Hey Centre Players,

This weekend I took a trip up to Actors Theatre of Louisville to see “Dracula” and “Gem of the Ocean” as a part of the Actors Ambassadors Program.

“Dracula,” an adaptation of Braham Stoker’s novel, was just fun. There was some great stage magic and the physical control of the actors was impressive. The audience was literally jumping out of their seats in fear and it was not at all a bad use of two hours. However, while “Dracula” was fun, I have to say I preferred “Gem of the Ocean,” a play by August Wilson. Everyone do yourself a favor and go see this show. It’s beautifully crafted and acted; certainly the best work I’ve seen since studying in London, and no, I’m not just saying this because I’m supposed to for my job. Also, forget the synopsis I read you from off the website, it doesn’t do the play justice. This play is at its heart, a story, set in the period after the American Civil War, which examines the true meaning of freedom and humanity. If you miss this show you are missing out.

Now I mentioned at the Centre Players meeting last Friday that I would be able to get us discounted tickets to shows of our choice. The coupons are worth a 15% discount on normal prices. Alternatively, there is the possibility of student rush tickets (cheap but not guaranteed seats). However, while I was at Actors, I ran into Ian Frank (a Centre alum and current employee of ATL) who assured me that “Centre needs to be here!” and that if we get a group together we can use our connections to get some free tickets. Anyone interested? You should be. I’ve sent an email to Ian, but it would be best if everyone started looking at their calendars to figure out what dates are going to be best. Check the performance schedule out here: http://www.actorstheatre.org/

So what do you think? Sound like fun?

- david brown