Photos of locals on display; Brit theater hilarious

Eighty-one photographs of local people are ready for viewing at the Carson City Courthouse on East Musser Street. The photos were taken by San Francisco photographer Allen Spore during his fall residency here.

"They're incredibly beautiful pieces," said Sharon Rosse of the Capital City Arts Initiative, which organized the show. "They're us - they're who we are."

Spore, who got into photography while serving in the Vietnam War, will offer a free brown-bag artist's talk today at noon at the courthouse. There will also be a free public reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. tonight at the courthouse.

To view the photos, go in the main door, pass through security, turn left, and go up the stairs. There are 70 8-by-10-inch photos and 11 larger blow-ups.

The show, called the Carson City-Carson Valley Portrait Project, will launch the initiative's exhibition program and be in place until May. Individual photos by Spore will also be on display at Comma Coffee, 312 S. Carson St.; on an easel in the lobby of city hall, 201 N. Carson St.; and at JT Basque Bar & Dining Room, 1426 Highway 395 in Gardnerville.

Rosse started the arts initiative, which received nonprofit status from the state in December. The 27-year Carson resident has also lined up speakers. The first lecture will be Wednesday when Stuart Horodner, a curator with the Portland (Ore.) Institute of Contemporary Art, will speak on the theme "Nevada Neighbors: Contemporary Art Practice in the West."

His presentation will begin at 7 p.m. A 45-minute reception with cookies will precede it.

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For a very funny night of live theater go see the Proscenium Players' English farce, "No Sex Please, We're British." The show, which opened last weekend, tells the story of a well-behaved, recently married British couple who get tied up in illegal pornography distribution.

"That can be quite a problem when your mother-in-law gets involved," said the director, Geraldine Pope.

"No Sex Please, We're British" is the longest-running show in London - performed for 10 years. It's Pope's directoral debut, and she has done well. The set is extremely professional, the actors know their lines, and the two-hour show flows without interruption.

Ever since she played a wall in her second-grade play, Pope has been involved in theater. Now 21, she has an impressive resumé including leading roles, chorus singing and backstage work.

She was browsing through scripts in Los Angeles when she came across "No Sex Please, We're British."

"As I read it, I couldn't stop laughing, so I thought it should be done," she said.

She couldn't resist making a brief appearance in the show - listen for her perfect Cockney accent as Delivery Person No. 1.

Also look for Carson City's David Sizemore, who plays police superintendent Vernon Paul. He also did the set design.

It's a neat, see-through proscenium (the wall containing the arch that frames the stage) with a corner coming at the audience. The cut-away wall gives the viewer the feeling of peering into an apartment.

That was the idea of first-time producer Kate Pope - the director's mother.

The show plays again Friday, Saturday and March 5 and 6. Curtain is at 8 p.m.

Ticket prices are $12 general admission and $10 for PPI and BAC members, seniors and students. Because of adult humor, the show is for age 16 and over. For more information, call the Brewery Arts Center at 883-1976.

Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.