Flint Youth Theatre celebrates anniversary in style with "Arthur"

Flint Youth Theatre's 50th Anniversary season concludes this month with the stellar and completely unique "Arthur, King of Britain."

Written and directed by William P. Ward, this impressive production opened to a packed house Friday. Performed in both FYT theaters (Act One in Elgood; Act Two in Bower), it was a theatrical experience to remember.

Told in flashback, the action is in the mind of Old Bedwyr (Ted Valley) who lies abed in a Christian monastery around 539 AD. Propped on his bed, he retells the tale of his life while a monk (Dylan Raishe) transcribes it.

One of three children tutored by a Druid teacher, Myrddin (Ron Bailey), the first act is joyful and uplifting as Old Faith followers celebrate, dance and learn on the grass beneath a giant henge of stone. Bedwyr and his friends, Arthwyr (Mike St. Cyr) and Ygern (Katherine Roda) grow to adulthood amidst all this oblivious of their parentage or destiny.

Ultimately, Myrddin reveals that he has groomed Arthwyr to become the high king in a land that has no royal lineage, and their childish joy gives way to adult concerns and responsibilities.

This Elgood setting is beautiful, intimate and colorful. The large cast moves with grace and fluidity, led by the Druid priestess Mawgan (Karla Marie Dzurak), as the history of the Roman occupation and the vulnerable state in which their departure left Britain is enacted and retold.

The act concludes with Arthwyr crowned king and united to the Christian Gwenhwyfar (Deidre S. Baker) in an arrangement tying church and state together. Meanwhile, Arthwyr's true love is banished with her unborn child to a faraway nether region.

The audience and the actors all move at intermission to Bower Theatre where Bedwyr's story jumps ahead twenty years to the court of the Round Table. Peace and democracy were the order of the day in Arthwyr's court, but beneath the happy surface lurked a dark secret or two that would ultimately bring it crashing down.

Every medieval story has a villain and Nathan Pease was creepy perfection as the dreadful Medraut. It is up to him to bring all this peace and harmony to a halt, a task that he handled masterfully. Ward has clearly researched the Arthurian legend, which can't have been an easy feat given the time frame of the events. Still, this is not the Camelot story we've all come to know so well. There are twists and interesting turns in this story that held Friday's audience enthralled for the entire two and a half hours.

"Arthur" is a beautiful, educational and action-packed tale. It is also a fitting example of the excellence that is today's Flint Youth Theatre. May the next 50 years continue that splendid tradition.

"Arthur, King of Britain" continues at Flint Youth Theatre through Aug. 9. For more information contact the box office at (810) 237-1530.

***

By Kathleen Kirby
Contributing Writer, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on Monday, July 21, 2008

Message of FYT's 'The Giver' meant for mature audience

A much anticipated production of Lois Lowry's Newbery award-winning children's novel "The Giver" opened this past weekend at Flint Youth Theatre. Not for the younger set, this Eric Coble-adapted script is aimed at middle school and older with its science fiction account of a society made "safe" through the elimination of choice.

Walter Hill directs this, his final effort with FYT, with an emphasis on symbolism and forewarning. Set in a "utopian" society, "The Giver" tells the tale of Jonas, an 11-year-old boy about to experience the "ceremony of twelve" when his life-long career will be bestowed upon him. Unsure and nervous, he is clearly shaken when given the role of memory keeper - a special and challenging position that opens his eyes to all that the rest are missing.

Young Ian Xavier Guevara plays this role confidently. He brings a maturity to the character that is appropriately beyond his years as he meets with the current memory keeper, called The Giver, for training and memory transfer.

Although the story describes The Giver as a man, Wynne Wood brings a nurturing sense of strength and wisdom to the role. Her appearance is strikingly different in this prescribed society as she imparts both the pent-up joy and wrenching pain to Jonas for safekeeping.

William P. Ward's design emphasizes the insular nature of this community.

The entire Elgood stage is viewed through taut, dark cheesecloth subtly communicating the lengths to which the community has gone to protect themselves from outside harm.

