Pioneer Valley Theatre News November 7, 2019

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser November 7 - 27, 2019 Auditions for The Who's Tommy start this weekend at Exit 7 Players - lots of information right under this paragraph. Also, check out Romeo and Juliet at Northampton High School next weekend - get your tickets here.  Looking for someone to work on a project with you? Check out the Pioneer Valley Personnel spreadsheet here. And add yourself to it! The next issue will include events through December 4. 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 Auditions at Exit 7 Players November 10, 12, 17 More information below or here. Tickets available here. 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 To Witness: A Proposal to Build Radical Trust across Difference in the Arts by Annalisa Dias and Ronee Penoi From the article:  “When we witness one another, we are able not only to imagine but also to produce alternate futures and ways of being together.” — Rubén A. Gaztambide-Fernández Building trust and relationships across difference is key to decolonizing theatre and building arts spaces that are of and by their communities. Many community development and audience engagement strategies aim to do this critical work. However, the way we come to these practices is often with a history and language steeped in seeing groups as “other,” devoid of closely shared connection. Two often-used buzzwords to identify privileged individuals working to decenter themselves are “ally” or “accomplice.” These labels, while well intentioned, run the risk of becoming passive identities—in other words, “I’m a good person.” This reinforces what London School of Economics professor Lilie Chouliaraki would call “a practice of voyeuristic altruism that reproduces the moral distance between us and them.” Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet PERFORMANCES UMass Amherst presents THE BACCHAE OF EURIPIDES by Wole Soyinka directed by Judyie Al-Bilali Performance Details Nov. 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 at 7:30 Nov. 9 & 16 at 2 Curtain Theater Tickets $5 students and seniors, $15 general admission. Call 1-800-999-UMAS or  reserve your tickets through the Fine Arts Center Box Office Content Advisory This production includes: Simulated Violence Euripides’ 2400-year old play, The Bacchae, bursts into the modern day at UMass Theater’s Curtain Theater this November. As envisioned by Director and Professor Judyie Al-Bilali, the Bacchae’s earthy dancing becomes a call for renewal in times of oppression. Dionysus, the god of theater, wine, and fertility, goes head to head with the repressive regime of King Pentheus of Thebes, who refuses to recognize the god. Dionysus incites his followers, the Bacchae, into a state of frenzy with violent consequences for Pentheus and his family. Through their wild dances, the Bacchae embody revolution and make art our call for societal change.  Al-Bilali is using Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka’s adaptation, The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communal Rite, which he wrote in response to the civil war in his country in the 1970s. She has set her version in 2020, just a few months into our future, in Gaia, the Greek word for Mother Earth.  Although the play is classified as a tragedy, Al-Bilali has a more complicated, ultimately hope-filled, view of the message it carries today. In Thebes, there is conflict between two opposing forces: Dionsyus’ natural, sensual world and Pentheus’ society of law and order. A world—not unlike our own—has gone out of balance. And it is through a communal rite, as Soyinka suggests, and grave sacrifices that we strive to restore balance to an unjust world. "Culture and art are what drives social change,” says Al-Bilali. Come be a part of the change. The Bacchae runs at the Curtain Theater from Nov. 7 to 16 — get tickets today! *** More about the Department of Theater: umass.edu/theater To purchase tickets, call 1-800-999-UMAS or visit the Fine Arts Center Box Office online. $15 single tickets; $5 single tickets for students/seniors “FOREVER PLAID” TAKES THE STAGE AT MAJESTIC THEATER NOV 7 – DEC 8  The Majestic Theater's 23rd Season continues with “Forever Plaid,” a musical that runs October 24 through December 8, according to Producing Director Danny Eaton. The play, by Stuart Ross, tells the tale of a semi-professional harmony group on their way to their first big gig at the Hilton airport cocktail bar, rehearsing their big finale, when they are slammed broadside by a school bus full of teenage girls on their way to witness the Beatles make their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. While none of the girls are injured, the four harmony singers are killed instantly, but somehow manage to take the stage for one final gig. “Forever Plaid” is filled with great songs that audience members are sure to know and love, and has been described as “screamingly