Story by Zoebelle Bean, News Columnist
The Wealthy Theater Winter Theatre Forum was a four-day long theatre conference filled with workshops and panel discussions about West Michigan Theatre. From Wednesday, December 27 to Saturday, December 30, local theater troupes performed and workshops taught people a variety of stage skills from play-fighting to dancing.
Wednesday began with a keynote address from Kathy Gibson, a long-time actor in West MI, and Elizabeth Barry, head of the CarpenBarry Company, who was leading the Forum.
Barry introducing performers (photo courtesy of editor)
Barry was a freelance performer, director, and educator who had worked in the Grand Rapids area for nearly a decade. Founded in 2022, her CarpenBarry Company was working to expand the performing arts landscape and foster professional opportunities for talented “folx” in the region. The Winter Theatre Forum was the first event she’s done as a freelancer.
Kathy Gibson began her career at the Circle Theatre in “Annie Get Your Gun.” She explained that theater isn’t always about what happens onstage- sometimes it’s what happens backstage that’s more important. She recalled several instances where this was true, such as theater ghosts, skirts falling off, and trees being busted with rolling pins. Gibson wrapped up her address by encouraging everyone to take the opportunity at the Forum to share their stories and talents to better the community.
Much of the Forum was centered around the idea that Grand Rapids used to have an Arts Council that closed in 2012 and was never revived. Though Grand Rapids was considered a “dying city” in 2011, today there’s a hyper-local focus to continue building the local arts.
Barry expressed, “arts should not be a luxury and, unfortunately, are.”
She wants to make the arts more accessible to everyone and even changed the cost of the Forum to “pay what you want” for accessibility.
The panel discussion on Thursday featured several heads of local theaters, including Circle Theatre and Gilbert and Sullivan. It highlighted some of the challenges theatres experienced after the pandemic, such as financial hits and a challenge of how to produce shows virtually.
Panel discussion (photo courtesy of editor)
Thursday included a “Spotlight on Local Theatre”, with performances from Full Spectrum Players, an autism support group from Kent County, and Savinsky Entertainment, a troupe founded by freshman Nathan Savinsky in the acting program at Western Michigan. Savinsky plans on graduating with an acting degree so he can go to New York and further his brand.
Savinsky explained, “I want to continue to grow the community… there’s such a strong power and connectivity in people and it’s so important to the human condition.”
Savinsky’s troupe performing (photo courtesy of editor)
The Forum ended on Saturday with a slew of stage workshops and a grand finale performance. Congratulations to all the performing troupes and a huge thank you to CarpenBarry Company and Elizabeth Barry for allowing the Saint coverage of the event!
The Saint 