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.
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Spoon River Anthology Explores Small Town America by ERINN CRIDER In 1915 playwright Edgar Lee Masters wrote about a huge part of American life, the small town. Not only did his play break down the stereotypical ideas surrounding small-town America, but the unconventional style of this play also ripped through traditional theatre. Phoebe Hall brings this production back to life for the public to enjoy this November at Fayetteville State University. Spoon River Anthology is a series of free-form poems that describe the lives of the citizens of Spoon River, Ill., a classic small town in rural America. Some may fear that this will lead to a confusing or altogether un-relatable production, but Hall says, "I think audience members will be surprised by how much fun they'll have with the characters of Spoon River. "While the time period is 'long ago' and we have no way of knowing who is who or what year it is for any given character, I think they'll find it fairly easy to keep up with who is attached to whom and for what reason. This is very much like a large extended family in that everyone is connected to someone else in some way and once you begin to unravel that, the maze begins to make more sense." Many productions romanticize the world in order to provide an escape. Spoon River Anthology does quite the opposite. Instead of creating a fictional world to provide an escape, this production reflects true characters and real truths in life. "They should expect to be moved, to laugh and to recognize the characters in this small town. We all know them. Some of us are related to them, married to them, teach them, vote for them, love them or even hate them," said Hall. "But, in the fi nal analysis … we may see ourselves and our own environments in the play." Even the actors get an in-depth understanding of the characters as they develop them and portray them on stage. "As in every play that I direct, my favorite part is watching and helping the actors through the 'discovery' phase of rehearsal. I fi nd it very satisfying to see them all have those 'Aha! moments' when something fi nally clicks for them about a character and motivation," said Hall. Spoon River Anthology was written in 1915, and is set in a time even before that, but the profound truth it portrays about human nature in a small town makes it timeless. "I think every theme can find some relevance today — it depends on individual perspective. The same issues that plagued Spoon River still plague people in small towns today, so the issues don't change … just the players," said Hall. Spoon River Anthology runs Nov. 17-18 and begins at 7:30 p.m. each night and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets ordered in advance cost $10 for adults and $8 for faculty, staff and off-campus students. At the door, adults pay $12 and faculty, staff and off campus students pay $10. FSU students with I.D.s always pay $3. Tickets may be ordered by calling the FSU Box Office at (910) 672-1724. For more information, contact Jeremy Fiebig at 672-2574 or jfiebig@uncfsu. edu. The production will be held in Butler Theatre on the FSU campus. Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. ERINN CRIDER, Contributing Yule Mart Brings Good Cheer to Fort Bragg and Community by PAMELA FORD across the state and decorations are starting to appear in all the stores. If you like the excitement of holiday arts and crafts then you are in for a treat as the Association of Bragg Officers' Spouses brings you the annual 2012 Yule Mart Craft Fair. The fair will be held on Friday, November 16 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 17 from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. The Yule Mart Craft Fair aims to provide visitors with a wide variety of handmade crafts and artworks sold on site by the artists. The crafts will include holiday décor, furniture, toys, handmade treats, clothing, candles, soaps, pictures and other unique items. Shopping for the 2012 holiday season has begun for many people Some of the other features include a Santa Secret Shop where young children can shop for family members. The children will be accompanied by one of Santa's elves as they browse around the shop looking for gifts that are in their budget. The gifts that the young ones pick out will be individually wrapped so they are ready for the holiday. There will also be a bake shop full of homemade goodies, and a special area will be set up for a visit from Santa himself. Perhaps you always wanted to take a picture with Santa; well, you will get your chance because he is preparing his best looking smile with his rosy cheeks, to take pictures with you and the children. This year, the event includes a food court area, too. Sit down, take a break and get something good to eat without leaving the event. Last year's event was a great success and organizers are predicting WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM All proceeds from the fair go towards the ABOS Welfare and Scholarship funds, which benefit the Fort Bragg Community. an even better turn-out in 2012. All proceeds from the fair go towards the ABOS Welfare and Scholarship funds, which benefit the Fort Bragg Community. There are expected to be at least 62 vendors on hand, and ABOS hopes to raise even more funds than last year. In 2012, organization distributed $20,000 in grants to local non-profit organizations that serve the Fort Bragg population and demonstrated a need, and $18,000 in scholarships. The scholarship grants are available to any family member of an active-duty or retired soldier with a valid military identification card and who resides in the surrounding Fort Bragg areas or whose sponsor is attached or assigned to Fort Bragg. For additional information about the Yule Mart Craft Fair and the ABOS, go online to http:// fbabos.org. If you are an interested crafter, go to the website complete and submit the application. There are only a few vendor slots available for the 2012 Yule Mart Craft Fair. This year is sure to be fun for the entire family with a little something for everyone. ABOS are trying to make sure that there will not be one dull moment during your visit to the craft fair. Army Airfield. Admission for Friday is $5 and Saturday $8. Find out more about Yule Mart and ABOS at www.fbabos.org. Fitness Center, which is located at Building 420 Armistead Street, Pope PAMELA FORD, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. NOVEMBER 7-13, 2012 UCW 11 The craft fair will be held at the Hercules Physical