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(no subject) [Nov. 18th, 2009|12:36 am]
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‘Dwarfman’ is thinly sketched but amusing
By Dorothy Velasco
For The Register-Guard
Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009

“Dwarfman, Master of a Million Shapes” by acclaimed playwright Michael Weller, is playing in an inventive production at Lane Community College’s Blue Door Theatre.

Director Judith Roberts is a longtime friend of Weller’s, who graciously came for a weekend and gave a master playwriting class at LCC. He wrote the rarely produced “Dwarfman” nearly 30 years ago, and the student production must give him an interesting view of his younger self.

The play does seem to be the work of a young writer, even though the main character, Stanley Dorfman (Chad Kushuba), is about 50, in his third marriage, and having a midlife crisis. He has been creating a comic strip about Dwarfman, a diminutive superhero, for 28 years. He feels trapped. Well, he’s not the only one. Imagine how Dwarfman must feel. He has a sexy sidekick with a powerful body, Elektra, but his creator still hasn’t allowed him to even contemplate kissing her.

Leigh Holliday, who plays Elektra, is a real-life superhero, stepping into the role for a flu-struck performer on one day’s notice. She memorized the substantial role and performs heroically. We will likely see more instances of actor replacements during this season of ill health.

Meanwhile, no matter what happens, little Dwarfman continues working hard to save the world from evil. Mark Siegel, in a fascinating performance, acts with every muscle in his body, showing us ripples of fear running through his abdomen. Siegel gives the one-dimensional comic creation so much angst about his possible demise that he becomes the most sympathetic character in the whole play.

We do have to acknowledge that he is Stanley’s alter ego, thus revealing Stanley’s character for him. Even so, the comic creatures are more interesting than the real-life characters. Who could compete with the Roach King? Kyle Cooper, in a fabulous, high-fashion cockroach costume, fills the stage with weirdness.

Mark Mullaney as mad scientist Dr. Azabov, Dwarfman’s intellectual support, is as bizarrely appealing as a Monty Python character. Rhea Gates sparkles as Betty, Stanley’s teenage muse. Rachel Pasley is Stanley’s smart, pregnant wife and Donald Aday is eerie as his dead father. Adam Leonard is Stanley’s manager/brother Leon, Andrew Ghai is an Igor-type character, Donna Wyrick is a schoolgirl and Steve Coatsworth is the recorded narrator.

In spite of all the entertaining bits, the characters seem underdeveloped and the play runs long. By the end I didn’t care much whether Stanley came out of it sane or shattered.

However, I very much like the style of the show. As director, Roberts always has a strong sense of whimsy, and the design elements all contribute to the show’s unified style.

The costumes by Vickie Machado and Mari De Witt, design consultation by David Sackeroff, cartoon art by Juan Fierro, lighting (good use of black light) by Alex Hannon and Matt Levine and sound by Brian Lewis are fresh and fun. The bas-relief sets are works of art and the revolving stage makes changes quick and efficient.
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(no subject) [Nov. 18th, 2009|12:32 am]
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Old Friends and the Dwarfman
A Q&A with LCC’s Sparky Roberts
by Anna Grace
For Eugene Weekly
11/12/09


In keeping with their proud tradition of pushing the envelope, The Student Productions Association of Lane Community College will stage Michael Weller’s experimental, unpublished work Dwarfman, Master of a Million Shapes. The play follows comic book creator Stanley Dorfman as he cracks under the pressure of reality, only to find himself plagued by the characters of his fantasy. Because one of the leads had H1N1 and the play was cancelled the night our reviewer went, director Judith “Sparky” Roberts chats with the EW over email about this unorthodox production.

Michael Weller is a well-known playwright (Moonchildren, Loose Ends) Can you explain the connection that has led to LCC producing some of his lesser known plays (last year’s Buying Time) two years in a row and having him present at performances?

Michael Weller is an old friend of mine from Brandeis University; we’ve stayed in touch all these years.

Your cast includes student actors along side of area professionals. How has it worked to have seasoned performers like Marc Siegel and Don Aday working along side of students?

Marc Siegel has been in LCC productions before — he brings his skills as a choreographer, musician and comedian. I’m always honored to work with him (he has directed me before, too). He and Don Aday both have an exemplary work ethic, and they are at home on the stage. Naturally, they’re great models for our students — their presence extends the curriculum, from classroom onto the stage.

In your press release, you write, “At its heart, Dwarfman is about an artist who needs to escape the onus of his own public success.” Is this a play you and the other experienced artists associated with this project connect to on a personal level?

Artists can’t help what they do — they are ‘called’ to create. Artists mirror society back to itself, in their different mediums. It’s their job. Everybody, at some point, suffers a crisis of confidence. For artists, the definition of competence or greatness is somewhat nebulous, so self-doubt is almost inevitable: “Is my work worthwhile? Am I good?” Stanley Dorfman, the superhero comic-book creator in the play, is in the midst of an identity crisis. It’s extraordinarily amusing to watch his struggle, because his cartoon creations come alive and try to help. But they’re clueless.

Dwarfman coincides with the “Superheroes” exhibit at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum at the UO. Was that planned?

It’s a happy coincidence that the run of our play is contemporaneous with the exhibit. Timely, yet totally unplanned.

Dwarfman has only been produced twice before, one of the productions at our own Lord Leebrick. Why is that? What do you see happening with this play in the future?

