Plays

Photo: a dance still from the dance showcase "Fear: What are you afraid of?" to be performed Dec. 7 in Stuart Steiner Theatre.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee Center for the Arts at Genesee Community College in Batavia, New York has confirmed several new events for the 2018-2019 coming season.

The season begins with "Bakkhai" performed by the Genesee Community College Forum Players. Come enjoy the tale of Dionysos who has brought his fanatic religion to Thebes, but, when his holy lineage is denied, he will stop at nothing to prove his power.

Anne Carson's new version of the Euripides classic weaves this harrowing myth and its tragic end into the 21st century. Performances will take place on Oct. 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. in GCC's Stuart Steiner Theatre.

Brighten your holidays -- literally -- with "A Very Electric Christmas," performed by Lightwire Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 18, with two shows at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Stuart Steiner Theatre in Batavia. Audiences of all ages will love this magical and captivating tale of family, friendship and hope set to timeless holiday hits. Check out the production trailer at https://www.lightwiretheater.com/a-very-electric-christmas/.

GCC's Forum Players will return to the stage in "Single Black Female" written by Lisa B. Thompson, award-winning playwright. In this show, quick comic vignettes tell the story of two 30-something Africa-American middle-class women looking for love, clothes, dignity and more in a world that only sees stereotypes.

This production is a thesis project for Director Jamie Arena who is pursuing a master's degree at Regent College. Performances will take place on Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m., and on Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.

On Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. a dance showcase entitled "Fear: What are you afraid of?" will take the stage in the Stuart Steiner Theatre. Directed by Tara Pocock, adjunct professor at GCC, the 20-piece performance dives into the human mind and choreographs fear to modern jazz and hip-hop style dancing.

The audience is encouraged to participate in the show which features students from Anastasia's Spotlight Dance Studio in Churchville. All proceeds will go to GCC's Forum Players.

Tickets for these shows are $8 for adults, and $5 for seniors (55+) and students (16+) and GCC faculty/ staff. GCC students with ID are $3, and GCC alumni with ID will receive a $2 discount on an adult ticket. To reserve seats, contact the GCC box office at boxoffice@genesee.edu or (585) 345-6814.

The schedule at GCC's Roz Steiner Art Gallery continues to capture the wide array of dynamic work in the visual arts featuring drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and language arts.

From Oct. 2 - 25 the Gallery will display a special selection of works from the Gerald Mead Collection. Mead is a noted collector, Buffalo artist and educator. His private collection includes more than 1,000 historic and contemporary artworks by various artists associated with the Western New York region through birth or residency. Mead will lecture on Oct. 9 at 12:30 p.m. and receptions will follow at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Going beyond conscious intention to make coherent images from irrational juxtaposition of disparate parts is the impetus of Emily Kenas' work. While making new sense of recognizable materials, her work "Assemblage" occupies a space between painting and sculpture and will occupy the Gallery from Nov. 13 - Dec. 14. Kenas will lecture on Nov. 29 at 12:30 p.m. and receptions will follow at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

A collection of paintings by Muhammad Zaman, entitled "Finding Amal" will be exhibited from Jan. 22 - Feb. 22. Amal, meaning "hope" in Arabic is what Zaman hopes to inspire through his work. "Finding Amal" features compositions of urban calligraphy that combine the three languages that are the cornerstones of the artist's culture: Arabic, English and Bangla. Each individual canvas expresses a word, phrase or concept as if they were messages dedicated to the entire human race. The artist will lecture on Jan. 31 at 12:30 p.m. and receptions will follow at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The Roz Steiner Art Gallery is open to the public Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is also open during special events as published at www.genesee.edu/campuslife/arts. Admission is free. For more information, contact Gallery Coordinator Mary Jo Whitman at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6490, or via email: mjwhitman@genesee.edu.

This Saturday, Heather Ackerman invites you into an alternative universe with alternative theater...

Well, all right, maybe that first "alternative" is a bit over the top...but the second is definitely real.

The venture

Ackerman's new East Bethany-based theater group, "Honesty Theatre," will be putting on their second production Saturday, June 12. It will be made up of a series of individual performances grouped under the theme of "alternate realities."

"All of these stories will be based on different 'what if' ideas," Ackerman said, citing as an example a vignette that has Sophocles' Antigone winding up in New York City.

Ackerman describes Honesty Theatre as "an experimental writing company for the stage." The group is made up of small teams of actors, each responsible for writing, producing and performing a short play...all in one day.

Each teams' play is included in a single, themed performance every month. At Honesty Theatre's premiere last month, the plays that were all about "beginnings." Subjects included Adam and Eve, beginning relationships, the first day in a new town, etc.

Ackerman says this style of theater is good for both audiences and actors; audiences get to see something "no one has ever seen before" (since it's being more or less created and performed at the same time), while actors have the chance to explore their creative instincts.

"Our emphasis is on the creative process, what we learn along the way and being creative with words, rather than on the final product."

