Monthly Archives: April 2012

April 26, 2012 · 8:16 am

DTG Announces 2012-2013 Season

THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD 2012/2013 SEASON:
TILL DEATH DO US PART

Come see our palette of plays that will take you right to the edge, whether in a theater filled with laughter or the lean-forward-in-your-seat intensity of great drama. And some will be a little bit of both. You’ll love the intimate confines of our new Oregon District home which now backs our award-winning casts with the very latest in technology, yet still maintains the Guild tradition of family where no one in our audience is ever a stranger. Come join us.

OPUS
by Michael Hollinger
Showing: August 24-September 9, 2012
A world-class male string quartet struggles with the loss of a member, the recasting of a woman to replace him and the day-to-day tensions of exacting, temperamental artists struggling to make perfect music onstage, as well as to make sense of their lives offstage. This one-of-a-kind contemporary script is filled with quiet drama and surprising humor.

Directed by Greg Smith
Produced by Barb Jorgensen
(auditions dates: July 16 & 17, 2012)

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AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE
by Paul Zindel
Showing: October 5-21, 2012
Three sisters are each misshapen in a different way by a childhood without order or stability. Anna is a science teacher convinced she’s contracted a life-threatening illness; Catherine, who has her own life issues, is the sister who cares for her, and Ceil, also in the business of education, has manipulated life often at the expense of the other two. From this twisted mix playwright Zindel has created an unexpected, delightful comedy.

Directed by Debra Kent
Produced by K.L.Storer
(auditions dates: August 27 & 28, 2012)

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A TUNA CHRISTMAS
by Ed Howard, Joe Sears & Jaston Williams
Showing: November 23-December 9, 2012
It’s Christmas time and local radio personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie tell us all about the annual Christmas lawn display contest that Viola Carp keeps winning (14 times), the troubled local production of A Christmas Carol and along the way introduce us to a host of colorful characters, each one funnier than the last, in this little mythical Texas town. Two actors portray more than twenty roles in this hilarious production.

Directed by Kathy Mola
Produced by Deirdre Root
(auditions dates: October 8 & 9, 2012)

— — — — — — — — — —

GHOSTS
by Henrik Ibsen
— translated by Christopher Hampton
Showing: January 11-27, 2013
A brilliant new translation by Christopher Hampton breathes new life into this classic drama. The “ghosts” in this play are taboo topics that cannot be openly discussed. This drama is one of IbsenÕs most powerful works, but also one of his most controversial. Family sins are revisited when a son returns home to dedicate an orphanage in his father’s name and becomes involved in a tryst that ends in the painful knowledge of long suppressed family truths.

Directed by Matthew W. Smith
Produced by Steve Strawser
(auditions dates: November 26 & 27, 2012)

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100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
by Kate Fodor
Showing: February 22-March 10, 2013
Father Matthew McNally has served his congregation well but now finds he needs some time to reflect on his own faith and suddenly leaves his parish. Theresa, a cleaning woman at his rectory, searches him out for spiritual advice. She needs help with her sixteen-year-old daughter, Abby. And Garrett, a grocery delivery boy, desperately seeks Father McNally’s guidance in search of his own identity. An unexpected crisis brings these characters into confrontation. Faith is tried and shaken as Father McNally faces his own spiritual demons and his greatest fear — living without a connection to God.

Directed by Ellen Finch
Produced by Debra Kent
(auditions dates: January 14 & 15, 2013)

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LEAVING IOWA
by Tim Clue & Spike Manton
Showing: April 5-21, 2013
The annual family vacations of one family are remembered as the son tries to take his father’s ashes to a former home. His attempts to reach the final resting place are interspersed with memories of family vacations the kids often hated. The actors play themselves as teenagers, as parents and as their older selves, on the road-trip of life. A sentimental play of good humor that is sweet and often contagiously funny.

Directed by Robb Willoughby
Produced by Greg Smith
(auditions dates: February 25 & 26, 2013)

— — — — — — — — — —

PILLOW MAN
by Martin McDonagh
Showing: May 17-June 2, 2012
“With echoes of Stoppard, Kafka, and the Brothers Grimm, The Pillowman centers on a writer in an unnamed totalitarian state who is being interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of child murders. The result is an urgent work of theatrical bravura and an unflinching examination of the very nature and purpose of art.” — Dramatists Play Service.

