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October 13 - November 2, 2016
Live Art Magazine is next Friday, October 21. Do you have your tickets yet? Not sure what it is? Check out the website or this Podcast for more details about this amazing, live, one-night-only performance. Seriously. No re-runs on this one - you have to be there. More details below.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch opens tomorrow at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke. Get your tickets to Ghost Light Theater's latest production here!
The next issue will include events through November 9. 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
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THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS:
from The New York Times
Backstage and Now the Boss: "The Only Girl in the Building"
by Caitlin Kelly
From the article:
Jennifer Diaz first stepped onto the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House at 11, as an extra in “I Pagliacci” and “La Bohème.” For the next three years, it became her second home, as she regularly visited her father, who is still the Met’s night crew manager after more than three decades.
At 19, she began working there as a stagehand, typically the only female member in a 28-person crew.
Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com
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Smith College Department of Theatre presents
New Playreading Series
FRUIT IN WINTER
written and directed by
Emily H. Atkinson
Thursday, October 13 at 7:30 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre
24 years ago, Audrey Fisher sold her soul to the devil. Then, she did something even worse, and the reckoning has finally come due. A lesbian love story, a demonic rivalry, and a tale of ambition, magic, and self-loathing, Fruit in Winter is a Faustus for the modern age, and a story for anyone who has felt that she would have to sell her soul to have it all.
Free and open to the public.
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The Majestic Theater presents MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET
by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott
October 13 - 23
West Springfield, MA
“Million Dollar Quartet” tells about the real-life events of Tuesday afternoon, December 4, 1956 at Sun Records' Memphis studio. Rockabilly star Carl Perkins was there working on a revamped version of the blues song “Matchbox,” when fellow Sun recording artists Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley drifted into the studio, and the quartet took part in a loose jam session that producer Sam Phillips had the foresight to record. A local reporter who was called and sat in headlined his newspaper article which ran the next day, “Million Dollar Quartet.”
Cast members include Jay Sefton (Sam Phillips), Colin Patrick Ryan (Elvis Presley), Corbin Mayer (Johnny Cash), Brian Michael Henry (Jerry Lee Lewis), Dan Whelton (Carl Perkins) and Kaytlyn Vandeloecht (Dyanne).
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. Stephen Petit is production stage manager, and associate stage manager is Aurora Ferraro.
For additional information, visit the website.
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Silverthorne Theater Company presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
Arts Block 4th Floor in Downtown Greenfield
October 14, and 15 at 7:30 pm,
2:00 pm matinee performance on Saturday, October 15
AKA The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr(Abridged), by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield (The Reduced Shakespeare Company), this comedy is a rollicking irreverent attempt to represent all 37 of Shakespeare’s works (poems included) in one evening’s entertainment. Three actors fly about the stage, now re-enacting the history plays as football with the crown tossed downfield to whichever contender can catch it. Othello is rendered in rap, and all the comedies are condensed into one quick take on happily-ever-after. During the second act of the play, Hamlet is attacked from all sides, finally winding up being performed (in a very shortened version) backwards.
The Silverthorne production features the talents of veteran Valley comedian Steve Henderson* (member, Actors Equity Association) with rising stars Julian Findlay and Schuyler Evans. David Rowland directs.
Tickets are available at the door or online. General admission is $19; students/seniors 65+ $17. Pre-sale discount tickets will be available at the World Eye Bookstore, 156 Main Street, Greenvield, beginning September 15. Reserve over the phone at 413-768-7514.
Audience involvement is a given with special attention paid to the squeamish. As often said, “If you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show!” The Today Show. “Pithier than Python. Irresistible.” New York Times.
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Ghost Light Theater presents Hedwig and the Angry Inch
October 14, October 15, October 21, October 22, October 28, October 29 (8:00 PM for all showings)
Gateway City Arts,
92 Race Street, Holyoke, MA
The critically acclaimed rock & roll musical HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH starring Kevin Tracy comes to Gateway City Arts on Race Street for a Friday & Saturday residency October 14th-29th.
Adapted from the 1998 off-Broadway musical written by John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the story of an East Berlin boy named Hansel who undergoes a sex change operation after falling in love with an American G.I. Years later, Hansel (now Hedwig) ends up in the United States, leading her rock band on tour and telling the story of her life in a rock concert. The musical has been performed worldwide numerous times and was also released as a successful film in 2001. It opened on Broadway in March 2014 starring Neil Patrick Harris & Lena Hall.
This live musical performance features monologues about Hedwig’s childhood, her journey to the U.S., her marriage to Luther, and the story of Tommy Gnosis. This latest stage interpretation at Gateway City Arts will star Kevin Tracy as Hedwig and Sarah Devine as Yitzhak, Hedwig’s back-up singer, husband and whipping boy.
