Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1029086
10 SEPTEMBER 19-25, 2018 Best of Fayetteville ARTS MEDIA MEDIA Best Live Theater Cape Fear Regional Theatre 1209 Hay St. 910-323-4233 or www.cfrt.org Cape Fear Regional Theatre has been telling great stories since 1962, offering the community productions of Broadway hits and lesser-known but critically acclaimed shows. Last season's lineup was a delightful mix of family fun, comedy and heavy drama that included crowd-pleasers "Dreamgirls," "Seussical" and "Crowns." In between the singing, swinging, shouting and dancing, CFRT delivered the suspenseful "Wait Until Dark" and a reboot of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." Keeping with its intent to engage as well as entertain, CFRT also produced "Disgraced," the Pulitzer Prize winner that addresses race and reli- gion and tackles stereotypes head-on. It was a season highlight for some and an uncomfortable spotlight for others, but it certainly started a conversation. The common theme of every production was CFRT's commitment to quality. The theater has a strong history of female leadership. It was first run by Bo Thorpe and is now in the capable hands of Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke, who promises the upcoming season will again provide a variety of shows high- lighting local, regional and national talent. "Music City" kicks off the season this month. Other scheduled shows include "Peter and the Starcatcher," "The Cake," "Trumbo" and fan-favorite "Annie." The season will wrap up with "Memphis." CFRT will continue its community outreach efforts with discussion panels and special events in conjunction with shows, children's summer camps, and collaboration with local breweries and local businesses for the annual Blues- N-Brews Festival. CFRT's newest hit is the Military Outreach program, which delivers free theater classes to children on Fort Bragg, engaging them hands-on in playwriting and acting. Best Local Actor/Actress Tohry Petty www.sweetteashakespeare.com "If you ask my mother, I've been acting forever," Tohry Petty said of her tendency to chat up just about anybody anywhere. "I'm an extrovert; it's part of my personality." Originally from Virginia, the Fayetteville trans- plant (her husband is in the military at Fort Bragg) has been acting locally for four years. Petty, who works for the American Red Cross, said she caught the acting bug in high school. "Acting is a thing that I love to do," she said. "I love talking to people. I am animated; I talk with my hands and I have a very expressive face. I enjoy ... being a part of telling a good story." Those traits are prerequisites for her roles as Master of Pomp and Director of Creative Entertainment for local theater company Sweet Tea Shakespeare, where she engages with audience members before and after the shows to enhance the overall entertainment experience. Petty seems to bring a physical and dramatic energy whenever she performs. She recently received rave reviews as Ariel in the STS production of "The Tempest." Ariel is a magical spirit enslaved by main character Prospero. She recently stepped outside of STS for a role in Gilbert Theater's production of "August: Osage County." "With those kinds of roles - characters with despicable qualities – you have to find something about them, some way to like them," Petty said of preparing for the Gilbert play. "The audience may not like them, but you have to find some way in order to step into that role." Petty has also appeared in STS shows "As You Like It," "The Merchant of Venice," "The Winter's Tale," "Antigone" and "King Lear." Her next role will be in the STS production of "OtheILIT." Petty said it is "our mad romp on Shakespeare's 'Othello.'" She said it is a great introduction for those who might think they would not enjoy Shakespeare.