Arts

Sweet Tea Shakespeare's original production: "Pan"

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Tuesday, 18 March 2025

Written by Katie Herring

For many people, “Shakespeare” does not always conjure up the most positive emotions. They assume that the language will be too difficult to understand, that the old stories will be stuffy and unrelatable, and that they generally won’t enjoy the experience.
Sweet Tea Shakespeare is here to challenge those assumptions. The local theatre company has been telling classic stories in unique and original ways since 2012.
While Sweet Tea Shakespeare certainly brings Shakespeare’s centuries-old plays to life for their 21st-century audience, they also tell other classic stories. Their next production tells a familiar story with a modern twist. Pan is an updated retelling of the classic J.M. Barrie tale of Peter Pan, written by Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s founder and Director of Mission, Jeremy Fiebig.
In the beginning of the play, we meet Gwendolyn, Gwendy or Wendy for short, a military kid whose dad is deployed…again.
This time is different, though, because he has been declared missing in action. Wendy, played by Carsyn Harkey, is reserved and serious in the beginning, feeling a responsibility for her mom and her younger brothers. When Peter crashes into her yard and her life, her typical teen angst begins to melt into the whimsy of Neverland. The gang's all here as we are introduced to Neverland: Tinkerbell, Hook, Smee, and of course the Lost Boys.
Traycie Kuhn-Zapata, Artistic Director of STS and this production’s Tinkerbell, describes the depiction of the two worlds of Pan as a Wizard of Oz moment.
Act 1 is primarily in Wendy’s real world, with all the worries and stress that come with it. Act 2 contains the magic and adventure of Neverland.
According to Harkey, there is a wide range of emotions experienced by those who are part of the story: “One minute you’re laughing, the next there are tears in your eyes.”
As with all Sweet Tea Shakespeare productions, Pan includes a mix of veteran actors who have been involved in past STS shows, alongside novices who are stepping onstage for the first time. One unique element of Pan is the collaboration with Sweet Tea’s youth theatre company, called Green Tea.
Participants in Green Tea usually produce their own play, but in this case, they get to work alongside adults, all of them learning from each other. According to Izaiah Zapata, the play’s director, the kids, ranging in age from 9-18, “Bring a lot of fun ideas to the table,” a fresh perspective and unique energy that only young actors can. Sweet Tea has always worked to create high-quality theatre while also being a safe space for artists to learn and grow in their craft; to be free to try new things without the pressure of always being perfect.
Pan will be performed at the Poe House, part of the Museum of the Cape Fear complex at 206 Bradford Ave.
The performances will be outside and audience members may bring their own blankets and chairs to set up on the lawn of the historic house. Not to worry, chairs and blankets will also be available for rent if needed. Light refreshments and beverages will be available for purchase, as well as a line-up of food trucks on hand at each performance if patrons would like to make it a full “dinner and a show” experience.
While tickets can be purchased “at the door,” it is best to buy tickets in advance. Even though seating is open, there are a limited number of tickets. Discounts are offered for advance tickets; ticket holders will also be informed of any change of venue, should NC’s unpredictable spring weather necessitate a change. As with all Sweet Tea productions, pre-show music will begin at 6:45 p.m. with performances by the company that are thematically tied to the play. The play itself will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Audiences are encouraged to arrive early to ensure the best seating.
Pan promises to be a night of whimsical entertainment for the whole family. Showings will be held April 3 through 6, and April 10 through 13. Join the Sweet Tea Shakespeare company, along with Green Tea, to explore an age-old story in a fresh, new light.

(Photo:In order from Left to Right: Olivia Sundeen, Mike Canino, Alexis Robinson, Val Humphrey, and Michaiah Moore play the pirates in Pan. Photos courtesy of Sweet Tea Shakespeare)

