ROANE STATE’S “THEATRE” CATALOG OFFERS A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE OF THE “PRINCESS PERFORMING ARTS, EDUCATION, AND CONFERENCE CENTER”

Roane State Community College currently offers a large curriculum in “Theatre” courses. If you follow the embedded link, you will see a wide variety of course descriptions that provide our local students a pathway to their dreams – a career in the arts!

I visited one of the classes last Thursday evening titled, THEA 236, Media Production I. Students enrolled in this class receive 3 credit hours for writing, producing, and directing a short narrative or television program.

In this intensive classroom project, taught by, local celebrity Bill Landry, students also explore the crafts of editing, screenwriting, and cinematography. In addition to producing their own television show, students work in key positions on each other's projects. The class goal as a group will be to workshop a teleplay script for a scheduled shoot at the end of the term.

Mr. Landry could not be in class that evening, but he turned the class over to two local personalities with a wealth of television and movie making experience.

Andy Garrett, station manager of Channel 95 in Anderson County, and Brooks Benjamin, a local Roane County school teacher with three movies under his belt, filled in perfectly Thursday. Topics covered ranged from how to manage a television station single handedly, to how to produce and direct your own movie!

Andy often has to be fleet of foot to cover all the events at Anderson County Schools, city meetings, and to keep the screen from going black at Channel 95. I was impressed with all the hats Andy has to wear, and all the equipment he has to program and manage to keep that from happening. Andy has been the station manager since 2008.

Brooks, of course, is a wealth of information when it comes to movie/commercial making, editing, writing, and producing. He has been in the business since 2004.

He is currently riding a high with the recent news that Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, Turner Classic Movies, and others, are offering his “Boys of Summerville”!

Brooks was born here in Roane County and got his bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University. While in college, Brooks was an actor in the independent movie, "The Oak of Weeping", where he played the part of Robert "Moose" Wade.

Since college, Brooks has written and directed several commercials and short films, including his award-winning short comedy, "Minor Mutants". He also wrote, produced, and directed his award winning feature thriller, "Point of Fear".

Brooks and his wife, Jackie Barnes, are the owners of Lycan Entertainment, their production company.

Andy and Brooks, along with a couple of others, recently outlined the equipment that a television, radio, and sound studio would need in order to provide a state of the art experience for the students of Roane State involved in the “Theatre” curriculum. Their expertise in this area has been invaluable to the success of the Princess dream!

These “theatre” classes are just a small glimpse into what Roane State will be able to offer from the planned “PRINCESS PERFORMING ARTS, EDUCATION, AND CONFERENCE CENTER”. Once the dream begins at the Princess Complex, there will be hands on education and training in radio, television (Channel 15), movie and stage productions, lighting, sound, and cameras.

What gets me excited is all the entertainment it will bring to Roane County. All the class projects, and all the local music, art, and acting talent, will have a beautiful venue in the Princess – its stage, studios, and broadcasting capabilities!

Students of the arts, and their dreams, will come to Roane County to learn and experience what they need for a career in arts and media!

There are other media production schools in the United States that can give you a better view into what the Princess dream is for our students. Schools like the Alpha Pacific Institute in Arizona, Full Sail University in Florida, and many others you can Google. However, none of these campuses offer a fully functioning and broadcasting radio and television station, sound studio, or a 900 seat auditorium with a state-of-the-art stage!

The dream is already coming true in the courses offered by Roane State – they are the ground work! We should be hearing about TVA releasing the promised restoration money any day now. On that glorious day, the dream will begin to really come true!

THEY GOT NUTTIN’ ON THE PRINCESS!

Ashville’s “Fine Arts Theatre” is an Art Deco style theatre that is the only theatre left operating in downtown Asheville. It originally opened as the “Strand Theatre” and had a seating capacity of 800 in orchestra and balcony.

Today it survives as a double screen theater showing first run American, foreign, and independent films. The theater now only seats 250, for the up and downstairs small screens. It is also the home of the Asheville Film Festival held in November of each year.

The building itself is a cream color with two sets of block glass running from the top of the building down to the marquee on each side. It has a small triangle-shaped marquee with the theatre name in neon on each side.

Gary and I visited the theater this past Saturday and met a very welcoming staff that was more than willing to talk about their lovely theater. We toured both levels of the theater, and I couldn’t help but think how much more room and seating (900) there will be in the Princess Theater once it’s restored. However, I would love to attend a film at the Fine Art’s Theatre sometime. I hear the projection and sound equipment is top-notch, and they do serve alcohol!

