The first thing I did when I moved to Miller Beach was to go to the local Art Center and ask what kind of help they needed.
Turns out, they did need a photographer to help show up to cover events and document galleries. I don’t often get to attend weekend events, but the Miller Community Theatre also uses the space and they have Sunday Matinees.
So far I’ve been able to watch two of their productions - A Christmas Carol and The Vagina Monologues. The MCT has a great cast of actors and being able to give them a view of what their performance looked like is something that often gets overlooked until it’s over and missed. I was involved in theater as a techie in high school so I know just how important being able to review the event really is.
A Christmas Carol is a classic. I’ve seen it a hundred times in a hundred ways and I look forward to seeing it a hundred more. This performance was delivered as a Readers Theater script. They all did different voices, shifting between characters and narration clearly enough to follow along with little other acting. I spent most of the show trying to figure out ways to make sure everyone’s portraits lined up with some of the decorations to really hit that Christmas theme. I took advantage of the harsh stage lighting in my editing - keeping the feeling cold, crisp, and ghostly.
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I was invited back to see the Vagina Monologues a couple months later. The ladies nailed it and I hope I was able to capture even a fraction of the emotion that they delivered. I laughed. I cried. I had never seen it before and was glad I finally got the chance to.
The stage was a podium for three local artists commissioned to make background art. In each monologue I tried to frame the acting with respect to the vaginas standing tall behind them. Each show really is a community event, with so many of my neighbors putting long hours in for our entertainment.
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Later this month I’ll be returning for their next show - Greater Tuna!
No, I have no idea what it’s about, either. So I sent them a message to ask!
“The play follows the wacky citizens of Tuna – the third smallest town in Texas and examines the small-town morals and more in this hilarious presentation.”
Sounds great to me!
Miller Community Theatre will present the production of Greater Tuna on April 12, 13, 19, 20 at the Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts in downtown Miller. Doors open at 7 PM and curtain up at 7:30 PM. There is a Sunday matinee on April 21 with doors open at 1:30 PM and curtain up at 2 PM. Tickets are pre-order only and available now.
Check the Miller Community Theatre Facebook for more Information about their shows!