(11/10/2017) - As an artist, I always want to grow. That's part of why I took on the challenge of stage managing Depend on Me. It's given me a much broader perspective of theatre as a whole, and I'm SO grateful for that opportunity. As far as where I'd like to go artistically? Well, I can't do that alone. I love an artistic challenge, the chance to take a risk. I would love for more theatre companies to do the same. Specifically? Cast me as someone you wouldn't expect, given my size and/or gender. Give me a chance to blow a few minds. That's my dream.
(11/01/2017) - 'The themes in this play, as in all in the Cycle, are universal. Unfortunately some of those themes and challenges are still relevant today. It is imperative that as a cast we explore and examine these themes before we even begin to tackle the language. Fortunately enough August Wilson's language succinct and inspiring. His characters are so clearly and powerfully structured that the journey for a cast to 'know' and 'find' these people. They are richly drawn,' Hemphill concluded.
(10/31/2017) - Disney Theatrical's beloved musical, Newsies, is a terrific show for the whole family! Inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 and based on the 1992 film, Newsies follows Jack Kellyand a rag-tag group of newsies as they take on the biggest names in publishing in a remarkable fight for justice and fair pay. Packed with show-stopping choreography and a Tony Award winning score by Alan Menken,
(10/13/2017) - Fight evil, right wrongs and restore chivalry! Man of La Mancha is the story of one man's quest to dream The Impossible Dream of a world where honor and salvation prevail. As Arizona's top producer of award-winning Broadway-style musical theatre, we're thrilled to bring to the ABT stage this legendary tale of right versus might.
(10/13/2017) - The Hale's newest offering is a holiday confection - sweet and delicious - like a freshly shaken up, edible snow globe. Director Cambrian James has put together his finest (thus far) staging of the season. On the marvelous arena stage in Gilbert, the tight, swift-paced send up of the classic 1944 film is enchanting, from overture to finale.
(10/09/2017) - As a columnist and critic, I get a lot of feedback, some of it not altogether pleasant, some of it rather negative, and some downright hateful. We learn, early on, that there will be people who vehemently disagree with our opinions - there's simply no accounting for taste. We also learn - and it's hard to accept - that we will get hate mail from people who are furious that our WRONG criticism has been published for all the world to see.
(10/09/2017) - Depend on Me is feels like a sitcom filmed before a live audience, until just before intermission, when it takes a turn and feels like late M*A*S*H, when they dropped the laugh track and things got dark. There's a surprise ending and much entertainment in the two-act play.
(10/04/2017) - Director Chris Hamby summarized what he wanted to bring to Frankenstein in one word: verisimilitude. He directed the cast and crew to create a production that was above all else, believable - no camp, no 'steampunk,' he wanted this Frankenstein to feel real.
(09/29/2017) - Of course, we can continue to produce our own work- and there is a growing amount of that being done in the Valley. Some of the companies in town have had their awareness awakened to this issue and have started choosing scripts by and for women- some even have roles for women our age! There are also groups of women forming to address the issue - Arizona Women's Theatre has expanded its mission to that express purpose and mounted Eve Ensler's 'Necessary Targets' at MET in September. The Bridge Initiative is focusing on works by and for women. What concerns me is how we approach it. I hope that rather than be bitter and becoming entrenched, we find ways to work within the system to change it. We all need to challenge ourselves to be more proactive in ferreting out scripts that represent those not being represented- not just 'women of a certain age', but disabilities, cultures, creeds - and when we select those scripts - casting from those populations.
(09/26/2017) - Being out there, in nature, learning what many consider classic or ancient forms of performance, was almost a step back in time. It was a place to strip down theatre to its purest form, the actor/poet in space. It taught me to never take theatre for granted and to understand that it is a sacred practice and should be treated as such.
(09/25/2017) - I have seen Scott this year in two different productions of Gypsy. He played the character Herbie in both of them. I'm inordinately fond of that show and have been a little in love with Herbie since I first saw the film sometime in the late '60s, with Karl Malden in the role. There have been many fine Herbies along the way, but none hit as many of the character's emotional and dramatic notes as did Scott in both productions, even surpassing Malden, in my view.
