9 minute read
AGATHA'S AT IT AGAIN
Feelings hollowed out by murder mystery
Dive In To The Darkroom
Advertisement
8 • THE PULSE • MARCH 12, 2020 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM However, for one extended British family in the late 1940s, that’s a different story and you’ll see the murder mystery unfold right in front of you with the Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s upcoming production of Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow”, opening this Friday at 8 p.m. “The Hollow” is a 1946 novel by British crime author Agatha Christie, who is also the best-selling novelist of all time. It was adapted for the stage in 1951 and, while it may be one of Christie’s lesserknown plays, it’s extremely rich in character development and has several comedic elements, making it arguably one of her more intriguing ones.
This murder mystery tells the story of a romantic love-tag of sorts in the English countryside at the Angkatell home, The Hollow, that A LMOST EVERY PERSON UNDOUBTEDLY HAS some sort of space in their heart they need to fill; it’s one of the reasons we have hobbies, passions, relationships, and more. For most people, figuring out how to fill that void is not too difficult nor does it normally result in murder.
By Addie Whitlow Pulse contributor If you’ve ever had the opportunity to work with film photography, you know there’s nothing in the creative world that quite compares to the satisfaction of producing that perfect photo.
From adjusting the camera to the correct settings, to venturing into the dark to develop the film, to transferring them onto paper and watching the results solidify as you put them into the chemicals. The entire process is a labor of love.
Starting this Sunday at 2 p.m., Carrie Pendergrass will be at Safelight District to share her passion for and knowledge of photo development using film negatives in a threepart class that gives you the chance to dive into the darkroom and develop some photos of your own.
While you won’t be processing film in this class, you’re welcome to bring your own preprocessed negatives. If you don’t have any, you will be provided with all the materials you need to participate.
The remaining two classes will take place the following Sundays on March 22nd and 29th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
You don’t need experience to participate, so come out and gain an appreciation for a truly underrated and satisfying art form as you experiment with black and white in the darkroom. — Lindsey Clute
results in a surprise murder. John Cristow finds himself in a bit of a bind when his wife, mistress, and ex-lover are all in the same place. There are also the hosts, Sir Henry and Lucy Angkatell, visiting Angkatell cousins, Dr. Cristow, his wife, an inspector, his assistant, a maid, and a butler, only making the list of possible suspects—and romantic interests—grow longer and more confusing.
The Theatre Centre’s production is directed by guest director Bob Willie and features a cast of twelve, who started rehearsals on February 4th. They’ve been extremely dedicated to the production, so much so they’ve been rehearsing six nights a week to perfect their characters and the story development. “Those are the things that re-
ally grabbed me in the play—the history, Christie, and the development of the characterization is so perfect. The language is incredible, and it’s a joy for actors to jump into the meat of these relationships. As a director, finding these relationships, blending them, bringing them out further, and how they’re all tied in; that advances the story in so many ways,” Willie explained.
When given a new theater assignment, Willie performs as much research as he can to understand the storyline and what encouraged the playwright to craft the performance. He said Christie is really an amazing person with a fascinating history.
He explained that Christie worked in a hospital pharmacy during World War I, which is one of the reasons she knew so much about poisons. The concept of infidelity was also not foreign to Christie as her first husband left her for another woman.
Additionally, the show is set during the collapse of the British empire, and Willie explained Christie was quite progressive when it came to her opinions on where England was headed. “To me, what really grabbed me about this play is the difference between ‘The Hollow’ and so many of [Christie’s] other works. This is less known but I think it’s probably, from an actor and a director’s standpoint, by far the most interesting because
the characterization, the relationships between all of the characters are so clearly defined and it’s a brilliant work even without the mystery and the whodunit,” said Willie.
Because the bulk of the show is focused on solving the mystery of who committed the murder, and almost everyone present may have some sort of motive, the set is essentially a living room in the Angkatell estate. While it is a murderous weekend at a country estate outside of London, the costumes are a bit extravagant, even for the 1940s.
“The name of the play is ‘The Hollow’ and, to me, there is a hollowness in the heart of just about everyone in this play that they’re trying their best to fill. They each have a yearning for peace, for a return to normalcy, and to keep the traditions of the English empire alive, and for happiness, selfsatisfaction, love,” Willie explained. “And it relates to today. Everyone has a hole in their heart they need to have filled. So that’s another relation to today’s audience; everyone will see in the characters, a bit of themselves.”
“The Hollow” features both CTC veterans and slight newcomers, and Willie said one of the things he loves most about community theater is it allows him to teach as well as direct.
He strives to help the cast be the best they can be, and he said that wouldn’t be possible without the help of stage manager Rodney Strong and assistant stage manager Brittany Rogers.
