56 Main Theater

The Batavia Players production of “Evita,” hitting the 56 Main Theater stage this weekend, is high energy, said director Pat Burk.

There is nonstop singing and frequent dancing, and the main character, Kristen Gelia's Eva Peron, has 15 costume changes.

"Evita is very tough because she's rarely offstage," Burk said. If she's offstage, it's for 30 seconds. She literally sings over half the score, so it's a very difficult role. You need a strong voice, strong acting skills, and the ability to be very quick, manipulate, and move quickly."

Gelia, who was lead in the “Drowsy Chaperone” last spring, is a former Harvie Award winner and has been in a number of other Batavia Players’ productions, is doing a great job in the role, Burk said.

The cast -- which has only four named characters, and everybody else is an "ensemble" -- is active throughout the entire production, and Burk believes audiences will thoroughly enjoy the show they put on.

"I'm very, very pleased with our talent," Burk said. "This cast is doing a tremendous job. We have very long rehearsals, 10 hours on some days. And you're looking at people who volunteer their time to put on something that is not normally done in a regional or a community theater. We have great musicians in the pit, and you know that our tech is great. And so I hope people come and see it. It's a wonderful, wonderful show."

The Batavia Players production of Evita, hitting the 56 Main Theater stage this weekend, is high energy, said director Pat Burk.

There is nonstop singing and frequent dancing, and the main character, Kristen Gelia's Eva Peron, has 15 costume changes.

"Evita is very tough because she's rarely offstage," Burk said. If she's offstage, it's for 30 seconds. She literally sings over half the score, so it's a very difficult role. You need a strong voice, strong acting skills, and the ability to be very quick, manipulate, and move quickly."

Gelia, who was lead in the Drowsy Chaperone last spring, is a former Harvie Award winner, and has been in a number of other Batavia Player's productions, is doing a great job in the role, Burk said.

The cast -- which has only four named characters, and everybody else is an "ensemble" -- is active throughout the entire production, and Burk believes audiences will thoroughly enjoy the show they put on.

"I'm very, very pleased with our talent," Burk said. "This cast is doing a tremendous job. We have very long rehearsals, 10 hours on some days. And you're looking at people who volunteer their time to put on something that is not normally done in a regional or a community theater. We have great musicians in the pit, and you know that our tech is great. And so I hope people come and see it. It's a wonderful, wonderful show."

The story of Evita, meaning how Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice came to write the musical, begins with them writing the eventual hit song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" when Webber and Rice became enthralled with the story of Eva Perón.

They wrote "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and decided to spin it out into a rock opera.  Evita was a concept album released in 1976 before it became a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. The production eventually toured nationally, was adopted to film in 1996, and has been performed on stages from London to Spain, Mexico and South Africa.

The musical tells the story of Eva, who was born poor in the small city of Junin. At 15, she seeks a better life in Buenos Aires and persuades tango singer-songwriter Agustin Magaldi to take her to Argentina's capital city.

Once there, Eva sleeps her way up the social ladder. She becomes a model, radio star, and actress. During this same period, Col. Juan Perón begins his rise to power. 

Following a charity concert in Luna Park to aid earthquake victims, Perón and Eva meet and begin an affair. Eva suggests she can help Perón rise to power.

Once the relationship is public, Eva is introduced to high society, only to be met with disdain from the upper classes and military.

"Surprisingly, at that time, the aristocrats in Argentina were basically people who fled from Nazi Germany as Nazis. In other words, after the war was over they checked out of Germany in order to be safe from being prosecuted," Burk said. "Also, a tremendous number of English people who were fascist and Nazi sympathizers (migrated). So it was a very wealthy group that was trying to run things, and she kind of upset the applecart."

That compelling story, along with the musical's iconic status, energy, and great work of the cast and crew, is why Burk hopes the community will be inspired to turn out for the production.

"It's been a favorite of mine for quite a few years," Burk said. "And it isn't always available for production; we're very lucky we were able to obtain the rights. It took us over two years to do that, to do the production here."

