The May 12th edition of the Daily Advertiser has an article by Cody Daigle about the Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy and the proposed changes to it.
There is also an article (also by Cody Daigle) about the new black box theatre which the Arts Academy students and teacher constructed from an old classroom.
Showing posts with label Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Theatre--Performance
The Lafayette Parish Arts Academy theatre students will demonstrate the versatility of their new back box theatre on Thursday, May 1st by performing Eugene Ionesco's The Lesson and WASP by Steve Martin (one-act plays). A gala is scheduled on Friday, May 2nd to mark the official opening of the facility. Food, beverages, as well as before-and-after photos will be provided that night. Performances on both dates will begin at 8 PM at the N.P. Moss Annex on 801 Mudd Ave. All are welcome to attend as well as donate to the Arts Academy Theatre Arts program (There is no admission fee, but a donation--suggested at $5--would be appreciated.). Please call 212-4471 for further information.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Theatre--Black Box Opening
With the help of the students, the Theatre Arts classroom (formerly an old band and storage room) has been transformed into a fully-functional “black box” performance facility ideal for intimate pro-ductions. The students will demonstrate the versatility of their new theatre on Thursday, May 1st as they perform one-act plays by Eugene Ionesco and Steve Martin. A gala is scheduled on Friday, May 2nd to mark the official opening of the facility. Food, beverages, as well as before-and-after photos will be provided that night. Performances on both dates will begin at 8 PM at the N.P. Moss Annex on 801 Mudd Ave. All are welcome to attend as well as donate to the Arts Academy Theatre Arts program (There is no admission fee, but a donation--suggested at $5--would be appreciated.). Please call 212-4471 for further information.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Theatre--Review
If Laurel and Hardy had met as Ph.D. students in Theatre, Waiting For Godot is the play they would have written. It's grad student philosophy married to vaudeville shtick. But it's like candy-coated medicine; the candy doesn't always disguise the taste.
Blaine Peltier and several students from the Arts Academy had a go at Godot this past weekend with favorable results. The set was nicely executed--just a rock, a withered tree and a sun/moon in the sky. The action extended out into the audience area as well. Costumes and makeup were mostly successful. Pozzo's mime makeup was a good touch and made the actress' face very easy to read. Lucky's makeup had somewhat the effect of a zombie movie but worked well for the character. I'm not so sure about the decision to make the boy, who herds goats, into a girl who appears to be a summer camp counselor. It was as if Marcia Brady had been asked to do someone a favor.
Lighting is a serious problem at the NP Moss Annex. Mr. Peltier is forced to eke out what he can from approximately the same number of lights as you find on a VW. As a consequence, some important action and dialogue is necessarily rendered in light which is dimmer than my cousin, Ed. Patrons looking to do a good deed for the local theatre community might want to help out with a contribution for improved lighting for this program. Mr. Peltier and his students have earned it. While we're at it--padding for the wooden seats would be high on the wish list of anyone whose legs have gone to sleep while watching a production in the auditorium.
David Hubyn and Hendrick Mattyson had a nice chemistry as Vladimir and Estragon, the two tramps who quarrel, make up and wait for someone who will never arrive. Jamie Pittman gave an energetic performance as Pozzo, the Everyman of the play. Angie Jaramillo was a distinctly sinister Lucky, Pozzo's living Shadow. As the Boy, Amanda Bonnette was like a sunbeam on an overcast day.
The actors were committed and energetic and all had excellent projection. Unfortunately, the Annex is a difficult space acoustically. It is echoey and if one sits at any distance from the stage the echoes begin to overlap the words. Young people often speak very rapidly and the result is that sound becomes a jumble by the middle of the auditorium. This may be less a problem in the first two or three rows but where I sat most of the dialogue could have been Romanian. Under the circumstances, the actors would have benefited from a greater emphasis on the kinds of business which would demonstrate the text or replace it altogether. Mr. Peltier's stage picture was always well-focused but, in the absence of clear dialogue, the actions of the characters could sometimes seem a bit random and forced. It was a bit like math class; I knew where the professor was--just not what he was doing.
Choosing a play is a lot more difficult than most people realize. Producers must find a play which has both artistic and commercial merit and which showcases the talent available to you. Furthermore, it must be done on a budget, which at the Arts Academy means the spare change under the sofa cushions. Mr. Peltier and his cast have made the most of their resources but they are mendicants who live on the kindness of strangers. Perhaps those strangers would be more numerous and more generous if they were presented with plays that had a bit more entertainment value and a bit less literary cachet. Just a thought....
Unfortunately, I could only stay for the first act of this production due to scheduling conflicts but even so I saw enough to say "Congratulations" to Mr. Peltier and his cast for a creditable production of a VERY difficult play.
----Walter Brown
Blaine Peltier and several students from the Arts Academy had a go at Godot this past weekend with favorable results. The set was nicely executed--just a rock, a withered tree and a sun/moon in the sky. The action extended out into the audience area as well. Costumes and makeup were mostly successful. Pozzo's mime makeup was a good touch and made the actress' face very easy to read. Lucky's makeup had somewhat the effect of a zombie movie but worked well for the character. I'm not so sure about the decision to make the boy, who herds goats, into a girl who appears to be a summer camp counselor. It was as if Marcia Brady had been asked to do someone a favor.
