Hooray Summer Theater Lives

 

By C.S Gilbert

 

On June 11, wearing his producer’s hat, Bob Bowersox issued a rather breathless announcement: “In a little over two weeks, the best season yet of Key West Summer Stage gets started! It’s time to grab the best seats in the house for each of our remarkable plays . . .”

 

 

 

Come on, Bob, the Red Barn’s so small there isn’t a bad seat in the house — but folks, being small, it does sell out quickly, and each run is limited to six performances, so be advised.

 

 

Key West’s summer theater season opens at 8 p.m., Monday, June 30 (The Red Barn Bar opens at 7:30), with a free reading of Bowersox’s new play, “Signature of Fear.” His last drama, “Moment of Grace,” similarly debuted as a reading, followed by a successful production. His first in Key West, “Person of Interest” was similarly memorable and perhaps even more successful. Between the Summer Stage and his own writing, the versatile producer-playwright-actor-set designer-theater techie has created a fine complement to the work of Waterfront Playhouse, the Red Barn and Tennessee Williams Theatre.

 

 

On the 2014 main stage, they open Tuesday, July 1, with the award-winning shocker, “’night Mother” by Marcia Norman, running through July 6, followed by the classic, award-winning “Waiting for Godot,” by Samuel Beckett, July 15-20. These are heavyweights. They conclude with a new play, or at least one with which I’m not familiar, “Whale,” by Samuel B. Hunter, running July 29-Aug. 3. A specially priced, Sunday show has been added this year, the fourth annual KWSS, if I remember correctly.

 

 

Wait, there’s more. A Four-Part Theatre (sic) Symposium is offered on the Mondays in July. “Interact with the best Key West practitioners of directing, scenic design, acting and (play)writing,” Bowersox invites. There is no charge for the symposia, either, and specially discounted season tickets are available, in addition to special prices for Mary Lou Hoover’s networking organization, Girls Night Out, for those of us who have worked in local theaters and for Red Barn Ambassador Club members. We locals thank you!

 

 

Single show tickets available at redbarntheatre.com or by calling 305-296-9911 or 302-540-6102.

 

 

In founding Theatre XP, which produces the Summer Stage, Bowersox promised serious drama, specifically “provocative and edgy professional theater” and he has delivered. All Summer Stage plays have been seasoned by humor of one sort or another, but there hasn’t been any mindless fluff in the mixture. Every one so far has inspired lively, intelligent conversation, even debate, and occasional anger. This is quite the contrast to the summer stock image of lightweight vacation fare which, as a vacation destination, we get plenty of during the fall, winter and spring. Summer Stage has been a gift to the theater-loving community.

 

 

Bits of summer theater we’ve had for years and years are Carole MacCartee’s summer acting classes. Offered to anyone who ever wanted to learn to act, to actors who want to get better at it and to anyone who “just wants to have fun with new friends who love theatre (sic again — what is it with the British spelling? It’s fine if it’s a proper noun, but . .. .) like you do.”

 

 

Classes offered are Scene Study on Mondays and Fridays, 7:30-10:30 p.m., and Monologue on Wednesdays at the same time. The problem is that classes began this week —Monday and yesterday. Both classes culminate on Saturday, July 26, when a Red Barn performance of all scenes and monologues will be open to the public, sort of a public final exam. MacCartee’s reputation as actor, director and teacher is stellar, and she has certainly been known to present some serious theater around town. She will be assisted by the able Tom Murtha.

 

 

I include this announcement on the off-chance that the classes might not be over-enrolled and MacCartee might admit a few students just a bit late. If interested, phone 305-296-5587 immediately.

 

 

That’s all for now. Gotta fly!

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