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Our Teen Ensemble has the opportunity to see and review each production in our 2015/16 season.  Here are their thoughts on our current production, A Steady Rain.

 

A Steady Rain is a captivating show. The simple setting and the music behind the storytelling created a perfect feel for the audience and I felt like I belonged in the show. The actors were nothing but outstanding and their performance made me very emotional! All I can say is Bravo!!

 

A Steady Rain was a great display of technical aspects in acting. It reminded me of how important an inner monologue is. Body language telling a story was professed eloquently in this play and I thought it was very informative about what’s going on in the real world. I also really enjoyed the technical elements of the show! The sound did a lot to move the story forward. If one of the characters said gunshot, you heard one in the next second and that was great. The set was simple yet purposeful. It didn’t need a grand stage to get the message across. Overall, the play was very well done and I think cast and crew & creative team deserve every inch of gratitude.

 

A Steady Rain, written by Keith Huff, perhaps best known for his work on Mad Men, is directed by Jeff Perry, of Scandal and a co-founder of Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Perry captains the ship, on board of which are his two person cast. Perhaps instead of imagining a ship, try thinking of a life raft.  A life raft in a hurricane. This image resembles much more closely the emotional intensity that A Steady Rain’s cast brings to the stage. 

 

The play stars Thomas Vincent Kelly and Sal Viscuso, who play Joey and Denny, two Chicago beat cops struggling with their own morality as they navigate a series of violent and racially charged events. The buddy cop duo is a relationship audience members are familiar with, but to see this stereotypical male bond tested in ways that feel both thought-provokingly philosophical and boldly personal is different than any other cop story currently in the media. The actors had a solid chemistry that never wavered throughout the show, and I was grateful as an audience member to be invited into the intimacy of their relationship. Many things about A Steady Rain felt intimate, from the poignantly bare stage to the conversational storytelling the characters employ. 

 

After the show, I got a chance to speak to Jeff Perry, who shared with me a note the playwright had written him. In it, Huff refers to the title of the play, “The steady rain that the title evokes is the downpour of events that challenge values, rupture the boundaries of loyalty and devotion, and compel the pursuit of shelter.  The nature of that shelter, to whom it is available, and what are the circumstances of its acquisition are some of the questions that drive the play.  Precipitation involves more than the condensation of vapor, of course.  It is also a word that refers to the process of causation, of bringing something about, and here, the steady rain is not only a downpour of words, but also a downpour of decisions.”

 

A Steady Rain asks the audience members some very important questions about what it means to put power and trust in the hands of an individual, and just how much one person can withstand. Especially considering the current political climate, this is a necessary and refreshing piece of theatre. Make sure to bring your umbrella and go see A Steady Rain before it closes on October 11th. 

 

Before attending a preview of A Steady Rain, the idea of a two person show entirely narrated in the past tense seemed like a lulling drag. However, this production manages to use minimalism to create a dramatic and investing environment. 

 

The structure of the play itself seems simple from afar- Two characters, past tense, no dialogue. Effective acting choices and variation in address of these monologues adds layers of meaning and retains interest and investment. While the dramatic plot might seem to be contrived at times, the honesty in which the actors unravel the plot for the audience allows for the shocking plot to penetrate the audience in a genuine manner. These actors were presented with a major challenge of a two person show comprised of monologue after monologue, yet they remained entirely engaged with their character and the other person onstage. Authentic chemistry and dialects also boost the actors’ performances.

 

The set design also took advantage of the theatrical advantages of minimalism. The varying ways in which two rolling office chairs were used allowed the audience to travel with the actors through time as they revisited and recounted their past. A single window frame became significantly symbolic; the blocking can be interpreted on a deeper level when examined in juxtaposition with the window frame. The sides in which characters stood on the frame, whether they looked through it or not, and the separation of the characters by the window frame all inject clues regarding their relationship at each point in the play. Images were orchestrated by more elements other than the window frame alone. A series of projection screens displayed differing photographs for each scene. The simplicity of this design and artistic choice of photographs have plagued images into my memory in association of certain scenes and characters. I can still see the flashed, raw mug shot of a Vietnamese man with dead eyes, and it sends chill down my spine. These simplistic visual elements elevate impact as they engage the senses of the audience at a heightened level. 

