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Mother-daughter pair start state's first black not-for-profit repertory theater
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By Michelle Brooks
mbrooks@newstribune.com See also: MoAART prepares to ‘Celebrate the Soul' Saturday at LU
Get-togethers and meal-preparations always have included music and dramatics for Regina Divine's family. Whether it's instrumental, vocal or animated story-telling, they have shared the arts with one another.
And now Divine and her daughter Robin Freet are sharing that passion with the community through the Missouri African American Repertory Theatre (MoAART), the state's first black not-for-profit repertory theater, Divine said.
The mother-daughter pair have performed in other local theater productions, which often draw strangers to them at public places.
“People don't forget you after a good performance,” Divine said.
But MoAART “brings a little different flavor,” Freet said. “It's one more form of entertainment in the area.”
Divine, a graduate of a performing arts high school in St. Louis, founded the theater with the help of the Missouri Association of Community Theatres (MoACT), over which she currently serves as board president.
“The resources are out there, if you know how to use them,” Divine said. “It's difficult without a building or money ... it's a lot of work to operate a not-for-profit.”
After five years, attendance for their performances has had highs and lows like a roller-coaster. And as they attend community functions, they still find many people who have not heard of them, Divine said.
“But people really like us when they come to the show,” Freet said. “We just need to get them to the show.
“Our June performance will be a good ice-breaker.”
MoAART will perform “Celebrate the Soul” in recognition of June as Black Music Month at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Scruggs Ballroom on the Lincoln University campus.
Sept. 13-14 they will perform “A Colored Funeral,” which will explore the health hazards of the American people, and some times specifically for the African-American culture.
MoAART specializes in stage readings and readers theater.
For those unfamiliar with this form of drama, it may appear as though the performers are unprepared as they carry their scripts with them through the production.
“I think there's more pressure with the script, you have a tendency to stumble more,” Divine said.
This genre most traditionally takes the speaker or speakers on stage dressed in black and their voice must transport the audience into the story.
“I don't know of other theaters in Missouri that do that; (so) I wanted to do it because no one else was doing it,” Divine said.
The organization took their readers theater into the schools through a Capital City Council on the Arts grant (CCCA) to stress the importance of reading and how it can be used to entertain, Divine said. They also have offered theater camps for children, including the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital City.
“We like to get kids involved and offer some exposure to theater,” Divine said.
MoAART likes to do comedy, but they have some serious shows coming up, too. They have delivered eight shows to the community this far, plus competitions and exhibitions with the MoACT and the CCCA.
In the next year, they are working on collaborative efforts with other local theater groups, including “A Raisin in the Sun” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Although they serve as a contact when other theater groups are in need of black performers, Divine noted that MoAART members do not have to be a particular race.
“It's kind of cool when you can work with another theater group - to get a taste of how other groups work and what other resources are out there,” Divine said. “You make a lot of friends, a lot of contacts.”
www.geocities.com/moaartjc
And now Divine and her daughter Robin Freet are sharing that passion with the community through the Missouri African American Repertory Theatre (MoAART), the state's first black not-for-profit repertory theater, Divine said.
The mother-daughter pair have performed in other local theater productions, which often draw strangers to them at public places.
“People don't forget you after a good performance,” Divine said.
But MoAART “brings a little different flavor,” Freet said. “It's one more form of entertainment in the area.”
Divine, a graduate of a performing arts high school in St. Louis, founded the theater with the help of the Missouri Association of Community Theatres (MoACT), over which she currently serves as board president.
“The resources are out there, if you know how to use them,” Divine said. “It's difficult without a building or money ... it's a lot of work to operate a not-for-profit.”
After five years, attendance for their performances has had highs and lows like a roller-coaster. And as they attend community functions, they still find many people who have not heard of them, Divine said.
“But people really like us when they come to the show,” Freet said. “We just need to get them to the show.
“Our June performance will be a good ice-breaker.”
MoAART will perform “Celebrate the Soul” in recognition of June as Black Music Month at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Scruggs Ballroom on the Lincoln University campus.
Sept. 13-14 they will perform “A Colored Funeral,” which will explore the health hazards of the American people, and some times specifically for the African-American culture.
MoAART specializes in stage readings and readers theater.
For those unfamiliar with this form of drama, it may appear as though the performers are unprepared as they carry their scripts with them through the production.
“I think there's more pressure with the script, you have a tendency to stumble more,” Divine said.
This genre most traditionally takes the speaker or speakers on stage dressed in black and their voice must transport the audience into the story.
“I don't know of other theaters in Missouri that do that; (so) I wanted to do it because no one else was doing it,” Divine said.
The organization took their readers theater into the schools through a Capital City Council on the Arts grant (CCCA) to stress the importance of reading and how it can be used to entertain, Divine said. They also have offered theater camps for children, including the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital City.
“We like to get kids involved and offer some exposure to theater,” Divine said.
MoAART likes to do comedy, but they have some serious shows coming up, too. They have delivered eight shows to the community this far, plus competitions and exhibitions with the MoACT and the CCCA.
In the next year, they are working on collaborative efforts with other local theater groups, including “A Raisin in the Sun” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Although they serve as a contact when other theater groups are in need of black performers, Divine noted that MoAART members do not have to be a particular race.
“It's kind of cool when you can work with another theater group - to get a taste of how other groups work and what other resources are out there,” Divine said. “You make a lot of friends, a lot of contacts.”
www.geocities.com/moaartjc
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joytotheworld wrote on Jun 20, 2008 4:38 PM: