RED, BLANC & NOIR

RED, BLANC & NOIR

by | Oct 30, 2022 | R.S.V.P. AUSTIN, 2022 November December

ZACH Scott Theatre’s Red Hot & Soul Gala Features Black And White Theme

By Rob Giardinelli     Photography by Charles Quinn Photography

THE SETTING: The Zachary Scott Theatre was the recent setting for one of the city’s most anticipated fundraisers. Over 400 philanthropists, art lovers, and VIPs turned out for the theatre’s annual Red, Hot & Soul event, an evening of fun, camaraderie, and showstopping performances those fortunate enough to attend will not soon forget.

 

THE STYLE: The curtains rose on the black tie affair in the lobby of ZACH’s Topfer Theatre for cocktails. Patrons of the event embraced the black and white theme, a nod to Truman Capote’s 1966 Party of the Century…with many spectacular black and white ensembles spotted among the dashing crowd. During the cocktail hour, partygoers reacquainted with old friends and made new ones while sipping on their favorite cocktails in anticipation of the fun ahead.

 

The festivities then moved to the al fresco Bobbi Pavilion on the ZACH Theatre grounds for the main program. As revelers dined on the multi-course meal, they were treated to dazzling performances by several of ZACH’s most beloved performers, as well as performances from ZACH’s Children’s Academy. Additionally, Austin philanthropists Eric and Maria Groten were honored for their tireless work and support of the beloved theatre that has been a part of the Austin community fabric for over a century.

 

Next came a spirited live auction with a host of dazzling packages. Highlights of the auction included a Pick Your Paradise package where the winner got the pick of a breathtaking getaway to one of three different continents, another was dinner on the theatre stage, and a mountain escape to Park City were among the most popular. The evening’s finale was a spectacular after party where guests danced the night away on the Topfer Theatre stage. Encore!

 

THE PURPOSE: The event, co-chaired by Cindy Greenwood and Kathy Taylor, raised over $600,000 for ZACH Scott Theatre. Each year, ZACH Scott’s community programs provide outreach and educational opportunities and offer access to theatrical performances to over 125,000 Central Texans, 55,000 of whom are children and youth.

 

YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS: THE INHERITANCE PART 1 AT ZACH THEATRE… A PLAY IN TWO PARTS

YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS: THE INHERITANCE PART 1 AT ZACH THEATRE… A PLAY IN TWO PARTS

by | Aug 14, 2022 | Blog

By Lance Avery Morgan                Photography courtesy of ZACH Theatre

Terrence McNally would surely be bursting with pride. The late prolific playwright, who shared his view of the world through the many plays in his career that centered around love, loss, and friendship, would be thrilled to see how his legacy is carried on in theatre now.

In today’s world, friends are key to survival, especially in the larger cities. The Inheritance Part 1, the winner of four TONY Awards is now  running at ZACH Theatre in Austin. The plot is simple, yet complicated, like so many lives are. Set in contemporary New York City, Eric and Toby are 30-somethings who seem to be very much in love and thriving. On the cusp of their engagement, they meet a neighboring older man haunted by the past, as well as a younger man hungry for a future. Chance meetings lead to surprising choices as the lives of three generations that interlink and collide—with often volatile results.

Anyone who is a fan of British films and novels will enjoy the re-envisioning E.M. Forster’s masterpiece novel, Howards End (1910), that time travels to 21st-century New York. In fact, The Inheritance poses thoughts for the attendee: how much do we owe those who lived and loved before us, and questions the role we must each play for future generations. All the while, it dares us to fearlessly hold on to the wild rollercoaster called life.

The Inheritance, Part 1. Courtesy of ZACH Theatre

In fact, the play’s dialogue by Matthew Lopez is smart, witty, and quickly paced, much like a Noel Coward play ripe for the re-telling. The assemblage of mostly peers in this one friendship circle gather from life’s common denominators, socio-economic class and well, face value. Just like in real life. They discuss much of life’s questions and how to answer them in their own way. The leads, and the secondary actors in the play, deftly directed by Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley, all shine in their own spotlight. With Brendan Kyle McDonald as Adam, Christopher Joel Onken as Eric Glass, Jake Roberson as Toby Darling, and with Peter Frechette as Walter/E.M. Forster in the leads…are the glue that keep the tight play even tighter and each has the range necessary for a hit play.

