The nuVoices for a nuGeneration play festival began this past Sunday evening with a kick-off soiree for everyone involved with the festival.

These actors clean up pretty good, don’t they?

Working full-time at ATC often keeps me trapped up in this building with a threaded needle in one hand and a roll of duct tape in the other. I wish I had time to become more engaged with the rest of the Charlotte theatre community, because there are always fantastic shows to be seen and amazing talent to meet. But this festival has given me a chance to work with some of the most well-known artists in the Charlotte theatre scene! Vito Abate of JUST DO IT over at Theatre Charlotte, J.R. Adducci of the recently established 700 Miles South company, and both Nicia Carla and Peter Smeal, who are delightful staples at Children’s Theatre. Those are just a few examples of the variety of talent that we’re experiencing right now at ATC.

The process of a new play festival is a demanding one. Here it is in a nutshell:

It began with ATC dramaturgs reading 288 plays that were submitted to the festival from all over the nation. We were hoping for 100 submissions and got 288. We exceeded our expectations by… a lot of percent! Through a process of elimination, they narrowed it down to 4. Those 4 plays were randomly assigned to 4 directors who have never previously directed a show for ATC. After a full day of auditions (A VERY FULL DAY OF AUDITIONS) the shows were cast with a total of 22 local actors. When the playwrights arrived, we jumped into a week-long rehearsal process.

Each of the 4 shows rehearses 6 hours a day in alternating shifts. Work 3 hours, break 3 hours, and work 3 hours. Throughout the day, the playwrights work on making any script omissions, additions, and alterations that they believe will strengthen their show. This is where it gets tricky! Being a new experience for ATC, we knew this process would have a learning curve. You can either lean into that curve, or pull away and curl up in a ball until it’s all over. With as comforting as I find the fetal position, pulling away just didn’t seem like the right option. We’re lucky to have a festival advisor who has helped us stay organized with the daily script changes. Martin Kettling is new to the Charlotte area, but a veteran to the world of kick-ass theatre. Having worked for years as the Literary Manager for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, he brings with him prestige, experience, and some really awesome organizational skills. Plus, he can unjam a copier like a pro. We owe much of the success of this festival to Martin. He arrived early each morning, coffee in hand, to print up those new script changes for each of the actors. Each day, the actors arrive knowing they may have a whole new script waiting for them. It’s exciting as an artist, but also a little scary. With just 4 days of rehearsals before an audience views the reading, there is a delightful tension in the air.

Lauren Dortch Crozier, an actor in the project, says,” It’s an intense, caffeine filled week, but i can’t wait to see the shows.”

I asked Artistic Director Chip Decker where he got the idea for the nuVoices festival:

“It’s something I felt Charlotte needed. We haven’t had anything quite like this since Charlotte Repertory and since ATC’s goal is NEW WORKS, it just felt like a natural step. New play festivals are notoriously NOT money makers, especially in the early years, so, for years now, we’ve been seeking funding for this type of project and we found a great fit with the Women’s Impact Fund, whose $70,000 grant made this dream possible. We’re already searching for sponsors for the coming years. This festival doesn’t just help ATC, but it also helps the entire theatre community. It gives more paid opportunity for Charlotte actors and directors. Plus, we want the rest of the world to know that Charlotte is a city helping to produce new works.”

Today is Thursday. As we say in the theatre world: IT’S THE DAY OF THE SHOW, Y’ALL. This is where it all comes together. STILL by Jen Silverman at 6:00pm and SUMMER ON FIRE by Mike Bencivenga at 9:00pm. Each of these performances is followed by a talkback with the playwright and director. For just $10 a show, you can be a part of new and upcoming theatre. When they go to Broadway, you can say, “I remember when…”. It’s time to head over to ATC. NuVoices or BUST!

Live theatre is a surprising beast. It has a mind of its own and no one, NO ONE, is going to ever truly harness control. I think that’s part of what makes it so exciting… yet also disappointing.

Last week, Actor’s Theatre opened Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris.

It was tremendously well-received. I heard many genuine accolades…

“Most provocative new script I’ve experienced in YEARS!”

