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/1354891
12 UCW MARCH 24-30, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM EVENTS Local author brings financial awareness to children by AUDREY HOGUE KEYURI PARAB, Editorial Assistant COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com 910-484-6200. Gilbert Theater opens 'Oedipus Rex' on March 26 by KEYURI PARAB e Gilbert eater brings the scandalous, fascinating and infamous story and play "Oedipus Rex" to the stage from March 26 until April 11. e play was originally written by Sophocles as a part of the trilogy "e eban Plays" that included Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. It was first performed in 429 B.C. and the story has notoriously stuck around till present day. e story has also in- fluenced the works of Sigmund Freud and psy- chologists who study the 'Oedipus complex.' "e plot is very simple, there's a massive plague going on where everyone's dying in the streets and the people are begging the king, Oedipus, to find some kind of solution," said Montgomery Sutton, the director for "Oedipus Rex." e play dives into the prophecy and investi- gation of an unsolved murder of the former king of ebes to end the plague. at un- leashes a lot of events and people called in for questions and stories in a "thrilleresque" way, he said. "Playing Oedipus is definitely a role I haven't had to tackle before, it's definitely brought some enlightenment during the rehearsal process in that, it's something broader than what we know about Oedipus and the Oedipus complex," said actor Deannah Robinson. "ere is more sympa- thy for him than what we are used to." Sutton, a returning director at the theater, directed "Antigone" about three years ago at the Gilbert. His expertise in theatre is acting, direct- ing and playwriting. e audience will watch the performance in a non-traditional setting, sitting in a tennis court arrangement, sitting on each side facing one an- other while the action takes place in the middle. "I am a big fan of that style, one of the things that makes it unique is the performance will never be the same twice and there will never be two audiences who are the same," Sutton said. Robinson said she's excited about the fluid- ity of the show from beginning to end. is adaptation looks at the origins of Greek theatre as both an artistic, civic and religious event, so the music becomes more of a rock- folk-hymn style that should be very relevant to the audience, Sutton said. "It's so good, so good," Robinson said. "Last night after we wrapped up, I sat in my car and cried because it's been a year since I felt so connected to the character in a play in a way that was real and had a heart-to-heart with them," said actor Ella Mock, who plays four different characters in the play. I love it, it's such a challenge, it's really like the original Greek theatre style, where the chorus would have different masks, costume signifiers being really obvious that they are the same actors playing different roles, they said. Sutton added that the play may raise a lot of questions concerning current cultural and political issues, many of which the audience will recognize in the play. "ey can look forward to 90 minutes of edge of your seat, lightning-fire thriller, it's incredibly intense," Sutton said. Mother, finance professional, and now an author — Crystal McLean is changing the scene by introducing a children's book that talks about finances. Inspired by her daughter, she is here to change the "generational cycle" of children grow- ing up not understanding finances. City Center Gallery & Books will host a virtual meet and greet on their Facebook page with McLean March 25 at 6:15 p.m. to discuss her book "Harmoney & the Empty Piggy Bank." On March 27 at 1 p.m., there will be an in-person, socially- distanced book signing at the store on Hay Street in Fayetteville. McLean is a graduate of Fayetteville State University. Starting off as a University of North Carolina at Pembroke student, she took some time off and worked in the finance industry. When she went back to school at FSU they had launched a new program in banking and finance, which was something McLean was passionate about. Now, having published a children's books on finances, she is here to normalize the topic in a child- friendly way. Growing up, McLean said she had very little knowledge about the subject of finances. "Grow- ing up, finance was a very taboo topic. If you have it, you talk about it, but if you didn't have it, you didn't talk about it," McLean said. e frustrating part to her was in school the subject was not taught. "It's inevitable to have to pay bills, taxes, etc. If it's not taught it sets them up for financial failure," she said. McLean decided to do something about it by publishing the book, "Harmoney & the Empty Piggy Bank." e children's book explains the principles of money, saving versus investing, budgeting, and more on a level that children can grasp. She wrote this because when she took her daughter, who was about seven at the time, to pick out finance books, there were none. is book will provide parents an opportunity to bring up the topic of finances with their chil- dren. It explains money in a child-friendly story with pictures and with a language that kids will understand. McLean said she was inspired by two books: "Amber's Magical Savings Box" by Rachel Hanible and "Wesley Learns to Invest" by Prince Dykes. McLean hopes that reading "Harmoney & the Empty Piggy Bank" will invite parents to bring up the topic with their kids. She wants readers to know that the next generation is watching what we are doing now, with everything, including the way we handle our finances. McLean wants parents to know that she would love for them to reach out about any questions they may have when explor- ing the world of finance with their children. McLean wants people to know she is a woman on a mission to make a difference. Her book is available on Amazon and her website. For more information about the author and her book please visit her website, https://www.authorcrystalm- clean.com/ or email, hello@authorcrystalmclean. com. AUDREY HOGUE, Up & Coming Weekly Intern. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com 910-484-6200. e cast of "Oedipus Rex" takes a break from rehearsals on the front steps of the Gilbert eater. e play will run from March 26 until April 11. (Photo by Montgomery Sutton) Local author Crystal McLean will condut a virtual meet and greet on March 25 and an in-person event on March 27 at City Center Gallery & Books on Hay Street.