Community Theatre
Community Theatre
Navigation: SCHHCA > Club Index > Community Theatre > September 2005 Footlights
Check your e-mail
|
A |
s noted in the June
Footlights, the newsletter is being e-mailed to members who have provided such
addresses. Members without e-mail will have a copy delivered to their lower
mailboxes. If you cannot download and print an e-mailed copy, call Perry
Molinaro at 705-9168 to have one brought to your lower mailbox. Extra copies
will be available at the September meeting.
|
H |
old off on that cruise or
other trip because the Community Theater has lots of entertainment scheduled for
the rest of the year. (See “Follies 2005” and “You Can’t Take It With
You on next page.) The mini-production fun starts with “The Lady Killer,”
directed by Carl Lehman, Sept. 8
The comedy stars Gabrielle Testa as Angelique Cointreau,
a naïve vegetarian; Dominick Wasielewski as Jerry Strathmore, a suave suburban
husband; Patricia Arnao as Sylvia Strathmore, Jeremy’s wife who is an
overbearing business woman; Bob McCloskey as Jason Peabody, a clairvoyant; Pat
Strickland as Millie Wilkins, the Strathmores’ 90-year-old neighbor; Jean
Swetland as Tillie Wilkins, Millie’s twin sister; Lou Hall as Buddy, chief
mechanic and owner of Buddies Round the Clock Automotive; Dominick Wasielewski
as Junior, Buddy’s Ninja master brother; Nan Lehman as Mary Agnes, sister to
Buddy and Junior (she is the smart one and has two names). Also assisting:
Carole Carl, prompter; and Bill Ragland, sound.
This will be followed Oct. 13 by “A Slice of Life,”
a one-act play written and directed by Community Theater member Marvin
Pearlstein. Maya White, Dominick Wasielewski and Marvin star in the age-old
story of man meets woman, with a taste of humor, pathos and the universal need
for companionship, plus the unique ways people have of making this happen. Maya
and Dominick also assisted in directing.
Also on tap for that evening will be selections from
“Music Man,” directed by Jim Mahoney. The “Music Man” program was to
have been the June show, but Pinckney Hall dance floor problems caused
cancellation of that and other events.
The Nov. 10 program will be “Jazz Age,” also
directed by Jim Mahoney.
|
|
he fun and entertainment don’t end with the above shows. The Dec. 8 program
will be a dinner/melodrama event. The December event has been a tradition since
the early days of the theater as the season-ending program where the audience
boos and hisses as the villains take the stage. As
usual, members do not have to sign
up for the dinner to see the show, but the
entire program is what makes it such an enjoyable evening. Details on the dinner will follow later in the year. Bob Taylor, director, promises that the melodrama,
“Life on the Bowery,” will be as entertaining as those in previous years.
Return with us to 20th century Manhattan, to the infamous Bowery, its
saloons and flophouses, heroes and thieves. Boo the slick and deceitful Thurlow
Bleekman as he plots murder and mayhem. Cheer the handsome hero as he jumps from
the Brooklyn Bridge. (Will he live to tell about it?) This production has
character roles for 10 women and nine men. Auditions will be held in late
September. Interested? Contact Bob Taylor at bobtaylor@davtv.com
or 379-5242.
Ship shape
|
A |
ll aboard S.S. Folly for
an evening sea cruise you won’t forget. Hal Meeks, cruise director, and
Stefano Testa, S.S. Folly captain, will welcome you on board for two hours of
laughs and memorable entertainment. The “Follies 2005” musical extravaganza
is centered on the unusual and hilarious characters and events on a
“typical” cruise ship. Bob Taylor, director, Judy Clark, assistant director
and choreographer, and Art Hansen, music director, have created, developed and
brought to reality a dazzling show with a cast of more than 90 Sun City
performers. A third of the cast is new to the show this year.
Chuck Johnson and Gordon Hooper have created the
realistic sets that are the background for all the S.S. Folly cruisers.
The show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15-17.
(Tickets were sold out the first week they were offered in August.)
Highlights this year will be the onboard talent show,
nostalgia night and, of course, happy hour. An island excursion also is planned
that will feature the ensemble players, dancers and vocalists and the Tropical
Breeze hula dancers. The Sun City Band will provide the big band sound for all
the featured ensemble members.
Coming attractions
|
A |
uditions for two more
shows are scheduled this fall. The first will be for “You Can’t Take It With You” – 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24; and 12:30 to
3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. The three-act comedy, by Moss Hart and George S.
Kaufman, has roles for nine men, seven women and three extras.
It revolves around two families, one with a grandfather
who believes you can’t take your fortune with you, and the other with opposite
ideas. Of course, it has a love angle in which the son of the wealthy family and
the granddaughter of the other hope to get married. She, however, doesn’t
think it will work because of the families’ different attitudes about wealth.
In the mix are a bunch of characters who make this comedy truly entertaining. It
will be presented Nov. 17-19 in Pinckney Hall.
For information, contact Perry Molinaro, director, at perryjm@hargray.com
or 705-9168.
Auditions for the March musical, “Grease,” will be
held Oct. 31, Nov. 2 and 4 in Pinckney Hall. An informational meeting will be
held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the May River room. This meeting will
allow director Carol Wroblewski and choreographers Judy Clark and Sharon Pierce
to explain the show’s concept. Short reading scripts and music will be
available.
Although the stage version is slightly different from
the movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, the struggles of boy
meets girl, the challenge of appearing cool in front of friends, a school dance,
being left at the drive-in movie, dropping out of beauty school and finally
finding happiness are still present in this classic set in 1959. “Grease”
has roles for eight women, nine men and a large cast of dancers (men and women)
for the “Hand Jive” number. Singers will be needed, too, for other numbers.
The musical will be presented March 2-4.
Workshops
|
M |
embers who want to learn
other aspects of the theater, aside from acting, are invited to attend workshops
on directing with Bob Taylor, stage managing with Perry Molinaro, set design and
construction with Chuck Johnson and makeup with Carol Cutrona. The four-session
directing workshop will be in late October. The stage managing workshop is
planned for December. The workshops are for anyone interested in working in
monthly mini-productions as well as full-length plays. Contact the workshop
leaders for details.
Speak up
|
I |
n
the June issue, Footlights sought member comments, suggestions, etc. about the
theater. Only one comment was submitted: “With our membership nearing 1,000
(now 1,033), why do only a hundred or so attend monthly meetings? If they
don’t attend at least three meetings, then maybe we should not give them
first-choice seating and reduced ticket prices.” Anyone else? Names will not
be published in Footlights. Just bring your unsigned comments, etc. to
the lower mailbox at 14 Graham Court or send them to perryjm@hargray.com.
###
Theater board members: Carl
Nusbaum, president; Bob Taylor, vice president; Sharon Walker, treasurer; Perry
Molinaro, secretary; Bob Bonn, workshop committee; Jim Mahoney, play selection
committee; Steve Koehl, production; Jeanne Koehl, publicity; Joan Flynn,
membership; Cindy Scott, social; Judy Clark and Anne Nusbaum, at-large members.
###
(Footlights is published quarterly:
March, June, September and December.)
Revised: September 07, 2005.
