Amy Tarver - Page 2

Inviting guests to enjoy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING in the open air amphitheatre in downtown Round Rock, Penfold Theatre presents a delightful adaptation of this Shakespearean classic. Traditionally classified as a comedy, the comedic elements were matched note for note with somber country western style songs - making this interpretation a dramedy for your viewing pleasure. At the heart of our story are two couples, thriving in desperation and desire at any given time in respect to their ingenue and sarcastic style of speech, they echoe classic Shakespearean qualities. As the character's continue intertwining, Claudio (played by Nathan Daniel Ford) declares his affection for fair Hero (played by Emily Christine Smith) these two are quickly swoon and a wedding date is set. A trick is hatched to play on funny man Benedick (played by Nathan Jerkins) and fiery Beatrice (played by Jennifer Coy Jennings) to falsely reveal the others affections through not-so-private conversations from other characters. Resorting back to childish tactics apparently has worked on people for centuries as their attraction for each other begins to bloom. However a more tricky foil comes to fruition when Don John (played by Suzanne Balling) falsely reveals Hero's infidelity the night before her wedding to young Claudio. Outraged by the thought of an unfaithful partner, Claudio rages away from the wedding altar cursing Hero's name for her promiscuity. The stage is set, the plot is hot and the characters are clamoring to protect one another and come out on top.

The Glass Half Full Theatre at The Vortex in East Austin, is currently an ocean chock full of plastic. In a special event for World Oceans Day on June 8th, POLLY MERMAID: APOCALYPSE WOW! examines how humans create and use plastic in a destructive way. These plastic items humanity continues to use fleetingly and toss into the nearest bin, make a bigger impact on our planet each day. At the heart of this story is Polly Mermaid herself (played by Indigo Rael), a mermaid comprised of plastic with her loyal friends in tow. With plastic lids replacing schools of fish and disposable bags covering her underwater throne, the depths of the sea resembles a landfill. Transcending space, time and terrain, we meet Dr. Deborah (play by Katy Taylor) as a crazed scientist, zapping objects in her lab transporting the 'trash' to an unknown place. After multiple calculations and tests, the mad scientist turns her experiments on herself, sending her on a path of self-discovery and global realization. Dr. Deborah lands in Polly's lagoon, surrounded by plastic both from her lab and the world at large. After seeing the styrofoam creatures and flip-flop fishes, the Doctor quickly realizes the toll humanity's plastic use has taken on the ocean floor. Realizing the future is dim, the Doctor vows to change things based on her discovery, but with ex-lovers and big business in the way, the outcome is mirrored to reflect what today's environmentalists face - overwhelming odds.

Beginning with small talk near a white picket fence, and dramatically escalating as the Keller family's skeletons reveal themselves, Arthur Miller examines the aftermath of the war within the home front. Currently running at The City Theatre, ALL MY SONS tackles the moral code of a small family and the ability to look the other way. Joe Keller (played by Rick Smith), the patriarch of the family, reads his newspaper and drinks his coffee, examining the fallen tree in his front yard - the memorial tree planted for his 'missing' son, Larry. The audience meets Kate Keller (played by Tracy Hurd), Joe's stubborn wife holding onto the hope her son Larry, who has been missing in action for three years after fighting in WWII, will come home any minute. Despite Kate's pining for her son Larry, Chris Keller (played by Sean Gordon), the surviving son from the war, has arrived home and invited a guest. Originally Larry's girlfriend, Ann Deever (played by Katrin Otterness) arrives with different intentions than Kate Keller would approve of. Given the domestic drama of Ann's love fitting within the Keller clan, the audience learns Joe Keller worked with Ann's father Steve Deever at their manufacturing plant during the war. As the drama unfolds between the moral love triangle of brothers, the moral conundrum between good and evil is examined with Steve's current imprisonment and Joe's delightful morning coffees free to brew on his current freedom. Initially, peering into the lives of the Kellers reveals a content family with friendly neighbors and patriotic, hard-working values. However, as Arthur Miller shines a critical light on their moral denial, the part the Kellers collectively played in the death of 21 World War II pilots becomes shockingly more apparent.

