Link changes

I have removed two theater companies from my links: Moongarden Acting Company and Catalyst Acting Company. It is my understanding both theaters are not producing new shows. Catalyst's webpage is gone and Moongarden appears to have not been updated for a long time. We will certainly welcome them back if more shows are forthcoming!

Theatre Dance Workshop this weekend

A reader passed along information about a workshop that might be of interest to theatre folks in the area. As part of Iowa Dance Fest, the Theatre Dance Workshop is being offered on Saturday, April 26th from 2:30 - 4:00 at the Senior Center. It is a free event. The workshop would focus on dance and movement as well as auditioning for musical theater. According to the website, ICCT, City Circle and Catalyst are all involved in the workshop. For more information, call (319)621-8530 or email iowadancefestATgmail.com.

Catalyst cancels shows

Catalyst - Catalyst Acting Company is canceling the remaining shows of its 2007-08 season: La Cage aux Folles and Lonestar/Laundry and Bourbon. The board of directors had previously canceled their production of Mere Mortals in January. Jeff Shields, president of the board of directors, indicated they are "reorganizing, regrouping and restructuring" and plan to be ready with an aggressive second season next year. Shields said it was "more important to focus on getting the 2008-2009 season finalized and secured financially than trying to rush a big project like La Cage." Shields also noted that they'd make an announcement in a few days that would include "a few things for next season that I think people will be quite excited by."

A Review of Tommy

Catalyst - Tommy is a rock opera. It's a story of personal discovery, of innocence lost and regained, of the price of fame, of passion and loss. It has the potential to overwhelm your senses, to lift you up with its soaring score, to emotionally attack your heart. Catalyst Acting Company chose a challenging piece for its first major production at the Englert Theatre. And thanks to some powerful performances, they mostly pulled it off.

Tommy is just a boy when he witnesses his father kill his mother's lover. Because of the trauma, he becomes "deaf, dumb and blind" as the song goes. First grader Colby Kaplahn is adorable as the youngest Tommy. He does a wonderful job showing us a happy boy allowing us to feel the tragedy of his trauma. Sixth grader Grant Blades is also excellent at the 10-year-old Tommy. His is a heartbreaking performance when he sadly sings "See me, feel me, touch me, heal me." Sean Nollen plays the grown up Tommy. While Nollen has a good voice, unfortunately either his voice or his mike gave out during crucial moments of a number of songs. Nollen could also have benefited from some stronger direction as he never seemed to know what to do when he wasn't singing and never took advantage of the entire stage.

In contrast, Jeffrey Mead and Rachel Brown were fantastic as Captain and Mrs. Walker. Both not only had excellent voices, but knew how to connect what they were singing to the overall action of the story. Also outstanding were Zakary Morton as Cousin Kevin and the always fun to watch Chris Carpenter as Uncle Ernie. Morton had a command of the entire stage drawing my eye every time he appeared. His vocals were strong and the scene where he torments Tommy with the help of his gang was one of the best, if most disturbing, moments of the show. Carpenter gave us a scarily effective performance of "Fiddle About" and provided lots of laughs with his cabaret dance in "Tommy's Holiday Camp".

It wouldn't be possible to say enough good things about the band. Lead by the always on target Lyle Juracek, the band had us rocking in our seats. They received well deserved whoops and strong applause at the end of the show.

While there were powerful moments in the show, it didn't quite live up to its potential because only the leads were miked. Many of the ensemble had solos and were difficult to hear. This was particularly frustrating during "Pinball Wizard" as one of the two soloists couldn't be heard at all. You got the sense the band was doing what they could to tone it down a little bit, but it wasn't enough. Every soloist needed a mike.

Despite that, this is a show worth seeing. Catalyst shows real promise as a young theatre company. Support these talented performers. Go see the show tonight or tomorrow at the Englert.

--Matthew Falduto

Matthew has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa. He has directed, acted in, and produced theater in the Iowa City area for over ten years. He has worked with the Iowa City Community Theatre, City Circle and Dreamwell, of which he is a founder. Two of his plays have been produced in the Iowa City area. In another brief life, he also worked as a technical writer.

(Top picture: Rachel Brown, Colby Kaplahn and Jeffrey Mead. Middle picture: Rachel Brown, Sean Nollen and Jeffrey Mead. Bottom picture: The entire cast.)