When Jonas begins to receive the memories of color, cold, sun and even pain, these are projected onto the cheesecloth so the audience "sees" what Jonas sees.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of the society's perfection was the elimination of all color and emotion. They may have no inconvenience, but they make no decisions. There is no suffering, but neither is there any real joy. Rebellion of any sort, even from a newborn baby refusing to sleep at night, is met with "release."

This production runs about 80 minutes, but it seems longer. Perhaps the reason lies with the constant physical changing of scenery from The Giver's den to Jonas' house and back again. The changes become rhythmic but still interrupt the flow of the story.

FYT is so expert at multimedia, we wish they could have found a way to make this cinematic script move more smoothly.

Overall, this is a big story to take on. It isn't for kids under 10, as there are some disturbing revelations about the reality of "release," but it will surely spark discussion and serious consideration about the nature of government and the right to proscribe individual choice.

"The Giver" continues at Flint Youth Theatre through April 26. For information, contact the box office at (810) 237-1530.

***

By Kathleen Kirby
Contributing Writer, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on Tuesday, April 8, 2008

'Diary' helps ensure audiences won't forget

It's been said that history forgotten is bound to be repeated. The Nazi Holocaust during Adolf Hitler's reign of terror is on the brink of that abyss as time and survivors slip away.

However, the written word remains, as in Flint Youth Theatre's current Signature Series offering by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, "The Diary of Anne Frank." Much more than a simple play, this Wendy Kesselman adaptation is a poignant voice reaching out across the years to a new generation.

Presented in the intimate Elgood Theatre space, this impressive production takes only 90 minutes to envelop its audience in the story of the young Jewish girl who, in an effort to elude capture by the Nazis, hid out with her family for two years over an office building in the center of Amsterdam.

Director/Production Designer William P. Ward has retained the successful trappings of FYT's stunning 2005 production using slides of Anne's diary with dates superimposed to keep the chronology clear. Areas on the set are delineated ominously by suspended and anchored chains while Gestapo soldiers constantly pass by outside.

Eight people are crowded into the annex as Mr. Frank allows others to join them in eluding capture, but the centerpiece is Anne, played with spunk and drive by Kathryn Mahard. Her youthful exuberance and warmth light the stage, making the outcome that much more devastating.

Some members of the 2005 cast return to lend depth and experience. Walter Hill and Karla Marie Dzurak compassionately recreate Anne's parents and Deirdre S. Baker once again brings freshness and hope to the Franks' protector, Miep Gies. Others are back in different roles. Emma Vera Lazar plays Anne's older sister Margot with the tension and retiring demeanor this role demands, and Ron Bailey brings incredible emotion this time to the role of Hermann van Daan.

Zen Pace becomes the frightened and angst-ridden adolescent, Peter van Daan. His emotive ability and expression is a perfect match for Mahard's. As his mother, Shannon Olsen affords us a peek behind her wealthy facade to glimpse the rollercoaster effects of fear, while Nathan Pease, portraying the nervous and high strung Mr. Dussel, injects a frightful reality as he predicts the bleak outcome.

Returning as the menacing Mackie, Bary Lehr moves invisibly through the show embodying the hovering evil that surrounds the hiding place. As Mackie represents evil, another ethereal character moves through this tale. Dressed in concentration camp stripes, Haleigh Kent-Bryant's Ghost is never far from Anne's consciousness as the consummate victim.

One memorable line rings out eerily across the decades as Anne writes, "I want to go on living even after my death." Through her diary, the single surviving material remnant from the hidden annex, her spirit did escape unscathed and lives on to tell the story - lest we forget.

By Kathleen Kirby
Contributing Writer, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on Monday February 18, 2008

'Jack the Ripper' brings London horror to Flint

The weather cooperated with Flint Youth Theatre on Thursday night by turning appropriately dark and chilly for the opening of "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper."

Executive artistic director William P. Ward's original script tells the story of the shadowy and vicious killer who stalked and killed five women in Victorian London's down and out East End. Intriguingly, "Jack" became a legend even though no one ever knew his true identity.

Walk into Elgood Theater and step literally into the fog of 1880s England. The stage floor is a cobblestone square backed by brick-faced doorways and portals authentically replicating the poor Whitechapel district. The overall effect is stunning.