Nevertheless, the Honesty Theatre troupe is taking advantage of lessons learned from their last show to enhance the quality of the next one. For example, instead of writing the scripts on the day as the performance, they decided to "workshop" the scripts well in advance this time. Spontaneity will still be very much in play, but with scripts prepared in advance, the actors can focus more energy on the performance aspect of the show.

"Acting on the fly is a lot better than writing on the fly," Ackerman said.

She also encouraged more interaction and reciprocal feedback between the different acting teams, as well as some advance rehearsal time. During the first production, the actors had to rehearse while the other vignettes were being performed. This time, they will be able to see and offer feedback on their fellow actors' work.

The brains behind the operation

Though currently a resident of East Bethany, Ackerman is a Batavia native. She has been acting since she was a youngster and has an impressive repertoire of local theater performances, including roles in Summer Youth Theater productions of "Alice in Wonderland," "Godspell" and "Oliver." She has also worked with a local independent theater company called Something-or-Other Productions, acting in such plays as "The Laramie Project" and "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged" from 2004-2007.

While a student at Genesee Community College, she had starring roles in "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "A Christmas Carol."

In addition to acting, she also has experience writing local theater productions. Her first stage play, an experimental piece about young girls and their perspectives on relationships (love, breakups, etc), premiered at GCC in 2003.

After earning a bachelor's degree from the NY University at Buffalo, she spent six months living in Boulder, Colo. It was there that the seeds of Honesty Theatre were planted.

"I was looking at the want ads and I noticed that there were these people looking for a theater writer," Ackerman said. "I called them right away, got the job, and wrote for them the whole time I lived in Boulder."

The names of the two individuals in question were Erin Kelly and Jesse McDonald, and they ran a spontaneous theater company just like Honesty Theatre. Kelly, in fact, was one of the founders of "L.A. Café," which was the first group to experiment with this type of theater.

"They're actually doing very well in Boulder," Ackerman said. "In the time since I left, they've already become a larger theater company."

Ackerman was so intrigued by their approach to live theater that she wanted to bring it to her own neck of the woods. She asked Kelly and McDonald for their permission, and they granted it happily.

The venue

Honesty Theatre productions take place at the East Bethany Old Town Hall, at 10440 Bethany Center Rd., which Ackerman says has "exactly what (they) need" in spite of its smaller size. The hall contains an old vaudeville stage.

"It has seating for 100, and it's great as a theater because it has an old-fashioned look and bright polished wood."

Saturday's show will begin at 7:30 p.m. and last about an hour and a half. Tickets are $8 and will be for sale at the door.

For more details, call Ackerman at 356-4678.

Last night, I was fortunate enough to be invited behind the scenes for the Batavia Players' dress rehearsal of Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, which premieres tonight (see showtime info below).

As the cast members flitted this way and that, in and out of their dressing rooms, up and off the stage, I had just enough time to sit with Patrick Burk, the show's director, and a couple members of the cast. We chatted right up on the set — which Patrick later informed me is made up of no less than 400 props donated by several of the players themselves.

Who: The Batavia Players: Valeria Antonetty, Shawnie Euren, Lynda Hodgins, Rachel Oshlag, Nikole Marone, Peggy Marone, Joan Meyer, Patti Michalak and Jake Bortle. Patrick Burk directs.

What: Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean by Ed Graczyk.

Where: Stuart Steiner Theater, Genesee Community College, Batavia.

When: May 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30pm.

Tickets: Available at Roxy's Music Store, 228 W. Main St., and Go Art!, 201 E. Main St. $10 for adults, $8 for senior.

Break a leg!

Whew...this is a busy time for me so on this wonderful Saturday I wanted to take the time to remind everyone that the Batavia Players, Inc. Spring Show...."COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN is opening on Thursday, May 8th and running through Saturday, May 10th. Performances are at 7:30 PM at the Stuart Steiner Theater at Genesee Community College. Tickets are $10 for General Admission and $8 for Seniors and Students. The play was a wonderful hit that starred the likes of Cher, Kathy Bates, Sandy Dennis and many more on Broadway. The content is PG - 13 in nature. Please join us this coming week. The play centers around the Kresmonth 5 & Dime outside of Marfa, Texas during the time of filming "Giant". The movie starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. Our characters are depicted in 1955 during the filming and again in 1975 at the 20th Year Reunion of the Disciples of James Dean. A comedy/drama that is brilliant with dialouge and bright in character. I am pleased to direct our local cast which includes Valeria Antonetty, Shawnie Euren, Lynda Hodgins, Nikole Marone, Peggy Marone, Joan Meyer, Patti Michalak, Rachel Oshlag and featuring Jake Bortle as "Joe". I hope that you will all join us for this wonderful production. This is the second of four shows in the Batavia Players, Inc. 2008 Season. Next up - "Jesus Christ Superstar" in August.