Backstage with Tommy

Catalyst - Iowa City's newest theatre company is taking a big leap this weekend. They'll be performing The Who's rock opera Tommy at the Englert. We recently had a chance to talk to Jeff Shields, founder of Catalyst and director of Tommy. Jeff has directed shows with ICCT, City Circle and Dreamwell.

First of all, why Tommy? What is it about the musical that made you say "I have to direct this"?

Jeff: Tommy's score is totally different than the typical musical. The music really grabs you and won't let go. This isn't a typical musical - it isn't all about people breaking out into dance when they fall in love, et cetera. This is a PG-13 show with some really gritty content at times. It is a story about the pain that Tommy goes through on his "Amazing Journey" through life - but it's really moving in many parts.

Tommy has a pretty big cast. I know it's been tough for all theaters lately to get enough volunteers. Did you have any trouble with casting?

Jeff: We have had our ups and downs with casting, yes. Thankfully those who are the most talented stayed through the show. And we've had some new people join the production that are an absolute treat to work with. I think the biggest problem we faced with this show is that people tend to forget that being a show is a huge commitment. Even if you're only in one scene - if you're not present it hurts everyone in that particular scene. It's also a lot of hard work. The pay-off in the end when you have an audience that enjoyed your performance is huge - but it's often hard to realize that as you go through the 8-10 week rehearsal process for a big scale musical like Tommy.

Tell me about your leads - what have they done before? What do they do in this show that really surprises you?

Jeff: Sean Nollen, a community theatre newbie, is playing the older Tommy. He comes from that far away land called Solon. It's been really great having some new blood in a production. Jeff Mead (Godspell, My Fair Lady, and many other shows) and Rachel Brown (Godspell) play Tommy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walker. They both do a fantastic job in the show. Their voices are really moving and to listen to their duets is a true treat. Amanda Murray (My Fair Lady, Seussical) plays the heroin addicted prostitute - the Acid Queen. Amanda is absolutely amazing. She just recently took over the role and it's tough to think of anyone else playing the role better than she is. We also have Chris Capenter (My Fair Lady, Seussical, Music Man) playing the creepy Uncle Ernie. Zakary Morton (She Loves Me) is playing Cousin Kevin. Zakary is bringing a new dimension to the troubled youth and is quite entertaining (in a sadistic sort of way) to watch as he torments Tommy.

There's an opportunity in this show for a big spectacle of lights - anything exciting in that department that we should be looking for?

Jeff: We have been fortunate enough to get Willie Barbour on board to do our lighting and video design for the show. This show will be much like an "arena" rock concert. Being a community theatre we do have limitations, but this show will most likely be unlike any other community theatre production put in the space. We are leaning away from the musical theatre side of this show to a classic rock concert with theatrical elements. It should be really cool for everyone who witnesses this.

How does this show fit in with Catalyst's overall mission?

Jeff: Catalyst wants to strive to give audiences fresh looks at shows they may have seen before. I think we're definitely going to achieve that with this show. We are also committed to giving people learning experiences. Not only is Mark McCusker choreographing the show - he's also teaching the cast how to dance. Most people that come out for musicals and such don't have much dance experience. It's a treat to work with someone who can work well with the cast and bring their knowledge base with dance up to a higher level.

What's it been liking doing a rock musical in an historic theater like the Englert?

Jeff: It's going to be fun to have such a show in such a beautiful venue. It's cool having the beautiful architecture frame the lighting and video displays.

What challenges have you had to overcome?

Jeff: The weather is a big one. Gotta love Iowa! This show is radically different than what I've done before. Needing a wonderful cast that can sing more rock and roll than traditional Broadway and finding a band that can keep up with The Who's style of rock have been a hurdle. Thankfully we are fortunate enough to be in a community where we have such an enormous amount of talented artists and performers.

Isn't that the truth. I am sure we're all looking forward to opening night! Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions.

Mere Mortals canceled

Catalyst - Catalyst Acting Company has a notice on their website announcing that they have had to cancel Mere Mortals due to "unforseen circumstances". It does appear that their production of Tommy will go forward as scheduled.

Happy New Year!

We're a little bit late with our Happy New Year greeting, but the fact is we've been taking a much needed holiday break here at the Iowa City Theatre blog. We've had a great beginning and we're really looking forward to expanding as we move into 2008. Here's what's coming up in the next few weeks.

