Pioneer Valley Theatre News August 6, 2015

Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser August 6 - 26, 2015 It's closing weekend of the 25th Anniversary Season at New Century Theatre. If you haven't seen a show this summer, I recommend you check out MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY. It's decidedly unlike most other plays at New Century Theatre. The story spans 82 years after a nuclear meltdown. It's a bizarre, eerie, comical, pop-culture-infused take on the importance of a creation myth. It runs through Saturday and I have a handful of half-price tickets if anyone is on the fence about this one!  The next issue will include events through September 2. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Submit Your Theatre Event MR. BURNS, A Post-Electric Play at New Century Theatre through August 8! THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from HowlRound Facing Facts: Artists Need an Entrepreneurial Mindset by Seth Lepore From the article: The attention generated by the first essay I wrote for HowlRound on artist entrepreneurship made me elated and depressed simultaneously. It was obviously hitting a nerve of many in the live arts whose training gave them no foundation for how to actually make a living. PERFORMANCES New Century Theatre Presents MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn Directed by Sam Rush August 6, 7, 8 Thursday at 7:30 PM, Friday, Saturday at 8:00 PM Theatre 14, Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, Northampton, MA Ben Brantley of the New York Times hails Anne Washburn’s new play,  “Downright brilliant! When was the last time you met a new play that was so smart it made your head spin?”  In a post-apocalyptic world a group of strangers pass the time attempting to retell the infamous CAPE FEARE episode from THE SIMPSONS. Flash forward seven years to a theatre company doing the same thing. Flash forward 75 years to a story told with Homer and Marge as a pop culture inspiration for a new kind of theatre – where one mythology evolves into another. Join us for a play unlike anything you have ever seen – “scary, sweet and funny.” (Time Magazine). Tickets are now available online or by calling 413-585-3220. PaintBox Theatre presents Treasure Island Directed by Tom McCabe August 6 - August 8 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. daily  Northampton Senior Center, 67 Conz Street Ahoy there maties! Our adventure starts with a mysterious map. Could the X mark the spot for buried treasure? Add in pirates and a stranger and the plot thickens. Now we're off to the high seas. Adventure, skullduggery, secrets, promises broken, and even a couple of laughs. Welcome to PaintBox Theatre's Treasure Island-the adventure of a lifetime. Long John Silver ordered me to ask you to come dressed as a pirate. (We need a crew!) Treasure Island's cast of five includes artistic director Tom McCabe, Connor Paradis, Mia Cain, Adrienne Paquin, and Troy David Mercier. As always, the show will feature lots of audience participation, artwork created by dozens of local kids, and plenty of belly laughs. Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets or at the door. Ko Festival of Performance presents SERIOUSLY…WHAT DID YOU CALL ME? August 7 and 8 at 8:00 PM, August 9 at 4:00 PM Holden Theater, Amherst College Moss, a beloved storyteller and Valley resident, brings the season home with an autobiographical solo that focuses on her quest to cultivate her own Africentric identity.  Ko Festival of Performance's 24th summer season theme: NEW | HOME | LAND: Strangers, Newcomers & Neighbors in a New America. Tickets available online. KoFest is Western Massachusetts' popular summer experience: 5 weekends of theatrical performances, 2 one-night events, and 3 6-day intensive theater workshops.  On the Amherst College campus. Happier Valley Comedy Show featuring The Ha-Ha's & The Majesters with special guest Joan Holliday from 93.9 The River Saturday, August 8 at 8:00 PM The Arts Block Cafe, Greenfield, MA In this very special Happier Valley Comedy Show, local radio DJ Joan Holliday provides inspiration for the improv comedy at this very special Happier Valley Comedy Show. The audience comes up with a suggestion about a topic, and Joan Holliday will tell a true story based related to that suggestion. Her stories will inspired the madcap antics improvised on the spot by The Ha-Ha's and their special guest performers, THE MAJESTERS, The Majestic Theater's house improv team. Audiences can look forward to a full evening of comic entertainment rated PG-13 in this handicapped-accessible space. For more information about The Happier Valley Comedy Show, visit the show website at www.happiervalley.com. Tickets $10 in advance online or $13 at the door. Doors open at 7pm.  