Yearly Archives: 2017

New York Empires – Hot Stove Report!

CSPOH_logoIt has been an exciting offseason for the New York Empires.  The team is preparing for an exciting season as they go for a coveted three-peat as World Champions!

League MVP, CF Darren Lemming, barely beat out Cincinnati’s Davey Battle for the award.  He is poised for another All-Star season.  Flanked by LF Toddy Koovitz and RF Burt McCollom, the Empires will have one of the most feared outfields in baseball this year.  The combination of speed and batting prowess could result in offensive and defensive league records that could stand for decades!

The infield also remains intact as SS Kippy Sunderstrom, 1B Julio Martinez, 2B Pedro Rodriguez and 3B Richard Zenk look to build on last year’s .965 fielding percentage (highest in the league).

The Empires will be breaking in a new backstop this year.  The long awaited call-up of C Jason Chenier from AAA Asheville has come to fruition.  Chenier hit .312 last season and caught prospective base stealers 52% of the time.

Skipper D. Lawrence Dunn said, “Jason’s ability to frame pitches is what will truly make him an asset this year.  The extra strikes our pitchers will get should drive our team ERA even lower than the last 2 seasons. ”

The Empires are going to need that kind of success from their defense with all the changes to the pitching staff.  Having lost key contributors in the offseason, the Empires will have some new arms going to the rubber.

Japanese sensation, Takeshi Kawabata, was acquired from the Fukuoka Daieh Hawks and will assume the staff ace role.  He has a dazzling arsenal of pitches but questions about his stamina could be an issue throughout an arduous season.

The bullpen could prove to be the only weakness for this year’s team.  Help may be on the way, though, as hard throwing Shane Mungitt is scheduled to start the year off at AA Utica.  If the unit struggles, we may see Shane get his call to the majors this season.

Everything is shaping up well for our Empires to chase down another championship! It would take an upheaval of enormous proportions to prevent their 3rd straight title!

This season should be one for the ages for the New York Empires.   You won’t want to miss it!


TAKE ME OUT
Written by Richard Greenberg
CenterStage Players
March 25-27; 30-Apr. 1

Featuring:

  • Ivory Mazur as Darren Lemming
  • Jon Scheiding as Kippy Sunderstrom
  • Lon Nease as Toddy Koovitz
  • Chris Koonce as Shane Mungitt
  • Rick Hunt as Jason Chenier
  • Boyang Zhang as Takeshi Kawabata
  • Michael Urriquia as Martinez
  • Glenn Childress as Rodriguez
  • Mark Culp as Skipper
  • Ron Mason as Davey Battle
  • Bob Brumberg as Mason Marzac
  • Brenden Blackburn, Jonathan Eckman, Garrett Parsons and Kenya Turner round out the ensemble

Tickets are available at:  www.centerstageplayersinc.com

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2017-2018 Season Announced at CenterStage Players

CSPOH_logoThe CenterStage Players, Inc. proudly announce our 2017-2018 Season which brings outstanding plays and performances in the heart of North College Hill.  We will explore all facets of human experience as is reflected in the eclecticism of our choices for the plays. The world is endlessly fascinating, full of different types of people leading different lives.

Can star-crossed lovers overcome pressures from two diametrically opposed worlds?
DARK OF THE MOON (October) – Our season will open with this tale based on the haunting folk ballad of “Barbara Allen.” It is the story of John, a strange “witch boy” who upon first beholding the beautiful Barbara Allen immediately falls in love. He is given human form to woo and marry her on the condition that she remain true to him. two star-crossed lovers fighting to just live simply and happily against pressures from two diametrically opposed worlds.

A timeless and universal tale of what it means to be an American during the holidays.
CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS  (December) – Our annual holiday show is for people of all ages and all faiths, as we are introduced to Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who (much to her immigrant parents’ exasperation) is cast as Jesus in the school’s Christmas pageant.

This play is what the theater should be —  a moment for reflection about what’s true and, in this case, dangerously hidden.
THE SECRET LIFE OF GIRLS (February) – This honest and unflinching dramatization of teen-girl angst opens a window into the tumultuous and destructive world of girls’ bullying.

