Lees-McRae opens Summer Theatre season with 'Oliver!' - The Avery Journal-Times: News

LMC prepares for opening to Summer Theatre season

Pictured from left are Preston Burnop, Bryce Palyma, Cameron Burnop, Richard Gebo, Connor Burnop, Jake Florio and Jackson Burnop as they prepare for performances of "Oliver!," beginning this Friday, June 26.

Lees-McRae College prepares to open its 31st year of summer productions this week with its first production of the summer season, "Oliver!," which begins this Thursday, June 26

According to artistic director, Dr. Janet Barton Speer, as well as members of the cast, preparations for the leadoff of three productions this season have gone smoothly.

"If we've had any glitches, they've been really minor," Speer said following a rehearsal last weekend. "We brought in our technicians really early this year, and so the whole set was ready by the time we got on it, as were the props and the costumes. It's really been terrific."

LMC Summer Theatre opens with a musical adaptation of the classic Shakespeare tale Oliver Twist, centered around an orphan who runs away from an orphanage and hooks up with a group of boys trained to be pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger and masterminded by the elderly mentor/criminal Fagin.

A total of 62 performers were cast for the LMCST production, with 50 of the members hailing from Avery County, giving a local flair to the musical.

"We have a lot of local children playing roles and that had brought a lot of local interest. We have grandmothers and mothers and family members and friends involved. We hope this helps to get Avery County back into our doors again," Speer explained. "I feel like for a while they have felt that they couldn't come here, but that isn't true. We want to serve Avery, Watauga and everyone around us, and not only the residents who arrive during the summer on a part-time basis."

The actors themselves noted that preparing for the iconic musical that in film won multiple Academy and Golden Globe Awards was a positive process.

"For me, it's been really awesome diving into a unique character," said Richard Gebo, who portrays Fagin. "Learning the mannerism of the character with a Eastern European Jewish with the Internet as a primary resource has been a unique challenge. It's been really rewarding finding who this guy is and finding both his caring side for his boys and the evil side of him."

"I've not had many major difficulties, but it has been fun to portray the character and identify with the poor and hard life he had," Connor Martin, who portrays the title character, Oliver, in the production.

In preparing for his role, Gebo discovered additional inspiration as the curtain prepares to rise this week.

"I watched the movie like all of us, and Ron Moody was the absolute model for all my work in preparing for this role. I was absolutely heartbroken when I had heard he passed away last week," Gebo said. "I'm definitely going to have him on my mind while I'm performing and thinking about paying tribute to him with my work."

"I read the book and read word-for-word details of what happened. I also watched the movie which showed the facial expressions of how hard it was," Martin added.

"I watched the Broadway production and also read the book, trying to prepare myself for my first theatre production," Bryce Palmyra, who portrays The Artful Dodger, explained.

"We also sent the cast images of workhouse boys and things like that to give them some things to think about, to come up with their own backgrounds before you get here," Speer said.

Expectations for the upcoming production of "Oliver!" are high

"As far as artistic expectations, I have really high ones. The stars have sort of all aligned for this performance," Speer added. "We have the right people in the right roles, and it has felt very good from start to finish. It has been an easy process, which doesn't always occur. You would think that working with 50 children wouldn't be an easy process, but it has been. These children have been delightful."

The actors who have prepared for more than three weeks for "Oliver!" hope to see full houses each time the musical is performed, and offers reasons for why visitors should come to Hayes Auditorium to see the show.

"Those who come can see the real story of London, the good and the bad. This cast is amazingly talented and it is a great show to see firsthand," Martin said.

"Someone who comes to see "Oliver!" is coming to see one of the great pieces of literature of our time come to life with an incredible set, a talented cast and technical wizardry from some of the best people we can find," Gebo added.

"The music of this show is outstanding as well," Speer said. "Songs such as 'Consider Yourself' and 'As Long as He Needs Me' are famous pieces, and it's just a great musical."

"Oliver!" begins its run at Hayes Auditorium with a performance at 7 p.m. this Thursday, June 26, with additional 7 p.m. performances on June 27 and 30, as well as July 1 and 2. Performances will also take place at 2 p.m. on June 28 and July 3. Ticket prices range from $35 to $40 for adults and from $18 to $20 for students and children.

"Oliver"

Lees-McRae Summer Theatre 2015 “Oliver”opened Friday, June 26!

Oliver is a family and award winning musical based on Dickens' "Oliver Twist." The dark and twisted world of orphans and thieves comes to life in the back alleys of London. Dickens’ search for redemption and hope. A show with well-known songs as "Consider Yourself" and "As Long as He Needs Me."  Production by professional theatre Lees-McRae College. It has been a pure joy to be part of this cast.

Schedule

 • Fri 6/26/15 - Sat 6/27/15 at 7pm 

 • Sun 6/28/15 at 2pm 

 • Tue 6/30/15 - Thu 7/2/15 at 7pm 

 • Fri 7/3/15 at 2pm 

"Oliver"- Lees McRae Summer Theatre 2015

Packing and getting ready for my first professional theatre contract at Lees-McRae Summer Theatre in Banner Elk. The show dates are June 26, June 27, June 30, and July 1, July 2 at 7 p.m. and June 28 and July 3 at 2 p.m.