“…setting the bar for Charlotte theatre a little higher…”

“It was better than Cats…” (actually, I was the one who said that, so just ignore that)

With such praise and enthusiasm, how could I possibly call it disappointing?? My disappointment lies not in the production itself, but in one patron’s reaction. If I sincerely thought it was one lone soul, I would ignore it, but I’m afraid it represents a portion of the Charlotte community who refuses to openly engage in sensitive dialogue about the issue of race.

While the production was underway this past Thursday evening, one woman had a rather harsh reaction. She rose from her seat, raised her palm to face the actors onstage, and shared with the audience her one-word description of the action at hand.

“Racist.”

This classic 1990′s “talk to the hand” move was one she repeated as she made her way down the aisle, again being sure that the audience and actors understood her claim,

“Everyone here is racist.”

To be fair, this Pulitzer Prize winning script does contain words, phrases, and attitudes that we SHOULD, especially as people of a 21st century mindset, find offensive. No doubt about that. And if avoiding further offense was her only intention, I suppose she timed her exit quite well. Leaving midway through Act II, she narrowly escaped the portion of racially offensive jokes hurled out in a comedic passive aggressive showdown.

The abrupt interruption didn’t slow down the show, but it did prompt some interesting discussion at the talkback following the performance. It seemed I was not the only one disappointed in the actions displayed that night. The audience who witnessed the event seemed truly sorry that she did not stick around and share her feelings in the post-show discussion.

Actor Craig Spradley simply said…

“She got it. The woman who left. She got the play. She probably doesn’t even KNOW she got it.”

Further addressing the issue of race, director Dennis Delamar received an almost auditory “AMEN” from the crowd as he explained…

“It would be a shame to perform this show for an all white audience, or for an all black audience, because it is meant for us to watch together. To sit down beside one another and experience this production, and the discussion that it evokes, is what it’s all about.”

Brandi Feemster, an actor in the production, shared with everyone…

“We use the terms ‘racist’ and ‘not racist’ as if we’re either one or the other, but there are many degrees in between. Do I consider myself a racist? No. Have I ever made a judgement about someone based on their color? Yes.”

Brandi is a black woman who is not afraid of an honest discussion about the issue. She continued to make a very important distinction…

“The difference lies in whether or not you allow those preconceived judgments to influence your actions and behavior.”

When you see Clybourne Park next week, you’ll see this…

…though probably with a little more clarity. This was a photo i snapped during Thursday’s curtain call. I hope my point shines through the blur and that you can see this audience, of mixed race and varied generations, standing to applaud not only the art itself, but the courage and honesty of the performers as they make us laugh while revealing the good, bad, and ugly in each of us. But that’s what theatre is all about, isn’t it? That’s why we at ATC do what we do. We believe it sparks ideas and conversations that Charlotte needs to be having. And when one group gets up and walks out of that conversation, it makes positive change feel like a distant dream. Three steps forward, two steps back.

Now, I wasn’t actually in the room when the dramatic exit took place, but I will tell you this: I never questioned the woman’s race. Five days later, I am now informed that she was white. It’s a small descriptive detail that I filled in with my own prejudice assumptions. Wow… it seems as though I might be just one more reason for those ‘two steps back’. While I’m standing back here eating crow, perhaps I’ll watch the show a little more closely and think about what other assumptions I make that so clearly display my own prejudice.

You know, these actors didn’t have the opportunity to defend themselves against the accusation made of them on that fateful Thursday evening. Will they let that negative energy effect their performances? How will it impact them? As I was closing up the building, I saw this new message left by a cast member on the green room refrigerator:

It seems they’ll make it through… with a laugh… as always.

I must be living right these days. I got another treat last night–Clybourne Park at Actor’s Theatre. Here is my reaction to this gem:

Just how good is Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte’s new production of the new American classic, Bruce Norris’ “Clybourne Park”? About as good as theatre gets. This brilliant realization of an equally brilliant script does not take a back seat to any theatre you will ever see in Chicago or New York. In a season that has brought theatre-goers more than their money’s worth in an unprecedented string of great shows, finally the champ comes rolling into town. When Charlotte Rep lost its fight for financial survival a few years back, Dan Shoemaker and ATC stepped in to fill the void. And they have done so with a remarkable consistency of quality. But with this production they come fully of age, erasing from our theatre-quality scale the old standard and giving us a new one.

