worked previously as a waitress and substitute teacher. “I wanted more. I couldn’t wait for something to happen,” she says.
She credits Starving Artist with launching the careers of at least 10 actors, one of whom joined a Shakespeare company in Chicago. Another currently performs in Las Vegas, and a third went on to found a children’s drama program.
Costanzo “works really hard to give us a professional experience … without the scariness,” says fledgling actor Meghan Winch, who has performed in three Starving Artist comedies.
For more information, visit www.thestarvingartisttheatre.com.
(May 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, March 19th, 2009
MetroStage rock musical ‘Rooms’ premiere catches ears Off-Broadway
By Devorah Ben-David
Natascia Diaz and Doug Kreeger star in the MetroStage’s launchpad production of “Rooms,” a rock musical that has since gone on to open Off-Broadway. Courtesy of MetroStage
Old Town Alexandria MetroStage lays claim to the title of oldest professional theater in Northern Virginia. It is known for its eclectic seasonal mix of unconventional plays and small musicals, and Carolyn Griffin, producing artistic director at MetroStage, is credited with having helped spearhead efforts to raise $450,000 to convert the old 30-foot-high lumber warehouse into an intimate 130-seat theater on North Royal Street. When MetroStage’s new, state-of-the-art facility celebrated its grand re-opening in 2001, Alexandria, Northern Virginia and MetroStage gained recognition in the theater market along the East Coast.
“Our season of plays and musicals are always, at the very least, area premieres and oftentimes world premieres,” Griffin said. “Our location, being right outside of Washington, D.C., and on the Amtrak line, makes it very easy for ticket subscribers and potential New York City directors and investors to see a fully staged and fully produced first production of a show.”
And sometimes, when that special magic is in the theatrical air, a local Alexandria production will even find its way through regional theater to New York City.
“Rooms,” a 90-minute-long gritty rock musical romance, written by Glasgow-born composer Paul Scott Goodman and his wife, book writer Miriam Gordon, was one such lucky show. Their play had been a work in progress for approximately 10 years.
After the premiere production of “Rooms” at MetroStage last July, the entire show went on to the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, N.Y., where it ran for five weeks. A new production of “Rooms” then opened in New York City at New World Stages, a $23 million Off-Broadway commercial theater in February.
“It’s pretty rare, I’ve been told, to turn a premiere in a local professional theater into an off-Broadway production,” Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association communications Emily Hellewell said. “But it happened at MetroStage right here in Alexandria.”
“As a producer, it’s always exciting to find a work that has huge national and international potential to be produced,” Griffin said. “But we didn’t start with a script that has never been read. We started with a script and music that had been workshopped and read in New York City.
“We fully expect to continue to be involved with the production as it progresses to New York City and elsewhere.”
For more information on MetroStage productions, visit the theater’s website at www.metrostage.org or call 703-548-9044.
(March 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Speculation is sound for the Hayes-award nominee
By Devorah Ben-David
Felicia Curry / Courtesy of Mia Winston
Singer and actor Felicia Curry has been nominated for two Helen Hayes Awards and as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Resident Musical for her performances in “Godspell” and “Aida.” But her greatest reward, she claims, comes from observing the audience’s reaction while she performs in movement, song or speech. “I love watching people out in the audience and seeing them being moved by my performance,” she said.
Curry, hailed by local media as “Broadway’s next big star,” comes from a musical family, started singing at the age of 2, and has been performing in musical theater ever since. “What I tell young people entering show business is that you must be passionate about your craft and continually work at it to have a shot at being successful,” said Curry, a petite woman with a powerhouse alto.
Curry is a member of political satire group Capitol Steps, for whom she played Sarah Palin in last year’s race. More recently, in January she wrapped a run as Eponine in “Les Miserables” at Signature Theatre in Arlington.
“The audience knows that when they come to see Felicia Curry in a show, they’re going to feel the creative energy with me,” Curry said.
(March 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, March 19th, 2009
By Devorah Ben-David
Courtesy of Louise Noakes
The Center for the Arts of Greater Manassas was founded by a group of art lovers and artists in 1984. Its mission is to enrich life in the Northern Virginia suburbs via theater performances, gallery exhibits and arts education—at all ages. Located in the historic Candy Factory building in Old Town Manassas on Battle Street, the Center offers a special series of classes for adventurous 50-plus seniors seeking to broaden their horizons.
A spring session of Acting I For Seniors, designed to help enhance concentration and teamwork skills, will start March 25. Other senior-friendly programs include Night Club Dancing (so you’ll never be the wallflower on the cruise ship again) and Ballroom Dancing at the Candy Factory (just pay for your session at the door and rumba your way in), which is held the first Sunday of every month.
