Pioneer Valley Theatre News May 18, 2017

Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser May 18-June 7, 2017 Getting warmer! Sure does feel like summer is here this week! (Sounds like a good excuse to find a cool, dark theatre to hide out in to me!) This is the 104th Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter - the TWO YEAR anniversary! Thank you to everyone for submitting your events and for supporting local theatre. Keep sharing and keep attending! The next issue will include events through June 14. 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 Theatre as Resistance by Robert Stanton From the article:  On November 9, 2016, we despaired. The republic that our parents had worked to build and defend seemed in existential danger. The institutions designed to protect us seemed hollow. All that we’d worked to achieve seemed fruitless. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com PERFORMANCES The Majestic Theater presents LA CAGE AUX FOLLES MAY 18-28 The Majestic Theater in West Springfield will conclude its 20th Anniversary Season with the Tony Award-winning musical “La Cage aux Folles, written by Jerry Herman and Havey Fierstein, April 13 through May 28. The play, which won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book for its original 1983 Broadway production, tells the story of Georges, his longtime romantic partner Albin, and the complications that arise when Georges' son Jean-Michel comes home to announce that he is engaged to Anne, a young woman whose father is head of the “Tradition, Family and Morality Party.” Georges is the manager and master of ceremonies of the Saint-Tropez drag nightclub La Cage aux Folles, where Albin is the star attraction. Anne's conservative parents are led to believe that Georges is a retired diplomat, and their plan to visit their daughter's future in-laws creates havoc. “La Cage aux Folles,” which inspired the hit movie “The Birdcage,” is in turns heartwarming and riotously funny, ultimately spotlighting the power and love behind family values. Cast members include Majestic veterans Ben Ashley (Georges), Luis Manzi (Albin), Josiah Durham (Jean-Michel), Christine St. Amant-Greene (Marie Dindon), Walter Mantani (Dindon), Lori Efford (Jacqueline) and Freddie Marion (Renaud). Also appearing will be Doug Lebelle (Jacob), Jackie Mishol (Anne), Luke Smith (Francis), Rich Vaden (Chantel), Tomm Knightlee (Hanna), Ian Weber (Phaedra), Steven Sands (Babette), Michael Garcia (Bitelle) and Gregorio Malonte (Angelique). Danny Eaton, producing director at the Majestic, will direct the show. Mitch Chakour will serve as musical director. Greg Trochlil is the set designer and Dan Rist is lighting designer. Costume designer is Dawn McKay and Tony Isham is costume consultant. The choreography is by Stacy Ashley and sound design is by Justin LeTellier. Stephen Pettit is production stage manager. Ticket for the play range from $26-$33 and are available by calling or visiting the box office during its hours of operation, which are Monday through Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday10am – 1pm. The phone number is (413) 747-7797. Happier Valley Comedy presents the Happier FAMILY Comedy Show May 20 at 4:00 PM Eastworks Community Room 116 Pleasant St Easthampton, MA Monthly family-friendly improv comedy show, best for 5-12 year olds and their adults. Saturday, May 20th at 4-5pm at the Community Room (Suite 160) Eastworks (116 Pleasant Street, Easthampton). Tickets at the door: $10/Adults, $5/Kids, Free/3 yrs and under. For more info: www.happiervalley.com. Eggtooth Productions promises to temporarily obliterate your political anxiety with a local twist on a classic game show with  Match Game 413 on Monday, May 22, 2017 at the Shea Theatre, 71 Ave. A, Turners Falls. AND WE'RE BACK. YOU ALL LOVED IT SO WE ARE DOING IT AGAIN! Come see our redux of the classic 70's Game Show live on stage at the Shea Theater! Contestants match wits with six local panelists to supply the missing word in a phrase or sentence presented by the host. In two rocking rounds, contestants "fill in the blank" and try to win their game -- and a prize from a local business! Match Game tends to get bawdy, with double entendres, innuendo and risque humor. Leave the kids at home because it's guaranteed to get filthy! Featuring your favorite panelists! Lindel Hart, Monte Belmonte, Kay Lyons and the amazing Joe Dulude II as Brett Somers! Linda McInerney will judge the madness and Rod Hart will Emcee! The Shea Theater's bar opens an hour before the show starts, so come early and enjoy adult