Sunday, December 05, 1999
Work keeps CCM student from study
Designer happy with Downtown Classics
BY JACKIE DEMALINE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Anton Shilov is hoping to finish his degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music by summer. He's holding an incomplete this year, essentially because employment kept interfering with school projects.
Starting with a gig designing the intern shows at Playhouse in the Park (on the recommendation of his CCM professor Paul Shortt, still waiting for those projects), he has designed for Northern Kentucky and Xavier universities, Kincaid Regional Theatre and Downtown Theatre Classics, where he is resident designer and production stage manager. “I've been swamped for the last 21/2 years,” he says.
Born in Moscow (where his grandmother was an actress), his family emigrated to Los Angeles when he was 10. He ended up at the School for Creative and Performing Arts from fifth to eighth grade, which was when he turned to technical theater.
“I was interested in production in general,” he says. “Set design, costumes, stage management, everything but performing. I fell in love with design when I saw Paul Shortt's work at the Playhouse.”
By high school he was off to Denver and its school of the arts, but when it was time for college he decided to return to Cincinnati and CCM.
His new job at DTC, which continues its holiday run of It's a Wonderful Life at the Aronoff's Jarson-Kaplan Theater through Dec. 12 (241-7469), is full-time.
Mr. Shilov plans for it to stay that way. DTC, which had been dancing near the precipice for a lot of this year is back on solid ground, Mr. Shilov says firmly.
There will be five productions next season (probably starting with a small musical in May), which puts him in pre-production and production year-round.
Last month's call for an artistic director has been rescinded. The current plan is to have a series of guest directors (starting with Mark Mocahbee for Wait Until Dark in March) and “see who fits.”
The revival of Wonderful Life he sees as a good-bye to the most recent round of artistic leadership. Mr. Shilov sees the theater returning to its original mission of “doing classic shows in new ways.” He points to last season's hit re-thinking of Fiddler on the Roof as an example.
“We have some exciting plans for next season,” he promises, but is mute on details. Now that the theater has an Equity contract, expect to see local professionals — actors, directors, designers.
At 23, Mr. Shilov is the youngest member of the DTC team. His ultimate career goal, he says “is to be a theater producer” and he doesn't see why that can't happen in Cincinnati.
He's pleased with the amount of input he's been allowed with Downtown Theatre Classics and says that will keep him on board for the foreseeable future.
“This company is growing, just like I am.”
NO LABOR SHORTAGE: A pair of small theater companies faced a particular challenge in casting shows this month. In this jolly holiday season for regional actors, everybody's working.
Greg Procaccino holds the Christmas Carol record, having performed for all nine years. He returns as dead Jacob Marley. Dale Hodges is an eight-year Carol veteran. Joining them, as usual, are Bruce Cromer, Mark Mocahbee and Regina Pugh.
Meanwhile, local stage favorites Michael Bath, Drew and Sherman Fracher, Beth Harris, Robert Rais, Bill Shwarber, Joe Kovacs and Duffy Hudson will spend the holidays going Around the World in 80 Days at Ensemble starting Wednesday.
Ty Yadzinski, Bill Hartnett, Danny Davies and Bob Bales are singing It's a Wonderful Life through next Sunday for Downtown Theatre Classics. Sunshine Cappelletti and Andy Gaukel are booked in guest artist gigs at Cincinnati Shakespeare.
No problem, says Cincinnati Public's Don Wong, who opens Six Women with Brain Death... on Friday in the Aronoff's Fifth Third Bank Theater.
No problem, says Kevin Barry, whose American Standard is being produced at Gabriel's Corner in Over-the-Rhine by Know Theatre Tribe through Saturday.
Neither had to search far, they said, for gifted, if lesser known and unknown, performers.
Mr. Wong went diving into the local talent pool and came up with Christine Brenner, Mel Hatch, Alison Lamb, Kendra Struthers, Samantha Toberman and Carrie-Ellen Zappa — “they're all great singers” — for what he calls “a satire of the 1990s psyche in song and sketches.” Call 241-7469.
At Know, Mr. Barry's play takes a gander at younger, middle-aged and elder members of a household on Christmas Eve in beautiful Flushing, Queens. Family members are Josh Bokelman, Elza Correll, Marion DiFalco, Boo Friedmann, Lori Kirstein and Paul Raines.
Both are decidedly non-traditional holiday entertainments. American Standard even carries a warning of sorts: “this play contains sorta-kinda-partial nudity, the occasional naughty word, some toilet humor and lotsa pillow talk.”
A Chicago production a couple of years back scored a place on the “year's best” list. Call 871-1429.
TOURS ARE HIRING: Theatre IV ArtReach is looking for actors for national educational theater tours based out of Cincinnati. Starting in January rehearsals begin for Huck and Tom and the Mighty Mississippi, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Sweet Chariot and The Emperor and the Nightingale.
Actors are paid and receive per diems for overnight travel. Accommodation costs are paid by the theater. Interested? Call Kelly Germain at 871-2300 to schedule an audition.
Jackie Demaline is the Enquirer's theater critic and roving arts reporter. Write her at Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati OH 45202; fax, 768-8330.
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