Lighting is a serious problem at the NP Moss Annex. Mr. Peltier is forced to eke out what he can from approximately the same number of lights as you find on a VW. As a consequence, some important action and dialogue is necessarily rendered in light which is dimmer than my cousin, Ed. Patrons looking to do a good deed for the local theatre community might want to help out with a contribution for improved lighting for this program. Mr. Peltier and his students have earned it. While we're at it--padding for the wooden seats would be high on the wish list of anyone whose legs have gone to sleep while watching a production in the auditorium.
David Hubyn and Hendrick Mattyson had a nice chemistry as Vladimir and Estragon, the two tramps who quarrel, make up and wait for someone who will never arrive. Jamie Pittman gave an energetic performance as Pozzo, the Everyman of the play. Angie Jaramillo was a distinctly sinister Lucky, Pozzo's living Shadow. As the Boy, Amanda Bonnette was like a sunbeam on an overcast day.
The actors were committed and energetic and all had excellent projection. Unfortunately, the Annex is a difficult space acoustically. It is echoey and if one sits at any distance from the stage the echoes begin to overlap the words. Young people often speak very rapidly and the result is that sound becomes a jumble by the middle of the auditorium. This may be less a problem in the first two or three rows but where I sat most of the dialogue could have been Romanian. Under the circumstances, the actors would have benefited from a greater emphasis on the kinds of business which would demonstrate the text or replace it altogether. Mr. Peltier's stage picture was always well-focused but, in the absence of clear dialogue, the actions of the characters could sometimes seem a bit random and forced. It was a bit like math class; I knew where the professor was--just not what he was doing.
Choosing a play is a lot more difficult than most people realize. Producers must find a play which has both artistic and commercial merit and which showcases the talent available to you. Furthermore, it must be done on a budget, which at the Arts Academy means the spare change under the sofa cushions. Mr. Peltier and his cast have made the most of their resources but they are mendicants who live on the kindness of strangers. Perhaps those strangers would be more numerous and more generous if they were presented with plays that had a bit more entertainment value and a bit less literary cachet. Just a thought....
Unfortunately, I could only stay for the first act of this production due to scheduling conflicts but even so I saw enough to say "Congratulations" to Mr. Peltier and his cast for a creditable production of a VERY difficult play.
----Walter Brown
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Theatre--Performance (Weekend)
Thursday, March 6:
Driving Miss Daisy at Cite Des Arts (continuing)
No Teacher Left Standing by Acting Up in Acadiana (continuing)
Friday, March 7:
Waiting for Godot at N.P. Moss Annex (opening)
Ain't Misbehavin' at Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts (opening)
Driving Miss Daisy at Cite Des Arts (continuing)
Little Shop of Horrors at IPAL (continuing)
No Teacher Left Standing by Acting Up in Acadiana (continuing)
Saturday, March 8
The Producers at the Heymann Center (one night only)
Waiting for Godot at N.P. Moss Annex (continuing)
Ain't Misbehavin' at TTFTPA (continuing)
Driving Miss Daisy at Cite Des Arts (continuing)
Little Shop of Horrors at IPAL (continuing)
No Teacher Left Standing by Acting Up in Acadiana (continuing)
Sunday, March 9:
Little Shop of Horrors at IPAL (continuing)
Aint' Misbehavin' at TTFTPA (continuing)
Driving Miss Daisy at Cite Des Arts (continuing)
No Teacher Left Standing by Acting Up in Acadiana (continuing)
Friday, March 7:
Waiting for Godot at N.P. Moss Annex (opening)
Ain't Misbehavin' at Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts (opening)
Driving Miss Daisy at Cite Des Arts (continuing)
Little Shop of Horrors at IPAL (continuing)
No Teacher Left Standing by Acting Up in Acadiana (continuing)
Saturday, March 8
The Producers at the Heymann Center (one night only)
Waiting for Godot at N.P. Moss Annex (continuing)
Ain't Misbehavin' at TTFTPA (continuing)
Driving Miss Daisy at Cite Des Arts (continuing)
Little Shop of Horrors at IPAL (continuing)
No Teacher Left Standing by Acting Up in Acadiana (continuing)
Sunday, March 9:
Little Shop of Horrors at IPAL (continuing)
Aint' Misbehavin' at TTFTPA (continuing)
Monday, March 3, 2008
Theatre--Performance
MARCH 7 & 8 • 8 PM • NP MOSS ANNEX AUDITORIUM • 801 MUDD AVE
ADMISSION: FREE • DONATIONS GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTED
CALL 262-0620 OR 212-4471 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Monday, February 25, 2008
Theatre--Performance
The Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy will perform Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece,Waiting For Godot on March 7th and 8th at the N.P. Moss Annex Auditorium at 8PM. Admission is free to the public. Donations, however, are graciously accepted.
The storyline evolves around two men waiting for someone – or some thing – named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree on a barren stretch of road, inhabiting a drama spun from their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dream-scapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. His play remains one of the most magical and beautiful allegories of our time.
The storyline evolves around two men waiting for someone – or some thing – named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree on a barren stretch of road, inhabiting a drama spun from their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dream-scapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. His play remains one of the most magical and beautiful allegories of our time.
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