upcoming

Sidetrack Cafe

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Recycled Youth Presents Sidetrack Café At Mateel December 2-5

Recycled Youth, a free after school teenage theatre program sponsored by Mateel Community Center, has been hard at work on their new show since the beginning of September.  The show is written, cast and rehearsals are now in progress.  The new production, Sidetrack Cafe, includes music, original songs, dance, slam poetry, clown, mask, comedy, and even some serious drama.  It addresses issues that are important to the lives of this year’s actor/creators.  These include the Gulf Oil spill, racial prejudice, homophobia, and respect for diversity, as well as some deeply personal topics like self mutilation among their peers.  

The play takes place in a small restaurant called the Sidetrack Cafe. There we meet some curious characters, such as Maggie, a down home waitress; Joe the cook, who is a closet dancer; Stevie, who has run away from home; Hank, who lost his job and thinks he knows which ethnic group to blame; Clarissa, the nerd; Marcus, the homeless man, Preston, who is a “cutter,” and many more.  

Some of these characters have flashbacks to incidents that have taken place in their lives.  In a piece called The Spill, a character brings us to the board room of the big corporation responsible for the Gulf Oil spill.  Did they do all they could to stop oil from spewing into the ocean? In All in the Family, we meet a dad who greatly admires his son, a football hero, until his hidden truth is revealed. In Weight of Words, we observe the power of the very words we use to name each other. There is a hilarious act in which a clown who comes to the Sidetrack Cafe has trouble with the food. There is a slam poetry piece about respecting our bodies and a powerful mask piece about fitting in. There are some good writers in this year’s Recycled Youth and the show should be moving as well as entertaining.  

The play is directed by Joani Rose with Anna Rogers, Susan Alexander, and Ed Clark.  Andy Barnett will add his creative touch with music and sound effects and Stu Moscowitz painted a remarkable backdrop for the show using design ideas he gleaned from the cast. Many community members have also been helping to make the production a success, including sound by Jim Fulton of Small Town Audio Resources, lights by Joe Hiney, and volunteers who help with sets, costumes, makeup, snacks, etc. This year the troupe also had the pleasure of working with a former Recycled Youth member, Sara Champie.  And, the poster was designed by one of the current Recycled Youth members, Margo Gooch McReynolds. 

Concessions will be served by several groups including SFHS Drama Club, SFHS Spanish Club, and Whale Gulch School. 

The performance is on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday December 2, 3, 4, and 5 at the Mateel Community Center in Redway. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the show is at 8pm and doors open at 7:30pm. On Sunday, the show is at 2pm, doors open 1:30pm. Tickets are available at the door, so come early because the show has been known to sell out.  Please help support theatre and our local youth by coming to see Recycled Youth in Sidetrack Cafe.

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