So much going on!

Here is an update on what has been happening at the ART!
Big changes on the Board. We have some new members, like Carlos Fargas, and we will soon have a new president. Cindy Lasley will be working with Casey Stern through the rest of the year. A big thank you to Casey for all of his hard work. Truely, this theatre would not have survived without him. He will of course still be involved with the theatre so look for him throughout the year. We are very excited about Cindy as our new president! She is brimming with ideas all ready. One of the big ones is that she has set up a committee to rewrite the By-Laws. They are just too out of date and need a refresher. The committee had their first meeting last night and I will make sure to get details soon.

When you come to see "The Elephant Man" which opens January 7th, you will notice some big physical changes to our stage. Michael McShane and his crew have been hard at work creating a new layout for the space. I don't want to give too much away so you will just have to see it for yourself.

The night before "The Elephant Man" opens, there will be the social event of the season: the 30 Years of Theatre Gala. All of the board members and directors for the upcoming season will be there. More details will follow so stay tuned.

Auditions for "The Tempest"

Auditions will be held for the Shakespeare in the Swamp show, directed by Michael Cromier, will be held Sunday November 14th at 3 pm and November 16th at 6 pm.
What to bring:
Yourself, maybe some friends and a smile!
About the show:
Stranded on a deserted island with his daughter, a usurped duke is granted his chance at revenge. By invoking a storm, he shipwrecks the man who ruined him. Also among the passengers is the young man who awakens his daughter's first stirrings of love.

The Players:
PROSPERO - The Right Duke of Milan, a Sorceror
MIRANDA - Prospero's Daughter
FERDINAND - The son of Alonso, King of Naples, love interest of Miranda
ARIEL - An air spirit on the Island, servant of Prospero
IRIS, CERES & JUNO - Three spirits on the Island
ALONSO - King of Naples
ANTONIO - Prospero's brother, the usurping Duke of Milan
SEBASTIAN - Alonso's brother
GONZALO - An honest, old Counsellor
CALIBAN - A savage, monstrous man on the Island
TRINCULO - A Jester
STEPHANO - A drunk Butler 

Exciting New Partnership!

We have the wonderful opportunity of partnering with the new Gainesville theatre group "Shakespeare in the Swamp" for our upcoming production of "The Tempest"! The group just started in September and we are thrilled to be working with them on this production. Here is a little bit about "Shakespeare in the Swamp": Shakespeare in the Swamp is a community theatre group that performs Shakespeare's plays in the open air. Our season consists of two shows a year, one in April and one in October, when the weather is the perfect in beautiful Gainesville, Florida!

All of our shows are free to attend and we invite you to bring blankets, pillows and chairs to enjoy the show! We rely solely on the gracious donations of the theatre loving citizens of the community to continue running!

2011 will be our very first season and we look forward to putting together a wonderful community troupe that will continue to be an active group in and around Alachua County for many years to come!

Please check out their website http://www.shakespeareintheswamp.org/index.html for more information and stay tuned here at to the Facebook page for more information on this exciting show.

Auditions for "The Elephant Man"

Monday, November 1 at 6:30pm - November 2 at 10:00pm
Location	The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre Mainstage 619 S. Main Street
	Auditions will be held on Monday 11/1/2010 and Tuesday 11/2/2010 evening starting at 6:30PM Friday January 7, 2011 through Sunday January 23, 2011. There may be the possibility of a hold-over the following week: January 28 thru January 30. Shows are 8pm Friday and Saturday. 2pm Saturday matinee. A little about the play: ...The lead John Merrick, is a hideously deformed 19th century Londoner known as “The Elephant Man”. Treated as a sideshow freak, Merrick is assumed to be retarded as well as misshapen because of his inability to speak coherently. In fact, he is highly intelligent and sensitive, a fact made public when one Dr. Frederick Treves rescues Merrick from a carnival and brings him to a hospital for analysis. Alas, even after being recognized as a man of advanced intellect, Merrick is still treated like a freak; no matter his station in life, he will forever be a prisoner of his own malformed body. MALE ROLES: Frederick Treves: A surgeon and teacher. John (Joseph) Merrick – The Elephan Man Belgian Policeman ...Francis Carr Gomm: Administrator of the London Hospital Belgian Policeman London Policeman Ross: Manager of the Elephant Man Bishop Walsham How Porter: At the London Hospital Lord John Pinhead Manager Snork: A male orderly Voice Conductor FEMALE ROLES: Orderly: At the London Hospital Countess: Visiting Mr. Merrick to give him gifts. Pinheads * Ms. Sandwich: A terrified Orderly. Duchess: Visiting Mr. Merrick to give him gifts. Mrs. Kendal Princess Alexandra: Visiting Mr. Merrick to give him gifts. * Pinheads – Freaks who suffer from microcephaly or some other mental retardation. They usually were well formed in body but their heads were generally cone-shaped, thus giving them a non-human appearance. They were promoted as "Darwin's missing link" or the surviving children of a lost civilization (i.e. The Ancient Aztec Children, the Wild Men of Borneo).

Theatre Ettiquette

Here is a crash course in how to behave when you go see a show. Gainesville is a pretty lax town when it comes to dress, meaning you can wear jeans and a t-shirt but somethings should not be forgotten.