beverages! Lubricate your funny bone and then sit back and enjoy the [blank]. Show starts at 7:00 PM; doors and bar open at 6:00 PM Tickets: $10 at the door. What happens at the Shea, stays at the Shea! Eggtooth Productions and Jack Golden present YOU DON’T KNOW JACK  June 2 & 3, 2017 at 7:30 PM at the Shea Theatre 71 Ave. A, Turners Falls, MA. Tickets are $15 and available online and at the door. A portion of the proceeds to benefit the Franklin County Community Meals Program. Jack Golden has spent almost a half a century traveling the country as a performance artist. Early on, he was bestowed his clown shoes by the renowned Pickle Family Circus (where Bill Irwin got his start), and honed his expressive body with Tony Montanaro, all the while telling stories to inspire and tickle. Jack has evolved his own alchemy of clowning, story, and movement that belongs to him alone. YOU DON’T KNOW JACK shares the story of his life through his life’s work in ways that will bring laughter, tears, and reflection. You’ll find yourself in the company of a guide who has it all: a red nose, an open heart, and a finely tuned compass for comedy. And you will come to know Jack. GARBAGE IS MY BAG, a children’s show by Jack Golden June 4, 2017 at the Shea Theatre 71 Avenue A  Turners Falls, MA at 2 PM. Adults $10 and all kids are free! Meet America’s favorite trashologist, Dr. T In a rare local appearance! With a Ph.D. in Garbology, a zany and irresistible personality and a marvelous Trash-to-Treasure recycling machine, Jack Golden, as Dr. T, juggles and jokes his way through a world of waste. Children, accompanied by an adult, get in FREE thanks to Franklin County Solid Waste District.   In Garbage Is My Bag, an award winning family performance, Jack Golden is the comedic “expert” Dr. T, who delves into a mountain of trash- and an even bigger bag of vaudeville and circus tricks- to explore the serious issues of solid waste.   Dr. T delights his audiences while sharing his knowledge that rubbish is a resource that is just too good to throw away.   Since 1989 Garbage Is My Bag has be helping hundreds of thousands of people around the country explore the serious issues of our wasteful habits in the hilarious context of a professionally staged variety show.   Jack Golden, in the role of Dr. T uses the power of live performance to engage audiences with facts about the solid waste problem and a positive model on how to solve them. The goal of the program is to strengthen new attitudes towards our common resources. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Intern or Apprentice with New Century Theatre Seeking backstage crew, ASMs, board ops, costume assistants, set and lighting assistants, and many more opportinuties for our 2017 season.  Performances are at PVPA in South Hadley and the Academy of Music in Northampton. Internships run June 20-August 20, and can be designed for the whole time or for select shows and dates. Apprenticeships are for high school aged students, Internships are for college aged students and can also be tailored for community members of any age!  For more information, see the description and applications on the website or send an email.    Valley Light Opera announces May auditions for its 43rd annual Fall production of Lerner and Loewe's "My Fair Lady" - to be presented at the historic Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts November 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12, 2017. Auditions will be held at Parish Hall of Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Ave, Amherst, MA on Thursday May 18th from 7:00-9:30PM and on Saturday, May 20th from 10AM-3PM. Callbacks may be requested at the directors' discretion.  Rehearsals will be in Hadley or Amherst, start in early September and are typically held on two weekdays from 7-9:30 and Sundays 5-9:00(with snacks coordinated by rotating cast member volunteers and company dinner on Sundays) Rehearsals will be at the Academy daily in the evening during tech week just prior to opening night.  Based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, with book, music and lyrics by Lerner and Loewe, MY FAIR LADY is the tale of a cockney flower girl transformed into an elegant lady. The classic American musical features one of theatre’s greatest scores, along with memorable, iconic characters such as Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins.  Valley Light Opera will be performing My Fair Lady as a fully-staged and orchestrated production, complete with the sumptuous costumes and splendid sets for which the company is renowned.  