MOVIE REVIEW
&
LAST CALL
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost embark on a pub crawl to end all pub crawls in “The World’s End.”
The Gazette’s Guide to
Arts & Entertainment
Page B-9 www.gazette.net
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Thursday, August 29, 2013
Adventure Theatre MTC’s “Three Little Birds,” based on the book by Cedella Marley and the song by her father, Bob Marley, will head off-Broadway following workshops at Bowie State University in January.
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VIRGINIA TERHUNE
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MICHAEL HORAN
“We’re taking it to the campus, and it’s a big undertaking for us,” said Bob Bartlett, assistant professor of theater at BSU. “We haven’t done anything like this in the building n What: For 2013-2014 season. Open to students, staff and public. yet. It’s going to be one of the highlights of our year.” his year, the WonderWorks chilThe larger space at BSU will enable Bobbitt to do some dren’s theater program at Bowie n When: 4-6 p.m. Sept. 4-5 restaging and rechoreographing and also add three live inState University will be partnering n Where: Main Stage Theater, Fine and Performing Arts Center, Bowie struments to the recorded score before the show opens in with Adventure Theatre MTC in Glen State University, 14000 Jericho Park Road, Bowie New York on Feb. 7. Echo to get two of Adventure’s shows Adventure Theatre MTC will also present Bobbitt’s ready for the road. n Campus events calendar: www.bowiestate.edu/about/calendar/ other new show “Five Little Monkeys,” based on the chilOne show, “Three Little Birds,” is category/performanceexhibit dren’s by Eileen Christelow, at the BSU center in January based on Cedella Marley’s children’s n For information: Call Bob Bartlett at 301-860-3769 or email before it goes on a 30-city tour to cities east of the Missisbook and her father Bob Marley’s BBartlett@bowiestate.edu sippi. song of the same name. “It’s our first national tour,” said Bobbitt. “We’re testIt is about a little boy who confronts his fears of the ing the waters and expanding.” outside world. Also expanding is Bowie State University’s WonderWorks program, which premiered in Written and choreographed by Michael Bobbitt, producing artistic director of Adventure Theatre MTC, the show is headed for a three-week run at the New Victory theater in New York City March with “The Big Bad Bullysaurus,” a show that gave students a chance to act on stage. Bartlett is hosting cattle call auditions for the theater department’s 2013-2014 season on Sept. after trial runs in January 2014 at the new Fine and Performing Arts Center at BSU. 4 and 5 in the art center’s Main Stage Theater. “It gives us a chance to rehearse and tech it and iron out the kinks,” Bobbitt said. Bobbitt got permission from Marley’s family to incorporate 15 of Marley’s songs in the show, See KIDS, Page B-8 which Adventure presented with a professional cast in March 2013 at Glen Echo. BY
STAFF WRITER
THEATER AUDITIONS — BOWIE STATE
All aboard
Short and sweet Opening weekend of festival highlights local playwright’s work n
Actors undergo transformations for roles in ‘Twentieth Century’ n
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BY
CARA HEDGEPETH
STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
“I like watching the costumes change the actors,” said costume designer Linda Swann. “It’s kind of like playing with my own live Barbie.” Swann is working closely with makeup and hair designer Denise Levien to transform the actors in the comedy “Twentieth Century,” opening Saturday at Prince George’s Little Theatre. “Twentieth Century” takes place aboard the observation car of the 20th Century Limited, on its way from Chicago to New York in 1932. Aboard is theater producer Oscar Jaffe (Jeff Landau) and his former protégée and former flame, Hollywood actress Lily Garland (Susan Harper). Oscar, desperate for a hit, is determined to sign Lily for his new show. And Lily is just as desperate to ignore him. In order to reflect the time period, actors will undergo serious transformations thanks to Swann and Levien. “We started out by establishing
WILL C. FRANKLIN
for the men’s styles. When it came to the women, Levien points to actresses like Jean Harlow as sources of inspiration for the characters’ blonde hair, red lipstick and drawn-on eyebrows. Levien also mentions a popular 1930s trend. “Platinum blonde came from 1932,” she said. “They had made great
Being a playwright requires a person to be mentally in many different places at once. What do the actors say? How should they move? What’s the point of this? Over time, and after several rewrites, the playwright might have enough material for a solid one-act play. Laurel Mill Playhouse will be celebrating those short plays during its One-Act Festival starting Sept. 6. The first weekend will highlight some of the works of Mark Scharf. Scharf, who is also an actor, teacher and musician, is a local playwright. For Scharf, the theater is his home. “It’s where I feel comfortable,” Scharf said. “It’s where everything comes together for me. It’s church, it’s everything. It’s where I think, and hope, my talents lie. It’s where I’m happy. I feel at home in any theater I walk into.”
See TWENTIETH, Page B-6
See FESTIVAL, Page B-8
MALIA MURRAY
Susan Harper as Lily Garland and Oscar Jaffe as Jeff Landou rehearse a scene from the Prince George’s Little Theatre production of “Twentieth Century.” with [director] Keith [Brown] what year we were going to do,” said Levien, a professional makeup artist and actor. “A lot of things happened in this country in the 1930s and we needed to pinpoint exactly when this is happening ... A lot of America was looking to Hollywood to see what was popular.” And so the makeup artist did the same. Levien pulled inspiration from actors like Clark Gable and Errol Flynn
Playwright Mark Scharf
MARK SCHARF
ONE-ACT FESTIVAL n When: 8 p.m. Sept. 6-7, Sept. 13-14; 2 p.m., Sept. 8 and Sept. 15 n Where: Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St., Laurel n Tickets: $15, $12 students/ seniors/active military n For information: 301-617-9906, press 2; laurelmillplayhouse.org