Downtown Tucsonan - January 2008 - (Page 20)

Arts Heroe s Are Every where by Dolly Spalding ast year, arizona onstage Productions, in its fourth year of producing award-winning musicals and other theater, presented the one-man show Talk of the Town. the show introduced us to Johnny Roy Hobson, a 15-year-old living in a small texas town, working at the dairy Queen, and looking for that shirtless guy in the red convertible who went through the drive-in window. the sequel, The Bible Belt . . . And Other Accessories, continues Johnny’s path as he deals with hatred, bigotry and religious fanatics. although emotion abounds, joy and laughter have their place in this show that has been produced in over 30 cities in 3 languages. “the theme is universal,” states artistic director Kevin Johnson. “amazing guilt and huge themes of family responsibility occur when a youth, in an environment that is not accepting of diversity, realizes he or she is different.” those who missed talk of the town shouldn’t worry. Johnny catches the audience up on what went on and is going on in the first few minutes. Johnny, now 16, still working at the dairy Queen, still dealing with the pressures of his community, now finds a more sure-footed disposition in dealing with the climate of cleborne, texas. “this piece contains more humor – Johnny is now able to start to say what is in his mind – and quite often he is sarcastic, astute and funny. Johnny is growing up, understanding the concepts of hate, but also that unexpected ‘heroes’ show up unexpectedly, just when you need them, to help heal wounds and encourage these misfits to go on and be proud of their individuality,” says director Kevin Johnson. the basic storyline is both touching and funny. Johnny and his dairy Queen side-kick delinda domingo (the family changed their name from dominguez to domingo to sound less Mexican) sign up for home economics class. the trouble is, they are among just a few in class because the new teacher is african-american. delinda decides to make beer-battered onion rings, gets caught with a can of Budweiser in class, and the rest is an epic texas tall tale. Last year Johnny was played by newcomer Brandon costers. after great reviews, he sent the dVd to the chicago Institute of art. He received a full 4-year scholarship in Performance art. Kevin Johnson knew that there was another actor who would embrace that material with full passion, Ryan deLuca, who received a “Best actor” nomination from the arizona daily star for his performance in the musical Falsettoland, was the perfect choice. says deLuca “to some this is a play about discovering independence and defending oneself, to others it is about finding a heart, and yes, to some it is about sticking up for being gay and being yourself. It’s about self-discovery and confidence and believing in yourself even if it is not the opinion of the majority. I strongly feel that this show will affect each and every person in the audience.” director Johnson agrees. “this is basically my story of my texas upbringing, and of so many other people growing up gay in a suppressed community and making it not only okay, but fantastic. Humor is a great source of healing.” Cutting Edge Theater Explores Youth Identity L THE BIBLE BELT…AND OTHER ACCESSORIES plays January 10-20 at Zuzi’s theater, 738 n. 5th ave. Preview: thursday, January 10 – 7:30pm Fridays: 1/11, 1/18, 8pm Saturdays: 1/12, (opening night benefit for PFLaG), 11/17, 8pm Sundays: 1/13, 11/20, 2pm. all regular tickets $15, PFLaG opening night $25 including food and drink reception. call 882-6574 or go to www.arizonaonstage.org. 20 downtown tucsonan.january.08 http://www.creativetornado.com http://www.ArizonaOnstage.org

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Downtown Tucsonan - January 2008 Contents From the Editor Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Restaurants & Cafes Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performance Film Events Museums Historic Downtown Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - January 2008

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