(09/25/2017) - Loosely inspired by the life of Van Gogh, EAR is a story as old as time. A boy loves a girl. To prove he loves the girl, the boy gives her a gift. A BIG gift. The kind you can't take back. And now the boy is in a mental hospital, at the mercy of a doctor who's even crazier than he is. And the girl? Well, she's starting to hear things, WEIRD things, late at night. It's an all-American story about love, insanity, auditory phenomena, experimental therapy, cannibalism, and talking birds.
(09/18/2017) - Whisper Sweetly, directed with crackerjack control and precision by Perovich. Mahon has created a world that is at once funny and terrifying. He has approached his creation with wild abandon, and the story is an hilarious nightmare.
(09/13/2017) - Director Cambrian James' fast paced, delightful Kiss and Tell gave this grumpy critic more laughs than she has experienced in a good long time - and the rest of the Hale's opening night audience was right there with her.
(09/13/2017) - In an eerie forest by the sea, far removed from the comfort of her village, Sandra escapes from loneliness into the arms of Peter, her simple, handsome lumberjack.
(09/11/2017) - Amanda Glenn's turn as Louise is lovely and heartbreaking. Glenn has a beautiful voice and exquisite is her painstaking, delicate interpretation of the awkward, plain Jane who becomes the iconic burlesque queen.
(09/10/2017) - Kicking off the 2017/2018 season with the unforgettable songs of ABBA, Mamma Mia! follows Sophie and her journey to nd the identity of her father, while her mother, Donna, comes face to face with three men from her romantic past. What Sophie hopes to be a joyful reunion before her wedding quickly turns hilariously complicated.
(09/07/2017) - Ground breaking, viciously funny, and devastatingly heartbreaking, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a modern masterpiece. Following one of the most enigmatic characters to ever hit the stage, Hedwig will electrify! Written by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen trask and the winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is thrillingly progressive and thoroughly entertaining! Scroll down for a sneak peek at Hedwig in character!
(09/02/2017) - Real Americans put their hopes and dreams on the line! Inspired by true events, 10 hard-luck Texans compete for a chance at a better life, and it's so close, they can touch it! Based on the amazing true story that will capture your heart, this all-new American Musical drives into Arizona Broadway Theatre September 1. It's simple: the last one to take their hand off the truck...wins! With their dreams on the line under a scorching sun for days on end, the contestants battle it out armed with nothing but hope, humor, ambition and pure grit!
(08/30/2017) - Considered a must-see, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was the first major hit for composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Sir Tim Rice. The Old Testament epic remains both timely as well as timeless. It is one of the most popular shows ever produced by Hale. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards on Broadway and won an Olivier Award for its London performances.
(07/21/2017) - Humble paint store clerk by day, stallion dance king by night, Tony Manero lives for Saturday night at the disco! Based on the 1977 film that became a cultural phenomenon starring John Travolta, this mega-musical explodes with breathtaking and dazzling choreography and songs from the chart-topping soundtrack including "If I Can't Have You" and "Disco Inferno." Catch the fever all over again!
(07/17/2017) - Droppin' Johns is as shamelessly subversive, as courageously adventurous and as boldly resolute a piece of Feminist Fringe Theatre as any you'll find, anywhere.
(07/06/2017) - I guess I've never been one to shy away from risky material. I think art is the most useful and impactful way to tackle some of these topics, and I think this script does it with honesty and beauty. The women in this show are put into an incredibly ugly situation, but they also exude a level of strength that I think many can connect to and find inspiration in. In their own ways, both of our primary female characters take ownership of the way they have been treated by the men around them and in turn they take control of their storylines.
(07/04/2017) - Ilana Lydia is an Arizona-based playwright and director. Her new play, Droppin' Johns is produced by B3 Theatre Company and premieres at SIC Sense July 14th and runs just two weekends, closing on the 22nd. The play is clever and shocking, funny and profoundly sad, but reading it didn't leave me crying - I was chuckling and shaking my head.
(06/19/2017) - Megan O'Connor's The Pledge is a startlingly clever new play that opened last Friday at Historic Downtown Glendale's Brelby Theatre Company.
(06/16/2017) - Valley Youth Theatre's (VYT) dazzling production of The Wizard of Oz opened Center Stage at the Herberger Friday, June 9th to a packed theater, earning an enthusiastic standing ovation and rave reviews. Check out photos from the show below!