 

What I find to be the most delightful part of the entire design of this production is its beautiful irony. While certain elements of set, costuming, sound, and lighting may appear clear and uncomplicated, the characters and plot is anything but clear and uncomplicated. The intricate foreshadowing and building of suspense demand that the audience keeps up with the plot by planting seeds of curiosity. The play spins around the axis of these two characters’ relationship, which is also complex and anything but simplistic. The concise production elements allow for the audience to focus on the evolving stew of coexisting accord and discord between these two men. At least, that is the opinion during the meat of the play, yet even their relationship can be seen through a simplistic lens. The last line of the entire show expresses complete empathy between these two characters after the climax of their dissonance, for the roles were reversed. The detailed account of a man’s struggle with anger and pride are finally established as an obstacle of the human condition; the definitiveness in which this major theme develops is echoed by the production design. The oblivion of irony at the last possible instant is similar to human understanding of the world. 

 

Overall, this play can affect all people at all levels of theatrical experience. The entertaining plot engages all members, and the design and performance hold great artistic choices that lend themselves to analysis. 

 

A Steady Rain was a piece that had you glued to your chair. The actors had a way of tying you to the story and making you feel as if you could see everything from their point of view. When I heard about the play I thought it would be about two cops in trouble. What I didn’t expect was a story about two people so painfully human, caught up in things they can’t control. A Steady Rain leaves you with a message that brings tears to your eyes.

 

A Steady Rain is by far one of the greatest plays about police brutality I have seen. It gives an excellent overview of how people can change based on their surroundings. Despite its slightly abstract opening, the play was by far amazing. The actors are also a huge plus. The gentlemen brought life to the characters in a way that was unimaginable.

 

Through the Alliance Arts for Learning Institute and our deep interest and commitment as a theater in “expanding hearts and minds on stage and off,” we believe that we are abundantly equipped to support the final recommendation of the Arts Learning Task Force of Resourceful and Innovative Approaches to Arts Learning.

 

The resources of the Alliance Arts for Learning (AA4L) Institute provide a rich and robust set of program opportunities available to school districts and increase our ability to offer high quality, innovative arts integrated instruction for both professional learning for educators and classroom instruction for students.

 

Through a partnership with Tapestry Charter School, an inclusion-model Middle School in DeKalb County, the Alliance Theatre’s efforts are being thoughtfully implemented to make our work truly universal. In the 2014/15 school year, Alliance Theatre teaching artist Barry Stewart Mann directed a performance involving the entire school population. This performance was written and performed by the students at the school and completed in just 3 days. This year, Tapestry Charter School is partnering with the Alliance Theatre to implement a Meet Your Seat program for individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as collaborating to provide additional online resources for people of all abilities.

 

The Alliance Theatre is proud to be involved as a community collaborator and a resource throughout the state of Georgia in the arts learning community and beyond. 

 

Get in touch with us – https://www.alliancetheatre.org/content/institute-educators-teaching-art…

 

 

 

With each of our arts learning programs, the Alliance Theatre strives to support effective arts learning through strong partnerships and compelling engagement for students, parents, and teachers. 

 

We work closely with leaders at the district, school and classroom levels to assist in eliminating constraints around implementing arts education programs and to support school systems’ goals of developing high quality instruction and improved student outcomes.

