Staunton News Leader- June 5, 2008
New children's theater presents the adventures of Anansi
By Maria Longley
After an eight-year stretch working as a professional actor in Chicago, Christopher Markham returned to a hometown with a far more lively performing arts scene than when he left.
Markham, 30, decided the timing was right to bring to Staunton the fledgling children's theater company, Impressions Theatre, that he started out west.
"Children's Theater in Chicago is one of the few things that pays as an actor," said Markham, chuckling. "But I've always loved children's theater. It's so rewarding to play to kids."
The first show he wrote and performed in the area was "Clue's Energy Adventure." Inspector Clue"- consultant to mad scientists everywhere"—agrees to help Dr. Finkel-bugger recover a suitable energy source for his newest creation. Along the way, Clue learns the definition of energy, the different types of energy, its sources and how it is used in today's world before facing down the Waster, the villain responsible for stealing the doctor's energy.
With a bachelor's degree in fisheries science from Virginia Tech, Markham said he can't help but include material on core studies in his shows.
"A lot of children's shows tend to be literary heavy," he said. "I want the shows also to be a source of information about other subjects, like science."
His upcoming show at the Augusta County Library in Fishersville is called "Anansi the Spider," a beloved character around the world with origins in West African lore. Versions of his stories are told from Ghana to Jamaica, Markham said. Anansi is the King of All Stories, and Markham's tale tells how those stories became Anansi's. The spider's adventure leads him to capture Onini the great python, Osebo the leopard and the Fairy Whom No Man Can See.
He developed the show for the 2008 Collaborative Summer Library Program, whose theme this year is "Catch the Reading Bug."
As he unfurled canvas backdrops for his portable set, Markham explained that one of his five roles in "Anansi" will be as the spider's wife. Meanwhile, his friend Cassy Maxton, a past actor and director in several community theater performances in the area, will play Anansi.
Humor is key to his shows, he said, which is why he decided to play a female character.
"Kids get such a kick out of seeing a man dressed as a woman," he said. "It gets a lot of laughs. I believe humor is one of the best ways to get kids engaged and to remember what they experience." |
