Thank You, Triad Stage

March 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It was my privilege to be an audience member for the premiere performance of When Everything Was Possible at Triad Stage in downtown Greensboro. From the opening notes of the live musicians, masterfully directed by Michael Rafter, who also played the piano for the production, I was as caught up in the performance as any I’ve ever seen.

Two actors alone occupied the stage, but their command of that intimate space filled the entire theatre. Kurt Peterson and Victoria Mallory bring to the stage their own personal history of pursuing a dream and finding friendship together in the process. Telling their story through spoken word and song, we arrive with them in New York City at the onset of their celebrated respective careers and stand when the last notes are being sung, not because we want to leave but because standing is the only way we know to give back to them our gratitude for what we just received.

For those of you who missed this unique two-performance run in Greensboro, it’s not too late to attend the New York City premiere on Sunday, April 29, 2012, at the 2200 seat New York City Center. Personally, I’m grateful to have been part of the much more intimate 300 seat performance in my own backyard.

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North Carolina Independents : Unaffiliated Voters and the Challenge of Changing the Status Quo

January 30, 2012 by 1 Comment

Last week, Frank Stasio of WUNC’s The State of Things was in Downtown Greensboro at the Triad Stage Upstage Cabaret to discuss Independent voters in North Carolina. His guests were Omar Ali, associate professor of African-American Studies and History at UNC-Greensboro; Donna Moser, co-founder of North Carolina Independents; ncindependents.org  and Brittany Rodman, a registered independent voter.

ncindependents.orgThe introduction from the ncindependents.org website explains that “North Carolina Independents is a non-partisan association of unaffiliated voters who are challenging party-control of the political process. We’re helping to launch a national campaign to have Congress hold hearings on the second-class status of independent (i.e. unaffiliated) voters. While 40% of Americans self-identify as independent the entire political infrastructure has been built around the interests of the parties. Where is our voice in the mix? Where is our representation? Some 1.5 million North Carolinian’s are registered as “unaffiliated.” Are you one of them?”

 

From a recent USA Today article it was interesting to learn that “More than 2.5 million voters have left the Democratic and Republican parties since the 2008 elections, while the number of independent voters continues to grow.” But the big question is why?

What I have learned during my research to answer that question is that a growing number of Americans are fed up with the playground politics of our two party system. My husband and I had a lengthy discussion and agreed that politics in the United States has become more focused on who has control (Republicans/Democrats and corporations that feed them both) vs. who is doing what is necessary to effectively run our country and listen to and do what is right for the voters they represent.

As it stands now – an Independent Candidate would have to gather 85,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot, where as a Republican or Democratic hopeful needs 0. Yup, that’s right. ZERO. I was shocked to learn that an Independent candidate would have to collect a signature from 1 out of every 73 registered voters in NC.

FREEtheVOTENC explains that The Electoral Freedom Act hopes to restore the rights of voters because “Our state’s ballot access laws are intended to hinder competition and artificially assist the two major parties by placing unreasonable and unnecessary restrictions on any competition through restrictive signature requirements unparalleled in most other states.”

L-R Omar Ali, Brittany Rodman, Frank Stasio and Donna Moser (photo courtesy of ncindependents.org)

As Omar Ali rightly stated during his interview “Most Americans don’t want parties but policies that work.” That sentiment was echoed in fellow guest and registered Independent voter Brittany Rodman, when asked how she came to consider herself an Independent.

Brittany’s decision “took years to come to.” She went on to share that “by default I was born a Democrat by being a black woman from a working class family. I began to see this disconnect with all races and economic classes across America. . . . People are not satisfied with congress and we don’t see how we fit in or how our needs are met as a community.”

Brittany is not alone. With congress’ approval rating at an all time low, voters across America are not falling for the sensationalized mud slinging that an election year brings but instead are looking more closely for leaders who are less concerned about what party they are in and more concerned about meeting the needs of families hit hard by the greed and far reaching corruption of Wall Street.

When asked why not pick one of the two existing political parties and fight for reform, Brittany’s answer best reflected a growing sentiment amongst voters of all ages . . .  “I’ve never been a fan of picking the lesser of two evils.”

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Learn more about what it means to be an unaffiliated independent voter.

Find out who represents you in Raleigh and get involved on a local level.

Interested in who is lining your representatives pockets? Take some time to review the 112th Congress detailed money profiles, you might be surprised to see who the top national donors are that are funding our government representatives.

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How do you see our current political system changing for the better?

What are your thoughts on Corporate Personhood and the impact it has had on our political system?

Are partisan politics dividing America?

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Filed Under: OPINION, POLITICS, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Christmas Carol – A Review

December 2, 2011 by 1 Comment

Triad-Stage-ImageI want to forget that I’m in a theatre when I’m in a theatre. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, yes, for Triad Stage’s production of the Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. An insert in tonight’s program asked for my feedback.

What did you like about the production?

I liked certain performances within the production. Namely, Gordon Joseph Weiss as Ebenezer Scrooge, Izzy Goff as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Michael Tourek as Mr. Fezziwig, and Rosie McGuire as Mrs. Fezziwig and the Ghost of Christmas Present.

But my favorite performance was the set, itself. As always, the behind-the-scenes powerhouse is what brings to life every production I’ve ever seen at Triad Stage, and it’s always transformative. Completely dependent upon one another, and of equal importance, are the set, the lights, the sound, and the projection. I was not disappointed in their ability to transform a small space in downtown Greensboro into 1843 London. Thank you for your brilliance.

Was there anything you didn’t like?

Yes, thank you for asking.

1. All the principle roles were the exact same actors as the 2010 production.
2. The blocking was almost identical to the 2010 production.
3. The performance lacked ensemble cohesion and believability. (I had to rely on standout performances for my entertainment.)
4. There were audio issues and it was difficult to hear some of the performers’ lines.
5. It was difficult to understand all of the actors’ lines – bad diction in many instances.
6. The performance of Triad Stage newcomer Kendra Woodfolk (Charity Woman/Belle/Edwina/Young Wife) was bad, at best, and for someone with as many lines as she had, this really caused a disturbance in the force.
7. What is with the Ghost of Christmas Present and her song?! We so hoped that would be absent from this year’s production, but, alas, no – it was every bit as confusing to us as to what it has to do with Dickens’ original tale. But props for a lovely voice. Wait. Is that why it’s there? Because Preston Lane‘s adaptation is really designed to showcase specific actors and their talents? Nah. I’m sure that’s not the case. (see #1)

Every time I started to lose myself in the story (and this was with some effort), something (see items 1-7 above) jolted me to the reality I was still sitting in the theatre. I expect a lot from Triad Stage; they’re a professional theatre company, and bill themselves as such.

Have we really tapped out Greensboro’s talent that we needed to bring back almost the identical cast from last year? Is it a prerequisite that in order to participate in a Triad Stage production you have to have acted in a minimum of two, but as many as six, previous Triad Stage productions? (I counted – and that’s what tonight’s playbill indicated.) Perhaps Triad Stage should bill themselves as a green theatre company because they keep recycling the same actors.

Would you recommend this production to a friend? Why or why not?

Tough question. The overall production felt forced and choppy, and lacked the theatre magic to tie it all together. If you are interested in watching individual actors perform their parts with magnitude, go right ahead and reserve your tickets. Just don’t expect to forget where you are because you will be reminded time and again that the Ghost of Get Me Out of Here still hasn’t arrived, and you won’t find me giving an undeserved standing ovation.

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