Pioneer Valley Theatre News September 12, 2019

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser   September 12 - October 2, 2019 The second floor of the Old Town Hall in Easthampton is a beautiful and enormous unobstructed space, a perfect home for a flexible performance venue - exactly what CitySpace is currently raising money to create. It's a 6.6 million dollar project, but is already over halfway funded. Please donate whatever you can to make this project a reality. Your support of CitySpace is truly a donation to all the performing arts companies and creators in the Pioneer Valley - a flexible, accessible, affordable venue will provide a home to all kinds of performance. Instead of giving to one company, consider this a gift to many.  The next issue will include events through October 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 Submit Your Theatre Event More Information: Acting Technique Classes with Real Live Theatre in October YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from Howlround Unmanly Grief: Performing a Trans Hamlet by Ashley O'Mara From the article:  With the theatre industry’s recent interest in casting trans actors, Jenet Le Lacheur—a transfeminine Brit who earned recognition, before coming out, in the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child—has already performed in the two roles they’ve always wanted to star in. Even better: the roles were with directors capable and responsive enough to make the most of Le Lacheur’s talents and expertise as a genderqueer performer. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar PERFORMANCES “CAMPUS UNREST” NEXT UP IN SILVERTHORNE THEATER NEW PLAY READING SERIES   Local author Talya Kingston’s powerful play, Campus Unrest, kicks off Silverthorne’s  fall rehearsed play reading series, Theater Thursdays . It will be read at 7 pm on Thursday, September 12 in the Franklin County Coop meeting space at 170 Main Street, Greenfield. The reading is free and open to the public.   The playwright and director describe the action of the play in the following manner: "Tensions are high nationwide and violence on the streets too abundant. The ripple effects of this are felt on a small New England college campus, where a British academic couple and a first generation student each attempt to find their own voice, escape ghosts of the past and move the conversations around injustice one step forward."    Under the direction of Trenda Loftin, the cast of six readers includes Rachel Braidman as newly-arrived history and gender studies professor Mia, Silk Johnson as Mia’s partner Kwame, and Terna Tilley as fellow faculty member Angela."  Steve Folmar will read the role of student activist Darren Williams, while Julissa Rodriguez reads Jo Milner whose classes Mia has taken over; Joan Sartori reads the roles of both a faculty wife, Sue Spencer and a colleague, Professor Cellino.   Playwright Talya Kingston is a dramaturg, playwright and educator with a particular investment in new play development and theatre for social change.  She is the Associate Artistic Director at WAM Theatre (Where Arts and Activism Meet), a Lecturer in Dramaturgy at UMass, Amherst, and the North-East Region VP for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA).  Talya is also a proud member of the Northampton Playwrights Lab, where CAMPUS UNREST was developed.  An earlier version of this script was a finalist in the 2019 Bechtel Test Fest   An integral part of Silverthorne Theater Company’s mission is to promote the development of new work, especially by Western Massachusetts and New England playwrights. In 2018, we staged the world premieres of three new works, two of which were from such writers.   In 2019 we offer Theater Thursdays, a series of free rehearsed readings of new or new to us plays, followed by audience discussions. The purpose of the readings is to give a platform for new work to be heard, and when possible, to be able to give playwrights direct audience feedback.  It also gives Silverthorne a look at plays that we might consider fully producing in future seasons. These will be held in different locations in the region. Complete information for each reading may be found at https://silverthornetheater.org.  “THE TUNA GODDESS” LAUNCHES MAJESTIC'S 23rd SEASON  SEPTEMBER 12 - OCTOBER 13 Season Subscriptions, Single Tickets Available for Mix of Musicals, Comedy, Thrills and Drama The Majestic Theater's 23rd Season will kick off with “The Tuna Goddess,” which will run September 5 through October 13, according to Producing Director Danny Eaton. The comedy/drama by Jade Schuyler tells the story of Alexandra Durning who grew up in Chatham, MA on her father Norman's fishing boat, the Harley X, but left years ago for an advertising career in Boston. She returns to settle her father's estate only to discover that he left his boat to both her and his first mate, Pete, her childhood best friend. Alex isn't interested in the boat and wants to return to Boston and her fiance, but Pete can't afford to buy her out. Alex decides to stay for one fishing season and signs on as Pete's first mate, confronting both her past and future. The play has been described as a “soaring, gritty and emotional play that will have you laughing uncontrollably one minute and then crying with heartbreak the next.” The cast includes Lexi Langs (Alexandra), Erick Kastel (Pete), Cate Damon (Deb), Tom Dahl (Sully), Rob Clark (Norman), Liam Toner (Shawn), Larkin Fox (young Alex) and Noah Tuleta (Richard). Danny Eaton will direct with set design by Greg Trochlil. Gary LaMagna is stage manager, Dawn McKay is costume designer and Dan Rist is lighting designer. Production manager is Stephen Petit and Aurora Ferraro is associate production manager. Single tickets are now available and range from $26 to $34. They can be purchased over the phone by calling (413) 747-7797 or visiting the box office. "Ropes" by Mexican playwright Barbara Colio will be performed at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls on Sept. 13, 14, 15, 20 and 21. The play is about three brothers making their way through airports to their estranged father's last tightrope walk. "I saw it in with my mother at the Two River Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 2016, and I just belly laughed and sobbed my way through it," said director Jackie Walsh, founder of Footlights at the Falls of Shelburne Falls, which is putting on the play. In the play, the brothers, Presley, Paul and Prince (named, of course, after the musicians) haven't seen their dad since they were little kids.  He ditched them to become the world's most famous tightrope walker. The play totally gets siblings: the shared history, the knowledge about each other's quirks, the love, the anger, the annoying things we do, Walsh said. "I have three brothers myself (and four sisters), so it's all really, really familiar and interesting -- I think for anyone who has siblings!" The brothers are played by Marc Kaufmann of Shelburne Falls, William Spademan of Ashfield and Chip Roughton of Florence. "They are a joy to work with," Walsh said. "All are talented actors and really nice guys." The production still needs ushers and ticket sellers. Tickets are $12 for all shows except the matinee, which is $6. All shows start at 7, except Sunday, Sept. 15, which is a 2 p.m. matinee.  Cultural council grants helped pay for the show, including grants from Shelburne, Ashfield, Colrain, Buckland, Charlemont-Hawley, Conway, Rowe, Heath, and Plainfield. There are plenty of seats. Cash/check at the door.  Reservations aren't necessary but are taken at ropesatthefalls@gmail.com. More information at shelburnejackeb@gmail.com or 413-625-9413. Fair warning: the show includes some cursing. Happier Valley Comedy presents The Ha-Ha's & Friends September 14 at 7:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy Theater, 1 Mill Rd, Hadley, MA Local favorites since 2003, The Ha-Ha's perform alongside special guests each month. Saturday, September 14th at 7pm at the 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. CitySpace presents Tours of the Second Floor of Easthampton's Old Town Hall September 14 at 6:00 PM September 29 at 7:00 PM October 5 at 7:00 PM October 12 at 6:00 PM and possibly other additional dates  Join us on a tour of the second floor of Old Town Hall. Whether you're headed to Art Walk Easthampton or off to one Easthampton's fine restaurants like Galaxy or Coco & The Cellar Bar, join us for a guided walk through of the second floor of Old Town Hall. Tour is free and open to the public. Learn more about the project cityspaceeasthampton.org/transformation Free - no reservations necessary, but you can RSVP to a Facebook event. PinProductions presents The Selfish Giant, Children's Theater September 15 at 3:00 PM Northampton Center for the Arts The Selfish Giant is a classic tale about a giant who builds a wall around his garden to keep out the town’s children but in doing so plunges his garden into an endless winter. The show’s creators, Jose Ignacio Vivero (Ecuador) and Susannah Dalton, instill a sense of urgency in the story by placing the storytellers themselves at a border wall. Traveling, depression-era hucksters, transform their wares to tell a much-needed story to the audience they find waiting to cross.  The Selfish Giant is funny, touching and fun for the whole family. It’s a celebration of the power of stories!  