Special to the Recorder
The Performing Arts Club of Nocatee’s Del Webb has been entertaining neighbors, family and friends for more than five years. Each season as new people move into this thriving community of neighbors who have come from around the globe, the club is enriched with talent that exceeds just singing, dancing and acting. To put on a show, there are lighting, sound and technical wizards – not to mention the artistic set designers and photographer who bring the stage to life with themed hand-crafted sets.
This year, on May 6 and 7, the Performing Arts Club raised the bar when it found Lisa Clarson, a dynamic dancer/actress (“A Chorus Line,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” on Broadway with Phil Silvers) and Las Vegas showgirl. She spent her career performing in and choreographing hundreds of shows around the globe, including coming home to Jacksonville’s Alhambra Dinner Theater.
Del Webb Performing Arts Club President Mary Ann Ernst and Leigh Cort learned of Clarson through the Alhambra and introduced her to the PAC Board of Directors and members. It was unanimously decided that she would be a perfect director for the spring show “Leading Ladies and a Few Good Men!” With a cast of 25 and crew of 10, rehearsals for the show began in early March that ramped up from twice a week to six times a week just before opening night.
Some of the well-known classics that were brought to life through song, dance and acting scenes included numbers from “Guys & Dolls,” “A Chorus Line,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” “The Lion in Winter,” “South Pacific,” “Call Me Madam”and 18 more, as Clarson’s depth of familiarity and first-hand performance in many of the shows herself brought the large cast into the spotlight.
“The bar has been raised this year with our Spring 2017 production, especially with Lisa Clarson’s brilliant directorship,” Ernst said. “We’re excited to continue the innovative shows that will cross our stage here in Nocatee. But most important are the deep friendships that we create and nurture with every show.”