Michael laughed right along with the audience while he watched the play. But if he ever mounts it again, he wants to make changes. It’s unpublished, but it should be published some day. The play was intended for much grander production, but our treatment offers it directly to the audience’s imagination.

For me, beyond Shakespeare and other classics, no doors are closed. I always think that in theater, anything is possible. My appetite is whetted by the challenges of interpreting new work. As an artist in theater, I have to be willing to take risks. I feel lucky to have a life full of collaborations with other artists, writers, musicians and composers.

Your (Thursday) opening night performance was cancelled due to the illness of a lead actress. Referring to the swine flu that thwarted your opening, you said, “You know it’s real when it hits the fantasy world.” Can you make any connections between your hero’s journey and our struggle with the flu?

The show must go on ... Friday night a young man named Jordon Nowotny played an androgynous version of Elektra, Dwarfman’s female sidekick. We put blue hair and a body suit on him. He carried the script, but the audience didn’t even notice that. The play stood on its own, and people laughed a lot. (There were many compliments for the choice of Jordon.) That night, another young actress, Leigh Holliday, watched; she memorized the whole part, rehearsed it all day, and played it the next night. Heroic. Now our original Elektra, Rhiannon Cantanello, returns for the rest of the run, and we’re back on track.

Is there anything else you’d like audiences to consider before seeing your play?

The play is outrageous. It’s profound and funny. Only people over age 10 admitted. It’s definitely not a play for kids, but it appeals to the kid in us all
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(no subject) [Nov. 1st, 2009|11:21 pm]
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The Student Productions Association of Lane Community College will stage Dwarfman, Master of a Million Shapes, a comedy in two acts by Michael Weller.

Performances are in the Blue Door Theater at L.C.C.’s main campus, Thursday through Sunday, November 5-6-7; 12-13-14; and 19-20-21. Curtain is at 8:00 P.M. There will be one matinee, Sunday, November 15 at 2:00 P.M.

Tickets are $10 for general admission; $8 for seniors, students and staff.

November 12, 13, 14, 15 bring 3 cans of food and get in for $5! (Food will be donated to Food for Lane County)

For more information and tickets, call 541-463-5761, or purchase tickets online at www.lanecc.edu/tickets.

Audience members must be age 10 or older.

Dwarfman is an unpublished work, produced only twice before - at Chicago’s Goodman Theater, and in 1995 at Eugene’s Lord Leebrick Theater (which had in the cast both artistic directors, Randall Lord and Christopher Leebrick.)

In the play, comic-book creator Stanley Dorfman is having a nervous breakdown due to his constant pressure to meet deadlines, create a new villain, pay child support, and attend to his lawyer wife, who is pregnant. As he loses his grip on reality, his wild and hapless cartoon characters come alive to help and plague him. They include Stanley’s alter-ego, the superhero Dwarfman and his partner Elektra, mad scientist Dr. Azabov, and the formidable Roach King. In the midst of Stanley’s desperate search for his own identity, he retreats to a remote cabin in Maine, where his dead father pays him a visit.

Assisting in the production of Dwarfman is a team of accomplished theater professionals. Director Judith Roberts says, “It’s exciting that our students are able to work alongside these generous creative artists. Such an experience catapults the students to the next level of their craft.”

Michael Weller is renowned for his plays Moonchildren and Loose Ends and the screenplays for Ragtime and Hair. He is founder/director of a program for young playwrights in New York, which each year produces several of the new works professionally. Mr. Weller has been in Eugene as a guest artist at the University of Oregon and L.C.C., and he plans another visit during the run of Dwarfman.

Chad Kushuba makes his local acting debut as cartoon-artist Stanley Dorfman. Before his recent move to Eugene, he was the artistic director of The Abreact, a cutting-edge theater group in Detroit, Michigan.

The comic-book hero Dwarfman is played by multi-talented dancer/choreographer Marc Siegel. He is the co-director of Dance Theater of Oregon, and has been a frequent guest artist at L.C.C.

The cast also includes community actor Don Aday, and students Rhiannon Catalanello, Steven Coatsworth, Kyle Cooper, Rhea Gates, Andrew Ghai, Adam Leonard, Donna Wyrick, Mark Mullaney and Rachel Paslay.

The set consultant is David Sackeroff, a former Hollywood production designer whose long list of credits includes Home Improvement, The Jamie Foxx Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Dr. Science, and the pilot for Seinfeld.

The master carpenter for Dwarfman is Scott Williams (Ret. I.A.T.S.E.#16), builder of L.C.C.’s Globe Theater replica. During his long career, he has built sets for Las Vegas shows, ballets, and the San Francisco Opera, as well as a mile of freeway for The Matrix.

The cartoon art created for the play is by Juan Fierro, who was born in Ecuador, lived in Eugene as a child and now lives in Virginia.

Director Roberts says, “At its heart, Dwarfman is about an artist who needs to escape the onus of his own public success. Playwright Weller injects the struggle with hilarity.”
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Fall of the House of Brewster [Oct. 9th, 2009|12:57 am]
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For Eugene Weekly 10/8/2009

Fall of the House of Brewster
Arsenic & Old Lace held together by sharp direction, strong performances
by Rick Levin

Leave it to Friedrich Nietzsche — the prophetic philosopher who notoriously pronounced God’s demise — to capture the disturbing truth lurking behind one of our screwball comedies. “One has watched life badly if one has not also seen the hand that in a considerate manner — kills,” Nietzsche wrote in 1886, anticipating not only the subject matter, but also the spirit and dark humor of Joseph Kesselring’s 1939 play, Arsenic & Old Lace. Too bad old Fred didn’t live nearly long enough to see it staged; he might have gotten a kick out of watching his existential theories personified in the form of two spinster sisters who, very considerately indeed, euthanize their bachelor wards out of pity for the men’s loneliness.