• Turn off all phones
• Never answer your phone during a performance- if you must, please take it outside
• It is very distracting to the cast and the rest of the audience to hear comments about the play during the performance. Laughter and applause are fine, but that's all
• No eating or drinking- this keeps the theatre clean as well as the audience not hearing wrappers
• Arrive on time- it is difficult for even the best actor to recover when people come in during a scene

"A Raisin in the Sun" Review

I got a chance to see the ART's production of Lorraine Hansbury's "A Raisin in the Sun" on Saturday. There were a lot of good performances including those by Brenadette Harper as Mama, Robert L. Woods as Walter, and Cindy Lasley as Mrs. Linder. Ms. Harper's portrayal as the matriarch of the family was compelling. I was almost in tears at her emotion reaction to Walter losing the money. She carried the show but worked very well off her cast. She balance the somewhat domineering mother with humor and compassion. She had a certain grace with such a deep character faced with such hardships as poverty and racism. Mr. Woods did one of the hardest jobs for an actor; playing a drunk! In all seriousness, he was able to come across as believable when stumbling and dancing all over the stage. Much like his "mother" in the show, he created a nice balance of humor and intensity for the role. I enjoyed his remarks to his wife's nagging which at times felt harsh but stemmed from familiarity for the most part. Mrs. Lasley certainly stole all of her scenes when she walked on stage. I know her personally and I did not see one bit of Cindy as the character. She was able to take a part that could be made harsh and uncaring and cause the audience to sympathize with her unfortunate situation. By no means did she make us forgive her actions, but she did give us someone we could understand. The lighting was very natural and added a brightness that conflicted nicely with the sometimes dark subject matter of the play. It gave a sense that although times are hard, things can still be cheerful.
The set was very well done. You got a feeling that although this family was in a boring environment of a boarding house, they had taken steps to personalize it. The staging fit very well with the space which can be difficult for a director. I enjoyed seeing the character react to different pieces on the stage.
I was disappointed to see that more attention had no been paid to keeping the costumes period. Some of the pieces had the right idea but were obviously modern. Women did not show cleavage like they do now.
I hope that everyone got a chance to see this production and enjoyed it as much as the cast enjoyed being in it.

Make a Difference with a Click!

We love that we have over 250 fans on Facebook but we want to grow! All you have to do is suggest to five friends to "like" our page and ask that they suggest five friends as well. You can personally bring the arts and awareness to new people in the community. Then, you and your friends will be updated on what's going on in the theatre. We have so much in store for the future.

The Theatre Maybe Quiet but We are working!

I know a lot of you supports are a little in the dark about what has been going on at the ART. Here is an update and a quick overview of what was talked about at the last board meeting.
This theatre is having financial worries and this current production is so important in helping release that burden. Coming to see the show is such a small thing and you will get so much out of it. I will be posting my own review of the show after I see it Saturday night. I have worked with the ART for a few years now and I hope that I continue to have the opportunity.
Another big problem in the past has been communication. That is going to change. We are starting a new and current mailing list and when you come to see the show, you will have the opportunity to join. We are also revamping our marketing strategy. We have relied on flyers in the past but that just is not enough. We are working on a new campaign, including this blog, to bring awareness to this wonderful theatre. We have a lot of events in the works as well including workshops, playwright festivals, and reader's theatre.
The biggest thing we need is support and donations. Since we are nonprofit and rely on the support of the community and our volunteers, our ticket sales and donations drive our theatre. Come out and enjoy great theatre while working for a great cause.

A Raisin in the Sun

This is the last weekend to see "A Raisin in the Sun" at the Acrosstown! This is such a special production that has brought so many people from the community together in just one weekend. Directed by Rhonda Wilson, this production not only supports the ART, a portion of the proceeds will go to support the Star Children's Theatre. The show starts at 7:30 so doors will open at 7. Tickets are $10 at the door or available at Book Gallery West just like normal.

For those of you who are not familiar with "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry, here is a quick synopsis from wikipedia: "A Raisin in the Sun portrays a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family living in the South Side of Chicago in the setting of sometime between WWII and the 1950s. When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000 from the deceased Mr. Younger’s life insurance policy. Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with the money. The matriarch of the family, Mama, wants to buy a house to fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Mama’s son, Walter Lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store with his friends. He believes that the investment will solve the family’s financial problems forever. Walter’s wife, Ruth, agrees with Mama, however, and hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis. Finally, Beneatha, Walter’s sister and Mama’s daughter, wants to use the money for her medical school tuition. She also wishes that her family members were not so interested in joining the white world. Beneatha instead tries to find her identity by looking back to the past and to Africa.
As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their competing dreams. Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears that if she has the child, she will put more financial pressure on her family members. When Walter says nothing to Ruth’s admission that she is considering abortion, Mama puts a $3,500 down payment on a house for the whole family. She believes that a bigger, brighter dwelling will help them all. She then gives Walter the remaining $6,500 and tells him to put $3,000 in a savings account for Beneatha's medical schooling and $3,500 in a checking account for himself. Their new house is in Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighborhood. When the Youngers’ future neighbors find out that African-Americans are moving in, they send Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers money in return for staying away. The Youngers refuse the deal, even after Walter loses the rest of the money to his friend Willy Harris, who persuades Walter to invest in the liquor store and then runs off with his cash.
In the meantime, Beneatha rejects her wealthy suitor, George Murchison, whom she believes to be shallow and blind to the problems of race. Subsequently, she receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian college friend, Joseph Asagai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa with him (Beneatha does not make her choice before the end of the play). The Youngers eventually decide to move out of the apartment, fulfilling the family’s long-held dream. Their future seems uncertain and slightly dangerous, but they are optimistic and determined to live a better life. They believe that they can succeed if they stick together as a family and resolve to defer their dreams no longer."