Pioneer Valley Theatre News May 19, 2016

Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser   May 19-June 8, 2016 This is the 52 Edition of the Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter. One whole year of theatre events in the valley! Thank you so much to everyone who subscribed, submitted events, and especially those of you who open the newsletter every week! Thanks for being part of keeping the local theatre community active and vibrant.  There are so many wonderful events coming up as we head into summer. Keep spreading the word! Send this newsletter to your community groups, mention it to your friends, tell anyone you know with an interest in theatre!  The next issue will include events through June 15. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before next Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Submit Your Theatre Event May 27-28 & June 3-4 at 7 pm, May 29 at 2 pm Tickets $12 (opening night $6) online or at the door. THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from Howlround The Youngest People in the Room: Dramaturgy in Undergraduate Theatre Programs by Jeanmarie Higgins From the article:  Talking about revisiting her 1998 play How I Learned to Drive for its 2012 revival, Paula Vogel said: “I actually functioned more as a dramaturg,” because, she joked, “I was the oldest person in the room.” On the one hand, Vogel’s comment suggests that the dramaturg is the person who knows the play better than anyone else. On the other hand, the figure of “the oldest person in the room” implies that in addition to being an expert researcher, the dramaturg exercises a quiet authority, a gravity that can come only with experience. As a dramaturgy professor in a BA Theatre program, Vogel’s comment begs two questions: “Can we teach an undergraduate student to be ‘the oldest person in the room’—expert, wise, unflappable?” and “Do we need to?”  Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com PERFORMANCES J-ART at the JCC presents J-ART Youth INTO THE WOODS, JR. May 19 at 6:00 PM, May 22 at 11:30am and 3:00pm; May 23 at 6:00pm Springfield JCC: 1160 Dickinson St, Springfield, Massachusetts 01108 Come Into The Woods with J-ART Youth Theater, directed by Tony Jones. More information on Facebook.  For tickets call 413-739-4715 Children under 12: $5 Adults: $10  Reserved Patron Seating: $20 The Majestic Theater presents BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO May 19-22  West Springfield The musical, which features the music of Neil Sedaka, is set during Labor Day Weekend in 1960 and features Marge and her stagestruck best friend Lois, who arrive at Esther’s Paradise Resort in the Catskills. Marge has just been left at the altar, and has decided to turn what would have been her honeymoon into a vacation with Lois. Romantic schemes and entanglements involve the pair along with several other characters, including Del Delmonaco, the resort’s handsome singer, Gabe, a geekish handyman, Harvey, the Borscht Belt comic and the widowed Esther. Cast members include Elizabeth Swan (Marge), Alexandra O’Halloran (Lois), Robbie Simpson (Del Delmonaco), Denise Walker (Esther) and Frank Aronson (Harvey). The play will be directed by the Majestic’s Producing Director Danny Eaton. Mitch Chakour is the music director, and set design is by Greg Trochlil. Ticket for the play range from $25-$30 and are available by calling or visiting the box office during its hours of operation, which are Monday through Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 1pm.  More information online. Unity House players presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lyrics by Tim Rice May 20, & 21 at 7:30 pm May 22 at 2:00 pm Unitarian Universalist Society of Greater Springfield, 245 Porter Lake Dr., Springfield MA 01106 Calling all dreamers!   General Admission: $18 Students/Seniors: $15 Director/Choreographer: Kathleen Delaney Music Director: Elisabeth Weber Tickets. For more info visit us on Facebook at Unity House Players; Email or Call: 413-739-2324 Exit 7 Players presents URINETOWN: The Musical May 20, & 21 @ 8pm, May 22 @ 2pm Exit 7 Players Theater, 37 Chestnut St., Ludlow, MA In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! More information online. Happier Valley Comedy presents the Happier Family Comedy Show Saturday, May 21 at 4:00 PM 121 Club at Eastworks  Funny for the whole family (and perfect for kids 5-12 and their adults)! Get your family-friendly funnies in this totally interactive, high energy improv comedy show on the third Saturday of every month.  Facebook event here. Answers to your FAQs: IS THIS SHOW FAMILY FRIENDLY? Um, yeah! By its very definition and design. This show is rated G. We think it's most appropriate for kids 5-12, but everyone is welcome. WHAT MAKES A FAMILY? Love makes a family. You don't need to be related to come to the family show. You don't even need to be a kid!  