Erik Bishop and Lee Trevathan were up until 4 a.m. Monday morning, April 22 preparing for the opening of their play “Oliver!” at the Highlands Performing Arts Center this week.
Just hours later, they were back at it, sipping energy drinks and coffee as the workweek started, no time to rest yet.
“Oliver!” will be the first production done by the PAC’s Educational Theatre program, which teaches acting techniques to a class of students of varying ages, which are then used in rehearsals for a real play. The program is open to all ages.
The play, based on the award-winning musical by Lionel Bart and in turn on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, opens Friday, April 26, with a 6 p.m. gala at the PAC followed by the play at 7 p.m. There will be another 7 p.m. performance Saturday, April 27, followed by a 3 p.m. final performance Sunday, April 28.
Starting last October, Trevathan and Bishop conducted weekly acting classes at the PAC focusing on the craft and methods of acting, and then segued into rehearsing for “Oliver!” in recent weeks.
“It’s all about the ensemble building, the technique of acting,” Trevathan said. She described exercises done in some of the classes including vocal warm-ups and bodily exercise to try and explore characters.
“We’re building skills you can take with you in theater careers if you stay in the industry,” Bishop said. “Or in life.”
“The last thing you want to hear is ‘what part do I have, and how many lines do I have?” Trevathan said. “It’s not really about that. It’s more of a team effort and learning from each other.”
Bishop said it was fulfilling to watch the young actors put the pieces together on their long stretch of workshops and techniques that might not have made sense initially.
“Some kids and even the adults were like, this is weird, why are we doing that?” Bishop said. “Then we transitioned into getting more practical rehearsals for “Oliver!,” and then you see it click… almost like a lightbulb moment. They go, oh, that’s why we were doing that. Those moments make it all work.”
A new kind of play
Bishop and Trevathan both wear numerous hats in the production. Bishop was artistic director, and he also handled the lighting and some of the set construction, while also being one of the lead actors. Trevathan worked as co-director and acting coach.
Both have worked in theater for decades – coincidentally, they both started at age seven. Both described moving around in their youth and studying acting from coast to coast in the U.S. as well as overseas.
Bishop said he chose “Oliver!” because he’d done the play several times before. He talked at length about his California childhood studying under the tutelage of Alex H. Urban, who was known in that area for fostering youth acting educational opportunities.
“By the time I was 16, I had done four different productions of Oliver with him,” Bishop said. “These were productions varying from 500-seat college theaters to the San Diego Opera House, that I performed “Oliver!” in from ages 12 to 16. When I was talking to Joi [Chapman, Highlands School music teacher and co-artistic director for the Educational Theater] and Lee about what show we should do for this new Educational Theatre we’re starting, that would bring the entire community together, “Oliver!” just kind of seemed to fit. It’s a show I know extremely well, it’s a classic musical based on a classic novel, so it’s literature based…”
He said he thought it would be a change from some of the other work he’s done in the area.
“A lot of the shows Joi and me have been doing for the Highlands School were more modern pieces, they were all fun Disney shows, or they’re playing modern-day high schoolers,” he said.
“Not to say that Disney shows don’t have a certain message, or an important role teaching for kids that age… but I think there’s something really beautiful to have a piece of work that’s over 100 years old still reaching people and resonating,” Travathan added.
Bringing theater to Highlands
With the Educational Theater program set to continue, Bishop said they hoped they could get more community support and involvement with a wide range of things such as “lighting, taking tickets, sewing costumes, supervising small children backstage” and more.
Travathan said she was glad they were able to bring the project to fruition.
“It really feels like a professional production, and a lot of people that live in particular near the mountains may not have that opportunity this early on in their life,” she said. “Atlanta’s two and a half hours away. We were fortunate to live in cities – we wanted to bring this to a community that may not have that at their doorstep.”
Both she and Bishop spoke passionately about acting and wanted to give the experience to younger kids in Highlands, too.
“At seven years old, it’s a rush, you get on stage as a kid and you’re chasing that for the rest of your life,” Trevathan said, adding: “It gets our blood pumping.”