Arts

A publication of The Times-Herald

52 Coweta Living 2011-12 • THE ARTS

ewcomers to Coweta County willfind themselves in a communitythat values and celebrates the artswith a variety of programs, exhibitsand artistic offerings year-round.

The Newnan CommunityTheatre Company has been

providing Newnan with live theater for over30 years. NCTC is the city’s only live theater,according to Managing Director Dave Dorrell.

The theater presents 10 productions ayear, with a mix of comedies, classics,dramatic works, family-friendly fare, holiday

presentations and musicals, according toArtistic Director Paul Conroy.

Auditions are held about 8-10 weeksprior to the opening of a show. The auditionprocess, according to Dorrell, is “prettyrelaxed” and intended to welcome people ofall ages – depending on the production.

“We try to do shows that appeal to a widerange of performers and audience members,”said Conroy.

Actors auditioning for a show aresometimes asked to prepare a monologue, orto be prepared to do a cold reading from thescript, according to Conroy. Whenauditioning for a musical, the auditioner willadditionally be asked to prepare one or twosections of a song, as well as to dance.

Every summer, NCTC offers KidsCampfor children who are interested in the worldof theatre. Younger kids are separated fromthe older ones, and they meet daily Mondaythrough Saturday. NCTC offers six weeks ofcamp each year and recently expanded toinclude special workshops for middle schoolaged students in specific areas of theatricalstudy, according to Conroy.

“During the week, participants learn allaspects of theater and put on a show onSaturday,” said Dorrell. Kids get to writescripts, practice memorization, work on sets,learn about stage makeup, practiceimprovisation, learn choreography and thenact out short skits at the week’s culmination.

For the person who wants to get involvedwith NCTC but doesn’t want to be on stage,

Vibrantarts scene has year-round offerings

By Elizabeth Melville

The stepsisters in this NCTC musical are not quite what you'd expect from thetraditional story of "Cinderella." They are played by two male actors, AdamGrubbs (Joy) and Jeff Allen (Portia).

– NCTC photos courtesy of Randy Drake

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Members of the Newnan Community Theatre Company’s "Rumors" cast are, front to back, Tony Daniel as Ken Gorman, MaryCaroline Moore as Chris Gorman, John Paul Phillips as Glenn Cooper, Christina DiSalvo as Cassie Cooper, Jason Schmidt as ErnieCusack, Eileen Baldwin as Cookie Cusack, Susan Patterson as Claire Ganz and Jeff Allen as Lenny Ganz.

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54 Coweta Living 2011-12 • THE ARTS

there’s always work backstage with costumes,set construction, administrative duties andfront-of-house assistance during productions,according to Conroy. Interested volunteersdon’t have to have experience, because thecompany is happy to offer training.

“We are always looking for volunteers,”said Dorrell. “For people who enjoy going tothe theater, this is the perfect opportunity tovolunteer to be an usher or work theconcessions area and then come see theshow for free.”

Kiera Patterson, East Coweta High's senior class vice president,delivers the invocation at Baccalaureate held at the Centre forPerforming and Visual Arts.

“The Wadsworth Auditorium,on Jefferson Street in historicdowntown Newnan, featuresa 625-seat auditorium,renovated dressing rooms,and excellent acoustics.”

– Gina Snider, Newnan PublicInformation Officer

Taking bows to a standing ovation at the 2011 Wadsworth and Friends concert at Wadsworth Auditorium are, from left, Bella Hristova, Andres Diaz,Inon Barnatan, Angela Jones Reus, Sarah Taylor and Charles Wadsworth.

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For more information about NCTC,including specific audition requirements,visit www.newnantheatre.org.

Another popular venue for performancesin Coweta County is Wadsworth Auditorium.

“The Wadsworth Auditorium, onJefferson Street in historic downtownNewnan, features a 625-seat auditorium,

Festival ofFine Arts & Crafts

3 Day Concert for CharityFestival of Food

Admission: $7.00 Gate $5.00 AdvanceChildren 6 and under are FREE

FREE PARKING...all proceeds from the festival go

directly back into the community...

4766 West Highway 34Newnan, Georgia 30263

770-253-2011GPS Coordinates

N33 20.332 W84 58.778

www.powersfestival.comfind us on facebook and twitter!

Every Labor Day WeekendSaturday, Sunday & Monday

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

NEWNAN-COWETA ARTASSOCIATION, INC.

INCORPORATED 1968MEETS THE

THIRD THURSDAYEACH MONTH EXCEPT JUNE,

JULY & AUGUST7PM REFRESHMENTS

7:30PM MEETING

MEETINGS INCLUDE AN ART DEMONSTRATION

HARRIET ALEXANDERART CENTER

31 HOSPITAL ROAD, NEWNANMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ON THE WEBSITE

www.newcaa.comE-MAIL: newnanncaa@gmail.com

President Barbara Kelly ~ 770-251-0873

There is no better place to meetother artists or share your ownwork than the Newnan-CowetaArt Association (NCAA).