The play was brought to the screen by director Frank Capra, whose 1944 adaptation features Cary Grant in the role of Mortimer Brewster, nephew of the matronly murderers, Abby and Martha Brewster. Likely this is the Arsenic & Old Lace most of us think of when we hear the title, whether we’ve seen the movie or not. And if, like me, your memories of the movie are a bit befogged by time, LCC’s current production should come as something of a surprise, and a pleasant one at that.

Under Michael P. Watkins’ orthodox and sure-handed direction, and thanks to some exemplary performances, Arsenic & Old Lace comes off as the splendidly mean-spirited and cleverly layered piece of inverted and self-referential satire its author surely intended it to be, while at the same time moving at a breezy clip that is downright infectious. It is at once entirely shallow and complexly philosophical, a laugh riot that leaves an aftertaste of cyanide and cynicism.

The play presents the bare outlines of a standard romantic comedy, complete with issues of mistaken identity, thwarted desires and miscommunications real and imagined and with everything ending in happy commitment — though not to the institution of marriage. Mortimer (Richard Burton) is a charming if distracted bachelor whose forbearing girlfriend, Elaine (Ailiah Schafer), waits with strained patience for a proposal of marriage. Mort’s childhood home — presided over by his doting, sweetly naïve-seeming aunts Abigail (Christina St. Charles) and Martha (Lorna Bridges) — does seem a bit nutty at times, what with his uncle Teddy (Johnny Rogers) believing himself to be Teddy Roosevelt and all. And there is the hushed, vaguely sinister talk about Mort’s long-lost brother Jonathan (Chas King), but what family doesn’t have its peccadilloes and little secrets?

Kesselring took this archetypal scenario and turned it inside out and upside down. In the subtlest and most hilarious of manners, the play brings the outside world to bear on this seemingly hermetic family, introducing timely issues of jingoism, homophobia and rampant nationalism, while at the same time tackling the prickly ethical question of justifiable homicide. The amazing thing is how giddy it all is — like Dostoyevsky on nitrous oxide.

LCC’s production gets it right in allowing the script to do its work. The stage design is simultaneously spacious and cozy, lulling the audience into a false sense of security while also giving the cast plenty of room to move. Watkins keeps the action tight, with few wasted gestures, and his pacing is snappy. In the best sense, he gets out of the way of the material.

Beyond the sheer enjoyment of Kesselring’s script, there are some noteworthy performances that give this production an added zing. In terms of talent and range, the cast is quite uneven; fortunately, the old adage about a team being only as strong as its weakest link doesn’t apply in this instance. The strongest performances are exactly where they need to be. Burton’s Mortimer is a bit tepid in the early scenes, but he catches stride by the second act. Rogers, who has an obvious knack for physical humor, walks a fine tightrope as the delusional, quirky Teddy, but his antics remain just this side of overindulgence. Ultimately, however, it is Bridges and St. Charles, as the pious, pleasantly poisonous Brewster sisters, who carry the show. Their repartee, a blend of sibling intimacy, homespun malarkey and conspiratorial commitment to their own twisted cause, is a pleasure to behold. Like that one song, they kill you — softly.
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(no subject) [Sep. 28th, 2009|03:27 am]
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The Student Productions Association of Lane Community College presents the classic Joseph Kesselring comedy Arsenic and Old Lace on the Main Stage of the Performance Hall at Lane Community College; directed by Michael P. Watkins.

Arsenic and Old Lace opened on Broadway on January 10, 1941; providing much-needed comic relief to New Yorkers fearful of the war raging in Europe. The play revolves around two spinster aunts and their innocently sinister way of helping lonely old men seeking lodging in their home find peace. A review in Theatre Arts Magazine at the time called Arsenic and Old Lace “the ultimate in the genre. Arsenic and Old Lace lives up to its beguiling title and succeeds in turning homicide into side-splitting farce.” The play continued on Broadway for 1,444 performances. It was such a hit in London that the English lined up for tickets during the London Blitz. In 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace was made into a hit movie starring Cary Grant.

Arsenic and Old Lace opens Thursday, October 1 on the Main Stage in Lane's Performing Arts Hall, which was renovated this summer with new seating. Performances continue on weekends through October 17. Curtain is at 8:00pm. A Sunday matinee is scheduled on October 11th at 2:00pm.

Tickets for the show are $12.50 for Adults, $10 for Students. Tickets may be reserved by calling the Student Production Association office at 541-463-5761; purchased at the door or in advance at Lane's on-line box office.
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Shakespeare Showcase at Blue Door Theatre, June 6! [Jun. 3rd, 2009|02:32 am]
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Professional actors will join students and community actors in the Shakespeare Showcase at Lane Community College. Two performances will be presented on Saturday, June 6 - a matinee at 2:00 p.m. and an evening show at 7:00 p.m., in the Blue Door Theatre, Building 6, on the main campus. (Entrance at Eldon Schafer Drive, off 30th Avenue.)

The full program of more than 20 pieces runs just under two hours, with intermission.

