The Community Arts Ensemble presents its latest musical production, Rebecca's Gamebox, written and directed by Fred Johnson, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's vice president of education and humanities.
Rebecca's Gamebox tells the story of a young girl who goes on vacation with her family to a magical island and discovers an appreciation for the simple wonders of nature and the adventures to be found in the everyday. The natives of the magical island have a very simple lifestyle, and the values that Rebecca learns throughout the production are due largely to her interaction with these natives.
The production incorporates singing, dancing and a worldly variety of music, including Afro-Caribbean drumming, keyboards and guitar, performed by a cast of 150 men, women and children.
All of the Community Arts Ensemble productions have a very similar feel to them. Imagine, the ensemble's May production, celebrated the importance and beauty of the young mind, and was written by ensemble cast members. Rebecca's Gamebox is another example of the group's impact on area residents through the arts.
Performances are free to the public, and take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6, and at 2 and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, at the Performing Arts Center's Louise Lykes Ferguson Hall. TBPAC is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa (813-229-7827).
—Cooper Cruz
This article appears in Aug 2-8, 2001.
