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Show B2 CULTURE Grassroots Shakespeare company tours with Romeo and Juliet Theatre department's summer workshop begins By ROBBIE X. PIERCE By ROBBIE X. PIERCE Culture Writer Culture Writer The Grassroots Shake- About Nothing. During the and Juliet, founding member . speare Company's Romeo school year, the company Alex Ungerman said, "Have ' and Juliet is likely different then hosted various work- you ever seen someone get from any Shakespeare per- shops wherein actors would stabbed in the park? What . formance its audiences have meet each other and begin about a stabbing accompaseen before. This troupe is rehearsal mere hours before nied by live music? Or a first .composed of thirteen ac- the performance. Lines were kiss followed by a rousing tors and that's all. There's to be memorized and ideas jig?" no director, no stage Ungerman points manager, no costume out that the perfordesigner. mance would be a "The greatest part perfect date, consistof Grassroots Shakeing of "showing up speare is that there with a picnic basket is no one director," and front row seats says company memfor Romeo and Juber Jessamyn Svensliet." son, who is perform"It's really won; ing with Grassroots derful to collaborate for the first time this with all the other Courtesy of Kelly Oram summer. "We all just The Grassroots Shakespeare Company's proactors and put on kind of take turns fill- duction of Romeo and Juliet begins its run this a show without ... ing that role, which summer. rules," says Erin Crabcan be a challenge, but tree, who portrays Lady : also is what makes the per- come up with in advance. Capulet. "It's super fun to formances so great." This year's touring com- see what comes out of the These actors are respon- pany is hoping to continue process." sible for their own costumes in the tradition of excelThe show is set to tour and their own blocking, in lence set forth by last year's around the state performaddition to administrative team. The actors were each ing Mondays, Fridays and duties such as booking per- required to research some Saturdays from now until formances. Even the casting aspect of "original practice," July 5th. Performances are process is done democrati- the concept of keeping re- free, though a $3 donation cally, with the actors audi- hearsals and performances is suggested to help cover tioning and voting amongst close to how they would the cost of the set and travel themselves. have been done in Shake- expenses. Performance loca: The Grassroots Shake- speare's time. tions and other information '• speare Company began last When asked why people is available at www.Grass"• summer, when their touring should come see this par- rootsShakespeare.com. : company put on Much Ado ticular production of Romeo Arts in the park Gallery and demonstrations to supplement Orem's Summerfest By MEL SUNDQUIST Features Editor Starting June 7, the Orem aware of the fine permanent s Council will be presenting their third annual hibits housed in our musethe Park seriSsr^ft-*tffo*mdft^-TtiWitf^ n ^ S for year's event include visual art available locally. Moreart displays, presentations over, we have a thriving arts and demonstrations by lo- community with art events, cal artists, live music, ac- such as Arts in the Park. ... tivities and for-purchase art. I hope people become more Daniel J. Fairbanks, aware of these treasures of the associate dean of the art we have here and take College of Science and the time to enrich their Health, will sculpt a bust lives by enjoying them." in a live demonstration. UVU graduate Jesse "I'd like to share some of the Royston will also be giving beginnings of art in Utah," a demonstration. Accordsaid Fairbanks, "highlight- ing to Sarah Stephenson, the ing my great-grandfather, Arts in the Park coordinator John B. Fairbanks, who for the Orem Arts Counwas trained as a landscape cil, Royston will do "an painter in the Barbizon and interactive painting demo Impressionist traditions in to live music" at the event. France in the 1890s and re- Royston is basing her demturned to Utah to become onstration on the idea that an influential painter. He art can capture the melodies, was the first of what is now rhythm and notes of music. a five-generation tradition She will be painting to the of art in my family. ... I music of Jess Smiley, a local will be doing a portrait bust acoustic musician and artist. of him while sharing sto- "I'll be playing songs I've ries of how Utah become a written and songs others have thriving center for the arts." come up with," Smiley said. Between Fairbanks' inher- "People usually call my muited artistic importance and sic 'folk-rock' and they say I his newly-acquired position sound like Mason Jennings. on the Orem Arts Council, It's definitely folk music, he carries great influence because it's for the folks." in the local art community. In addition to the events "Most of all, I hope to help and presentations, the 337 increase awareness of the Project Art truck will make arts in our community," he a special visit. The truck is said of his potential impact. an art experiment on wheels, "Too few people are fully bringing art education and : ts.