funny and entirely enchanting.” The cast includes Tomm Knightlee (Smudge), Bryan Austermann (Jinx), Brian Michael Henry (Sparky), and Chris Coffey (Francis). The play is directed by Ben Ashley, and Mitch Chakour is the music director. Set design is by Greg Trochlil, Dawn McKay is costume designer and the lighting design is by Dan Rist. Doug Wallace is sound engineer, and Stephen Petit is production stage manager. The band includes Chakour, Cliff Schofer and Don Rovero. Ticket prices range from $27 to $34 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (413) 747-7797 or visiting while the box office is open (Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm, and Saturday 10am – 1pm). Tickets for the other plays in the Majestic's 23rdSeason can also be purchased. Greenfield Community College present FUDDY MEERS by David Lindsay-Abaire, Directed by Tom Geha Nov 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 at 7:30pm, Nov 10 at 2pm matinee Greenfield Community College, Sloan Theater, One College Drive, Greenfield MA “Dark, sweet and thoroughly engaging comedy… the production is willfully silly and grotesque, yet there’s a cool, satisfying strategy in its piecing together of its jigsaw puzzle of a plot.” — The New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Lindsay-Abaire traces one woman’s attempt to regain her memory while surrounded by a curio-cabinet of alarmingly bizarre characters, including her chipper husband, her so-called-brother, a dimwitted thug with a foul-mouthed hand puppet, and her perpetually stoned son. It’s one harrowing and hilarious turn after another on this rollercoaster ride through the day of an amnesiac trying to decipher her fractured life. Tickets. Valley Light Opera presents Camelot! 11/8, 11/9 7:30 PM, 11/10 2:00 PM Academy of Music “If Ever I would Leave You,” it wouldn’t be in November.  That is when the Valley Light Opera is bringing you Lerner and Loewe’s beloved Camelot at The Academy of Music. Valley Light Opera’s Camelot, will meld the beauty of the old with the energy and opportunities of the new. Set in the 15th century of knights and maidens, treachery vs trust, Camelot is an evolving state, where “Right is Might” and the Round Table come into being.  It lends itself to whispers of today’s politics with the promise that the strength of human goodness overcomes evil and unites the decent in a common cause. Our Camelot is a Utopian state, timeless, yet stuck in time. The story and musical accompaniment of a full orchestra should be enough to bring you to the Academy for an entertaining evening or matinee. But Valley Light Opera, known for its beautiful sets, costumes and props, adds another dimension to Camelot. Video enhancements and other computerized special effects will bring a new aspect to our sets. This presentation will celebrate Valley Light Opera’s 45th year of production.  Having lost our Founding Father, William Venman, this spring, we will do our best to honor his legacy. http://www.aomtheatre.com On Friday, November 8, Silverthorne Theater Company is throwing a party, ACT TWO: A SILVERTHORNE CELEBRATION, open to all, to mark the successful conclusion of our 2019 Season. No charge; doors open at 8 pm at the Pushkin Gallery at the corner of Main and Federal Streets in downtown Greenfield.    Dress is casual and the atmosphere relaxed. There will be live entertainment with reprises from past shows and seasons provided by Silverthorne regulars. A cash bar and cake will round out the evening which ends at 10 pm. Reservations are not needed for this free event.   During the evening, we’ll pay homage to our fabulous 2019 Season that featured such productions as Tales of the Lost Formicans, The Fantasticks, The Revolutionists, and The Diary of Anne Frank.   We will also celebrate Lucinda Kidder’s retirement as Co-founding Producing Artistic Director who is stepping down after six years in that post. Kidder plans to continue to help out as coordinator of public relations and marketing as a board member.   Silverthorne’s two new co-producers, Rebecca Daniels and Carmela Lanza-Weil, will be there to talk about the theater’s exciting plans for 2020 and beyond. Attendees will have an opportunity to make an investment in the company’s future with pledges or donations.   Details about the event can be found at STC’s web site: silverthornetheater.org. 24 Hour Theater Project Saturday, November 9 at 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM The Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA 01060 Founded in 2002 by playwright Tanyss Rhea Martula, the Northampton 24-Hour Theater Project has become one of the most beloved and anticipated theatre events of the year. While the premise is simple, the execution is anything but: within 24 hours, five ten-minute plays will be written, rehearsed, directed, produced, and staged. The culmination of this day-long burst of creativity are two public performances—often standing-room-only—showcasing local writers, actors, directors, and crew. Previous 24-Hour Theater organizer Liz Foley once described the event as “theatrical mayhem,” and it makes for an entertaining evening full of surprises. This year’s organizational duties were handled by Susanna Apgar, Kyle Boatwright, Michael Charland-Tait, Mark Gaudet, Michael Garcia, and Linda Putnam.  