WHAT IF I GET THIRSTY DURING THE SHOW? Little kid and "big kid" drinks are available for purchase before the show. WHAT IS THE FAMILY MAX TICKET THING? It's our immediate family discount. So you pay only $20 max for an immediate family circle. But our tickets are super reasonable anyway: Kids are only $5. Their adults are $10. Ashfield Community Theater presents THE QUICK-CHANGE ROOM by Nagle Jackson directed by Chris Rohmann May 27-28 at 7 pm; May 29 at 2 pm; June 3-4 at 7 pm Town Hall, 412 Main St., Ashfield In Nagle Jackson’s backstage comedy The Quick-Change Room, art collides, and then colludes, with commerce. It takes place in Russia just as the Soviet Union is collapsing and the old order is being replaced by a free-market free-for-all.  Still clinging to tradition, the venerable Kuzlov Theater is rehearsing Anton Chekhov’s classic drama The Three Sisters. But something’s got to give. The conflict plays out in the rehearsal studio and in the quick-change costume room, where two hard-working “babushkas” cope with temperamental actors and constant crises, along with a black-market wheeler-dealer and an ambitious young ingénue.  Though it’s set within a real historical event, The Quick-Change Room is really a clever commentary on the state of the arts in our own country, where commercial imperatives often trump artistic ideals. It’s a smart, witty roller-coaster of backstage backbiting and artistic angst, where the ruble rules and Chekhov spins in his grave. Buy tickets online or at the door – $12 (opening night $6). New Century Theatre presents LIFE IN THE 413 An Evening of Radio Plays Saturday, June 4 at 7:00 PM Theatre 14, Smith College Don't miss this evening of old-timey radio fun complete with foley artists and six new plays about life in the Pioneer Valley. Hosted by Monte Belmonte and Bill Dwight. Featuring Philip Price and Flora Reed of The Winterpills, The Expandable Brass Band, and Josh Sitron on piano. Plays by Ellen Wittlinger, Jack Neary, Eric Henry Sanders, Phil O'Donoghue, Harley Erdman, and Kelsey Flynn and Hilary Price! Tickets $25 General, $15 Students and can be purchased online or over the phone after May 31 (413-585-3220).   The Majestic Theater presents The Majesters Improv Comedy June 7 at 7:00 PM The Majestic Theatre, 131 Elm St. West Springfield, MA An evening of musical improv comedy featuring the valley's best spontaneous comics. Tickets for the Majesters shows will be $7 and sold at the door only the night of each show. The troupe takes suggestions and inspiration from audience members. Seating is general admission. More info online.  AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Audition for the J-ART 2016 Summer Series: J-ART Sings May 23 Springfield JCC: 1160 Dickinson St, Springfield, Massachusetts 01108 We're holding auditions for our annual summer series fundraiser performances! This summer, we’re holding two café-style revue performances of “J-ART Sings.” Performers of all genders, ages 15 and up are welcome. Use this link to sing up for an audition slot. Slot times are 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Performance Dates: J-ART Sings: Women Who Rock – Tuesday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. J-ART Sings: Favorite Animated Classics – Sunday, August 28 at 12:00 p.m. Audition Info: Please prepare 32 bars of a song in the genre(s) you will be auditioning for. Either bring a CD or be prepared to sing a capella. Performers must be available on 7/18 & 7/19 for “Women Who Rock” and 8/25 & 8/28 for “Favorite Animated Classics." All participants have a $50 ad sale requirement Facebook event here. Dangerous Play Theater Co. is looking for a stage manager to work with a show here in the valley for a few weeks this summer. The show eventually heads to NYC for the Fresh Fruit Festival. We are hoping for a May 25- June 15 rehearsal schedule, with actors coming into the project off-book. After this two and a half weeks, our director goes to Williamstown, so we would need to add weekly sm led pick ups (one or two days a week) until June 15- when we go to NYC . The show dates are somewhere in the July 11-24 window, and Fresh Fruit Fest should let us know the exact dates this coming week. We would also need to pass off email communications to our SM. If you or anyone you know could help us with the project, or if you want more info, please send Darcy Bruce a message on Facebook or an email. The Country Players are pleased to announce two opportunities to audition for their summer youth theater program: A Night of Mysteries. Children in grades k-12 are invited to audition for one of two separate one act plays. The Mystery of the Gumdrop Dragon is a sweet tale that takes place in days of Yore and is aimed at younger children. For the older kids and teens, it is And Then There Was One, a parody on the Agatha Christie's murder mystery with jokes and puns flying as are the weapons. There are also plenty of opportunities for children who want to help out backstage with lights and sounds and crew work.  