LIFE
8 • Thursday, September 9, 2021
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
‘The Last Man Standing’
Homewood Theatre Kicks Off 2021-22 Season, Embraces Change at Brookwood Village
Journal photo by Jordan Wald
ALYS STEPHENS CENTER
Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Oct. 14 NEA Jazz Master and Grammy award-winning producer Delfeayo Marsalis, hails from one of the most talented family of jazz musicians. The Uptown Jazz Orchestra’s repertoire ranges from New Orleans street band songs, swing, bebop and the blues to modern and contemporary jazz. Jemison Concert Hall.
Adapting to changes is a skill that Executive Director Kyle Bass and his theater staff has had time to master in 2020 and 2021.
“They have been very gracious with us, a little nonprofit theater.” Homewood Theatre offered their space as a venue for community meetings with the property’s previous owners, who seemed dedicated to a plan to turn the mall into a mixed-use facility with apartments. Bass said Fairway seems to be more invested in feedback from local residents who wish to see the mall continue to be centered on retail and restaurant offerings. “They are local folks, and they know what is important to the surrounding community,” Bass said, noting that some of the new owners’ team members have a history with the mall when it was known as Colonial Brookwood Village. Updates to the building are needed, but Bass said the new owners have been more than accommodating. “They asked us if we would be willing to move to another space in the mall to ride out the construction,” Bass said.
A Season of Adaptations
While it’s another challenge for the young theater, Bass is up for it. Adapting to changes is a skill the theater staff has had time to master in 2020 and 2021. The changes have brought opportunities to create new theater arts experiences. Last year, Bass worked with local actors to create an outdoor storytelling production. Performers created monologues recounting their pandemic experiences, titled “Working Without Pants.” Stories included accounts of losing jobs and even one in which a woman rekindled a love of baking, quit her day job and opened a bakery. “Then we had a guy who works in news and on the radio. He had been laid off for a while,” Bass said. “In one of his stories he said something about getting kind of tired of working without pants. I said, there’s our title.” Over the summer, Bass and his team have
See THEATRE, page 11
Alabama Ballet Sets Its Schedule for the 40th Anniversary Season
Photo courtesy Alabama Ballet
ALABAMA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Private Picnic in the Park, Sept. 26 The family-oriented organization Symphony 30 will host an ASO fundraiser where patrons can order a picnic dinner, including two adult meals, two kid meals, Cookie Fix cookies, beverages, a fall children’s craft and links to download ASO music while eating. Picnic blankets will be available for purchase. Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
By Emily Williams-Robertshaw Homewood Theatre’s 2019-20 season was filled with promise. It was the first season the theater performed in its own venue, which is in Brookwood Village. Executive Director Kyle Bass recalls moving into the space in the summer of 2019 with its first performance held in August of 2019. As they continued through their first fall, the location in the mall seemed to be the perfect fit. “We would hold people’s bags from Macy’s behind the bar,” Bass said. They would also store patron’s leftovers from dinner at a nearby restaurant such as Brio or Cocina Superior in the venue’s refrigerator. “We did four shows in this space and felt like we were rocking and rolling, then, all of a sudden …,” Bass said. Everything came to a screeching halt in March 2020. “We had already planned a music series and were planning to do camps that summer. All of that went away,” he added. Not only were productions in limbo, the mall began experiencing a rapid decline as businesses closed their doors. Some of the major losses were Books-aMillion, Brio Tuscan Grille, Cocina Superior, Jason’s Deli and, most recently, Chick-fil-A. “People have their place where they park when they come to Brookwood Village,” Bass said, choosing to park in their regular area whether they are going to Macy’s or to the food court. As patrons walked through the building, he said they were shocked by how empty it was. “We’re the last man standing,” Bass said, but brighter days are on the horizon. In August, news broke that the majority of the mall had been sold to Birmingham-based Fairway Investments and Pope & Land Real Estate, out of Atlanta. “I cannot say strongly enough that this group, Fairway Investments, is on the ball,” Bass said.
FALL ARTS PREVIEW CALENDAR
Alabama Ballet’s season opens with an Alabama Ballet at Home performance of selected repertoire presented Friday and Saturday in the more intimate atmosphere of the company’s studio in the Lakeview area. Tickets for the event are $20, which includes complimentary drinks. They can be bought at the door as well as online or by phone. Next up is “Ovation,” a mixed-repertory performance being presented Oct. 22-24 at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex theater. In the performance will be segments of classic ballets and contemporary works, including an original work by choreographer Garrett Smith titled “Imitations” and George
Balanchine’s “Western Symphony.” In December, “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” will be performed at the BJCC concert hall. The Alabama Ballet is one of only eight companies in the world granted the rights to perform this holiday classic, which includes opulent costumes and extravagant sets. On Feb. 25-27, the company presents “Blue Suede Shoes,” by Dennis Nahat, at the BJCC concert hall. The ballet is danced to 36 master recordings of Elvis Presley songs, combining classical dance and classic rock with a helping of jazz thrown in. The 90-minute ballet incorporates 280 costumes, all designed by Bob Mackie, and 16 sets. See BALLET, page 11
Sierra Hull, Oct. 16 After making her Grand Ole Opry debut at the age of 10, the Tennessee-bred virtuoso mandolinist Sierra Hull played Carnegie Hall at age 12, then landed a deal with Rounder Records just a year later. Now 28-years-old, Hull is set to deliver her fourth full-length for Rounder: 25 Trips. Jemison Concert Hall. Robert Cray Band, Nov. 9 In just over 40 years, five-time Grammy Awardwinning singer, guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray and his band have recorded 20 studio releases, 15 of which have been on the Billboard charts, and played in bars, concert halls, festivals and arenas around the world. Jemison Concert Hall. Chris Thile, Nov. 16 Grammy award winner and MacArthur Fellow Chris Thile, a member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and now the host of Live from Here, is a mandolin virtuoso, composer and vocalist with a broad outlook that encompasses classical, rock, jazz and bluegrass. Jemison Concert Hall.
BIRMINGHAM BROADWAY SERIES
Rain – A Tribute to the Beatles Nov. 10 In celebration of the anniversary of Abbey Road, Rain will bring the greatest hits of this epic recording to life, in addition to all your early Beatles favorites. BJCC Theatre. Waitress, Oct. 15-17 Inspired by the beloved film, Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker who dreams of a way out of her small town. BJCC Theatre.
BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S THEATRE
Dot and Ziggy, Sept. 4, Sept. 11 and Sept. 18 With the help of a wise spider, and the encouragement of the audience, neighbors Dot, a ladybug, and Ziggy, a skunk, will learn how to share. BCT is offering a new series of shows specifically for its youngest audiences featuring engaging, interactive, immersive experiences for early learners. Birmingham Children’s Theatre..
See ARTS, page 12