We also attended a concert by movie actor Jeff Daniels at the ultra-modern “Diana Wortham Theatre” later that same evening. This theater is a modern 500 seat proscenium theatre built in 1991. It is contained within Pack Place, a cultural center located in the heart of Asheville's beautiful downtown area. (I apologize for the quality of photos used here, but I only had my pocket camera.)

The Diana Wortham Theatre is perfect for stage and music productions requiring a small intimate venue with all the modern amenities and equipment. The floor seats 352, and the balcony seats 142, but all seats seem very close to the performances. Everything in the theater has the patron in mind; from the large clean restrooms, to the easy elevator ride between floors, to the conveniently located lavation bar in the downstairs lobby.

Still…I couldn’t help but think about what we will have in our Princess and how they got nuttin’ on us.

Now…if that money would just come through we could get started!

“THE LAST RIDE” WENT THROUGH ROANE COUNTY

Veteran film and television director Harry Thomason is planning a film about the last ride Hank Williams, Sr. took, and has already begun collecting film clips for the production.

It is most probable that the ’52 Cadillac, driven by 18-year-old Charles Carr, with Hank asleep in the back seat, came through Roane County sometime on New Year’s Eve 1952. They were on their way to Canton, OH and points north, as a new beginning for Hank’s career.

Upon reaching Knoxville, Williams decided to try getting a flight out of McGee Tyson; however, the flight never occurred due to snow in the area.

Williams had his driver take him into Knoxville where they got a room at the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Some speculate that the 29-year-old entertainer was already dead, especially since porters had to carry him from the car to the room. Reports say Carr seemed nervous and later decided the group should push on toward Ohio in order to make Hank’s scheduled engagement.

Again Hank is carried from the room and placed, like a drunken man (maybe a dead man) into the back seat of the Caddy.

Regardless of when and where Hank Williams, Sr. died, his short life of alcohol and drugs (particularly morphine) took a toll on his skinny body, but it was not until arriving in Oak Hill, West Virginia that Carr determined his boss was dead.

The best historical account I found was from “Death of a Legend”. It makes for interesting reading and ties the story to East Tennessee. It’s still quite a mystery and makes great fodder for books and movies 57 years later.

Today, on the anniversary of that occurrence, Bill Landry coordinated/directed, and Doug Mills filmed several local vintage automobiles driving around the area. This footage was procured by Harry Thomason for his movie “The Last Ride”. Thomason called Bill, who is part of Princess Productions, just yesterday, but, even on short notice, Bill was able to get the needed cars, including a baby blue ’53 Cadillac convertible belonging to Rex Walls. The car is basically like the one Hank Williams was riding in as he passed this way.

I can find nothing on the Internet about this planned movie and nothing about when it might come out, but when it does we can all watch for the Trenton Street, Rocky Top General Store, and Riggs Chapel Road scenes. This may even be the first mention of the production on the Internet!

Other local car owners with period vehicles in the scenes were: Hubert Blaylock (his red Chevy), Boyd Woody (his black Plymouth), J. T. Robinson (his Model A), and, of course, J. D. Williams driving his black ’41 Ford.

One day soon, Roane State students will be prepared to shoot and edit for production companies too. The “Princess Performing Arts, Education, and Conference Center” will be equipped to teach them what they need in order to following their dreams in a career of movie, stage, radio, and television production. The industry will always be seeking trained and devoted employees for their productions and Roane State will become one of the best places to look for that talent.

That day is getting close too. Frank Sparkman still says he can make Chris Mason’s deadline of fall of 2010 if the promised TVA funding is received in January.

SUPPORTING THE LOCAL SPIRIT BY DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY!

Remember when we all used to hang out around the American Legion Hall in Harriman on Friday nights? Of course I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I did occasionally try to impress someone by “cuttin’ a rug”, but mostly I stood outside listening to the music while talking and smoking with “the guys”!

Good music and dancing still happens on Friday nights at the Harriman American Legion Hall. As a matter of fact, some of the same old gang that used to make all that music are still “pickin’ and grinnin’” as the “Riverfront Band”! It begins at 7:00 PM.

