Tag Archives: The Drama Workshop

September 3, 2014 · 1:06 pm

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE at TDW is Murderously Funny

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
AT THE DRAMA WORKSHOP IS MURDEROUSLY FUNNY

TDW_Arsenic and Old Lace logo(Cheviot, Ohio) The Drama Workshop is pleased to present Joseph Kesselring’s perennial favorite comedy, Arsenic and Old Lace. The show opens on Friday, September 12th and runs for three weekends: September 12-14, September 19-21, and September 26-28. Curtain time for Friday and Saturday performances is 8:00 pm; curtain for Sunday matinees is 2:00 pm. All performances take place at The Glenmore Playhouse, 3716 Glenmore Ave., Cheviot, OH 45211.

It’s a quiet day in 1941 Brooklyn. The elderly Brewster sisters, Abby and Martha, are serving tea and spreading charitable joy throughout the neighborhood. Their nephew Mortimer is about to make this the happiest day of his life when an intruder — a very, very quiet intruder — changes everything. And when Mortimer’s two-faced — or is it three- or four-faced? — brother pays an unexpected visit, he sets in motion a frantic — and hilarious — chain of events that’s resolved only at the final curtain.

Lynne Aronson (Anderson Twp.) directs a cast of experienced actors drawn from many areas of the Tri-State, including Dee Dunn (North College Hill), Valeria Ambergey (Ft. Thomas), Dan Maloney (Norwood), Ron Samad (Hyde Park), Doug Tumeo (Hartwell), and Chris Bishop (Covington). Rounding out the cast are Elizabeth Molloy, Jim Busey, Jim Meridieth, Jason Cox, Ray Lebowski, Clint Bramkamp, and Tim Palmer.

The Drama Workshop performs at The Glenmore Playhouse, formerly the Glenmore Bowl, at the corner of Glenmore and Gamble in the heart of the Cheviot Business District. There are many options for dinner and drinks within a short walk from the Playhouse. TDW received a prestigious Rehabilitation Award from the Cincinnati Preservation Association in November 2013 for their efforts to save the building from demolition and repurpose it.

Tickets may be reserved on-line at The Drama Workshop’s website, http://www.thedramaworkshop.org, or by calling the ticket line at 513.598.8303. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children 12 and younger. Reservations are strongly recommended.

THE DRAMA WORKSHOP was founded in 1954. TDW is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to advancing education and promotion of the theatrical arts. The Drama Workshop is widely recognized as one of greater Cincinnati’s most accomplished community theater organizations, garnering dozens of awards annually from the Cincinnati Association of Community Theatres. TDW’s production of NUNSENSE was selected to represent the Southwest Ohio region at the Ohio Community Theatre Association annual conference in 2014, and TDW was also honored to represent the state of Ohio at the American Association of Community Theatre regional conference in 2013. Prospective members, and individuals or businesses interested in becoming involved or in helping advance TDW’s mission are encouraged to contact the group through our website at www.thedramaworkshop.org, or by phone at 513-598-8303.

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August 23, 2014 · 12:23 pm

TDW Announces Cast of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE

TDW_Arsenic and Old Lace logoThe Drama Workshop announces the cast of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE. Directed by Lynne Aronson and produced and stage managed by Betsy Obermeyer. Performances run Sept. 12-28

  • Dee Dunn – Abby Brewster
  • Valeria Amburgey – Martha Brewster
  • Dan Maloney – Mortimer
  • Elizabeth Molloy – Elaine
  • Chris Bishop – Teddy
  • Ron Samad – Jonathan
  • Doug Tumeo – Dr. Einstein
  • Tim Palmer – Officer O’Hara
  • Jason Cox – Officer Klein
  • Ray Lebowski – Officer Brophy
  • Jim Meridieth – Lieutenant Rooney
  • Clint Bramkamp – Witherspoon
  • Jim Bussey – Rev.Dr.Harper

Click here for more information.

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August 18, 2014 · 2:29 pm

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Runs Sept. 12-28

TDW_Arsenic and Old Lace logoARSENIC AND OLD LACE
Presented by The Drama Workshop
Sept. 12-28
Cheviot

Directed by Lynn Aronson

Cast: Dee Dunn as Abby Brewster, Valeria Amburgey as Martha Brewster, Dan Maloney as Mortimer, Elizabeth Molloy as Elaine, Chris Bishop as Teddy, Ron Samad as Jonathan, Doug Tumeo as Dr. Einstein, Tim Palmer as Officer O’Hara, Jason Cox as Officer Klein, Ray Lebowski as Officer Brophy, Jim Meridieth as Lieutenant Rooney, Clint Bramkamp as Witherspoon & Jim Bussey as Rev. Dr.Harper

This farcical comedy revolves around Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic who must deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn, NY, as he debates whether to go through with his recent promise to marry the woman he loves. His family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old men by poisoning them with a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsenic, strychnine, and “just a pinch” of cyanide; a brother who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt and digs locks for the Panama Canal in the cellar of the Brewster home (which then serve as graves for the aunts’ victims); and a murderous brother who has received plastic surgery performed by an alcoholic accomplice, Dr. Einstein, to conceal his identity – he now looks like horror-film actor Boris Karloff. This classic, laugh-a-minute comedy is a must for all audiences.