The Majestic Theater presents The Majesters August 12, 29, 26 at 7:00 PM Improv with the Majesters is the new Wednesday night tradition during Majestic summers! Our own troupe of improvisational comics take suggestions and inspiration from the audience each night to create hilarious scenes on the spot. They play improvised games like you've seen on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" And then in the second act, they create a fully-formed musical on the spot. It's a fun evening full of surprise and antic comedy! Every Wednesday is a brand new experience, so come back week after week for a new show each time!    More information online. Hampshire Shakespeare's Young Company presents Romeo & Juliet August 14-16, at 7pm Shakespeare's timeless romantic tragedy of young passions caught between feuding families. Young Company draws talented youth ages thirteen to eighteen from throughout the Pioneer Valley. The group of young actors works intensively for a period of two weeks with a team of directors, coaches, and mentors to perform a full-length Shakespeare play. This production of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Hannah Simms, will focus on the relationships and tension between the adults and young people.  Tickets are available online and also available at the box office starting approximately 1 hour before each performance. Tickets may also be purchased at Broadside Bookshop in Northampton and Amherst Books.  For more information, visit the website, Facebook page, or send an email.  The Seth Show Season Two Kick Off Party at Easthampton Co.Lab Eastworks 116 Pleasant St. Suite #301 Wed. August 26th at 7:00 PM   Come celebrate the continued weirdness of The Seth Show. This time around the show will be on the first Tuesday of every month for nine months and there's a theme: A Year to Live. We're having a party to ramp up the excitement. We'll be creating bucket lists, writing warped eulogies and playing with a ouija board among other mortal themes. Super. Fun. Seth Shares Season Passes now available online. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Thursday August 6th from 2:00 - 3:00 PM Twitter Chat using #howlround: Creating Community Cohorts: Co-Learning, Co-Sharing, Co-Entrepreneurship— @sethlepore Join local performer and educator Seth Lepore tomorrow for a Twitter Chat hosted by HowlRound using the hashtag #howlround. Based on his recent essay we'll be delving into how we can consistently create community networks to share, learn and support one another in the performing arts world. AUDITION: Clue Murder Mystery Dinner Auditions are Thurs Aug 6th and Fri Aug 7th from 12-2 and 4-6 pm.   The location is Lattitude Restaurant at 1338 Memorial Ave West Springfield MA The show date is Thurs Oct 29th. Two shows..the first is 5-7 and the second is 8-10pm.   This is a paid performance at Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke. TheatreTruck hosts a Meet-and-Greet for The Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Community!  August 24 at 5:30 PM The Dirty Truth, 29 Main St.  Northampton, MA We had a great time last month. It's time for round 2! Please help spread the word and add your company members and colleagues to the guest list! A casual night out of chatting and networking. Come grab a drink, say hello, talk up your latest project. We hope to see you there. Easthampton High School is seeking a Director for its annual musical production. Candidate must have experience and knowledge in all aspects of stage and production including technical, choreography, set design, and acting. EHS is a division IV school with approximately 500 students in grades 9-12. This is a stipend, not salaried position. Interested candidates please submit a resume and cover letter to: Mr. Kevin Burke, Principal, Easthampton High School 70 Williston Avenue Easthampton, MA 01027 (413) 529-1585 USHER at New Century Theatre and see a show for FREE! Call 413-585-3220 or email boxoffice@newcenturytheatre.org to sign up. A Message from Laurel Turk about an upcoming project:  Looking for a woman actor, who has had bilateral mastectomy and no reconstruction, for a performance piece entitled "Breastless." I know that’s a pretty specific requirement, but the piece focuses a lot on body image, and the main character has that body type. Singing ability is a plus, but not absolutely necessary. A 45-minute version of the piece will likely be performed at the Double Take Fringe Festival in Greenfield mid-October. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to talk with you more. Contact me: laurelt@crocker.com Looking for Voice Actors ASAP: The development team for Through My Window, a multimedia educational project, is looking to hire voice actors as soon as possible! We are casting the parts of a 14 year-old boy and girl to voice over a series of short videos about cyber-bullying. Applicants must be available in Northampton this summer. If interested, please send an informal email of relevant experience and availability to Emma Martin (esmartin@smith.edu).  CALLING ALL THEATRE ARTISTS! Real Live Theatre is looking to grow our company.  We're looking for all types of theatre artists-- actors, directors, choreographers, costume designers, sound designers, lighting designers, set designers, stage managers, playwrights, musicians.  