17 minute read
Arts & Culture
Ash Saunders, Erica Mae McNeal, Phillip C. Curry, Azeem Vecchio and Syanne Green
‘Midsummer’ finds the magic in enslaved people
In Athens, there are a people who perform magic, manipulating the world around them while those in power either never see them or write them off as boorish, ignorant folk good only for their service and entertainment. production, we’re able to see their magic played out in the lives of the people around them who don’t ever see them.” Fowler, who has directed and acted in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” said he’d
It’s the story of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and director James Fowler is moving the Open Fist Theatre Company’s production to Athens, Georgia, in a pre-Civil War period where the fairies and mechanicals are enslaved people while Theseus is a judge and the people of Athens are white plantation owners.
The show will run at the Atwater Village Theatre until Saturday, Aug. 13.
It’s inspired by the line, “That would hang us every mother’s son,” spoken by Bottom, the weaver who is part of an acting company that will play before the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, rulers of Athens.
“I was stunned to discover how well this concept works with the text,” Fowler said. “It makes sense that the fairies, unseen to the lovers, are invisible to the plantation owners around them because they are enslaved. I imagine African slaves on the plantations as people who, despite horrendous hardship, carried magic. In this been sitting with this concept for several years. During the pandemic, he did a virtual table reading and later approached Martha Demson, Open Fist’s artistic director, with the vision. Not only did she like it, but she wanted to put it up immediately. In a very short time — less than a month, he, Demson and the company’s production manager put together a cast with Phillip C. Curry as Oberon, Ash Saunders as Titania, Monazia Smith as Puck, Michael A. Sheppered as Bottom, Debba Rofheart as Peter Quince, Malik Bailey as Mustardseed and Flute, Syanne Green as Peaseblossom and Starvling, Erica Mae McNeal as Cobweb and Snout, Azeem Vecchio as Moth and Snug, Bryan Bertone as Theseus, Heather Mitchell as Hippolyta, Alexander Wells as Egeus, Sandra Kate Burck as Hermia, Dylan Wittrock as Lysander, Anna-Laurie Rives and Ann Wilding alternating as Helena and Devon Armstrong and Nick Mizrahi alternating as Demetrius. Fowler said that, as a person of color, he’s constantly thinking about how he can
Devon Armstrong, Sandra Kate Burck, Phillip C. Curry and Monazia Smith
fit himself into these worlds that he performs in, particularly Shakespeare where he is set in various time periods, cultures and strange locales. He wondered how this play would work in the world of the Antebellum South.
“I found as I was going through the text that there were harsh lines, like ‘Away, you Ethiop,’ and ‘Hang us every mother’s son,’ you start to see that these people in the original are invisible because they are fairies and they are magical creatures, you start to realize that these fairies can also be invisible in the world of the Antebellum South because the non-BIPOC people at the time didn’t see them,” Fowler said.
In this production, Theseus is a judge who has come in to take over another person’s plantation, which is where he encounters Hippolyta. Titania is the wet nurse for the changeling child of whom Oberon is so jealous.
Fowler promised that this version of “Midsummer” will be filled with magic. He said they researched the era and the kind of magic that was believed in. Puck moves people around, manipulates their bodies and makes them do what Puck wants them to do. Fowler gives her a whip which she can crack.
“You’ve got this image of an enslaved African who is able to lull these young white slavers — or not slavers — to sleep with the crack of a whip and go completely unseen while doing it,” Fowler said.
Oberon carries a sack around his neck, one used by people when picking cotton. But out of it comes magic. Rather than a purple flower used to force love, cotton carries the potion.
Titania is the most powerful sorceress among them, and her magic is carried out with special light and sound effects.
“I want us to look at this story and believe that enslaved peoples could do anything that anyone else could have done in any other world the show is set in,” Fowler said.
It’s also why he has resisted the suggestion to dress the fairies in African masks or clothe them as traditional spirits or entities.