Director Walter Hill's cast consists of six men and five women who step in and out of various roles as they portray and narrate the events of that frightening time. Each murder unfolds with graphic symbolism, a flashing knife and the victim's blood spilled into a vase. Jack is a stealthy figure who moves in for the kill and disappears without ever being seen, sometimes even by the victim.

Playing the five victims are Sara Robinson, Royaa Soltani, Marie Glenn, Michelle Napier-Dunnings and Deirdre Baker. Each portrayal is unique and spiced with a bit of history as to how each woman came to be on the streets. Stories of alcohol and domestic abuse emerge from broken marriages and lives gone astray. Cockney and Irish accents, while authentic, were sometimes difficult to understand Thursday.

As for the gents, Nathan Pease is the busy coroner, Ron Bailey plays the equally busy constable and Wes Tallman is the Inspector. Jordan Robert Climie plays a reporter, and Don Hillaker is a typical scruffy man in the street. Finally, Matthew M. Washington is sinister and shadowy as the Jack figure.

Projections are used throughout to bring home the true-crime nature of this tale. Actual photos of the crime scenes and gruesome shots of the actual victims are interspersed with the "eyes of the ghoulish killer."

Ward's research into the history behind the legend brings a disturbing reality to this production. This story is not appropriate for the under-12 set, as even teens may squirm a bit at the close proximity of the action. The play runs almost 90 minutes without intermission, and while that may seem a little long given the somewhat narrative-heavy nature of the piece, it's still the perfect tale for a spooky October night.

"Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" continues at Flint Youth Theatre through Oct. 27. Tickets: (810) 237-1530.

By Kathleen Kirby
Contributing Writer, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on October 12, 2007

"In the Company of Pirates" good spot to land

As if three well-attended "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies weren't evidence enough of pop culture's continuing love of high-seas plunder, now comes "In the Company of Pirates."

Flint Youth Theatre's 50th-anniversary production romanticizes the trade of piracy through the lives of two unlikely practitioners.

Unlikely because Adam Bonny and Mark Reade, two of the toughest pirates along the Atlantic coast in the early 18th century were actually Anne Bonny and Mary Reade, members of what used to be called the fairer sex. William P. Ward, FYT executive artistic director, has taken their documented real-life stories and written them as an action comedy, farcical at times but never less than entertaining.

Holding the story together are a master of ceremonies, the fabled pirate Blackbeard (colorfully played by Ted Valley), and a Greek chorus of sorts comprised of his many "wives" of varying seaports. They provide narration for a show that relays a great deal of its exposition by spoken word rather than action on stage.

Still, this production, which opened Friday night, is hardly static.

Kishe Wallace and Claire Shinkman -- the latter especially spunky -- bring to life Anne and Mary, respectively. Ward (who also designed the production) and director Walter Hill want the viewer to be amused, but also to wonder if the bigger crime of these adventure seekers in their society was in being pirates, or in being women pretending to be men being pirates.

After an ill-fated marriage to a politically unfaithful mate, Anne keeps her secret with Captain John "Calico Jack" Rackham (Ron Bailey) by allowing him to believe he's king of his oceanic castle. Mary has a more complicated romantic life, with two happy relationships (one while she's in pirate garb, one while in petticoats) gone abruptly bad. Ward doesn't dwell on the tragic aspects, stressing the comedy instead, as when Mary uses a pair of, uh, "secret weapons" to get out of trouble.

"If you'd be a novelist, you couldn't write this stuff," boasts Blackbeard, and maybe he's right. In the strange-but-true department, Anne and Mary have it all over Disney's Captain Jack Sparrow and his colleagues in and around Davy Jones' locker.

By Ed Bradley
Assistant Features Editor, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on July 23, 2007

FYT play looks at adoption

We are each products of heredity and environment. We may take these for granted, but what of the knowledge that these paths are divergent?

For Lisa Meredith, it comes with a jolt. She may be too young to understand why the people she calls Mom and Dad never told her that she's theirs in heart but not in biology.

