Theater Review - Ring in the new

For First Glance Atlanta, more than 40 local theater and dance companies will come together to show the city something new. Held Oct. 18-Nov. 3, the citywide festival isn’t just a showcase of fresh efforts from a variety of performance troupes, it suggests that “newness” itself may define the character of Atlanta’s performing arts community.

The idea for First Glance gestated in conversations over the last three years between Del Hamilton of 7 Stages, Sue Schroeder of Several Dancers Core and Shelton Stanfill of the Woodruff Arts Center — all members of the advisory board of the Cultural Tourism Initiative of the Atlanta Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

The bureau had been most effective at promoting Atlanta’s mid-sized arts groups by getting them to link up with events planned at the Woodruff Arts Center, says Hamilton. “For example, if the High had an exhibit of French Impressionists, they’d contact us and ask, ‘Do you have anything that’s ‘French’ or ‘Impressionist?’” So Hamilton, Schroeder and Stanfill decided to come up with an event the bureau could promote that would raise the profile of the city’s smaller performing arts companies without being dependent on the Woodruff’s lead.

Inspired by an article about the distinctive styles of theater cities by the late Dan Hulbert, former theater critic for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the three set out to find a unifying theme for Atlanta’s performance groups. That’s when they hit upon the idea of original works. “Atlanta’s definitely marked by its quantity of new work and incubator venues like Eyedrum and smaller theater companies,” says Hamilton. He thought, “If we can lay claim to that turf, it’s got a lot of potential for Atlanta.”

The inaugural First Glance will combine readings and full productions of original works and local premieres that encompass theater, dance, puppetry and performance art that resist categorization. Venues range from the Alliance Theatre’s main stage, site of the world premiere of Keith Reddin’s Kennedy assassination play Frame 312, to Dad’s Garage tiny Top Shelf space, where VisionQuest Theater’s production of The Devil and Ben Jones will debut. The festival also includes the first public event of Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Co., a reading of Samm-Art Williams’ Brass Birds Don’t Sing at 7 Stages Oct. 20.

The hope is that First Glance will educate Atlantans about the original work being done by the city’s theater companies, but Hamilton doesn’t want audiences just to be passive spectators. The festival includes interactive workshops and discussions about the arts: “It’s not just about new playwrights, or coming up with new ways to do Tennessee Williams. It’s about new ways of thinking about theater,” Hamilton says.

It is evident that originality is one of the Atlanta theater community’s salient characteristics. The creative leadership of Atlanta’s major theaters all place a high premium on developing virgin work, and smaller groups seem to be holding new play readings nonstop. Atlanta is fully capable of cultivating a national reputation as a font of fresh theatrical ideas. The downside, though, is giving so much emphasis on newness that it becomes valued for its own sake. “Novelty” and “maturity” rarely go hand in hand, and one trusts that the theater community will strive to create new works that are worthy enough to deserve a second glance. For information on First Glance Atlanta, visit www.firstglanceatlanta.com.

Handbills: If you haven’t seen the poster for Sensurround Stagings and Tal-Kasia Productions’ edgy take on Dr. Faustus (currently playing at 7 Stages’ Back Stage space), it may not be your fault. Sensurround Artistic Director Mike Katinsky says the poster’s image of a beaming demon is so winning and well-crafted that it frequently gets stolen from displays in public places.

Sensurround’s posters are illustrated by Seattle’s Ames Brothers, best known for designing album covers for Pearl Jam and Lou Reed. The Ames have gotten such acclaim for their work with Sensurround, winning trade awards for the Clockwork Orange poster, that they design the theater’s posters for free, although Katinsky concedes that printing them is one of the company’s highest production costs. But Sensurround believes that the Ames Brothers’ work is worth the investment. As a theater group without a permanent playhouse, their posters aren’t just striking ways to market individual shows, they’re a means of giving the company identity and continuity in the public eye. By helping to define Sensurround, the posters justify their expense — and the effort of replacing them when they’re pilfered.

Entrances: Raye Varney, the former marketing director of the Georgia Shakespeare Festival and the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, has been named managing director of 7 Stages.

Opening Out of Town: Alliance Theatre Associate Artistic Director Kent Gash is directing Mildred Kayden’s musical Call the Children Home, which opened last week at Primary Stages theater in New York City.

curt.holman@creativeloafing.com

Off-Script is a biweekly column on the Atlanta theater scene.??