This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
There’s a simple solution to getting a community more involved with your art: Make it accessible, affordable and, most importantly, understandable.
Doraville’s Merely Players Presents continues to bridge that gap through multiple forms of representation — first, by casting Latino actors, and, more recently, by hosting its first bilingual production.
In September, Merely Players Presents staged a Spanish-language run of Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Anna in the Tropics,” co-directed by Rose Bianco and Carla Scruggs. The company staged the English-language run in mid-August.
Credit: Brian Bates
Credit: Brian Bates
“People will come to see anything that Merely Players Presents will put on because it’s usually pretty good,” said Bianco, who is known for her roles in shows such as “Cobra Kai” and “WandaVision” and films including “One Fast Move” and “Nochebuena.” With Merely Players Presents, Bianco helms roles other than acting: costume designer, stage manager, board member emeritus, volunteer and, most recently, co-director. “Anna in the Tropics” was Bianco’s first bilingual play, but it won’t be her — or the group’s — last.
Bianco acknowledges that the Latino community is harder for the acting world to reach. Roles are seldom awarded to the community, and, when they are, they’re minor, or worse, typecast. “The Latino representation is abysmal on TV and film,” she said. “My big banner these days is Latino representation.”
Doraville’s population is roughly 45% Hispanic, including both Latino and non-Latino cultures. Bianco credits Scruggs, the board president, with the idea of running a bilingual production. And it paid off.
Credit: Courtesy of Merely Players Presents
Credit: Courtesy of Merely Players Presents
“Overall, the reaction by everyone I spoke to was how wonderful the play was, how needed it is (and) how amazing it was to have the play done in English and in Spanish, which is not a very common thing,” Bianco said.
“I think that there are some Latin Americans who (said), ‘Oh, we never get to see Spanish plays. Let’s go see it,’” she added. “There’s just not enough of that.”
Merely Players Presents arrived in Doraville in 2018, finding its first home at the Atlanta Cuban Club. Although the club shuttered in 2020, the group maintained its relationship with the city of Doraville and obtained space in the city’s Civic Center.
Joan McElroy, founder and artistic director, likens Doraville to a huge neighborhood. “Everybody’s so friendly and wonderful, and the city really supports the arts. They have an arts council and a grassroots group called DArt (Doraville Art),” she said. “And they said, ‘Well, we don’t have a theater, but we’ll show you what we’ve got.’ Theater always finds a way.”
Credit: Courtesy of Merely Players Presents
Credit: Courtesy of Merely Players Presents
Now in its third season at the Civic Center, the community theater is in the process of relocating once again to 3688 King Ave. Located across the street from the Doraville MARTA station, the new space has higher ceilings and improved accessibility for patrons with disabilities.
The group plans to fully move into the new location this winter, and, at the moment, is fundraising for volunteer-run conversion expenses, such as adding stage lighting.
Before the big move, one more play will be staged in the current space — the holiday production “Let Nothing You Dismay,” written by Atlanta playwright Topher Payne and directed by Amy Lucas. The run is Dec. 7-21. Merely Players Presents’ first production in its new space, “Our Town,” will hold auditions in October and will be directed by McElroy.
“We very much want (Doraville) to be proud of what we do because this is, first, for them,” McElroy said. “But we’ve reached people throughout the metropolitan area, so that’s been great.”
Bianco encourages anyone wanting to get involved with Merely Players Presents to come see the shows, audition, subscribe, donate and volunteer.
“We’re supported actively by the city, which to me is external corroboration of our good work and our mission of diversity and inclusion and good storytelling,” Bianco said. “We plan to do Spanish plays for anyone in the community … and we want people to know about it so that the next one will be even more successful.”
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Sarra Sedghi is a freelance writer and editor based in Atlanta. She mostly writes about food, but she likes writing about people best.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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