Front & Center
The play is an adaptation of an ancient Chinese fable that involves a snake spirit (White Snake) and her likewise slithery friend (Green Snake). White Snake transforms herself into a young woman and marries a human. Complications arise when a Buddhist monk discovers the woman’s true identity and decides to break up the bi-species relationship.
“Theatricality is in the play’s DNA,”
Kwei-Armah says. “And it’s absolutely family-friendly.
If you’re afraid of snakes, it’s maybe not the piece for you, but at least the snake won’t be under your chair.”
The production, which starts preview performances tonight and officially opens March 3, is directed by Natsu Onoda Power.
“The play is a perfect fit for the beautiful new space,” Power says. “All of Mary Zimmerman’s work is really lush, with a lot of visual spectacle. But it’s not about huge scenery moving. It relies on a lot of delightful little actor-driven magic.”
Power finds a lot of relevance in the story to our own times.
“It’s a tale of friendship, love and acceptance, but not the kind of acceptance that ignores all our differences,” the director says.
“It’s not a kumbaya, we’re-all-the-same message. It’s about recognizing we all come from different spaces, but you can still accept the person as a whole.”
The play calls for live music, which will be provided by four costumed musicians who also step into the action periodically. The original score, much of it improvisation, is by actor-musician Jeff Song.
“Mary Zimmerman is an American from the Midwest who adapted the story through aWestern lens,” Song says. “I was born in Arkansas and raised in Iowa, so there’s a Western lens for my music, too. I’m blending Western and non-Western instruments in a nontraditional way.”
Song and his colleagues have had their own new room to work in throughout the rehearsal process, a space created during the fourth floor renovations. Also new: A large educational suite (“The education department didn’t have anywhere before,” Kwei- Armah says) and a roomy costume shop.
A former chapel on the fourth floor also got spruced up, the once hard-to-see and now pristine stained-glass windows adding a warm glow to the space, which can be used for receptions and other functions.
One more renovation bonus involves the sizable backstage area of the Head Theater, which can be transformed, by moving a temporary wall into place, into a wellequipped 99-seat box theater.
Alittle more than $6 million remains to be raised by Center Stage to fund the renovation project, which also involves major infrastructure improvements to the facilities.
“Fingers crossed, God willing, the narrative will be strong enough to attract donors,”
Kwei-Armah says.
Adds Ross: “It’s a big moment not just for us, but for the community.” tim.smith@baltsun.com IF YOU GO After preview performances tonight to March 2, “The White Snake” opens March 3 and runs through March 26 at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. Tickets are $20 to $74.
Call 410-332-0033, or go to centerstage.org.
“Theatricality is in the play’s DNA,”
Kwei-Armah says. “And it’s absolutely family-friendly.
If you’re afraid of snakes, it’s maybe not the piece for you, but at least the snake won’t be under your chair.”
The production, which starts preview performances tonight and officially opens March 3, is directed by Natsu Onoda Power.
“The play is a perfect fit for the beautiful new space,” Power says. “All of Mary Zimmerman’s work is really lush, with a lot of visual spectacle. But it’s not about huge scenery moving. It relies on a lot of delightful little actor-driven magic.”
Power finds a lot of relevance in the story to our own times.
“It’s a tale of friendship, love and acceptance, but not the kind of acceptance that ignores all our differences,” the director says.
“It’s not a kumbaya, we’re-all-the-same message. It’s about recognizing we all come from different spaces, but you can still accept the person as a whole.”
The play calls for live music, which will be provided by four costumed musicians who also step into the action periodically. The original score, much of it improvisation, is by actor-musician Jeff Song.
“Mary Zimmerman is an American from the Midwest who adapted the story through aWestern lens,” Song says. “I was born in Arkansas and raised in Iowa, so there’s a Western lens for my music, too. I’m blending Western and non-Western instruments in a nontraditional way.”
Song and his colleagues have had their own new room to work in throughout the rehearsal process, a space created during the fourth floor renovations. Also new: A large educational suite (“The education department didn’t have anywhere before,” Kwei- Armah says) and a roomy costume shop.
A former chapel on the fourth floor also got spruced up, the once hard-to-see and now pristine stained-glass windows adding a warm glow to the space, which can be used for receptions and other functions.
One more renovation bonus involves the sizable backstage area of the Head Theater, which can be transformed, by moving a temporary wall into place, into a wellequipped 99-seat box theater.
Alittle more than $6 million remains to be raised by Center Stage to fund the renovation project, which also involves major infrastructure improvements to the facilities.
“Fingers crossed, God willing, the narrative will be strong enough to attract donors,”
Kwei-Armah says.
Adds Ross: “It’s a big moment not just for us, but for the community.” tim.smith@baltsun.com IF YOU GO After preview performances tonight to March 2, “The White Snake” opens March 3 and runs through March 26 at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. Tickets are $20 to $74.
Call 410-332-0033, or go to centerstage.org.
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