Natalia Naman Temesgen: StageSouth offers fresh avenue for expression

There's a new theater company in Columbus, Ga. It isn't a historic state treasure like the Springer, or a big, new facility like the RiverCenter. In fact, the building in which it produces its plays is only a temporary home. But StageSouth doesn't exist to catch your eye -- it's here to "make people think."

Seventh-generation Muscogee County resident John Land is the mind behind StageSouth Theatre Company. After many years involved in the theater, including at the Springer and RiverCenter, Land felt moved to venture into "uncharted theatrical territory" and create a stage for more unusual, diverse and intellectually challenging plays than are produced elsewhere in our city.

After becoming a formally organized entity this May, StageSouth just closed its first production yesterday. They presented "1918," one of the lesser-known plays of the legendary Horton Foote. This moving story centers on the trials of one Texan family during World War I and the flu epidemic. It included a sizeable cast of local actors with varying degrees of previous experience. Reponses to the production were overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic.

I highlight StageSouth today for a few reasons. One, their existence and their mission excite me: "To entertain and to foster a deeper understanding of ourselves, of others and the world around us."

Two, I hoped that many who hadn't known about StageSouth would read this and engage them on the web, social media and at their next production.

But finally, I wanted to celebrate yet another group of folks that saw something missing in our city and filled in the gaps by taking action.

There is so much "conversation" these days, regardless of the topic. We seem to put great value on talking through our misunderstandings or frustrations. We talk about the need for more diversity in our arts landscape; we talk about race, gender or income inequality; we talk about needing to bridge gaps between divergent communities. We talk a lot, and that's fine and good, but at a certain point someone should probably "do" something if change is going to come.

I've been in a group of theater-makers that have seen the need for another local theater company. At our meetings, we discussed so many ideas -- all of them fabulous -- about how to make the theater scene more exciting, more daring, more inclusive. But ultimately, we weren't in a place to take them further than the drawing board. When you look at how much any given person has on their daily to-do list, starting a new business is a big task.

But something broke through for John Land and StageSouth. Surely the stars aligned to a degree, but his team pooled resources, time and effort to create a new thing for our community. I salute StageSouth for what they've accomplished thus far and look forward to their continued artistic contributions. I hope each of us can take a nugget of inspiration from them and try to do the awesome things we talk so much about.

-- Natalia Naman Temesgen is an independent contractor. Contact her at nntemesgen@gmail.com

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Natalia Naman Temesgen: StageSouth offers fresh avenue for expression ."