Pioneer Valley Theatre News October 25, 2018

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser  October 25 - November 14, 2018 Happy almost Halloween! I hope you found the perfect costume.  The next issue will include events through November 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 American Theatre Pack and Play: Theatre Parents Find Strength in Numbers by Caroline Macon From the article:  It was January in Chicago, and my fingers were freeze pops. I was so sleep-deprived I forgot to wear gloves. My 3-month-old son was at home, weepy and adorable all at once. It was the end of my maternity leave, and this was one of the first times since his birth I was without him. He will be okay, I told myself. Think of all the happy, successful parents you know who spend time without their babies. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Want to know even more about events in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet PERFORMANCES Smith College Department of Theatre presents WORLD PREMIERE performance of MOONLIGHT ON THE MISKATONIC Music & Lyrics by Clifton J. Noble, Book by Samantha Noble, and Directed by Ellen W. Kaplan October 25, 26, 27 at 7:30 PM in Theatre 14 The campus of Miskatonic U is decked out for Illumination Night. Four alums have arrived for their five-year reunion, only to find creepy goings-on hidden behind the ivy-covered walls, and the terrifying disappearances of students keep happening. There’s a snake in Paradise….or something much, much worse. Based on the super-scary stories of HP Lovecraft, this new musical is about love, friendship, and growing up – and about horrors that lurk very near.   Tickets $10 General, $5 Students and Seniors, Free for Smith Students.  Tickets online or call 413-585-3220. UMass Theater presents Snowflakes, or Rare White People Oct. 25, 26, 27, Nov. 1, 2, 3 at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. School Matinee Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. The Rand Theater, Fine Arts Center, UMass Directed by Gabriel Harrell Tickets: $15 general admission, $5 students and seniors. Purchase online If you purchase an individual ticket to Snowflakes and decide to subscribe, you can apply your Snowflakes ticket price toward the cost of your subscription! (Contact the box office by Nov. 10 with proof of purchase; some restrictions may apply.) We start our season funny, with Dustin Chinn's pointed, futuristic comedy Snowflakes, or Rare White People. In Nueva New York in the 23rd Century, a cadre of nearly-extinct white hipsters escape the museum exhibit in which they live, bringing a perilous level of Caucasity to the rest of society. We’re thrilled for a second opportunity to engage with Chinn's sly, hysterical commentary, which we first encountered in last year’s Play Lab. https://fac.umass.edu/Online/article/TheaterDepartment Greenfield Community College presents  FRANKENSTEIN Oct 26, 27 at 7:30pm, Sunday Matinee Oct 28 at 2pm, Halloween Night Oct 31 at 7:30pm GCC's Sloan Theater, Main Campus, One College Drive, Greenfield, MA A new adaptation by Roddy Barnes, based on the novel by Mary Shelley. This version of FRANKENSTEIN has comedic and poignant dialogue, along with the ever-present eeriness that defines the best of FRANKENSTEIN. Directed by Tom Geha, this production has a cast of eleven characters and a combined cast and crew of over twenty students, alumni, and faculty. Please join us for the excitement. Tickets Exit 7 Players presents Sweeney Todd Oct 26-Nov 2 (Fridays/Saturday’s at 8pm, Sunday’s at 2pm) Exit 7 Theater, 37 Chestnut Street, Ludlow, MA An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to nineteenth century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which, he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up... and the carnage has only just begun! Directed by Kim Overtree, Musically Directed by Dan Monte.  Cast List: Sweeney Todd - Ryan Bird Mrs. Lovett - Stephanie Gilbert Anthony - Jeff Baum Johanna - McKenna Troy Beggar Woman - Marguerite Durant  Tobias Ragg - Johnny Gordon Aldolpho Pirelli - Erik Gladwin Judge Turpin - Brian Cipoletta  The Beadle - Drew Gilbert Jonas Fogg - Jim Brennan Ensemble Jim Brennan Phoebe Blaisdell Angie Bourdeau Regina Diemand Monique DuBois Leon Jerfita Craig Judicki Peter Kochanek Mary Marcil-Labbe Andy Price Krista Stoops Kerry Turok Lucy Tew Bridget Venezia Amelia Weatherbee Emily Yesu SWEENEY TODD The Demon Barber of Fleet Street A Musical Thriller Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM Book by HUGH WHEELER From an Adaptation by CHRISTOPHER BOND Originally Directed On Broadway by HAROLD PRINCE Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick Originally Produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards in Association with Dean and Judy Manos Sweeney Todd Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).  All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.  