“Oliver” is one of my favorite musicals and I have had the pleasure of acting, singing, and dancing previously in it twice (Davie Theatre Company and Piedmont Players). I am very grateful to be part of this musical at LMC Summer Theatre performing on stage at my alma mater plus having the opportunity to spend the summer in Banner Elk. It’s going to be fun!

McCoy Pottery Grape Clustered Fan Style Planter Vase

What a surprise to found this vase at a consignment shop in their “ clearance pay what you want” bin. The colors are very pretty with excellent mold detail. The vase is in perfect vintage condition and is marked McCoy.

Description:

•               Vintage art pottery vase

•               2 bunches of grapes form this figural vase

•               Asymmetrical top

•               Glazed green/yellow and brown

•               Circa 1950

•               Maker: McCoy (mark on the bottom)

•               Size: 7  1/4" long, 4" wide, and 9 1/4" tall

 

Based upon my research the price value is somewhere between $40 to $80 and it's very attractive too.  What a great find!

Southern Hospitality: Stained Glass Playhouse Posted on May 3, 2015 by ghostlightreviews

Boy oh boy, do they put the “Southern” in Southern Hospitality.  From especially twangy dialects, to glittery star-spangled cowgirls, to biscuits and ham galore, the script leaves no stone south of the Mason-Dixon line unturned. Every line feels like part of the set up for a big head-shaking, groaning joke that either one identifies with or one doesn’t. If you don’t, then perhaps this show is not the one for you.

The playwrights (Jones, Hope, & Wooten) seem to enjoy continuous success as they churn out their formulaic “comedies” one right on top of the other. If I am honest, I don’t understand the draw. As long as community theatres continue to produce their stuff, they will continue to write it. It would be one thing if they were really smart about their dumb humor. If they took all of the energy they’ve spent writing 15+ plays and focused it into 3-4, perhaps the quality of all of them would be of a higher level. Unfortunately that is not the case.

However, Director Justin Bulla does a wonderful job of taking the less than stellar script and making it a fun and visually engaging experience for the patrons of Stained Glass Playhouse. There is always something going on, though sometimes to the point of upstaging, and some of the smallest choices end up producing the biggest laughs. It is clear that he put a lot of time into working with his cast. His note in the playbill says that there are some “newbies” in the cast, but after he was done with them I could not honestly tell you who they were based on the performances (though they do reveal themselves in their cast bios).

Kay Shelton as the irascible and icy aunt, Iney Dubberly, stole the show with her dead-pan deliveries of her especially cruel dialogue. I enjoyed her so much that, when a certain plot point occurs, I was left disappointed that I wouldn’t be seeing so much of her needling the other characters.

April Marshall plays the larger-than-life Rhonda, owner of the local Dairy Dog. Her laughter and enthusiasm on stage were truly infectious and I enjoyed every minute she appeared, especially her incident with a hoop skirt, though I wouldn’t have done that particular gag a second time.

I wanted to see more of both Miss Geneva Musgrave, played by Peggie Dull, and Raynerd Chism, played by Logan Chidester. Miss Geneva is loud, proud, and very much in charge of any room she graces with her presence, driving John Curtis Butner (Mark Craddock) to near insanity with her constant demands for perfection in their attempt at a Civil War re-enactment. And Raynerd Chism’s constant refrain of “I just LOVE Fayro” became more and more enjoyable as the scenes around him devolved.

The costumes by Sylvia Tyndall were fine, though at times made one uncertain if they were watching “Grease” or attending a rodeo. And one particular gag involving Rhonda Lynn would have been made much more enjoyable if it ended with a set of bloomers or other period undergarments rather than the green shorts that were chosen. The lights necessary for this show were minimal, though during scenes where there was a “full wash”, there did appear to be a large dark spot dead-center of the stage, which was somewhat distracting and could be easily fixed.

I felt the set, which does not have a designer listed, did not fully support the action of the show. While the director attempted to make the best of what he was given, the show would have benefited from a smaller house interior that didn’t take up the entire stage, particularly since half or more of the scenes do not occur within the house. Also, I kept getting a glimpse of a pastoral scene painted on the back wall of the stage, which would’ve been a great background for the scenes during the re-enactment, rather than trying to focus light in a small pool on a very small stage, which wasn’t fully effective. A lot of the exits on the stage were unnecessary, and the black curtains that were hung everywhere were distracting and at least one, perhaps two, were also unnecessary as they didn’t really block the back stage area as they were intended to. Perhaps if they placed them further offstage, at different angles, it wouldn’t detract from the action on stage. Or, if they insist on having the curtains onstage, perhaps put a beaded curtain in front of the black one, or something that is clearly not black instead and would more likely be found inside of a home. Either option would have drawn my eye less and let me enjoy the performance more.

All in all, ‘Southern Hospitality’ was a fairly enjoyable show, with the cast as the real standouts. They clearly enjoyed working together and it was more a labor of love than anything. If Southern comedy is something you enjoy, then it would be worth your time to catch this show. They have seven more performances, running May 8, 9, 15 &16 at 8pm and May 3, 10, & 17 at 3pm. Tickets are $16 for adults, with discounts for Seniors and Students, and can be purchased at the door, by calling 661-4949, or visiting their website at www.stainedglassplayhouse.org.