VOL. 8 NO. 30
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IN THIS ISSUE
Kids
Horror, Shakespeare style The cast of “Much Ado About Nothing” includes, front, Allie Burns and Raine Palmer; back, Raven Mason, Davon Guest and Carolyn Corley.
When Sophie Thompson is asked why she donated her hair to Locks of Love, her big expressive brown eyes search the corners of the room. “Well, for a lot of reasons,” replies the rising third-grader at Cedar Bluff Elementary School thoughtfully. First of all, “my hair was too long and mom just wanted it cut.” But she wanted to have it cut for Locks of Love because “they turn it into a wig for people who caught that cancer.” And someone very near and dear to Sophie was affected that way. “Grammy had it.” Don’t miss this story and more in My Kids.
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Bearden teacher pens book of tales When Kelly Dreher begins her new teaching job at Bearden High School this fall, she won’t ask her students to write about what they did over summer break. But she will share her own summer project − a self-published book of fairy tales titled “The Green Locket: Legends and Lessons from Near and Far.”
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Credibility
“It’s tough to balance the interests of good people holding public office with the public’s right to know and question relevant matters. “And it falls to a newspaper’s editor to decide what to print and when to print it.” Shopper-News publisher Sandra Clark talks about the decision to write about Gloria Deathridge’s health issues and prints a response from Deathridge.
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Donaldson under fire from all sides
“The major unreported news this week is the letter signed by numerous neighborhood leaders in both the city and county calling for the departure of Mark Donaldson as head of Metropolitan Planning Commission.” Victor Ashe writes about an alliance of former City Council members Carlene Malone, Jean Teague and Barbara Pelot to topple Donaldson.
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July 30, 2014
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By Wendy Smith Critics have panned William Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” since it was penned in the late 16th century, but that hasn’t kept the violent play from being hugely popular with audiences, says Tom Parkhill. Parkhill is artistic director of the Tennessee Stage Company, which has brought Shakespeare to the Knoxville masses since 1991. He admits that while he doesn’t care for the play, thought to be Shakespeare’s first tragedy, he’s having a good time showcasing it on Market Square. Each summer, Shakespeare on the Square alternates two of the Bard’s works, a tragedy and a comedy, on Market Square. “Titus Andronicus” performances are Aug. 1, 3, 7, 9, 15 and 17 and “Much Ado About Nothing” is July 31, Aug. 2, 8, 10, 14 and 16. All shows begin at
7 p.m. There is no admission fee, but donations are accepted. “Titus Andronicus” is rarely performed these days, Park hill says. He describes the play as boring political discourse punctuated by acts of brutal violence. In the Tennessee Stage Company version, much of the political discourse was cut to focus on the story of two families. In spite of scenes depicting beheadings, mutilation and crimes against humanity, no stage blood is used in the performance. Instead, cloth effects are used to represent violence. The technique doesn’t mitigate the horrible events, but makes them beautiful as well, he says. In contrast, the romantic comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” is considered one of Shakespeare’s best comedies by critics and au-
diences alike. It tells the story of Beatrice and Benedick, who are determined, without success, to avoid the foolishness of love. According to Parkhill, the Tennessee Stage Company is Knoxville’s only professional theater company that employs primarily local actors. The two plays mostly feature returning cast members. While actors shouldn’t take themselves too seriously, they must take the work seriously, he says. And it is hard work. The outdoor venue, while challenging, is similar to what audiences would have experienced in Shakespeare’s day. During the 16th century, there was a lot of interaction between the players and the audience, which was typically rowdy. Parkhill is amazed at how people respond when they come upon a live show. People report getting “sucked
in” to the performance, he says. “I love to hear, ‘We didn’t mean to stay, but the kids wouldn’t leave.’ ” He spends 10 months of the year raising money for two months of performances. Most revenue comes from grants, sponsorships and donations. This summer, funding was stretched to replace the company’s 20-year-old sound system, and Parkhill hopes to purchase body microphones in the near future. In addition to the outdoor shows, two indoor performances are offered at the Square Room, 4 Market Square. “Titus Andronicus” was performed last weekend, and “Much Ado About Nothing” is at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2. The crowds for the indoor shows are usually small, but those who attend are grateful for the air-conditioned venue, Parkhill says. Tickets for the indoor performance are $10. Parkhill grew up in Knoxville and started “running away from home” at age 15. He performed in numerous theaters before deciding to limit himself to working in the Southeast. Family commitments ultimately brought him back to Knoxville, where he founded the Tennessee Stage Company. The company ultimately focused on Shakespeare because that was what people wanted to see, he says. The company also collaborates with the Knox County Public Library to present a New Play Festival during the winter months. It includes performances, readings and staged readings of new, unproduced scripts.
Stephanie Thompson is interim principal at Farragut High Stephanie Thompson is the new interim principal of Farragut High School, replacing Mike Reynolds, who was appointed by S up e r i nte nde nt Jim McIntyre as principal at Central High School. Thompson has an excellent record as a high school adminisThompson
trator and has distinguished herself as an instructional leader at the high school level, McIntyre said. Her most recent assignment was as supervisor of federal programs for Knox County Schools. Thompson taught business at Halls for one year, then taught business at Farragut for two years. She was administrator for Freshman Focus for inner city kids for one year and then became Title I administrator.
“Over the next several months, we will conduct a comprehensive search and selection process to appoint the long-term principal at Farragut High School,” McIntyre said, adding that Thompson may be an applicant and potential candidate in that process.
mentary, will be the new principal at Pond Gap Elementary School, replacing Susan Espiritu who was reassigned to Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy. Nick Frantz, former West Side Shopper editor and a friend from high school recalled that McGill was the class president and voted McGill to Pond Gap “Most Likely to Succeed.” “I wouldn’t think there are too Shelly McGill, a graduate of Gibbs High School and former as- many principals as young as she sistant principal at Dogwood Ele- is,” he said.
Burchett not happy with new Beck director By Betty Bean Last week, the board of directors of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center chose independent consultant Renee Kesler as its new executive director. She was elected by a 9-2 vote after an executive committee selected her from a pool of candidates for the position. Kesler resigned Renee Kesler under fire in 2006 after a lengthy investigation into personnel and grant issues in the city’s department of community development, which she headed.
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Board chair Sam Anderson said he’s comfortable with this decision, but Kesler’s hiring is not sitting well with Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, who has tangled over budget matters with Beck’s leadership in the past. “I’m gravely concerned. We’ve had some issues with the leadership and the bookkeeping at Beck, and we’ll just have to see what kind of relationship we’ll have going forward,” Burchett said, adding that he believes the Beck Center is “grossly underutilized.” The Beck Center is at 1927 Dandridge Ave. in the former home of the late James Garfield Beck and Ethel Benson Beck, who were
leading African-American educators and entrepreneurs. The Beck Center has been renovated and expanded in the past decade and contains extensive collections of history and artifacts of East Tennessee’s African-American community as well as a large meeting hall and space for children and others to access computers and tutoring services. The Beck Center is slated to receive $25,000 each from the city and county (a total of $50,000) this fiscal year. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero (who replaced Kesler as the city’s community development director in 2007) was more positive in tone than Burchett:
“The Beck Center is a community treasure for all of Knoxville. Its archives hold materials of great historical and cultural significance, and the city is committed to supporting its mission and future growth. On personnel matters, we respect the decisions of the Beck Center board of directors, and we will continue to work with the board and staff.” The Beck Center saw its county funding slashed from $150,000 to $12,000 in 2011, the first budget prepared by Burchett. The center’s founder and heartbeat, Robert Booker, has been serving as interim director. Fundraising is one of the executive director’s primary duties.
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