  • Fri-Sat, Sept. 12-13 at 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 14 at 2pm
  • Fri-Sat, Sept. 19-20 at 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 21 at 2pm
  • Fri-Sat, Sept. 26-27 at 8pm
  • Sun, Sept. 28 at 2pm

Official page |

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August 11, 2014 · 3:07 pm

TDW Announces Auditions for PUTTING IT TOGETHER

TDW_VERTDirected by Adam Drake

Produced by Ray Persing

Auditions September 22, 23, 24 at 7:00 PM
(No auditioners admitted after 8:00 PM)

SHOW DATES: Dec 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21

Auditions will begin at 7 pm on September 22, 23, 24 at the Glenmore Playhouse. Doors will open at 6:30 pm. Please bring a resume and headshot if available. If you do not have a headshot please be prepared to have your photo taken at the auditions.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER is a musical revue showcasing the songs of Stephen Sondheim (SWEENEY TODD, FOLLIES, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED…). Drawing its title from a song in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, it celebrates Sondheim’s incomparable career in musical theatre.

Featuring nearly 30 Sondheim tunes, PUTTING IT TOGETHER is all performed by only five people thrown together at a party in a Manhattan penthouse. With a bit of imagination, the guests transform the apartment into the stage of an abandoned theatre, an estate in Sweden, an island outside of Paris, a street off the Roman Forum, the woods of a fairy tale, and a mythical town in the Southwest.

Character Breakdown:

MAN 1
Party host. Rich. Hard-working. Pompous. Bit of a sexual pig. Big brother type to Man 2. Outwardly perfect, but inwardly miserable in his marriage. Emotionally absent and tired of his equally absent wife.
Male, 40-50 yrs old
Range: F3 – G5

MAN 2
Not as confident as his colleague, who he possesses a younger brother type of relationship with. Cerebral and calculated with charm. Enjoys being a bachelor, but may have a desire to become married someday.
Male, 25-35 yrs old
Range: G3 – G5

MAN 3
The uninvited party guest. Awkwardly honest with people he doesn’t know and serves lots of unwarranted commentary. Mischievous, kooky, and forward.
Male, 30-45 yrs old
Range: F3 – G5

WOMAN 1
Party hostess. Rich. Outwardly happy but truthfully miserable with her marriage. Regal and proper, yet depressed and shallow. Yearns to become a mother but is discontent with her distant husband.
Female, 40-50 yrs old
Range: E3 – G5

WOMAN 2
A maid who eventually becomes a party guest. Winsome and sexy, she routinely acts out because of her ‘loneliness.’ Ditzy, with little book smarts, but knows how to turn manipulate people as a sultry seductress.
Female, 20-30 yrs old
Range: G3 – G5

More information to follow.

Any questions may be directed to the producer, Ray Persing, at 937-877-6116. If you are cast and the role is accepted you must become a member of The Drama Workshop prior to receiving your script.

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August 1, 2014 · 1:00 pm

My Visit With Miss Fleeta Mae Bryte at TDW

TDW_Precious Heart2

Greg Smith as Fleeta Mae Bryte.

Last Sunday afternoon I finally made it over to The Drama Workshop’s new home, The Glenmore Playhouse. I was never inside when it was a bowling alley, but I’ve been eager to see the inside of the space.

The front doors open into a bright and spacious lobby that is very inviting. The performance space, for this production configured with seating on three sides, is intimate without feeling cramped. Congratulations on what TDW has accomplished so far and I look forward to seeing the progress continue.

As for Miss Fleeta Mae Bryte, she is quite the character, as my Mom would say, both in manner and dress. She invites the audience into her home and into her life, sharing equal amounts of Texan wisdom, her family history and the neighborhood gossip of Precious Heart, Texas. And you haven’t lived til you seen the lady all gussied up.

Greg Smith brings a polished character to the stage. His performance has some nice emotional undertones. Strong-minded and strong-willed, you can still catch moments of regret and loneliness as they flicker across Fleeta Mae’s face. Also, the inner child in me really enjoyed that Fleet Mae is a tongue-thinker. 🙂

Overall a funny and entertaining one-person show and a great way to support the continued transformation of a new theater on the west side.

Three performances of PRECIOUS HEART remain. Tonight and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Proceeds from this limited-engagement production will help fund construction of a handicap access ramp for The Glenmore Playhouse.

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