Folks of all races, ages, genders, orientations, and life experiences are welcome. Because being a full company member is a committed, long-term relationship depending on consensus and absolute trust, the process of becoming one has three steps: an audition, a probationary period, and participation in a full production process.  Until invited to become a full company member, theatre artists join RLT as Associate Artists. The auditions (for all potential theatre artists) will take place on Sunday, August 30th, from 11:00am -3:00pm at the North Star building at 45 Amherst Rd, Sunderland, MA 01375. For more information, check with website. By August 25, please submit a paragraph of interest and theatrical resume to reallivetheatre@gmail.com. If you are a playwright, please also submit a sample of work. About Real Live Theatre: Real Live Theatre is a cooperatively produced, mission-driven theatre organization in the Pioneer Valley. Our artists are also our owners, and we make decisions using a consensus model, with primary running of the company handled by a small team of Governing Members in relationship with the other Company Members. Weekly trainings are at the heart of our model, helping us challenge and support each other as artists, shake up traditional roles, and inspire new ways to create and tell stories.  We train weekly as an ensemble in the arts of dynamic physical and vocal theatre-making.  We perform all kinds of plays-- original, classic, contemporary, tragic, comic-- in a variety of venues throughout the year. We believe in creating a company that serves the needs of its members, including as a testing space for new work. We seek to engage with our communities - local, regional, national, international, and global. We believe that which stories we tell and how we tell them matters.  WORKSHOPS & LECTURES Summer Storytelling Institute with Rona Levanthal August 7-9 * Three days to luxuriate in learning the art and craft of storytelling * Three days of PLAYING with movement, voice, characterization, story arc and meaning through the lens of improv theatre and movement * Three days to join in community with others who share your passion * Three days of immersing yourself in a calming, beautiful setting, complete with hot tubs and a pool! * Twenty PDP's for Massachusetts Teachers!! WHY BOTHER? To teach and inspire To develop communication skills on many levels To be a better boss To enter into the 21st century of business To be a better public speaker To be more easeful with physicality To grow and learn To be a better teacher, therapist, lawyer, nurse, librarian, artist, actor, activist, person! For more info and Registration: www.ronatales.com/events.html Questions? 413-586-0624 rona@ronatales.com Happier Valley Comedy presents Improv for Scaredy Cats (And Non-Scaredy Cats Too!) Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, 3:00-5:00pm (two hours) Hadley, MA Does the idea of improvising in front of people scare the dickens out of you? Have you ever watched improv and thought, “I could never do that!” Have you ever watched improv and thought, "Damn, I could do that!"? Do you not give a flying fig about improv comedy but want to become more confident speaking in public, quiet your judgmental mind, and be more mindful in the moment? Are you ready to let go of the idea that improv is hard? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, “Improv for Scaredy Cats (and Non-Scaredy Cats Too)” is the workshop for you. Join Pam Victor in this very gentle, very fun, very easy introduction to the joys of improv comedy. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! Being funny is not required. Want to stretch your wings for a couple hours and laugh in in the process? Register for “Improv for Scaredy Cats (and Non-Scaredy Cats Too!)” today. Class fee: $25 (Add $1 if you're paying with PayPal) There are a limited amount of student discounts (ages 18+) available upon request. All students receive a $6 OFF coupon for that night’s Happier Valley Comedy Show! *REGISTRATION ACCEPTED BY EMAIL ONLY:info@happiervalley.com THEATER IMPROV FOR CHILDREN Theater improvisation increases spontaneity, creativity and self-confidence. We work on tuning into one’s scene partners, creating bold characters and developing skits with each other. The students will have opportunities to perform in the community, for family and friends 5th -8th Grade Group~ Weds. 3:00-5:00 K-4th Grade Group~ Thurs. 3:30-5:00 10 WEEK SESSIONS FROM SEPT-JUNE At the Florence Civic Center (Next to the Lilly Library) TO REGISTER CALL: Heidi Haas 584-5562 Or email at Heidi_Haas@comcast.net Check out my website at www.heidihaasimprov.com Instructor: Heidi Haas I have been teaching theater to children since 1996. I co-created and organized the afterschool drama program at the Leeds Elementary School in Northampton. I also offer theater and anti-bullying workshops at elementary schools. I coach the NHS Improv  Troupes FUNKTONLUST and direct the theater education company, Caught Off Guard at NHS.  In addition to the theater work, I have been a clinical social worker for 30 years with a specialty in child/family concerns. 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