For mature audiences only
Directed by Natasha Randall
Produced by Ralph Dennler
(auditions dates: April 8 & 9, 2013)

= = = = = = = = = =

Season tickets membership is $75
* add the Holiday Show for an additional $10 for a total of $85

Individual ticket prices:

  • Adult: $19
  • Seniors (60+): $17
  • Students: $12

daytontheatreguild.thundertix.com
* all individual tickets are $1 less when paid for in cash on site at the Box Office

Dayton Theatre Guild
430 Wayne Ave
Dayton, OH 45410
937-278-5993

www.daytontheatreguild.org

CHILDREN UNDER SEVEN WILL NOT BE ADMITTED

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April 25, 2012 · 8:32 am

Maggiano’s and The Whodunit? Players Present LIGHTS, CAMERA… MURDER!

Have you met Gloria Swansong, iconic cinema star of… well… a few years ago? Now’s your chance! Join Gloria, her biographer Will Writer and a bevy of her not-so-adoring fans on May 12th at Maggiano’s in Kenwood for an evening of food and fun.

The Whodunit? Players present LIGHTS, CAMERA… MURDER! a fast-paced, interactive murder mystery where audience members become suspects and have a chance to solve the crime. An uproarious combination of theater and comedy and a chance to use your deductive skills with hilarious results!

Gloria Swansong, star of “High Heeled Shoes” and countless other forgettable films is making a comeback! And her biographer, Will Writer, has put together a memorable party to celebrate her return to the screen. Unfortunately, some of the guests have a reason to want Gloria out of the picture and before you know it, Gloria is dead. But who killed Gloria Swansong… and how? Don’t miss this opportunity to use your deductive skills to see if you can uncover the murderer.

Join The Whodunit Players on May 12th at Maggiano’s in Kenwood Towne Center for LIGHTS, CAMERA… MURDER! There are two show seatings at 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. A cost of $49.95 per person includes a delicious 3-course meal prepared by executive chef Karl Lenz, a glass of wine with dinner (cash bar available for additional wine, beer & cocktails), staffing fee, sales tax and a show. Treat the mom in your life to a fantastic evening of food and fun in celebration of Mother’s Day!

Seating is limited. Reservations are required. For reservations call 513.794.0672. Credit card required to secure reservation.

ABOUT THE WHODUNIT? PLAYERS: The Whodunit? Players is a troupe of professional actors who create interactive murder mysteries for parties, company meetings, rehearsal dinners and receptions or team building events. The Whodunit? Players can spice up any party, dinner, meeting or other professional engagement with a challenging game of MURDER. Audience members become suspects and have a chance to solve the crime. The Whodunit? Players present a unique entertainment that combines live theater and improvisational comedy with hilarious results! Productions can also be used as a team building effort where groups use wit, wisdom and common sense to solve the crime. Contact Bud Walters at 513.542.4064 for pricing and availability.

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April 24, 2012 · 10:34 am

ETC Presents LIFE COULD BE A DREAM, May 2-20,2012

(Cincinnati, OH) SH-BOOM! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) concludes its 2011-2012 main stage season with the regional premiere of Life Could Be a Dream, May 2-20, 2012. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers; Musical Director is Scot Woolley; and Choreographer is Patti James. Production sponsors include Judith Postler; John Goering, in Memory of Gloria Goering; Dr. and Mrs. Charles O. Carothers; and Thompson Hine.

From the Roger Bean, creator of sell-out hit The Marvelous Wonderettes, comes the Crooning Crabcakes, the boy group banned from the Springfield High School prom that made it possible for The Marvelous Wonderettes to perform. In an era before “American Idol” and “Star Search,” the guys get one more chance at fame and fortune as Denny, Eugene, Skip and Wally form a singing group to enter and win the local radio contest and realize their dreams of making it to the big time! Featuring such classic songs as “Stay” (Just a Little Bit Longer),” “Runaround Sue,” “Tears On My Pillow,” “Unchained Melody,” “Earth Angel,” and of course the title song, Life Could Be A Dream is another musical trip down memory lane that will leave you laughing, singing and cheering!

“ETC is delighted that three of our actors will receive their Equity cards through this production. Additionally, Will Selnick, a former intern also received his Equity membership through Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati,” explains Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “Nurturing young talent and giving them a start on their professional path is a large part of our mission and it’s so wonderful we get to end the season on a high note with such a fun production,” she concludes.

About the Cast
Nick Laughlin (Denny) a Fairfield, Ohio native makes his Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati debut. At Wagon Wheel Theater, he performed in Big River, State Fair, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Importance of Being Earnest, Lend Me a Tenor, Godspell, All Shook Up and Cats. At CCM, he appeared in Oklahoma!, A Little Night Music, and ensemble in Hair, Evita, and Out of This World.

Cassie Levine (Lois), also makes her Ensemble Theatre debut. She is currently finishing up her junior year at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. There she was seen as Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods, Female Swing in Make Me A Song, Chloe in Out of This World, and a Tribe Member in Hair. Last fall, she was a soloist with the Cincinnati Pops. This summer, she will be seen as a sister in The Muny’s production of Pirates!.

