Sunday, November 05, 2006
Let the curtain rise
Christian Trejbal
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From the RoundTable blog
Michael and Helene Kiser moved to Blacksburg almost a year ago when Michael took a job with Virginia Tech as the director of development communications.
As they got to know their new hometown, something was missing.
"We were both a little surprised and disappointed that there wasn't something here as far as a regularly performing outlet for community drama," Michael said.
Back where the Kisers used to live, Loudoun County and before that Lynchburg, their children, 10-year-old Claire and 12-year-old Simon, participated in local productions. It was something they enjoyed, and they noticed its absence in Blacksburg.
Now it's back. Drama buffs in the New River Valley hope to revive a community theater group for all ages called Trisoul Productions. Their first show will be "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," with at least eight performances planned for December.
The Kiser kids have parts.
Theatergoers have not lacked shows in Blacksburg. Tech attracts and puts on a number of performances each year. The school even has plans for a $50 million performing arts center downtown.
Then there is Summer Musical Enterprise, which, as the name says, puts on a musical every summer.
And kids can participate in the annual weeklong summer camp Exploring Multiple Intelligences Through Theater.
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What has been lacking is a year-round, larger, amateur group that puts on multiple shows. The Playmakers troupe used to fill that niche, but it folded a few years ago.
This year brought more bad news for the dramatic arts with the end of the teen-run Side Show Productions, its core members graduating and moving on.
All of which leaves the field wide open for Trisoul. "We felt like people were hungry for theater," said Joe Trice, who is heading up the effort and producing "Pageant." He hopes that if it goes well, the group will be able to file as a nonprofit and provide an artistic outlet for the New River Valley.
I hope he is right. Growing up in Cleveland, I never participated in local theater productions because I am not a very good actor. Put me on stage and all you will get is a stammering tomato. I had friends who acted, though, and they got a lot out of it.
Local productions can tie together a community. They let regular people assemble entertainment for everyone else. It's not about money. It's not about ego, usually. It's about doing something you enjoy and boosting appreciation for the performing arts.
It's an educational experience, too, especially for kids. Michael Kiser put it well when he said, "There's a lot to learn about being part of a bigger thing. The success of it depends on everyone playing his role well."
For the acting-inhibited like me, there are plenty of other ways to participate. Plays need artists to paint sets, technicians to operate lights and sound systems, and ticket takers to, well, take tickets. Trice figures about 50 people will be involved in "Pageant," and only half will appear on stage.
Done right, community theater offers something for everyone. Sure, some plays speak to adults and deserve local production, but plenty of others can involve people of all ages. "Pageant" will feature actors aged 4 to 84.
The trick is striking that balance between family-oriented and more challenging fare. Therein might be the only knock against Trisoul.
The group put on "Godspell" a couple of years ago as a warm-up of sorts. "Pageant" has a strong seasonal message. And the performances will be at Fieldstone United Methodist Church in Christiansburg, which was the best available space on a tight budget, according to Trice.
I sensed a Christian theme and asked him about it.
He concedes that the group is starting with a Christian undercurrent, but he does not plan for it to be restricted only to holy shows. "I wouldn't call us a Christian production group," he said. "It's not intended to be all Christian all the time."
Good. A community theater needs to be inclusive, and there are more than Christians in the New River Valley.
"Pageant" might be too treacly and Jesus-centric for my tastes, but I will try to catch the Kiser kids on stage. Launching a community theater group is an exciting prospect that could increase the cultural vibrancy of the New River Valley. It deserves support.
Christian Trejbal is an editorial writer for The Roanoke Times based in the New River Valley Bureau in Christiansburg.