AS YOU LIKE IT, currently running at The City Theatre, has been transformed from its original comedic writing by William Shakespeare, into a dramedy set during the great depression in America's backyard. The premise of this show begins with young and fair Rosalind, fleeing the court from persecution into the Forest of Arden. Rosalind, along with her cousin Celia, venture into the woods dressed as a maid and a gentleman  in what appears to be a young child's game. The laws of attraction quickly interfere with their plan of evasion from the court. Young Orlando catches the eye and heart of Rosalind early in the play, and as their adventures continue in the forest, their paths inevitably cross. However, with Rosalind in disguise, Orando plays like putty in her hand, as she manipulates his motives and desires. Seemingly all characters in AS YOU LIKE IT are desperately looking for love, and falling hard for the wrong person. With one of Shakespeare's most renowned comedies, the show presented at The City Theatre is presented more dramatically with less gags than common productions.

Highlighting the old time blues and soul style of Bessie Smith AKA The Empress of The Blues, MOAN THEM BLUES provides a different style of theatrical entertainment. Essentially a one woman show starring Toni Ringgold, with her piano man sidekick Jawbone (played by Ke'Aier Mufasa Denson), the reminiscent blues of Bessie Smith is performed, while revealing deeper emotional connection to the material sung for the eager audience. Missing only cigarette smoke in the lounge, Frank Benge directs this show simply with a piano, a flask and tumbler and of course the traditional crowd work vintage vaudeville performances were known for. With a career beginning with a traveling vaudevillian performance troupe, Bessie Smith began to rise as a star in the early 1920's. Gaining a following in the Southern United States along with the east coast, Bessie quickly climbed monetarily to be the highest paid performer of her time and genre. With the show set towards the end of Bessie's career in the early 1930's, the rise of 'talkies' and the the great depression completely devastated performers and the music industry alike. Remembering the 'good ole days' of rising fame, men and the love of gin, Toni Ringgold performs Bessie's more memorable songs. The storytelling (written by Robert King Jr) in between the songs reveals more and more about her tumultuous life that has led her to the dim stage in The Sahara Lounge.

Venturing into East Austin as a theatre- goer is bound to deliver the more experimental artists and their creations within Austin's theatre community. Blurring the lines between performance and therapy/social commentary, Bottle Alley Theatre Company present SELF PORTRAITS. An ensemble-driven collection of scenes (for lack of a better term) that present more like improvisation, or an open mic variety show but with a little more rehearsal. With the content developed by the performers, monologues are the consistent pulse through the show, allowing the actors the opportunities to share their personal and sometimes traumatizing stories. With soliloquies ranging from terminally ill family to intense personal reflection, the collection of artists sharing their tales show bravery and clearly display the therapeutic nature art and more specifically performance art, can provide to survivors and victims alike. Peppered throughout the emotional feast are quick dances breaks, funny skits and political sentiment of a younger generation fed up with the current system. These young people have found passion in their expression, passion both upbeat and completely devastating.

The title RED SCARE, refers to a time in America following World War II, when the promotion of widespread fear of communism, anarchism and radical leftism was spreading and seeping into the American dream.

Austin Shakespeare known predominantly for their love of the renaissance, jumps to the turn of the century Russian dramatist, Anton Chekhov, for his beloved play THE SEAGULL. Set aside a lake, our cast of characters desperately seek happiness despite the tragedy that befalls them during the play. Beginning with a play within a play, Konstantin (played by Andrew Matthews) is pining over his latest production and his love of the Russian countryside girl next store, Nina (play by Corinna Browning). Plagued by uncertainty, Konstantin debuts his original work to his family and house workers to receive mixed reviews from the onlookers and nasty commentary from his actress mother, Irina (played by Tyler Layton). Presenting all the relationships at once in the lakeside audience of Konstantin's play, all members seem to have mixed intentions with each other, with a majority of the characters loving the wrong person. Nina, the Russian countryside girl next door, ends up falling in love with a famous novelist Trigorin (played by Matt Radford Davies) attached to Irina, Konstantin's mother. Within the premise of love and ego, Austin Shakespeare brilliantly found Chekhov's comedy within character relationship and premise. The tragedy that unravels offstage to our cast of characters is equally as heart-breaking when reflecting on the hope our characters began with.