All tickets are $20 and are available at the door or online. Facebook page.
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Happier Valley Comedy presents the Happier Family Comedy Show
Saturday, October 15 at 4:00 PM
Eastworks Community Room
Happier FAMILY Comedy Show: Monthly improv comedy show for the whole family. Best for 5-12 year olds and their adults. Saturday, October 15th at 4pm. Located at Eastworks' Community Room (Suite 160) 116 Pleasant Street, Easthampton. Tickets at the door: $10/Adults, $5/Kids (3 yrs and under free), $30/Family Max. Purchase tickets online or at the door (*cash or check only at the door please*) For more info visit www.happiervalley.com. on facebook.
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Dean Parker Productions presents Mr. Mambo
Saturday, October 15 at 8:00 PM
Academy of Music Theatre
Two-act musical comedy featuring the 80’s pop music of the recording artist Tiffany. Three high school seniors spend spring break in New York City competing on a dance competition reality show. Impressionable Kristen Aimes is convinced that the dynamic host for “Dance America,” Eric Archer – also known as “Mr. Mambo” – is infatuated with her. She is unaware that Eric’s interest in her is actually a publicity stunt, and that her secret admirer is really her best male friend, Johnny. Kristen and her friends each have a shot at the $1 million prize – until Eric’s vengeful ex-girlfriend, Amber, schemes to get them thrown off the show.
More info online.
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Serious Play Theatre Ensemble presents
White Rabbit Red Rabbit
by Nassim Soleimanpour
A.P.E. Gallery, 126 Main Street, Northampton MA
October 15, 16, 17, 2016, 8:00 pm
No set, no rehearsal and the script is unsealed by the one actor in the show who reads it for the first and only time. White Rabbit Red Rabbit has been called a play. But it's a lively, global sensation that no-one is allowed to talk about. Its award-winning playwright, Nassim Soleimanpour, is Iranian. His words have escaped censorship and are awaiting your audience. Slyly humorous and audaciously pointed, this 'theater entertainment meets social experiment' is unlike anything, and will make you question everything.
Since its premiere in 2011 at the Edinburgh Fringe, "White Rabbit Red Rabbit" has been translated into more than 20 different languages and been performed over 1000 times by some of the biggest names in theatre and film including actors John Hurt, Stephen Rea, Sinead Cusack, Marcus Brigstocke, film director Ken Loach, and in the states by Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming and Whoopie Goldberg, to name but a few.
Readers in Northampton: Jessica Litwak (10/15), Kermit Dunkleberg (10/16), and Patrick Gaughan (10/17)
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Springfield Armory presents WOW for Women
October 16 at 12:00 and 2:00 PM
Springfield Armory, Campus of STCC College, Springfield, MA
WOW - Women Ordnance Workers were employed at the Armory during WWII, making guns and rifles for the Allies. Women did the work of what, then, "man's work". In 2 one-woman theatre performances, nationally award winning actress/writer Judith Black will take the stage, starring in both plays, one a comedy and the other a drama about WOW.
Between these performances, Albany Berkshire Ballet will stage its own version of "Rosie the Riveter" in a short program. FREE
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The Academy of Music presents Julie Schumacher: Dear Committee Members
Sunday, October 16 at 2:00 PM
Academy of Music Theatre, Northampton
Free
Julie Schumacher became the first woman to win the Thurber Prize for American Humor with her epistolary novel, "Dear Committee Members". Previous winners include Jon Stewart, David Sedaris, and Calvin Trillin. Her winning novel depicts a cynical and disillusioned creative writing professor, Jason Fitger, whose life is glimpsed through the seemingly endless number of recommendation letters he is asked to write for colleagues, students, and near strangers at a not very distinguished liberal arts college in the Midwest.
Fitger’s once-promising writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life, in part as the result of his unwise use of his private affairs for his novels. His department is facing draconian cuts and squalid quarters, while one floor above them the Economics Department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. In short, his life is a tale of woe, told through a series of hilarious letters that Fitger is endlessly called upon to write, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies.
“The conceit of a novel told in letters of reference is inspired, and it is killingly funny because it’s all so killingly true. Truth walks here in the strangest of costumes, and in part because of its guises, we can face it, frown, laugh, cry. I’ve never lost an afternoon so happily.”
– Jay Parini, author of The Last Station and The Passages of H.M.
Q&A and signing to follow the public reading
Booklink Booksellers will be selling ” Dear Committee Members” for HALF PRICE at the event !!