Remember ol’ Bill and Bobby Wright (no relation), Jim Galyon, Jim Crawley, and Gary Morgan? They are still making good music! Other local musicians also occasionally join them; you never really know who will be there, and YOU could join them if you really wanted to! Why not…let’s bring back the fun of Friday nights with music, singing, and dancing!

Pictured on the left are Jim Galyon, Noel White, David Galyon (Jim’s son from Houston), Jim Crawley (on steel), Don Gullett (on bass), and Forrest Robbins (on drums). The young man in the white cap is not a band member.

In the photo below right, (right to left) are Jim Galyon, Noel White, Muse Watson, Bill Wright (back to camera), Don Gullett, Ronnie Duncan, and Bobby Nelson.

It was that good music and that down home gathering of people that drew Muse Watson to the Legion Hall that last Friday back in November. He had heard about how Roane County folks still get together for some country music fellowship, and he wanted to get right in the middle of it. He, like a lot of us, feel like supporting whatever goes on in our area is the best way to keep our county alive. We have to keep that spark that makes us unique burning for the future generations.

On the left is Bill Wright with Bobby Wright (no relation).

Just imagine how it could be if Harriman had a real stage, with real lights, and a real sound system! What a night we all could have in the kinship of music and entertainment. That is exactly what is in the near future for our city and county. It will be a “sound space”, as Muse calls it, where anyone can come and record for posterity their own particular brand of music, or entertain a crowded auditorium of over 800 seats!

Our county and geographical area is just full of talent with no place to really perform at their best, or to such a large audience. The Princess Theater can be that for all of us. This is just another reason to support this effort. We need YOU to get involved, even if it’s only telling someone else about the dream! It can come true…we can do this!

Contact me at fuzzbert_1999 AT YAHOO if you want to offer your talent/s to the project, or know of area residents that have a musical or acting talent that would be perfect/appropriate for a family stage show.

SUPPORTING ROANE COUNTY MEANS MORE THAN JUST THE PRINCESS

It’s so good that so many people are supporting the Princess Project, but we can’t put all our hopes of restoring our community just into the Princess Theatre basket. We must support Harriman in everything that the cities and county does to promote its communities and businesses.

Two new businesses have opened within the last couple of months, and supporting Harriman means supporting these businesses through patronage and word-of-mouth advertising.

I don’t own a motorcycle or ATV, but I did let my friends that do know about the new store. It’s good for Harriman if “Rising Sun Cycles” (Roane Street) remains a viable business.

Oh, how I remember the old Merri-Mac Bakery and those wonderful “cream horns” Edna McNamer made. She made them for Harriman for 51 years before closing. I heard that she passed her recipe on to Mike Borman, the new owner, so I personally patronized the new “Pattycake Pastries” at 611 Queen Ave. to try them. They were as I remember! I was pleased to have met Mike as he and Kevin catered the “Parade of Christmas Trees” held in the Temperance Building last Friday and Saturday (November 27-28). Just look at those cream-horns and festive cookies!

It’s not just the businesses we need to support; it’s the special events that our communities present. Events like the “Parade of Christmas Trees”, “The Nutcracker”, the “Rockwood Christmas Tour of Homes”, the “Candy Cane Hunt” in Kingston, the “Historic Harriman Christmas Tour”, the “Colonial Christmas Candlelight Tour”, the “Santa’s Carousel Quarter Horse Show”, and “A Christmas Carol”! Never say there’s nothing to do in Roane County, just Google “Christmas Events in Roane County, TN” or CLICK HERE to read more about these and other events.

There are loads of things to do, we just have to get off our duffs and get out there and support them. Put them on your calendar today…make your holiday something special!

Touring the Temperance Building in Harriman was a pleasant surprise for Muse Watson. He insisted on showing his support for the Temperance restoration project while he was in town. He did several promo clips with Pat Mynatt; both did several pieces in one take! Pat had never done anything remotely like this, but pulled it off very professionally and seemed to enjoy showing off the building to Muse. (More photos of the Temperance Building HERE.)

The building looks beautiful to the untrained eye, but there is a lot of structural work that needs to be done, and soon. This is also a need worthy of our support.

Coming Next…Did you know there’s places to dance or listen to live music almost every night of the week in Roane County?

