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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | OCTOBER 07, 2018
Arts & Entertainment Scottsdale.org l
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Veteran art curator has a place to call her own BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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oyse Contemporary may be the newest gallery on the Old Town Main Street block, but curator and owner Nicole Royse is far from new to the art scene. “I’ve curated galleries in downtown Phoenix for the last six, seven years,” she said. “When I left Phoenix, I made the move [to Scottsdale] because I felt it was a good location for my own gallery.” Royse opened Royse Contemporary for two reasons: She wanted her own intimate space, and she wanted to take a much more hands-on approach – in more ways than one. “I’m used to doing everything myself,” she said. “I hang, I promote, I write, I curate – I do all of that, and I have for years. So, it was just nice to do it in my own space to really focus on a new environment because
(Kimberly Carrillo/Progress Staff Photographer)
Royce Contemporary owner Nicole Royse is feeling good about her year-old Old Town gallery.
Scottsdale is really great,” she said. Having a designated space was important to Royse, but it didn’t come without its challenges. “It’s just hard work,” she said. “I painted, I patched, I sanded – I did all the work. I
made all the signs, the logo. Everything about this I did myself, and I did on a very small budget.” It all paid off, though. Royse Contemporary celebrated its one-year anniversary this month.
Royse sets herself apart from her neighboring galleries in a couple ways. To start, Royse is one of the very few contemporary spaces in Old Town, which she believes brings in a younger audience. “I have my own market,” she said. “Some people want artists working today. That’s what contemporary is. It doesn’t always mean modern; it just means artists working today, making art today relevant.” Royse also helps promote artists’ work, assisting in writing press releases and showing them how to use and utilize social media. “They’ve put a lot of time and energy, making these shows, and you want them to have a good reception, you want them to take it to the next level, and part of that is focusing on the marketing and the press of it and the social media of it,” she said. Royse also plans to host artists workshops at least once a month at the gallery.
see ROYSE page 33
Old Town getting first live musical in 9 years BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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ld Town will soon be alive with the sound of live musical theater. After nearly a decade, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is producing its first live musical, “The World Goes ‘Round.” Scottsdale Arts last put on a musical theater production in 2009 with “Girls Night: The Musical.” “There’s really no live theater in this area at all,” said Michael Wallot, director of “The World Goes ‘Round.” “So maybe this will start a little revolution here and get people interested in producing.” The musical will be located at Stage 2, a cabaret space that went largely unused at SCPA. “It hasn’t been totally unused for awhile, but it has not been as available and as used as it could be,” said Meribeth Reeves, managing director of SCPA. Reeves said “The World Goes ‘Round”
(Kimberly Carrillo/Progress Staff Photographer)
Rehearsing a scene from "The World Goes Round" are, from left, Kathleen Berger, Michael Wallot, Savannah Alfred, Patrick Russo and Victoria Fairclough. Music director Josh Condon is on the piano..
– an intimate, award-winning cabaretstyle performance – works perfectly on a smaller space like Stage 2. “This type of show is pretty flexible in how you stage it and what you do with it because there’s not a story throughout,
so the artistic team can be really creative in how they present it,” Reeves said. For the production of “World,” cabaret tables will be set up at the front of the theater, allowing the artists to more closely connect with the audience.
“That’s one of the fun things about a cabaret-style performance is artists do often mingle with the crowd, and it’s a great way to really get up-close and personal with some of the actors,” Reeves said. This intimate setting not only allows audience members to feel like they’re part of the show, but Wallot hopes it will also give them a chance to escape and reflect. “Musical theater has always been a great escape for the world,” he said. “It makes you think about your life, and the songs in this show are very reflective. We thought it would be a great way to bring some cheer to the area.” “World” features an all-local cast of professional actors, singers, musicians and technical staff. Sourcing local talent was important to both Wallot and Reeves. “They’re not as appreciated as they
see MUSICAL page 33