The time-limited and adrenaline-filled process begins on Friday evening, when five playwrights meet to draw cards with unnamed actors’ descriptions out of a hat—the “Playwrights’ Draw.” Once they have their cast information, the playwrights have twelve hours to create a ten-minute play. In the morning, they hand off their scripts to five directors who then read the script for the first time, gather their actors, and spend the next nine hours rehearsing, while others gather props, costumes, and set pieces. This year’s Playwrights’ Draw will take place at 33 Hawley during November’s Arts Night Out on Friday, November 8th, beginning at 6pm. While there are always many returning favorites among the writers, directors, and actors, the committee continues to make it a priority to seek out some fresh new voices for each year’s event. “The Northampton 24-Hour Theater Project is not just about the plays that come and go,” noted Apgar, “it’s about building the Valley’s theater community by growing our relationships with one another, and with our audience.” The committee is delighted to again partner with the Northampton Center for the Arts for this year’s Project. Veteran Northampton 24-Hour Theater Project playwrights Susanna Apgar, Siobhan McManamon, and Tomàs Roche will be joined by Peter Shelburne, who returns to the project after five years, and acclaimed playwright Liz Duffy Adams, whose play Or led her to off-Broadway success.  The Northampton 24-Hour Theater Project directors feature Ezekiel Baskin, Mark Gaudet, Tatiana Godfrey, Caitlin Guzman-Bailey, and Gina Kaufmann. This year’s actors include Judge Bean, Kyle Boatwright, Scott Braidman, Nichole Calero, Michael Charland-Tait, Deveir Cockett, Bill Dwight, Judith Fine, Melenie Flynn, Tosh Foerster, Michael Garcia, Becca Greene-Van Horn, Matt O’Reilly, Linda Putnam, Myka Plunkett, Jay Sefton, Sarah Marcus, Woody Mcloyd, Miriam Sirota, and Brianna Sloane. WHAT: The Northampton 24-Hour Theater Project WHEN: Saturday, November 9, 2019 // Two performances: 7 & 9 PM WHERE: The Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA Tickets. PEACE IN THE HOME Written and Directed by MacKenzie Kugel ‘20 November 14-16, 2019, 8 p.m., Holden Theater Tickets are free. Seating is limited. Reservations encouraged: (413) 542-2277. AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College Department of Theater and Dance presents Peace in the Home, a senior honors project in playwriting and directing created by MacKenzie Kugel. The show will run on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 14, 15 and 16 at 8:00 p.m. in the Holden Experimental Theater. Set Design by Kathy Couch, Karinne Keithley Syers and MacKenzie Kugel, Costume Design by Sahara Ndiaye AC ‘20, Lighting Design by Kathy Couch, and Sound Design by Karinne Keithley Syers. Peace in the Home is about coming together for love, for family. It immerses its audience into the hearts and minds of seven characters wrestling with what it takes for two families from different cultural backgrounds and faiths to create peace in the home, together. This play is made of familial trials and joys, of aging parents, of what is lost and gained when children grow up. Admission is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Reservations are encouraged. To reserve tickets, please call (413) 542-2277. IT WASN’T THE PEA AT ALL!!! Black Cat Theater is preparing for their fall production of Once Upon A Mattress with an all adult cast!!! Artistic Director Stephanie Flinker and Music Director Greg Williams are thrilled to be working with this talented cast. If you thought you knew the story of The Princess and The Pea you may be in for a walloping surprise! Did you know, for instance, that Princess Winnifred actually swam the moat to reach Prince Dauntless the Drab? Or that Lady Larken's love for Sir Harry provided a rather compelling reason that she reach the bridal altar post haste? Or that, in fact, it wasn't the pea at all that caused the princess a sleepless night? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the familiar classic of royal courtship and comeuppance provides for some side-splitting shenanigans. Chances are you'll never look at fairy tales quite the same way again. FAMILY FRIENDLY FOR ALL AGES. All performances are at South Hadley High School. The show dates are November 14-15-16 with a 7:00 pm curtain and Sunday, November 17 with a 2:00 curtain. Seating is open and first-come first-served. Doors open 30 minutes before curtain. Ticket prices are General Admission $15.00 and Senior/Student $12.00. Military personnel and First Responders, active and retired, (with ID) will be admitted free to any performance. For reservations please email blackcattheater@gmail.com or call 413-563-6023. K and E Theater Group Presents ASSASSINS 11/14, 11/15, 11/16 at 7:30 PM and 11/17 at 2:00 PM Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley Street, Northampton Take a shot at history with the Five-Time Tony Award musical presented by K and E Theater Group, ONE WEEKEND ONLY November 14 – 17, 2019 at Northampton Center for the Arts in Northampton. A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force from John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim, ASSASSINS combines Sondheim's signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of our nation's culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America's four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Bold, original, disturbing and alarmingly funny, ASSASSINS is perhaps the most controversial musical ever written. This production of ASSASSINS features a killer cast of local talent Matthew Bussell, David Cavallin, Joseph Charles, Gene Choquette, Paul DiProto, Joshua Aaron Mason, Shaun O'Keefe, Lisa Parker, Tim Reilly, Autumn Tustin, Christine Voytko, Chris Webber and David Webber. Musical Direction by Bill Martin. Direction by KETG Artistic Director Eddie Zitka. This production includes themes of violence, abusive behavior, suicide, death and there is use of racist language infrequently, and may not be suitable for all audiences. There will be flashing lights, loud bangs including gun shots. It may also include strobe lighting. "Everybody's Got the Right" to buy tickets at www.KETG.org! Tickets. Springfield College presents The Illusion November 14, 15, 16 & 17 THE ILLUSION a comedy by Pierre Corneille freely adapted by Tony Kushner  Presented by Springfield College Theater Director: Martin Shell Fuller Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m. In the dead of night, desperate to find the son he drove away years before, a father creeps into a dark cave for help from a mysterious magician. The sorcerer conjures up strange and unsettling visions of the son’s passionate life, full of betrayals, adventures, and the perils of love. The illusions have the feeling of reality, but is anything truly what it seems?  Suggested donations: General Admissions: $5; Students and seniors: $2  Appleton Auditorium, Fuller Arts Center Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 7:30p.m.; Sunday, 2:00p.m. Northampton High School presents Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Directed by Stephen Eldredge Nov 14-16 7pm Nov 16 2pm Fayette Congville Auditorium, Northampton High School $8 Adults $5 Students, NHS Staff and Seniors romeonhs.brownpapertickets.com These violent delights have violent ends Northampton High School’s Romeo & Juliet gets a new look NHS Theater takes on the eternal questions plaguing teenagers in a modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tale of young love and ancient rivalry: when is a child not a child? How do we step into adulthood? What’s too soon? What’s too late? What’s too dangerous? What’s too... beautiful? Director Stephen Eldredge and a cast and crew of 30 NHS students have spent the past five months re-imagining the world of the play to suit the generation of Juliets, Tybalts, Mercutios and Romeos taking the stage in today’s “Globe-al” theater. While the text of the play is unaltered, the visual world is a hash of old and new: classic stone arches vie for attention with skateboards and swing sets; the graffiti-inspired artwork of Banksy compliments the exposed brick back wall of the NHS auditorium stage. Diana Paradise and Fletcher Soto’s costume designs are neo-grunge inspired, while young duelers fight with any object that comes to hand: shopping carts, plumbing parts and barbed wire necklaces all find their place in this vibrant urban landscape. The actors have made their own decisions about the gender identities and preferences of the characters they play, giving us a new twist on classic romance and immersing us in a world that, in Shakespeare’s words, “hold(s)... the mirror up to nature... show(s) virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure”. Paul Kinsman’s music composition students have composed an original score to accompany the action; there will never be another Romeo & Juliet like this one - see it before it’s too late! Wilbraham United Players present 1940's RADIO HOUR November 15, 16, 22, 23 at 7:30pm; November 17 & 24 at 2:30pm Wilbraham United Church Fellowship Hall, 500 Main Street, Wilbraham, MA 01095 Full of 1940s music, dancing and old-time sound effects, the play portrays the final holiday broadcast of the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade on the New York radio station WOV in December 1942. The harassed producer, the leading singer who is often drunk, the second banana who dreams of singing a ballad, the delivery boy who wants a chance in front of the mic, and the trumpet player who chooses a fighter plane over Glenn Miller. All of this wrapped up in holiday charm and nostalgia. It's a great way to kick off the holidays! Tickets are now on sale through our website Book by Walton Jones Music by various composers Music Direction by BENJAMIN MANISCALCHI Directed by DEB TRIMBLE Facebook Event Page Ja'Duke presents Annie November 15 at 6:00 PM, Nov. 16 6:00pm, Nov. 17 2:00pm, Nov. 22 6:00pm, Nov. 23 6:00pm, Nov. 24 2:00pm Ja'Duke Theater in Turners Falls 110 Industrial Blvd.  