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Arts: Theatre
Traveling Productions Provide Drama, Opera and Modern Dance
M E T R O
BY RHONDA JONES
S P I R I T
National Players Presents Two Comedies On Jan. 23 through Jan. 25, you will get to indulge in a double-trouble feast of National Player proportions. The 12-member cast and crew will perform in Augusta with productions of “Tartuffe” and Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” Yes, that’s 12 members for the entire shebang – cast, crew, everybody. They can do that because they are the National Players and the National Players can do anything. Actually, that’s not far from the truth, if you consider what the individual actors are trained to do. When an actor completes a tour with the Players, that individual has had his hands in every aspect of the production world. This is because the troupe tours according to the old vaudevillian method – without a backstage crew. Not only are all the actors in both productions, but they each also have their non-acting roles to perform, as lighting technicians, stagehands, drivers. Whatever is needed, the actors do for themselves. And they love it. At least that’s their story. And they’re sticking to it. “I really like it,” Tiffany Fillmore said during a recent conversation with The Metropolitan Spirit. She is acting the role of the Duchess Fredericka (traditionally Duke Frederick) in “As You Like It,” and Elmire in “Tartuffe.” She says that kind of immersion helps the teamwork aspect of putting on a production, because some actors do tend to take the crew for granted. “It definitely helps with, when you’re working at a theatre, when you’re just doing the acting, it helps you to understand the jobs that everyone else is doing, and appreciate the people who are doing the work for you.” According to Fillmore’s colleague Jesse Hooker, who plays Orlando in “As You Like It” and Vale`re in “Tartuffe,” there are other, more personal, benefits in belonging to the National Players. “It gives you a real sense of ownership of everything,” he said. “After driving the truck all day, setting up the scene and the lights, you feel like you’re in absolute control of the production.” The experience allows the actors to bond, too. “In our company, we’re all just one big family.” That’s especially interesting, he said, for the actors who grew up as only children. “They’ve said this is the first time they’ve had siblings,” he said. And the sibling rivalry that comes with it, he added. “It’s been really fun to have this tight group of friends,” he said. Bill Gillett, general manager for the National Players, was once a tour member with the company. “It’s a very comprehensive, conservatory-like training program,” he said. The idea behind the company, he added, is to create a vehicle to help the young student of theatre make the transition into the professional world. “This might be
Photo by Roy Volkman
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Ailey II, an African American modern dance company, passes through Augusta on Jan. 20. their first or second professional experience,” he said. “It’s sort of a trial by fire.” He compared the experience to MTV’s “Road Rules.” When Gillett did his tour several years ago, the Players were producing “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Of Mice and Men.” As a result, the tour became known as the “rodent tour.” Just thought I’d throw that in there. In that case, this tour could be nicknamed the “impostor tour.” Here’s the scoop on the shows. “As You Like It” is a funny bit of confusion as a host of people are banished to the forest of Arden, starting with Duke Senior. His little sister has usurped his power and sent him packing, and his daughter, her niece Rosalind, along with him. Well, the conniving Duchess Fredericka’s daughter Celia leaves with cousin Rosalind and they all meet up with Orlando, who has fled his evil brother. But first, he has managed to fall for Rosalind, whom he meets in the forest disguised as a man, who is all too eager to provide Orlando with tips to help him woo Rosalind. “Tartuffe,” by Molie`re, is about an imposter who poses as a member of the clergy for the purpose of attempting to get a wealthy man to hand over his riches. This play was banned by Louis XIV. “Tartuffe” will be performed Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. “As You Like It” will be performed Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and on Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. For information and tickets, contact the Augusta State University Student Activities office at (706) 737-1609. Ailey II Presents Bodies in Motion “... We are not the end-all, be-all of dance,” Augusta Ballet artistic director Zanne Colton said of her company. She
was not disparaging Augusta Ballet, however, but merely stating that the dance world contains far more magic than is found even in classical ballet style. Therefore, they have partnered with the CSRA Classic and Augusta Focus newspaper to bring the touring, New York-based, African-American dance ensemble Ailey II to the Imperial Theatre stage. Named after its founding father, the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble was formed in 1974, and is now known as Ailey II. It is a modern dance company which incorporates forms of movement ranging from ballet to jazz and ethnic dance. Sarah Shoemaker, a former dancer who now coordinates public relations for Augusta Ballet, is excited about their imminent arrival. “I saw them for the first time in Nashville, Tenn., when they did a tour through Vanderbilt University – probably 12 or 13 years ago. Up until that point I had been a big fan of classical ballet and had not gotten into modern dance yet.” But that was about to change. “They did a piece called ‘Revelations,’ which they’ll be doing Monday night here. It’s Alvin Ailey’s signature piece. It’s everything people say about it and more.” The piece uses spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs and holy blues to explore the realms of human grief and joy. Four additional pieces will be performed on Jan. 20. “Aspects of a Vibe,” by Darrel Grand Moultrie, fuses jazz and modern dance. “Takedeme” by Robert Battle uses the rhythms of Indian Kathak dance, and incorporate lots of jumps. “The Hunt,” also by Battle, is for six men, and is an exploration of human aggression. “Journey,” by Joyce Trisler, is a solo dance set to “The Unanswered Question” by Charles Ives. As you can see, there are a lot of things
going on here that are not very much like “The Nutcracker” or “Carmen,” but it’s not always a simple thing to quantify the difference between “ballet” and “modern dance.” “Because not all classical ballet is tutus and pointe shoes. Our ballet performances are not all classical.” But, Shoemaker said, a modern dance company will travel farther from the often reserved movements of classical ballet. “The emphasis in modern dance and specifically in Ailey’s choreography is the use of the entire body.” She describes the effect as more dynamic than a classical technique. “Modern dance offers a freer use of the body.” Because of the dance genres’ constant borrowing from each other, however, the lines between them are blurring. “The trend in dance is to learn from each other so the classical ballet companies have been paying very close attention to what modern companies are doing,” she said, and viceversa. “Both types of dance are better for having each other to learn from.” Dancers are trained at the American Dance Center, also founded by Ailey, and have a chance to go on to the American Dance Theater. Ailey II performs Monday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. at the Imperial Theatre in Augusta, Ga. Tickets may be purchased with credit card, by calling (706) 261-0555 or directly from the Augusta Ballet box office on the second floor of the Sacred Heart Cultural Center at 1301 Greene Street. Prices range from $12 to $36. For more info on Ailey II, visit their Web site at www.alvinailey.org. USC-Aiken Cultural Series: Few Tickets Left Jane Schumacher of USC-Aiken had sad news about the London City Opera’s production of “Madame Butterfly” scheduled for Jan. 25: It’s sold out. In fact, she said, tickets for the USCA cultural series, of which “Madame Butterfly” is a part, usually leave their offices pretty quickly. “Last week we sold our last tickets,” she said of the opera. In fact, she said, the series was almost sold out in its entirety. And how quickly does that usually happen? By the first performance of the year, she said. The series began the first of November with The St. Lawrence String Quartet, and continued two weeks later with a performance by Rhythm & Brass. “Madame Butterfly” is the third production of the series. At the time of our conversation, however, Schumacher said there were about 20 tickets left for the rest of the season. The Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra is set to perform Friday, Feb. 14, and there will be a production of “Porgy and Bess” on Friday, March 7. Call (803) 641-3305 for ticket information.
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