The CTC’s production of “The Hollow” opens Friday at 8 p.m. and will be performed through March 29th, with evening shows Thursdays through Saturdays and matinees on Sundays.
If you’ve ever wanted to experience the classic whodunit murder mystery of Agatha Christie on stage, which will have you on the edge of your seat trying to guess the culprit, then you definitely don’t want to miss the Theatre Centre’s riveting performance of “The Hollow”.
THURSDAY3.12
ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT
10 • THE PULSE • MARCH 12, 2020 • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM Alla-Prima Portrait Workshop with Sean Cheetham 10 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Miller Park Farmers Market 11 a.m. Miller Park 910 Market St. millerparkmarket.com Extract Brewing Class: IPA 5:30 p.m. Brew Market & Beer Garden 1510 Riverside Dr. (423) 648-2739 brewmarketchatt.com Vision + Verse: I Am Somebody 6 p.m. The Hunter Museum of American Art 10 Bluff View Ave. (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org River Runners 6 p.m. Basecamp Bar and Restaurant 346 Frazier Ave. (423) 803-5251 basecampcha.com Life Drawing Open Studio 6 p.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Cloud Weaving 101 6:30 p.m. The Chattery 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org Open Mic Poetry & More 6:30 p.m. Stone Cup Café 208 Frazier Ave. (423) 521-3977 stonecupcafe.com Open Bead Night 7 p.m. Bead Therapy 1420 McCallie Ave, (423) 509-1907 bead-therapy.com Erik Griffin 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch
Fans of the hit Comedy Central series “Workaholics” instantly recognize Erik Griffin as the show’s iconic series regular Montez. He most recently starred as Ralph on Showtime Network’s ‘I’m Dying up Here’.
1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Alcoholics Not Anonymous Comedy Open Mic 8 p.m. Barley Taproom 235 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 682-8200 chattanoogabarley.com
FRIDAY3.13
Alla-Prima Portrait Workshop with Sean Cheetham 10 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Friday the 13th Humane Society Benefit 11 a.m. The Moxy 1220 King St. (423) 664-1180 moxy-hotels.marriott.com Home Organizing 101 2 p.m. The Chattery 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org An Evening with the Artists 6 p.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Erik Griffin 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534 theatrecentre.com Ruby Falls Lantern Tours 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls 1720 S. Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544 rubyfalls.com Chatt Talk Tonight: Music 9 p.m. Palace Theater 818 Georgia Ave. (423) 803-6578 chattpalace.com
SATURDAY3.14
Beginner Cookie Decorating: St. Patrick’s Day 10 a.m. The Chattery 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m. Grace Episcopal Church 20 Belvoir Ave. (423) 243-3250 saygrace.net Charcoal Portrait Drawing with Kate Zambrano 10 a.m. Townsend Atelier 301 E. 11th St. (423) 266-2712 townsendatelier.com Pruning Intensive Workshop 10:30 a.m. Crabtree Farms 1000 E. 30th St. (423) 493-9155 crabtreefarms.org Chain Magic with Emilie Cole 11 a.m. Bead Therapy 1420 McCallie Ave, (423) 509-1907 bead-therapy.com AVA Critique Workshop Noon AVA Gallery 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282 avarts.org March Stamping Class 2 p.m. Hobby Lobby 5450 B. Hwy. 153 (423) 875-3727 hobbylobby.com Photography 101 Workshop 2 p.m. W Road Collection 748 Overbridge Ln. (423) 605-1959 wroadcollection.com Author Event with Corey Green, Rose Opengart, and Thornton Parsons 2 p.m. Barnes & Noble 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. (423) 893-0186 barnesandnoble.com Healthy Treats 2 p.m. The Chattery 1800 Rossville Ave. (423) 521-2643 thechattery.org Erik Griffin 7:30, 9:45 p.m. The Comedy Catch 1400 Market St. (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre 400 River St. (423) 267-8534
DRINK
SPRING 2020
BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher James Brewer, Sr.
EDITORIAL Managing Editor Gary Poole gary@chattanoogapulse.com
Assistant Editor Jessie Gantt-Temple
Art Director Kelly Lockhart
Contributors Halley Andrews Lindset Clute Mike McJunkin Jenn Webster
ADVERTISING Senior VP of Sales Lisa Yockey-Rice lisay@brewermediagroup.com
CONTACT Offices 1305 Carter St. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Website chattanoogapulse.com Facebook @chattanoogapulse
THE FINE PRINT Chattanooga Drink is published biannually by The Pulse and Brewer Media. Chattanooga Drink is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. Chattanooga Drink is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publishers may take more than one copy per weekly issue, please.
© 2020 Brewer Media
CHATTANOOGA'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE
Spring 2020 Drink Guide
The Tap House .............................................. 18 Bantam & Biddy ........................................... 19