Turners Falls, MA Tickets. “FALL WITH ME” THE FINAL OFFERING IN SILVERTHORNE THEATER’S 2019 NEW PLAY READING SERIES   Local author Jared Eberlein’s powerful play, Fall with Me, rounds off Silverthorne’s 2019 new play reading series, Theater Thursdays . It will be read at 7 pm on Thursday, November 21 in the Franklin County Coop meeting space at 170 Main Street, Greenfield. The reading is free and open to the public.   Fall with Me tells the story of JJ Johnston, the once charismatic captain of the 369th Infantry Regiment (a.k.a. the Harlem Hellfighters, known for their distinct bravery) during World War I. Unlike many of his fellow black veterans during the early 1930s of the Great Depression, Johnson has steady employment as a steelworker. When less fortunate members of his army unit ask him to join them and thousands of veterans, known as the Bonus Army, to march on Washington DC to demand compensation for service promised to them in 1924 Johnson's choice between his job and family and the cause of justice for his fellow vets has tragic consequences.   Under the direction of Trenda Loftin, the cast of readers will include Bessie Jones, Shae Shae Quest, Tobias K. Davis and Tony Jones.  Loftin directed STC’s fall play reading, Campus Unrest, and recently staged What Our Voices Carry with the Voice from Inside women’s poetry project for formerly incarcerated and recovering women. She is a governing member of the Real Live Theater Company and is an art-integrated equity consultant.   Eberlein is a prolific playwright who currently heads the Theater Program at Northfield Mount Hermon School. He worked for nearly a decade as an actor in New York and regional theater before turning his focus to the page. He is the bookwriter and lyricist of The Facts of Life – The Musical (Pace University) and The Man in the Iron Mask (EAT, 13th Street Rep & The Jerry Orbach Theater, NYC) both collaborations with composer, David Mallamud. Jared’s play, Fall with Me, is the 2019 WINNER of Dayton Playhouse’s FutureFest. It was also chosen for the 2019 Garry Marshall Theater New Works Festival (Burbank, CA) and was a finalist for Capital Repertory Theatre’s Next Act! Summit 8 (Albany, NY).   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. St. Michael's Players of East Longmeadow present Oliver!  Thursday November 21 -Friday Nov 22 - Saturday November 23 at 7PM and Sunday Nov 24 at 2PM. 53 Somers Road, East Longmeadow Consider yourself at home with St. Michael'sPlayers! Join us for an amazing production of the family favorite musical, Oliver! Tickets. Staged readings of short plays on climate change at Great Falls International Word Festival in Turners Falls and multiple locations in Greenfield WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, Dec. 7, 10:15 a.m., Racial Justice Rising, First Congregational Church, 43 Silver St., Greenfield https://www.facebook.com/cctagreenfield/  Greening Greenfield and Local Access are proud to present Climate Change Theatre Action Greenfield: Lighting the Way, a series of public readings and performances which will be held over several weekends this autumn.  The series debuts on Sunday, Oct. 13, 3 p.m., at the Great Falls International Word Festival, with short plays by playwrights from Australia, New Zealand, Jordan, Finland, Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands and the United States, read by Jan Maher, Trenda Loftin, Nina Gross and Doug Selwyn, with incidental music by Gross and Selwyn. An open mic on Monday, Oct. 14, 2 p.m. will include plays from Scotland and Croatia as well as poems and flash fiction from festival attendees. Subsequent performances in the series will be held on four Saturdays in October, November, and December at several locations in Greenfield. All Greenfield performances will be followed by a talk back session. Performances are free, with the exception of those that are part of the Great Falls International Word Festival. Admission to the Festival includes admission to the play readings and open mic. 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. