Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mocha Musings: Rock on while you're still rolling ... Council to vote on bans on smoking, blocking sidewalks downtown ... Little Caesars shop owner testifies he had no incentive to blow up Ashland business ... Mocha Musings: Rock on while you're still rolling ... Council to vote on bans on smoking, blocking sidewalks downtown ... Little Caesars shop owner testifies he had no incentive to blow up Ashland business ... BACKSTAGE Backstage: Musical staging of 'Chess' coming to Ashland in the fall Comment By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings Posted May. 2, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings Posted May. 2, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Livia Genise, former artistic director of Talent’s Camelot Theatre Company, is now directing the musical “Chess” for Ashland Contemporary Theatre. It opens in September. Genise, a veteran actor of Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theater and Hollywood, first came to Ashland in the 1980s. She raised her children and earned a degree in music from Southern Oregon University before she took on the directorship of Camelot Theatre. During her 10-year tenure at Camelot, Genise fostered the enormous growth of the organization and mentored a generation of young theater artists. EH: Tell me about “Chess.” LG: It was created by Bjorn and Bennie Anderson, who wrote all of the ABBA music and “Mama Mia.” Tim Rice is the lyricist and wrote the book. The story involves a Cold War-era chess tournament between an American grandmaster and a Soviet grandmaster as they vie for one woman. EH: What is “Chess” about? LG: The state is bigger than the individual, and what is the sacrifice? We are powerless when governments are in charge. No matter how much you love your country, you can still be used by it. EH: How do you take a game that’s played on a small board and make it a musical? LG: A chess match is one of the most incredible creations, because no moves are ever the same. Otherwise, you don’t win. Everything is unexpected. Everything is an improvisation. That’s what’s exciting about it. It’s not about the board game. The board game is a device. It’s about the game of politics and the game of love. The fact is that it’s artistry. That’s why the two chess matches that are played on stage are ballets with black versus white. It was never about a board game. EH: Tell me about working with new actors and artists at the Camelot Theatre. LG: When you work with people, you try to say things in a way they can hear it, because you know that everybody wants to do their best. The only way that happens is if that person is willing to grow and be vulnerable and trust you. To me, safe space is the most important thing. If the theater can’t supply a safe space, the actors can’t develop to their full potential. I left because the space was no longer safe for the artist; it was all about the bottom line, not about the artist. What do you have in a theater, if you don’t have artists? There’s a George Bernard Shaw quote that changed my life: “This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I love. I rejoice in life for its own sake.” One of the most important sentences: “Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I've got a hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” To me, that’s what theater is, a splendid torch: Let’s light the way. I want to do theater that really shakes you, wakes you up, and makes a difference. “Chess” will be performed at 8 p.m. Sept. 17 and 2 p.m. Sept 18 at the Ashland Community Center and 8 p.m. Sept. 24 and 2 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Bellview Grange. Volunteers may contact Livia Genise by email at [email protected]. Donations may be made to ACT, earmarked for “Chess,” at [email protected]. Evalyn Hansen is a writer and director living in Ashland. She trained as an actor at the American Conservatory Theatre and was a founding cast member at San Francisco's Magic Theatre. Reach her at [email protected]. By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Evalyn Hansen For the Tidings Posted May. 2, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501