From our BEST Arts of the decade feature:
Choosing a single representative play or musical as the “best” thing produced in what we can confidently call a busy and ever-expanding theatre community is nearly impossible and definitely subjective. What one reviewer finds important and moving, another finds merely long. Some shows might have stellar production values (set, lighting, costumes) while the acting doesn’t quite hit the mark, while others contain brilliantly detailed performances of a merely mediocre text. Add to that the sheer number of productions that take place each year, multiplied by ten… You get the idea.
All of that having been said, I did my very best. What show best satisfies and represents the (to me) necessary qualifications of great acting, solid direction, strong writing, and an overall affecting experience? I did my best, but I still had to proclaim a tie. Limiting my choice to the four Champaign-Urbana community theatre outlets (CUTC, Station Theatre, Twin City, and Parkland College) and keeping in mind that — try as I might — I cannot see everything, the following are my picks for the strongest overall productions of the past decade:
The first is the Station’s production of Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky, directed by Katie Burke. This was an altogether engrossing production: lyrical script, strong directorial concept and staging, and not a weak link in the cast. The humor, intelligence, and heartbreak present in the play’s writing was expertly translated to the stage, and I found myself drawn to it and into it from beginning to end.
The other, equally strong production was more recent. Latrelle Bright’s imaginative staging of George Brant’s Elephant’s Graveyard this past fall was a transporting endeavor and one of the finest pieces of work I’ve ever seen at Parkland College. Featuring a drum-tight ensemble and the incorporation of choreography, puppetry, and choral vocalization, Bright and her actors made the grim story as enjoyable to watch as it was devastating to absorb. (Mathew Green)
Elephant’s Graveyard photo by Bryan Heaton