Deliver an ingenious script that does a comic riff on an American classic (“A Raisin in the Sun”) into the masterful hands of Dennis Delamar (ably assisted by Polly Adkins) and then let him work with as talented a cast as you are likely to see any time soon. The result is sheer theatre Nirvana. This production held echoes for me of some of the finest plays I have ever seen or read. The funny and touching first act reminded me at times of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” (Craig Spradley’s rendition of the bitter father). The flat-out hilarious second act paid homage to Kaufman and Hart’s zany, “You Can’t Take It With You.” (Mitzi Corrigan’s first act ditzy mom had already reminded me of the latter play.) Add to that a denouement that devastated me like the finest moments of Sam Shepherd’s “Buried Child.”

Dennis works magic here, but he does not do it alone. The cast is a mix of very talented young performers and three veterans–Craig, Mitzi, and Rob Simmons–all of whom we see much too seldom on Charlotte stages these days. Pay particular attention to Spradley’s transformation from the troubled but amusing dad of Act I into a working-class cameo in Act II. At the play’s end when Delamar has us focused elsewhere, sneak at look at Spradley to see some of the best work all night by an old pro. And then there is Simmons at his comedic best. It is comforting to see the Charlotte area’s best actor back in top form. His timing throughout, but especially in Act II, is peerless.

Add to this costumes by Jamey Varnadore, lighting by Hallie Gray and a brilliant set by Chip Decker that does the reverse metamorphosis from a cute butterfly into the ugliest caterpillar you have ever seen, and you have all theatrical elements working to near perfection.

I cannot say enough about the direction of this play. The delivery of comedy this complex takes Toscanini-like precision. Dennis does that here. And he delivers the farce of Act II without the quick entrances and slamming doors we usually associate with that comedy genre. For the most part he plops his characters down on make-shift chairs in an empty living room and trusts his actors and the playwright to work their magic. And then there is the ending. No spoiler here. Just suffice it to say that I have not seen a better finish to a play in all my years of theatre-going in Charlotte.

If you are a theatre lover, do yourself a favor and see this comedic masterpiece. If you are an actor or director, do yourself an even bigger one and see this lesson in brilliant comic timing and subtle layering of serious issues painlessly over the fun.

Shared by Charles LaBorde, a long-time educator and theatre supporter, on his Facebook page. Shared on our website with his permission.

First up – Playbill.com. If you have ever been to the theatre you know what a playbill is. For the one person who might read this article out of mild - it’s a program. Playbill.com gives readers daily updates on the latest and greatest happenings in the theatre world. It also hooks you up with tickets from Broadway to London. Membership is free, but they still give you the opportunity to get some really great discounts. There are also photo galleries, videos from some of the top shows, and a store in case you want to indulge your obsession a little more.

Second – IBDB.com. You know what IMDB is, Internet Movie Database? Now you can check out the Internet Broadway Database. What do you want to know about theatres, character, designers, awards, songs, and a so much more about Broadway? Go here! I will say that it is not always up to date with the latest and greatest info, bit it is a valuable source.

Finally, Theatermania.com. Visiting Minnesota next? Type it in, and see what is showing near where you will be staying and buy tickets. Don’t bother searching all over the net to find tickets, just go here. See the lists of the latest openings and closings, as well as the latest theatre news from around the web in one place.

I hope this helps the theatre geeks out there, and those who are just realizing that a little culture is a great thing.

And don’t forget that PAY WHAT YOU CAN has been moved to the Tuesday, February 28 at 7:30 PM. This is the perfect opportunity to see the show if you can’t afford the normal tickets, but get there early as this is sure to sell out.

Here are two more interviews with a couple of the actors from the show.

First up Tanya McClellan, who was most recently seen in ATC’s production of The Vibrator Play.

Second, John W. Price, who has been part of the Actor’s Theatre family for numerous years.

 Go buy your tickets now to see more characters starring in this great show, and check out more about the actors in the Who’s Who section under the shows web page.

A brief moment with Brian Daye.

A brief moment with Jeremy DeCarlos.

Keep an eye out for more interviews coming your way with more of Cuttin” Up’s cast.