Collision Project XI

The Alliance Theatre Education Program has again assembled a diverse group of teenagers from the metro Atlanta area to explore a classic text under the guidance of a professional playwright.  This year marks the first time a screen play and film have been used as the basis of the project.

Patrick McColery and Pearl Cleage

In collaboration with NY Times best-selling author and celebrated playwright Pearl Cleage (and author of the upcoming world premiere – What I Learned in Paris) and Director Patrick McColery, students will explore these themes by watching, studying, dissecting, reflecting, and reacting to Frank Capra’s iconic film It’s A Wonderful Life.  Coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the Orly Plane Crash, a tragedy that directly led to the creation of the Woodruff Arts Center, this summer’s Collision Project engaged students in a dialogue about identity, loss, hope, and the notion of legacy. 

Students participated in several workshops with artists of different disciplines to see how different styles of art can go hand in hand when collaboratively creating a new work.  Guest artists inlcuded Lauri Stallings – founder and choreographer for gloATL, Brian Mercer – musical and performance arts specialist,

Dance Workshop w/ Lauri Stallings

Mannie Rivers – a spoken word artist, and more!  The students have created a new theatrical piece inspired by the classic film, but perceived and shared through their own unique and contemporary experience.  They will present two free public performances of their original play developed during the three week intensive tonight and tomorrow.

The High Museum of Art’s Teen Team also collided with It’s A Wonderful Life and the Orly Plane Crash tragedy by creating the set that will be used for the Collision Project public performances.

Collision Project XI

• WHEN: July 13 & 14, 2012
  • Friday, July 13, 7:00pm (standing room only)
  • Saturday, July 14, 2:30pm (few tickets left)
• WHERE: Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
• RSVP for free tickets: Collision.Project@woodruffcenter.org  or 404.733.4749

Only a few more chances to see Courtin the Spark

Our Brand Coordinator Emily Bryson had a chance to spend time with the cast and creators of Courtin the Spark: Inspirations from Joni Mitchell.  She’s written an article on her conversation with director Clint Thorton and her experience in rehearsal –

Before experiencing Courtin’ the Spark: Inspirations from Joni Mitchell, I had no idea what to expect in a “theatrical exploration of the music of Joni Mitchell.”

Walking into the Black Box Theatre was like walking into a warm, inviting coffee shop.  There are tables dispersed around the room with actors sipping coffee, playing guitar, and painting a mural. The audience is encouraged to sit with them, to not only be an audience member, but part of the story.  Courtin’ the Spark has no script; it revolves around the mood and meaning within each song. Through these songs, we discover each character’s story.

Watch a performance of “Raised on Robbery” in Courtin’ the Spark:

After the performance, I sat down with one of the creators, Clint Thornton, to talk about this fascinating concept. I was very curious to hear how this piece is unique from his past work, as well as the creative process.

Here are his thoughts:

“When I decided to do the Joni show, I realized it couldn’t be done the same way we did the Sondheim piece, since Sondheim wrote his songs for specific characters, and Joni’s music all comes from her and is mainly for a solo voice.  So I decided the singer/songwriter/coffee shop angle was the way to go.  I told Chris Moses (Education Director at the Alliance) that I essentially wanted to change the theater into a functioning coffee shop, and have both audience and performers be the patrons of the shop.”

“I didn’t want the performance to be an actual “show”, rather, I wanted Joni’s music to simply arise and unfold as these personas moved through this environment.  Thusly, I decided to include the actual audience members at tables in the shop with various characters, to blur the line of “performance” and have the event be more of an organic happening, even though the performers are quite specifically staged.”

“At the beginning of rehearsal, all we had was this concept and the songs I had chosen to do.  The cast all worked at creating their own persona/character based on their own instincts, and we developed the energy of this shop around those characters.  We did want them to be personal but also archetypal, so I decided to formulate a name for each character that describes them without the audience needing to know what it is. So we have The Server, The Barista who Won’t, The Man who Plays, The Woman who’s Lost, The Painter, The Fortune Teller, The Woman who Saw, etc.  The audience gets to immerse themselves in these subtle storylines as the music and lyrics move the evening from one emotional tone to the next.”

“Having the House Band of the coffee shop is fun, as are the addition of The Poet and other personas.  Once Daryl, the actor playing The Poet, started working with her character, I immediately knew that The Jungle Line would have to be a spoken word performance of some type.  Other happy coincidences with the characters that were developed helped me to figure out how each song should be staged, without forcing the audience to follow some scripted dialogue or story track.  I’m very proud of the way each character’s situation is readable through only the staging and the music, without any spoken lines or inserted ‘scenes.'”

Only four performances remain.
June 28, 7:30p; June 29, 7:30p; June 30, 7:30p; July 1, 2:30pm
Click here for tickets

Courtin’ the Spark: Inspirations from Joni Mitchell

Courtin’ the Spark: Inspirations from Joni Mitchell is the course production for our summer adult performance ensemble class.  It’s a theatrical exploration of the music of Joni Mitchell, iconic composer, painter, and storyteller whose work influenced and informed our culture from the 1970’s to the present day. Directed by Clint Thornton and Bryan Mercer, who created the successful performance events The Unexpected Showcase, The Letts Fest, and Into the Works: The Dynamics of Stephen Sondheim, this performance class exposes students to the rich, expansive scope of Mitchell’s melodies, harmony and lyrics, while allowing participants to discover new depths of their own talent and cultural reference. Artists will learn new techniques in conveying meaning through the musical line, as well as accessing truth and authenticity in lyrics as they pertain to the artist’s own life experience and the cultural dynamic in which they find themselves.