Scenes or monologues will be presented from more than half the canon of Shakespeare's plays, including: Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Two Gentlemen of Verona, King Lear, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, Henry VI, Richard III, Measure for Measure, Merchant of Venice, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Tempest.

Director Judith Roberts says, "Students benefit from working with seasoned actors, who like to 'keep their chops up' in the welcoming atmosphere of the Showcase." Roberts coaches the actors, with help from Patrick Torelle and Joe Cronin.

Audience members familiar with Shakespeare, as well as those who come for a first taste, will see comedy, tragedy and history, presented in a wide range of acting styles, with ever-changing passions. To newcomers, Roberts says, "There's much in Shakespeare's writing that you might not expect. It might be 400 years old, but it's very much alive."

Admission is Free, and donations to help support quality Theatre at Lane are gratefully accepted. Seating is by General Admission. No one under age 10 will be admitted.

For more information please call 463-5761
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Pretty good! [Apr. 9th, 2009|02:24 am]
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Impermanence, Persistence, Death
Stoppard’s Arcadia fires the mind at LCC
by suzi steffen
For The Eugene Weekly 4/9/2009

Tender, tenuous threads connect past and present, science and literature, love and death — and don’t forget the tortoise!

British playwright Tom Stoppard weaves these and more in his gorgeous comedy/romance Arcadia, playing now at LCC’s Blue Door Theatre.

Arcadia, as art history majors will know and as a lengthy note outside of the theater tells others, refers in part to the 17th-century artist Nicholas Poussin’s two paintings Et In Arcadia Ego. In these paintings (which also refer to other, older paintings and to Virgil’s Eclogues), four rural folks gather around a gravestone on which the words of the painting’s title are chiseled.

Knowing about Tom Stoppard’s limitless curiosity and intellect, I surmise that he was aware of both potential meanings of the Latin phrase. The most accepted now means something like “Even in Paradise, I (Death) exist,” but Romantics were fond of thinking that the phrase meant that the dead person meant “I lived in Paradise.”

In the play, Paradise is represented by a large English manor, where two times meet. The first time is during the Napoleonic Wars, an era when Lord Byron was traipsing about England and when wealthy, exceptionally gifted, noble girls like Thomasina Coverly (Leela Gouveia, in a fine performance) had their education cut off when they hit the age of marriage. Thomasina’s tutor Septimus Hodge (Chas King, also quite strong) vies for the attentions of Thomasina’s mother (played last weekend by Lilith Lincoln-Dinan and, if she’s recovered from laryngitis, by Kim Wilson from now on) and writes scathing if anonymous reviews of the poetry of Ezra Chater (Adam Leonard) while avoiding duels caused by his “carnal knowledge” of Mrs. Chater.

That’s rather too much plot, but much of this strand concerns a world balanced on the brink between rational and Romantic, between analysis and emotion, between the English garden of Capability Brown with its classical gazebos and that of neo-Gothic “ruins” and wild tangles. The second is represented in the person of gardener Richard Noakes (Benjamin Newman, in a quietly competent performance). Discussions between Thomasina and her tutor cover Euclidean geometry, calculus, gravity and a variety of other topics; especially important discussions revolve around the nature of heat. Gouveia and King do an excellent job of engaging with the ideas while maintaining their characters.

In alternating scenes, at the same manor but in the present, the objects (memento mori) touched by the earlier set of people become a puzzle for the modern folk. The modern Coverly family is hosting a popular author and scholar, Hannah Jarvis (Margot Delaittre), who’s writing a follow-up to her bestselling but harshly reviewed book about Lord Byron’s lover, Lady Caroline Lamb. Then a stranger comes to the country: Bernard Nightingale (Simon Strange, who’s simply superb in the first act and would be near-perfect if he could tone down the exaggerated gestures of the second act). Nightengale, a Byron scholar, penned one of the rudest reviews but now needs the cooperation and help of Jarvis in solving a puzzle about Lord Byron.

There’s much more to the script, more than this list can convey, but here’s a start: Literature vs. science (Should there be a split?); the loss of female genius under a system gamed for noblemen; intellectual arrogance that turns to humiliation and, perhaps, humility; the unbearably poignant exhalations of past centuries and their documents (a reflection of, and on, both 18th-century fascination with Roman ruins and 19th-century fascination with wilderness?); rivulets of power and how they’re distributed among humans of above-average intelligence; math that can change the world.

Or can it? Every human, even those in the paradise of new thoughts and discoveries and desires, dies. Directory Mary Unruh writes in her notes, “This is a story of life and love, which a memento mori reminds us to embrace.” True, and also a gloss on the partly Romantic, faintly pleasurable ache that pervades the second act. The final scene plays out as the audience agonizes over what we know will happen to the characters, and by extension to the actors and to us all.

The play both is and feels long, and several actors simply can’t keep up either with the script or the skills of others. But Arcadia remains sharply funny, wonderfully packed with ideas and a complex mingling of mind and body. Read the script for an appreciation of Stoppard’s brain, and engage with the performed play at LCC for hard-won rewards.
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Sex, literature, and death [Mar. 29th, 2009|01:53 am]
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Student Productions Association(S.P.A.) of Lane Community College presents Tom Stoppard's ARCADIA, directed by Mary Unruh.

One of Stoppard's best loved plays, ARCADIA is fast paced comedy that combines Stoppard's quick wit and mastery of language with the beauty of poetry and the elegance of math. It is a story of love, sex scandal, philosophy, and grouse. The characters engage in torrid love affairs, while dueling with each other both literally and intellectually. The plot shuttles back and forth through time; starting in 1809, and then jumping to the present, and then back again. We watch as the both those in the past and future struggle to understand life through poetry, landscaping, mathematical chaos theory, and history. ARCADIA is a masterful mix of light hearted comedy, and bitter-sweet drama; just like life.

ARCADIA runs April 3-4, 9-12, 16-18. Curtain is at 8 PM, with a Sunday April 12 matinée at 2 PM. Tickets are $10 general admission, and $8 for students, staff, and seniors. Performances are in The Blue Door Theatre, Building 6, at LCC. Advanced reservations are recommended.

Buy tickets online at www.lanecc.edu/tickets, or call the box office at 463-5761 for reservations.

(Audience members must be 10 years of age or older.)
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Shakespeare! [Mar. 1st, 2009|03:10 pm]
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The traditional Term's End Shakespeare Showcase at Lane Community College will be presented in one matinee performance, Saturday, March 14 at 2:00 p.m. The program is directed by Judith Roberts and narrated by Jeff Harrison, with live music provided by Janet Naylor and John Marzicola..

Students will be featured in scenes from Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, Henry VI, Much Ado About Nothing, and Titus Andronicus.

An optional $5 donation at the door will help support Lane Student Productions Association. (Only ages 10 and up will be admitted.) There is limited seating, and reservations are encouraged: phone 463-5761.
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woo! [Feb. 12th, 2009|12:59 am]
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Jesus Goes Urban
Godspell at LCC
by Anna Grace
For the Eugene Weekly 2/12/2009

The stage is bleak, all concrete, graffiti and chain link fence. Dominating the back wall is a structure of dilapidated scaffolding and caging, strewn with garbage and the bodies of the homeless.

Right away, director Chris Pinto sets the LCC audience up for a different version of the 1972 musical Godspell. Prostitutes and drug addicts make up the disciples of the street prophet Jesus, with cinderblock and caution tape serving as his temple.
The cast of Godspell at LCC

Godspell was a huge Broadway hit, a ’70s amalgamation of smooth rock, vaudeville and good ol’ gospel truth. Taken from the text of the bible’s most lovin’est gospel writer, Matthew, it focuses on teachings of hope and other helpful behaviors. Despite efforts to edge up this production, there are ways in which Godspell will always be hopelessly dated. Jesus is clown-like, doing tricks for his goofy disciples. Watching a homeless man rise from a drunken stupor to bop around the stage pretending to be a goat in order to illustrate a point for the Son of Man? It doesn’t quite work. On the other hand, fist-bumps and Stomp are fun, and you gotta love an updated Jesus wearing Superman boxer shorts and a “Yes, we can!” T-shirt.

Godspell is an ensemble piece in which rehearsal antics are traditionally worked into the show. This produces some nice moments at the Blue Door Theatre, like an impromptu shuffle of the cast into the pose of da Vinci’s Last Supper, or cast member Mark Mullaney taking his sax to the stage. Other bits might have been better left to the rehearsal halls, for cast members frequently have to explain a joke. The cast boasts some lovely voices and makes up for the notes they can’t quite reach with real heart. Chas King stands out with a sense of comedic timing and naturalness. Jordon Nowotny’s Jesus is slight, often quiet and very smiley, wearing skater shoes rather than Birkenstocks.

Vicki Brabham, who has more soul in her left eyebrow than most of us will enjoy in a lifetime, leads a talented band. Precision and talent blended with a heart of funk enables Brabham effortlessly to move the soundtrack into the 21st century.

Godspell at LCC is nicely done, but it must be noted that this is church. Groovy church, timely church, church chopped up into funny little skits and beautiful songs, but it is still church. I have seen many productions of Godspell, each one before this by a youth group or parochial school. While this production is superior to the amateur musicals, there’s something uncomfortable about a sacred text in a public domain. Pinto offers up this production in the dead of a cold, bleak winter. Can messages of forgiveness, community, hope and love transcend our religious or political differences? Head on out to the LCC production of Godspell and let them try.
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WOO! [Feb. 10th, 2009|12:40 am]
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‘Godspell’ revival shares verve all its own
LCC’s production brims with inventive staging and exuberant performances

By Alan Beck
For The Register-Guard
Published: Feb 8, 2009 05:45PM


The best student productions offer up three crucial elements: enthusiasm, in the form of total commitment to the material; courage by pushing the traditional interpretations; and youthful energy.

The current revival of “Godspell,” which opened Friday night at Lane Community College, exhibits all three in abundance.

This is due, in no small part, to some thoughtful, clever, inventive staging by director Chris Pinto. Just watch for the jail-of-dangling-legs, the graphic birth-of-a-new-age and a full-company tableau of DaVinci’s The Last Supper.

Pinto also increases the musical power of his ensemble through sheer numbers. Instead of the traditional company of 10 players, we get 13, giving Jesus his full compliment of disciples and giving us a fuller, richer vocal chorus.

This addition of actors also means John the Baptist (Jonathan Heritage) and Judas (Steve Coatsworth) aren’t played by the same actor. I’ve never seen this done with “Godspell” before, but it makes for far better drama. This way, Judas is a haunting figure from the get-go. Any religious irony arising from John and Judas being the same was always lost on me anyway.

“Godspell” began as a master’s thesis by the author, the late John Michael Tebelak, at Carnegie Melon University in 1970. The simple story line combines the parables from the Gospel according to Matthew (including two from Luke) with the passion of the Christ, ending with the crucifixion (you can’t always leave ’em laughing).