“I was in opposition to that because I felt it made the show more digestible for a wider audience,” Fowler said.
“That wasn’t my objective. Most of the people who lived in 1855 Athens, Georgia, who were of color would have been born in Georgia. They would have had no relation or connection to Africa in that way. I didn’t want to make it easier for us to digest or for us to believe. I wanted to ensure that we looked at enslaved people and believed that they can wield magic like anyone in anywhere else we set the play.”
He also infuses the mechanicals with all the humor that they are known for while allowing more serious elements to shine through. Peter Quince is a British abolitionist who teaches the other mechanicals how to read and encourages those who say they are slow of speech and cannot memorize many lines.
While much is the same, Fowler said there are new and scarier elements. When the mechanicals perform outside of town, they are clearly worried about being caught and the jumpiness about sounds also take on new meaning — these are a people who must be careful.
“We use the language to allow the audience to get into this world,” Fowler said.
As for the lovers, Hermia is a classic Southern belle while Demetrius is a young attorney who looks up to Theseus and wants to impress Egeus, Hermia’s father.
Fowler is working with scenic designer Jan Munroe, who has a great deal of familiarity with the South. Together, they established different worlds on stage. Elements include a slave lean-to with a wooden roof, a platform framed by pillars that indicate a plantation, and a painted mural with Spanish moss and a creek.
“We split the worlds where we have the enslaved African world on one side and another sort of world on the other side,” Fowler said. “We’re hanging Spanish moss from the grid and downstage we’ve got a lot of plants that bring us into the world before us. It really does give you that ‘Big River’ the musical feel.”
Audiences are invited to interpret themselves whether the events actually happened or if it was a dream. Fowler encourages theater goers to see a show that demonstrates clearly that inclusivity works in all forms of theater.
“We have this conversation in theater about honoring BIPOC peoples and stories,” Fowler said.
“I want to ensure that the audience realizes that we can keep telling these stories— there’s been this narrative of ‘burn it down.’ As somebody who has done tons of Shakespeare and tons of Ibsen and tons of Sam Shepherd and all kinds of different shows, I don’t want to burn it all down. I want to be included.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Open Fist Theatre Co. WHEN: Various times Saturday, June 25, to Saturday, Aug. 13 WHERE: Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles COST: $25; $15 for students, seniors and veterans INFO: openfist.org
Justin Hoyt delivers multilayered songs
By day, Justin Hoyt is a lawyer and adjunct law professor at USC Gould School of Law.
In his spare time, the Pasadena resident is the solo artist behind Seven Layer Piano Cakes.
Although he has taken breaks from music because of his busy career, it has been a part of Hoyt’s life since he was a child.
He recently released the single “Gumdrops,” a dreamy baroque pop song with new wave/synth elements. It has a nostalgic vibe that is meant to evoke memories of the TV show “Twin Peaks” and the music of the Beach Boys and Depeche Mode. The song tells the story of a hot-cold romantic relationship.
“It has some dark moments, but it ends up providing closure for anyone who has been through it,” Hoyt said.
He recorded the single with Valerie Lohman, a Burbank artist who records under the name VRL.
The harmonies fit with the concept of a relationship that can at times be pleasant but is also troubled and fractured.
“(Her singing) provides a good complement in parts, and it provides a good contrast,” he said.
This was the first time that Hoyt had produced another artist’s vocals.
“Having to explain to a complete stranger the intimate details of your personal life, and what I was hoping she was thinking or feeling when she was singing certain lines, was quite the experience,” Hoyt said.
While in the studio, he changed the song a bit and he said it worked out well.
“You have an idea of what she should be feeling or sounding like, but when you get to the actual studio, and you hear the first few tracks, then you realize you have other options to explore. Some of them are in alignment with what you envisioned and others you never would have expected, but you go with those,” Hoyt said.
Going forward, Hoyt hopes to write and produce more for other artists as well as for TV, movies and commercials. During the height of the pandemic, the artist stayed busy making music.