We had a chance to talk with one of the creators, Bryan Mercer, for a quick interview on this new work:

Q.  Why Joni Mitchell?

A.  From the age of 14 I had her on 8-track. She was a voice I grew up with thinking I understood all the lyrics at the time. My, how they’ve changed. I was always attracted to the poetry, the insight and very unusual musical phrasing, not quite jazz, not quite folk. We, (Clint and I), wanted to choose a composer that was NOT a theatre composer and Joni has certainly withstood the test of time.

Q.  What makes this piece unique from others you have directed in the past?

A.  Last year was a Sondheim workshop which attracted a very different group of students, actors and musicians who were already out there auditioning, performing and working. The Joni Mitchell project has attracted people of more variety and interests. Sondheim writes for others, Joni writes for herself. We’re looking at the music of Joni with great respect without trying to create a museum piece or imitation of her. But how do you theatricalize her music? How do you make it your own in a theatre setting using groups, duets, trios, rounds. Clint has created a coffee house setting based on her start as a performer, from there, each performer has layered on a persona, archetype, character or general characteristic to further inform the choices of interpretation and therefore movement. The poetry of each song creates its own unique landscape of meaning and interaction. Then we just find what’s true.

Q.  What do you hope students and audiences will take away from this performance?

A.  A renewed appreciation of her poetry, the stunning creativity of melody and musical line as well as triggering those memories from where we first heard these tunes. It’s a dream in which we think we know what it means but are not quite sure. Her music can carry such mixed emotions. Her happiest sounding music can bring up some very dense pain and a new exploration of that territory is needed to further create and to heal.

Performances begin tonight!  June 21, 7:30p; June 22, 7:30p; June 23, 7:30p; June 24, 2:30p; June 28, 7:30p; June 29, 7:30p; June 30, 7:30p; July 1, 2:30pm
Click here for tickets

Watch a sneak peek of Bryan and the cast of Courtin the Spark from a recent rehearsal:

Theatre for the Very Young season tickets

Each year the Alliance offers interactive shows specifically developed for audiences 18-months to 5 years-old.  These performances are very popular and usually sell out.  For the first time, the Alliance will offer a season ticket package for all three shows!

In addition to guaranteed seats, all TVY season ticket holders receive:
– 15% off additional single tickets to all Alliance Theatre productions
– 10% off acting classes
– $5 off return tickets to enjoy TVY performances again

VIP Package – $30 (per person, no matter how young or old) – includes all three TVY productions
Producer Package – $20 (per person, no matter how young or old) – choose any two TVY productions

2012/13 Theatre for the Very Young Season:

The Tranquil Tortoise and the Hoppity Hare
August 31 – September 1; September 4-8; September 15 & 22, 2012
Join the fun and excitement as the tortoise and the hare hit the stating line.  The audience is invited into the center of the race track to experience the action all around them.  Through dance, movement, music and storytelling, young children will engage in this classic folk tale in wholly imaginative and new ways.

Waiting for Balloon
December 27-30, 2012; January 3-6, 2013; January 12 & 19, 2013
Two childlike hobo-clown characters are waiting near the railroad tracks for “balloon.”  The problem is that neither of them knows exactly what “balloon” is.  Through delightful trial and error, exploration and interaction with the audience, the two clowns piece together what makes a balloon a balloon and celebrate all that is discovered while we “wait!”  An introduction to gentle clowning and the joy of creating puppets from found objects.

A Child’s Garden of Verses
March 11-16 & 23; March 28-30, 2013
Explore the sounds and sensations of nature as you journey through a magical garden.  Children will be actively engaged in this multi-sensory performance as they willingly become a part of the artistic experience.  A “cultural” garden in which children can grow their imaginations, and become gardeners themselves!

For tickets, contact Olivia Aston at 404.733.4702

World Premiere musical What’s Eating Katie on stage Friday and Saturday

In only two days the students of the Alliance Theatre High School Drama camp will give the world premiere of the musical What’s Eating Katie?, the story of a 13 year old girl struggling with an eating disorder.  For two weeks now the students have rehearsed more than six hours each day.

What’s Eating Katie?
Friday, June 15, 7:00pm
Saturday, June 16, 2:30pm
Tickets are $12
Buy now

Take a look at the rehearsal process and hear more about this important social topic in this feature story by Fox 5 news:

Teens act out eating disorder on the Hertz Stage

Jo-Jo Steine and Jordan Rich (as Katie and ED) in What’s Eating Katie? Photo by John Maley

The students in our High School Drama Camp will tackle the serious issue of eating disorders when they premiere the new play What’s Eating Katie? next week on the Hertz Stage.  Composed and directed by Alliance artist Bryan Mercer with book by Dina Zeckhausen, What’s Eating Katie? tells the story of a 13 year old girl dealing with an eating disorder and the family and friends who love her.  Jo-Jo Steine, who plays Katie, has written a special blog post for Vox Teen Communications on what this experience means to her.  Read Jo-Jo’s post here.

What’s Eating Katie?
Friday, June 15, 7:00pm
Saturday, June 16, 2:30pm
Tickets are $12
Buy now

A Tony Evening

Last night the Alliance Theatre held its fourth annual  A Tony Evening benefiting its educational programming.  The event honored Ingrid Saunders Jones, Senior Vice President of Global Community Connections for The Coca-Cola Company and Chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation.  Entertainer for the evening was Broadway star, recording artist, and American Idol season one runner up Justin Guarini, now appearing in the Alliance Theatre’s world premiere musical by Stephen King and John Mellencamp, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County.  Event co-chairs were: Amy Agami and Lila Hertz. Photos below: