Stage and Screen - The LocaL

After 35 seasons, Paul Pierce Passes the Torch at the Springer

Posted on January 26, 2023February 1, 2023 by Editor - the Local

35 Years of Theatre Magic: Paul Pierce Passes the Leadership Torch at the Springer Opera House“The greatest honor and joy of my life”: Opera House Leader Retires After 35 Years One Tuesday night in January, the Springer’s longtime producing artistic director, Paul Pierce, gathered his staff onstage in Emily Woodruff Hall for an historic announcement. After thirty-five seasons through which he has played the same part to great acclaim, he has chosen 2023 as the…

John Houzer’s Favorite Films of 2020: The Year Without Movie Theatres

Posted on May 18, 2021May 18, 2021 by Editor - the Local

There’s just something special about a night at the movies — even today, with more streaming services than you can remember and every movie ever made at your fingertips, there’s just something about the theatre. The seats, the giant screen, the sound system, the sense of ceremony. The fact that you aren’t tempted to look away at your phone or get up and let the dog out every few minutes. The theatre allows people to…

Upstream: On a Fass-bender

Posted on May 17, 2019May 17, 2019 by Tom Ingram

Cinephiles across America rejoiced last month at the return of the Criterion Channel, which had disappeared with the death of FilmStruck at the end of November. Now it’s back, and back with a vengeance, loaded up with cinematic gems that have heretofore gone unseen in the movie streaming-verse. As soon as it came online, I went straight for the greatly expanded Rainer Werner Fassbinder collection, where I found Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day, a…

Crowd-favorite Million Dollar Quartet Returns to the Springer

Posted on May 2, 2019May 17, 2019 by Tom Ingram

The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical inspired by a true story returns to the Springer Opera House May 3 through 18. On Dec. 4, 1956, four music legends–Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley–found themselves together at Sun Records in Memphis. Lucky for us, Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ‘n Roll,” pressed record. The rest is history–and, for us, a night of incredible music and story that will have you coming back…

Alli Kaman Welcomes the Weird

Posted on November 15, 2018November 15, 2018 by Tom Ingram

The Springer Opera House has a new host for NO SHAME Theater, and that girl is Alli Kaman. At first I wondered how she would survive each week due to her wholesome disposition and the growing numbers in the crowd. Will she be tough enough to get the audience to respect performers or shut them up? After a few minutes with Alli, I realized that she has an impish personality to match her fiery red…

Springer Film Institute announces Fall workshop sessions

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Tom Ingram

The Springer Film Institute is excited to announce the wide variety of workshops in their Fall Sessions. If you are just starting out, have some experience, or are just curious about the film industry in general, then there is a workshop for you. Go to www.springerfilm.org to register. Questions? Call 706-324-5714 x 270 or email director@springerfilm.org Fall Session I: Voiceover: Audiobooks and Animation – $375 Tuition ($150 deposit) 5 Week Workshop Series. Thursdays 6p-8p Aug….

World Cup of Cinema, Round 2: Germany vs. Argentina

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Tom Ingram

We conclude our World Cup of Cinema with a rematch of the final game from the 2014 soccer World Cup: Germany and Argentina. As with soccer, both nations are formidable forces in international film. Argentina is home to the current best soccer player in the world, Leonel Messi, and, in my opinion, the world’s top film director, Lucrecia Martel. Her movies are like great works of literature, dense allegories about her nation and its perpetual…

Take Me to the River: Wild and Scenic Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Tom Ingram

“Absolutely I love my job,” Chattahoochee River Conservancy Executive Director Henry Jackson says during a 15-minute interview on the front porch of the marina at Rotary Park. “Some days I’d rather be changing oil in an open pit in 90-degree weather but, yes, I love my job.” Having just pulled the CRC’s boat out of the water following a 90-minute excursion—an educational and insightful experience due to his keen observations and scholarly knowledge of the…

Luke Cage Returns With A Vengeance

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Tom Ingram

If you follow the oft-complicated, interconnected world of Marvel’s cinematic and television universes, then you already know Luke Cage came out of the gate with a strong first season that unfortunately weakened in its back half. If you stuck with the Defenders long enough to actually see the team-up, then you are made of stronger stuff than some. I am very happy to report, however, that Luke Cage’s second season took note of the criticisms…

Jim Pharr: Is He Serious?

Posted on June 8, 2018June 29, 2019 by Tom Ingram

By April Norris Those who love the Springer Opera House and No Shame Theater may have read on social media about the health issues of the talented Jim Pharr, host of No Shame and resident actor for The Springer. There is no replacement. I learned over coffee, (Fountain City Coffee, where he begins each morning) that Jim was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 23, roughly the time he began working at the Springer. “There…

« 1 2 3 4 »