Behind the scenes looks into:

ICCT's She Loves Me and Rage's Hero Stories

Reviews of:

Riverside's Doubt, Rage's Hero Stories, City Circle's Shorts, ICCT's She Loves Me, and Catalyst's Time Flies.

There's a lot of great theatre coming your way in January and February. Check back for all of the inside scoop.

Tommy Auditions

Catalyst - Catalyst Acting Company and Habeas Corpus/ACE announce auditions for their musical collaboration: The Who's Tommy directed by Jeff Shields, music direction by Lyle Juracek and choreography by Mark McCusker and Nora Garda.

Auditions will be held at the Iowa City Robert A. Lee Recreation Center on Thursday, January 10th and Friday, January 11th starting at 7pm. All ages are welcome to audition. In addition to adults, this show requires 10-15 high school students. Those auditioning need to bring a completed audition form (found here), a prepared one minute piece of a musical theatre song, sheet music for both the person auditioning and for the accompanist, comfortable clothing for dance movement, and a list of rehearsal conflicts.

People interested in auditioning that aren’t able to attend the scheduled auditions can contact the director at 319-688-5087 or email the director to schedule an alternative date.

Tommy is Peter Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph is the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in a theatre. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother's lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar. This show is rated “PG-13” by the Catalyst Board of Directors. It will be performed on March 14-16 at the historic Englert Theatre in Downtown Iowa City.

Auditions for Mere Mortals

Catalyst - Auditions have been announced for Catalyst's next production, Mere Mortals: Six One-Act Comedies by David Ives. They had originally announced they would be producing only Time Flies, which is one of the short plays in this collection. Appreantly, they are going to produce all six one-act comedies. The auditions will take place December 1 from 5-8 PM and December 2 from 2-5 PM at the Robert A. Lee Iowa City Recreation Center at 220 South Gilbert Street in Iowa City, IA. For more information, go here.

Weekend Theatre Roundup

This is the final night for Dreamwell's Kimberly Akimbo. Review here.

Catalyst's Godspell opened Thursday and continues through this weekend. Review here.

And last but not least, Footliters' Best Christmas Pageant opened last night and continues through the weekend. Information here.

A review of Godspell

Catalyst - It's tough to do a play at Old Brick, the space Catalyst Acting Company has chosen to put on its production of Godspell. Cavernous is a generous term for describing the space. The size of the hall forces tough choices when setting up the house, when lighting the play space, and when blocking the show.

Godspell is the sort of show that should be a success at Old Brick. The set, lighting, and staging requirements are minimal, thus eliminating many of the problems most plays put on at Old Brick face. Catalyst's set consisted of eight doors, symmetrically arranged around the stage. At the back of the stage was another door lying flat on two sawhorses. On the wall behind the stage were three curtains, two white curtains flanking what appeared to be a metallic shower curtain.

When it originally opened, Godspell was a radical departure from the normal way the lessons of the Gospels were presented. The message of Godspell was that it was fun to become a follower of Christ, that becoming a follower of Christ was a celebratory event. The main focus of Godspell is teaching these lessons in a new way, not about telling a good story. (This being the main difference between Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar - Superstar ultimately could care less about the teachings of Christ and is entirely focused on telling a good story.) These days, elements of that Godspell approach are a part of most mainstream religious services. It is a testament to the quality of the show that what was once a radical departure from the norm is now, in many ways, the norm.

As the play opens, members of the company appear one after another, each singing as a representative of a different theological strain. At least, they were doing that if you could hear them. Several of the singers were not able to project above the three-piece orchestra. This problem continued throughout the entire show, not just the opening number. There were also pitch problems at several spots in the opening, and these too continued throughout the entire show.

Let me digress for a moment here. It's tough to do a musical. There are few things more difficult to do onstage than act and sing at the same time. You don't have to worry about pitch when performing in a non-musical; you don't have to worry about keeping time with musical accompaniment. If you forget your lines in a non-musical you can often cover without the audience knowing. If you drop a line while singing a song, everyone knows. Further, you might not even be aware of some of these problems until performing before an audience for the first time. In general, for a musical to be a success, it must depend on the singers in the cast.

There are some very good singers in this cast, and the highlights of the show all revolve around them. Rachel Brown's performance of Day By Day was stunning, as was Jeffrey Mead's lead on We Beseech Thee. Those two, along with Carol Johnk (who did a very good job with one of the show's poorest songs, By My Side), were great on Light Of The World. Jessica Fannuchi's O, Bless The Lord was also quite good. The other players had a mix of moments, with good voices that tended to get lost against the accompaniment.

