#Shanara Gabrielle

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‘A Quick 5’ with Shanara Gabrielle, Director of ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Once again Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is presenting the holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. This version takes place in Victorian Baltimore which ties the story to local history.  This adaptation is written by CSC Company Member Laura Rocklyn and this is the eighth year CSC has done this version. This year’s director is […] See original article at: https://mdtheatreguide.com/2022/12/a-quick-5-with-shanara-gabrielle-director-of-a-christmas-carol-at-chesapeake-shakespeare-company/

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Shakespearean Actress Sings this Spring at Fort Salem Theater

Shakespearean Actress Sings this Spring at Fort Salem Theater

  SALEM, NY — DC-based actress Shanara Gabrielle travels north for a spring weekend to perform her cabaret act, Tilting at Windmills, at Fort Salem Theater, Sunday afternoon, April 30, at 2 PM. Gabrielle’s show kicks off a Sunday afternoon cabaret series at the Washington County venue, which will subsequently include TV anchor Benita Zahn, humorist Byron Nilsson, and piano virtuoso Deborah…

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Theatre Review:  Charlotte’s Web at Imagination Stage

“Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They'll believe anything they see in print.” 

-Charlotte, from E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web

It’s hard to believe that a quote from a children’s story written over 60 years ago could still tickle audiences as much as this one does with its whimsical irony in Imagination Stage’s sparkling and sweet holiday production of Charlotte’s Web.  But that’s E.B. White for you, and his wonderful writer friend, a spider he calls Charlotte.  Brought to life by Katherine Chase Bryer’s expert direction, along with the inventive set designers, prop masters, and costume makers of Imagination Stage, this story of love and loss in a barnyard makes real, not fake, news headlines (or should I say weblines).  It is a timeless allegory for why friendship, kindness, and the ability to accept the possibility of a miracle are excellent character traits.  Not to mention respect for all, including the rat, or any other individual whose specific skills set you might learn to appreciate.

In fact, as Charlotte and Wilbur’s story highlights, it is possible through the bonds of friendship and extension of kindness, to change what seems an otherwise inevitable outcome, and it is exactly this feeling that anything is possible audience members depart the theatre with---the personal strength that Charlotte’s web, and her words, lend.

Spiraling from the ceiling and curling herself into position in the center of a fantastic web in the rafters of the barnyard stage, actress Shanara Gabrielle embodies Charlotte like a hand fits a glove.  As her feet never touch the floor, you are never quite sure if she has only the two, or possibly eight legs.  Gabrielle is surrounded by a cast of just five other actor-musicians (accompanied by live piano on stage) who perform nothing less than a remarkable feat rotating amongst their roles, notably the estimable sheep played by Javier del Pilar with such appropo curmudgeonliness, you just want to give him a hug, and Michael Schleigh as the Goose and the Gander together.   As Fern, Moira Todd is a sweet and empowering young heroine.   Tim German as Wilbur delivers a not too crispy (forgive the bacon reference) depiction of the immature newcomer to the barn with adorable eyes bulging in fear, and realistic oinking, as noted by my nine year old daughter.

Also noted by my daughter, a big fan of the book (and film versions), the actors use the “real words” the characters “actually said” in the story, the incorporation of which always interests her when comparing page to stage versions.  It’s of special import here with the richness of the source material, but it is doubtless the genuineness my daughter and I both felt in this show, comes as much from the adaptation of Mr. White’s book by Joseph Robinette used in productions worldwide, as it does from the meticulous ingenuity of the costume details, staging, lighting and downright radiant musical elements employed by Imagination Stage.  That’s Some Show.

Charlotte’s Web is based on the book by E.B. White, and adapted by Joseph Robinette. Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave, Bethesda from November 18, 2017 - January 7, 2018, this show is recommended for ages 5 and up.    The running time is just over an hour, and there is no intermission.  Tickets are available online at imaginationstage.org.  Production photos by Margot Schulman.

[larryland]

Fort Salem Theater Announces 2017 Season

Fort Salem Theater Announces 2017 Season

FORT SALEM THEATER SPRING AND SUMMER, 2017 APRIL 21-22   Li’l Abner. California Musical Theater Ensemble, featuring students from Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts. Directed by Tim Nelson. Special Student Rates. $20 adult/$10 High School Srs & younger. Reservations: 518.854.9200. 8PM 30        Shanara Gabrielle: Tilting at Windmills. Accomplished recording artist from regional…