Page 9 - Reedley Exponent 2-15-18 E-edition

The Reedley Exponent BPanorama
Reedley Drama Club welcomes popular writer and artist team See B8
Section | Thursday, February 15, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com Reedley (Fresno County) CA 93654 'Swing!' time
The View From Here
As Reedley’s River City The- atre Company prepares to open its next produc- tion – “Swing!” – at the historic Reedley Opera House, I thought this would be a good opportunity to present infor- mation given to the City Council.
Felicia Cousart Matlosz
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
felicia@midvalleypublishing.com
With its upcoming production of “Swing!,” Reedley’s River City The- atre Company will fill the historic Opera House with the joyful, exu- berant sounds and moves of a jazzy music era that’s still popular today.
The bouncy show – which opens Friday, Feb. 23, and plays selected dates through Sunday, March 11 – is packed with songs, such as “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.”
For director Tidy Gill, it’s been a labor of love. She’s a huge fan of the Swing Era that reigned through the 1930s and 1940s.
“I love the era,” Gill said. “It was such a time of hope, especially in the music. It got people through the [Great] Depression and a world war.”
“All of us are passionate about this dance, this music. We all just love it."
– Stephanie Barnett, cast member in 'Swing!'
Laramie Woolsey, who is a sing- er in the cast and appeared in other RCTC productions, said there are some quieter moments in the show, but “mostly it’s a very quick, fun, energetic show.”
There is no dialogue. But there are vignettes rather than a straight- forward story that move the musical along. Gill said: “It reminds me a lot of a variety show in the sense that you have reoccurring characters and themes.”
Or, as Woolsey put it: “It’s more about enjoying the music and letting the music tell the story.”
“Swing!” is a first-time produc- tion for RCTC and hasn’t been pre- sented in region for a while. It may not be as familiar a title as other Broadway shows, but the musical
was nominated in 2000 for several Tony Awards, including Best Musi- cal, after debuting in 1999.
The vigor of the RCTC show will be heightened by a seven-member band performing with the 12 cast members.
This type of show is an en- semble, but the performers have distinctive characters. Some of the cast members will be singing only, others dancing only, and some will be doing both.
Woolsey, for example, plays a “glitzy” jazz singer. “She’s all about being glamorous and being the star,” she said. “I have moments when peo- ple follow me off the stage, a fan- girling me kind of thing. It’s really, really fun.”
Stephanie Barnett, another RCTC veteran, said her character is more of an everyday person who works hard all day. But, when the clock hits 7 in the evening, it’s time to go dancing.
Barnett said she wanted to be in “Swing!” because she’s an avid fan of swing music. And, she said “this is just one of the best casts you can have.”
“All of us are passionate about this dance, this music. We all just love it,” Barnett said. “The oppor- tunity to get to do a show that’s completely dedicated to one type of music does not come around very often.”
The rest of the cast members are Sarah Andrew-Bailey, Rachel Ensley, Theo Hill, Bethany Hough- ton, Charlton Hughes, Desiree Line- barger, Jayromy Mercado, Jessica Meredith, Jeremy Salas and Jessica Williams.
Members of the band are Jordan Williams, Josh Harden, Emily Go- mez, Ryan Ubhoff, Nick Bell, Jason Awbrey and Omar Ruiz.
Williams is the music director, and Gill is the vocal coach. The cos- tumes are designed by Hill, who has done the wardrobe for other RCTC productions. Local hairstylist Lillie Valencia, who’s also worked on other
Reedley's River City Theatre Company presents the jukebox musical "Swing!"
The song- and-dance produc- tion opens Friday, Feb. 23, at the historic Reedley Op- era House. The show runs se- lected dates through March 11.
LEFT: Cast members include Theo Hill and Rachel Ensley.
Reedley's River City Theatre
Company / Photo Contributed
down the swing style of dancing, the cast members worked with the Fres- no Swing Dance troupe to learn the intricacies of the fast-paced steps. The cast participated in intense workshops and attended classes.
Barnett said that she anticipates
See RCTC page B7
Steve Jones, RCTC’s execu- tive director and a performer and director, appeared before the council on Jan. 9 with Sarah Reid, superintendent of the city’s Com- munity Services Department. (She now also is the interim director of that department.)
The city owns the building, and RCTC stages its productions there as well as undertaking oth- er responsibilities that include scheduling non-theatrical events, marketing the theater company in conjunction with the Opera House, and performing “routine and gen- eral upkeep and maintenance” of the venue.
RCTC has a five-year agree- ment with the city that ends on Oct. 31, 2019. Reid said as the time draws near to that date, city staff will bring forth a recommendation about another agreement.
The 2017-18 roster of shows marks the 15th season for the lo- cal theater company, which has made a name for itself by staging lauded large-scale productions in the intimate confines of the Reed- ley Opera House.
Reid spoke positively about the partnership with RCTC.
“I would like to say that I re- ally appreciate the working rela- tionship that we have with the Riv- er City Theatre Company. Every time something comes up, I get quick responses,” she said.