"Secrets," a play by Joanna Halpert Kraus that opens tonight at Flint Youth Theatre, raises issues about adoption - and personal identity - through the story of Lisa, her parents and the woman who gave her up at birth but wants to touch her life again.

Capably played by Kathryn Mahard, Lisa is a well-adjusted girl who's a little rebellious - but what 13-year-old kid isn't? Her parents, Stephanie (Claire Shinkman) and Glenn (Ron Bailey), have made a happy household. But its security seems to vanish for Lisa with a telephone call from a woman (Kishe Wallace) who imparts information only her birth mother would know.

Despite pleas from her friend Sue (Mariah Gorman) to drop the matter, Lisa confronts the Merediths, who admit they should've told Lisa about her past before now. "I want to hear about my mother," Lisa demands.

"I am your mother," Stephanie replies. Unconvinced, Lisa arranges secret meetings with the caller, whose name is Micki. Micki's ardent activism is a "cool" pursuit that plays to Lisa's social awareness, and the girl begins to wonder if her future belongs with her newfound friend.

"Secrets" explores Lisa's identity crisis without growing melodramatic or saccarine, and the scenes between Lisa and Micki - who are unsure about how to regard each other - are especially well written and acted. We are left to wonder what makes us more of what we are, our bloodline or our bringing-up.

Clocking in at not much more than an hour under the direction of Walter Hill, "Secrets" does well to make all sides sympathetic. Lisa's anger is understandable, but so are Stephanie and Glenn's overprotectiveness and even Micki's tentative curiosity.

By Ed Bradley
Assistant Features Editor, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on April 13, 2007

Theater groups team for stirring 'Passage'

A collaborative effort for Flint Youth Theatre, McCree Theatre and the Sylvester Broome Center comes together in a brilliant production of "Middle Passage." Written by William P. Ward and directed by FYT's Ward and McCree's Billie Scott-Lindo, the play is based on a poem by Robert Hayden chronicling the shipboard horrors of the African slave trade. Set on the west coast of Africa and aboard slave ships, the play begins with a joyful assembly of song and dance presided over by an ethereal Young Woman (Aeisha Reese) who is clearly central to the culture. This celebration is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of white traders and the capture of everyone except the girl. A theme begins and repeats throughout as four women representing Mother Africa sing a prophetic chorus reminding us of the origins of not only the race but of humanity. Sherry Harris, Kimberly Landingham, Linda B. Kachelski and Patricia A. Thompson along with Scott-Lindo arranged and composed the songs they sing here. Produced in the Elgood Theater at FYT, where the audience sits on three sides of the playing area, the sensation of being "in" the action is emphasized. The whole story takes place aboard ship, and to heighten that effect, the entire floor and the entry side walls have been covered in wood planks. The time spans 400 years revealing the historical facts about the slave trade, with emphasis on the truly ghastly part of the journey to America known as Middle Passage. One man's experience is revealed. Speaking from the diary of Olaudah Equaino, Glenn Conway brings the experience to life as he explains Equaino's expectations about his capture and then reveals the actual outcomes. With a cast of more than 30, the choreography and movement plot is crucial. It would be easy to look like a milling crowd, but this aspect is impeccable here. Margaret A. Mead-Finizio's choreographic impact is never more impressive than in the final moments. Historically sound, visually stirring and remarkably well performed, "Middle Passage" is a tribute to the three organizations involved and a marvelous example of the magic that can happen when talent and determination gloriously collide.

By Kathleen Kirby
Contributing Writer, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on February 12, 2007

FYT warms up season with Capote's 'Memories'

Although the chill of December was in the air Friday, Flint Youth Theatre was focused on a warmer version of the traditional holidays. Truman Capote's endearing short tales of his life growing up in Alabama, as adapted by Russell Vandenbroucke, supplied the grist for FYT's presentation of "Holiday Memories."

Narrated chamber style in Elgood Theater, a lot of the magic is in the imagination, aided by sound, light and wonderful characterizations. Set during the Great Depression, the play comprises two stories. Both involve the young Capote, or Buddy (Ian Xavier Guevara) as he's called by his friend, Miss Sook Faulk (Patty Bracey).