He released a piano and vocals EP called “Mood Swings” in September 2020, followed by the single “Kaleidoscope” in November 2020, his EP “The Patriarch” in January 2021 and his single “Middlegame” in April 2021.
“Middlegame,” which focuses on feelings of complacency experienced by the musician in his thirties, is the second in the chess trilogy.
The series started with “Novel Opening,” which was about the pandemic and featured chess references. This single appeared on the EP “The Patriarch.”
The project was inspired by the TV show “The Queen’s Gambit,” which tells the story of an orphan who shows an affinity for chess.
Hoyt said that the songs are connected, but also distinctive.
“If you listen to all three, it was clearly the same person, but they were three totally different songs,” Hoyt said.
“Endgame” is his second solo release in 2022. In February, he released the dreampop single “Remy,” about his son.
Hoyt has two kids, a daughter and a son. With his music, he hopes to inspire them to pursue their dreams.
“They are definitely a huge motivation. That is actually why I got back into it…I had put music aside for so long. I hate when life takes over so much, people refer to their hobbies as ‘I was a baseball player’ or ‘I was a musician.’ I thought it would be disingenuous to try and get my kids into music if I said, ‘Dad was a musician’,” Hoyt said.
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He said “Remy” is more intimate than many of his other songs.
“It’s definitely more personal and less poetic. I wrote down what I was feeling, and I feel like it’s 100% genuine, whereas ‘Middlegame’ and ‘Novel Opening’ are more cerebral,” Hoyt said.
The sing features creative instrumentation in the form of a vintage Wurlitzer, as well as the guitar and synth bass.
Hoyt worked on the single with Ian Stahl, a recording engineering, mixer and songwriter from Pasadena. They began collaborating in November 2020.
The artist originally planned to record another song, but neither he nor Stahl felt it was the right choice. This is what led to “Remy.”
“It was very natural. It flowed. Other songs take days or weeks from idea to final mix, but this one, it was just one of those great moments in the studio…The way I write is I start with chord progressions, bass and beat. And then a general sense of the vocal melody. That all came together pretty quickly. The lyrics were the easiest part to write because it’s about my son,” Hoyt said.
As an artist, Hoyt is inspired by the likes of The Beach Boys, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, The Strokes, Muse and Beach House.
He believes that his diverse musical interests and background make him different from other artists.
“That’s why I’m doing this. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think I had something unique to offer… I like the challenge of blending all of the influences, even if it doesn’t sound like classical or metal. I like throwing stuff in there. I’m just trying to make something that’s respecting the good stuff that was done before,” Hoyt said.
Hoyt said that while his songs have a similar type of “dreamy” soundscape, they are all different.
“My goal is to write accessible songs melodically but throw in some interesting chord changes and some unusual melodies and harmonies…I try to toe the line between surf pop and surf rock most of the time, but it’s darker. I try to pay my respects to pop and rock at the same time,” Hoyt said.
The name Seven Layer Piano Cakes, which Hoyt started using in 2020, came from his hobby of baking cakes, which he wanted to connect with his music.
“All of my songs have either a piano, a keyboard or multiple synths in them. That’s the driving sound. They are all layered songs…I use a lot of seventh chords, so I was trying to come up with a name that was a double entrée. It’s silly, but each word has some significance,” Hoyt said.
Hoyt is classically trained and started on the piano at age 3, at his parents’ encouragement.
He stuck with it until 13, even though he hated it at the time.
As a teen, he switched to bass and guitar, started to sing and joined a few local rock bands.
He grew up in San Dimas and at age 14 and 15 drove to Pasadena to busk with his acoustic guitar off Colorado Boulevard.
“That was my earliest memories of performing this style of music. Instead of saving our earnings, we would blow it on a fancy dinner, but those were some of the best times of my life,” Hoyt said.
Although Hoyt received classical and musical theater training as a singer, his vocals tend to have more of a pop or rock edge.
Along with the bass, guitar and piano, Hoyt can play the drums well enough to write his own parts.
