BAND GEEKS win our hearts at Circle Players (Nashville)

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In a perfect world, every theatre company would have it's own venue, but to be perfectly honest, I'm enjoying following Circle Players around town from TSU (Color Purple) to the Shamblin at Lipscomb (THE PIANO LESSON and NEXT TO NORMAL) and now to The Fortress in Marathon Village, which is rapidly becoming Music City's hottest cultural enclave. 

Not only does this traveling around give the artists in the Circle community opportunities to enjoy performing on a variety of wonderful stages, it also gives theatre goers who follow Circle a chance to discover theatres that they might not otherwise have a reason to visit - and to realize that there's more to Nashville's theatrical geography than TPAC and The Darkhorse. It's particularly exciting when our independent companies partner with our universities and put our amazing university theatre departments on theatregoers' radar. But more about that later and often. 

Right now, Circle has found the perfect hall for their production of BAND GEEKS. Clay Hilwig's gritty urban set really lives and breathes in this space and if you went to high school (as I presume most of us did) you will have an uncanny experience as the show transports you to "back in the day." The credit for taking us on this primal journey, of course, goes first and foremost to director Catherine McTamaney but also to producer David Williams and executive producer LaTonya Tuner. As I tried to fathom what Williams went through to round up all the production elements, I was reminded why I love 2 actors plays with no set. But Williams and his artistic team, including a superior cast of Nashville's young actors, do each other and all of us proud - despite, I must admit, a few challenges in audio land. 

As Elliot, Marc Sloan has the kind of talent that would have gotten him a screen test in Hollywood back in 1933 - kind of a Dick Van Dyke, Danny Kaye take on acting that may have gone out of style along the way but is welcome to make a comeback any time, in my opinion. As his not quite romantic sidekick, Laura, Maya Riley continues on a very impressive acting streak which last saw her as the housekeeper in Catherine Coke's production of HEDDA GABLER over at The University School of Nashville. Even her singing is about the acting. 

One young artist that I have to spotlight is the amazing 11 year old Lilla Grace Galgoczy-Toler, who delivers a performance worthy of Garbo, with her brilliant Slavic accent and her acerbic line deliveries and eyebrow arches that will be the envy of many a more seasoned actress. 

There's a fine group of young men on the stage as well, headlined by Jack Williams, whose work I have enjoyed in several other Circle productions and who is a definite future heartthrob. Che Piper really shows his chops off in his scene with Galgoczy-Toler when they bring on the show's showstopper, MR. BIG SHOT. Mykayla Gover truly takes the stage with his end of the show solo and the rest of the boys work believably together to convey the youthful comraderies of American high school. 

Sarah Zanotti, who studies at Lipscomb, will make you want to produce OKLAHOMA and GUYS AND DOLLS just so you can cast her as Ado Annie and Adelaide; Leon Blandon handles his complicated character with great skill, and Audrey Young looks good in goth. 

The other young ladies in the cast are not given as much to do individually, but they do it well together and the Color Guard was great fun (nice banners, who ever is responsible.)

The adult actors - Josh Waldrep, Kimberly Frelix and Susan Walsworth - do lovely work with their characters as well, evoking the gentle humor of old school adult comedians that we baby boomers remember from shows like BYE BYE BERIDIE and THE SON OF FLUBBER - and all together they execute Bakari King's festive choreography with energy and aplomb.

The musical direction - including an absolutely first rate orchestra - is full of energy and is the work of the incredibly gifted Eddie Charlton. 

Circle Players is surely one of this countries finest examples of community theatre - and always remember that when you use that term, you have to take into community you are referring to. For all the details, visit www.circleplayers.net 

Jaz Dorsey

Come to Nashville and Go to the Theatre!

AAPEX Interview: Max Désir

Max Désir

Picture by Stanley Louis from www.3imagespro.com

Interview with Max Désir by Jaz Dorsey

The Foreign Language Acting Group is proud to recognize Haitian born multi-talented and mulit-lingual actor/singer/model Max Désir as our Artist of the Year for 2012. Max joins the cast of Circle Players production of TITANIC in the role of Joseph Laroche, which runs at TPAC April 5th - 8th.

I asked Max to tell us about himself and his work, and here is what he has to say:

What role did theatre and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
Growing up in my childhood church in Haiti, theater and the arts were dormant in my life due to the fact that I was taught that I couldn’t be a Godly man and an entertainer at the same time. I was taught the two were opposites, so I suppressed my innate ability to create a reality that alters life through possibly one of the most transforming apparatuses on earth, the arts. I remember watching movies as a child and reiterating lines and facial expressions of actors as I got to the parts I really liked. As an adolescent, the mirror became my best friend not because I was practicing modeling faces, which became part of my career, but because I wanted to see how convincing and mesmerizing I can be as an actor. Interestingly enough, I still practice in the mirror nowadays

Tell us about your own evolution as an artist.
After years of suppressing my ability as an actor, in 2005 my university (Medgar Evers College CUNY) held auditions for a short film featuring Danny Glover and I landed my first supporting role. Landing that role gave me the confidence and the audacity that I needed to embark on my journey an actor. From that point on, I took continuous classes, workshops and voice lessons. I partook in a lot of student and Independent films, theatrical works, commercials, voiceovers, modeling in different cities.