A smart, lively play that asks us to hear how we hear, in silence as well as in speech.
TRIBES (March) – Billy was born deaf into a hearing family. He has adapted brilliantly to his family’s unconventional ways, but they’ve never bothered to return the favor. It’s not until he meets Sylvia, a young woman on the brink of deafness, that he finally understands what it means to be understood.

How much control do we actually have over grief’s effect on our lives and relationships?
TO GILLIAN ON HER 37TH BIRTHDAY (May) – David loves his wife, Gillian. Unfortunately, she died two years ago. David deals with his grief by continuing his romance with Gillian during walks with her “ghost” on the beach at night. While David lives in the past, Esther and Paul try to help Rachel. She has lost her mother and needs her father to snap back into the real world.

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Auditions Announced for CATCH ME IF YOU CAN at Playhouse South

PS_logo2When: March 6th and 7th at 7pm, callbacks on March 8th

Where: Playhouse South, 3750 Far Hills Avenue, Kettering, Ohio

Please prepare 32 bars of 60’s style lounge music (preferred), or 60’s style musical theatre music or big band with sheet music or a CD. Absolutely no rock music. Come prepared with appropriate shoes and clothing to dance at auditions. Please note if you have tap experience, you will be asked to do a tap audition. (No singing will be necessary for tap ensemble auditions!) Time will be given to change before the dance portion. There will also be cold readings from the script. Also please be sure to bring all conflicts from March 6th through May 14th. First read through will be Monday, March 13th. 

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is a high-flying musical comedy about chasing your dreams and not getting caught. Based on the hit film and the incredible true story, this splashy spectacle follows the adventures of a globetrotting con artist named Frank Abagnale, Jr. 

Seeking fame and fortune, precocious teenager, Frank Abignale, Jr., runs away from home to begin an unforgettable adventure. With nothing more than his boyish charm, a big imagination and millions of dollars in forged checks, Frank successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer – living the high life and winning the girl of his dreams. When Frank’s lies catch the attention of FBI agent, Carl Hanratty, though, Carl pursues Frank across the country to make him pay for his crimes. 

Playhouse South’s production is directed by Donna Cason, with Assistant Director Nicole Sword, Musical Direction by Elliot Hetzer and Kristen Beireis, and Choreography by Annette Looper.

Available roles include (in alphabetical order):

  • Brenda Strong (18-22, Alto G3-A5) – A young nurse and Frank Jr.’s eventual love interest. Hard-working and initially insecure, she meets Frank Jr. after running away from a wedding. Comes to trust him but his true identity clouds her feelings. (Actress will also double for Ensemble roles.)
  • Carl Hanratty (30-55, Tenor G2-G4) – An FBI agent leading the investigation and search for Frank Jr. A knowledgeable and habitual workaholic who idolizes the moment he catches his perp. Lives a private life of loneliness and depression.
  • Carol Strong (40-50, Soprano Bb3-A5) – Brenda’s traditional mother. She is talkative and boisterous. (Actress will also double for Ensemble roles.)
  • Frank Abagnale Jr. (18-22, Tenor G2-C5) – Our story’s conniving protagonist, he is a handsome and youthful con artist. Grew up learning to disappear into another skin to avoid his problems. He eventually falls in love with Brenda and desperately tries to change his ways.
  • Frank Abagnale, Sr. (40-50, Baritone F2-G#4) – Frank Jr.’s father. He is an inspiration when it comes to swindling. Upbeat and fast-talking, he undergoes a series of progressive failures that leaves him a miserable drunk.
  • Paula Abagnale (30-50, Alto A3-C5) – Frank Jr.’s gorgeous mother. She met Frank Sr. in France, during the war, but has fallen out of love. Caring and loving, with an underlying resentment toward her husband and son. (Actress will also double for Ensemble roles.)
  • Roger Strong (40-50, Tenor A2-A4) – Brenda’s conservative father. He is stern and interrogatory, but reveals himself to be deeply romantic. (Actor will also double for Ensemble roles.)
  • Ensemble – Will play a variety of roles including Agents (Todd Branton, Johnny Dollar, Bill Cod), Stewardesses (Mindy, Cindy, Lindy, Jane, Kellie, Shellie), Pilots, Commuters, Assistants, Targets, Party-Goers, Doctors, Nurses, and Interns.