Still, the ultimate success or failure of Godspell is less about the members of the company and more about the actor playing Jesus. As written, the Jesus of Godspell is part carnival barker, part circus ringmaster, part vaudeville entertainer, and all showman. As written, people are drawn to the Jesus of Godspell because of his personality and charisma as much as being drawn to his teachings. John Marshall brings none of those qualities to his performance as Jesus. There was no joy, no happiness, no sense of celebration to his performance, and the show as a whole suffers from those elements. It didn't help that large portions of both his speaking and singing parts were lost to the space. Marshall's Jesus was all teacher, which is fine in general, but not how the role is written. This made the production as a whole less about a celebration of Christ and his lessons and his message and more about teaching.

The choreography was by a number of different artists with Arts a la Carte, and the result has an unevenness that should have been anticipated. Some of it was quite good, some of it was quite wooden, and certain portions were (unintentionally) funny. I understand that part of the impetus behind the project was the collaboration with Arts a la Carte, but perhaps it would have been better for the sake of the production to have one lead choreographer through whom the other choreographers filtered ideas.

The three-piece orchestra was quite good. I don't think that the problems with hearing some of the vocalists were due to the musicians being too loud as much as they were due to the singers not projecting enough. The lighting was quite good throughout, and the set and staging first rate.

Despite what you might think from the review, I have no hesitation about recommending the show to anyone. Every thing I mention is easily correctable, and it isn't difficult to see most of the problems stemming from opening night jitters. Good casts and good directors learn as a show goes on, and this cast is a good cast and this director, Jeff Shields, is a good director. Godspell runs through Sunday, and ticket information can be found here.

--David Pierce

David Pierce is a four-time past president of the Iowa City Community Theatre. He has acted, sung, directed, and worked backstage for far too many local productions to mention. He is a writer both by trade and inclination, with law and journalism as an educational background.

(Pictured are Rachel Brown, Jessica Fannuchi, Roxanne Gustaveson, Michael Sotelo, Frederica Kenyon, John Marshall, Carol Johnk, Meghan Henry, and Jim Brewer.)

Backstage with Godspell

Catalyst - Catalyst's production of Godspell opens in a few days. We recently had the chance to ask director Jeff Shields and choreography coordinator Carol Johnk to give us the inside scoop on the show.

Godspell is a popular show that has been done many times - are you going for a classic interpretation or something a little bit different?

Jeff: Godspell is a wonderful story about building community. Regardless of anyone's faith, the stories and parables are universal. We are taking this show as a "common person's" experience. Godspell, unlike other musicals, is about the stories and lessons. It's not about big, flashy costumes. It's not about elaborate sets. It's about people coming together for a greater good with a common mission. I really wanted us to focus on the stories, not the superficial aspects of the show. It's easy to get carried away with elaborate costumes and sets - but those are distracting from the true purpose of this production.

So it's not going to be too different from other productions in the past?

Carol: It is going to be different from other productions. There isn't the clown make-up or the funky clothes - no tie-dyed t-shirts in this production. We've really tried to be ordinary people who are called to follow Jesus and in the process form a community that didn't exist before. The focus is on that - the story of the formation of community. The music is still very familiar, but has, I think, a more updated feel. It isn't quite the folk music of the 70s.

I know the choreography was done by Arts a la Carte. Carol, were you the person handling that or someone else in the group?

Carol: AAC is coordinating the choreography. What that means is that I've tapped into our teachers and associates to find different choreographers for different Godspell numbers. This show lends itself well for this - the songs are so different from each other that having different styles of choreography worked very well. Choreographers include Mary Ann Letizio, Kameron Spears, Mark McCusker and Fritha Coltrain. Cast members have also been doing some of the choreography. Jessica Fenucci and Wendy Ostrem have done one of the numbers.

How has that partnership between the two groups worked so far?

Jeff: The partnership has been fantastic! Arts a la Carte was wonderful in coordinating the efforts of some amazing choreographers. They also helped provide some rehearsal space in their studio for the production. Carol has been an wonderful liasion between Catalyst and the choreographers.