With the history of ARIADNE AUF NAXOS as rich and complicated as the melodrama within itself, the reinvention presented by the Austin Opera this season is reminiscent of this Opera's rich history and beginnings. Premiering initially in 1912, Richard Strauss conceived a performance mixing the comedic style of Moliere' with the musically focused German-style melodrama opera. Appearing originally in two contrasting acts, the first begins as a play, and the second transitions into a full-fledged opera with comedic highlights. Historically, audiences were flustered in Munich and London by the contrasting art forms rolled into one night of entertainment - specifically, opera aficionados were loathe to sit through an entire act of a performance, before hearing the opera they were expecting in act two. After a variety of attempts with different versions and audience locations, Strauss' Libretto partner Hofmannsthal proposed a new first act be written to provide context on marrying the dramatization of operatic performance style with less prestigious but entertaining commedia dell'arte. Thus the second version of ARIADNE AUF NAXOS was presented in 1916 in Berlin and despite unsuccessful returns of a few productions, this opera/commedia concoction went on to be performed all over European Opera houses until it's first presentation in the United States in 1925. This rich history and reworking lend well to the present production at The Long Center presented by Austin Opera.

Celebrated as a revolutionary playwright in turn of the century Industrial Russia, Anton Chekhov delivers an examination of urban and country life in his play, UNCLE VANYA. Now playing at The City Theatre in East Austin, this famous playwrights works are brought to stage for the first time at this community theater. New beginnings of this play date back to 1898 with publishing and debuting a year later in full production by the Moscow Art Theatre. Directed by the godfather of modern acting, Konstantin Stanislavski brings the struggle of class and love to the stage. Set on a run-down estate in the woods of Russia, our hometown family of characters are disrupted by an elderly professor and his much younger, and very attractive second wife, Yelena. The pining title character of the play Vanya is the long running estate manager and brother to the sickly professors first wife. Intimated and teetering on the edge of patience, Vanya befriends the towns local doctor, Astrov in an effort to pass the time and pontificate his frustrations and helplessness. Quickly into the play, Astrov and Vanya fall under the spell of the beautiful Yelena, throwing themselves in circumstances unbecoming of a married woman. Into the mix is Vanya's niece, Sonya who lives in a lonely love with doctor Astrov. With the demise of characters and the estate at risk, our characters desperately attempt to navigate the tough terrain ahead of them.

With a variety of holiday classics opening all over the greater Austin area this season, PEOPLE OF COLOR CHRISTMAS is a breath of fresh air entangled with a modern festive twist many can relate to. Color Arc Production is tackling the white elephant in the room, with an amalgam of millennials gathering to discuss their colorful lives involving their background, ethnicity and occupations.

With the Christmas holiday around the corner, we are reminded of our families' traditions and the joy that the spirit of Christmas brings this time of year. As many of our traditions revolve around presents, food and giving, CHARLES DICKENS': A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a cautionary tale about miser Ebenezer Scrooge's hardened heart and greedy nature during the holiday season. After being visited by his late business partner Jacob Marley (who is definitely dead), a mirror is held to Scrooges deeds and mean spirit as he is visited by three entities that examine his past, present and what may be his future. Everyone has witnessed this tale through a variety of mediums the classic novel by Charles Dickens, the recent movie adaption starring Jim Carrey, or the staged play of this holiday classic. Regardless of how an individual has come to know Scrooge and his greed, this Christmas classic echoes in our hearts and minds the power of kindness and the impact we have on those around us. Even though this story was originally published in 1843, it appears fresh at The Palace Theater as the recent adaption CHARLES DICKENS: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, this rendition reimagines this old story in a new, more musical, way. With book, lyrics and music by Texas natives Keith Ferguson and Bruce Greer, this version sticks with the classic tale but adds more performance opportunity with the musical numbers and ballad for the performers.