For years, Mark Norwood was the artistic leader of RCTC, until he stepped down in 2016. Jones now is in that role.
Reid said: “When Mark Nor- wood left, it was very seamless changing the guard with Steve Jones. A beat was not missed.”
In turn, Jones said that when the theater group needs some- thing, city officials are quick to respond.
As part of the current agree- ment that started Nov. 1, 2014, RCTC offered Reedley-based or- ganizations the opportunity to at- tend a dress rehearsal for upcom- ing plays and musicals.
Reid said there’s been interest in this, and that they continue to get the word out. Groups that have participated include the Reedley College Pete P. Peters Honors Pro- gram and a number of afterschool programs in the Kings Canyon Unified School District.
“Those who have attended the plays have really enjoyed the ex- perience and probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go without this,” Reid said.
Jones reported that mainte- nance projects completed last year included refinishing the stage floor and repairing the par- quet floor of the upstairs Green Room. The parquet floor had wa- ter damage, so a door also was sealed to help prevent that from happening again.
Upcoming projects will in- clude refinishing the distinctive wooden front doors to the opera house.
Jones also went over atten- dance numbers with the council members. Some shows from the 2016-17 season stayed within the average while others drew larger numbers. “Ring of Fire,” based on the songs sung by country music legend Johnny Cash was a stand-
out.“I’ve learned it has a lot to do with the title or style of show,” Jones said in an interview this month. “As I wonder why, I land on the fact that Johnny Cash’s music is timeless and has a wide appeal.”
I’ll also note that RCTC audi- ences don’t just come from Reed- ley but from surrounding commu- nities, including Fresno.
Overall, Jones said he was
See COLUMN page B2
RCTC shows, is creating the wigs. The set is designed by Steve Jones (RCTC’s executive director), Joseph Hill and Karl Jensen.
Newcomer Emily Dixon is the choreographer.
Perhaps more than any other RCTC musical, dance takes center stage as much as the singing. To nail
RCTC opens jukebox musical about the Swing Era on Feb. 23
RC Speaker Series kicks off Feb. 22
Steven Barclay Agency
Mark Salzman
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz
felicia@midvalleypublishing.com
The Reedley College Speaker Series is mixing it up a bit this time, with appearances not only by noted writers but by relatives of a woman whose incredible real-life story be- came a best-selling book and televi- sion movie starring Oprah Winfrey.
The authors coming to the series – which begins Feb. 22 – are Mark Salzman, a fiction and creative non- fiction writer whose work and ex- perience cuts across cultures and is best known for “Iron & Silk,” and poet Sasha Pimentel, who studied at Fresno State and whose hard-hitting work has earned her a PEN Open Book Award nomination for 2017 for “For Want of Water.”
The relatives are those of Hen- rietta Lacks, whose story was un- veiled in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” an award-winning book written by Rebecca Skloot and published in 2010.
The book recounts what hap- pened when Hicks, an African-
American woman, in 1951 was di- agnosed with terminal cervical can- cer. She sought treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. Neither she nor her family knew a doctor took cells from her cervix.
Those cells became the basis for the HeLa immortal cell line, which has been used for a broad range of experiments that led to advances in medicine and science.
The book also explored issues of ethics, race and those who profited from Lacks’ tissue.
The book is Reedley College’s 2017-18 selection for its 1 Book/1 College program that encourages a shared reading and discussion expe- rience among students, faculty and staff members.
The Speaker Series has earned a prime reputation for drawing some of the nation’s best and brightest writers to Reedley College.
Past speakers include Joyce Carol Oates, Jane Smiley, T.C. Boyle,
See SPEAKER page B8
Photo by Jorge Salgado
Sasha Pimentel
Reedley Library invites public to join the Big Read
Staff Report
The Fresno County Public Li- brary system, which includes the Reedley Library, is encouraging people to take part in the annual Big Read by reading this year’s selection – “The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir” by Kao Kalia Yang.
The Big Read, which started last month, runs through April. A variety of programs and events con- nected to the book are being held at Fresno County branches, including Reedley, Orange Cove and Parlier.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts, with Arts Midwest, to promote reading across the country.
Reedley Library activities in- clude a session on Tuesday, March 6, in which the Friends of the Reedley Library will be reading and discuss- ing the book. Janet Adams will lead the discussion. The meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. at the library, 1027 E St.
Anyone interested in joining the group is encouraged to pick up a copy of “The Latehomecomer” at the Reedley Library ( a limited sup- ply is available).
Author Yang was born in a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand in 1980, according to a description by Publishers Weekly. The memoir tells the story of her family, their
See BIG READ page B7
The Reedley Library is part of the Big Read, which encour- ages people
to read and participate in programs and activities. The Fresno County selection this year is "The Latehome- comer: A Hmong Family Memoir" by Kao Kalia Yang.
Felicia Cousart
Matlosz / The Exponent