www.MTIShows.com exit7players.org THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK This is an immersive experience to honor the legacy of Anne Frank, through the mediums of live theater performance, music, and visual arts and includes: A Full Scale Production of the award winning stage version of "The Diary of Anne Frank" Traveling Art Exhibit from The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect entitled "Art and Propaganda" Music Performed and Underscoring the Play in collaboration with the Leo Smit Foundation Cost: Payment required - Play & Art Exhibit: $20 adults, $15 seniors & students Art Exhibit only: Suggested donation Adrienne Truscott’s Asking For It mixes humor, dance, and video while undoing the rules and rhetoric surrounding rape and comedy. Adrienne straddles the world of stand-up and performance art in this one woman show dressed only from the waist up and ankles down. With commentary from George Carlin, Louis C. K. and Robert De Niro, she takes on ducks, mini-skirts, rape whistles, Daniel Tosh, and Rick Ross all while drinking enough gin & tonics to get a girl in trouble. Heavy at its core but light on its feet, Adrienne makes jokes about rape all night long…even if you ask her to stop. “Brutal, brilliant and brave…if you miss it you will miss the moment in the history of stand-up comedy wherein a woman actually took the genre and did something with it that no man could do. This is without doubt the most powerful hour of comedy.” – The Scotsman (UK) “Truscott is always a step ahead… with firecracker wit, sophistication and luminous humanity.” (Guardian, UK) “I’d heard rumors of the audacity and excellence of Ms. Truscott’s ‘Asking for It’ in the midst of the performance festivals that crowd New York each January…Those rumors are true” (Alexis Soloski – The New York Times) *This show contains nudity and strong language. Show Date/ Time: Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 8:00 pm Doors at 7:30 pm Ticket Prices: $20.00 (plus applicable fees) Where/ How Tickets Can be Purchased:  Academy of Music Box Office Open Tuesday- Friday 3:00PM-6:00PM Call: 413-584-9032 ext.105 (Service fees will apply with purchase) Online Tickets  Sunderland Public Library presents Sunderland Short Stories October 30, 6:30 PM Sunderland Public Library, 20 School Street, Sunderland, MA Actors Ellen Morbyrne and Linda Putnam usher in Halloween by performing some really spooky ghost stories, written by Rosemary Timperley and Cynthia Asquith.  For more info, call 413-665-2642. This event is free and open to the public.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Sunderland Public Library. Website. “THE WAR AND WALT WHIPPLE” TAKES OVER MAJESTIC THEATER  NOVEMBER 1 – DECEMBER 9 Premiere Production of Latest Play Written by Majestic’s Producing Director Danny Eaton “The War and Walt Whipple,” a comedy/drama written by Danny Eaton, makes its debut at West Springfield’s Majestic Theater November 1 – December 9. Eaton is the producing director at the Majestic. The play, based on events in Eaton’s family history, tells the story of Walt and Alice Whipple, parents to four sons. When World War II erupts, three of the sons immediately join the services, but before shipping out, each marries and sends their wives to the Whipple family homestead for the duration of the war. The arrival of three daughters-in-law, following a lifetime raising sons, challenges Walt on many levels. “I was inspired to write this play because I wanted my children and grandchildren, who are generationally removed, to better understand the life my parents and my grandparents led,” said Eaton. “World War II was a time of common purpose in America, and those families who endured such hardships deserve to be remembered and honored. It was a great experience for me, as one of three survivors of my generation, to look back into my family's history and to bring life to it. My dad was the story teller in the family, and I hope this play not only carries on that tradition, but maybe even inspires a few people to reach back into their own lives.” “The War and Walt Whipple” features several actors who have appeared in previous Majestic plays including J. T. Waite, Sue Dziura, Ron Komora, Tom Dahl, Margaret Streeter and Mark Dean. They join other cast members including Katie Mack, Jami Wilson, Jordan Reed, Chris Rojas, Joshua True and Cliff Blake. Eaton will direct the play, and set design is by Greg Trochlil. Dawn McKay is costume designer, Dan Rist is lighting designer and Stephen Petit is production stage manager. Tickets range from $24-$34 and are now available by calling or visiting the box office during its hours of operation, which are Monday through Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 1pm. Subscriptions are still being accepted for the five Season shows. Valley Light Opera presents Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers November 2, 3,9,10 7:30PM and November 4,11 at 2:30PM Academy of Music Theater, Northampton Set in Venice and Spain, this lively and colorful comic opera includes some of Sullivan’s most beautiful and soaring tunes along with extravagant dancing and ensemble numbers. The Gondoliers is the most popular and often-performed of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operettas after the “Big Three”- Mikado, Pirates and Pinafore. True to form, the operetta is also full of Gilbert’s most biting satire and hilariously clever wit. No one is safe and the society and government targets are still relevant to modern times. Valley Light Opera will be performing The Gondoliers as a complete, elaborately staged production with a full orchestra and choral ensemble, splendid sets and the sumptuous costuming for which the company is renowned. Performed with supertitles.  