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/1108657
12 UCW APRIL 24-30, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JESSICA OSNOE, Associ- ate Artistic Director, Sweet Tea Shakespeare. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Sweet Tea Shakespeare presents 'Maid Marian' by JESSICA OSNOE e arrival of spring brings a fresh array of opportunities to enjoy the warmth and beauty of the outdoors before the summer heat sets in. A taste of this worth savoring, April 25- 28 and May 2-12, is "Maid Marian," the latest production in the Honey Series at Sweet Tea Shakespeare. e Honey Series celebrates the work of women in theater and this year, tells a classic story from a new perspective. "Maid Marian" focuses on the title character and her family, left behind during the Crusades, as they search for resourceful solutions to difficult situations. ose familiar with the Robin Hood stories will find some of their favorite characters as well as new ones to love. Fans of the Honey Series will rec- ognize actress Jen Pommerenke from previous productions, including "Saint Joan" and "Jane Eyre." Pommerenke, who plays the title role, describes Maid Marian as "a story about learning to stretch yourself and facing your fears — not just life and death fears, but fears of not being enough and the consequenc- es of doing too much or too little. "It also deals with knowing when your time is done and how to humbly pass on the gift of service to another. e more we rehearsed this story, the more we saw in it the message of do- ing what you can, where you are and with what you have. "e women in this story saw a problem and didn't stop when it looked like they could only do a small amount. ey saw the people and the needs in their own backyard and said, 'I can do something.'" For audiences familiar with STS, there are several other returning ac- tors, including Linda Flynn and Laura Voytko, seen earlier this year in "e Comedy of Errors." Voytko, who plays Marian's sister, Emma, said working on "Maid Mar- ian" has been liberating because of the ways she's been able to push her- self out of her comfort zone and share that experience with friends. Flynn, who has always loved the Robin Hood tales, knew early in the season that she wanted to take part in telling Marian's side of the story. Her character, Joan, is a new addition to the narrative. "e thing I love about (this character) is that we are very similar," Flynn said. "Joan has a big family, she does everything she can to take care of them, and she doesn't hesitate to help her friends in doing what she thinks is right." For other actors, this is their first STS production. Nelson Soliva, who plays Adam, Marian's brother, is making his theatrical debut. Soliva, originally from Guam, never had the opportunity to be involved in theater as he grew up, but after seeing his first Broadway show, he put being in a play on his bucket list. "I thought it was amazing," says Soliva. "I wanted to be a part of something like that." Audiences have three weekends to be a part of this world premiere pro- duction. "Maid Marian" runs April 25-28 at Fayetteville State University (tickets available through FSU) and May 2-12 at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex. Preshow begins at 6:45 p.m. and the play starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.sweetteashakespeare.com/ tickets or call 910-420-4383. EVENT The City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and nine partner organizations are developing a new, unified branding platform to celebrate what makes our area unique and attract new residents, businesses, and tourists. What makes Fayetteville unique? What makes you proud to live in Cumberland County? What challenges does our community face? How would you describe our community to someone who has never visited? We want to hear from you! Take the Community-Wide Branding Survey at www.brandingfcnc.com HELP UNCOVER AT WWW.BRANDINGFCNC.COM OUR COMMUNITY'S UNIQUE STORY Your brand is what they say about you when you're not around...branding is what you do about it! Jen Pommerenke (left) as Maid Marian and Laura Voytko (right) as Emma Fitzwalter, Maid Marian's sister.