Evita opens at 56 Main St. Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by another 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday and 2 p.m. shows on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $22 online, or $24 at the door, and students and seniors are $22.

Photos by Howard Owens

By Peggy Marone LG ‘02, Director

Press Release:

How many times have you driven in downtown Batavia and never noticed there are more than 20 murals between Jackson, Ellicott, and Bank Streets? The Leadership Genesee (LG) Class of 2024 discovered them during a ‘scavenger hunt’ activity on March 27, LG Arts & Culture Day.

One participant shared, “The scavenger hunt allowed us to really observe the murals. How often I drive by these murals and don’t really notice the detail or the extent of artwork on display. Some of the murals I have never seen or noticed (like the one on the fire hydrant). Art can be made anywhere!”

Leadership Genesee Our Arts & Culture Day works to raise awareness about arts initiatives and activities in Genesee County and reveal some of our cultural history and traditions. “This month's topic really encouraged me to think about my personal background and heritage. Our community is so diverse!” said one participant.

The group met at Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (Go Art!) for the morning hearing from Gregory Hallock LG ’18, Executive Director, about how the organization has grown over the past several years. The organization is dedicated to developing the cultural life in Genesee and Orleans Counties by facilitating the creation, presentation, and experience of art, heritage, and traditions. The facility has a dance studio, podcast studio, displayed art, open mic sessions, Tavern 2.o.1 as well as offering community events. The class had the opportunity to tour the facility and participate in a Bollywood Dance session.

Terry Abrams LG ’07, Curator/ Collections Manager, Niagara County Historical Society, shared information about The Tonawanda Seneca Nation, our neighbors in Genesee County. Terry spoke of Seneca's history and culture and how their values remain strong and intact. Language, song, art, dance, and sports are all vital aspects of Seneca culture. 

After a tour of Main St. 56 Theater and learning about the initiatives from Batavia Players to bring additional live theater to Genesee County and offer options to kids for theater camps, the group visited The Harve in the Harvester Center. The Harve is a 7,000-square-foot hidden gem of art and music! Nestled within The Harvester Center with its entrance just through Pub Coffee Hub this vibrant venue is a haven for creativity and entertainment.

After sharing stories of their cultural heritage, the group participated in a drum circle led by Jackie Swaby, Executive Director of the Arts Council for Wyoming County. Jackie not only shared her expertise in drumming but the background and significance of drumming. The group ended the day by participating in activities to create their own stories through art. 

Leadership Genesee is a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, an employer, and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities, and provides equal program and employment opportunities. 

For more information, visit LG’s website at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/leadership-genesee; “like” LG on Facebook at www.facebook.com/leadershipgenesee; or contact Program Director Peggy Marone at (585) 343-3040, ext. 118 or mem77@cornell.edu.

Audiences will have an opportunity to watch a French connection this weekend.

Not the one with big city narcotics detectives investigating a heroin smuggling ring, but rather, the royal Shakespearean drama of “King John,” about the difficulties of who the lead character was and that he usurped the throne, Director E. Jane Burk says.

“One of the other characters that is in this play, his name is Arthur, he is John's nephew, he was the son of John's older brother, Jeffrey, who died. John took the throne before Arthur could ascend to it; he actually usurped the throne from his nephew Arthur. So much of the play revolves around a French connection. That's why we have (on the banners at the back of the stage) English lions on one side, and we have French fleur-de-lis on the other side,” Burk said during rehearsal Tuesday. “There is a significant threat of war because the French segment, the French king, King Philip, wants to put John's nephew Arthur on the English throne. So it all revolves around the situation that it was very militaristic. You could almost say contemporary in terms of the different factions that were trying to come to power.”

Batavia Players will present Shakespeare in Springtime’s “King John” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Main St. 56 Theater in Batavia City Centre.

Playwright William Shakespeare penned a significant number of plays that were histories about notables such as Richard the Third and Henry the Eighth, and this lesser known figure, King John, Burk said. 

