A POWER COUPLE
AMAZES SECOND LIFE Coco St. George
What happens when talent combines with passion, and both find a fertile ground to grow?
F
rom the classic Victorians Gilbert and Sullivan to the modern-era Sondheim and Hammerstein or Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber— much like the power couples of the musical world, we in Second Life have found the powerful collaboration of Red Hykova Antonius and Steve Ruhig-Allen: founders, producers, choreographers, and the heart and soul of River Island Performing Arts and Theater.
And just as it usually happens in Real Life, this couple was brought about by a chance encounter— this time at The Oval Theater back in 2015. “I’d had no experience with SL theatre at that point,” says Steve, “but Red kindly showed me the ropes. I soon found all aspects of theatrical production utterly fascinating.” “From the moment we met, we clicked”, adds Red. “We share the same enthusiasm and eagerness to learn new things, and I always enjoyed producing with Steve; over the years we have learned and experimented together.” But, alas! The Oval Theatre disbanded. Having been bitten by the stage bug, they decided to start their own theatrical company. “We had produced two shows together back at The Oval,” remembers Steve, “so we had some idea of how to manage things.” “After The Oval Theatre closed,” says Red, “and everyone dispersed, Steve and I were cast adrift; we were theatre-less! And yet we wanted to continue; we had a lot more that we wanted to do, so many ideas!” Far from seeing their situation as a setback, they took the opportunity “to create together the kind of theatre experience we knew would excite our audiences,” as Red puts it. “We acquired our own sim, Big Bang, and have never regretted it,” says Steve. “Running a theatre is sometimes a chore—
logistics, scheduling, making sure everyone is happy with roles and costumes, etc. —but always, always, worth the effort. It has been a grand experience!” “We had a lot of support and encouragement from friends and patrons of The Oval,” adds Red. “So much so that Christo Spyker and Tim Waco of the incredibly beautiful River Island Sim invited us to set up our new theatre there. It was an exciting time. Our first new performance would coincide with Christmas, so we worked on ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’, a beautifully vibrant Christmas ballet, and it was a huge success— a full audience every performance and wonderful feedback.” The reader may have a glimpse of the vibrant and creative work Red and Steve did for the Nutcracker in this YouTube video. Over the years, their repertoire has grown to include musicals, ballets, dance shows, and a series of Cabaret shows called “After Dark”, musical revues targeted to adult audiences. Below are some of the shows they have produced and performed in the last couple years: Chicago the Musical The New Moon in the Old Moon’s Arms Sweeney Todd Rocky Horror Picture Show The Nutcracker and the Mouse King Make ‘em Laugh World Tapestry of Dance West Side Story All of Me Some Nights Grease Quirk du Soleil
RIVER ISL AND PERFORMING ART S AND THEATER