Carol: When I'm being the liaison between Jeff and the choreographers, it is a lot less for him to worry about. I am a firm believer in collaboration. There are a number of non-profits arts groups in our area. We are very fortunate in that regard. But having so many organizations sometimes means that resources, both financial and human, are stretched a little thin. When groups collaborate they can pool their resources and talents and everyone benefits. AAC would never have attempted to put on a show like Godspell and Catalyst needed different types of choreography... it really is a perfect fit.

Tell us a little about the rehearsal process - the highs, the lows, the fun stuff, the challenges...

Carol: The rehearsal process has been a real learning experience for me. I've always done theater from an actor's point of view, not the production side. It is sometimes quite challenging to get four different choreographers scheduled. Trying to keep it to one or two new songs/steps a night is tricky if all the choreographers are only available on Thursday, for example. But we've been very fortunate and the choreographers have been flexible. It is also challenging for the cast to adjust to the differing styles of the choreographers. Some come in with it all planned in their heads and others come in with an idea and watch and see how things develop. It has also been a challenge for the choreographers. Some have never done choreography for a show like this. They are all professional dancers and sometimes making the shift from working with dancers to working with actors who may or may not have any dance experience has been an interesting process, too.

This is truly an ensemble show. Everyone is on stage pretty much all the time, and getting seventeen people at rehearsals is also tricky. One of the joys is getting to know this cast... what a great group of people. We've had several people involved in the production that have had to drop out for various reasons and the people that have replaced them have been just great. We've had some differences along the way, but overall, it's been a pretty happy cast. They've worked really hard and the results are very good.

About the cast changes, Heather Lawler was originally listed as playing Sonia. However, now it's Robyn McCright. How did that change come about?

Jeff: Heather decided to take a role in an area production of Seussical and leave her role with Godspell behind. Robyn had been interested in the show but was unable to audition due to her involvement in ICCT's production of Crimes of the Heart. When there was an opening we contacted Robyn and she happily agreed to take over the role. Her enthusiasm and amazing upbeat attitude has been a refreshing addition to the production!

How does this show fit in with Catalyst's mission?

Jeff: Catalyst strives to work with other arts and community organizations... to build a stronger community of groups. This show is a perfect example of such an endeavor.

What lead you to add another performance to the run?

Jeff: Ticket reservations have been going strong for the past few weeks and we decided that it would be beneficial to offer another performance of the show. This show has proven to be quite attractive to theatre-goers for several reasons. Godspell is an extremely popular show that is known by many people in the area. Our ticket prices are extremely low so that families can come and enjoy a live theatre experience. Our area has proven that people want affordable, family oriented entertainment... which we've been lacking to a certain degree lately.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Carol: I'm really excited to be a part of this production. We have a cast that is a wonderful mix of familiar faces and new faces. We have people who have lived in the community for a long time, but haven't done theater before and we also have a cast member who has only lived in the community for about a month. There is some really amazing talent in this production and I'm really excited about it. There have been challenges getting this production going, but the cast and crew are amazingly dedicated and talented and it is going to be worth seeing!

(Picture one is Jeffrey Mead, Wendy Ostrem, Rachel Bown, Meghan Henry, Roxanne Gustaveson, Jim Brewer, Ali Heath, Frederica Kenyon, Jeff Stewart, Jessica Fannuchi, Meghan Henry. Picture two is Roxanne Gustaveson, Ali Heath, Rachel Brown, Jessical Fannuchi, and Rachel Stewart.)

The cast of Godspell

Catalyst - The cast of Godspell has been posted on Catalyst's website. The show opens November 15th. More information here.

Jesus - John Marshall
John the Baptist/Judas - Jim Brewer
Lamar - Jeff Stewart
Jeffrey - Jeff Mead
Herb - Jason Millsap
Joanne - Jessica Fanucchi
Sonia - Heather Lawler
Robyn - Rachel Brown
Gilmer - Roxanne Gustaveson
Peggy - Carol Johnk

The show is directed by Jeff Shields with assistance from Wendy Ostrem. Lyle Juracek will handle the musical direction and the choreography is going to be coordinated by Arts a la Carte. And Rich Riggleman is the stage manager.

EDITED because somehow I missed the Chorus. They are Ali Heath, Megan Henry, Frederica Kenyon, Nick Ostrem, and Wendy Ostrem.

That's a lot of "J" names in the cast for a play about Jesus. Not sure what to make of that!