Interestingly, The Inheritance is presented in two parts. ZACH’s 2021-22 season concludes Part 1 on September 4th, leading immediately into Part 2 as ZACH’s 2022-23 season opener September 14th–October 9th. Because it takes a village to create a play, scenic design is by Josafath Reynoso, costume design is by Aaron Kubacak, lighting design is by Austin Brown, and sound design is by Allen Robertson. Run, don’t walk, to see this modern theatrical masterpiece during this performance.

One note for theatregoers is that the age recommendation is17 and up (for adult language, sexual situation, and nudity) and the play’s running time is three hours and fifteen minutes including two twenty-minute intermission breaks.

For more information and tickets to The Inheritance Part 1, visit: zachtheatre.org/theinheritancepart1

MASTER’S CLASS

MASTER’S CLASS

by | Apr 30, 2019 | 2019 May June, Culture

When he brings his new play, Immortal Longings, to Texas in June to run at the ZACH Theatre in Austin, Corpus Christi native Terrence
McNally will share his lifelong career of sophisticated playwriting that sO many have come to expect from the Tony Award-winner. Success With Style podcast series hosts Rob Giardinelli and Lance Avery Morgan share an exclusive peek inside McNally’s myriad of talents.

 

In an address to members of the League of American Theatres and Producers Terrence McNally remarked, “I think theatre teaches us who we are, what our society is, where we are going. I don’t think theatre can solve the problems of a society, nor should it be expected to. Plays don’t do that. People do. But plays can provide a forum for the ideas and feelings that can lead a society to decide to heal and change itself.” He should know since some of his hits include Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Full Monty, Catch Me If You Can, and the current Broadway sensation, Anastasia. It’s safe to say that most theatre aficionados consider him the greatest living playwright in America for good reason.

The real artistry of Terrence McNally is revealed and revered with his gentle manner. In the performing arts world his work is about as close to a sure thing hit as it gets and to many, at the age of 80, his best work lays ahead of him. With McNally’s new production at ZACH Theatre, overseen by Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley, he takes the audience back to the world of the piece, originally titled Fire And Air, to explore the rich history of the great Russian impresario Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev and his legendary Ballets Russes. Many know that Diaghilev introduced the world to such revolutionary artists as Nijinsky, Stravinsky and Picasso. In fact, as McNally is quick to note, “Few plays are flawless at their world premiere. Plays are not written, they are re-written. I knew in New York that the play was not finished to my satisfaction and I was grateful when ZACH invited me to finish my work on the play with a new director, a new cast, and most importantly, a new text. A change of title, even after a first production, is not an unusual part of a play’s journey. Away We Go in Boston became Oklahoma! before Broadway.”

McNally’s written word have been performed by some of the most prolific theatrical talents of our time. “Theatre is collaboration,” McNally is quick to point out. “I’ve had wonderful actors, directors and designers to work with and Nathan Lane is a good example of a young actor I’d seen in a Noel Coward play. I thought he was absolutely brilliant in it and so, I thought, I want to work with this guy.” They’ve worked together often since to great acclaim for both. When McNally won a Tony for Master Class, Zoe Caldwell performed as the legendary operatic diva Maria Callas (tutoring the young ingenue Audra McDonald) that was based on his impression of seeing her perform when he was 17. With John Glover, who triumphed in the lead role in Love! Valour! Compassion!, McNally also won a Tony.

The playwright’s unabashed authenticity is palpable in our conversation–likely the reason some of the most superb talents of our time work with him again and again. Chita Rivera, whom we caught up with at McNally’s eight decade birthday celebration commented, “Almost everything that comes out of my mouth are his words,” referring to their many winning collaborations on Broadway.

McNally is frank about discussing his life of growing up in a small Texas town and the recent documentary about him, Every Act Of Life, explores the world of McNally’s ups and downs. As a gay, Catholic son of an alcoholic father, his youth was difficult and he’s quick to admit that it fed his need to create art beyond his surroundings. So it was a full circle moment when he wrote Corpus Christi, a modern-day retelling of the story of Jesus’ birth, ministry, and death. With the new reincarnation of Immortal Longings, McNally’s hopes are high. “’Oscar Wilde said ‘Be yourself. Everybody else is taken,’” states McNally, and it’s advice he’s followed himself to create a deep level of genuineness in his writings to this day. McNally’s Texas ties also remain strong and his career-related collection is housed at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas.

“I don’t think artists live their life in vain,” he confides. “If you reach one person in a thousand and you’re an artist, you could consider yourself repaid fully by one person in a thousand. I mean not everybody wants to be a writer or a painter, but if you can reach one person to expand their horizons, then you’ve met your goal as an artist.”