PinProductions is currently celebrating its first decade of creating and producing theater in English and Spanish. PinProductions has, in this time, produced multiple award-winning theater productions, most recently garnering 18 nominations and 4 awards for the Lorca play El Retablillo de Don Cristóbal. PinProduction’s dedication to children’s creative agency is seen in its new theater works for children as well as its bilingual children's pilot Basura Aventura (Trash Bash). PinProductions co-founder Susannah Dalton (Berard) grew up in Northampton and is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this project back to her home town.  The Selfish Giant is the recipient of both the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture’s Artist Grant and The Queens Council on the Arts' New Works Grant. Tickets: $8 for kids, $12 for adults  More information. Sunderland Public Library presents Sunderland Short Stories September 17 at 6:30 PM Sunderland Public Library, 20 School Street, Sunderland, MA 01375 Actors Kermit Dunkelberg and Linda Tardif will perform dramatic readings of two adult fairy tales: "The Troll Bridge, by Neil Gaiman, and "The Princess Who Stood On Her Own Two Feet," by Jeanne Desy.  The event is free and open to the public.   Sunderland Short Stories engages professional actors who use their theatrical skills to bring to life some of the best short stories from contemporary and classical literature.   This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Sunderland Public Library.  Contact 413-665-2642 for more information. SILVERTHORNE THEATER PRESENTS “THE REVOLUTIONISTS” – LAUREN GUNDERSON’S COMIC TAKE ON THE FRENCH REVOLUTION   Silverthorne’s fall kicks off with its mainstage production of Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists, a very different take on the French Revolution from the viewpoint of four prominent women of the time. The show opens Thursday, September 19 and runs through Saturday, September 28 in The Perch at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield.    A brutal comedic quartet about four very real women who lived boldly in France during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. This fast-paced play centers on the lives of feminist playwright Olympe De Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen Marie Antoinette, & Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle who hang out, murder Marat, lose their heads, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in revolutionary Paris.  The director brings a cabaret aesthetic to Silverthorne’s production; audiences can expect a fluidity of performance space and interconnection between actors and audience.   Dates for the production are September 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28 at 7:30 pm. The Sunday matinee on September 22 begins at 2 pm. Tickets for Thursdays or Sunday are $20 general admission, $18 student/senior (65+). Tickets for Friday and Saturday night shows are $25 general admission, $20 student/senior (65+.) Tickets are available through Eventbrite.com or by calling the Box Office at 413-768-7514.   Director Gina Kaufmann brings a very impressive background to her Silverthorne debut, having a long list of professional and academic productions to her credit in Chicago, New York, the Berkshires, here in the Valley and elsewhere in the US. A member of The Directors and Choreographers Society, she just completed three years as chair of the UMass Amherst Department of Theater where she is Associate Professor in the MFA Directing Program.     The cast of The Revolutionists includes Brianna Sloane* (Sunderland) as Olympe de Gouges. Sloane is founder and director of TheatreTruck,, a Valley collaborative that crafts mobile and site-specific performance, and most recently hosted “413 Says #Close the Camps.” Kyle Boatwright (Amherst) plays Marianne Angelle. An Amherst College graduate, Boatwright performed in Silverthorne’s 2017 production of Jacques Brel is Alive & Well & Living in Paris, and is one of the founding members of Strident Theatre.  Eileen Vandewalle (Danvers), who appears as Charlotte Corday, graduated from the UMass Amherst Theater program in May. Julie Nelson* (Amherst), who plays Marie Antoinette, just retired from her position as Theater Professor at UMass where she taught Acting as well as Clown, a skill she will bring to her portrayal of the famous French queen. (*Members of Actors Equity Association)   Ezekiel Baskin (Northampton) will stage manage the production; John Iverson (Bernardston), Tech Director, handles set, sound and lighting design. Costume design is by Christina Beam; Tatiana Godfrey will serve as dramaturg for the production.  Carmela Lanza-Weil (Shelburne Falls) and Rebecca Daniels (Turners Falls) are co-producers for the show.    The Upper Pioneer Valley’s only small professional company, Silverthorne enjoys its status as resident company at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in downtown Greenfield’s Cultural District.   