Music Director: Aldo Fabrizi Artistic Director: Michael Budnick Choreographers: Sue Dresser and Nicole Newell http://aom.ticketfly.com Company website http://vlo.org The Wilbraham United Players will present the hysterically funny PLAY ON! written by Rick Abbott November 2, 3, 9, 10 at 7:30 and November 4 and 11 at 2:30 in Fellowship Hall. This show is a “play within a play” about a group of community players attempting to present a play by a very hands-on local author who fancies herself the next Agatha Christie.  Laughs abound – the cast includes many WUP favorites including David Chivers, Carolyn Averill, Christine Arruda, Kevin Bechard, Catherine and Jim Martin, along with Meaghan Callahan and Casey Dion.  Newcomers to WUP Theresa Allie and Carol Cisek join the group for this production.  The show is directed by Joe Van Allen. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling Karen Kielb at (413)204-8125. Premium Reserved Seats are $25 and General Seating is $20 with a $5 discount available for Students and Seniors. Smith College Department of Theatre New Play Reading Series: POOK by Mary Beth Brooker Thursday, November 8 at 7:30 PM Acting Studio 1, Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, Smith College Written and performed by Mary Beth Brooker  Part clown, part spirit, part riddle, the solitary storyteller of Pook invites us to laughter and contemplation. Free and open to the public.  HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE MUSIC AND THEATER DEPARTMENTS PRESENT: IN THE HEIGHTS Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda Directed by Patricia Sandoval Musical Direction by Ellen Cogen Choreography by Tiffany Joseph Set around Fourth of July in the primarily Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City, "In the Heights" tells the universal stories of three generations living in this vibrant community. Their neighborhood is on the brink of change, and the characters sing about their hopes and struggles. These songs tell audiences about the dreams of first-generation college student Nina Rosario; Abuela Claudia, who left her home country of Cuba as a child; Usnavi de la Vega and Daniela, who fight to keep their small businesses open as the neighborhood faces gentrification; and many others. Each character negotiates which traditions are important for them to keep and which ones they should leave behind. PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES THURS NOV 8 @ 7PM FRI NOV 9 @ 7PM SAT NOV 10 @ 2PM AND 7PM THURS NOV 15 @ 7PM FRI NOV 16 @ 7PM SAT NOV 17 @ 7PM In the Leslie Phillips Theater in the Fine & Performing Arts Building of Holyoke Community College (park in LOT F) Tickets available online and at the door: $10 General Admission $8 for Seniors and non-HCC Students $5 for HCC Faculty, Staff, and Students This production is made possible, in part, by the support of the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts. IN THE HEIGHTS is presented through a special arrangement with R & H Theatricals: www.rnh.com Bay Path University "We Will Rock You" - The Musical by Queen Thursday, November 8 at 7:30, Friday, November 9 at 7:30, Saturday, November 10 at 2:00 and 7:30, Sunday, November 11 at 2:00 588 Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow, MA 06106 Get ready to rock! Based on the legendary music of Queen, “We Will Rock You” follows two revolutionaries as they fight to save rock n’ roll in a post-apocalyptic world, where free thinking, fashion, and live music are forbidden. Featuring a fantastic score of more than 20 killer Queen tunes, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and “Somebody to Love,” this hilarious, multi-award-winning and record-breaking phenomenon is the world champion of musicals, and the show that parties harder than any other! This November, will you do the fandango? RUNTIME: 2 Hours and 15 Minutes (including one intermission) TICKETS: Adults: $14.00 Senior Citizens: $10.00 Children (up to age 18): $5.00 Family Bundle (2 Adults and 2 Children): $35.00 (with code “FamilyBundle”) College Students with ID: Free Buy tickets online starting October 1 at Baypath.tix.com or visit|call the Student Information Desk (413) 565 – 1307. Killer Queen’s School of Rock | The Hard Rock Cafe 30 minutes prior to each performance in Carr 202 and 212 Get on your bikes and ride to the Killer Queen School of Rock for that crazy little thing called crafts! Young Bohemians will see a little silhouetto of complimentary coloring pages, activities, and show-related arts and crafts on site 30 minutes prior to each performance. Budding young rockstars can walk the red carpet