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Local award-winning actor and Director Karen Leigh Sharp and Director Darryl Hickman join creative forces against breast cancer.
Karen Leigh Sharp is a survivor. The award-winning actor/director and teacher from Nevada County can tell all of us more than a little about what it takes to get to that place, having fought against breast cancer and staunchly defended herself against its invasion of her body in 2007. She survived the battle of her life, but now her focus is on using the arts to heal and to help those in need of some fighting power themselves. To that end, Sharp is starring in and producing (along with husband Gregory Sharp) a rare revival of James Goldman's classic play of cunning, passion, and yes, survival, The Lion in Winter.
Returning to Nevada County as guest director is Darryl Hickman, an illustrious veteran of over 100 screen performances and renowned teacher of many fine actors, including Jim Carrey, Marsha Mason, Lindsay Crouse and Jerry Seinfeld who wrote, “Darryl Hickman has a profound understanding of how creativity is accomplished in performance.” Hickman began his career in show business at the age of 3, as a protégé of Bing Crosby. He went on to act in such films as The Grapes of Wrath, Men of Boys Town, Tea and Sympathy, Leave Her To Heaven, and Network, alongside Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn (who notably won her second of three Academy Awards for her portrayal of Eleanor in the film version of The Lion in Winter).
In 2008 Hickman published “The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command,” an invaluable tool for the study of acting and a clear-eyed, fond memoir of growing up as a young star during Hollywood's Golden Age of film. In conjunction with his visit to Nevada County, Hickman is also teaching a one-day acting workshop with Community Asian Theatre Society (CATS) on Saturday, July 11, which will be open to the public.
Sharp spent her formative years as an actor under Hickman's tutelage and guidance. His groundbreaking Process for teaching dramatic art brought the two of them together more than 25 years ago, and Sharp has been a creative practitioner of her mentor's teachings ever since. In fact, she believes that the tools she has carried with her from Hickman's mentorship and Process enabled her to fight through her struggle with cancer in a creative and empowering way. She is honored to be working with Hickman again, and to welcome him back to Nevada County for this very special collaboration, as they make a joint creative commitment to support early breast cancer detection in Nevada County.
Sharp will portray Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the strongest heroines of the middle ages, who strategically calculated her own survival well into old age, having stared down betrayal, scandal, and intrigue throughout every stage of her life. Sharp will be joined in the production by Richard Winters as King Henry II, and Alvis LeGate, Danny McCammon, Zach Dellis, Michael Vorhees and Olivia Saccomanno.
Sharp believes that in taking on the iconic role of Eleanor, her own veins, both literally and metaphorically, continue to heal and are passionately strengthened. “Artistic expression heals beyond logic or measure, and is hopefully a way to keep cancer from returning to my body.” One in every two men and one in every three women will have their bodily borders invaded by some form of cancer during their lifetime, many with zero troops behind them to fight. And this is one battle that should not be fought alone.
The Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, and the community, continually show up to fight cancer with fundraisers throughout the year. The Sharps hope to do their part by hosting an Opening Night celebration on Thursday, July 9, to benefit Project Pink and the Foundation. Their goal is to contribute $10,000 toward the purchase of a new $150,000 ultrasound machine for the hospital's diagnostic center, improving early detection of breast cancer. The Opening Night celebration will include a gala reception on the patio of Tofanelli's restaurant, with hors d'oeuvres, wine and music, followed by a performance of the play and a Talkback with Hickman, the cast and the designers after the show at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. The fundraising goal will be reached if 270 theatre-goers purchase a ticket and attend the evening's festivities.
The Smithsonian National Zoo is helping the fight, too, and has loaned for the production poster an archival photo of a lion in winter, a powerful image creating its own inspirational survival awareness.
Karen Leigh Sharp is a survivor. The award-winning actor/director and teacher from Nevada County can tell all of us more than a little about what it takes to get to that place, having fought against breast cancer and staunchly defended herself against its invasion of her body in 2007. She survived the battle of her life, but now her focus is on using the arts to heal and to help those in need of some fighting power themselves. To that end, Sharp is starring in and producing (along with husband Gregory Sharp) a rare revival of James Goldman's classic play of cunning, passion, and yes, survival, The Lion in Winter.
Returning to Nevada County as guest director is Darryl Hickman, an illustrious veteran of over 100 screen performances and renowned teacher of many fine actors, including Jim Carrey, Marsha Mason, Lindsay Crouse and Jerry Seinfeld who wrote, “Darryl Hickman has a profound understanding of how creativity is accomplished in performance.” Hickman began his career in show business at the age of 3, as a protégé of Bing Crosby. He went on to act in such films as The Grapes of Wrath, Men of Boys Town, Tea and Sympathy, Leave Her To Heaven, and Network, alongside Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn (who notably won her second of three Academy Awards for her portrayal of Eleanor in the film version of The Lion in Winter).
In 2008 Hickman published “The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command,” an invaluable tool for the study of acting and a clear-eyed, fond memoir of growing up as a young star during Hollywood's Golden Age of film. In conjunction with his visit to Nevada County, Hickman is also teaching a one-day acting workshop with Community Asian Theatre Society (CATS) on Saturday, July 11, which will be open to the public.
Sharp spent her formative years as an actor under Hickman's tutelage and guidance. His groundbreaking Process for teaching dramatic art brought the two of them together more than 25 years ago, and Sharp has been a creative practitioner of her mentor's teachings ever since. In fact, she believes that the tools she has carried with her from Hickman's mentorship and Process enabled her to fight through her struggle with cancer in a creative and empowering way. She is honored to be working with Hickman again, and to welcome him back to Nevada County for this very special collaboration, as they make a joint creative commitment to support early breast cancer detection in Nevada County.
Sharp will portray Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the strongest heroines of the middle ages, who strategically calculated her own survival well into old age, having stared down betrayal, scandal, and intrigue throughout every stage of her life. Sharp will be joined in the production by Richard Winters as King Henry II, and Alvis LeGate, Danny McCammon, Zach Dellis, Michael Vorhees and Olivia Saccomanno.
Sharp believes that in taking on the iconic role of Eleanor, her own veins, both literally and metaphorically, continue to heal and are passionately strengthened. “Artistic expression heals beyond logic or measure, and is hopefully a way to keep cancer from returning to my body.” One in every two men and one in every three women will have their bodily borders invaded by some form of cancer during their lifetime, many with zero troops behind them to fight. And this is one battle that should not be fought alone.
The Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation, and the community, continually show up to fight cancer with fundraisers throughout the year. The Sharps hope to do their part by hosting an Opening Night celebration on Thursday, July 9, to benefit Project Pink and the Foundation. Their goal is to contribute $10,000 toward the purchase of a new $150,000 ultrasound machine for the hospital's diagnostic center, improving early detection of breast cancer. The Opening Night celebration will include a gala reception on the patio of Tofanelli's restaurant, with hors d'oeuvres, wine and music, followed by a performance of the play and a Talkback with Hickman, the cast and the designers after the show at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley. The fundraising goal will be reached if 270 theatre-goers purchase a ticket and attend the evening's festivities.
The Smithsonian National Zoo is helping the fight, too, and has loaned for the production poster an archival photo of a lion in winter, a powerful image creating its own inspirational survival awareness.
