Thursday, November 24, 2016

Pioneer Valley Theatre News November 24, 2016

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter
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 November 24 - December 14, 2016


Happy Thanksgiving! I hope it's a good one - with lots of love and not much stress! We have so much to be thankful for.

If you are planning your holiday season calendar already - take a look at the Easthampton City Arts+ STRUT event below - and check out the website or Facebook event. This is going to be a fun one. Maybe you have some flair & fashion you'd like to strut down the runway - maybe you want to get involved in some other way (volunteer!) - or maybe you'd prefer to come and witness this celebration of the arts in Easthampton. There's going to be a killer silent auction as well - featuring tickets from Pioneer Valley Ballet, Eggtooth Productions, Panopera, New Century Theatre - and much more!

And check out Ewepoints if you need some composition vocabulary for thinking about... farm life.

The next issue will include events through December 21. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com

Submit Your Theatre Event
THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS:
from Howlround
Finding the Common Room

by Sarah Ruhl
From the article: 

Thank you so much. I am so honored, and humbled, and happy to be with you all tonight. Thank you so much to the Steinbergs for their wild, uncommon, extraordinary generosity. The reason I write plays instead of poetry is simple—it’s for actors—so I can hear them sing prose and vault it up into the ether, making it into poetry. So, thank you so much to all the actors who came tonight and performed, and to Todd London and James Bundy for speaking. Your eloquence and friendship are a gift.

I wrote a joyful speech two weeks ago in preparation for this evening. In light of the election, I found my mood had changed. Maybe your mood has changed too. As my friend and mentor Paula Vogel texted me the morning after the election, “The color of the world has been bleached.”

Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com
PERFORMANCES
The Majestic Theater presents Love, Loss, & What I Wore
by Nora and Delia Ephron
West Springfield
November 25 through December 11

Winner of a Drama Desk Award, “Love, Loss, & What I Wore” features female characters, some in multiple roles, who tell stories about what certain clothes really mean to them, and those moments when they have tried to find their identity through them. There are tales of wardrobe malfunctions, first date outfits, lucky underwear, prom dresses, favorite boots, irreplaceable shirts, dressing room experiences and the occasional disorganized purse. Behind these stories are also memories of mothers, boyfriends, husbands, ex-husbands, sisters and grandchildren, and matters of the heart.

Cast members include Jarice Hanson (Gingy), Cate Damon (Gingy's mother, Holly, Liz, Eve, Geralyn), Alexandra O'Halloran (Nancy, Stephanie, Liz's older sister, Mary's mother, Lisa), Kyle Boatright (Alex, Merrill, Liz's younger sister, Heather), Susanna Apgar (Rosie, Lynne, Dora, Doctor), Kait Rankins (Nancy's mother, Pam, Mary, Amanda), Jen Wall (Nora, Woman) and Katie Sloan (Nancy, Alex's mother, Annie, Eve's shrink).

The play is directed by Sue Dziura, set design is by Greg Trochlil, and costume design is by Dawn McKay. Dan Rist is lighting designer, Stephen Petit is production stage manager and the associate production stage manager is Aurora Ferraro. Danny Eaton is producing director.

Ticket for the play range from $25-$33 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.

Academy of Music History Tour

WHERE’S HARRY?

Did you know that a trap door was once cut into the stage at the Academy of Music in Northampton for Harry Houdini’s disappearing act? Or that Frankenstein’s monster himself, Boris Karloff, appeared at the 123-year-old theater? And, come see the recently discovered and conserved 1913 Tuttle scenic curtain to learn more during a history tour led by Academy Board Member Gail Yacuzzo.

November 29, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. Free; reservations required. 584-9032, ext. 105.

UMass Amherst Department of Theatre presents REFUGEE

Written by Milan Dragicevich
With music by Tim Eriksen
Directed by Nikita Milivojević
Curtain Theater
Wednesday, November 30, 2016, Half-Price Preview at 7:30 pm
Friday, December 2, 2016, Opening Night at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 3, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, December 7, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Thursday, December 8, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Friday, December 9, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 10, 2016, Performance at 2 pm
Saturday, December 10, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm

Buy tickets

Two sisters gaze across an endless stretch of barren desert at the El Shatt refugee camp, while a war rages across Europe.  In the hollows of southern Appalachia, an idealistic guitar-strumming activist fights to preserve a way of life. On the streets of embattled Belgrade, a hustler struggles to survive in the underground markets of a desperate people.  What binds them together?  Where is home?  When we cross borders, what do we become?  This new play with music jumps across time and place, with a multigenerational story of displacement, capricious destiny, and the search for identity.