What brought you to Nashville and what are your "Nashville" objectives?
In 2006, I went to Las Vegas to compete in a nationwide acting/modeling/singing competition called Talent Rock founded by Lou Pearlman. I won in some categories, and received a few offers from agencies. One of these offers came from a Nashville agent. Ever since then, I have been moving between New York and Nashville looking for gigs. Nashville has been very good to my career and has built my resume in more ways than one. I hope to continue to grow as an actor in Nashville whether it is in theater or film and hope to create a triangular relationship between Nashville, New York and Los Angeles. I am also looking forward to working together with my fellow actor, business partner, and friend Stanley Louis as we periodically merge my production company, S.T.A.R. Productions, which stands for Spiritually Renewed And Trained Productions with his all inclusive videography/photography company, imagesProductions to put together independent films, commercials, and original stage plays within the community and abroad.

What are your thoughts on Circle Players and the work they do?
I became familiar and active with Circle Players back in October 2010 when I landed my audition with them for the role of George in “Raisin in the Sun.” From that point forward, it has been an exciting ride working with them. Being the oldest community theater in Nashville, Circle Players stands on its own as a pivotal force in the community. As now a proud member of the board of directors, I count it an honor to be part of an organization that keeps on reaching new heights. As I learn about the history of Circle Players, I have noticed that it is becoming stronger and better than ever before under the leadership of its President Tim Larson and Vice President LaTonya Turner, who exemplify the caliber of the board as a whole. Each board member brings their own artistic historical background that contributes toward the steps forward that Circle Players is taking. And now we are daring enough to embark on this current audacious journey where we are having a Broadway quality production of “Titanic, the Musical” at TPAC April 5th through the 8th for the one weekend only. It is also worth mentioning that Circle Players will make history as they feature the
only black passenger on the Titanic (Joseph Laroche) whom I will have the honor of playing. The Laroche family has quite a fascinating story and the director and producer of the show thought it was worth featuring in the musical. Circle Players also reaches out to the youth in our community by having workshops that focus on refining their abilities as young performers.

Career wise, what's on your to do list now?
I have quite a few things on my list due to the eccentricity of abilities I’ve been blessed with in my life. The more immediate ones happen this summer 2012; I have a few short film projects lined up and am shooting potential commercial ideas on dvd to submit to big corporations. I hope to hit a music studio by end of summer to start working on a Worship CD in Creole/French and English. I’m working on finishing my first motivational/inspirational book “Just Like a Tree” by the beginning of 2013 and last but certainly not least I will start traveling the country again on certain weekends to churches and other organizations as a traveling evangelist and a motivational/inspirational speaker. I’m just going to stay busy and prepare myself in and out for bigger things.

Don't miss Max and the other fine actors of the cast of Circle Players TITANIC at TPAC April 5 - 8.

To learn more about the Circle Players, please click the post's title.

Come to Nashville and Go to the Theatre!

Jaz Dorsey
The Nashville Dramaturgy Project

AAPEX Interview: Courtney McClellan

Courtney McClellan

I saw Courtney McClellan onstage for the first time in the recent Circle Players production of A RAISIN IN THE SUN. Her hysterical portrayal of the Youngers' meddlesome neighbor, Wilhemina Othella Johnson, brought down the house. I also learned that Courtney sits on the board of Circle Players and is also responsible for the classy, Broadway style playbills for their shows. 

I then had the privilege of working with Courtney on the AAPEX Black History month show at Vanderbilt, where she gave another outstanding comic turn as Eslanda Goode Robeson, wife of the legendary Paul Robeson, who is trying to keep her superstar husband in check as he rises to international stardom.

Here's what Courtney has to say for herself.

Jaz Dorsey

AAPEX Dramaturge

What role did theatre and the arts play in your childhood and upbringing?
My first performance experiences, like many I imagine, were in church and school. I sang in the church choir and did all the Easter plays and Christmas pageants, played flute in the school band, and performed with my elementary and junior high chorus groups. I also did the occasional youth performance workshop and theatre camp during the summer months. I received great vocal training and lots of exposure, but my formal introduction to theatre and the arts came in high school. I attended a private, Catholic, all-girls, largely-based arts high school here in Nashville where I began learning to read music, participated in forensics, took an interest in visual art (some of my work even went up for sale!), held membership in the theatre guild and dance ensemble, and had my first theatrical stage experiences. The arts were always a large part of my life and that came from the exposure in the arts my parents allowed me. They have always been huge supporters and proponents of me trying many things. "You can't" weren't words I heard a lot in my household when it came to my interest in the arts. Thus, the theatre became a consistent comfort to me. Walking toward the stage was like coming home, and in fact I spent much of my time there. I lived in the theatre in high school and college, and went to my house or dormitory to sleep (sometimes). This type of art became a release for me and has absolutely made me a more intelligent, well-rounded, and cultured individual.

