Actors Theatre of Indiana (ATI) has formed a new partnership with the Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL) Foundation. With similar mission statements – to engage, inspire lifelong discovery and learning, to provide enriching social and cultural experiences and to entertain – bringing the ATI LabSeries to the Carmel Clay Public Library is the perfect union.
Although Elizabeth Hamilton, Director of the Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation, and Don Farrell, co-founder and Artistic Director of ATI, have been friends for years, it was ATI Board Member Jill Zaniker who spurred the idea of a partnership between the two. In discussing how to grow the ATI Theatre lab program, Zaniker thought of how well expansion of the LabSeries might fit into the programs at the newly expanded library.
ATI and the Library Foundation are both excited about this partnership.
“Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation is thrilled to partner with the ATI Lab Series,” Hamilton said. “The Library Foundation values community partnerships and offering our patrons a chance to experience unique programming opportunities. Our hope is community members will join us in our partnership with ATI to experience their Lab Series with us.”
The Carmel Clay Public Library reopened on Oct. 1, 2022, after a massive overhaul. The new library goes beyond books and includes a café, an expanded teen section, and a high-tech digital media lab. Best of all for ATI’s LabSeries, there are meeting rooms upstairs which can accommodate rehearsals with the actual reading and presentation of the play/musical culminating in a large community meeting room on the first floor, which, according to the CCPL’s website, can seat up to 296 people.
Three times each season, ATI brings its LabSeries to fans and to the public. As ATI is committed to nurturing new plays and playwrights, the ATI Theatre lab program was launched. Plays chosen for the lab series are workshopped, discussed, and developed through rehearsal with a professional cast, director (and music director in the case of new musicals). Each play or musical receives a public reading with a moderated talk back with the cast and creatives immediately following.
“This gives the audience and community an opportunity to help shape the work and development of a new play or musical with their feedback,” Farrell said. “ATI/CCPL audiences attending can say, ‘I was there when it all began!’”
There are two remaining plays to be presented as part of ATI’s LabSeries this season. First is Belinda: An April Folly, on Saturday, March 25. The musical is by A. A. Milne with adaptation and lyrics by Alisa Hauser and music by David Mallamud.
Here’s the synopsis:
Before A. A. Milne gave us Winnie-the-Pooh, he wrote this deliciously comedic and romantic play which premiered on the West End in 1918. Belinda was ahead of its time, exploring the battle of the sexes set against the carefree English countryside, where lovers pine and romance renews each spring. Fast forward to 2022 where Emmy-nominated Alisa Hauser (Book Adaptation and Lyrics) and David Mallamud (Composer) once again bring Belinda to life in this new musical comedy adaptation. In today’s fraught climate, couldn’t we all use a little frolic and folly?
Tickets to this 2 p.m. matinee are free. You can reserve your ticket and get more information on both Hauser and Mallamud at this link.
Rosemary & Time will be the final in the 2023 ATI LabSeries for this season. This show, set for Saturday, May 20, is also a 2 p.m. matinee. Free tickets can be procured at this link.
Rosemary & Time, by Emma S. Rund, is the story of a woman struggling with early-onset Alzheimer’s. When her daughters come home for Thanksgiving, she is forced to face the fact that she is losing her grip on reality. Experiencing Act 1 from Rosemary’s perspective, the audience goes along for the ride as she forgets recipes, names, and faces. Rosemary will eventually have to ask herself, is she made up of her memories or is she still herself when all her memories are gone? When the time comes, will Rosemary be able to let go?
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ATI is the resident professional theatre company of The Studio Theater at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. An award-winning Equity Professional Theatre company, ATI is now in its 18th season of high-powered theatrical productions, world premieres and innovative community works.
To check out upcoming shows and other programs, visit ATIstage.org. To learn more about the Carmel Clay Library Foundation and all its programs, visit CarmelClayLibrary.org/foundation.