Ticket and reservation information may be found on Silverthorne’s web site:https://silverthornetheater.orgTickets for all shows are currently available at Eventbrite.com (type in the nameThe Revolutionists), or by calling 413-768-7514. Patrons can use credit cards at the door or over the phone. Arena Civic Theatre returns to The Shea Theater Arts Center, 71 Avenue A in Turners Falls with August: Osage County by Tracy Letts. Directed by Christina Chapin, this 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning drama for best new play is a turbo charged tragic comedy centered around the Weston family in rural Oklahoma who are brought together after their patriarch, world-class poet and alcoholic Beverly Weston (played by ACT veteran Jerry Marcanio) disappears. The matriarch, Violet, (played by Rachel Cronen-Townsend) depressed and addicted to pain pills and “truth-telling,” is joined by her three daughters (Jocelyn Glabach, Caroline Pierce, Brooke Martineau) and their problematic lovers, who harbor their own deep secrets, her sister Mattie Fae (Dawn Berne-Allen) and her family, well-trained in the Weston family art of cruelty, and finally, the observer of the chaos, the young Cheyenne housekeeper Johnna (Julia Wald), who was hired by Beverly just before his disappearance. Holed up in the large family estate in Osage County, Oklahoma, tensions heat up and boil over in the ruthless August heat. Bursting with humor, vivacity, and intelligence, August: Osage County is is both dense and funny, vicious and compassionate, enormous and unstoppable. Also stars Zach Billings, Samantha Thorpe, Doug LeBelle, Heath Trudell, Benjamin Crowe and James Reilly. Set design by Russ Eckstrom, Lighting design by Ana Steiner.  **This show contains mature themes and language and is not recommended for young children** Show runs September 20th and 21st at 8:00 PM and closes September 22nd at 2:00 PM Tickets are $18 General Admission and $15 Seniors (65+) and Students.  Available at the door or by calling to reserve at (413) 233-4368 Tickets may be purchased in advance through Ticketleap arenacivictheatre.ticketleap.com/aoc/  For additional information visit ACT online at www.arenacivictheatre.org Happier Valley Comedy presents The Happier Family Comedy Show September 21 at 3:00 PM Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 W Bay Rd, Amherst, MA Monthly family-friendly improv comedy show, great for 5-13 year olds and their adults. It's funny for the whole family! Saturday, September 21st at 3pm at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (125 W Bay Rd., Amherst). Tickets at the door: $10/Adults, $5/Kids, Free/4 yrs and under (Reduced admission for museum members). For more info: www.happiervalley.com. Happier Valley Comedy presents Not In Charge September 21 at 7:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy Theater, 1 Mill Rd, Hadley, MA Join the talented group Not In Charge for a polished, fast-paced improv show inspired by true stories from the cast and audience! Saturday, September 21st at 7pm at the 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. Happier Valley Comedy presents The Happier Valley Championship September 28 at 7:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy Theater, 1 Mill Rd, Hadley, MA In this competitive comedy show, two teams of improvisers face off through scenes and games to see who can win the ultimate prize: an old trophy we found in someone's attic. Saturday, September 28th at 7pm at the 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. “Experiencing the World of Japanese Noh Theater—Featuring Hisa Uzawa and Hikaru Uzawa”   One of the first women to act as a lead performer in a traditional Noh lineage, Hisa Uzawa is a prominent member of the Tessenkai branch of the Kanze School of Noh theater in Tokyo. She has been designated as a “Living Cultural Treasure” by the Japanese government. She and her daughter Hikaru, also an accomplished professional actor, will introduce the dynamics and techniques of the 650-year tradition that lies at the heart of the Noh theater. The Uzawas will perform climactic dance sequences from Hagoromo, and present behind-the-scenes details of chanting, choreography, elaborate costumes, masks. Noh theater combines music, dance, and acting in order to communicate emotions and Buddhist themes. An intimate glimpse of one of the world’s major performing arts traditions!   Sunday, September 29, 2019 Experiencing the World of Japanese Noh Theater—Featuring Hisa Uzawa and Hikaru Uzawa Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre, 4:00-5:30pm Open to the Public   SPONSORS: Sponsored by the Smith College Departments of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Theatre, Dance, the Program in East Asian Studies, the Ada Howe Kent Fund, the Endowed Lecture Fund and the Japan Foundation. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Auditions to be held for reading/performance series on climate change Saturday, Sept. 21, 2–5 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 23, 6–9 p.m. 170 Main St., Greenfield, MA   CONTACT: Jan Maher, program director – localaccess@aol.com – ‭(206) 234-9146‬ https://www.facebook.com/cctagreenfield/  Greening Greenfield and Local Access are proud to present Climate Change Theatre Action Greenfield, a series of public readings and performances which will be held in downtown Greenfield over several weekends this autumn. CCTA Greenfield is part of Climate Change Theatre Action, a worldwide series of readings and performances of short climate change plays presented biennially to coincide with the United Nations COP meetings. CCTA Greenfield will be holding auditions for the readings/performances on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2–5 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 23, 6–9 p.m. Auditions will take place at 170 Main St., Greenfield, MA. Auditions will be held on the hour, so please arrive at one of the following times: Saturday, Sept. 21: 2 p.m., 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.; Monday, Sept. 23: 6 p.m., 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. Please RSVP with the date and time you plan to attend by emailing localaccess@aol.com or texting (206) 234-9146‬. You can also RSVP on the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/926174281094141/ We welcome performers and non-performers alike to participate in this series! If you would like to get involved in this project another way, please contact Jan Maher at localaccess@aol.com or (206) 234-9146, or via our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/cctagreenfield. Seeking FOUR African-American actors: TWO women: (18-30), (40-60). TWO men: (18-30), (35-50) for Dominque Morriseau's SKELETON CREW.  Northampton Center for the Arts: May 14-17, 2020.  Actors will be paid.  For information and scripts contact Robert Freedman. 413-531-4164 - rpf1012@comcast.net WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Real Live Theatre presents Foundational Acting Techniques Workshop October 7, 14, 21, 28 at 6:30 PM Real Live Theatre This four-week workshop series taught by RLT members Toby Vera Bercovici & Jeannine Haas will explore the use of the body, voice, emotion, and intellect to create theatrical moments. It is designed both for actors and non-actors, and will encourage creative agency, risk-taking, choice-making, and a new perspective on oneself, both alone and in relationship to others. It will utilize techniques from improvisation and clown, as well as from practitioners Konstantin Stanislavski, Anne Bogart, Michael Chekhov, and others. This workshop series is most powerful when all four parts are taken, but each part can be taken individually - sign up for one, two, three, or all four dates!  Mondays in October, 6:30pm-9:30pm. Cost is $320 for whole series, or $100 per class. Payment plans & scholarships available. Email reallivetheatre@gmail.com for more info and to register. More information. The Northampton Arts Council is calling for funding proposals from artists, residents, organizations, and schools. Council grants support cultural activities in Northampton, Florence, and Leeds -- including exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies, or performances, workshops, and lectures. Applications will be available online beginning September 1st and are due by October 15th.  For local guidelines and complete information on the Northampton Arts Council including information about previously funded projects, visit http://www.northamptonartscouncil.org/p/grants.html  Application forms and more information about the Local Cultural Council Program are available online at https://www.mass-culture.org/northampton 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 CitySpace Cold Spring Community Theatre Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Franklin County Youth Theater Ghost Light Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department 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 No Theater Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Real Live Theatre Red Thread Theater Royal Frog Ballet Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare Stage Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Strident Theatre TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater UMass Theatre Guild Valley Light Opera Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players Want to know even more about events in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Stagestruck ArtsBeat Radio and News Column 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|*