and strike a righteous pose at the photo booth, before making a pit stop at the Hard Rock Cafe for some rocket fuel and rebel fare! Ghost Light Theater presents Sex With Strangers by Laura Eason November 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 at 8:00 PM, November 11 at 2:00 PM Gateway City Arts, 92-114 Race St. Holyoke, MA How far will you go to get what you want? Will you be the same person if you do? When twentysomething star sex blogger and memoirist Ethan tracks down his idol, the gifted but obscure forty-ish novelist Olivia, he finds they each crave what the other possesses. As attraction turns to sex, and they inch closer to getting what they want, both must confront the dark side of ambition and the trouble of reinventing oneself when the past is only a click away. Featuring Susanna Apgar as Olivia and Ethan Blake as Ethan Directed by Kevin Tracy *This production is not appropriate for young audiences.* More information. On Friday, November 9, 2018, Silverthorne Theater is proud to present Humorist and Storyteller DYLAN BRODY’s special benefit performance in theHawks & Reed Ballroom of THE GREATEST SHOW EVER: Hilarious Stories and Poignant Meditations on the World We Share.  Mr. Brody describes this full evening of comedy as the “long-awaited follow-up to his 2009 hit show, More Arts/Less Martial.” Attendees will have a choice of intimate stage-front table seating, or theater seating. When they arrive, they will walk the red carpet in front of Hawks & Reed, and smile for the paparazzi! )  Anyone buying their ticket online by October 20 will be eligible to win a free limousine ride to and from the Event (donated by West County Limos.) Centennial House Bed & Breakfast in Northfield will provide housing for Mr. Brody during his stay. Premium table seating is $50 per person; general admission theater seating is $35 per person. An intimate lunch with Mr. Brody at Thai Blue Ginger Restaurant is $20 per person. Tickets available now at Eventbrite.com or by calling 413-768-7514. The Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center is located at 289 Main St., Greenfield. Happier Valley Comedy presents Scripted/Unscripted November 10 ay 7:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy Theater, 1 Mill Rd, Hadley, MA Our most popular show is back! SCRIPTED/UNSCRIPTED pairs one professional actor following a published script line-by-line with one plucky improviser doing their best to play along without having any idea what scene they're in. It's a dazzling display of acting chops, quick thinking, and the magic of the moment! Saturday, November 10th at 7pm AND 9pm at the new Happier Valley Comedy Theater (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, on rte.9). Tickets: $13 online and at the door. For more info: www.happiervalley.com. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES   UMass Theater Auditions: Actors and singers needed for English-language premiere of Wild Thing   Oct. 29 & 30, 6:30-10:30 p.m. RAND Theater Fine Arts Center  Callbacks Oct. 31, 6-10:30 p.m.    UMass Theater seeks a diverse cast of actors and singers with a facility with heightened language and full-body physical commitment for our production of Wild Thing, an English world-premiere of a play written in 1613 that tackles gender in an astonishingly modern way. Auditions are Oct. 29 and 30 in the Rand Theater, and students and community members of any age, race, ethnic origin, ability, sexual orientation or gender identification are welcome! We encourage trans or nonbinary actors as well as cis-gender women to audition for the lead role of Gila. Actors are asked to please prepare any heightened language monologue. This includes the option of choosing a monologue from Wild Thing. We are also open to Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, Moliere, Mac Wellman, Suzan-Lori Parks, etc. If you are a singer, please also prepare a section from "Serrana" (a recording and sheet music are in our audition folder). You will have the opportunity to go over the music with the composer, Eric Sawyer, before you sing. Half the roles in Wild Thing include singing and half do not. It is completely fine to audition without singing. Please read the entire script before the audition. (It is also accessible in the audition folder.) Visit our AUDITIONS page for updated audition details, links to the script, and sign-up information.  To sign up for an audition slot visit SignUpGenius. Request for Proposals Eggtooth Productions Radical Interconnectedness Festival Turners Falls, MA April 26, 27, 2019 We are seeking proposals from artists to address the concerns of marginalized communities.   We invite stories that engage issues of race, age, gender, religion, economic class, and those aspects of cultural identity that have been suppressed.   We seek a wide range of artistic expression: music, dance, theatrical, visual, immersive, installation.   Commission fee will be $500 and Eggtooth will provide the venue, the audience, and promotions for the work.   