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By Camille Gavin
Wednesday, Feb 08 2012 04:51 PM
Powerful and color-blind. Those are the words that continue to flash across my brain as I reflect on a preview of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf" that I saw last Friday.
In my mind's eye, I "see" the word powerful, because it describes the range of emotion -- some of it gut-wrenching -- conveyed by this all-female cast in the show, which opens Friday at Bakersfield Community Theatre.
As for color-blind, that phrase represents my hope that, after seeing this show, skin color will become invisible to local directors when announcing auditions for their shows. Casting a black actor in a traditionally white role has happened occasionally in Bakersfield theaters, but not often enough in my view.
Thomas G. Robinson, the director of "For Colored Girls ..." tells me that only two members of his cast have had previous experience. So why, I wonder, is this the first time the other five have appeared on stage in Bakersfield? I'm telling you, all of these women have a lot to offer when it comes to creating a believable character.
True, this production is BCT's annual recognition of Black History Month. Indeed, playwright Ntozake Shange meant for it to be acted by black women. But these seven BCT actresses would do equally well in productions that are not so narrowly focused.
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Felix Adamo's photographic prints of flowers are truly inventive. With a sure hand and a keen eye, he shows their beauty and complexity in ways I've never seen before.
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"Phoenix Arising," the title of Norma Neil's solo show of watercolors opening Friday at the Art Center, has a special meaning for the artist.
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It seems to me that in the last 12 months Brian Sivesind has set some sort of a record in the ever-changing world of local theater.
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On some days when she was very young, Bakersfield native Lia Mendez's panic attacks kept her from attending school. Despite having supportive parents who took her to counselors and other therapists, she often was too scared to leave the safety of her home.
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The title of the play by Rebecca Gilman opening Friday at The Empty Space, is deceiving. It's called "Boy Gets Girl" and on the surface it sounds like a cutesy romantic story about a couple who fall in love and live happily ever after.
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A bundle of changes are in store for the Spotlight Theatre, including a switch to a calendar-year season and an entirely new format for the summer months.
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Whether it's film or live theater, Michael Prince thrives on creativity -- his own as well as that of others.
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True to the art of improvisation, Derek Mears has no idea what theme or topic he'll explore for his appearance Friday evening at the CIA.
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When I first learned that "Zawadi" was the title of the Bakersfield High School choirs' winter concert, I wondered about its origin. So I checked with Christopher Borges , director of the choirs, who was able to fill me in on the details.
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In presenting the Boar's Head Festival this weekend, the congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church is reviving what many consider a highlight of the Christmas season.
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When I first saw the term "Lethal Mixer," I was puzzled because it seemed contradictory. After all, "mixer" usually refers to a pleasant social gathering. Put a synonym for deadly in front of it and it looks like the title for an Agatha Christie mystery.
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Paintings done by eight local artists named winners in a juried competition with a movies-related theme are being enlarged to 12-by-18 feet -- yes feet, not inches -- and soon will be posted on the outer walls of Maya Cinemas.