-. inspiration dents fiff the truck alone is worth the Other artists contributing to the event are Liz Lemon Swindle, who focuses on motherhood and religious imagery; local ceramic artist and retired teacher Dennis Zupan; children's illustrator Nathan Hale; BYU teacher and mixed-media artist Hagen Haltern; local folk music troupe The Geslison Family band; and encaustic artist Sean Diediker among others. "Anyone is welcome," said Fairbanks. "I hope that everyone who feels even the slightest inclination will join us." Courtesy of Al Mitten President Holland and Tye Noorda cut the ribbon at the opening of UVU's Noorda Theater, which is hosting a theater summer camp Many members of the campus community have seen performances in the stateof-the-art Noorda Theatre, completed in 2009. What not everyone might know is that funding for the theater was only part of a larger prograrn with an emphasis on helping youth. When Tye Noorda made a generous, universitymatched donation to the Department of Theatrical Arts, the Noorda Center was created. The Noorda Center focuses on helping youth through exposure to, opportunities to participate in, and education about great theater. With that goal in mind, the UVU Noorda Theater Summer Camp opens June 7. Emily Bell, executive coordinator of the camp, says the camp "provides local youth with .an opportunity to attend workshops with master practitioners in theater, speech, dance and storytelling." The camp has the capacity for about 500 youth, but classes will be small, consisting of eight to twelve students per class, with*dance classes capping off at twenty. This will maximize the personalized instruction each student is given. For this reason, the staff comprises around 70 people, many of whom are students. Professionals will also be part of the staff. "We're bringing in so many great instructors with real solid training," said Christopher Clark, coordinator of the camp's acting program.. "The children will experience a lot of fun and amazing training." The workshops are one week long each with a total of four sessions, the last ending on July 2. In addition to the week-long sessions, there is a production course and playwriting courses that run the span of the entire camp. The youth involved in the pro- ductions will perform in one of three .plays: Super Student and the Case of the Water Pistol, High School Hamlet and The Secret Life of Girls. All three plays will have three performances during the final week of the camp. Aside from reaching out to the community's youth and teaching them about theater, this camp will also demonstrate to the community how exceptional the theater program. Bell also hopes it will result in some new recruits for the department. There are still plenty of spots available for the workshops, and a discount is available for children of UVU students and faculty. Those interested in scholarships from the Noorda foundation based on merit or need should contact Emily Bell at ebell@uvu.edu. " When: Friday, June 1112-7 p.m. Saturday, June 12 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Where: Orem City Center Courtyard, just Southwest of the Orem Library Admission: Free "I hope people become more aware of these . treasures of art we have here and take the time to enrich their lives by enjoying them." Art by Sarah R. Samuclson SCHEDULED EVENTS (Artist presentations will be in the City Multi-Purpose Room) Friday, June 11 1 p.m. Live music: Jess Smiley/Acoustic 2 p.m. Artist presentation: Dennis Zupan/Ceramics 3 p.m. Live music: Stargarden/Bluegrass Folk Music 4 p.m. Artist presentation: Nathan Hale/Illustration 5 p.m. Live music: UVU Jazz Ensemble 6 p.m. Artist presentation: Uz Lemon Swindle/Painting Saturday, June 12 10 a.m. Live music: The Apprentices/Student Jazz Trio 12 p.m. Artist presentation: Hagen Haltern/Mixed Media 1 p.m. Live music: Jess Smiley/Acoustic 2 p.m. Artist presentation: David Hawklnson/Photography 3 p.m. Live music; Par 5/R&B, Soul, Jazz Band 4 p.m. Artist presentation: Daniel Fairbanks/Sculpture 5 p.m. Live music: The Geslison Family/Folk Music 6 p.m. Artist presentation: Sean Diediker/Encaustic Art by DonteU. Fairbanks An by Kate Birch Daniel J. Fairbanks, local artist and ass^piate dean of UVU's College of Science and Health, is featured in Orem's Arts in the Park series. • |