Please note: Ages are suggested – not set in stone.

Show dates will be May 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 8pm and May 7 and 14 at 2pm at Playhouse South, 3750 Far Hills Avenue, Kettering, Ohio. Contact Donna Cason with any questions at treblelady39@gmail.com

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MACK AND MABEL Runs March 2-5

ccm_mack-and-mabel-promoMACK AND MABEL
UC College-Conservatory of Music
March 2-5
Corbett Auditorium [University Heights]

Directed by Aubrey Berg
Music directed by William Evan Roider
Choreographed by Patti James

Set against the madcap world of Keystone Kops, Bathing Beauties and pies-in-the-face, the tumultuous relationship between workaholic film director Mack Sennett and his silent-screen star Mabel Normand was the stuff of Hollywood legend. With a memorable score by Broadway master Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!, Mame, La Cage aux Folles) Mack and Mabel is a star-crossed, bittersweet love story that explores both the lighter and the darker side of the Golden Age of Comedy.

  • Thu-Fri, March 2-3 at 8pm
  • Sat, March 4 at 2pm & 8pm
  • Sun, March 5 at 2pm

Official page | Facebook event |

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Auditions Announced for THE EVER AFTER, A Musical at Rivertown Players

RP_logoIs Ever After really as happy as everyone expected? In this hilarious parody of daytime TV, a talk show host wonders if time truly heals all wounds. She invites Cinderella and her middle-aged ’beauty-impaired’ stepsisters to reconcile with each other after being estranged for 20 years. What about Snow White and the Evil Queen? This hysterical fractured fairy tale has it all: a trash-talking clairvoyant mirror, an unfortunate prince who is turning slowly back into a frog and even Jiminy Cricket — now an occupational therapist and author of the book “My Life as Your Conscience.”

The musical is punctuated by questions from obnoxious studio audience members and ridiculously funny infomercials for fairy tale related products. Get ready to perform some knee-slapping and hand-clapping with great foot-tapping songs like ’Beauty Impaired’ and ’Dainty Do-Gooder’!

Actors must be 7 to 18 years of age.

Friday, February 10, 6 pm—8 pm
Saturday, February 11, 10 am — Noon.
(you do not attend both auditions)

Possible Callbacks: Monday, February 13 at 6:30

Hamline United Methodist Church
102 W High St.
Lawrenceburg, IN

Please prepare a song to sing and be ready to do “cold reads” from the script.

Show Dates:
Saturday, May 13, 2 pm
Sunday, May 14, 2 pm
Greendale Middle School

Rehearsals
Rehearsals will be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 6:30 pm—8:00 pm. The first rehearsal will be Thursday, February 16th. Rehearsals held at Hamline UMC.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

  • HOST -talk show host (“Monterey Jack Chesterfield Williamson” or “Sally Lizzie Jesse Donatello-Griffin”)

THE GUESTS

  • STEPSISTER 1 -Cinderella’s now middle-aged ugly stepsister
  • STEPSISTER 2 -Also still “beauty-impaired”
  • CINDERELLA -Traditional fairy-tale character, but not as young as she used to be
  • SNOW WHITE -Still wearing that same high collar
  • QUEEN -Snow White’s nemesis
  • MIRROR -Human face that protrudes from the queen’s large wall mirror
  • JIMINY CRICKET -Now an occupational therapist
  • EMMETT MANTELLA -Frog-er, man-with a problem

THE ADVERTISERS

  • PAT -Advertiser/ spokesperson for various products
  • BETH -another
  • SAM -another

STUDIO AUDIENCE MEMBERS

  • AIRHEAD -not too bright
  • LOUDMOUTH -Loud and obnoxious
  • OLD WEEPING LADY 1 -Elderly woman; finds everything touching
  • OLD WEEPING LADY 2 -another

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