Its metaphor is of coming together. A group of homeless, disparate, sinful outcasts is called together by John to form a tribe, eventually led by Jesus, toward a belief in belief … faith.

It’s a credit to this production that the metaphor is also carried out in the craft of the ensemble.

Both the actors and the characters clearly believe in the refuge of each other and in the power of the group. Where individual voices may be thin, the ensemble is quick to offer vocal support. Where one may lack command of the stage, 12 others move in to bolster the image with dance, ad-libs, pantomime and puns. Credit choreographer Michael Watkins with this trick.

The score, with lyrics primarily from the Episcopal hymnal, by Stephen Schwartz gives nearly every actor a chance to shine individually. Some are not quite up to the task. But a few sparkle.

Rhea Gates gives a soulful touch to Godspell’s only break-out hit, “Day by Day.” (It went to No. 13 on Billboard’s pop chart in the summer of 1972.)

Ruth Ames adds power to mellowness in “Learn Your Lessons Well.”

And perhaps the most poignant musical moment of the evening belongs to Samantha Volta and Sophie Mitchell’s haunting duet as they lead the ensemble in “By My Side.” Many of you may remember Mitchell as Dorothy in OFAM’s “Wizard of Oz” last summer.

The live combo (percussion, bass, guitar and keyboard) led by music director Vicki Brabham is spot-on, even though visually buried behind the chain-link fencing and scaffolding of the urban construction zone setting.

The eclectic — to say the least — costuming is by Mari Dewitt. Gone is the traditional Superman T-shirt for Jesus, replaced with one sporting the neo-iconic “Yes We Can.” Elsewhere we get everything from net stockings to camouflage to tail coat to ear muffs. And St. Vinnie’s and Goodwill must be missing half of their stock in weird hats.

All in all, this is a most ambitious project for LCC’s 6-year old Student Production Association, and well worth catching for its joy of life and flashes of real talent.

Secret reason to go? Cast member Mark Mullaney’s sax riffs with the band during intermission. Superb.
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Prepare ye to come sing about love! [Feb. 3rd, 2009|04:18 pm]
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Coming to Lane Community College just in time for the end of the cold and dreary winter is GODSPELL, one of the most famous Broadway musicals of all time. Student Productions Association presents GODSPELL at Lane Community College, February 5-7, 12-15, 19-21. Performances are at 8 PM with a Sunday matinee at 2 PM, February 15. Tickets are $12.50 general and $10 for students, staff, and seniors. Advanced reservations are recommended.

For ticket reservations, call the box office at 463-5761, or buy tickets online at www.lanecc.edu/tickets


For this SPA production of GODSPELL, director Chris Pinto chose to give the characters some undeniably humble beginnings. The show is set on bleak city streets, where Jesus befriends 12 homeless individuals. In the course of the show, the group comes together to form a community. Prostitutes, drug-addicts, and general miscreants, they are the rejects of society; exactly the kind of people that Jesus would befriend.

The show depicts the adult life of Jesus Christ: His baptism by John the Baptist, the selection of His 12 apostles, and His inevitable betrayal by his most dedicated follower, Judas Iscariot. However, the show also stands for a more universal concept: When the world looks bleak, when we are down and out, when times are rough and when we are
hungry and poor, the only thing to do is to focus on building your community and do what you can to help your fellow man.

With its positive message, GODSPELL, based on the gospel according to St. Matthew, is an up-beat show featuring pantomime, improvisation, charades, and vaudeville. Everybody involved in the play brings something to the table: thier own creativity! When people see it on stage, they're really seeing an intense collaboration between director and cast.

Scored by Stephen Schwartz, GODSPELL is probably best know for the international hit, "Day By Day," which reached #13 on the Billboard pop singles chart in 1972.

GODSPELL is directed by Chris Pinto, who was last seen on stage in the VLT's Stage Left production of GLENGARY GLEN ROSS and directed the VLT's FUNNY MONEY, ON THE RAZZLE, and the SPA's BUYING TIME and HOT' L BALTIMORE. Music director is Vikki Brabham, who has appeared in many musical theater shows and concerts including shows at Lane Community College and the Very Little Theater, and with the Eugene Concert Choir. She is also a veteran member of OFAM's Emerald City Jazz Kings.The dance is choreographed by Michael Watkins, who has acted and directed in Eugene for almost 20 years. He has recently appeared in ROCKY HORROR and OR NOT TO BE, and has directed numerous shows around town including HAIR, FORTINBRAS and PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE.
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All press is good press? [Nov. 20th, 2008|12:42 am]
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( Updated Greek comedy pleasant enough )

( Free Ranging Birds )
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The Torch preview article [Nov. 16th, 2008|03:23 am]
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Very nice preview of The Birds here
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Join us in Cloudcuckooland [Nov. 14th, 2008|01:27 am]
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The Birds


Aristophanes’ The Birds was first performed in spring of 414 BC, and has remained a favorite through the ages. It has been called many things: an escape to Utopia, a play for peace, a political commentary, and always a comedy. The Birds, not to be confused with Alfred Hitchcock’s film, is much like an ancient Greek Saturday Night Live.

Historically The Birds parodies and lampoons the local, popular culture and politics, and throughout the years has been adapted to fit which ever era it was produced in. Lane’s production will be no exception with bawdy references to present day pop figures and political controversies.

