Dance enriches appreciation of theater
Whenever I talk about local dance, I feel the need to make mention that I'm no dance critic. But maybe that's not entirely a drawback. Watching the recent "13th Annual Dance in the Desert Festival Las Vegas" at the College of Southern Nevada, I was struck by the similarity between what the individual segments made me feel and how the works were described in the program notes.
The festival, under the direction of Kelly Roth, was a three-performance celebration of movement, with each performance featuring different works from different companies, some from out of state. As a theater critic, I'm accustomed to lyrics spelling out exactly what a character is feeling. Music and dance often give only vague impressions of feeling. I love trying to piece together the puzzle.
I make it a rule not to read anything about a segment until I sit through it. I want to see later if the choreographer and I are thinking along the same lines.
For instance, during one number, I made some notes about my impressions; nothing specific: "exuberant," "playful," "optimistic," "innocent," "fun environment on a Sunday afternoon," "a scrim projecting happy, yellow clouds." I have no idea what choreographers Lisa R. Chow and Step Raptis were really thinking, but I noticed afterward that the title of the piece was "Are We There Yet?" -- a perfect childlike summation of what I had experienced.
Whether the specifics I envisioned were what Chow and Raptis really meant, who cares? I took home something with me when I saw their segment, something strong, and yet something I couldn't totally define.
Dance companies are struggling to get a footing in Vegas, and some obviously deserve the attention of theater lovers. Dance enriches my appreciation of theater. It reminds me of the infinite number of ways to viscerally tell a story. ...
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is in the midst of its new play program. Three writers have been working on the Cedar City grounds with festival actors and directors. The result will be staged readings throughout the summer, followed by talkbacks. It's a chance for ordinary folks like us to help shape the works of tomorrow's Shakespeares. This year's offerings are "Lying to Spielberg" (by Bill Nabel), "The Galt Regency" (by Judith Montague), and "King of the Cats" (by Glenn Barrett). Tickets are cheap. (More info: bard.org. If you'd like to learn how to submit a script, check out http://www.bard.org/plays/napp/submitting.html.)
Budding playwrights seem to be getting more local opportunities than ever to show their work. Off-Strip Productions, at the Onyx Theatre, has announced a competition for new, adult scripts. It carries a $250 prize, a full-scale mounting, and publication. The folks there are asking for full-length unpublished pieces with a cast of no more than seven, and no musicals or translations. The judges, though, are allowing scripts that have had university productions, or one showing within the past five years. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 1. Five finalists will receive readings in November (more info: onyxtheatre.com).
Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.