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Exit Seven Players Ltd. presents Auditions: The Who's Tommy November 10, 12, 17 Exit 7 Theater, 37 Chestnut Street, Ludlow, MA 01056 Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who's Tommy is an exhilarating story of hope, healing and the human spirit. The story of the pinball-playing, “deaf, dumb and blind boy” who triumphs over his adversities has inspired, amazed and puzzled audiences for more than 50 years. This five-time Tony Award-winning musical was translated to the stage by theatrical wizard, Des McAnuff, and is a high-energy, one-of-a-kind theatrical event. Directed by Michael O. Budnick Music and Sound Supervised by George Garber Jr. Choreography by Janeen Connor Instrumental Accompaniment by Cadre Prime Produced by Adam Malmborg and Drew Gilbert Full audition information, including character descriptions, vocal selections and other information may be found here. Audition Dates November 10 3-5pm: All adults and teens, vocal and dance, principals, supporting principals and ensemble, followed by 5-6:30pm: Adult/teen principals/supporting principals, vocal and acting OR November 12 6-8pm: All adults and teens, vocal and dance, principals, supporting principals and ensemble, followed by 8-9:30pm: Adult/teen principals, supporting principals, vocal and acting Adult/Teen auditionees will not need to attend both dates.  ALSO: November 17 3-5pm: All children followed by principal callbacks by appointment 5-7pm (if necessary.) Children will be called in the order of arrival and may leave after their audition. Please try to arrive at least 10 minutes before start time. Not all auditionees will need to stay for the entire session. To make auditions run more smoothly please fill out the audition form (attached) in advance and bring it with you. Also, please bring a current headshot, if you have one. Rehearsal and Production Dates Rehearsals are scheduled to start in late January on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoon or evenings (depending on other show schedules) in Ludlow, MA. Not all actors may be required for all rehearsals. There may be some meetings with principals prior to rehearsal start.   Tech week starts April 19 and actors must be available all week in the evenings. Performances are April 24-26, May 1-3, 8-10 at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2pm on Sundays. More Information. Six Voices Coming to Light is a new and innovative holiday-season play that will be performed at the Northampton Center for the Arts on Saturday, December 14.  Its influences are diverse and rich: Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, Masters’ Spoon River, a poetry slam, and Advent.  The six equal roles, three female and three male, perform spoken-word songs that offer a fresh, seriocomic, and, above all, meaningful take on the holiday season.  With interspersed live music, klezmer and ballads, by Jim Armenti.  For one or two final roles to be cast, please contact pierrotproductions243@gmail.com. The Amherst College Musical's Auditions for Green Day's American Idiot Amherst College in O'Connor Commons (in the basement of Charles Pratt dorm, 3 Mead Dr., Amherst, MA 01002) *OPEN TO ALL FIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS* Auditions for the Amherst College Musical will be by appointment on Friday, November 15, from 6-9:30pm and Saturday, November 16, from 3:30-7:30pm. Auditions will take place at Amherst College in O'Connor Commons (in the basement of Charles Pratt dorm, 3 Mead Dr., Amherst, MA 01002). Please prepare a 1-3 minute contemporary monologue and 32 bars (or a verse and chorus) of a pop or pop-rock song. This can be a musical theatre or contemporary song, but it should be in a similar style to American Idiot. Unlike in past years, we will not be using an accompanist in auditions. You should send us an mp3, Spotify or Youtube link, or other easily accessible file of your backing track, or bring a musical instrument to accompany yourself (we are specifically looking for people to play instruments onstage while singing, so this is encouraged!). We will have a piano for your use in O'Connor Commons if you wish to accompany yourself on piano.  To schedule an audition, you MUST sign up for a time slot using this sheet: A list of character descriptions and vocal ranges is linked below, along with our audition form. We will have hard copies of the form for you to fill out at auditions but if you want to be extra prepared, please feel free take a look and/or fill it out beforehand! Callbacks and dance call will be by invitation only on Sunday, November 17 from 3:30-7:30pm.  