Sam and I haven't seen performances as often as we'd like (much less to blog about) as things have been busy. I'm currently actually working on finishing my thesis, as partial requirement for AU's Arts Management program. I've also started my own production company and produced a show as part of this year's Capital Fringe Festival. This actually leads us to the first of two shows we caught today, as part of our 10th blog..."special".
We caught an 11am of Pointless Theatre Company's "Sleeping Beauty - A Puppet Ballet". This is actually only the 2nd Capital Fringe show I've caught this year, and the 2nd one I've seen at the Mountain in the Mountain at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. One of the more traditional stages, companies and performers that win the luck of the draw get a proscenium stage with curtain and permanent air conditioning. Don't get me wrong, part of the charm of the festival, are the temporary spaces set up in otherwise unused spaces.
[more pics to come once I get them from Sam, not of the show, of course, just of the venue]
Anyway, this production hold's a special place in my heart because it was produced by a company which was started last year, Pointless Theatre Company, by a collective of UMD Theatre students. Part of their mission including creating spectacle that was accessible and affordable, and they are part of a growing collective of next generation theatre companies in the DC area. Now even though I was a Dance major, once a Terp (UMD's mascot), always a Terp, I suppose?
As a dancer, though, this play was particularly fascinating as the puppets, which actually danced, utilized the coordination of three actors to appropriately locomote (I looked it up, and this seems like an appropriate use of the verb), the legs, the torso and head, and the arms. The pinnacle of these dance sequences was the pas de deux between the sleeping beauty and her prince, thus involving six puppeteers.
Puppet dancing aside, the story was also skillfully executed by a cast that was obviously having fun. You can check out more about the piece in DC Theatre Scene's review. What touched me was after the show, meeting the parents that traveled into town to support their kids, whether or not they see shows other than their kids' on a regular basis. What even touches me more is the community sentiment one of the cast members shared with me one previous night at the tent. He expressed no desire to go anywhere else, because it just didn't make sense, when he had an established community of actors that he wanted to work with and support.
Maybe this is the sign of change within the theatre company, feelings become less about how "I" can be successful, but more about how "we" can be successful.
Anyway, I'm getting in to thesis mode. You, however, can rsvp at their FB event page and buy tickets for the 3 remaining shows, on the 21st and the 22nd @ 6pm, or the 24th @ 1:15pm
So after grabbing brunch at Busboys & Poets' Penn Quarter establishment, we headed over to Shakespeare Theatre Company's older space, the Landsburgh Theatre, to catch the touring production of Avenue Q. This is actually the 2nd time I've seen it, and I probably can't really write anything about it that you don't either already know, or can't find out.
I will say, it's nice to see how it's grown since the original Broadway production. Having memorized that soundtrack by heart, the edits keep the experience of it fresh, and it's also interesting to see what choices were made for the good of the show. Also, the last time I saw it was when the touring production came through the National Theatre, and it was great experiencing it in a smaller space, actually.
Ultimately, it's content and messages were still timely and relevant, whether it was about racism, love, or internet porn, and more than once I was relatively emotional. Especially since the last time I saw it was back in 2008 (I think), it was interesting to see how important the thought of doing something you love was, but also (on a personal note) there were a certain reference to our previous president which would've been edited, and I was wondering how. All I can say is that I was thoroughly satisfied and laughing for a while that the show still has the balls to go there.
Whoever thinks that art can't be entertaining and isn't political, hasn't scene this show. Anyway, they've got the social media down, as you can like their Facebook Fan Page, subscribe to their YouTube channel, or follow them on Twitter.
What I loved about today was that this really is a perfect example of the two extremes of the artistic spectrum that we have available in DC. We have these Nationally known shows which tour and stop through but we've also got a local, homegrown scene that is thriving and just as deserving, if not more so, of the same support. After all, even shows like Avenue Q have to start somewhere. Theatre companies like Pointless Theatre Company and other noobs like it are definitely part of a growing number of organizations that will probably define the state of the performing arts for the next generation of theatre goers.
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