“It is not frequently performed anywhere,” she said. “And it’s interesting because, actually, this particular play is all in verse. It’s all poetry; it’s not prose, it’s not normal, conversation-type stuff.”

A passage from King John’s character states:  

O cousin, thou art come to set mine eye.

The tackle of my heart is cracked and burnt,

And all the shrouds wherewith my life should sail

Are turnèd to one thread, one little hair.

My heart hath one poor string to stay it by,

Which holds but till thy news be utterèd,

And then all this thou seest is but a clod

And module of confounded royalty.

The time period is 1216, and the play is paying homage to the Magna Carta, which King John signed in 1215, a year before his death at 49, Burk said. The cast quickly became familiar with the setting, the lines and the demands of such a production, and has fulfilled its responsibilities with aplomb, she said.

Auditions were in mid-January, everyone received their scripts and immediately began to learn their lines after being cast for roles, and, because another show was happening during a portion of February, rehearsals didn’t even begin until later in the month.  

“And this is only March 19. And kudos to the cast. I give them so much credit. They have done an extraordinary job of creating this place that is not Western New York. That is not Batavia. That does not sound anything like the way we speak. I have French people that are speaking with French accents,” she said. “We have worked hard on this. They have learned their lines, their scripts, word for word. If you were to sit right now — I'm not exaggerating — if you were to sit and actually listen to what they are saying, watching but listening, and reading the script as you're going along, you will see that it’s word for word. It is extraordinary. That's exceptionally difficult. You cannot take away from the fact that they have given heart and soul to making this happen.”

And who are “they?” By all other accounts, they are ordinary people, volunteers in the world of community theater with a passion for the arts, people who have jobs, work for a living, tend to families, she said, and dedicate many hours to memorizing their lines and create the character they will eventually bring to life up on stage. 

The premise of “King John” is that he goes to war against the French after claiming that his nephew should be king instead. John has conflict with the church, orders his nephew's death, and turns the nobles against himself. In the end, John dies after a monk poisons him, the French retreat and his own son becomes king.

Burk isn’t necessarily looking to convert the masses onto Shakespeare; however, she’s hoping that folks are willing to give it a try.

“My idea is that, on some level, most of the people that will come to see the show probably have not had any sort of prior experience with Shakespeare,” she said. “But what we hope is that if we can make a difference in the life of one person if we can make the lightbulbs click on for one person, and they understand and discover what Shakespeare is all about, then we’ve succeeded. That’s what it’s all about.”

Tickets are $22 adults, $20 students and seniors online and $24 adults, $22 students and seniors for cash at the door.

Opening at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, the Batavia Players bring to life Scrooge and his ghosts in a performance of Charles Dickens's “A Christmas Carol” at Main St. 56 Theater in Batavia.

There are also performances on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for seniors.

The musical is directed by Patrick Burk, with music directed by Kathy White.

Photos by Howard Owens

This month's night (or afternoon) of theater at Main St. 56 Theater at Batavia City Centre consists of three one-act plays performed by members of Batavia Players. 

The plays are:

• "The Bear," by Anton Chekov
• "Mr. Icky," by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• "Verbatim," by Albi Gorn

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors.

The Mr. Icky Cast:

• Mr. Icky, Seth Coburn
• Divine, Maia Zerillo
• Peter, Deacon Smith
• Ulsa, Sophie Crandall
• Charles, Lilah Mordell

Other characters played by:

• Joel Coburn
• Leigh LeFevre
• Jeriko Suzette
• Shakeem Walcott
• Jazz Wessell

The cast of The Bear:

• Anthony Haitz as Grigory Stepanovitch Smirnov
• Angelina Celej as Elena Ivanovna Popova
• James Barcomb as Luka

The cast of Verbatim:

• Marlene, Teressa Hirsch
• Reese, Steve Coburn
• Andy, Dorothy Gerhart