As part of an experimental collaboration, Lane Community College Student Productions Association’s production of The Birds is directed by James Aday. Cast members have had their own creative hand in making the masks, which they will be wearing on stage. The technical design and construction is completely student generated and executed.

The Birds opens Friday November 14th, and runs for two weekends with shows on the 15th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd. The show begins at 8pm. The November 16th matinée will begin at 2:00pm.

Tickets are $10 for general admission, and $8 for students, seniors, and staff.

Due to its bawdy and irreverent nature no children under the age of 13 will be admitted.

For reservations or ticket information call (541) 463-5761.
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Strike up! [Oct. 10th, 2008|01:31 pm]
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DIRECTOR ADDS IMAGINATIVE TOUCHES TO A CLASSIC.....
Review by The Register Guard

"The Winter's Tale," now playing in an imaginative production at Lane Community College's mainstage theater, is difficult to categorize. Often it's called a romance and it certainly is about love, love that can harm as well as delight.

The play starts as a tragedy, turns into a boisterous comedy, and returns to a serious tone at the end - a conclusion far happier than you would think possible at the beginning of the play.

The plot has many elements of a fairy tale. Leontes, the king of Sicilia, is enjoying a lengthy visit by his childhood friend Polixenes, the king of Bohemia. For no good reason, Leontes begins to suspect that his wife, Hermione, and Polixenes are lovers, and that the child she carries is not his own.

Leontes orders Polixenes killed and Hermione jailed. Polixenes escapes to Bohemia, and Hermione gives birth to a daughter, whom Leontes orders abandoned on a distant shore.

Hermione's first child, the young prince, dies, and she soon succumbs as well. This is the stuff of tragedy, but the Oracle of Apollo offers hope, telling Leontes that Hermione is innocent, he is a tyrant, and he will live without an heir, "if that which is lost be not found."

Director Sparky Roberts has incorporated many unusual visual and sound elements in the production. Costumes range from Elizabethan to 18th century to early 20th century designs inspired by Erte. A lush musical score includes Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and works by Peter Gabriel and others.

Slides showing shipwreck scenes painted by J.M.W. Turner create a fantastical atmosphere and intriguing short films by Michael Maruska add psychological depth. The scenery is cold in the first half and represents glorious summer in the second, with graceful trees and a starry sky.

Roberts has been inspiring LCC actors to tackle one of Shakespeare's works each year, and the results are gratifying. "The Winter's Tale" is both amusing and touching. The production takes a lighter approach to the tragic scenes than some productions, but that doesn't seem to be a mistake considering how comic the segment in Bohemia is.

Bohemia is so much fun that I wanted to move there. The characters celebrate a sheep sheering festival with a funny satyr dance (furry legs and little horns on the male ensemble), feasting and rampant romance. The scene has all the spectacle of a musical comedy.

When not engaging in highjinks, the play examines the theme of illogical jealousy, an emotion that causes years of grief to most of the play's characters. The most tragic character is the king, and Kyle Cooper makes a credible Leontes, coming to realize he is to blame for all his suffering.

Michelle Nordella is moving and regal as the wronged Hermione. We easily see that Leontes misunderstands her actions regarding Polixines, given a vibrant interpretation by Chas King.

Barbie Wu is sweet and lively as Perdita, the lost daughter raised by shepherds in Bohemia.

Kory Weimer is appealing as Florizel, the Bohemian prince who loves her. Marc Siegel provides an expert example of a Commedia dell Arte clown, singing, strumming the ukulele, and dancing as if he had springs in his legs.

His 9-year-old daughter Kyra is charming as Mamillius, the little prince. Paul Caladrino is interesting as the unlucky Antigonus and Tony Schmidt is solid as Camillo, a Sicilian lord.

Sarah Gott is a steady, reasonalbe Paulina. Adam Leonard makes a lovable Shepherd. Missy Champer is comic as his son as a child and Sam Champer plays him as an adult.

-- Dorothy Velasco
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Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale is Refreshed with Artistry [Oct. 10th, 2008|01:09 pm]
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Winter's Tale


William Shakespeare's romantic drama The Winter's Tale will be presented on the Lane Community College main stage for two more weekends in October.

The Winter's Tale is an adult, romantic fairy tale, spiced with sexual jealousy, blind revenge, children missing or dead, mistaken identities, love, and a hungry bear. It takes place in two fantasy realms - an austere ,royal court of Sicilia; and a wild, pastoral land called Bohemia.

The story begins darkly, as King Leontes is overcome by jealousy, accusing his wife, Queen Hermione, of consorting with his best friend, King Polixenes. Despite the oracle proclaiming Hermione's innocence, Leontes pronounces a death sentence on Hermione, and banishes her newborn baby, to be exposed - left to the elements. Lord Antigonus is ordered to remove the infant, and he reluctantly abandons it in a storm. King Leontes repents his irrational cruelty, too late. The action jumps to an agrarian land, where the shepherds celebrate a summer sheep-shearing festival. In a story full of colorful characters, the two kingdoms eventually reconcile in a scene of magical wonderment.

Showtime for The Winter's Tale is 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays, October 10-18. For all Friday and Saturday shows and Sunday matinee (October 12, 2:00 p.m.), tickets are $12.50 general, $10 students, seniors and staff. For the Thursday shows (October 9 and 16), all tickets are $8.00.

In collaboration with Food for Lane County, a donation of four cans of food admits two-for-one at performances on October 10 -12.

