Godspell opens April 17 to launch Falcon’s Eye 20th season
Who says there’s no night life in Folsom?
There is something going on almost every night at the Harris Center for the Arts, which is the cultural heartbeat of the area. It is the premier venue for diverse performances, including Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, ballet, comedy, and live concerts. Most are traveling productions or touring shows that move between cities, playing in different venues for limited engagements.
The one exception is the Falcon’s Eye Theatre. It is a permanent fixture of the Harris Center and is the production arm of the Department of Theatre and Cinema at Folsom Lake College. Since it is home-grown, every element of each new show, from start to finish, is crafted backstage: in the drama lab, lighting booth, dance studio, the scenery shop, costume department, or classroom. It means that aspiring professional actors and crew gain first-hand experience in every detail of mounting a production right here in Folsom. It’s as close as they will get to working at a professional theatre and all the same rules apply. There are time crunches, rigorous rehearsal schedules, and all the equity directives are followed. Auditions are competitive (and open to the entire community). There are weekly production meetings where every aspect of a show is carefully crafted, managed, and enhanced by the professional creative team for scenery, props, costumes, lights, sound, music, choreography, and stage management.
Nothing is left to chance.
But the driving force behind Falcon’s Eye is its faculty, which is top notch. Ian Wallace, the chair, and David Harris, the founder, are both graduates of the MFA program at UCSD, one of the top 10 theatre arts departments in the country. They have also worked at the world renowned La Jolla Playhouse. David likes to stretch the abilities of students that go through the program: “If students have the opportunity to perform in at least a couple of classic genres outside of the 21st century, then I feel satisfied we have elevated them.”
Jennifer Provenza Wallace is currently directing Godspell and has equity acting skills in film and stage under her belt. Jennifer extols the program stating that “we’re able to teach the students all the acting and design techniques they would learn in a Bachelor of Fine Arts program, but at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, the students have access to facilities I could only have dreamed of when I was a student at NYU. The students get to design for, or perform in, theatres that host Broadway tours. Most actors do not have opportunities such as these, even in BFA or MFA programs.”
Folsom has been named by U.S. News and World Report as the best place to live in California. Ian Wallace is delighted by this opportunity to “broaden the kinds of stories we tell and the audiences who come see them. For us it’s really exciting because theatre is at its best when it represents the diversity and energy of the community it serves.”
The next time you want to take a break from your computer or iPhone screen, take some advice from Jennifer Wallace: “There is nothing like the hush that goes over a crowd when the curtain opens, nothing like the shared laughter and tears at pivotal moments of connection, and nothing like the applause of a community of people who have just viewed something that changed them in some vital way.”
Kicking off the 20th season of the Falcon’s Eye Theatre, Godspell opens on April 17th. It’s an uplifting, joy-filled musical that celebrates community, compassion, and hope. Inspired by the Gospel According to St. Matthew, it follows a vibrant ensemble of performers who join Jesus in bringing parables to life through playful games, inventive storytelling, and generous doses of humor. Featuring an eclectic score that spans pop, folk-rock, vaudeville, and more, Godspell dances across the stage with energy and heart.
For more information, visitwww.falconseyetheatre.com. For tickets, please visitwww.harriscenter.netor call the box office at 916-608-6888, Tuesday through Friday, 12 PM to 5 PM. Group discounts are available.
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