THE ARTS • Coweta Living 2011-12 55

The Newnan-Coweta Art Association displays local art on the second floor of the NewnanCarnegie Library during normal office hours. The painting of waterlilies above is by SandyHolcomb, and the one below is "Potting Shed" by Eunice E. Nichols.

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56 Coweta Living 2011-12 • THE ARTS

renovated dressing rooms, and excellentacoustics,” said Newnan Public InformationOfficer Gina Snider.

The auditorium is located in the 1939Newnan Municipal Building shared by theNewnan Police Department. It was renamedWadsworth Auditorium in 1998 to honorCharles Wadsworth, a world-renownedclassical pianist who grew up in Newnan.

Wadsworth founded the Chamber MusicSociety of Lincoln Center and has directedSpoleto Festival USA’s chamber music seriesfor more than 30 years. Since 1990,Wadsworth has performed annual concerts inNewnan.

In addition to the city-sponsored, annualWadsworth Concert, the building is rentedan average of seven or eight times a year byoutside groups. Schools and churches mostfrequently make use of the facility, with thebusiest rental months being May and June.

It’s not uncommon for concerts, dancerecitals and the like to be held within the wallsof the Art Deco building, according to Snider.

The auditorium can be reserved for civicgatherings, concerts, visual performancesand community shows.

Northgate HighSchool studentspresented "Pippin"at the Centre forPerforming andVisual Arts in April.The castincluded, frontfrom left, BrynnCrosby, JordanLunstead, ZachHatcher, PaigeMikles andKrysten Johnson,and at back,Triumph Gardner,Christian Pollakand KyleAbraham.

Cherita Armstrong performed "Incidents in the Life of a SlaveGirl" at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts in March.

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THE ARTS • Coweta Living 2011-12 57

The Newnan Cultural Arts Commission isplanning to offer a series of concerts ofdifferent musical genres to the public in thefuture. The addition is sure to anchor theauditorium’s status as a vital part of the artsscene and a favorite performance venue forthe community.

Another of Newnan’s gems is theCarnegie Building downtown.

Recently restored by the city, theCarnegie has brought back library-typeservices downtown. The bottom floor of thebuilding serves as a reading room and thesecond floor as meeting space.

The Carnegie serves the public with anon-circulating reading room, children’s areaand an art gallery. It seeks to be an integralpart of the community by offering print andelectronic materials.

The Carnegie and Newnan-Coweta ArtAssociation have partnered to bring arotating art display, which is changedquarterly. The art displays include canvas,watercolor, photography and sculptures.

For more information on the Carnegie,visit www.newnancarnegie.com.

There is no better place to meet otherartists or share your own work than theNewnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA).

The non-profit local group has been inexistence for over 40 years and continues to“encourage and aid artists to produce

original works of art of every type andcharacter” and to “furnish the auspices forthe display of such works in Coweta Countyand elsewhere.”

The association supports the arts inCoweta schools through annual donationsand scholarships to high school studentspursuing the arts in college.

Membership packages are available.NCAA holds monthly membership meetingsthroughout the year at the Harriet AlexanderArt Center on Hospital Road, and at least twoart workshops are scheduled each year. Thereis a weekly “paint in” at the Harriet AlexanderArt Center. Members regularly exhibit theirwork at venues throughout the county,including Newnan City Hall in downtownNewnan.

The NCAA hosts an annual juriedmember show featuring paintings,sculptures, carvings, turned wood and otherartwork, nearly all of it for sale to the public.

The group also maintains a directory ofmembers who offer art classes. NCAAmemberships are available for students,families and individuals. For moreinformation or to join, visit newcaa.com.

Supporters of the arts know one ofCoweta’s finest cultural resources is theCoweta County School System’s Centre forPerforming and Visual Arts.

Since its opening in 2004, the 48,000-square-foot arts center on Lower FayettevilleRoad in Newnan has provided manyopportunities for local students to see andexperience the arts, and it has also providedan increased focus on the arts in thecommunity.

The front lobby area at the main entranceis an art gallery. Several other spaces in thebuilding also lend themselves to the displayof paintings and sculpture.

The theater will seat 999. The stage isequipped with lighting and sound that arecontrolled from booths at the rear of thetheater. There are also lecture halls at thefacility.

For more information on upcomingevents or renting the venue, call 770-254-2787 or visit www.coweta.k12.ga.us. CL

In February season ticket holders of the NewnanCommunity Theatre Company (NCTC) had refreshmentsand were treated to a little taste of each of the 12upcoming plays at the theatre at 24 First Ave. From leftare NCTC Board Member Barbara Osborne-Harris, BoardChairman Caroline Abbey and Board Member MikeWhiteside.

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