Artistic/Stage Director: Drew Gilbert Music Director: Aldo Fabrizi To audition please click on this link to schedule a date and time. Auditioners for lead parts are encouraged to come on Saturday, although it is certainly possible to audition other days. .  Auditioners should be familiar with descriptions of the show and roles, which may be found by searching general online material related to My Fair Lady for more information. Vocal scores, recordings and piano-vocal sheet music for audition selections are widely available online - and may be downloaded for a nomimal charge or membership fee at sites such as Scribd. Piano-Vocal scores have also been placed on reserve at Jones Library in Amherst and Forbes Library in Northampton. Character descriptions, vocal ranges and required audition vocal selections appear on the Facebook event. Auditioners for leads will be asked to read from the script for their roles.  There are also a variety of singing and dancing ensemble parts of all vocal ranges and ages, such as servants, flower girls, Ascot race patrons, and employees, Embassy Ball guests - including the Queen of Transylvania and her escort, bar patrons, cockney choristers, buskers, market vendors and bystanders. Ensembles will likely play multiple roles and some will later be selected for individual speaking and singing parts.  Auditioners for ensemble should prepare a piece to sing in the style of the show - bring piano music if not from My Fair Lady. Ensemble auditioners will not be required to read.  All auditioners should be prepared to indicate dance ability and any experience - some may be asked to participate in a brief dance/movement piece. Audition forms are accessible via a Google Drive link here:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5vVte0QiPNCTzYzcjJTV1pnQTA or on our web page at vlo.org, and will also be available at the audition. Please fill out your audition form in advance or arrive early enough to complete it prior to your audition. Valley Light Opera is committed to diversity and everyone is encouraged to audition and participate. We also have MANY roles behind the scenes. If you have a talent for theatre arts and sciences, or want to learn - we welcome volunteers at all levels for backstage, technical, costume, administration, publicity and assistants to the production team - whether or not you audition or are cast! Valley Light Opera is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization based in Amherst, MA. Each year for over 40 years the VLO has produced fully-staged, orchestrated and lavishly costumed productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and other large musical theater works. Rehearsals are typically in Hadley or Amherst, and performances at the Academy of Music in Northampton. Applicants who are unfamiliar with the VLO are encouraged to explore our website at vlo.org. Questions? Please email the VLO at valleylightopera@gmail.com. You can also visit our facebook page at facebook.com/valleylightopera Auditions: New Musical & Justice League Characters Six Flags Shows & Entertainment is seeking to fill openings for their summer productions Six Flags New England Human Resource Center Currently looking to hire: Male singer/dancers for brand new 80's themed musical revue.  18+ Not height/weight specific. Men and Women to portray famous DC Comics Justice League Superheroes. (IE: Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.).   Heights ranging 5'6"-6'2". Physically fit. Contact 413-786-9300 ext.3320 for more information and to schedule an audition appointment. www.sixflagsjobs.com St. Michael's Players presents Auditions for Seussical the Musical June 7 and 8 St. Michael's Parish Center, 53 Somers Road, East Longmeadow Auditions for ages 7-12 at 6:00 PM Teens/Adults at 7:00 PM Audition applications can be found on the website, along with a song list, character descriptions and additional audition information. Please be prepared to sing a song from the show, and expect to learn a short group dance. A pianist will be available for accompaniment; no CDs please. Callbacks will take place on Monday, June 12th More information. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Announcing a new Real Live Theatre Workshop: DEVISING AND DECONSTRUCTION FRIDAY JULY 14th 6:30-9:30pm AND SATURDAY JULY 15th 10:00-5:00pm with a lunch break AND SUNDAY July 16th 10:00-5:00pm with a lunch break; sharing at 3:00pm In this workshop, theatre artists and RLT members Dan Morbyrne and Toby Bercovici (who recently collaborated on the “new” Shakespeare play The Life and Death of Queen Margaret) lead you through the process of deconstructing a classic text. Using Shakespeare’s King Lear, participants will spend three days engaging with exercises in improvisation, creative composition, gesture work, writing, moving, and more, to take apart and then put back together this dynamic text. The workshop will culminate in a sharing for family and friends. Open to actors, writers, directors, dancers, and folks interested in expanding their creative repertoire. For ages 18 and up. Location: North Star building, 45 Amherst Road, Sunderland, MA 01375 Cost: $150-$300 sliding scale, scholarships available Email us at reallivetheatre@gmail.com for more information or to reserve a spot! More information here. UMassTheater presents The Summer Theater and Performance Intensive Beginning July 23, 2017  UMass Theater, Fine Arts Center Find your voice as an actor and as a theater artist! Experience life on a college campus! Find your voice as an actor and as a theater artist at UMass this summer! From July 23 to August 5, the UMass Department of Theater will offer its first-ever Summer Theater and Performance Intensive, a 2-week theater-making course open to all high school students with a passion for performance, theater-making, and changing the world through theater. The intensive is designed for students with all levels of theater experience, since the nature of devised theater allows seasoned actors as well as novices to work at the level that challenges them creatively. Participants in the intensive will devise (co-create) and mount a new theater piece that reflects their concerns, hopes and ideas about their communities and the world. All students will perform in the piece, which will be presented publicly at the close of the session. The students will become an ensemble through rehearsal, impassioned discussions, theater games, acting exercises, and the unifying process of creating a new work of theater. The course will be taught by UMass Department of Theater faculty member Lena Cuomo and director Jen Onopa. Both Lena and Jen are committed to nurturing a new generation of theater practitioners and are incredibly excited to launch this new program. “We are so excited to offer a program that will give each individual student a chance to develop their own essential and unique voice ,” said Cuomo. In addition to the main theater program, members of the intensive will get a taste of college life. During their two weeks at UMass, students will live in UMass dorms, eat at the dining halls, and participate in optional evening social events and college prep sessions. The Department of Theater welcomes students of all races, ethnic origins, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identifications to apply. Some need-based scholarships will be available to students who may not otherwise be able to afford the program tuition. More information.  Two week session of summer theater for children ages 8-13 at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield July 31-August 11, 2017 The program is a two-week theater intensive where we build an original version of a well-known play through improvisational games. All actors will have the opportunity to use text if they choose, and all students will learn plots and characters of classic plays, but the actors will have a great deal of choice in the characters they play and the words they say. In the past six years we have done several original mysteries, Moliere's The Physician in Spite of Himself, and  Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and last year's critically acclaimed tragicomedy, Hamlet. Come play! After all, the play's the thing...  Running time of camp, 9 am to 3 pm with mornings devoted to theater games and then on to rehearsal. Lunch will be provided in the beautiful Gibbs Dining Hall. Recess will take place in the afternoon with activities including walking to the Rock, swimming in Schwab pool, playing on the fields, and enjoying the gym. Performance last Friday afternoon to showcase week's work with parents and friends invited to each performance.    More information at: www.eggtooth.org The cost is $560 with a limit of 15 children. A check may be made payable to Eggtooth, 102 Highland Ave. Greenfield, MA 01301. For more information call Linda at 413-522-1445. Founded in 1922, Eaglebrook School is a located on 750 acres along Pocumtuck Ridge in Deerfield, MA just off of Routes 5 and 10 in the village of Old Deerfield. The Percival Theatre is a 260 seat theatre featuring beautiful acoustics and flexible seating. 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