近距离内射合集

Musical Theatre Southwest鈥檚 newly formed Theatre Arts Collective 鈥� a rigorous theater arts training program for teens 鈥� debuts its first production, 鈥淲est Side Story: School Edition,鈥� at Expo New Mexico on Friday, May 8, with two additional performances on Saturday, May 9.

Natalie Hadley, who is directing the musical, said audiences should not be misled by the school edition label.

鈥淔ourteen minutes have been cut from the original work, but it鈥檚 not a junior production. 鈥� We do mature material,鈥� Hadley said.

鈥淲est Side Story,鈥� which first premiered in 1957, reimagines William Shakespeare鈥檚 鈥淩omeo and Juliet鈥� as a tale of rival street gangs 鈥� the Sharks and the Jets 鈥� in 1950s-era New York City. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Arthur Laurents.

鈥淲est Side Story鈥� is challenging, not only for its dark themes, but for its complex music and choreography, Hadley said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very rarely staged, (because) it requires a lot of vocal and musical ability, as well as physical ability. 鈥� A big component of telling the story is through movement,鈥� Hadley said. 鈥淪o, we put these teenagers through the test when it comes to contemporary ballet and jazz. We鈥檙e really tossing them into the deep end and insisting a lot from them and their quality of movement.鈥�

Amie Tennant is choreographing the show.

鈥淪he鈥檚 my creative partner, my creative equal,鈥� Hadley said. 鈥淭his show would not be at the caliber that it is without her. 鈥� She is absolutely one of the best choreographers in town.鈥�

Hadley said theatergoers should expect high-level performances from the cast.

鈥淎 lot of the time, teenagers are discounted. 鈥� But these are not your average teenagers in high school who are kind of forced into this situation (of being in a play),鈥� Hadley said. 鈥淭hese are our community鈥檚 future professionals.鈥�

She has been especially impressed by her two leads.

鈥淩io Marquez, our Tony, is probably one of the most substantial talents I have ever seen onstage, and I鈥檓 a Berklee College (Boston) graduate who鈥檚 done multiple national tours,鈥� Hadley said. 鈥淎nd our Maria, Av铆 Lor茅n, is also one of the most profound talents I have ever seen onstage. 鈥� We鈥檙e very fortunate to have them leading the show.鈥� 

Hadley has been training her actors in the Meisner technique, which was developed by the leading 20th century theater practitioner Sanford Meisner.

鈥淭he Meisner method is about emotional reactivity within moment, rather than planned intent within context,鈥� Hadley said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a mouthful, but basically it means that they are on their feet, actively responding and reacting to what is occuring around them. 鈥� It is very easily applied to the the rumble, where Riff and Bernardo are in this aggressive choreographed fight, which, of course, is planned movement; however, the emotion 鈥� and the pace and structure of how they deliver their lines is within moment.鈥�

Hadley said the Meisner technique is psychologically safer for actors than other techniques, such as Uta Hagen鈥檚 method of having actors recall real, painful memories from their pasts.

鈥淪pecifically with 鈥榃est Side Story,鈥� and how dark the material is, I thought 鈥� that could be very harmful in the long run,鈥� she said.

With the Meisner technique, the actors are reacting in the moment, which lends spontaneity to their performances.

鈥淲hat you鈥檙e seeing onstage for 鈥榃est Side Story鈥� is real to the actor, and it is happening in that exact moment,鈥� Hadley said. 鈥淓very show will be slightly different, and you can see another face of the coin of this tragedy every time you go.鈥�

Although the musical was written nearly 70 years ago, Hadley said the themes of racial prejudice and racially motivated violence are, sadly, still relevant.

鈥淭he racial prejudice of the Jets and the Sharks, and how they come together in this really big rumble that ends in an all-out brawl and death, which then (leads) to Maria losing her innocence 鈥� is what we are enduring now as a society,鈥� Hadley said. 鈥溾�� The generation that is putting on this production 鈥� are trying to figure out what this world is, and what we are as a cultre and society. And they are choosing to put on this production, that they voted for, that鈥檚 about racial prejudice 鈥� And I think it鈥檚 a really beneficial story to tell right now. It鈥檚 meaningful to our time.鈥�

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the 近距离内射合集. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .