By: Rachel Nelson
Among the explosion of the local art scene is the Amarillo Repertory Theatre, located in Sunset Center. The theatre, commonly called "The Rep," was started one year ago by Shawn Martin and David Burton, and since then it has produced 13 shows, a majority of which have been written by local playwrights.
"The theatre itself has been going through a lot of growth," said artistic director Sirc Michaels.
The current show that The Rep is running is "Faust," which began on Halloween night and will repeat November 2, 3, 9 and 10 at 8 p.m.
"This is the beginning of the first full-on season where we will be doing shows for adults and families," Michaels said.
Admission to the show is $5 for students and seniors and $10 for everyone else. Tickets can be purchased at the door."
"'Faust' is the classic story about a man who sells his soul to the devil for a chance to relive his youth, only to realize the folly of his actions all too late," said Michaels, who wrote the script.
Those who come to the production will enter the theatre through a creative set-up that appears to be the mouth of hell.
Another show running in November will be D Fever and Hank Robey on the 14th at 8 p.m.
According to Michaels, The Rep puts on a diverse selection of thought-invoking shows. He described some plays as family friendly fairy tales, while others "push the envelope."
"We're not just doing one type of show," he said. "We're trying to do provocative theatre … stuff that you wouldn't just see around town. Our whole thrust is to help cultivate performing arts in the Panhandle."
Michaels believes that theatre is "the common man's art."
"Our goal is to reach people who normally wouldn't go to the theatre," he said. "There's something very magical about the theatre. This is something that everyone should experience."
Going to the movies and attending live theatre are two completely different experiences according to Martin, who is the managing producer of The Rep.
"The country is currently enthralled with electronic stimulation," he said. "The medium of film has completely overtaken the entertainment industry so currently people don't even realize that they can be entertained enjoyably by live human beings."
Martin encourages people to give live theatre a chance.
"It's fun to be entertained by live people," he said. "Every theatre experience is brand new. If you come see the same show ten times, you will see ten different shows because of the human factor."
Contrary to popular belief, Michaels said theatre isn't just the stereotypical men in tights.
"It's varied, it's exciting and it can really charge a person in terms of their emotions," he said.
Because of lacking funds, the arts are commonly the first thing to be cut from public schools. Michaels said that one of the future goals of The Amarillo Repertory Theatre is to go into schools and tie shows into the curriculum. They also will host the Panhandle Playwrights Festival where writers in the area will have an opportunity to submit their work to be produced at The Rep. The deadline for submissions will be at the end of January. Six finalists will be chosen for live stage readings, one of which will get a production at the Repertory Theatre in May.
The Amarillo Repertory Theatre desires to work with local talent.
"We're really keen on working with groups," Michaels said.
The theatre invites those with an interest in acting to audition for shows and welcomes scripts from local writers. They also are willing to provide a venue to people in search of one.
Slamarillo, a group of slam poets in Amarillo, have made the theater their home venue for the past six months and perform on the last Saturday of every month at 8 p.m.
The Amarillo Repertory Theatre has a full season slated. To stay up-to-date with shows, visit the groups Web site or check out Myspace.com/amarep.
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