Page 24 - the NOISE May 2015

YOUTHFUL THEATRE
floweRs the may aRts sCene
The cast of Theatrikids’ production of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. baCK RoW FRoM LeFT: Francesca bliss, evan Wimberley, Henry Neff, Ryan Hansen, Clara Schurr. FRoNT RoW FRoM LeFT: Fiona McGuffey, Mandy Meilbeck, erin butcher, Kari Joy Thomas, Farren Conboy, aJ Flores, Luke ahlers.
ClaiR anna Rose
stoRy By
photo By Rene R. Rivas
shakespeaRian Comedy
On a weekday afternoon I visit the Doris Harper-white Community playhouse and the Theatrikids’ cast of william shakespeare’s The Tempest. The high-spirited young cast is clearly excited for the upcoming production and is getting into their characters and off of the book on the day I choose to sit in on rehearsal.
I have the opportunity to visit with some of the young ac- tors and actresses in the lobby. For Kalmar Robertsson, The Tempest is his first production with Theatrikids’ and he found his way to the theater company online in search of a good theater program. “I like the style of writing, the old english,” he tells me. “It’s a strong cast with a lot of good actors and actresses.”
For Kari Joy Thomas The Tempest is one of many plays she has acted in since she was a small child. I ask about her expe- rience with the script so far, “I find it a little more challenging,” she says, “because it’s hard to understand what you’re saying.”
I ask director Joseph Maniglia if it is a challenge teaching a play in old english to this age group. “It’s always a challenge,” he says, “but once they give themselves over to the language (its rhythm and cadence) the comprehension and under- standing follows. It’s much like listening to a song genre that you are not used to. At first you may not understand what they are saying but if you attune your ears to the music you will be surprised by what you can understand.”
Theatrikids tries to perform at least one shakespearian pro- duction each year. “This one was not one I was formerly famil- iar with but fell into the “comedy” category of shakespeare’s plays (vs. his histories and tragedies) and the storyline is in- triguing,” Mr. Maniglia tells me. “we have tried to infuse this production with a healthy sense of magic by having a real ma- gician, Kyle Openshaw, teach us some illusions to incorporate in our show which gives this 400-year old play a sense of fun and present day reality. This is a story about betrayal, true love and magic — all of which young and old alike can relate to and laugh and experience anew. Besides the love story there are three buffoons (two drunk servants and a creature from the island) who try to overthrow the magician Prospero. Along the way their physical comedy is right out of the Three stooges. That, along with the music, the dancing and the illu- sions makes this a wonderful show for the entire family.”
Bythetimethisarticleisprinted,Theatrikoswillhavegiven a special performance of the The Tempest at the American As- sociation of Community, state and Regional Theatre Festivals Competition hosted by Theatrikos April 24 & 25.
“we’re excited and nervous, for we are still a work in prog- ress and although we open a week later there are still things to tweak and resolve, but we’re honored to get the chance to perform for this prestigious festival here on our home stage!” says Mr. Maniglia.
The Tempest plays at the Doris Harper-white Community Playhouse Friday, May 1 at 7PM, saturday, May 2 at 2PM &7PM and sunday, May 3 at 2PM. Theatrikos.com
hozhoni eXpRession
eachFridayafternoonJoanGrant,thedirectorofflagstaff Aerial Arts makes her way to the Hozhoni foundation Art Gallery in Flagstaff to meet with a group of Hozhoni artists for an hour of gentle movement and dance.
On a Friday in April I am invited to join in a class and get a preview of what this group of talented individuals are work- ing on for their upcoming performance at Heritage square this May.
The Hozhoni Art studio is a non-profit dedicated to teach- ing art programs to artists with developmental disabilities. The artists at Hozhoni are well known in the Flagstaff com- munity and their art can be seen in group shows around town and this month The Recycled Art exhibit will be hosted by the Hozhoni Gallery. now these artists have the opportunity to share their newest artistic endeavor: performance art.