Meet the artists: Cape Fear's Cabin Fever exhibit celebrates local creatives

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Tuesday, 11 March 2025

Written by Lena Simmons

Cape Fear Studios presented the Annual Cabin Fever Exhibition on Feb. 28. The show will run until March 25 at 148 Maxwell Street. The studio is open Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.
The National Youth Council of Ireland states that creative expression gives a voice. Brittany Williams, Aimee Kruse, Rebekah Cain, Leah Heim and Mona Brown are a few of the Creative Voices in this year’s Cabin Fever exhibit.
Williams’ medium is photography. She says of her piece, titled The Face of Autumn, “I was inspired by the Fall. I was photographing leaves during the high winds. I wanted to capture the leaves blowing around [the subject’s] face and head. I wanted to pay homage to the photographers who use the process of daguerreotype and surrealism.”
Kruse is an Army wife, home school mother and parent of four boys. Her works are titled Noble One, On High, and Description-Bear in the Mountain.
“I was thinking of my husband who has to roam for the Army. The thoughts of the lovely, blue, smokey mountains. My supportive husband, Brian Kruse, constructed the frames. The frames were made with tremendous love,” she said.
Cain's creation of Katonah Moth represents stained glass. She shares, “The piece reminds me of my roots in Bladen County and fishing at Galberry Swamp. I enjoyed watching dragonflies and insects along the Galberry Swamp with my father.”
Heim is employed as an Anatomy and Physiology Instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College. She submitted a photograph entitled Night Blossom. She states, “I was happily lonely when I picked up my camera, a translucent flower floated in a vase with water. The flower was tied to a rock, a blue light shined around the flower. Blue is the color of loneliness.”
Brown served as an art teacher in Cumberland County Schools for forty years. She is retired and creating art. Her pieces are titled Underwater Friend and Gunner’s Last Hunt.
“A former student of Massey High School began the hobby of scuba diving. I created a painting honoring his hobby. Gunner’s Last Hunt is a scratchboard about the loss of a beloved hunting dog of one of my friends. I love to create artwork,” she said.
Pandora Autry, Cape Fear Studios and Gallery Board President, shares her thoughts, “We are really excited about this year’s Cabin Fever Exhibit. Twenty-seven local artists are participating with a total of forty-four entries, including oil and acrylic painting, pottery, ceramics, sculpture/3-D, stained glass, photography, scratchboard, and pen and ink. We had a wonderful turnout for our opening reception with many friends and family of the artists in residence. This exhibit is an excellent showing of artistic talent in our community.”
Creativity creates connection. Create a connection with the artists and the community at the Annual Cabin Fever Exhibition at Cape Fear Studios. For more information, visit the Cape Fear Studios website at www.capefearstudios.com.

(Photo: Rebekah Cain's Katonah Moth is a study in stained glass. Photo courtesy of Rebekah Cain)

CCS' Very Special Arts Festival celebrates students with disabilities

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Tuesday, 18 March 2025

Written by Dr. Shanessa Fenner

Cumberland County Schools present their Very Special Arts Festival Thursday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center. The theme is “Going for the Gold: United by the Arts.”  

Laugh with the Golden Girls at the Crown, March 29

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Tuesday, 11 March 2025

Written by Katie Herring

On March 29, the Crown Theatre will welcome four familiar friends to the stage, as “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” rolls into town. The hit sitcom, featuring four single ladies living their golden years in Miami, was a staple in many living rooms from 1985-1992. And now we peek in as if no time has passed as Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche, and Rose continue to thrive in 2025.
Miami’s sassiest seniors return for one more hurrah in an all-new show. The Golden Girls live has been touring since 2023; but “The Laughs Continue” is a new story by Robert Leleux, which is directed by Eric Swanson. It helps us imagine what the gals might be doing today if they were still up to their hilarious shenanigans. The live show features four men dressed up as the four ladies in a way that is nostalgic and familiar; it's easy to forget that it’s not really the original cast. Everything about the production rings true to what everyone remembers and loves about the show: from the iconic furniture (you can probably picture the way the couch looks right now), to the costumes and hairstyles, to the biting and saucy wit of the dialogue.
The official Golden Girls Live website tells us this about the show: “The Golden Girls are back in an all-new show! 2024 finds Sophia out on bail, after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring at Shady Pines. Blanche and Rose created CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together, with help from her much younger, sex-crazed love interest who turns out to be the district attorney prosecuting Sophia. What could possibly go wrong! Relive the heartfelt hilarity of four ladies who never stopped being your friends! This new comedy is for fans 18 and older.... because they're not the same girls from the 80s.”
The storyline of the production is original, not a reenactment of any previous episode. However, the intent of the show is to look, sound, and feel like an episode of the beloved sitcom. According to the show’s team, “It is as if they never went off the air, but just got transferred to a streaming service.” The language and content of the show would likely not pass muster with FCC regulations, hence the audience is limited to ages 18 and above, but the humor and heart of the original cast is familiar to those who love the sitcom.
Dorothy is snarky, sarcastic, and open to love; Rose is naive but maybe more clever than she seems at first; flirty Southern Belle Blanche brings her wiles to the digital world; and of course, Sophia keeps them all on their toes with her “you only live once” approach to life. Even Stan, Dorothy’s sketchy ex-husband who made frequent appearances on the TV show, is part of the action onstage.
Tickets to the March 29 performance can be purchased at crowncomplexnc.com. There are VIP tickets available that provide the best seating options as well as an opportunity to take pictures with the cast after the show. The night promises to be full of laughter and fun, with a card attached that says “Thank you for being a friend!”