James Oblak (Skip), a Cleveland native, is a senior in Wright State University’s musical theatre program. Mr. Oblak also makes his debut at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with this production. His credits include Disney’s High School Musical and The Papermill Theatre’s 2011 Summer Touring Children’s Theatre. Other university credits include, Rent, Hairspray, I love you Because, Cymbeline, The Light in the Piazza, Hello Dolly, 42nd Street, Anything Goes, Little Women, and Smokey Joe’s Café. This summer he will be performing at Maples Repertory Theatre’s production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Lee Slobotkin (Eugene), a Philadelphia native, is currently a junior pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre at Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and makes his Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati debut. His CCM credits include Mr. Erlanson in A Little Night Music, Cinderella’s Father in Into the Woods, and Pluto in Out of This World. Other favorite roles include Bobby Strong in Urinetown, Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Moonface Martin in Anything Goes. Mr. Slobotkin has performed with the Cincinnati Pops, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Broadway Dreams Foundation at the Kimmel Center.

Will Selnick (Wally) returns to ETC’s stage where previous performances include Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Melancholy Play, the 2011 entry in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. His other Cincinnati credits include Singing’ in the Rain, and Cotton Patch Gospel. In addition to his onstage work, Mr. Selnick has also worked Next to Normal and Winter Wonderettes as assistant to the musical director and assistant stage manager, respectively. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, and proud former ETC Acting Intern.

Production team includes Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Aaron Clements (Technical Operations Director), Matthew Hollstegge (Production Coordinator & Master Electrician), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Master & Design Assistant), David Hunter (Sound Designer), and Reba Senske (Costume Designer). Production Stage Manager is Constance Dubinski.

Performance & Ticket Information
Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Performance times: Tuesday-Thursday: 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 8:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday: 2:00 p.m.

Ticket prices for weeknight (Tues-Thurs) performances are $36; weekend performances are $42.

Senior/student, Public Radio Perks Card, AAA, and Enjoy the Arts discounts available; tickets and seating are subject to availability. ETC accepts all major credit cards, Over-the-Rhine Merchant gift cards, and Downtown Cincinnati gift cards. Group rates are available for 10 or more people.

A full list of available discounts is available on ETC’s new website, www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

2011-2012 Season Presenting Sponsor is the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. Season Sponsors: John & Ruth Sawyer, LPK, and PNC Bank. Season Fairy Godmother Sponsor: William and Susan Friedlander. Season Media Sponsors: 91.7 FM WVXU and 90.9 FM WGUC. Additional support provided by Garfield Suites Hotel, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre dedicated to producing world and regional premieres of works that often explore compelling social issues. We fulfill our mission through our stage productions and educational outreach programs that enlighten, enliven, enrich and inspire our audiences.

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April 24, 2012 · 9:31 am

THE CRUCIBLE Marks TDW Exit from Westwood

(Westwood, Ohio) The Drama Workshop, the award-winning community theater based at the Westwood Town Hall, is preparing for its last production at the venerable 1890 facility. The Drama Workshop is leaving Westwood Town Hall on a high note, with its season-closing presentation of “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, directed by Dan Cohen and produced by Gretchen Gantner.

Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for best play, “The Crucible” is set in the Puritan New England town of Salem, Massachusetts. As rumors of witchcraft fill the town, local farmer John Proctor finds himself ensnared in the midst of the turmoil after spurning the advances of young servant girl Abigail Williams when the girl accuses Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft herself. In an attempt to clear Elizabeth’s name amidst the growing hysteria, Proctor brings the girl to court to admit the lie. It is here that the deep fault lines run through the Salem community are exposed and a monstrous course of bigotry and deceit given free reign. John, instead of saving his wife, is himself accused of witchcraft and finds himself in a fight for his very life.

“The Crucible” features a cast of award-winning TDW favorites, including David Levy as John Proctor, Tara Williams as Elizabeth Proctor, and Colette Thomas as Abigail Williams.

While TDW is leaving Westwood, it’s not travelling very far. After performing for many years at the Westwood Town Hall, in November, 2011 The Drama Workshop purchased the former Glenmore Bowl building in Cheviot. Work on the new theater, The Glenmore Playhouse, is under way. The first show at the new facility will be “Snoopy! The Musical”, opening October 5, 2012.