Website. 

Smith College Department of Theatre
New Playreading Series presents MERIT

written and directed by Lenelle Moise

Thursday, December 1 at 7:30 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre

Mona is the only black student and Southerner in a prestigious graduate fiction program in rural Vermont. When she befriends her divorced literary hero, sexy secrets, betrayal and ferocity ensue. Classmate rivalries and parental concerns round out this incisive comedy about academia, sexuality and artistic integrity. Merit won the Ruby Prize for women of color playwrights and was featured on the 2016 Kilroys List. Written and directed by Lenelle Moïse (MFA, 2004). Lenelle is the 2017 Lucille Geier Lakes Writer-in-Residence at Smith College.

Free and open to the public.
Greenfield Community College presents LOCALLY GROWN: A Night of Short Plays
December 1, 2, 3 at 7:30 PM
Greenfield Community College

CCtheater student directors will put on three one-act plays by local playwrights for LOCALLY GROWN: A Night of Short Plays. 

Local playwrights Stephen Fruhtman, Bill Wieliczka, and Richard Ballon's works were chosen by the student directors for this year's event.

Please join us for LOCALLY GROWN December 1, 2, & 3 at 7:30PM. $10 general admission/$5 students
>>This year, pay once, attend as many shows as you like!<<

The Sloan Theater on Greenfield Community College's main campus in beautiful Greenfield, Massachusetts.  More information online.

Easthampton City Arts+ presents Light Up the Arts

WHEN: Thursday December 8, 6:30-10pm
WHERE: The Ballroom at Eastworks, 116 Pleasant Street in Easthampton
TICKETS: Sliding scale starting at $15 / $8 student rate / Purchase tickets here

Join us for a fun and celebratory evening featuring a fashion show of local artisans and designers, an awards show, and a room filled with artists and makers from throughout the Valley. Guests will enjoy hand crafted beverages from local breweries and wineries along with light hors d’oeuvres to fuel this spirited celebration in support of arts and culture in Easthampton. More information can be found here.

Every ticket purchased for this event directly supports the growing and thriving arts and culture of Easthampton. Each year, Easthampton City Arts serves tens of thousands of artists, residents, visitors, local businesses, and community-based organizations through monthly exhibitions, events, workshops, and seasonal cultural festivals. Each of ECA's innovative and engaging programs is made possible through its annual fundraiser, Light Up the ArtsThank you for your support! We look forward to celebrating with you!

*Please note, we are currently accepting donated items and services for our silent auction. Send your ideas to arts@easthampton.org. Thank you!

Silverthorne Theater Company brings new life to the familiar tale in its production of A Christmas Carol: A Radio Play, playing in three different Franklin County locations December 9 -11.

This script, adapted by John Reese, Linda McInerney, and Michael Haley from an original full-length play, presents a 1930s live radio broadcast, complete with six actors gathered around standing microphones voicing multiple characters – 31 in all.  Haley anchors the performance as Scrooge, joined by Joan Haley, David Rowland, Sharon Weyers, Ann Steinhauser and John Reese. The cast is under the direction of Reese, who directed a full-length production of the play in 2014 at the Academy of Music.

Sound effects genius John Iverson will recreate the excitement of the early days of live sound production with an assortment of weird-looking and -sounding machines. Period commercials spice up the station identification breaks!

Specifically designed to be family-friendly, A Christmas Carol: A Radio Play will be performed in three venues:

·      Friday, December 9 at 7 pm at The Arts Block 4th Floor
(289 Main St., Greenfield)
·      Saturday, December 10 at 7 pm at The Centennial House 
(94 Main St, Northfield – part of Northfield’s Special Day Celebration)
·      Sunday, December 11 at 4 pm at The Deerfield Inn 
(81 Old Main Street, Deerfield)

Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for youth 10 to 18; children 9 and under free; maximum $25 per family. Seating is limited; tickets may be ordered by calling 413-768-7514 or through the Silverthorne Theater website.