The group showed me one of the pieces they are working on with colorful silk scarves to the song Jump In Line and then were lead through a series of improvisational dance games. It was a fun, playful and energizing hour.
Ms. Grant tells me how she became involved with the Ho- zhoni Foundation. “I approached them about doing a physical- ly integrative dance class and they liked the idea because they try to get their folks active,” she shares. “The majority of the programs are visual art focused, so they wanted a way for there to be more physical integration of the arts in their program- ming. I put together a proposal for a program and they accept- ed the offer. we did one six-week session of classes and this time we decided we wanted to add a performance element. so we’re extending the session and I’m trying to incorporate some more elements into this because we want to focus on emotional and social growth as well as coordination. we also work on cognitive functions like taking turns, sharing and fol- lowing and learning choreography. so there are a couple dif- ferent elements we try to include in what their experience is.”
Though sometimes some participants can’t make every session, the same core group comes to class on Fridays. “This is good because we can have continuity in the project, and they know they have a performance coming up so they have something to look forward to and it helps us all have a goal that we’re working towards,” Ms. Grant tells me.
Through the weeks she has seen a lot of positive growth in herdancers. “I’veseenthemcomealiveandreallyconnect with dance and movement in their own bodies. I’ve learned a lot about them through dance, like what types of music connects with them or resonates with them, which move- ments are restorative or get them excited to dance or what things make them fall asleep,” she tells me. “I’ve learned a lot about how I can connect with them through dance and through working with their individual experiences and I have seen them improve with their ability to follow me in dance and learn choreography. I’ve definitely seen improvement in a lot of areas and I’ve seen them become more animated and more excited about dance class on Fridays. It’s not only
something that I look forward to every week, but they look forward to it too because they know on Friday they are going to have dance.”
I ask about the upcoming performance at Heritage square. “we’re going to do a couple pieces that we’ve put together and it’s going to be fun, colorful and energetic,” Ms. Grant de- scribes. “It will be a time for us to share with the community what we’ve been working on. I think it will be a big milestone for them and a huge excitement to be out and performing with their bodies. A lot of time their artwork goes out into the community but they as artists aren’t out performing in this capacity, so it will be really fun to work together to highlight a little bit about themselves as artists in the holistic sense
that they are physical artists, visual artists and they’re perfor- mance artists. I’m really looking forward to that.”
Come celebrate the Hozhoni artists by watching their dance performance at Heritage square Friday, May 22 at 6PM. HozhoniArtists.org
theateR & peRfoRmanCe BRiefs
On May 1 and 2 at 7:30PM the flagstaff Performance Arts & film festival will be taking place at the Clifford e. white Theater on northern Arizona University’s campus. The Festi- val Gala Dance Concert is coordinated by Gina Darlington & Jayne lee who have been working together for over 20 years. FPAFF.org
Theatrikos has a lot going on this month. To begin, the deadline for the Theatrikos Second Annual original Play Contest approaches May 1. The winning play will be per- formed as part of the studio series show at Theatrikos this au- tumn, while runners up will be performed in the Playwright Café series from september 2015 to July 2016.
On May 15 Theatrikos Theater Company presents a 1950s Themed fundraising Gala at the Double Tree (formerly woodlands Hotel). Throughout the evening guests can get their photo taken in the photo booth, win raffles, be enter- tained by song and theater, and enjoy a gourmet meal. The attire of the 1950s is encouraged, though it isn’t required to be a part of the evening’s festivities.
Theatrikos presents william shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, directed by virginia Brown & linda Sutera. This play opens May 29 and will be performed through June 14 at the Doris Harper-white Community Playhouse, 11 w. Cherry Ave. Theatrikos.com
The flagstaff Aerial Arts Student Showcase will be held Friday, May 29, at the Circus Arts studio, 1311 e. Butler, with a youth performance at 5PM and adult performance at 8PM. students will perform the art forms of Lyra (aerial hoop), Pole, silks, and Trapeze. FlagstaffAerial.org
| Clair anna Rose often takes a front row seat. arts@thenoise.us
24 • MAY 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us