A beautiful thing about the Louisville theatre scene is that not only is there plenty of theatres, there are also plenty of theatre festivals to choose from, whether its the The Bard's Town's Ten-Tucky Festival, InHuman at Alley Theater, Shakespeare in the Park, and, of course, the Humana Festival.
However, beginning today, the Louisville theatre scene will see a festival like none other when multiple theatre companies, authors, improvisors, musicians, and others will come together for the Slant Culture Theatre Festival.
Walden Theatre will present the Slant Culture Theatre Festival at its complex, located at 1123 Payne Street in the Highlands. Walden, Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble, Theatre [502], Savage Rose Classical Theatre Company, and the Louisville Improvisors will present a variety of shows during the festival, which runs from Nov. 8-18.
Tickets for the festival are available in a variety of packages, including single show ($12), weekday ($18), weekend ($22), and all festival passes ($55). More information on tickets, including to a festival launch party, can be found at the Slant Culture Theatre Festival website.
The Plays:
The Slant Culture Theatre Festival will feature five theatre companies: Walden Theatre, Theatre [502], Savage Rose Classical Theatre Company, Louisville Improvisors, and Le Petomane Theatre Company. All will present new or back-by-popular demand productions.
During the festival's run, Walden Theatre will present Salvation Road, a story a young brother's quest to figure out why his smart sister abandoned her former life for one with a hollow preacher. Alec Volz directed this production, which D.W. Gregory created. Salvation Road performances will happen on Nov. 9, 10, 11, 15, 17, and 18.
Volz also had a hand in directing The Man With the Flower in His Mouth, which Savage Rose Classical Theatre Company will present. Audience members are esentially involved in the production that sees two men immersing themselves in the words and silences around them. J. Barrett Cooper co-directed the Luigi Pirandello-created work. The Man With the Flower in His Mouth performances are to happen Nov. 9, 10, 11, 15, 17, and 18.
Theatre [502], meanwhile, will present the return of The Debate Over Courtney O'Connell of Columbus, Nebraska. Two suitors will court Ms. O'Connell in...a court, thanks to 19th Century law. Gil Reyes directed the Mat Smart-created production. Performances are to take place on Nov. 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.
Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble will also present the return of the ensemble-created comedy 5 Things. Three people are castaways, unemployed, and have their various baggage items. A show for the movie, record, and/or book nerd. The production happens on Nov. 10, 11, 14, 16, 17, and 18.
Louisville Improvisors, meanwhile, will combine theatre, improv, and book reading in Buy the Book. Guest authors will deliver short readings of their books. Then, the Louisville Improvisors will retell the story in a completely comedic and original way. Chris Anger directed this series, which will run on Nov. 10, 11, 16, and 17. Guest authors include John Boel, Barry Bernson, and Tom Owen.
The Guest Productions:
Besides the five groups already mentioned, other groups, like poetry, food fights, and one-man shows will take the Slant Culture stage during the festival.
Food Fight is a Squallis Puppeteers show and workshop featuring the title character trying to figure out which foods are healthy to eat. Following the show, kids can take part in improv games with the puppets. The show runs Nov. 10 at 3 p.m.
Justin Dobring, meanwhile, brings his one-man show Shut Up to Slant Culture. The production, directed by Rachael Dobring, looks at the power in just shutting up and overcoming the limits of humanity. The Dixieland Solution will provide live musical accompaniment during the production, which runs Nov. 11, 14, and 18.
Also, poetry will take center stage when Typecast Publishing presents The Kids Can All Write, featuring spoken word poetry from Louisville's youngest and thoughtful writers. The poetry takes place Nov. 17 at 3 p.m.
So Much More:
Staged readings, lectures, workshops, puppets, and much more are also to happen during the festival.
Among the variety of acts is the show Ricketts and Randy: A Man, a Dummy and a Dream, which features family-friendly entertainment combining comedy, audience interaction, and illusion. Louisville Improvisors will present the show, created by Keith McGill and Chris Anger, on Nov. 9, 10, 15, and 17.
Also along the family, the dysfunctional family, side is the comedy The Royal Tenebaums. The cult classic, based on the 2001 movie, showcases a family reunion that will literally put the fun in dysfunctional. A staged reading will happen on Nov. 16 at 10 p.m.
Among the workshops slated to take place is the Discover Drama Family Workshop, which allows actors, kids, and family members to come together and learn fun acting games, techniques, and theatre activities. During the workshop, groups ranging of 2-6 will create their own theatre work. The workshops are to happen on Nov. 10 and 17 at 1:30 p.m. each day.
The activities mentioned in this article are just a glimpse into everything the Slant Culture Theatre Festival has to offer. A rundown of the complete festival can be found at the Slant Culture Theatre Festival website.
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(Image from Slant Culture Theatre Festival)
