Last Chance to See Homefront

-
By Taylor Steinbeck

Only four performances remain of the Young Conservatory’s evocative musical, Homefront. Playing at The Strand Theater until Saturday, August 19, Homefront tells the story of three siblings who flee from Germany during World War I to find new opportunities in America. Directed by Domenique Lozano, with a book by Craig Slaight and music and lyrics from Creighton Irons, the play sheds light on war’s damaging effects and the difficulties immigrants face.

The cast of A.C.T.'s production of Homefront. Photo by Jay Yamada.
The musical wrestles with weighty themes requiring maturity to perform, and the YC students have risen to the occasion. Made up of two casts with the lead actors rotating roles, Homefront has given the 26 students involved a chance to learn about a dark side of American history. Stage manager Joelle Hagen is especially impressed by how the youthful cast has taken on these complex, yet relevant issues. “It’s amazing to see the next generation of theater artists bringing us back to what storytelling is all about: education and communication,” she says.

Audience members have also been moved by Homefront. A patron said of the show, “My friend and I enjoyed all the performances, and I’d like to go again to see the other cast.”

The Kolemeir siblings (L to R): Else (Lyle Belger), Horst (Alex Cook),
and Emma (Ayra Demirovich). Photo by Jay Yamada.
Though Homefront is performed entirely by young people, Hagen believes that it will affect audiences of any demographic. “This is an incredibly timely piece, reflecting our country’s past on the current situation,” she says. “It’s an important conversation to be having with people of all ages.”

Homefront runs until August 19 at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater, 1127 Market Street, San Francisco. Click here to purchase tickets. To learn more about the YC Program, click here.

Popular posts from this blog

“To Be or Not to Be”: The Iconic Speech’s Origins, Interpretations, and Impact

-
Image
By A.C.T. Publications Staff The opening line of Hamlet ’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is theater’s most iconic, most referenced quote. What’s less known is the famous speech’s history, with Hamlet ’s earliest publications offering varying versions of its language. Also questioned is its meaning—is Hamlet contemplating suicide or is he weighing the consequences of murder? Though definitive answers are unlikely to arise, the questions “To be or not to be” asks have kept audiences, scholars, and actors engaged for centuries. Hamlet ’ s "To be or not to be" speech as it appears in the three original editions of the play. Photo by Georgelazenby. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The first edition, or First Quarto (Q1), of Hamlet was published in 1603. Because the text is much shorter than later editions and its language is less poetic, it is nicknamed the “Bad Quarto” by scholars. “To be or not to be” in Q1 reads as: To be, or not to be—ay, there’s the point. To die,
Read more

The American Sound: The Evolution of Jazz

-
Image
By Cecilia Padilla There is nothing so uniquely American as jazz music. In its simplest form, jazz embodies the essence of the American people: bold and inventive. The improvisation of the jazz ensemble can even be seen as a metaphor for the American democratic ideal: musicians playing solos have the liberty to express themselves as long as they adhere to the overall structure of the tune—individual freedom but with responsibility to the group. The evolution of jazz music also carries with it the social development of our nation from slavery to the swinging songs of World War II. Musically, jazz contributed immensely to the way contemporary musicians approach instrumentation, composition, and vocal arrangements. It is difficult to find a popular tune today that does not derive from such jazz icons as Joe Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk. Jazz is the great equalizer; for more than a hundred years, it has been the common ground between blacks and whites, me
Read more

A Hell of a Businessman: A Biography of Joe Glaser

-
By Simon Hodgson Born in 1897, Joe Glaser was the son of a successful Russian Jewish physician in Chicago. He originally intended to follow a similar career and entered medical school, but after passing out in the operating room, he realized he wasn’t cut out to be a doctor. He started off in business selling used cars, but found better luck managing prizefighters. In his biography of Al Capone, Laurence Bergreen notes, “Glaser’s power to fix fights earned him a reputation as a sage of boxing, especially among reporters.” With advanced word as to which fights were fixed, Glaser could predict the results—and even the number of rounds—of many bouts in Chicago. His connections with organized crime continued in his next career change, when he began running nightclubs and whorehouses in the South Side for the Chicago Outfit, the powerful underworld gang led by Capone. Glaser’s tendency toward illegal action nearly ended his career. In 1928, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for
Read more