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Towngate Actor Spotlight: May Devine in “Jack and the Beanstalk”

One of most amazing things about community theater is the actors that give their talent and time so that we can be entertained, moved and inspired.

At Towngate Theatre, we are lucky to have a large number of these talented people share their creative skills with us. Some are veterans who have honed their skills and bring a polished craft to their performances. Others are new to the stage, entering the realm of acting with a fresh face and vigor.

Ten-year-old May Devine is one of the newer actors. She is acting in her first regular season play at Towngate Theatre, playing the role of Annot in the production of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

A New Experience & Adventure

We sat down with May and asked her a few questions about herself and her part in “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

Towngate Theatre: Tell us a little about yourself, May.

May: I’m 10-years-old; I go to Woodsdale Elementary and I’m in the fifth grade. This is my first official play, but I’ve done a lot of the Towngate Theatre summer camp plays in the past.

Towngate Theatre: Why did you decide to audition for your first regular season play at Towngate?

May: My friends had been in plays before and said it was a lot of fun and I wanted to try it out to see what it would be like.

Towngate Theatre: What has that experience been like?

May: It’s really fun. I’ve got to meet a lot more new people that I had seen in other plays. It’s hard to find time to learn my lines, but I find it eventually. Getting the costume is always really fun because you get to try on a bunch of really cool stuff. I didn’t think it would take so much time out of my schedule, but it’s worth it. And they have candy on stage…so that’s nice!

Towngate Theatre: What role are you playing?

May: Annot, a villager. It’s not a big role, but since it’s my first part I’m learning how everything works to put on a play.

Towngate Theatre: What is your favorite part of the play?

May: When the Giant yells, because it always startles us and it’s really funny!

A Climber, Like Jack

Towngate Theatre: What other activities or hobbies do you have?

May: I rock climb. I play softball. I like to skateboard. But my main focus is climbing.

Towngate Theatre: Wow! So you’re a climber like Jack! Tell us about that.

May: Climbing is really fun. I like going to competitions. I go to my climbing gym up in Pittsburgh twice a week. I’ve gained a lot of friends from climbing. It’s a really great sport because even if you’re against one of your friends, you can still cheer for them and help them figure out the route.

Towngate Theatre: That sounds exciting! How would you say acting is different than climbing? Which takes more courage?

May: They both take a lot of courage, but I think acting takes more. Because in climbing people usually aren’t watching you and if they are, I don’t feel like it’s stressful. But with acting you have to memorize your lines and make sure that everything you do has a purpose, while people are watching you.

Towngate Theatre: What are you reading?

May: I have three book series going right now. “Emily Windsnap,” the last book in “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and the second book in “The Darkest Minds.” There are a lot of other series I have in mind to read.

Towngate Theatre: What would you tell kids who want to get involved in theater but are nervous?

May: You should definitely try it. I thought that auditions would be scary at first, but then when I did it, it wasn’t scary at all. It was really fun. And just go for it. The more dramatic the better, don’t be embarrassed about it.

Towngate Theatre: Why should our readers go see “Jack and the Beanstalk?”

May: It’s like the original but with more twists and humor. And the cast is great! A few more characters were added and you get to see all the details in the original story but in person.

About the Play

This adaptation tells the tale of how Jack’s mother instructs him to sell their cow, but he ends up with magic beans instead of money. Soon, a giant beanstalk grows and Jack finds himself in a magical land above the clouds. The show includes humor and adventure, colorful costumes, engaging characters and valuable moral lessons.

Towngate’s production is directed by Dave Henderson. In addition to May, cast members include: Justin Swoyer, Mike Blanton, Maria McKelvey, Elizabeth Jeffers, Elaine Pusz, Alex Fabrizio, Shane Young, Jana Lu Schodzinski, Patricia Jeffers, Isaac Swoyer, Taylor Andrews, Abigia Smith, and Owen Dobrzynski.

Get Tickets and See this Show

Performances of “Jack and the Beanstalk” take place February 1, 2 and 3 & February 8 & 9. Curtain is at 7pm Friday; 3pm Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $12.50 ($11 OI members) for adults and $10 ($8.50 OI members) for children 10 & under.

You can purchase tickets online in advance, by calling 304-242-7700 or at the door, if available. Don’t delay. Some shows will sell out.

“Moulin Rouge” is a Love Letter to Style and Song

by Mario Muscar

I have previously written about movies showing at Towngate. I would classify myself as a movie lover. And I was incredibly excited when I heard that Towngate was showing the musical Moulin Rouge on its big screen.

Moulin Rouge is one of those movies that hit me at the right time in my life. When it was released, I was fresh out of college and hanging out with my friends, with little care in the world. And along came this film which summed up what was most important to me in my life at the time: art, music, celebration, beauty and love.

Moulin Rouge spoke to me.

The plot is simple. Taking place in Paris at the turn of the 20th Century, we are shown the tale of a young Englishman writer who falls into the bohemian lifestyle and falls in love with a singer at the burlesque night club, the Moulin Rouge. However, she has been promised by the manager to a Duke in return for funding his next production. As the young lovers meet in secret, Satine’s wedding day draws closer but she hides a fatal secret from both Christian and the Duke. The characters in the film are romantics who focus their lives on glitz, glamour, art and love.

A Feverish, Stylized Story Leaves You Breathless

Directed by Australian director Baz Luhrmann, Moulin Rouge tells a feverish, stylized story. This is the typical style of Luhrmann as can be seen in his updated take on Williams Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or his ballroom dancing romantic comedy, Strictly Ballroom. He has such a strong, vibrant style.

The movie is like a fever dream and jumps from moment to moment. The color alone is a brash and in-your-face Technicolor dream, with red (or rouge), of course, being the primary color. A color or love, but also of blood (and therefore death). Luhrmann definitely has the eye of an artist and the color of the film shows this.

The sheer energy of Moulin Rouge can at times be exhausting…but in that “I danced all night and had the time of my life” kind of exhaustion. Every moment in the movie is that moment of anticipation and excitement before the big musical number hits. The constant build-up can leave you breathless. And it’s that excitement and energy that always brings me back to this movie.

Well-Known Songs We All Love

The music in the film is also amazing and owes a lot to the post-MTV world in which the film was created. Moulin Rouge already has an anachronistic quality to it and the music hammers that feeling home even more. All throughout, the actors perform contemporary, well-known songs that we all know and love (“Like a Virgin,” “Your Song,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Lady Marmalade” to name a few.)

I highly recommend you get out and see this film on the big screen this weekend, especially with the added bonus of seeing it in a classic theatre like Towngate. I think the dancers at the Moulin Rouge would approve of that choice. And maybe take away a little love when you see it. As the film says, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”

Moulin Rouge at Towngate

You can see Moulin Rouge at Towngate at 7pm Friday, January 25; 4 and 7pm Saturday, January 26 and 2 and 4pm Sunday, January 27.

Tickets are $7. Purchase tickets at the door. Box office opens one hour prior to each screening. You can purchase beer, wine, soda, water, popcorn and candy at all Towngate movies.

Towngate: A Unique Movie Theater in Wheeling.

A church-turned-theater, Towngate is located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District.

At Towngate, not only can you watch live theater productions, spoken word performances, improv and concerts, you can see movies, too! Towngate is also a single screen cinema. On select weekends throughout the year, we show classic and independent films, thought-provoking documentaries and film shorts by local and regional filmmakers. Our movie selections encourage thought and conversation.

Whether you consider yourself a film buff or you only like movies for the popcorn, our films will entertain and inspire. See you at Towngate!