Ask Studio 246 what they are up to for the upcoming season and they will tell you they are going to make a ruckus.
Using
what Carol Zombro calls their guerrilla tactics, the two theater groups
who now call Studio 246 home promise programming not found elsewhere in
Kalamazoo.
Fancy Pants Theater and
Kinetic Affect staff and
volunteers have been slaving away over in recent weeks to refurbish the
space at 246 North Kalamazoo Mall. They have remodeled the lobby with a neo-art deco look they
expect will be something different for theater goers the moment they
walk in the door. The landlord even helped repaint the place.
"We are truly excited to bring to Kalamazoo a
performance venue that has been previously unmatched in style and urban
panache," says Kirk Latimer, one-half of the spoken word duo Kinetic
Affect. Kinetic Affect's role largely will be as producers for the
space as it helps turn Studio 246 into a haven for contemporary and
classy art in the downtown.
The new look is nice, but Latimer
emphasizes the "real substance will be in the new plays and musicals,
the unique and never-before-seen collaborations with a level of
community outreach not currently pursued by any other performance venue
in the area. We're about entertainment and changing lives."
The
season opens with "Cannibal: The Musical" written by Trey Parker, of
South Park fame, and adapted for stage by local writer Trevor Stenanick.
Other shows coming up include "Sick Day" by literary manager G. William
Zorn, "Pancakes, the Musical," by local writer Ryan McKernan. A Steve
Feffer piece, "Marylin & Mark," also will be staged. Its a Mae West play that was pulled and
shelved before its Broadway debut. "And, of course, a
second Gay-lah," says Zombro.
"Cannibal" opens Oct. 22 and runs weekends through Nov. 7.
Writer: Kathy Jennings
Sources: Carol Zombro, Kirk Latimer, Studio 246
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