Email proposals to: lmciner@gmail.com Deadline is October 31, 2018 Smith College Department of Theatre presents Auditions for THE MOORS by Jen Silverman directed by Isabelle Brown '19 Sunday, November 4 and Tuesday, November 6, 7-10 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre Callbacks: Wednesday, November 7, 7-10 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre Two sisters and a dog live out their lives on the bleak English moors, dreaming of love and power. The arrival of a hapless governess and a moor-hen set all three on a strange and dangerous path. The Moors is a dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility. Roles for 6 Actors. Performances are February 22, 23, 28, March 1, 2 at 7:30 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre No appointment or preparation necessary. Sides from the script will be provided. Perusal scripts are available in Josten Library.  Questions? Email artsinfo@smith.edu Request for Proposals to Performing Artists! O come all ye faithful be part of Eggtooth Productions’ 3rd Holiday Spectacular! Submissions due by November 15, 2018 to lmciner@gmail.com Eggtooth Productions & Mr Drag and Karl are now taking submissions for participation in the Third Holiday Spectacular on Dec. 14 and 15, 2018.  Performances must be holiday themed.  This can be from any holiday which happens at the end of December including Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, etc.  In fact, we encourage diversity!  Performances will be limited to 5 minutes (1 song) for a musical/dance number and 3-4 minutes for a spoken word/other performance.  Try to keep submissions upbeat (remember we are trying to keep it light and entertaining and holiday feeling for the audience), but we will accept some sentimental holiday numbers. The concept is simple.  Mr Drag and Karl will be hosting.  The set will look like Mr Drag’s living room.  Everyone will be coming on as guests of Mr Drag and Karl and will be performing at their home just like an old TV holiday special.  He may invite the guests to sit on his couch and chat before or after their number.  There is an opening number being performed by Mr Drag, Karl and the Karl-a-like dancers.  Lori Holmes-Clark will be choreographing. There will be a finale.  Anyone interested in the finale, will have to agree to two rehearsals prior to tech. If interested, please include your name, contact info a brief description of your performance, limited to 3-5 sentences.  Also, if you are interested in being a part of the finale, being interviewed by Mr Drag or being one of the Karl-a-like dancers please mention that in your submission. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Happier Valley Comedy The Zen of Improv One-Day Intensive November 3 at 1:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy Theater (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley) Are you an actor who would like to strengthen your improv skills? Would you like to play and laugh in a supportive community? Do you want to get better at thinking on your feet? Could you use some practice in mindfulness?  turning off your inner critic?  ​being brave? Would you like to become more confident speaking in public? Curious about how this whole improv comedy thing works? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, Zen of Improv One-Day Intensive would be an ever so lovely way to spend the day. Happier Valley Comedy's Founder and Head of Happiness Pam Victor offers this five-hour* intensive for adults who want to try something fun, rewarding, and, quite possibly, mind-expanding. You'll learn a very gentle, very easy, patient approach to improv comedy in an incredibly positive and accepting atmosphere that will get you up on your feet and out of your head. Through improv exercises,  games, and scenework, you'll practice the vital improvisation skills of paying attention acutely, accepting other peoples ideas, redefining and disempowering failure, staying in the moment, quieting your critical voice to invite more joy and ease into your work, and much more. No experience necessary. Being funny is not required! Everyone can improvise. (No joke.)  Join Pam for the Zen of Improv. ​It’s good for the stage and it’s good for the soul! ​ Pre-requisite: None. This intensive is great for people who want to get the whole Zen of Improv 1 curriculum in one improvluscious day as well as experienced performers who'd like to get a healthy dose of the Zen of Improv way. Register Here. Registration opens to the public on Friday, Oct. 26 at 6am! This one will fill up quickly. Submit your workshop or class or audition or performance or job or any other theatre opportunity here! Pioneer Valley Theatre Companies Is your theatre company missing? Email me! Academy of Music Theatre Arena Civic Theatre Black Cat Theater Chester Theatre Company The Country Players Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Ghost Light Theater Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater New Century Theatre PaintBox Theatre Pauline Productions Real Live Theatre Red Thread Theater Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players 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|*