culture
New Mexico Daily Lobo
theater review
Young directors’ plays are so-so by Graham Gentz
culture@dailylobo.com The hardest things to write about are the unspectacular ones. Without anything to praise or criticize, to connect with or discuss, the most these mediocre moments really elicit is an apathetic shrug. Nothing exactly is terrible about “By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea,” even the flat repetition; but neither is anything great about it. The project is probably most interesting because it is three one-act plays directed by three young, local directors: Paul Hunton, Jennifer Loli and Isaac Christie. This is a worthy cause and should certainly be encouraged. Beyond that, there’s really not much to say. Perhaps it’s mostly the scripts, each too weak to stand on its own, yet stiffly bound together. Entitled “Dawn,” “Day” and “Dusk,” respectively, the three plays claim to take place on the same beach front at different times of the day. Is it the same day? It hardly matters, because the difference of time does little to assist the
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narrative for each play, and certainly not the overall structure. “Dawn” and “Dusk” make the mistake of narrating events outside the action that have little to do with the conflict at hand. “Day” seems to be the most enjoyable piece, with each of the actors being at top form. The writing is also nuanced and tense, while still leaving room for humor. The actors — Michael Weppler, Francesca Tharpe and Hannah Colver — play different roles in each play, totaling nine roles. Perhaps this is the fault of the writing, but only the most extreme changes in character can be noticed. The performers are by no means terrible, but are not particularly engrossing either. The set is nice, simple and attractive: sand is draped healthily over a quaint boardwalk, with bright blue surf painted at the audience’s feet. There is a clever lighting gimmick, with the lights being on a lengthy slow fade-in during “Dawn” and a similarly lengthened fade-out at the end of “Dusk.” This functions to bookend the pieces, though it works much better for the opening,
with actors entering the stage in the darkness of pre-dawn, utilizing flashlights as the only light source. By “Dusk,” the fading light is mostly distracting, simply forcing the audience to squint. Overall, this project seems like a student experiment or exercise: young directors getting their feet wet and actors trying on flexibility. This should be wholly encouraged, and has worlds more value than some usual suspect’s affair. This is hopefully a new trend in local theater to take risks and challenges on the new and exciting. By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea Three one-act plays by Joe Pintauro, Lanford Wilson and Terrence McNally Directed by Paul Hunton, Isaac Christie and Jennifer Loli The Vortex Theatre, 2004 1/2 Central Ave. S.E. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 2 p.m. $18 General, $12 Students For more information call 2478600 or visit vortexabq.org
Tuesday, January 21, 2014/ Page 11
Building Community Capacity Through Community Based Learning in Northern New Mexico
A field school sponsored by SHRI* and CCS
May17-26, 2014 CCS 495 006 Undergraduate Problems Instructors: Magdalena Avila and Moises Gonzales
Course Objectives:
• Partner students with leaders of northern New Mexico cultural strongholds, as well as economically and socially distressed regions to advance economic development and public health projects • Afford students the opportunity to work with Northern Hispano communities and UNM faculty members to build their skills in critical analysis, research, and cultural competence. To expose students to the principles of community-based participatory research and ethics when working with New Mexican communities. • Provide students direct hands-on experience in a variety of careers.
1st Week- Classes will be held on UNM Main Campus. 2nd Week- Out in field in Northern NM. Staying at El Rito - NMCC Campus Housing. (Tentative) * Southwest Hispanic Research Institute
$2.50 Coronas $2.50 Landsharks $3 Cuervo
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