For more information, visit Center for the Arts online at www.center-for-the-arts.org.
(March 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, February 27th, 2009
Manassas dancer is striving toward a new standard in staging leaps and bounds
By Devorah Ben-David
Members of Manassas Ballet Theatre on pointe in their 2008 production of “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Manassas resident Amy Grant Wolfe used to battle rush-hour traffic in order to take professional dance classes in Washington, D.C. But it was the lengthy commute time that inspired her to split her efforts and double up as a dancer and businesswoman.
Wolfe was a ballet dancer and teacher for the Manassas School of Dance and the Manassas Dance Company. But in 1997 she approached her director about turning the Manassas Dance Company into a professional ballet company. Wolfe had identified a niche artistic need in the community, and the idea was backed with support.
“I had this initial vision that turned into a 24-7 thing because of all the work that had to be done,” Wolfe said.
Through various incarnations, the school and company became one entity in the fall of 2007. The Manassas Dance Company was renamed the Manassas Ballet Theatre, and the Manassas School of Dance became the Manassas Ballet Academy.
2007’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
“When I became the owner and director of the school, I very much wanted it to be where Russian methodology was taught,” said Wolfe, who also provides free educational outreach programs to more than 10,000 students annually. “I also included the word ‘theatre’ in the … name because we use live music with all the shows and often use actors as well.”
On Wolfe’s innovative March menu of smaller performances is a ballet entitled “From Mozart to Menza,” which is set to jazz music. Wolfe’s classical dance company has grown to 12 full-time dancers, ranging in age from 20 to 50.
“Due to the size of the company, I have been given the opportunity to challenge myself with corps as well as soloist roles,” company dancer Heather Hebda said. “This has helped me to develop as an artist.”
Wolfe is in the process of planning the move to their own theater in the $56 million Hylton Performing Arts Center, which will be completed in 2010.
“There are a lot of beautiful dancers here in America, but not as many ballet companies that will hire them,” Wolfe said. “Nobody wants to waste time and money these days, and they don’t have to. Not when they can treat themselves, and their children, to a total of four beautiful, professional ballet productions each season in their own backyard.”
For more information, or for a 2008-2009 season schedule, visit Manassas Ballet Theatre online at www.manassaballet.org.
(February 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, February 19th, 2009
By Devorah Ben-David
Courtesy of the Dong-a Ilbo Newspaper in Seoul, South Korea
Danielle Talamantes grew up listening to the sound of classical music. But singing became her first love after watching the musical “My Fair Lady” at home in Vienna.
Today Talamantes, who will perform locally this spring with the Price William Symphony, Capitol Hill Chorale and Capitol City Symphony, travels the world as a classical vocalist and a lyrical coloratura soprano, embodying a distinctive operatic style that’s distinguished by agile runs and leaps. Her clean voice is marked by depth and color variation.
A typical day for the diva includes studying translations, watching work-related videos and preparing for recitals. She practices singing for approximately two hours per day, but only in carefully divided increments of time to protect her vocal chords.
According to Talamantes, who studied voice in North America and Europe, “I think of songs as poems set to music with its own story, character and mini opera.”
Visit www.danielletalamantes.com for additional details and upcoming performances.
(February 2009)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
By Devorah Ben-David
Courtesy of Gabriel Pons
As a young boy, Gabriel Pons loved watching science-fiction films, skateboarding and reading comic books. But he never imagined he’d one day be teaching a new form of punk art as a result.
“I’ve been skateboarding since ’87, and being involved with the skateboard culture in New York City really opened my eyes,” said Pons, who graduated with a bachelor’s in architecture from Virginia Tech. “I started to notice the similarities between what the street artists were doing and what the lifestyle of the skateboarders involved.”
Pons teaches street art at Liberty Town Arts Workshop, where his students work with stencils, spray paint and paper torn from billboards to create their 2-by-4-foot wall panels.
“I tell kids there’s a difference between vandalism and street art as an expression,” said Pons, who’s been at Liberty Town Arts Workshop with his wife since 2005 and who primarily works in collage and mixed media. “I also remind them that today’s video games, car commercials and … music industry all use street art as a mainstream way of selling their products.”
