ANTON IN SHOWBUSINESS Kicks Off openstage etc's 2009-2010 Season 9/25-10/18

It's always amusing to get a peek behind the scenes to see how art is made, but rarely do audiences get to see a production such as Jane Martin's Anton in Show Business that combines razor-sharp wit with close-to-the-bone theatrical reality.

openstage etc's first offering for the 2009-2010 season is a witty backstage comedy about three struggling actresses and an ill-fated production of Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters. The play skewers incompetent producers, idiot directors, surgically enhanced actresses, crass sponsors and self-important critics while both satirizing and celebrating the challenges and importance of theater as a modern art form.

"The delight of Anton in Show Business is that it is written so well you don't have to be a theater person, you don't even have to understand Chekhov, to enjoy the play," said director Tracy Salter, an assistant professor of theatre at the University of Northern Colorado. "While it's hilarious entertainment, it also provides insight into creating the magic of theater, which is never easy. A wonderful review in Variety called Anton in Show Business 'simultaneously a love letter and a poison pen letter to the American theatre'."

Within theatrical circles, playwright Martin is a mystery. Rumor has it that Martin is actually Jon Jory, the renowned former producing director of Actors' Theatre of Louisville for over 30 years. Salter speculates Jory writes using the nom de plume of Jane Martin to give himself artistic license that he might not enjoy if he published under his own name.

If Jon Jory actually is Jane Martin, then Anton in Show Business presents an interesting double entendre, as all of the roles in the play, whether male or female, are portrayed by actresses.

Performances of Anton in Show Business are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights from Sept. 25 to Oct. 18, with Sunday matinées at 2 p.m. on Oct. 4, 11 and 18. Performances are at Art Lab, 140 W. Mountain Ave. in Fort Collins.

Individual tickets are $14 for all ages. Reservations are available through OpenStage Theatre, (970) 484-5237.

openstage etc, an artistic endeavor of OpenStage Theatre & Company, is dedicated to producing contemporary and original plays that are edgy and daring. Currently celebrating its thirty-seventh season, OpenStage Theatre is supported by grants from the Colorado Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund and the Thornton Family Foundation.

Founded in 1973, OpenStage Theatre, a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for not-for-profit professional theaters, is a recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.

A not-for-profit organization, OpenStage Theatre relies heavily on the support of sponsors and patrons who help make each season a success. With assistance from corporations, foundations and the general public, OpenStage has been able to maintain high quality productions for 37 years. For information on sponsorship and charitable gifts and how you can support OpenStage Theatre, please call (970) 484-5237.

 

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