Auditions:  May 30 (6pm) at Karen's Dance Studio in Greenfield and May 31 (6pm) at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield. For more info or questions, please email:mystery.gumdrop.dragon@gmail.com Summer Internships and Apprenticeships with New Century Theatre Season: May 31-August 6 New Century Theatre’s Internship Program is a full-time summer experience meant for motivated individuals who are looking to bridge the gap between their academic experience and a career in theatre. Our interns are vital members of this small professional theatre, working alongside a dedicated company of artists, administrators, technicians and designers. Interns will gain practical experience, knowledge and industry contacts. New Century Theatre encourages interns to learn the basics behind all areas of theatrical production by varying intern assignments throughout the ten-week program. The apprenticeship program at New Century Theatre is a part-time summer program for local high school students. Apprentices may work backstage, assist in the creation of props and costumes, and run the light board for our NCT Kids productions. Apprentices interested in lighting, costumes and set design may also have the opportunity to help with our mainstage New Century Theatre shows. More information and applications available online. Majestic Theater 2016-2017 Season Auditions Non-Equity performers will be scheduled to audition June 1, 2, 3 and 5, and Equity performers will audition June 6-7. The specific hours are: Non-Equity: Wednesday, June 1 – 6-10:30pm Thursday, June 2 – 6-10:30pm Friday, June 3 – 6-10:30pm Sunday, June 5 - 12-6pm Equity: Monday, June 6 – 10am-6pm Tuesday, June 7 – 10am-6pm Actors will be auditioned for parts in the following productions: “Million Dollar Quartet,” a classic rock and roll musical by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott(September 8 – October 23, 2016), “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” a comedy by Nora and Delia Ephron (November 3 – December 11, 2016), “Amadeus,” a classical drama by Peter Shaffer (January 5 – February 12, 2017), “Painting Churches,” a contemporary drama by Tina Howe (February 23 – April 2, 2017) and “La Cage aux Folles” a musical by Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman (April 13 – May 21, 2017). Non-Equity auditions are scheduled in 10 minute time slots. Non-Equity performers new to the Majestic should prepare a monologue of their choice and, if singing, bring an instrumental CD accompaniment as well as a picture and resume. They will also be asked to read from prepared script selections. Equity auditions are scheduled in five minute time slots and participants must prepare a monologue. If auditioning for a musical, they must bring sheet music of their choice. An accompanist will be present. Equity performers may be asked to stay longer, if time permits, and read from prepared script selections. To book an audition, call the Majestic Theater at 413.747.7797. CALL FOR THEATER DIRECTORS! Black Cat Theater is seeking letters of interest and resumes for the positions of Artistic Director and Music Director (piano and vocals) for our Fall musical, Oliver! Rehearsals begin in September and show dates will be in November. Email letter of interest and resume by Saturday June 4th. Silverthorne Theater Company is sponsoring a competition to select a new play by a local playwright of color for possible production during the 2017 season.  The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2016.  Complete information about the contest may be found online.   A reading committee of five members, headed by veteran Montague actor Kent Alexander, will review all submissions. Three finalists will be selected for public staged readings in November and December, with the final competition winner announced on December 30, 2016.   Play submissions must be between 60 minutes to 2 hours running time; they must not have been previously fully produced. Playwrights of color (defined as non-white) who live or study in New England are eligible to submit plays, with special consideration given those from the Connecticut Valley/Western Massachusetts region.   Silverthorne Theater Company is a professional summer theater organization whose mission is to bring excellence of performance to adventurous drama, combining the best of the theatrical repertoire while also promoting unheard voices and underserved populations. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Have a class, workshop, audition or event coming up? Submit it today!  Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*