A MIRACLE ON 34th STREET is presented as a classic radiocast that reignites our love for Santa Claus and examines the commercialized spirit in the heart of New York City during the busiest shopping crowds of the year - Christmas. Beginning with a drunken Santa too intoxicated to perform in the historic Macy's holiday parade, Kris Kringle (played by Robert L. Berry) steps up to the float to wave at children and fill this required role for any festive affair. When the parade ends, our story's newly-appointed Santa, Kris Kringle, keeps the magic going by serving as Macy's full-time Santa Claus announcing to all those around, that he is the real deal. Doris Walker (played by Sarah Marie Curry), the skeptic and realistic retail operations manager, reluctantly allows Kringle to infiltrate not only the parade but Macy's itself., Children and parents everywhere come into Macy's requesting the perfect present except with the new Kris Kringle, if Macy's did not have the new toy, Kringle would send the family (and their money) to the competitor, Gimballs! Initially outraged by this unspeakable action, Gimball's eventually follows suit, creating some forced harmony between all THREE toy giants, Macy's, Gimballs and Santa himself. All seems harmonious and grand until Kris Kringle pronounces himself the real Santa Claus, much to the embarrassment of his bosses and new- found friends. With the trial of the century scheduled to determine Kris Kringle's sanity and the fate of one little girl's Christmas, Penfold Theatre Companies presentation of A MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET is a Christmas classic all ages can enjoy.

Creating a show as captivating as Homer's Odyssey is no easy task. Playwright Naomi Lizuka attempts to capture the adventure and concept of home, while reimagining the long journey home as told in Homer's Odyssey. ANON(YMOUS), now playing at St. Edward's Mary Moody Theatre, is inspired by this ancient Greek work of art than it is an accurate retelling. As in the original epic poem, Odysseus travels far, clashing with many monsters and adversaries along the way. Anon, a young refugee also searching for his home, represents Odysseus in Lizuka's fresh take on this long journey. There are stark differences between the classic and this new version. A few obvious changes involve a swap for a mother to son relationship versus the classic loving wife relationship in the original story. The timeline in Homer's Odyssey is not relative in Lizuka's new telling. Years passing add more passion and drive to Odysseus' journey as he makes his way back to his wife, Penelope. Anon, however, passes through scenes, and different characters pay homage to the monsters originally faced but with a more relatable modern twist. For example, the seductress is a bartender with patrons whom oink like pigs. This is a clear reference to the original telling, but as quickly as Anon enters this scene, he runs away as fast as he can - apparently, he did not want to dance. In the original story, Odysseus spends much more time being tempted. As the similarities occur to the audience during the show, the difference in relative subject matter makes the connection to the audience more powerful. Tackling immigration, cultural diversity and sorrow, much more meaning is added, and people can relate to and learn something from the story.

Lakeway Activity Center plays host to Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's fantastic musical comedy INTO THE WOODs. Beginning with the words, Once upon a time , the combination of twisted fairytales that follow, present moral lessons for all ages to enjoy. Pulling premises from the stories of Rapunzel, Jack and the Bean Stock, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella, our characters collide in the woods attempting to fulfill their dreams, or more specifically, their wish. The wish of the village's baker and his wife tie these tales together. Years before our story begins, the bakers neighbor, The Witch, placed a curse on the baker's family to always be a barren one leaving the baker and his wife unable to have children.

Few modern plays have experienced the immediate love and adoration Tracy Letts garnished from her 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. Originally premiering at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago close to a decade ago, the story of the dysfunctional Weston family has travelled beyond the mid-western plains they call home. After secluding themselves inside their home to nurse a nasty pill and alcohol addiction, Beverly Weston, the family patriarch, goes missing for five days. The family's desperate search brings the Westons and their skeletons together again. Violet Weston, Beverly's wife, displays her intense pill dependency and cruel disposition while her daughters try to piece together where their father may be. As the story develops, the mystery of Beverly's whereabouts are brought to light, while simultaneously highlighting the disturbing reality of the Weston's existence. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY examines the portrait people present of a modern family and tests the boundaries of sympathy.