Funded in part by the Northampton Arts Council
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UMass Amherst Department of Theatre presents The Misanthrope
Written by Molière, adapted by Constance Congdon ‘82G
Directed by Mary Corinne Miller
Rand Theater
Wednesday, October 19, 2016, Half-Price Preview at 7:30 pm
Friday, October 21, 2016, Opening Night at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 22, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, October 26, 2016, Student Matinee at 10:00 am
Thursday, October 27, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Friday, October 28, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 29, 2016, Performance at 2 pm
Saturday, October 29, 2016, Performance at 7:30 pm
Buy tickets
Why put on a comedy written 350 years ago? Because these characters are still funny today — we see them on our TV screens in many contemporary comedies. Alceste is the neurotic introvert who simultaneously craves isolation and connection. His object of desire is Célimène, a social butterfly who carefully curates her image in a way any Instagram star would envy. She’s got Alceste and the painfully hip Oronte on the hook, along with countless others, while her best frenemy, Arsinoé, attempts to manipulate the situation so she can win Alceste for herself. Come enjoy a backstage pass to a live studio taping of the comedy “The Misanthrope” and see how pointedly Molière’s snarky observations about love and friendship translate to relationships played out in the context of our screen-obsessed modern-day world.
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Live Art Magazine
Issue #4
Friday, October 21
Academy of Music Theatre
Northampton
Live Art Magazine is an annual performance event featuring live performances of art, ideas and music. The evening unfolds within the structure of a magazine. Department headings introduce a reading, a poem, a performance, a film clip, a live version of a radio piece. Short pieces up front, longer features and essays next. It's quick -- 8 min tops for features and 2-5 min for "shorts" (there's no MC). One live "issue" a year.
It's a one-night-only annual event that is not recorded or photographed. A team of illustrators live draw the event, and that's the only documentation of the night. You have to be there to experience it. The show recognizes local and regional talent. It offers a space for artists to try new -- even risky -- collaborations.
Buy tickets.
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Smith College Department of Theatre presents
STEEL MAGNOLIAS
by Robert Harling
Directed by Jennifer Sturley
October 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 at 7:30 PM
Theatre 14
A story about the powerful friendship between six women in a small Louisiana town, who love each other with strength, humor, and courage through good times and bad. "Harling has given his women sharp, funny dialogue…The play builds to a conclusion that is deeply moving." —NY Daily News.
$10 General, $5 Students and Seniors. Free for Smith students.
Tickets available online or by calling 413-585-3220. Facebook event here.
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CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF TEACHING IMPROV!
BY HOSTING A FUNDRAISER FOR
THE NORTHAMPTON SURVIVAL CENTER
Don't Miss this Celebration on Friday Oct 28th
in Northampton High School's Auditorium from 6:30-8:30
Heidi Haas is celebrating teaching Theater Improvisation by hosting a fundraiser for the Northampton Survival Center.
The show will feature Heidi”s theater students, the Ookie-Wookies (grades 1st-5 th ) and the Pickle Heads (grades 6th-8 th ) and the Northampton High School troupe, Funktionlust! Funktionlust, now in its 12 th year is the only Improv group at NHS and has enough liveliness to power Childs Park! But with all their spontaneity and and enthusiasm., they have entertained their audiences at First Night, ImprovAlliance shows and with their fellow students at NHS!
They are psyched to be on stage with all the younger Improvers!
For More Information: Contact Heidi Haas
Tickets $5
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The Seth Show presents
TRUMP CARD
Adapted from the monologue by Mike Daisey, Performed by Seth Lepore
Directed by Linda McInerney of Eggtooth Productions
Tuesday, November 1st
THE WEST END (across from Riff's)
EASTWORKS
116 Pleasant St Suite 160
When Seth Lepore found out that Mike Daisey made the script for his new standing room only show, TRUMP CARD, open-source and adaptable, he knew he had to jump at the chance. The Guardian hails the show as “...how an artful lie illuminates what we believe to be the truth more than any actual accounting of objective reality.”
Using the bones of Daisey’s script as a solid foundation, Lepore chops up and remixes his own personal story into the fold, threading in the political quagmires of his home state of Rhode Island. From the love/hate relationship the people of Providence had with Mayor Buddy Cianci, to Lepore’s second cousin switching from Catholic priest to Mayor of his home town, Lepore conveys how the cult of personality is nothing new. How, in fact, Trump’s timing couldn’t be better... for the worse. If anything, we created all this monster together.
Linda McInerney of Eggtooth Productions directs this adapted version.
Advanced tickets are in limited batches and start at $8 and go up in two dollar increments until they reach $14 online. Get tickets now to save money. $15 at the door. Buy Tickets
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