Audience members must be over age 10.

Tickets are available at the door, cash or check accepted.

Reservations may be made by calling the Student Productions Office box office: 463-5761.
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Shakespeare Showcase [Jun. 3rd, 2008|12:54 am]
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Shakespeare Showcase


The Term's End Shakespeare Showcase will be presented at the Blue Door Theatre on the Lane Community College main campus on June 7, at 7:00 p.m.

Director Judith "Sparky" Roberts describes the program as, "brimming with passion, action, and robust language."

Lane's Student Productions Association (S.P.A.) produces the event, using the Globe Theatre replica as a set. Live music is provided by Janet Naylor, Wayne Gilbertson and Linda Danielson. The Narrator is Jeff Harrison, English Instructor. Guest artists include Patrick Torelle, Dan Pegoda and Joe Cronin.

Roberts says: "This particular Showcase will be a binge of scenes - filling slightly more than 2 hours with a brief intermission - satisfying 'hard-core' Shakespeare enthusiasts as well as the first-time 'taster'". More than 20 scenes, representing over half of Shakespeare's plays, will be performed by student actors, community actors and professionals. While some of the performers have extensive Shakespeare experience, the novices work on their scenes in acting classes. Each scene is coached, incorporating the students' original ideas for interpretation. As the Showcase has grown over 17 years, it has become very popular, and past performers return to perform multiple scenes. Roberts says: "The graduating students want to exit with a splash."

Admission is free; however, donations are welcome, towards charity in memory of Ray Winters, a student with a passion for Shakespeare.

Reservations may be made at 463-5761, with remaining seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Audience members must be 10 years of age or older.
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Something to laugh at [May. 3rd, 2008|04:06 pm]
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One Night Only!


Campus Comedy on the Mainstage is a live stand-up comedy show featuring nationally known comedians. Produced by full-time student AJ Klein with Elfkin Productions, in connection with Student Productions Association of Lane Community College, Campus Comedy on the Mainstage will kick off a ONE NIGHT ONLY event on Thursday May 8th 2008. “This event is a real positive happening for Lane Community College and its student body. For example, one third of every ticket sold, to members of any club or organization of LCC, will be donated to the financial account of that club for activities that promote community growth and awareness,” says AJ Klein, executive producer for Elfkin Productions.

This is the first production for AJ Klein here in Oregon. A native Californian, cast member of The Simple Life Season 5 on E! and 10 year veteran of stand up comedy, Klein will be hosting the event. Thai Rivera an up and coming comedian from Hollywood is nationally known for his appearance on Last Comic Standing Season 6 will be a solid feature act to warm the audience for headliner Bruce Jingles. Jingles is a 10 year veteran of stand up comedy and has been seen on NBC, ABC, VH-1, PLAYBOY TV and will assuredly be making his presence in Hollywood known in the coming year. “Both Thai and Bruce have been friends of mine for a long time and I felt that together they would be the perfect mix for a diverse comedy show, which is ideal for a college setting. Plus we got a lot of community support so there will be door prizes and an after party at a secret location, it’s going to be a blast,” Klein states.

This is the first in a series of comedy shows that Elfkin Productions along with Student Productions Association plan on promoting for LCC. “It is the intention that these shows not only entertain but also continue to benefit students and community wide education here in Eugene and eventually throughout the whole country,” declares Klein.

Campus Comedy on the Mainstage runs ONE NIGHT ONLY, Thursday May 8th, 2008 at 8 pm. The show will be held in the Performance Hall (Building 6). Tickets are on sale for $15.00 and can be purchased in several ways; Elfkin Productions (541) 228-8431, Black Lotus Tattoo & Piercing on 6th and Blair, Oak Street Vintage on 14th and Oak or at the LCC box office the night of the event. Reservations will be taken at (541) 463-5761.
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It's in the air [Apr. 30th, 2008|12:50 am]
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Spring Inspirations


Spring Inspirations, an evening of eight student written one act plays, under the direction of Patrick Torelle and produced by Student Productions Association will open a three week run on May 2nd in Lane Community College's Blue Door Theater.

"The quality of the writing and acting is excellent. You'll laugh, cry, and sometimes you'll be shocked. I promise a memorable show," says Torelle.

The plays were generated last fall in Torelle's Writing For Theatre class, and continued to be developed and refined throughout the school year. "We started with sixteen writers and narrowed it down to ten plays by winter. We continued rewrites until we had a very powerful group of eight." More than fifty students are involved in every aspect of the show.

While the writing covers a wide range of adult themes -- sex, drugs, murder, war, molestation, mental illness, and reality television -- most of the plays center around family life.

"We say, 'Write what you know,' and our families give us great dramatic material," Torelle observes. "In that way, all the writing is autobiographical. All the stories are true."

This year the stories are staged on a revolve that allows the plays to flow smoothly without pausing for set changes. A projection screen is incorporated into several of the pieces and is used to introduce each of the plays.

This will be the sixth year Student Productions Association has presented the Spring Inspirations Evening of New Plays and the event will be the fifth major production for the organization this season.

Spring Inspirations opens May 2nd and runs weekends through May 17th, with a discount Thursday show on the 15th, and a Sunday matinee on the 11th at 2 pm. All evening shows start at 8 pm.

Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for students, seniors and staff. $8 for everyone on the 15th.

For reservations call 463-5761.

Spring Inspirations is recommended for mature audiences only.
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