MIDDLETOWN >> The Middletown Art Center Theatre, under the direction of Natalie Smith, is creating a live multi-media theater performance about the Valley Fire experience. “It Was So Sudden, I Wasn’t Prepared” will premiere on the one-year anniversary of the Valley Fire in September 2016 at the MAC.
Information on ticket sales and dates will be announced soon.
Auditions for the show will take place Monday April 18 and Tuesday April 19 at 6 p.m. Email Natalie at nanismith@mac.com. We are looking for several children ages 5-12 years old; women and men ages 13-80; Expressive movement artists/dancers (teens and up). Please visit www.middletownartcenter.org/theatre.html for details.
This documentary theatre production will tell the story of the Valley Fire by weaving together stories and experiences of those directly impacted, those who risked their lives, and those that have worked to return stability to our community. Stories have been collected and will be used to create a through-line of the events as they unfolded on that fateful day.
If you are interested in volunteering as support staff, there are many opportunities for organized, dependable people with good communication skills for jobs including set design, lighting and sound tech, prop and costume management, electrical and more. Email Natalie at nanismith@mac.com or visit www.middletownartcenter.org/theatre.html to learn more.
As stewards of the arts, the Middletown Art Center Theatre is creating this production to capture both tangible and intangible losses and give the community a language which hopes to heal and bring back a sense of identity and belonging by putting the experience into dramatic context.
Originally from Germany, Natalie Smith received her BFA in Experimental Theatre/Applied Theatre Sciences from the University in Giessen, Germany. While working on her MFA in Directing/Acting at the University of Montana, she also choreographed several Spring and Fall Showcases for the university inspired by Pina Bausch’s work. After graduation, she became Artistic Director of the Kauai Community Players and has directed and choreographed over 40 productions which include musicals, opera, plays and circus in Germany, Boston, Hawaii, and San Francisco before settling in Hidden Valley Lake with her family.
MAC is a vibrant cultural hub in the heart of Middletown, that integrates art education, exhibitions, and events. The Center offers a variety of art classes most days of the week for children, teens, and adults. The Gallery is open Friday-Saturday 12-6 p.m. or Sunday 12-5 (subject to seasonal changes) with new exhibition opening receptions about every six weeks. Musical Hootenannies, open mics and performances happen every two weeks on Fridays.
Find out more about MAC at www.middletownartcenter.org, email middletownartcenter@gmail.com, call 707-809-8118 or visit at 21456 State Hwy 175 (at junction Hwy 29).
