ASF Camps and Classes - Stepping Stones to Stardom
What do a street
urchin, the son of a king, a precocious little rascal of the 1950s, and a boy
who shoots his eye out all have in common?
Ask Seth Meriwether, a 10th grade student in his second year
at Booker T. Washington Magnet High School.
Seth has appeared as all these characters onstage at ASF, and at just 15
years old is a full-fledged professional actor, having appeared in film and
television as well as on the professional stage.
Although Seth's first professional gig (at age 11) was a small role in ASF's Richard III that was not the real start of his career. It all began for Seth when his 4th grade teacher, Ms. Donna Gunn, sent in an application to one of the camps at ASF. Seth spent a week at Camp Shakespeare learning skills in acting, voice and stage combat-and from there had the opportunity to audition for Richard III. More ASF Acting Academy classes followed preparing him for increasingly larger roles culminating in his critically acclaimed performance as Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Seth relates his experience of appearing on the Festival Stage. "It was cool because I had never been on such a big set. Everything else I did up until that was done in the Octagon Theatre. But A Christmas Story was a fun play. It really was."
Seth has had unique opportunities to develop his skills at ASF: he's watched professional actors as they craft their characters, taken classes to prepare him as an actor and been cast in interesting roles where he could put his training into practice. With the wide variety of classes and camps available, he has taken everything from Weekend Warrior, a summer stage combat intensive for older students, to Rodney Clark's On Camera Academy class which helped prepare him for his film and commercial work. Seth landed the lead role of Rudy Pazinski in Over the Tavern in 2008. Greta Lambert, who played his mother, speaks fondly of her experience working with him. "Seth Meriwether is probably the smartest kid I have ever met. As an actor he has a quiet intensity and focus. He may be shy offstage but in rehearsal and on stage he is fearless. He will try anything. I know this is a result of his professional training. When young actors have taken classes they possess a kind of confidence that can only be gained by doing endless acting exercises and improvisation in front of other people."
This winter in addition to its regular offerings, ASF is introducing new Master Class Workshops for the serious actor who wants to take their craft to new levels. Work directly with ASF's New York based repertory actors in workshops for On Camera, Improv, Auditioning and Make-up. No place in the Southeast can offer theatre artists this level of instruction! For a complete listing of Academy and camp offerings visit our website.
Two Tales of One City
One hundred and
fifty years ago in Montgomery a store owner with a secret, a slave guided by
love, a fiery politician, and a divided family took sides and took a stand.
Their story is your story.
This spring two world premiere plays will take the stage at ASF. Based on real people and events, these two companion pieces, Blood Divided and The Flag Maker of Market Street, look at the early days of the Civil War.
In Blood Divided by Jeffry L. Chastang, 15-year old Willie Baldwin is enthralled by radical secessionist William Lowndes Yancey and increasingly disenchanted by his father's more moderate views. But Willie's father, a prominent Montgomery physician who has recently freed his own slaves, is not to be trifled with. As tension grows between Willie, his father and freeman James Hale, Willie's rash behavior has unforeseen consequences. This gripping coming of age story follows a young man trying to make sense of his chaotic world and a father desperate to keep his son safe in dangerous times. "There is always significant tension between a father and a son coming of age," said Chastang. "Having this tension take place in an atmosphere of a seemingly inevitable war, along with the diametrically opposed influences of Yancey and Hale, both of whom are people Willie loves, and the stage is set for conflict of the highest degree."
The Flag Maker of Market Street by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder follows the story of George Cowles, a Connecticut merchant and transplant to Montgomery. As the fires of war ignite, Cowles and other Southerners against separating from the Union secretly meet to stifle the movement. At the same time, Cowles is commissioned by Confederate president Jefferson Davis to design and debut the first Confederate flag. Cowles' unexpected high profile and underground activities put himself and those around him in grave danger.
These two productions are the product of a three year journey through the Southern Writers' Project. Commissioned by Producing Artistic Director Geoffrey Sherman and made possible with the support of the Alabama Department of Tourism, these plays are part of Alabama's sesquicentennial commemoration of the American Civil War that had its beginnings in Montgomery. Two playwrights with Alabama roots were given the task of crafting compelling stories of that turbulent time. These stories were then painstakingly workshopped and developed by ASF's renowned Southern Writers' Project. The history that was uncovered created two moving stories that will pique your students' curiosity.
As ASF's Producing Artistic Director, Geoffrey Sherman said in an interview with WSFA, "What sets live theatre apart is the community that is created every time we close the doors on a house full of people. It brings them closer to each other. It moves them. It educates them. It does all of those extraordinary, noble things but it also entertains them. We need to hang on to it as something vibrant and dangerous. It's human beings talking to each other, about each other so if we lose live theatre we lose a part of us that makes us human."
For more information about this or our other SchoolFest offerings visit the SchoolFest section of our website.
ASF brings 'something wicked' to the stage (and your classroom)
Tension, temptation and treachery bathe the stage in one of Shakespeare's darkest tragedies, Macbeth. A brave soldier and nobleman, Macbeth, is not immune to the taunts of three mysterious witches.and who can blame him? All of us at one time have wished to be king. Of course it will take the killing of a king. Unfortunately Macbeth realizes a single murder isn't enough - soon obsession, guilt and paranoia take him on a nightmarish tumble down a path of destruction as his kingdom - and life - slip through his bloody fingers.
This classic tale is the latest offering from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival this spring under the direction of Greta Lambert. Distilled down to an hour, this version moves with the rapid pace of a murder thriller, exposing the politics of power and the corruption it breeds. No stranger to ASF patrons, Ms. Lambert shares her long time love for this play with a gifted company of actors and area students. "I have been having the time of my life revisiting one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I first read Macbeth in the fifth grade after I saw a high school production. The performance blew my mind! Witches, ghosts, murder and madness - what more could a kid ask for? I knew then I had to play Lady Macbeth one day! (It took about 40 years to make that dream come true, but it was worth the wait!) Sharing this complex play with our Acting Company has been the highlight of my year."
This particular production is designed to travel to various "spaces". The staging may be simple in concept with actors and props visible at all times but there is nothing simple about the characters and the situations they find themselves in as Tara Herweg, who plays Lady Macbeth, has found. "I've tried to dive head-first into tackling the role of Lady M. She's one of my dream roles, so it's been such a privilege working on her with someone as experienced in playing fierce Shakespearean women as Greta is. I find that I discover new things about this character each time I pick up the script - she's brilliantly complex. It's easy to get swept up in the murder and intrigue and violence, but there is also a marriage dissolving at the same time."
Shakespeare language can be daunting for many of our students but this performance has been carefully crafted to be accessible for today's audiences. The excess has been tossed aside and the fat has been trimmed in order to get to the very essence of this Scottish play. The result? A slick, quick presentation of one of Shakespeare's masterpieces. Let us bring this tale of treachery and ambition to your students this spring. Visit the Workshops section of our website for more information or call our education department at (334) 271-5393.