“ARTS IN MOTION” DANCE STUDIO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE PRINCESS RESTORATION

The good times for me this holiday began on Tuesday evening when I attended a strategy meeting with Gary Baker, Bill Landry, and Muse Watson (as outlined in the previous post). Muse was visiting his mom and sister, who live in the area, but he took some time to help out on some Princess Theater and Temperance Building promotional material. He also visited some of the area events while in town (more on that later).

After some interview shooting (Bill on Muse and Muse on Bill), Doug Mills shot some video footage at the “Arts in Motion” dance studio in nearby Kingston, Tennessee, owned and operated by Jennifer Austin. Jennifer is currently rehearsing this year’s “The Nutcracker” production, which is the largest in the state of Tennessee. The show has over 100 performers and dancers. This year’s show will be at the Roane State Auditorium; December 4^th and 5^th, 7 pm, and December 6^th at 2 pm.

The studio was packed with dancers and their families, leaving only room on the dance floor for real movement. Jennifer oversees the program, but leaves the floor direction to Lilia Valieva, formerly from Russia, but now lives in Crossville. Lilia has been in ballet for many years: Lilia graduated from the world-renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she trained for 8 years. She then joined the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Bashkortostan in Ufa, quickly becoming a principle dancer. In 1996, she made her United States debut with a leading role in Giselle with the Greeneville Ballet in South Carolina, and continued to dance as a principle dancer for two more years. Her principle roles include Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Pas de Quatre, Coppellia, Don Quixote, and many others.

Lilia, the “ballet mistress”, ran the program from the top and Jennifer brought Muse around behind the dancers and waited for a break to introduce him. After an introduction, Muse politely critiqued the rehearsal, praising the performers, but offering firm instruction on what it means to be on stage and what an audience deserves from their personal performances.

All the time, Doug Mills was filming the dancers and their mentors. Segments of his captures will be seen in future video shorts on upcoming Princess Productions stage shows.

The proposed plans for the restoration and upgrade of the Princess Theatre will include a much larger stage, one that stretches the entire width of the Princess Auditorium. There will an increase in back stage area, professional lighting and sound, as well as large “green rooms” off stage. Jennifer looks forward to the day her productions can be expanded to fit the Princess stage. She may even expand her class offerings to include the Princess facilities.

Roane County should stop and think about what Jennifer Austin, and her studio, means to our children. Think about what a venue such as a beautifully restored Princess will mean to her, her students, and to us!

I’ll tell you about the rest of this week’s excitement soon…

MUSE WATSON AND BILL LANDRY DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF THE PRINCESS

We gathered Tuesday afternoon to listen to Muse Watson and Bill Landry share their visions of the “Princess Performing Arts, Education, and Conference Center”. I have been a believer in Roane County and the Princess for a long time, but discussions like this still get me excited. I just wish I could accurately convey the “dream” that is coming true for us all.

“The new resource for Roane County will be communications,” Bill Landry tells people he meets. He understands that the Center will bring a boost to the local economy as its services get underway, but more importantly, the Center will provide an opportunity to our young people for generations to come.

The programs in arts and communications that Roane State is starting will have a “hands on” facility to enhance the classroom study. Working in a “real” radio and television studio, and producing “live” stage shows will provide our children with the confidence and experience they need to pursue careers in these areas of study. Not only will they gain professional experience in the radio and television media, they will also have had experience in sound, lighting, and stage production. It is one thing to have experience in single area of the arts, but to be able to include such a broad area on their resumes will be invaluable to them.

“We are creating a need and creating economy,” Muse told us. The Princess Center will have a need for radio and television technicians and management staff. The live shows from the new expanded stage of the Princess Theatre will need sound and lighting personnel, actors, stage and set designers, as well as producers and directors. The Princess will be a place for our young people to “sprout and grow”! They will fill jobs in the industry across the nation and more and more people will come to Roane County to study and follow their dreams.

“The Princess will become a ‘sound space’ too,” Muse pointed out. Muse recounted his first time inside the Princess Theatre, and how he began to sing “The Impossible Dream”. He could not believe the acoustics! Once again music will be performed and recorded inside the Princess. The facility will be fitted with “state of the art” sound equipment.

“There is so much musical talent in this area,” Muse continued. The Princess will be a place for young voices to hone their skills and for older folks to continue their love of music, and we, the people of Roane County, will reap the benefits of this entertainment.

“Our original commitment was to supplement our school’s education programs,” Muse said smiling, “and will see this dream come true!”