Tell us about your own evolution as an artist.
I began in the arts thinking I wanted to be a professional singer. My dream was to one day sing the national anthem at a nationally televised major sporting event. (After watching Christina Aguilera (and countless other vocalists, for that matter,) fumble over the words during the most recent Super Bowl, I laugh at myself.) In preschool, when it was song-sharing time and the other kids got up and sang "Old McDonald Had A Farm," my song of choice was "It Cuts Like A Knife." My teachers had some awkward conversations with my parents, I'm sure. Actually, as I got older my confidence as a singer diminished drastically, but I developed a passion for drama, acting, and speaking, and found the confidence to sing and dance in the context of those things. I think that's when the realization set in, that part of why I love theatre so much is that in order to properly execute it, you have to throw yourself, head first, into the role and completely assume another personage for it. Hence, when I'm singing as a character, it's not really me singing. It's me acting like someone who's singing. Much easier! I'm not embarrassing myself onstage anymore when I sing, because the character I'm playing is the one that's singing. A bit convoluted I know, but it's the difference between my anxiety overcoming me on stage, which, if you're a performer, you know means EVERYTHING in the world, and being able to deliver in the moment. I now consider myself in the ranking of "triple-threatness" to be an actor-singer- dancer, with singer-dancer being a FAR second and third. I've also directed a bit, which is an entirely different art form as well. The bottom line is that, as an artist, I am still evolving daily and enjoying the ride, ups and downs withal. 

Tell us about Circle Players and why you are so committed to this company.
I graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts degree from Hampton University in Virginia in 2008 and returned home to Nashville shortly after. I came off of some not-so-great theatrical experiences in Nashville (imagine that: type casting...in the south? Gasp!?) before attending my beloved HBU (historically black university) where the doors of the theatre opened up countless opportunities and solidified my love for the art. Upon returning home, I prepared to be greeted with the same challenges and hurdles I experienced in theatre before I left. Instead, I reconnected to the arts community with Circle Players, for which LaTonya Turner should receive lots of credit. Not only did the organization welcome me home (to Nashville AND to theatre) with open arms, after a short time overcoming the "new kid" feeling, Circle members were excited to use my professional skills to serve the organization as well as my onstage contributions. I felt valued in Nashville's theatrical community for a change. This coming year will be my third year serving on Circle's Board and, involvement with A Raisin in the Sun (January 2011) and "13" The Musical (coming April 2011) make my eighth and ninth shows with the organization. See! I can barely talk about Circle without shameless organizational promotion. I love the people with whom I've made connections and I know I've gained lasting and meaningful friendships from my participation. I also love what the organization is about, and its commitment to providing open opportunities to ALL types of people who have a passion and interest in theatre. Its board and artist members are dedicated and hardworking and deserve many more accolades for the purely volunteer work they do than I can possibly fit into this interview. I'll continue my involvement with Circle as long as the organization will have me.

What are your thoughts on Nashville as a theatre town?
Nashville has great potential to be a mecca for all kinds of theatre in Tennessee and the South, for that matter. I find its albeit misguided efforts toward popularization as a "celebrity hub" for country music to be a bit inhibiting when visiting other cities known for theatre in the United States. In fact many Nashville natives aren't even aware where the term "Music City" comes from. Some historical references attribute England's Queen Victoria with the term after she heard a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1873. In the 1950s, a local radio DJ used the term and it stuck. There is a diverse artistic community in Nashville that begs for appropriate physical spaces and funding to be its absolute best. I hope more attention can be diverted towards our city nationally for the theatrical work that it so beautifully provides each season. When the business and commerce behind the city's front back the artistic community as an invaluable part of the city's thriving, as opposed to solely its occasional entertainment source, then can we hope to make Nashville a true theatre town, because the talent is most assuredly present.

To learn more about the Circle Players, please click the post's title and the link below.

AAPEX Review: Nashville's CIRCLE PLAYERS' "A Raisin In The Sun"

Review by Jaz Dorsey

"In my mother's house there is still God"

A RAISIN IN THE SUN is a drama of the most intense kind. It's almost impossible to disconnect this play from it's historical significance as a groundbreaking work of African American dramatic literature, but the current Circle Players production which opens tomorrow night at the Larry Keeton theatre hits a universal nerve - to what degree does money define who we are?

