JUNEAU BUSTLING WITH ARTS

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Posted: February 9, 2009 - 2:22 pm

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By MAIA NOLAN
Questions of sexual identity: Juneau's take on "Romeo and Juliet" with teen boys as the romantic leads. Photo: Thunder Mountain Theatre Project
I'll be the first to admit that my exposure to the Southeast Alaska arts scene has been shamefully — well, nonexistent. Like most Anchorageites, I was familiar with the regional powerhouses, Perseverance Theatre and the Sitka Summer Music Festival, but during a whirlwind weekend in Juneau last week, I found myself staggered by the extent to which the arts seem to permeate the culture in our state capitol.

I arrived just in time for February's First Friday event, for which the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council had printed up a pocket-sized gallery guide, complete with walking map of downtown. One popular destination was the Glory Hole, a soup kitchen on Franklin Street where patrons of the arts mingled with patrons of the shelter as they examined pieces by local artists including Rob Roys, Rosie Milligan and Sarah Conarro. The Glory Hole had posted a notice in which they addressed the incongruity of displaying fine art in a space that caters to those who may not know where their next meal is coming from; the project, they said, had brought many new and enthusiastic volunteers through the doors, and each artist had agreed to donate a significant portion of any sale to the kitchen.

After visiting the Glory Hole, it was time to hustle up the hill to the old Elks Lodge to catch Thunder Mountain Theatre Project's production of "Shakespeare's R&J." Joe Calcaro's adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" sets Shakespeare's tragedy in a prep school gym, an impromptu performance by four class-cutting teenage boys. The conceit understandably raises the issue of sexual identity, and as the metadrama unfolds (with two young men in school uniforms as the romantic leads), "Shakespeare's R&J" becomes as much about the reactions of the players to their chums' abandon in playing the roles as it is about the tragedy of the star-crossed lovers. That's not to say that it's bleak or dark, however; director Flordelino Lagundino capitalizes on the prep-school setting to wring every drop of sexuality out of Shakespeare's text, served up with the crude abandon in which teenage boys — and in this case, a receptive audience — revel.

Sunday afternoon I attended a performance by the Juneau Symphony Orchestra, where there were, surprisingly, more people at the pre-concert lecture than are generally in attendance at similar talks given before performances by the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. The program included "Dances of Galánta" by Zoltán Kodály (a lush piece based on Hungarian folk music, in which the high woodwinds executed some impressive, sprightly work) and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor, featuring soloist Franz Felkl, the symphony's 2008 Youth Concerto Competition winner, who played with the presence of a professional. After intermission, the orchestra tackled Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, which was a little rough around the edges, but an impressive undertaking nonetheless — particularly for a mostly-volunteer group, a number of whose members commute from other Southeast communities to perform.

What was particularly striking about the performance was the group's demographic spread. The wide variety of ages represented in the Juneau Symphony's ranks — a number of them appeared to be high school or college students — made it apparent that this is an organization that actively promotes the development of young players.
Sunday evening meant a return to the Elks Lodge for "Dying City," a one-act play by Christopher Shinn that's running in repertory with "Shakespeare's R&J." Presented in the round, "Dying City" deals with an Iraq war widow's relationships with her dead husband's brother and, in flashbacks, the husband himself. Enrique Bravo does double duty as the husband and the brother, a feat made more impressive by the fact that he's also performing in "R&J," which means he's playing something like a half-dozen characters, sometimes all in the same day.
Thunder Mountain Theatre Project, founded in 2007 to present plays of social and cultural relevance, tries to facilitate talkback sessions after each performance, and the discussion following "Dying City," moderated by director Ryan Conarro, ranged from the challenges of working in the round to the adequacy of institutional support for the families of American veterans.

Anchorage certainly has no shortage of excellent performing groups and visual artists, and the range of opportunities exceeds those available in the state capitol. But there's something about Juneau — maybe it's that art seems to take up residence in unexpected places, or that the artistic community seems particularly tight-knit and cooperative, or that the city at large seems to be invested in these artistic endeavors. Maybe living with the uncertainty of frequent avalanches, inclement weather and unreliable air travel inspires Juneau residents to express themselves artistically. Whatever the reason, it's well worth the trip.

"Dying City" and "Shakespeare's R&J" run on alternating days, Wed.-Sun., through Feb. 15 at the Old Elks Lodge, 109 Franklin St., in Juneau. Tickets are available at Hearthside Books, (907) 586-1726, and at the door.

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