It wasn’t until he was in his twenties that he started to play the piano again and really began to appreciate it.
He attended the Juilliard School’s evening division for a time while living in New York.
During this time, he played open mic nights, where he did acoustic songs and covers.
With law degrees from USC Gould and Brooklyn Law School, he has written music sporadically throughout his life, including while attending and right after law school. Many of his recent songs are outgrowths of pieces he started back then.
The artist took some time off from music when he was establishing himself professionally in his career.
It wasn’t until the pandemic that he had more time to start playing and recording more consistently.
“I was always thinking about getting back into it, but the time was never right… When the pandemic started, I got to work from home. Instead of focusing on the pandemic and the negative parts of it, I decided to use the extra hour and a half I have in the day to do this,” Hoyt said.
A benefit show at The Paramount in Los Angeles will support Go Betty Go guitarist Betty Cisneros, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Rockers unite to support guitarist’s cancer fight
By Summer Aguirre Pasadena Weekly Staff Writer
While Go Betty Go guitarist Betty Cisneros puts her all into her battle with cancer, the rock community is rallying behind her with a special benefit concert.
Cisneros’ bandmates and musicians from across the country are leading The musicians went to grade school together in Glendale; however, Vilar said it wasn’t until the end of high school that they were introduced by a mutual friend. They were jamming together shortly thereafter and made their debut in 2000. an all-ages Benefit Show for Betty at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 3, at The Paramount in Los Angeles.
“It’s bittersweet,” Go Betty Go drummer Aixa Vilar said.
Besides the show, a GoFundMe has been set up. Of its $50,000 goal, the site has collected $42,830. Visit bit.ly/GoFundMeBetty.
The selfless community behind Cisneros has lifted her spirits during her healing process. Vilar said the guitarist would be completely healed if “true love and support” could cure cancer.
The concert will feature former Go Betty Go singer Emily Valentine as a special guest, in addition to Two Tens guitarist Adam Bones filling in for Cisneros on guitar. Other special guests in the lineup include the Dollyrots, Johnny Madcap and the Distractions, Linh Le and Jennie Cotterill from Bad Cop / Bad Cop, and MC/hosts HazyChaos.
The punk rock quartet’s live set will feature the group’s most popular songs and some covers — specifically a Ramones tune, per Cisneros’ request. Le and Cotterill will perform an acoustic set.
“To say Betty’s part of our band family would be a huge understatement; we came up in the same scene in LA beginning almost 20 years ago,” the Dollyrots said in a statement.
Go Betty Go is Cisneros; Vilar; bassist Michelle Rangel; and Vilar’s sister, vocalist Nicolette. With two Warped tours, regular cross-country tours, and an appearance at South by Southwest, the punk rock band swiftly went from playing local shows to performing for a national audience. Upon their rise, they were signed by indie label SideOneDummy, under which they released their debut album, “Worst Enemy,” in 2004. Since then, Go Betty Go has been doing what they do best: rocking out for their fans across the globe. When Cisneros received her cancer diagnosis, the group was in the recording studio working on new music. Vilar said their plans were subsequently “yanked from underneath,” but they didn’t think twice about putting their music on pause while the guitarist focused on her health. Cisneros has had several rounds of chemotherapy and is expecting surgery. Despite these challenges, the band has faith that she will emerge victorious. “We’re just doing what we got to do to help Betty heal and get her on that right set of mind,” Vilar said. “All of us have an extremely optimistic outlook and just hope for the best and just do what we can do to make sure that she’s in a place where she can fight this and recover. “It sucks that she has to go through this. But at least she knows that she has a full team of friends, family and fans that have just been there for her through this really difficult, challenging time. So the show is going to be great.”
Benefit Show for Betty WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday, July 3 WHERE: The Paramount, 2708 E. Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles COST: Tickets start at $20 INFO: eventbrite.com; the concert will be available via livestream on the group’s Instagram and Facebook