In "The Thanksgiving Visitor," Buddy relates the stress imposed on him by a bully at school and is aghast at Sook's suggestion that the bully be invited for Thanksgiving dinner. Ultimately, Buddy learns about seeing the humanity in even the most unlikely people.

Nathan Pease is amazingly able to portray not only this bully, appropriately named Odd, but many other characters as well. Never changing costumes, only demeanor, he believably becomes various unique male characters.

As for the unusual other women in Buddy's life, Deirdre S. Baker rivals Pease in her ability to become everyone from the local rich lady to the toothless mother of Odd and even more unusual female characters in between.

The second act presents "A Christmas Memory," wherein Buddy and Sook set off to gather ingredients for the 30 annual fruitcakes they bake and send to strangers, including President Roosevelt. They also venture into the woods for the "perfect tree" and brave the local moonshine establishment to procure whiskey for the cakes.

Bracey and Guevara are darling together. Using only stools and planks, the stage is transformed into first a bedroom, then a high stoop, then a dinner table, the kitchen and so on. Other scenery emerges as projected silhouettes; a forest of pine, a Christmas tree, a pair of kites, clouds.

No actual properties are used, but many are pantomimed and made more real by the addition of sound. Pecans cracking, a window rising, the unseen dog, Queeny, are only a few of these well-timed noises.

True to chamber performance style, a good deal of the play is narrated. In this production, the adult Capote (Walter Hill) reminisces about his boyhood and moves through the play unseen by the other players. A slight Southern accent is used by all, but Hill's is best understood.

This show will bring a smile to your face and a lump to your throat. It's a lovely seasonal lesson taught kindly and well.

"Holiday Memories" continues at the Elgood Theatre in Flint's Cultural Center through Dec. 23. Contact the box office at (810) 237-1530.

By Kathleen Kirby
Contributing Writer, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal on December 3, 2006

FYT's 'Frankenstein' offers impassioned performances

“Death is all there is to my story,” says the well-dressed stranger who has come to a notorious insane asylum.

The inmates gather around him to hear what they must think are the ravings of just another madman in their midst. So begins “Frankenstein” as presented by Flint Youth Theatre in an impressive Signature Series production that opened Friday night.

Thomas W. Olson’s adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel gives the immortal horror story a more overtly psychological approach – but the general impact remains potent.

As adult viewers will note, Shelley’s science-vs.-nature theme resonates in a modern age of fears over runaway technology. Younger patrons will find the Gothic tale involving as well, either because or in spite of the deathly doings.

As those with no knowledge of the story beyond the late-late-show movie viewing will know, Frankenstein – meaning the man, not his monster – dared to test God by creating life from death, in stitching together a body from stolen corpses.

As with the book, most of the play is told in flashback as the scientist recounts the events that illuminated his life.

And then destroyed it. FYT resident artist Nathan Pease gives an impassioned performance as Frankenstein, whose well-intentioned quest “to rid the world of death and pain” only brings more of both.

He grows more monstrous as the play progresses. The Creature transforms into a more sympathetic figure, even more so than in Boris Karloff’s legendary film portrayal, despite the revenge he enacts upon his “father.”

Under the monster’s mask Matt Blackwell does a good job of conveying the movements of this childlike being, and Erv Delsman’s voice, delivered from offstage, conveys an appropriately tortured air.

We are left to wonder: Is the monster Frankenstein’s symbolic son – or his alter ego? Directed by Walter Hill, FYT associate artistic director, “Frankenstein” is quite clever in its staging.

Rarely does an actor leave the stage; those cast as asylum inmates are positioned on a multi-level set at the rear.

They move back into the spotlight scenes, or (after unobtrusive costume changes) when they double as figures from Frankenstein’s narrative.

The setup allows for flashbacks within the main flashback. FYT is recommending the show for ages 8 and up.

There are at least three strangulations, and other moments of violence, so parents might want to consider whether to bring younger kids.

By Ed Bradley
Assistant Features Editor, The Flint Journal
This review appeared in The Flint Journal October 15, 2006