Tag Archives: As it is in Heaven

As it is in Theatre

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On Tuesday, October 8th, I had the fortune of viewing As It Is In Heaven, by Arlene Hutton, at the Robinson Theatre in the Simons Center – and I mean fortune literally. Arriving 10 minutes before the 7:30 opening and immediately facing an out-the-door will call line, I swiftly became aware that I had drastically underestimated the demand for this show. I ultimately was able to buy my ticket after the will call line ran out, but it left me in wonder: how was so much awareness raised for this play? Was it word-of-mouth praise, or great advertising? I have to think that some was simply the college art community, combined with the fact that it was the last show of its run. After I was able to buy my ticket, only two more people in line received tickets before they ran out.

Tickets were $15, or $10 for students, faculty, and seniors, so income was being generated. However, being a college theater performance, I can only imagine profit was of least importance. The profits generated from these performances, which arguably are great due to the demand and wide range of age seen at the performance (I saw from preteen to elderly), probably went to covering the costs of production and supporting the theater department and thereby furthering education. The production itself was the most elaborate I’ve seen at the college set and costume-wise, but even so seemed relatively simple. The performances by the actors were impeccable, certainly outshining the play itself. This and the relatively low cost (especially student discount) made me optimistic for future productions, very much encouraging me to see more of what the College of Charleston theater department has to offer.

            

As I Hope It Isn’t In Heaven

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On Monday night, I went to see the CofC Department of Theater & Dance’s production of “As it is in Heaven, a play about The Shakers“. The production was shown in the Robinson Theatre, located in the Simon’s Center on St. Phillip St. I thought overall the production was very well executed. The stage was beautifully crafted and the costumes were simple yet elegant. Personally, I am not a fan of the theater & could not relate to the story, despite my efforts. I have to admit I eventually got extremely bored after about 45 minutes, but that’s because theater is just not my thing. Despite my boredom, I could definitely appreciate the quality of the acting/singing and the amount of time that went into the production.

displaymediaIt was interesting to witness firsthand the separate ticket pricing for students & the general public, something they definitely did to draw a bigger crowd. I was unfortunate enough to forget my student ID and was charged an extra 50%, which caused me to immediately take mental note of their tactical marketing strategy. If you enjoy theater I would recommend going to see the near flawless performance but if you don’t I would steer clear.

(Just to clarify I mean no disrespect to anyone involved in the production, I thought it was very well done)

 

A Monday Night at the Theatre

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This past Monday night I bought tickets to see the production of Arlene Hutton’s As it is in Heaven, presented by the College of Charleston Department of Theatre and Dance. Located only a short distance from my house at the Emmet Robinson Theatre on campus, it was easy to convince myself to go. I’ve been to some great school productions here before, such as Spring Awakening and Love of the Nightingale, and was looking forward to seeing what the department had planned. I was not let down. Initially I had a difficult time relating to the struggles and lifestyle choices of the Shakers; they were completely foreign to me and their conservative customs were starkly incompatible with my own. This mindset quickly vanished as the acting, staging, and directorial choices quickly made what was once cloudy and confusing into a human, relatable experience. The old jargon of the 1800’s could not mask the unmistakable emotion and crisis of faith these women were going through.

The valuable sources of information for this production were of particular interest: more specifically the feedback from the audience. The demographic of the theatre the night I attended was a high contrast between those probably older than sixty years of age, and the rest being students. It made me wonder what percentage of the students were there for their own enjoyment, or to fulfill a requirement for one of their classes. Would this mandatory attendance affect their willingness to appreciate and respond to the play and its messages? In doing so would the company have a hard time gauging the needs of its audience if part of the audience did not come of their own volition? Despite this one questionable resource of information, surely the department must have a great grasp of their successes and failures from other sources due to their long-standing presence in the arts world of Charleston. Anyone would be guaranteed a great evening if they chose to see this show; I would highly recommend it. Whether or not you can understand the lifestyle choices of the Shakers themselves, you can easy relate to the day-to-day emotional struggles the characters go through.

Heaven at the Robinson

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I was fortunate enough to see As it is in Heaven on its final night at the Emmett Robinson Theater. A visiting College of Charleston faculty member, Beth Lincks, penned the play in 2001 under the name Arlene Hutton. The play is set in a Shaker community in 1838. The storyline dealt primarily with the struggles of three young girls living in such a strict community. Though their particular form of rebellion isn’t very relatable, sneaking away to see angels, their struggle against elders who don’t understand them is.

Tickets were ten dollars to CofC students and cost more for the general public. The production probably could have cut costs on the costumes, but they were perfect. The actresses wore simple garbs that were very similar, but each character’s was slightly different making them believably homemade. I was pleasantly surprised to find the opening scene pretty funny and satirical. Emily Downey as Sister Betsy continued to supply the much needed comic relief throughout the performance, but Claire Sparks stole the show with her portrayal of Sister Fanny. She delivered her lines poiniantly with palpable emotion. My biggest issue with the show was the staging. I was seated in the stage-side seating. For the majority of the show the actors were seated along the stage on benches instead of going into the wings. So basically, I missed half of the show because my view was blocked. Other than that I thought it was a wonderful production.