The City Theatre Company presents Larry Kramer's THE NORMAL HEART, with compassion and care to the tragic subject matter. This mostly autobiographical tale from Kramer, shines a light on the HIV crisis that hit the gay community in New York City in the early eighties. With the horrifying illness gaining steam, and compounded by little to no cooperation from the community at large, the newly liberated 'gay movement' was stonewalled and devastated by the effects of the AIDS virus. To tell the story of his own experience during this plague, Larry Kramer puts his experiences to paper to share the heart-wrenching realities many homosexual communities faced during this time. At the helm of the activism is an outspoken, abrasive crusader Ned Weeks (a self-reflection of Larry Kramer). THE NORMAL HEART begins in a hospital waiting room with a few young men trading quips back and forth that all will be well. Within minutes, we discover all is not well, and the true villain of the show, the HIV virus, is about to take center stage in these happy young men's lives. Weeks is adamant about finding help for his crusade and passionately tells his fellow peers to 'button it up' for the time being. The timeline of the show follows the rising death toll of the AIDS virus from all over the world. As events escalate, Ned's personal relationships fall victim to his passionate and outlandish tactics in seeking support for their cause. The reflection and passion written by Kramer is nothing shy of breath-taking. With an emphasis on awareness and education, THE NORMAL HEART stays relevant and interesting for the present-day theatre-goer.

The somewhat obscure 1985 musical NUNSENSE, is now playing at The City Theatre on the east side of Austin. Holding the title of the second longest-running Off-Broadway show in history, NUNSENSE will delight all audiences, but has the best entertainment value for the catholic-lite audience. Taking place in Mount Saint Helen's School auditorium in New Jersey, the Little Sisters of Hoboken were once a missionary order that ran a leper colony on an island south of France. After their mission went sour, they travel back to their convent in Hoboken, looking for a fresh start. The children of God then discover Sister Julia has accidentally killed the other fifty-two residents with a bad batch of the french soup vichyssoise. The nuns then raise enough money to bury all the late sisters through selling, what would be assumed, religiously quipped greeting cards. However, Mother Superior used part of their earnings to purchase a big screen television. Leaving her compatriots with four of the fifty-two sisters frosting in their freezer, until they can find the money to properly bury them. This premise causes the ladies to host a variety show in Mount Saint Helen's School auditorium to raise the money to put their frozen friends to rest. The five remaining collection of sisters have individual character traits as defining as the saints of the Bible. Loaded with audience participation, tap numbers and nuns with an odd perspective of their religious values, NUNSENSE is an entertaining vaudevillian-style musical with songs large and small.

Currently playing at The Vortex Theatre, MY BIG FAT BAHOOKIE challenges the treatment and attitude our modern culture has towards people who 'dont fit inside the box'. The box being no big fat 'bahookies'. This original work is written, directed and narrated by Lorella Loftus. The Vortex Theatre is known for their avant-garde flair - this original work delivers on this historical style of theatre. As the audience enters the theatre, you become a supportive member of the 'No More Diest Club'. The stage is open and welcoming, showcasing a projection modeled after pantaloons, and reversible stage inserts to maneuver throughout the show. The feeling in the room was lively and exceptionally supportive right off the bat. As a member of the 'No More Diets Club', as is the expectation with other clubs dealing with hard hitting issues, the scenes are played out with focus on the 'fat' experience. These experiences we all can relate to with doctors, lovers and most importantly emphasized, the massive diet industry. Journey through the actors experiences, and the truly shocking revelations the show uncovers about the human experience.

Austin Opera's second show this season, THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT welcomes Marie (performed by Rachele Gilmore) and 1,500 adopted fathers known as the 21st Regiment. The Long Center's stage is vast, however the regiment is fabulously represented by a chorus of  30 men with sergeant Sulpice at the helm. In the mountains of Tyrolean, Marie's journey to happiness is a mixture of Annie Get Your Gun and My Fair Lady with a French twist. Marie is rough around the edges, understandable for any young woman raised by a regiment of soldiers. However, after she meets the charming Tonio (performed by Rene Barbera), her 'fathers' discover he is a member of the enemy and literally drag him away. Marie's heart is true, as she wants to keep her word to marry a member of the regiment ( we will put aside the fact that they are all her father), despite her young love and affection for Tonio.