ArtsRoundUp: Antelope Valley Black Box Theater in Quartz Hill - "Crime & Punishment"

Quartz Hill's one and only theater group is presenting "Crime and Punishment" this month. Offering six shows in their Quartz Hill location, the Antelope Valley Thespians are kicking off their 2010 season in serious style with a play based on the classic novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Crime and Punishment, long considered a masterpiece of western literature, tells the story of the young scholar Roskolnikov who carries out a planned murder before he realizes what the moral and psychological consequences of his actions might be.

With a diverse cast of characters and intense moments of suspense, the story explores Roskolnikov's many ups and downs as he walks a tightrope of doubt and guilt. Will he be caught, arrested, punished?

In this story, the crime is certain and it is the uncertainty of punishment that creates an atmosphere of tension and suspense pre-dating Hitchcock by a half-century.

The Quartz Hill theater group has selected a theatrical adaption of the famous Russian novel as the first of three plays on the calendar for the Antelope Valley Thespians' 2010 season. The season also includes "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" and "The Interrogation of Nathan Hale".

The Antelope Valley Thespians, or AVT for short, have selected plays for 2010 that focus on crime, justice, and the slipperiness of the moral truth.

The group's director and producer, Nalin Ratnayake, was asked about the choice of theme...

1. How and why did you choose the "justice & truth" theme for the 2010 season?

The theme arrived by accident honestly. After our proof-of-concept short production of "Voices" in June, I started by reading hundreds of plays over a couple of months, trying to figure out a good piece of drama to make our full-length debut. I wanted it to be intelligent, thought-provoking, and powerful. "Crime and Punishment" fulfills all of these criteria, and moreover is one of my favorite novels of all time! The other two plays in this theme, "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" and "The Interrogation of Nathan Hale" fit in nicely. I don't know if we will have a theme every year, and other productions we may add to 2010 won't necessarily fit this one. But it's a good motif to work with for now, it interests me and I hope it interests the community.

2. What are your (public) hopes for the upcoming season for AVT?

With my Producer hat on, the answer is simple: show this valley what we can do. Show everyone (including ourselves) that with an excellent team and a strong project management philosophy, it is possible to bring high-quality drama to the valley in a very efficient, quick-turnaround manner. I also hope to engage the local writer community in our project.
With my Director hat on, it's also simple: 1) create good art with good people, and 2) have a lot of fun while doing it.

Ticket reservations for "Crime and Punishment" are available online by going to www.avthespians.org and clicking on "On Stage". Our 2010 season information is also on that page, which at present includes "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" in June and "The Interrogation of Nathan Hale" in September. A one-act play is likely in April, and we hope to do another, bigger playwrights expo in August. Audition and/or submission information will be posted to our blog, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

Those who would like to support our efforts to bring arts to the west side should check out the "Patronage" page on our website (www.avthespians.org) for how individuals and local businesses can help.

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Quite a lot is happening around town in the areas of the arts...Local painter and MFA student at Claremont, NicolasShake recently co-hosted a portfolio review at Antelope Valley College for aspiring artists and art school hopefuls...The LMAG in downtown Lancaster is gearing up for its annual juried arts show...Sagebrush Café is wrapping up its latest gallery show...Leonna Valley is rumored to be home to a new art gallery... Kay Ryan, the current poet laureate of the United States of America and AVC graduate, recently returned to Antelope Valley College to give a reading of her poetry (December 8).

Keep your eyes peeled. The art is happening...right here in the AV.

A special thank you to Nalin Ratnayake for his considerable contributions to this article.