Athens deserves a theater group willing to tackle plays that present adult subjects.
This is the philosophy of the Athens Movable Theater, a group of local actors who work to bring mature theater to stages around Athens.
More and more young people do not see live theater
they see entertainment in comedy clubs and musicals said Pat Berry Fraze, one of the founders of the group. We aren't opposed to any of this but the core of theater is facing basic problems of the human condition.
The group's latest play, Painting Churches examines the reality of life changes and family dynamics, Fraze said.
Opening tonight at ARTS/West, the play tells the story of the Church family. The father Gardner, is developing Alzheimer's and he and his wife Fanny decide to leave their lifelong home. They ask their daughter Mags to come help them move, but all she wants to do is paint her parents' portrait.
To me the seriousness of the central theme is what makes it meaningful said Carol Patterson, who plays Fanny. Often
community theater is lighter fare and I see this (as a play) that's got a lot underneath it.
A former director of plays at Athens High School, Patterson has been acting and directing with Athens Moveable Theater since it formed.
The group was created seven years ago by Pat Berry Fraze, an actress, and her husband Lonny, a theater designer and technician.
After traveling around the country, the Frazes settled in Athens in 1968 where Lonny taught at the Ohio University School of Theater and Pat worked in the Office of Conferences and Workshops, Pat said. After they retired, they started Athens Moveable Theater.
The group is designed to give all its ten members the chance to act and direct, Fraze said. All the work is done on a volunteer basis and profits from ticket sales go toward supplies for the production, she said.
Although they perform most of their shows at ARTS/West, the group has performed in Chauncey, Nelsonville and Marietta as well as other venues in Athens such as the library and the Unitarian church Patterson said. Usually their shows attract about 50 people a night.
Since (we perform) in such small venues
you feel like you are almost part of the story
said Robin Barnes who plays Mags. Sometimes they are really serious and thought provoking
but you also have the opportunity to laugh.
Although most of the group's material is meant for adult audiences, these types of plays enhance the Athens theater scene, Pat said.
Many of our shows are for adults
not only 'cause of the language
but because of the boring factor for young kids
she said. But people in Athens are quite sophisticated and can handle it.