The classes that Roane State will be offering in the arts will match those third and fourth year classes at Middle Tennessee State, and other colleges. Our students will have the advantage of “first hand” experience in “live” studios and on stage.

Already many groups and organizations are expressing a desire to move their shows and productions to the Princess venue. There have been expressions of interest from churches, gospel groups, bluegrass and blues bands, Arts in Motion Dance Studio, and many festivals.

Instead of looking at the TVA grant as a blessing, many people still want to blame the Princess program for something it couldn’t help. They would have preferred the $1.7M be given to the people of Roane County. That would mean our 7,000 residents would have gotten a check for $250; enough maybe to buy a month’s worth of groceries.

So why don’t we rejoice in the endowment to our future the “Princess Performing Arts, Education, and Conference Center” will provide. The Center will continue giving back to Roane County this investment for generations to come. The event and the decision were made for us, so let’s enjoy it!

TWO MORE INTERVIEWS "IN THE CAN"!

Doug Mills cranked up his video camera Wednesday afternoon, and Bill Landry again began firing questions at two more interviewees for the next Princess Production live show.

After about an hour and a half Bill Newcomb and Gerald Largen interviews were “in the can”. These prominent Roane County attorneys have had a combined 100 years of legal experience in the area, and, therefore have a wealth of Roane County history that needs to be passed on to the youth of the county.

Although the two sit on opposite sides of the political fence, they have been long time friends and share a love of Harriman and Roane County history. Gerald lets you know right up front that he is a Democrat from Emory Gap! His blood still runs deep South Harriman “Pirate” orange, while Bill’s blood is of pure Republican blue of the “Harriman Blue Devils”! Together they are quite a feisty pair who loves to compare stories and challenge each other with “do you remember” games about Harriman. During this meeting they good naturedly argued the exact location of Harriman’s two “meat markets”!

Bill first entertained everyone present with his boyhood stories that included how the neighborhood boys always slept out on someone’s front porch during warm weather, they were “…stacked up on the porch like cord wood!”

Gerald believed that the first time he and Bill met was when Gerald was working at the Harriman Greyhound Station.

Both gentlemen also remembered their lives revolved around the theaters in Harriman growing up, and think the idea of giving the Princess Theater new life is a wonderful idea. With the combination of a TV and radio station, a 500 seat conference center, and the addition of live entertainment Downtown, the Princess Complex can only bring good things to the area.

Anyway, I don’t want to give away any of the details of their tales. Let me just say that I suggest you not miss them when they get retold at the next Princess Production live stage show. Hopefully that will come along soon. Stay tuned!

THE PRINCESS FOUNDATION HIRES FRANK SPARKMAN & ASSOCIATES

A majority forum of the Princess Theater Board of Directors passed a resolution made by Roane State President Gary Goff, stating that “The Princess Theater Foundation Board accepts Frank Sparkman as the architect of record, as well as, the design and construction manager for the Princess Complex Project.”

Frank Sparkman, of Sparkman & Associates Architects, Incorporated, presented his company’s 32 years of experience and expertise to the Princess Foundation Board Monday evening (09/28/09). Frank Sparkman has been dreaming of working on this project for nearly ten years. Since beginning working with the Foundation in 2000, his architectural firm has chalked up theater restoration experience on projects like: The Princess Theatre in South Pittsburg, TN, The Palace Theatre in Crossville, TN, and is currently working with project leaders on theater projects in McMinnville and Manchester, TN. The firm is also consulting on other theater restorations.

The Sparkman firm’s specialty is the restoration and preservation of historic buildings of all types. The Princess will be restored to its former glory, while bringing the interior up to current building and safety codes. Modernizing the Princess will be done in such a way as to preserve the historic qualities that will one day (hopefully soon) qualify the Princess Theatre to be added to National Registry of Historic Places.

Frank commented that the Princess will be the largest small town theater on which his firmed has worked. The Princess ranks in the large category because of its 900 seating capacity (400 balcony/500 ground level). The Bijou Theatre in Knoxville is only a 750 seat facility.

This resolution should put the project on fast forward, soon after the TVA donation has been received. The “check” should be turned over the Mayor Chris Mason, on behalf of the City of Harriman, in early October. Chris has stated before that he would love to see the project completed in nine months; however, with any project, there are always hidden contingencies that lengthen work time.

Nonetheless folks, we are on our way to seeing the Princess Complex dream come true in our live times!