NOTE: Audience members are asked to bring along donations of food for the needy – canned good and non-perishables to be delivered to local food pantries.

AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES
J-ART Youth Theatre at the JCC 
Search for Stage Manager & Assistant Stage Manager

Seeking experienced candidates for SM and ASM positions for the youth theater production of The Lion King, Jr. Must available for most rehearsals and all performances. Tuesday rehearsals are from 3:30 - 6:00PM and Sunday rehearsals are 2:30 - 5:00PM. 

 

The ASM will assist the stage manager and director with all aspects of the planning, coordination, and running of meetings, rehearsals, and performances. They will attend all rehearsals as needed. The ASM will help to set the stage for rehearsals, follow along with the script while taking line notes, stand in for missing actors, and essentially act as the stage manager's right hand. Additionally, the ASM will learn how to call the cues for a show and will be given the opportunity to call tech rehearsals and potentially one or more of the productions. This position requires attention to detail, punctuality, and the ability to work under pressure.

Please email Director, Tony Jones tonyjonesdrama@gmail.com AND Peter Scibak, Stage Manager at peterscibak@gmail.com a resume or letter of interest.


Auditions: 
Tuesday, November 22nd 3:00 - 8:30PM
Callbacks:
Tuesday, November 29th 3:30 - 7:00PM
Rehearsals (Sundays (2:30 - 5:00PM) and Tuesdays (3:30 - 6:00PM)
Dec 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, Jan 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31
Tech: Feb 5-9, 12-15, 27-Mar 1 (Mandatory)
Performances: Mar 2, 4 (two shows), 5
Audition announcement for Ghost Light Theater 
Venus in Fur 

by David Ives
Directed by Erin Fitzgerald

Auditions will be held 12/4 & 5 at 7pm with callbacks on 12/7 at 7pm

Performance dates are 3/3,4,5 and 3/9,10,11

Roles are non-paid.

Rehearsal schedule will be made upon casting. 2-3 dates of read/table work in December, proper rehearsals begin in January with 2-3 rehearsals per week. Mandatory attendance for tech week, 2/28 through opening.

Gateway City Arts Center
92-114 Race St
Holyoke, MA 01040

Thomas, a beleaguered playwright/director, is desperate to find an actress to play Vanda, the female lead in his adaptation of the classic sadomasochistic tale Venus in Fur. Into his empty audition room walks a vulgar and equally desperate actress-oddly enough, named Vanda. Though utterly wrong for the sophisticated part, Vanda exhibits a strange command of the material, piquing Thomas' interest with her seductive talents and secretive manner. As the two work through the script, they blur the line between play and reality, entering into an increasingly serious game of submission and domination that only one of them can win. 

Vanda: (20-29) a young, struggling, non-equity actress fighting for her career. Her scattered demeanor obscures an inner strength. May or may not be a goddess. Should have experience with movement and heightened language. Actor must be comfortable in limited clothing.
NOTE: Actors of color are especially encouraged to audition

Thomas: (30-49) an exasperated writer-director, searching for an actress for his new production on the origins of masochism. Should also have experience with movement and heightened language. 

For questions/audition sides contact director Erin Fitzgerald or producer Kevin Tracy.
UMass Amherst Department of Theatre presents Auditions for THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST

Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Director Jennifer Onopa
running April 5-15

AUDITIONS
Dec. 5 & 6, 6:30-10:30pm
Fine Arts Center 204/206
Callbacks Dec. 12 & 13

OPEN
to theater majors & community members of all ages, race, ethnic origin, ability, sexual orientation or gender identification. We specifically welcome Latinx and Arab-American actors to attend.

Please prepare a short contemporary monologue.

There’s power in traditions, in the songs sung and the food served at gatherings and the way they can bind families and communities together across time and distance. Iraq war veteran Elliott is in Jordan to film a war movie and finds himself connecting with his costar Shar, against the backdrop of the Arab Spring. When he calls home, he speaks to his cousin Yaz, a music professor, who has opened her new home in Philadelphia to feed neighbors in need and struggles against a system that neglects the poor and the sick. Hudes’s play is a complex mixture, balancing epic historical events with intimate life moments, all of them connected through the wonders of modern technology and the richness of Puerto Rican cuatro music.

