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Maricopa Arts Council leads fine-arts renaissance in city
Chandler Republic - NEWS BY YOU
Submitted by Laura Olivieri of Maricopa Arts Council and Maricopa Music Circle.
In keeping with Maricopa’s 10th anniversary of incorporation and a proclamation by Mayor Christian Price that “artistic expression of all kinds connects and strengthens our city,” Maricopa is experiencing a renaissance in the fine arts.
Creation of the Maricopa Arts Council was a milestone last summer. MAC acquired non-profit status and already has supported the community-involved mural painting of an exterior wall at Maricopa Wells Middle School and a competition to design a MAC logo. It also created an arts calendar at maricopaartscouncil.wix.com/maricopaartscouncil.
MAC’s lecture series, “Inside the Creative Mind,” presented at Maricopa Public Library, is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. the final Thursday each month. The lectures are free and open to the public. The first four:
Jan. 30 — “Conceptualizing for the Theatre,” presented by Carrie Vargas, founder and director of Maricopa Community Theatre, and Danielle Crosbie, writer and director.
Feb. 27 — “Inside the Mind’s Ear,” presented by John Janzen, founder and artistic director of the Maricopa Chorus.
March 27 — “Inside the Mind’s Eye,” presented by Pete Herzog, photographer and founder of Shutterbugs.
April 24 — “Conceptualizing for the Dance,” presented by Ceylan Gentilella, founder and director of the dance academy Desert Sun Performing Arts.
The Maricopa Music Circle, the city’s original chamber orchestra, joins the newly formed Maricopa Chorus for a two-concert series, the first on Saturday, March 15, at First Baptist Church of Maricopa. It will feature opera music by Bizet and Saint-Saens, and excerpts from Schubert’s Mass in G major along with original arrangements of big-band standards and tunes written for stage musicals of the golden age.
On Saturday, Nov. 8, the second Art on the Veranda, a large juried show, is scheduled at the Duke clubhouse, featuring painting, pottery, jewelry, housewares, woodworking, sculpture, musical-instrument crafting and weaving. Applications to show are open through Saturday, Feb. 1, and can be requested from Karen Stephenson, karen@karenglass.com. More information is available from Cynthia Portrey, sportrey@aol.com or 520-280-6746.
The Maricopa arts season has included an expanded “Nutcracker” by Desert Sun Performing Arts at Maricopa High’s 700-seat Performing Arts Center, Maricopa Music Circle’s annual formal Winter Serenade concert with the first public appearance by the chorus directed by Janzen and the inaugural “Maricopa’s Got Talent” to benefit a domestic-violence shelter. Maricopa creative and performing groups welcome new artists and reach out to performers throughout the Valley. Maricopa Arts Council, Maricopa Music Circle, Maricopa Chorus, Desert Sun Performing Arts and Maricopa Community Theatre host individual websites and Facebook pages.
Current Reviews
MCT's 'Pride and Prejudice' Empowers Woman
By Craig Cummins
January 13, 2014 - 3:30 pm, Inmaricopa.com
A history teacher at Maricopa High School gives Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy a fresh makeover in the Maricopa Community Theatre’s upcoming adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
The play runs for 10 performances starting Friday.
When history teacher Danielle Crosbie decided to rewrite Austen’s masterpiece, she said she wanted something that hadn’t been done before.
Tired of seeing versions sacrifice the historical accuracy for added entertainment, she decided to put the women back into history and tell the story the way she believes Austen meant to tell it.
“Movie versions of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ give people a different idea of the era because that’s what we think women were at that point. As I read and reread the story and learned more about history, I realized that women were much more empowered, just in a different way then they are today,” Crosbie said.
It took six months for Crosbie and the rest of the Maricopa Community Theatre to get to this point.
“Usually we practice twice a week but now we’re getting close to the show and doing it five times a week from 7 p.m. until we feel done,” said assistant stage director Tanner Glen, 17.
“The biggest challenge has been getting the actors to delve into the characters,” said Glen. “It’s hard getting in a character Crosbie made as opposed to the ones they have seen in the movies or read in the book.”
Played by Maricopa Community Theatre owner and artistic director Carrie Vargas, Mrs. Bennet is described by Crosbie as usually being comedic “in a ditsy, non-intelligent way” and is quite different in this version.
Vargas said, “Mrs. Bennet is a lot different from other productions you would see; she’s usually stodgy and quiet. This character I liken to a Mrs. Cleaver mixed with Eddie Haskell.”
The workload is hefty for the cast and crew as they make their final preparations before opening night, but the crew remains confident they’ll be ready.
“I believe Jane Austen would be incredibly proud,” Crosbie said. “Her words finally came through the way we now know women were.”
The performance will also feature Judith Lang Zaimont, composer and coordinator for Maricopa Music Circle, and three of her fellow musicians playing era appropriate music selected by Zaimont and Crosbie.
Performances start 7 p.m. Friday at the Maricopa Community Theatre, 41600 W. Smith-Enke Road near the library. They continue:
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2 and 7 p.m., Saturday
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7 p.m., Jan 24.
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2 and 7 p.m., Jan. 25
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7 p.m., Jan. 30
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7 p.m., Jan. 31
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2 and 7 p.m., Feb. 1
Tickets for the show are $12 and can be bought online at Brown Paper Tickets.