(January 2009)
Annandale ‘Nutcracker’: On Point
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, January 5th, 2009
By Willona M. Sloan
Courtesy of Classical Ballet Theatre
On Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, not-for-profit Classical Ballet Theatre of Northern Virginia offers a local take and fresh sheen on “The Nutcracker,” while inspiring “young dancers to achieve their greatest individual potential” with instruction of classical and contemporary styles from internationally renowned choreographers. The performance of this seasonal favorite, drawing talent from the Classical Ballet Academy of Northern Virginia in Herndon, will be held at Ernst Theatre, on the Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus.
In addition to onstage performances, the theater does a good deal of community outreach by going to local schools to bring dance to the classroom and performances set in intimate locations. To date, the dancers have performed for more 400 students, while maintaining a training program for future movement therapists.
For additional performance details, see www.cbtnva.org.
(December 2008)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, January 5th, 2009
Caberet queens draw on seasonal inspiration
By Willona M. Sloan
Courtesy of Signature Theatre
As part of Arlington’s Signature Theatre’s robust cabaret series, the stars of “December Divas” are mixing up holiday favorites with contemporary hits Dec. 17 through 20.
Matt Gardiner, who is directing the program, promises an experience featuring some of the most talented women in D.C. singing their favorite holiday-themed music. The ladies bring a new twist to classics, drawing inspiration from the holiday recordings of “everyone from Judy Garland and the Andrew Sisters to Mariah Carey,” he said. The show was created with a broad demographic in mind. “This holiday program is meant for everyone, not just those who celebrate Christmas, but anyone who loves the holiday season,” Gardiner said. “It will be an evening of shared holiday memories and powerful voices belting out extraordinary and unusual holiday songs.”
The “December Divas” program continues an ongoing tradition of innovative and off-the-beaten-path cabaret performances at the theater. Next season, Signature aims to explore “lost musical-theater gems from 1940 to 1950” with works by Michael John LaChiusa and D.C. composer Matthew Conner.
For details about the cabaret season, see www.sig-online.org/cabaret_season.htm.
(December 2008)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, January 5th, 2009
Setting in motion a new spin on the potter’s wheel
By Willona M. Sloan
Camarillo throws upside down to strengthen the vessel’s bottom. Courtesy of Frank Ruggles
For Ramon Camarillo, “My passion is art.”
As an artist in residence at Lee Arts Center in Arlington, Camarillo is recognized as one of the most innovative artists making raku-style pottery in the nation. But, as a teenager growing up in Hawaii, the last thing he thought he would become was a professional artist.
In the 1980s, Camarillo took a couple classes at a community college. “Some of the best potters on Oahu were there,” he said. “They were doing raku firing, and I said, Wow! I got immediately interested in that.”
The raku technique originated in Japan as a process for making special tea-ceremony vessels. The art form is still practiced in Japan today, but as Western artists adopted the style of ceramic art, the techniques evolved overseas.
Camarillo explained that Western-style raku firing process involves placing vessels in a specially constructed kiln that fires to about 1800 F, then immediately transferring them to a pit in the ground or a metal garbage can containing combustible materials, such as leaves or wood, for about 10 to 15 minutes. The fire and smoke create unexpected results such as “luster and crackled, smoky and swirling finishes in a variety of textures and colors.” Each work is a spontaneous experiment.
When Camarillo discovered raku, he was hooked. What teenage boy doesn’t want to play with fire? But despite the interest, he instead buckled down and earned an MBA with an eye toward working in finance. In 1996, when he was unable to find work in the industry in Hawaii, Camarillo moved to Northern Virginia upon his sister’s urging and found work at a bank where she was living. He also began teaching workshops at Lee Arts Center. “I was one of the few people doing raku pottery in the area,” Camarillo said. After entering several contests and participating in local juried exhibitions, he decided it might be possible to make a go of it as a professional artist.
Camarillo’s work mixes the techniques he learned in both Hawaii and on the East Coast. When he relocated to Northern Virginia, he only brought a few glazes with him and has since learned to work magic with those colors, creating spectacular combinations, he explained. Also, Camarillo said, in Hawaii, potters don’t use water to shape their pots, as potters here do, and tend to throw much larger pieces. “I might be the only one throwing 25-pound pots in Northern Virginia.”
Camarillo, who teaches workshops all over the U.S., raves about working with artists at the Lee Arts Center who both challenge him and inspire his work.
“We have a lot of potters from all over the world. The diversity of artists here is amazing. We can share and steal ideas from each other and share influences.”
The ever-optimistic artist and ukulele player (he jams with the Hawaiian band Aloha Boys) may not yet have made it big, but seems pretty pleased with how things have worked out thus far. “I am not as rich as I probably might have been if I had stuck with the bank job—but you have to follow your passion.”
For more on Camarillo, visit www.ramoncamarillo.com.
(December 2008)