Evergreen Players: “Human Beings
and Other Acts of Comedy”
The Evergreen Players want to get people out of the house in the cold month of January to see their nine one-act plays.
Opening on Jan. 21 and running through Feb. 5, “Human Beings and Other Acts of Comedy” written and directed by Scott Gibson, features 18 local actors — a third of whom have never acted on stage before — who want to make you laugh.
The performances will be in the Evergreen Players’ new small theater on Meadow Drive next to Evergreen Christian Outreach. This intimate setting seats 35 people.
Gibson has been writing plays for over 20 years and has been involved in Colorado theater for twice as long. He has had more than two dozen plays produced around the country and has a play opening in London in February.
For this production, Gibson wanted to emphasize community.
“I really wanted to put the community back into community theater with this. … Let’s really allow people to come out and see their friends, neighbors and coworkers on stage in productions,” he said.
Gibson thinks that these one-acts are a great opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy local theater.
“Laughter warms you up, and my only goal in these plays is to have an audience walk out of the theater feeling good, laughing and enjoying what they just saw,” he said.
Performances are at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee on Jan. 30. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at evergreenplayers.org.
Patrons must be vaccinated and wear masks at the performance, and proof of vaccination is required for those eligible for the vaccine. Children under the minimum age of vaccination must also wear masks.
CAE: “I’m Here” Teen Exhibition
In the second year of the teen exhibition, Center for the Arts Evergreen invites the public to see 50 pieces of unique art produced by Colorado teens.
According to Sara Miller, CAE’s director of exhibitions, the teen show is one of the most powerful shows of the year at the gallery. She says the exhibition is truly run by teenagers.
“They are the ones that decide on the layout, they decide the flow of the show, how it will hang. … The teen council are also the ones who select the awards for the show,” she said.
This year, the exhibition received almost 200 submissions. The art on display includes oil, acrylic, pastel, mixed media, ceramics, photography and more. Nearly 20 high schools around Colorado and one middle school are represented in the show.
An exhibition like this can be eye-opening to the community, according to Miller.
“I think that teenagers are often not taken as seriously as they should be, and when people came to the show last year, they left saying, `I had no idea that our teen population was so in tune with their feelings and so in touch with the world,” she said.
The “I’m Here” Teen Exhibition runs through Feb. 12. The hours for viewing are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. The gallery does not charge admission but takes donations.
StageDoor Theatre: “Stage Kiss”
StageDoor Theatre’s Adult Company will perform Sara Ruhl’s play “Stage Kiss,” which gives insight into the life of working actors in an “off-off-off Broadway production.”
Gavin Maurer plays the director of the productions within the play. He has been performing with StageDoor since 2003 and has been in around 25 productions.
The cast, directed by Paul Newman, rehearsed five nights a week for four weeks to prepare for opening night.
“The strength is definitely our cast. Everyone has a lot of experience, and the chemistry is great between everyone,” Maurer said.
Maurer says that the play, while funny, dives a little deeper into a story.
“It’s witty and it’s a little bit edgy. It has some edgy moments, and I think the audience will really like that. There’s a lot of laughter, but it really goes deep into people’s personalities,” he said. “The whole thing is about working actors. None of them are stars, and it’s kind of `off-off-off broadway,’ and you kind of see a lot of behind-the-scenes things.”
The play opens Jan. 28 and runs through Feb. 20. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with matinees at 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets can be purchased at stagedoortheatre.org.
Evergreen Middle School:
“School of Rock”
The RAMbunctious Theatre Company at Evergreen Middle School is ready to rock with its production of “School of Rock,” directed by performing arts teacher Elizabeth Tanner.
The musical features students who auditioned last year via video, and they show off their musical talents in true “School of Rock” form. The musical will be filmed in the middle school in classrooms, hallways and on stage.
Tanner says the best part about the rehearsals so far have been the kids getting to know each other and their talents.
“When all three grades come together at that first rehearsal, and we do a sing through, the sheer volume of it is extraordinary,” she said.
The group started with after-school rehearsals in December and has been doing in-class rehearsals since the beginning of the year.
A recorded performance will be shown at Evergreen High School at 7 p.m. Jan. 27-29 with a matinee at 2 p.m. Jan. 30. Tickets can be purchased at emstheatre.ticketleap.com.