While the group is excited to finally own its own building, leaving Westwood Town Hall is bittersweet. The history of TDW and the Town Hall has been intertwined for decades. After its founding in 1954, TDW performed periodically at the Town Hall building for ten years. In the mid-sixties, it became apparent that long-discussed and deferred plans for tearing down the Westwood Town Hall in favor of a parking lot might become a reality. At that time, several interested parties– among them The Drama Workshop–joined forces to save the property. The groups proposed repurposing the building into the Westwood Town Hall Performing Arts Center, and presented a master plan to the city for the building’s financial and physical upkeep. The city approved the plan and leased the building to the group for $1 a year, until the city adopted the landmark and incorporated it into the Cincinnati Recreation Department five years later.

A renovation of the Westwood Town Hall facility in 2004-2005 reduced the utility of the building for community theater events, but the unique challenges of the building were offset by the flexibility it offered by virtue of its extremely high ceilings and reconfigurable playing area.

“Westwood Town Hall and The Cincinnati Recreation Commission have been proud to play host to such fine tenants as The Drama Workshop for all these years,” said former WTH director Marlene Trapp. “It is with deep sadness that we bid them a fond adieu. We wish them only happiness and success in their new theater.”

Show dates for “The Crucible” are April 27 (8 pm), April 28 (8 pm), April 29 (3 pm) and May 3 (8 pm), May 4 (8 pm), and May 5 (3 pm and 8 pm). Tickets for “The Crucible” may be ordered through the TDW ticket line at 598-8303, or online at http://www.thedramaworkshop.org. All seats are $15.00. Online orders may be paid for by a major credit card; checks and cash only are accepted at the door.

For more information, contact Ms. Gretchen Gantner at 513-470-5516, or groose1876@aol.com.

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April 24, 2012 · 8:04 am

MLT Announces 2012-3013 Season

Middletown Lyric Theatre’s 2012-2013 Season
Life, Laughter, Love & Lunacy

September 13, 14, 15, 21 & 22
Closer Than Ever: Musical Revue
By: Maltby & Shire
An intimate, insightful tale about couples and unrequited love, included are several songs that were cut from the acclaimed BABY. Love, security, happiness-and holding onto them in a world that pulls you in a hundred directions at once. Maltby and Shire bring their celebrated craft and contemporary sensibility to songs about aging, mid-life crisis, second marriages, and role reversals.

November 1, 2, 3, 9 & 10
Shirley Valentine: Comedy
By Willy Russell
The heroine in this actor’s tour-de-force is an ordinary middle class English housewife. As she prepares chips and egg for dinner, she ruminates on her life and tells the wall about her husband, her children, her past, and an invitation from a girlfriend to join her on holiday in Greece to search for romance and adventure. Ultimately, Shirley does escape to Greece, has an “adventure” with a local fisherman and decides to stay. This hilariously engaging play was a hit in London and New York.

December 6, 7, 8, 14 & 15
Inspecting Carol: Comedy
By Daniel Sullivan & The Seattle Reparatory Company
A Christmas Carol meets The Government Inspector meets Noises Off in this hilarious hit. A man who asks to audition at a small theatre is mistaken for an informer for the National Endowment for the Arts. Everyone caters to the bewildered wannabe actor and he is given a role in the current production, A Christmas Carol. Everything goes wrong and hilarity is piled upon hilarity. (While A Christmas Carol is the catalyst for this show it is NOT performed in its entirety within the play)

February 7, 8, 9, 15 & 16, 2013
Bright Ideas: Comedy
By Eric Coble
How far would you go for your child? For Genevra and Joshua Bradley, the question is no longer hypothetical. Their three-year-old son, Mac, is next on the waiting list to get into the Bright Ideas Early Childhood Development Academy—and everyone knows once you’re in there, your life will unfold with glorious ease. Josh and Gen have had to scramble all their lives to get this far…and now they are one fatal dinner party away from the ultimate success as parents: The Right Pre-School. You may never look at pre-school—or pesto—the same way again…

March 21, 22, 23, 29 & 30
A-My Name is Alice: Music Revue
Conceived By Joan Micklin Silver & Julianne Boyd
Originally produced by the Women’s Project at the American Place Theatre in New York, Alice enjoyed a long run at the Village Gate Off-Broadway. This slick and lively revue created by a wide variety of comedy writers, lyricists and composers offers a marvelous kaleidoscope of contemporary women. Sophisticated, bawdy, funny and insightful, the twenty numbers portray friends, rivals, sisters and even members of an all-women’s basketball team. Winner of the Outer Critics’ Circle Award, Best Musical

April 25, 26, 27 & May 3 & 4
God of Carnage: Comedy
By Yasmina Reza – Translated by Christopher Hampton
A playground altercation between eleven-year-old boys brings together two sets of Brooklyn parents for a meeting to resolve the matter. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses, and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving the couples with more than just their liberal principles in tatters.

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