(06/11/2017) - Jennifer Gantwerker is an Illinois native. She told me she made her theatrical debut at age eight in a summer camp production of Prejudice is an Ugly Color. 'There was definitely face paint and a candlelit performance of Imagine,' she said. She went on to graduate from the University of Southern California with degrees in Theater and International Relations. Having spent four years arguing cases for the nationally-competitive USC Mock Trial team, she said she 'ultimately decided to follow the career path that guaranteed her the smallest income.'
(06/11/2017) - '1070', a new play by James Garcia, premieres at the Herberger Theater Center on June 23 with performances running through July 9th. Tickets are $15 - $25 and are on sale now at herbergertheater.org.
(06/02/2017) - Step into the enchanted world of Broadway's timeless family favorite, Beauty and The Beast, LIVE on the ABT stage. With expansive sets, brilliant costumes and a tremendous cast of characters, this "tale as old as time" tells the story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress.
(05/31/2017) - The relationships in unexpected take surprising turns - thus, the title. The story follows a Hero's Journey trajectory, but remains unpredictable, which allows for some marvelous exchanges. There is genuine pathos in the play, however Perovich's skillful construct doesn't allow the fable to be bogged down in sentimentality.
(05/03/2017) - Kicking off the summer in Phoenix is the high-power, all-female, all-fabulous musical revue, Beehive: the 60's Musical! The production pays tribute to the women who dominated the music industry in that era, from Lesley Gore, Tina Turner and Connie Francis to Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross.
(04/26/2017) - Interrupting Vanessa is a very sweet compact play; it is slow, compassionate, and very concise. It does not pander to its audience, and is not superfluous in its story telling. It is beautifully paced and allows for audiences of different ages to enjoy it. The message of holding on, and moving on, is gentle and very organic in its writing. Adults experience a very different play than the children do. It is such a joy to be part of telling this story.
(04/26/2017) - As an event organizer, I always feel like it's important that I organize the types of events that I see myself going to. If I can't personally see myself attending or spending money to see my own performances then how can I expect other people who don't know me to do the same. What that means for me as a classically-based musician is that I always try to redefine not only how I present the music to audiences but also how I determine what constitutes meaningful and significant repertoire worthy of performance. That's why at many of Driftwood's performances you'll hear music by video game and film composers such as Nobuo Uematsu or Joe Hisaishi alongside works by Mahler or William Grant Still. It's very important to me that we always treat the music with the same due level of care and interpretation whether we're playing an arrangement of Fake Love by Drake or Handel's Water Music. We take the same approach with our collaborations as well. We've played soundtracks to live films, performed with jazz rhythm sections, and performed music that's paired with poetry and spoken word.
(04/23/2017) - I am incredibly proud of all my kids and Ryan is pursuing his dream as a performer. He has been performing for quite awhile now as a professional and I have had the idea that this would be so since about his Junior year in High School. I have always taken the time to include my kids (when they have shown an interest) into the shows I was doing. Ryan and his older sister, Kaitlynn, were able to be more inundated with it at a young age as I was more active as a professional performer and they got to be backstage and at rehearsal, and often in shows with me. Whenever I was in a show that needed kids, I got them an audition and, since they were talented, often got cast, so we were able to share the stage. Sound of Music, South Pacific, Music Man, Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol, all shows that my kids been able to share with me.
(04/17/2017) - Limelight Performing Arts, in partnership with Studio 3 Performing Arts, will give audiences a taste of American musical comedy in the Roaring 20's with a youth production of The Drowsy Chaperone, which runs April 21 through May 7 at Studio 3's Artspace Theatre in Gilbert. Check out photos from the show below!
(04/14/2017) - Valley Youth Theatre's The Secret Garden is brought to life with 25 talented young actors from around the Valley and a 13-piece live orchestra.
(04/12/2017) - Now & Then Creative Company is a culmination of perceived needs in the valley, coupled with opportunities for learning and growth with students at Metropolitan Arts Institute. The 'now' focuses on new play development and film production-working with local artists on the development of plays, screenplays, workshop productions, and film productions. The 'then' produces theatre classics that speak to our present time-plays that tackle large issues to provoke conversation around social concerns. Further, I imagine the classics to be interpreted with a strong vision from directors. We are interested in producing classics with strong concepts-we are not interested in producing classics in ways that feel familiar. More to that point sometimes classics begin to feel like museum pieces-once you've seen them, you've seen them. We want to nurture an exciting, vibrant, and meaningful approach to the classics.