This is the question that hurls the struggling Younger family into turmoil as they await the arrival of a $10,000.00 insurance check following the death the husband of Lena Younger and the father of her two children, Walter and Beneatha. What at first seems like a blessing and an answer to their dreams quickly becomes a demon that threatens to tear the family apart. Family conflicts are fueled even further when Lena uses a portion of the money to buy a home in a white neighborhood, only to receive a visit from the neighborhood "welcoming committee" in the person of a Mr. Lindner, who offers to buy the Youngers out because the good folks of Clybourne Park don't want "coloreds" moving in to their community.

Playwright Lorraine Hansberry drew from her own family's legal battles which followed an attempt to evict them from their home in an all white neighborhood. According to a pamphlet entitled "The Real Life Roots of A RAISIN IN THE SUN" provided by The Tennessee Fair Housing Council "The covenant in the Woodlawn neighborhood where the Hansberrys wanted to live stated that 'no part of said premises shall in any manner be occupied by a negro or negroes.' There were exceptions for African American employees of white homeowners to live in servants quarters, basements, barns and garages on the premises." The United States Supreme Court eventually decided in the Younger's favor in 1940, but the years that it took clearly impacted Lorraine Hansberry's perception of what it meant to be an American in the context of a racist America. At this level, RAISIN is an outcry of historical urgency which still echoes loudly today.

But it's not really the housing issue that drives A RAISIN IN THE SUN - it's the money. The blood money. As Beneatha's African suitor Asagai comments; "Isn't there something wrong in a world where all dreams depend on the death of a man?'

At three acts & three hours, RAISIN is an epic undertaking for the actors, who are challenged to portray levels of personal agony that baffle the mind. At the same time, the pain is balanced by insights, observations and wise cracks so funny that you wonder from time to time if this isn't a comedy.

As Lena, Dara Talibah is "mother" - sincere and loving, patient and confused, but with wells of dignity that she must tap in order to absorb her childrens' conflicts. Talibah finds all of Lena's shades and levels and there are moments watching her face as she processes the relentless barrage of assaults, seeking to maintain just her sanity, that are the epitome of acting.

As Walter, Michael "Diallo" McLendon has the most grueling journey, as he seeks to find and define himself as the man of the family.When Walter rails against being someone else's servant, Lena tells him "In my day we was nervous about not getting lynched and getting to the North." But Walter can't hear that and comes so close to becoming the villain of the play - but when he does, Lena turns to his sister and explains that this is when you have to love someone - not when they're good and it's easy. McClendon navigates this perilous role with a brute energy in which the testosterone is almost palpable.

As Walter's wife, Ruth, LaToya Gardner has an equally emotional but far more poignant impact, as, newly pregnant, she wonders whether or not to bring another child in to this dangerous world. Her torment is heart wrenching. On the other hand, Gardner has great comic moments. When she is on the phone with Walter's employer's wife, with just a few lines she lets us hear that "white lady" on the other end of the phone, and you just know who that white lady is.

Everyone in the play is caught in a clash of cultures, but this is most clearly seen in Beneatha and her two suitors, the well to do, arrogant American, George, and the rather mystical Nigerian, Asagai, who courts Beneatha with Africa. Beneatha is played with great spirit by Shelena Walden, who gives us a child-to-be of the next decade, the 60s. She's a constant source of wit - as when she refers to her brother as being "bourgeois noir." As George, Max Desire is disturbingly daper, while Eliot Robinson's Asagai is celestial and serene (though still something of a male chauvinist).

Courtenay McClellan plays the rather bizarre neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, with such comedic ferocity that she all but got a standing ovation when she left the scene, and Tobyus Green is equally (but appropriately) strange as Walter's unfortunate business partner in his brief but unsettling moment of shattered manhood. Jim Manning is a creepy and curiously obsequious Mr. Lindner and young Eric William II does a solid job as Walter and Ruth's son, Travis.

Clay Hillwig has directed a production that lives and breathes in every corner of Ralph Gabriel's excellent set - an apartment so cozy that I actually wouldn't mind moving in when the Youngers move out ( I like that little kitchen!), Melody Fowler-Green' s costumes are ace and all the technical elements were in perfect order, even at dress rehearsal, thanks to the technical team of Brian Levay and J R Smallwood. And there is some great incidental music, including one of my favorite tunes, "Lucky So and So."

Kudos to producer LaTonya Turner and the stage manager (no one ever mentions the stage manager) Nicole Billups: these ladies have clearly done their jobs, because everything went off without a hitch. And this was just dress rehearsal.

For complete information on the production and the run, please click the post's title. Be sure and check out the awesome trailer - makes you think "look out for the movie, coming soon to a u tube near you."

But don't wait for that - Come to Nashville and go to the Theatre. The play runs from January 7th to the 23rd.