For complete casting breakdown and a link to the script, please click here.

The New England New Play Alliance publishes a free weekly online newsletter with information about readings and full performances of new plays throughout New England. You can keep up to date with the latest shows and trends by subscribing.
WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
Smith College presents
Daniel Talbott, Guest Artist in Len Berkman's Writing for Theatre class


Thursday, December 1, 1:00-3:00 PM in the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts Green Room

Daniel Talbott is currently a staff writer for the Weinstein Company and Spike TV on The Mist, based on the Stephen King novella, and in development with Jim Parsons’ company That’s Wonderful Productions for a feature film, Tuolumne. His hour-long drama pilot Summer has been optioned and is in development with Sonar Entertainment and Killer Films. He is a writer, director, and actor, as well as an artistic associate of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, associate artistic director of {Your Name Here}, and artistic director of the Lucille Lortel and NYIT Award-winning Rising Phoenix Rep. His plays include Slipping (Rattlestick, The Side Project), Yosemite (Rattlestick), Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait (Rattlestick/piece by piece, Encore), What Happened When (Rattlestick, Your Name Here, Rising Phoenix Rep/HERE), Someone Brought Me (Quince Productions), Mike and Seth (Quince, Encore, The Side Project), Extraordinary Things (RPR), and Gray (Your Name Here). Recent directing work includes Ugly Little Sister (NYU/Strasberg), First Born (The Actors Studio), Selkie (RPR/Weathervane), Thieves (Weathervane/RPR/ Rattlestick), F**king Immaculate (RPR), A Fable (piece by piece/RPR/Rattlestick), Gin Baby (IRT), Scarcity (Rattlestick/Hill Town Plays – OBIE Award), Lake Water (Neighborhood Productions), Eightythree Down (Hard Sparks), Much Ado About Nothing (Boomerang), Squealer (Lesser America), and The Umbrella Plays (the teacup company/FringeNYC – Overall Excellence Award: Outstanding Play). He received a 2011 Theater Hall of Fame Fellowship, a 2007 New York Innovative Theatre Award for directing, a Drama-Logue Award, two Dean Goodman Choice Awards and a Judy Award for acting, and was also named one of the 15 People of the Year by nytheatre.com. He is a graduate of Juilliard and teaches at NYU/Strasberg and Primary Stages/ESPA. He is a proud member of Lesser America and a member of the Actors Studio.


Free and open to all. 
Heidi Haas presents IMPROV WORKSHOPS in December:
Florence Civic Center

All Kids, All Ages  
On Weds Dec 7th  from 3-5:30 knowing the younger students won't get there until after 3:00. 

Adults and Kids!  
On Thursday Dec 15th from 3:30-5:30  Come and play with your child(ren) our favorite improv games!! 

The cost for each workshop will be $20 and $30 for each parent/child. Space will be limited to 16 participants per workshop. 

AND of course it is NOT too early to register for the Winter session which will begin the week of Jan 5th. People are already signing up, so don't lose your spot!!

Email for more information or to register or call 413-584-5562.
Playwriting & Screenwriting Consulting

Individual consulting with playwright & screenwriter ROSE MARTULA to provide feedback or assist in editing scripts: PLAYS, FULL-LENGTH FEATURES, SHORTS, TV PILOTS or WEB SERIES. In whatever stage. I'm here to honor your vision, not alter. Let's do this!

Contact Rose.
Double Edge Theatre presents The Winter Intensive
January 1-7, 2017

The Winter Intensive is an explosive dive into Double Edge's training process. We’ll work daily from morning until night, both in Double Edge's indoor training spaces and outside in the fields. Layering our physical training practice with music, design, dramaturgy, large object work and individual and group research, intensives are a full-body experience of our multidisciplinary creative process. We explore the dialogue between individual process and group training and creation. The intensives are open to participants of all levels of experience and are ideal for pushing the boundaries of your physicality, creativity, and imagination!

For more information, call Travis: 413.628.0277 or email training@doubleedgetheatre.org
More information online.
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