A History
The Around the Globe Theatre Company was founded in August, 2004 by then 21 year old Robert A. Easton but did not premiere on stage until nine months later. ATG’s first fully staged show was a superstition defying production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by brothers Patrick Gibbs and Paul Gibbs and starring Steve L. Nicol and Rosalie Bertrand as the Macbeths. The talented and hardworking cast and crew (many people worked as both) performed the epic Scottish tragedy one night only on May 26th, 2005 at the Off Broadway Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City.
With the help of Michelle Montgomery, Robert A. Easton directed as well as played the role of Paul Bratter in ATG’s 2nd production—Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. Also starring Brianna Dawn Cook as Corie Bratter, Iris Stump as Corie’s Mother and Dennis Bergendorff as the eccentric upstairs neighbor Victor Velasco, the show ran November 11th and 12th, 2005 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.
It was more than a year until ATG’s 3rd production Sylvia by A. R. Gurney performed a two weekend run from December 1st to the 9th, 2006 at the Utah Arts Alliance Center. Directed by Beth Bruner, this charming comedy about a man, his wife and their dog starred Tony Porter as Greg, Stephanie Coleman as Kate and Brooke Bartlett (then Brooke Bastian) as the title character and engaging labradoodle Sylvia, with Jed Broberg stealing the show as three different yet equally hilarious characters.
From March 9th to the 17th, 2007, ATG’s fourth show, a fully staged production of Neil Simon’s political yet comedic love triangle The Star-Spangled Girl performed again at the Utah Arts Alliance Center. Directed by Robert A. Easton—who also played hapless liberal magazine editor Andy Hobart—the show also starred Brooke Bartlett as the conservative former Olympic swimmer Sophie Raushmeyer and in his ATG debut, the veteran film and stage actor Bob Lanoue as love stricken writer Normal Cornell.
Robert reunited with his Barefoot in the Park co-star Brianna Dawn Cook for A. R. Gurney’s heartbreaking two person play Love Letters. The play ran for three days from September 6th, 7th and 8th, 2007 as ATG returned to the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center for the first time in two years. Later that same month, also at the Rose, ATG participated in the U-ACT Shorts Festival hosted by Wasatch Theatre Company. ATG presented two of the shorts that year: Blood Let and Can’t Act; both by local playwrights.
The following year, JC Carter joined the company and directed ATG’s most successful show to date: Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin. Yes, that Steve Martin. Leading a young and talented ensemble cast were JayC Stoddard as Pablo Picasso, Joshua Long as Albert Einstein and Chelsey Richardson as Germaine, with Josh Curtis as the mysterious Visitor… okay, he played Elvis. The show ran for five nights straight on June 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, 2008 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.
Two months later ATG made their final appearance at the Rose Wagner Center with a second straight week-long-run when they presented Tennessee William’s classic memory play The Glass Menagerie from August 18th to the 23rd, 2008. Directed by Robert A. Easton, the Glass Menagerie starred JayC Stoddard as Tom Wingfield, Lindsay Marriott as Amanda Wingfield, the return of Bob Lanoue as Jim O’Connor, and the ATG debut of Morgan Eliza Long as Laura Wingfield. It was a beautiful production, loved by all who saw it.
In September 2008, ATG again participated in Wasatch Theatre Company’s U-ACT Shorts Festival with JC Carter directing that year’s only dramatic offering Torrid with the acting talents of Lindsay Marriott and Clara Susan Morey. A year later in 2009 the Short’s Festival was renamed the U-ART Festival and ATG again participated presenting Gene Washington’s multiple reimagining’s of the final scene of Bonnie and Clyde called Faces on the Cutting Room Floor featuring Robert A. Easton as Clyde Barrow, the beautiful Lindsay Marriott making her 2nd straight Festival appearance as Bonnie and JC Carter as the Narrator. ATG also presented the short Thinking Out Loud by Theresa Serrian which was the winner of the audience vote for best script and featured the onstage talents of Sam McGinnis, G. Morgan Walton, Elecia Avila and Holly Braithwaite. Both 2009 shorts were directed by JC Carter.
This year ATG is looking forward to participating in the 2010 U-ART Festival this September with JC Carter set to direct the short Hello Sweetheart by Eileen Bartscher Cox and the company is preparing to host an auditions workshop at the Festival. Next year the Around the Globe Theatre Company will have a new home at the Midvale Main St. Theatre where they will present their first fully staged production in more than two years in July, 2011 when Beth Bruner returns to ATG to direct William Shakespeare’s The Tempest in what will be the play’s 400th anniversary. In October, 2011 we will also present the epic romantic comedy Ten Times Two: the Eternal Courtship by award-winning Canadian playwright David Belke, with JC Carter and Robert A. Easton set to share directing duties.
As always, we hope to see you at the show.