Page 18 - the NOISE June 2016

DARING DEBUT
Alpine Community Theater cast members prepare for their STORY BY KATIE E. LANTING
PHOTOS BY GEAN SHANKS
ALPINE COMMUNITY THEATER SHOWCASES debut production of Mary Poppins opening this June. EVERYONE’S FAVORITE NANNY STORY
Flagstaff’s newest community theater troupe, Alpine Community Theater, is kicking off the summer with its first major production, Disney’s Mary Poppins. It has been a long road to this point, but one that promises to introduce the community to a talented and unique group of performers.
ACT formed when Flagstaff Youth Theater closed its curtains in April of 2015. Many established members of FyT were sorry to see that happen. “Many cast members and parents were devastated as we believed ourselves to be a family,” says Tammy Jones, one of ACT’s founding members and president. “A group of parents, including myself, decided that it was important to have a community theater that reaches out to all talent levels: beginning, intermediate and advanced.”
By definition, all community theaters encourage community involvement, but ACT, which is an official member of the American Association of Community Theater, seeks to be different in that it wants families to participate together. “We exist because we believe that children, teens and adults need more opportunities for creative and fun ways to discover and grow their creativity and talent together,” explains Ms. Jones. For this reason, Mary Poppins has a cast of many different age groups, ranging from children to adults.
ACT is also committed to educating its participants and audience about the performing arts. Ms. Jones continues, “We want to help children and teens of all ages discover self-confidence in a safe and friendly environment. We also want to work with organizations in the Flagstaff and surrounding communities to ensure we are providing theatrical and learning opportunities for people from all different walks of life and that we can provide this service in the most economical way possible.”
Indeed, a lot of time, effort, and money go into putting on a major theatrical production, and that’s another way ACT wants to include the community in its endeavors. Ms. Jones explains, “Producing a theater show, any show, especially one like Mary Poppins takes a lot of resources.
It takes a lot of volunteer staff and can be very expensive as we have to lease the license to perform, find space to perform in, and then pay for all the additional expenses like costumes, sets, props, etc. Every theater faces these challenges and we are very reliant on the Flagstaff community, businesses, sponsors, donors and our families to support us.”
Mary Poppins, bringing well-loved as well as new songs and scenes to the Flagstaff stage, is proving to be an exciting debut for ACT. Jaci Norton is taking on her first major directing role for this show. Although she has a degree in Speech/Theater from what is now Grand Canyon University, she explains she never really used it except in small church productions and as a volunteer with FyT. She says her first experience directing in this capacity has been “wonderful,” especially working with the performers new to theater. “Some of our key roles, and much of our ensemble, are young people who have never been in a production like this,” Ms. Norton explains. “They are fantastic, and have stepped up to a high level of performance.”
One of those newer performers, Harper Jones, is performing as Michael Banks. He has enjoyed this challenging experience. “My character is very funny and sassy,” he says, but he has had to learn to speak with a British accent and “project my voice.” And Malia Brown, who plays Jane Banks, has also enjoyed the challenge of her character. “What I have found challenging about this role is having to be rude to people. I am not a rude person and I don’t like hurting people’s feelings,” she says. “I love acting, and I would like to tell my friends to come out and try it. “
Brittany Jones, one of the founding members and more experienced performers, is performing as a dancer in the ensemble, an important part of any major musical. “By being in the dance and chorus ensemble, you get to be in a lot of scenes and perform all the songs,” she says. But there are definitely challenges to being in the chorus as well. “Sometimes it is hard to remember all the lyrics or all the moves, but by practicing it helps you to remember.”
Her sister, Courtney Jones, performs in the ensemble with her. She encourages aspiring performers to get out of their comfort zone and join ACT. “If you’re interested in doing something but afraid of what may happen, just do it! you never know, it may be the best thing that could ever happen to you.”
Kyle Openshaw will be playing the part of Bert and the entire Board agrees that he has the right personality and energy to be a huge success in this role! He has many similarities to the
original Bert, played Dick Van Dyke.
Mr. Openshaw plays his part with so much fun and energy, you cannot help but get swept
away in his scenes. He has been acting for several years, but this is one of his largest roles and Mr. Openshaw is also a magician, which is being incorporated into some of his scenes.
Alia Fischer and Casey Garcia, two seasoned performers, are splitting the title role of Mary Poppins. Ms. Garcia is particularly excited for the message of this show. “It teaches the value of family and charity and I think it’s a message so many don’t get to hear.” Mary Poppins is a dream role for Ms. Garcia. “I always think of Mary Poppins as an angel or goddess; she’s been around for thousands of years and she’ll be around for thousands more,” she muses. “I think that’s something that’s so challenging about Mary; how do you portray someone that’s seen everything and everyone? But that’s the magic of it I guess. The best part of being Mary is extending the mystery of her to the audience.”
So many of ACT’s performers have found increased self-confidence and expression as one of the benefits to performing on stage. Ms. Garcia’s experience has been no different. “Being involved with musical theater keeps me going,” she says. “I’m also such a nervous person that musical theater helps me express myself and come out of my shell more.”
Ms. Fischer has really enjoyed working with the younger cast members, particularly the kids who play Michael and Jane. Like Mary Poppins, she has real affection for the children. She elaborates, “I really feel like Harper and Malia are my charges, and I will miss them when we are done with the show. It has made playing Mary much more real, because I can identify with her love of the children and the pain she feels when she has to leave.” Ms. Fischer says rehearsals have been intense. “We spent an entire rehearsal learning how to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” she adds. Her favorite number, she says, is “definitely Step in Time, because of the energy of everyone on the stage.”
Taking seriously the role of portraying such a loved and familiar character on the stage, Ms. Fischer says, “The most challenging thing has been bringing such an iconic character to life. I feel like everyone has an image in their head of who Mary Poppins is, and it has been challenging to find the balance between what everyone knows and loves, and adding my own interpretation of her personality.”
Every major production is an enormous group effort, consisting of many people on and off the stage. Director Jaci Norton emphasizes she definitely couldn’t have taken on this show by herself. “I cannot do it without the immense help of my assistant directors, choreographers, stage crew, and administrators who keep things moving forward,” she says. “We have a fantastic board, and many supporters who make it all possible. In fact, if I wasn’t there, the show would go on!”
Ms. Jones and the rest of ACT’s board members couldn’t be more excited to share with the community all of the hard work the cast and crew has put into this show, which they have been rehearsing since February. “Mary Poppins is one of Disney’s most beloved musicals and classics,” Ms. Jones says, “so we want everyone to come out, watch our performances, and we hope they will be inspired to join our theater group.”
Alpine Community Theater’s production of Mary Poppins runs June 3 through June 11, with Friday performances at 7PM and Saturday performances at 2PM & 7PM. All performances take place at Coconino High School’s Mini Auditorium. Children ages 5-18, college students with a college ID, and seniors are $5. Adults are $10. Kids age four and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online. ACTflagstaff.com
| Katie E. Lanting is a devoted wife and mother, community theater actress and is currently writing a new novel. arts@thenoise.us
18 • JUNE 2016 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us