American stage and film actress Tallulah Bankhead once remarked that the only person with steady employment in the theater is the watchman. Yet, that cautionary statement does not apply to the Slidell Little Theatre, which is celebrating its 50th year of existence. Referring to their organization as "Fifty Years Strong," the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization has provided steady entertainment for lovers of the stage as well as a forum for children and adult actors.
Don Redman, vice president in charge of marketing, said that this season is inspired by looking back to celebrate the past 50 years and by pressing forward to the next 50 years. After an all-call to artists and graphic designers, the SLT board recently chose six artists to illustrate the poster and playbill in unique styles for each of the six upcoming plays.
"We have a slate of big attractions. ?Into the Woods? was the first production in 1994 in our new facility, so it has an emotional attachment for us. ?A Christmas Story? is a fan favorite, and ?Willie Wonka? has never been performed on our stage before," he said.
Redman expressed appreciation and amazement, "I marvel over all the talent that was submitted. We had so many incredible products offered to us that it was difficult to pick the final six artists."
The first play of the 2012-13 season, beginning Aug. 17, will be "Willie Wonka," and the poster was created by Joshua Heinsz, an illustrator and designer originally from Slidell. He describes himself as "being raised through SLT" and has spent time modeling and performing professionally for Walt Disney Company. He received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design and is now pursuing a master of fine arts degree in illustration at the Maryland Institute College of the Arts.
Heinsz?s poster depicts the play with candies wrapped in colorful wrappers stuffed inside the iconic Wonka top hat. The play data is printed on a golden ticket just as the one that got Charlie into the tightly guarded, magical, chocolate factory.
"Pippin" will follow, beginning Oct. 12. Kahra Martinez designed the poster in beautiful lettering with sweeping curves and a crown on the second letter. The crown represents the prince of the play, "Pippin," who longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. The energetic presentation is more intellectually complex than most people realize.
Martinez is a web and mobile application designer. An animal lover, she claims to run her own empire alongside the Basset Army and the evil Kittypants Rex. Among her delights are making things, solving problems, and eating cheese to which she is allergic. She is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in visual art with emphases in graphic design, digital art and painting.
For the end-of-year holidays, "A Christmas Story" will be presented. A well-known and beloved play about one family?s wisdom and folly guarantees to enthrall audiences with its hilarity and poignancy. The poster artist, Kristin Greenfelder, captures many of the identifiable elements of the play in her poster. A lamp made in the form of a lady?s leg, a pink bunny suit, and a Red Rider BB gun are represented in her artwork. The bespeckled main character and narrator, Ralphie, appears as the connection among all these parts.
A graduate of Central Michigan University, Greenfelder now calls Slidell home. She is an apprentice to master painter Louis Maestas of Albuquerque. Since turning over her share of a partnership in a screen printing and embroidery business, she has begun to focus on fine art and also designs stage sets, sings jingles, creates logos and illustrates books.
For the beginning of winter 2013, SLT will perform "Into the Woods" starting Jan. 18. Artist Cal DeSmith offers in his poster a contemporary artwork of bare trees and their shadows with a stylized Little Red Riding Hood looking inward. The white letters of the title are symbolically intertwined with the tree tops all on a green background. The musical weaves the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and follows them to explore the consequences of the characters? wishes and quests. Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella are among the characters.
DeSmith is a sophomore at Southeastern, majoring in graphic design. He also enjoys painting. He said, "I appreciate the opportunity that SLT has given me to present my work to a new audience. I also thank my friends and family for their love and support."
"A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams promises to please local audiences with scenery of New Orleans. A romantic drama shakes the lives of the Kowalskis, Stanley and Stella, when Stella?s sister, Blanche, arrives via the streetcar Desire. It is desire that drives the plot and leads to the ending of the oft repeated cry, "Stella."
The poster by Katherine Klimitas depicts a Southern Belle clad in pink and headed to a balcony apartment after dismounting a green streetcar. A street sign in the French Quarter style displays the title of the play. Klimitas is an aspiring artist who began painting at age 5. She prefers watercolors and acrylic paints for depicting her favorite animals and their personalities. A recent summa cum laude graduate of Loyola University, she has a bachelor?s degree in graphic design. As an independent designer, she accepts commissions for pet portraits as well as for custom jewelry.
The final theatrical presentation of the season will be "Show Boat." It follows the lives of performers, stage hands and dock workers on the riverboat Cotton Blossom. The play follows the relationship of gambler Gaylord Ravenal and Magnolia Hawks, the captain?s daughter. It presents a love story, as well as a political statement about racial inequality.
In her artwork, Sarah Boudreaux, places a river boat as it docks along a sun-drenched orange and yellow Mississippi River. Silhouetted in the foreground, lovers embrace in a kiss under moss-laden live oak trees. Boudreaux, a Slidell native and Picayune, Miss., resident, has a bachelor of arts degree in studio art with a minor in graphic design.
Her art expressions were encouraged at Rembrandt Studio and then at Pope John Paul High School and finally Spring Hill College. She enjoys graphite, oils and colored pencils and is both a commission artist and a graphic designer at M&M Printing.
The artworks serve as invitations to join in the joy of the theater where reality is reflected in unique and captivating ways, as it has been for the past 50 years. For information about auditions, ticket prices or productions, visit www.slidelllittletheatre.org. Reservations can be made online or by calling 985.641.0324.
News about arts activities in east St. Tammany may be sent to Kathleen DesHotel, 1120 Pennsylvania Ave., Slidell, LA 70458-2008; or by email to kathleenfocused@gmail.com. All submissions become the property of The Times-Picayune and will not be returned; submissions may be edited and published or otherwise reused in any medium.
greg kelly karen handel hangout todd haley kareem abdul jabbar karl rove miramonte elementary school
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.