Clockwise from lower left: Macie Bennett, Lily Keefe, Miguel Rodriguez, Camron Altenhain, Dan Pittman, Maddan Bennett and Liza Koch, run lines for “Lift Every Voice”.
Photo Credit — Act Out Theater Group LLC
From left: Cari Altenhain, Lila Stefanski and Violet Stefanski rehearsal “Children of the Holocaust”. The play tells the story of four unrelated children whose spirits are united following the Holocaust.
Photo Credit — Act Out Theater Group LLC
Clockwise from left: Heather Canady, Lila Stefanski, Sara Stefanski, Charlie Spano and Holly Keefe read through “War Letters”, one in a series of drama being performed at Act Out Theatre Group in Taylor February 9 through 11.
Photo Credit — Act Out Theater Group LLC
TAYLOR — Act Out Theatre Group LLC presents a weekend of short, dramatic one-act plays, from February 9 through 11.
According to Dan Pittman, the theatre’s owner and artistic director, A Weekend of Drama is a bit of a departure from the typical workshop musicals for which the theatre is known.
Earlier this year, Pittman put out a call for directors and assistant directors to help lead the one-acts productions. Four directors and two assistant directors, as well as a group of actors, will produce four, one-act plays: “The Empty Chair”, directed by Pittman; “War Letters”, directed by Charlie Spano; “Children of the Holocaust”, directed by Kalen Churcher; and “Cheating Death”, directed by Emily Rowe on February 9 through 11. Holly Keefe and Miguel Rodriguez will assistant direct.
A special performance of a fifth play, “Lift Every Voice”, will take place one day only on February 11 at the matinee show. The performances feature adults and youth who auditioned for specific plays.
“We are very excited to offer this selection of dramatic plays,” Pittman said. “I’m especially excited because some of our workshop participants auditioned and were selected to be part of the plays. Performing in a straight play is very different than performing in a musical. This is just another way we can continue to educate youth about different aspects of theatre.”
The plays, according to Pittman, cover a variety of topics, including death, substance abuse, war, racism and the Holocaust. Each play runs roughly 20 to 35 minutes.
“There are some very powerful messages that are told,” said Kalen Churcher directing Children of the Holocaust. “For me, it’s been about not only directing the show, but making sure the actors understand what they are saying. One of my actors is only eight, and she’s shown so much sensitivity to the words she is saying. I’m so proud of the commitment that each of the performers has given.”
Tickets for A Weekend of Drama are available at www.actouttheatre.com. All tickets are $15. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on February 9 and February 10 then 2:00 p.m. on February 11. There is no additional charge for Sunday’s Life Every Voice.
Act Out Theatre Group LLC is primarily a children’s-based workshop theatre located at 802 S. Main St. (Suite 804D), in Taylor. The theatre also produces several adult-cast productions annually and offers a variety of classes as part of its arts and education center.
