Wednesday, June 23, 2010

All the World a Stage

Eckerd Theater Company actors Gi Sung and Jack Holloway portray all the characters in this story-theater retelling of C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (adapted by le Clanché du Rand). Photo courtesy of ETC.

 Shakespeare meant, perhaps, that every moment of our lives is played for a cosmic audience.

Eckerd Theater Company, on the other hand, reads those words as an invitation to perform wherever -- library meeting rooms, school gyms, auditoriums. While they love having a full stage with lights and sound, give them a few square yards of bare floor and -- poof!

Suddenly, George Washington, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other historical characters parade through a teenager's rec room when she questions why she should bother casting her Vote! Or a fairy tale village appears with its inhabitants learning about cooperative economics by making Stone Soup & Dragon Dumplings.

Or we glimpse a child's-eye view of Terezin concentration camp where about 15,000 children under the age of 15 were interred -- and only about 100 survived. One of ETC's most requested productions is I Never Saw Another Butterfly, which tells the too-seldom-told story of these young Holocaust victims.

This week, ETC -- resident theater company at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall -- presents an adaptation of C. S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to Tampa Bay area audiences (see schedule below) -- for free! Which makes it a doubly good offer. ETC performs locally only a few times each year. Most of their time is spent touring schools and libraries in other towns and cities along the East Coast.

ETC, like many other non-profit organizations, has struggled with recent funding cuts. Tax-funded public grants have shrunk along with the economy. Private donations haven't always filled the gap. Nevertheless, Ruth Eckerd Hall's governing boards have affirmed their support of ETC, and the troupe is preparing for the 2010-2011 season.

ETC isn't the only professional theater company in the Tampa Bay area. American Stage Theater Company, The Gorilla Theater, Jobsite Theater, Inc., Salerno Theatre Co., Inc., Spanish Lyric Theatre, and Stageworks Theatre offer various types of theater experiences. Additionally, we have a strong community theater base (see pp. 135 for a list), including the St. Petersburg Little Theatre, Florida's oldest, continually operating community theater.

But ETC is the area's only children's theater company, and therein lies the proverbial rub because children's theater, like children's literature in general, sometimes is seen as less than "real" theater. Make no mistake: While sometimes minimalist in setting, ETC distills classic writings from Aesop, Poe, and others into potent productions that do not just introduce children to theater but also recall adults to the essence of theater.

See ETC's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (recommended for ages 8 and up -- 40 minutes plus Q&A afterward) this Thursday through Saturday at:

Saturday, June 5, 2010

From "A Kick in the Grass" to World Cup?

 No. 32 Takuya Yamada during the May 29th game against the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Rowdies won, 2-1. Photo by Matt May, courtesy of Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Before the Bucs, before the Lightning, and before the Rays, we had the Rowdies. Tampa Bay's first major professional sports team --not counting the many Grapefruit League teams who have made us their winter homes -- won the North American Soccer League title in 1975, the same year they debuted. The original Rowdies played in four different leagues between 1975 and 1993 when they disbanded. Check IGTB p. 178 for more history on the original "Kick in the Grass" Rowdies.

After almost 17 years, professional soccer returned to the Tampa Bay area last month when the new FC Tampa Bay Rowdies beat Baltimore in their first game in the United Soccer Leagues.

And, while we may have lost out on our most recent bid for the Super Bowl, which we have hosted four times now, Tampa Bay is in the running to host a FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup game or games in 2018 or 2022.


Want to show your support? Go to Visit Tampa Bay or the Go USA Bid Web site for more info. Or click the online petition below.