Author Archive: Summer Krafft
Laura Dickinson-Turner for Prospect Theater Project
Laura Dickinson-Turner for Prospect Theater Project By Summer Krafft Laura Dickinson-Turner is a local actor, director, educator, and the General Manager of Prospect Theater Project’s 2016-2017 season. Her work with Prospect began in 2010 when she was cast in Beyond Therapy. Since then, she’s continued her involvement with PTP in multiple capacities. In addition to […]
Philip Johnson: Capturing a Moment
Philip Johnson: Capturing a Moment By Summer Krafft Philip Johnson is one of the most humble and generous photographers in the Modesto area. Primarily a portrait photographer, it is not unusual for him to stop someone on the street or in a crowd and ask, “May I take your picture?” As he puts it, “The […]
StageView: Center Stage Conservatory Brings a Haunting New Season
StageView: Center Stage Conservatory Brings a Haunting New Season By Summer Krafft Photo Credit Jeffrey Truong Center Stage Conservatory will premiere the first play of their 2017 season, Shining City, opening February 10th at the Lower Level Studio at 948 11th Street. It is a different kind of ghost story, following a man through counseling […]
Sam Pierstorff: Making It Happen! (The Ill List is Around the Corner!)
Sam Pierstorff: Making It Happen By Summer Krafft Sam Pierstorff is fairly well praised as the most visual and influential poet in our community. This is likely because he does more than just perform and write poetry: he is also an English professor at Modesto Junior College, an event coordinator, host, and community arts advocate. […]
39 Wildly Entertaining Steps at Prospect Theater Project
39 Wildly Entertaining Steps at Prospect Theater Project By Summer Krafft Prospect Theater Project’s production of “The 39 Steps,” originally an Alfred Hitchcock film adapted for the stage in 2005, is a thrilling whirlwind ride of eccentric characters, conspiracy, espionage, and romance. Most notably, the 150 characters in the show are played by a total […]
Tennessee Williams and Carson McCullers: A Gay Romp at “31 Pine Street”
A Gay Romp at “31 Pine Street” By Summer Krafft Center Stage Conservatory’s presentation of the world premiere of 31 Pine Street, a fictionalized account of a summer spent in Nantucket by Tennessee Williams and Carson McCullers, is a fast-paced, hysterical depiction of these two literary figures. The play is both written and directed by […]
A&P Productions: Creating a Scene from Scratch
A&P Productions: Creating a Scene from Scratch By Summer Krafft A&P Productions, a Modesto-based film production company, is setting the bar high for film in the Central Valley. They are the award winning duo of four feature films; the two artists who make up A&P Productions are Paul Ragsdale and Angie De Alba. Of their […]
Streets of Vengeance Film Review
Streets of Vengeance Film Review By Summer Krafft A&P Productions, a local production company’s most recent and most ambitious film, Streets of Vengeance, premiered last night at Galaxy theaters in Riverbank. It is a funny, brutal, manic depiction of a group of ladies of the night, seeking revenge on a mass killer targeting their community in […]
Melchor Sahagun III: Poetry Past, Future, and Present
Melchor Sahagun III: Poetry Past, Future, and Present By Summer Krafft Photo by Phil Johnson Melchor Sahagun III has been a part of the Valley’s poetry scene for nearly twenty years. Born and raised in Stockton, he is a poet, playwright, performer, advocate, and coach for Stockton’s youth slam team that goes to Brave New […]
It’s Not a Simple “Picnic” at Prospect: Picnic Play Review
It’s Not a Simple “Picnic” at Prospect By Summer Krafft Prospect Theater Project’s current production of Picnic by William Inge perpetuated out dated stereotypes of gender roles and implied, yet again, that a woman’s worth lies in how pleasing men find her, particularly how pretty she is and how well she can marry. This is […]
Un-Tying ‘Gidion’s Knot’ at Center Stage Conservatory
Un-Tying ‘Gidion’s Knot’ at Center Stage Conservatory By Summer Krafft Gidion’s Knot by Johnna Adams at Center Stage Conservatory is a tense ride of one woman trying desperately to find out the truth of who her son was. She arrives at the school for a parent-teacher conference regarding her son’s five-day suspension. In between making […]
Traci Sprague: The Woman Behind the Lower Level Studio
The Woman Behind the Lower Level Studio By Summer Krafft When most people walk in downtown Modesto, they pass by City Center on the corner of 11th and J without realizing that just below ground there is a thriving and lively theater community. There is a heartbeat hiding below street level. At the head of […]