 

Our Teen Audience Fusion program is an incredible example of a strong district partnership that enhances student learning through interaction with our world class art and existing audiences. Through Teen Audience Fusion 10 high school theatre classes (and for Tuck Everlasting, middle school) from Atlanta Public Schools joined us for three evening performances in our season accompanied by dinner and a workshop before the show. During the performances, these teens sat throughout the audience, truly integrating themselves with our patrons. They were given the opportunity to experience the art on their own terms and talk with the adults around them about their experiences. The theatre teacher from Inman Middle School shared what happened following his class’s experience at Tuck Everlasting:

 

“After the show, my students couldn’t stop talking about the Tuck Everlasting experience. Some we’re crying because it was so good/sad. Others were inspired to design and construct set pieces because of what they saw. At their request, we had a debriefing on the bus ride home and they all listened to each other, commented, critiqued, and laughed about various aspects of the show. When we got back to Inman, they wanted to go inside and finish the discussion…of course I made them go home, ha. Such a beautiful night.  It’s a joy to see students that engaged and passionate about theatre and their love of it.  Thanks for inspiring them through the show, the food, the activities/exercises, the hospitality, etc.  Know that you are truly changing students for the better.”

 

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The Alliance Theatre is committed to serving as a resource for all educators for professional learning – through participation in the Woodruff Arts Center Educator Conference as well as engaging pre-service teachers at Georgia State University through quality arts and arts integration instruction.

 

The Woodruff Arts Center Educator Conference provides arts integration-focused professional learning for all educators regardless of content area or grade level. The spirit of the Conference is collaboration as we work with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and High Museum of Art to provide quality professional learning. The expectation is that educators will leave the event envisioning not only how they can use what they learned in their classroom, but how the certified arts educators in their schools can serve as resources and vice-versa. 

 

The Alliance Theatre has a valuable partnership with Georgia State University’s College of Education through which the Alliance Arts for Learning Institute provides quality arts instruction and training in drama strategies to pre-service teachers in both the Early Childhood and Elementary Education and Middle and Secondary Education departments. These pre-service teachers receive instruction on how to integrate drama in their classrooms through practical application. 

 

Recently, Alliance Theatre’s Family Programs Manager, Olivia Aston Bosworth, teamed up with Dr. Laura Meyers of GSU to present a webinar on Arts Integration through the Story Basket Strategy through Georgia Public Library Service. Over 61 libraries across the county tuned in to learn how to use this drama strategy to enliven their story time events for young readers. 

 

Rachel Jones, Alliance Theatre’s Education Administrative Manager and Teaching Artist works with the Middle and Secondary Education pre-service teachers and says, “More than once the teachers have told me that they use the lesson I taught the next day in their high school class with positive results.  They are eager to use the benefits of theatre in their classroom.”

 

 

The Alliance Theatre has provided arts learning access for over 50,000 students across the state of Georgia in the past 10 years through in-school, after school, and preschool programs and by drama camps and acting classes. 

 

The Alliance Theatre has benefited from two Arts in Education-Model Development and Dissemination Grants as well as other funding streams to subsidize our in-school programs. Through this funding we are able to support our in-school professional learning programs with in-depth research as well as extend our reach of not only high quality arts integrated learning but also live arts experiences.

 

In the 2014/15, Theatre for the Very Young served 1,321 students in rural areas of Georgia such as Dalton, Warner Robins, Lincolnton and Albany with theatre performances for early learners. 

 

 

 

 

In July of 2010, the United States House of Representative passed House Resolution 275 designating the second week of September to be “Arts in Education week.” The Alliance Theatre is proud to celebrate National Arts in Education Week, September 13-19, 2015. We are excited to shine the spotlight on our Education programs throughout the week and in particular where our programs align with the recommendations made by the Governor Nathan Deal’s Arts Learning Task Force.

 

The H. Con. R. 275 states, “Whereas art is integral to the lives of many United States citizens and can improve the vitality of communities and the Nation; and Whereas the week beginning on the second Sunday of September would be an appropriate week to designate as Arts in Education Week: Now, therefore, be it.”

 

View the HR275 Arts in Education resolution here.

 

Through our outstanding programming we reach students of all ages through many different avenues; this week we are sharing some very specific examples of how our programs already align with the four themes constructed for the Governor’s Arts Learning Task Force recommendations: Access to Arts Learning, Quality Arts Instruction, Support for Effective Arts Learning, and Resourceful and Innovative Approaches to Arts Learning.  

 

For more resources and information about how you can support National Arts in Education Week, check out www.NationalArtsInEducationWeek.org or follow the hashtag #ArtsEdWeek!