If you have any questions about auditions, the musical, finding our location, or anything else at all - please don't hesitate to message any of the event hosts. We can't wait to see all of you in November!! Directed by Megan Healey Music directed by AJ Krawczyk Choreography by Sue Dresser Stage management by Abigail Douglas With assistance from Julian Brown Produced by Marina Zambrano Link to audition form Link to character descriptions If you are not interested in auditioning but would still like to participate in the musical, please fill out this form Facebook Event Link Be a part of a collaborative community theatre project! Looking for actors to play the lead character of a cowboy and sheriff from Denton, Texas in "My Life As a Cowboy" About the project: This play was conceived by Mike O'Neil, a participant at Riverside Industries in Easthampton, a non-profit organization that supports people with disabilities through job training, arts, and education programs. Mike dreams of being a cowboy and with the help of a Riverside staff member Lyndzi Wildheart, he wrote “My Life As A Cowboy,” a fictional memoir of his imaginary life as Sherriff Buford Ewing, a trick shooter and leader of a down-and-out western town called Denton. Along with a team of other artists, a playwright, set builders, actors (professional and amateur), and Riverside participants we want to help Mike’s dream become a reality.  We are building a life-sized set of Mike’s town (including the city hall and the Sherriff’s di facto office, the Sweetwater Saloon) and stage a play inspired by his story for a live audience. The team will perform the short play in a free, outdoor performance in Easthampton in late Spring 2020.  Auditions for Buford will take place in November & December, exact times TBD. All levels of actors or any gender are encouraged to audition. Interested? Please contact Amanda Herman at aaherman@gmail.com The Play Reading Co-op is currently seeking submissions of full length plays from New England writers for a monthly, ongoing reading series. The mission of the co-op is simply for local theater makers to have a chance to get in a room together to work on high quality material for our own learning, enjoyment, and camaraderie. It's also a great way to learn about new works and writers. The reading is intended to be informal and without an audience other than other co-op “members” and potentially a friend or colleague(s) of the writer. If the writer is looking for a discussion or feedback afterward, we are happy to make space for that as well. We are ideally looking for plays with at least 2 female identifying roles.  http://www.rachelfhirsch.com/play-reading-co-op Springfield JCC Auditions December 1 at 2:00 PM Springfield JCC: 1160 Dickinson St Tony Award-winning writing team, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's, first produced show, Lucky Stiff, premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. Based on the novel, The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo by Michael Butterworth, Lucky Stiff is an offbeat, hilarious murder mystery farce, complete with mistaken identities, six million bucks in diamonds and a corpse in a wheelchair. The story revolves around an unassuming English shoe salesman who is forced to take the embalmed body of his recently murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo. Should he succeed in passing his uncle off as alive, Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit $6,000,000. If not, the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn... or else his uncle's gun-toting ex! Facebook event. Ghost Light Theater's Auditions for FUN HOME Announcing Ghost Light Theater’s Auditions for Fun Home.  Book & Lyrics by Lisa Kron. Music by Jeanine Tesori. Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Directed by Megan Healey Music Direction by Jacob Nichols Produced by Kimberly Overtree Karlin Choreography by Susan Dresser Auditions by appointment – sign up for an audition slot here Monday December 2nd 6:30-9:00 at the Bangs Community Center (70 Boltwood Walk Amherst) Wednesday December 4th 6:30-9:30 in Stage 2 at Gateway City Arts (92 Race Street Holyoke) Callbacks (if necessary) by invitation only: Friday December 6th at 6:30 PM Please fill out this audition form before your audition if possible. PERFORMANCES: Performances are May 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 & 9 at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, MA. Any questions should be directed to Megan Healey at healeymegan11@gmail.com. SHOW SYNOPSIS: The Tony Award-winning musical Fun Home traces the coming-of-age of lesbian author Alison Bechdel, from her youth, to her years at Oberlin College, and finally to the present, where Alison, now grown, is struggling to write her own graphic autobiography. As Alison reflects on her past, she struggles to make sense of it, particularly her relationship with her father, Bruce, a closeted gay man and the owner of the family business -- the Bechdel Funeral Home (“fun” home, as it’s known to young Alison and her brothers, John and Christian). As she watches her father’s self-loathing consume him, Alison recognizes her own experience of discovering, and ultimately embracing, her identity. As Fun Home progresses, Alison is drawn deeper and deeper into her memories, finally entering into them, desperate (but unable) to reverse her father’s self-destruction. An unforgettable and groundbreaking musical, Fun Home explores the haunting pull of memory and the power it has to alternately destroy or shape, our identity. **PLEASE NOTE** The Characters of Alison Bechdel, Small Alison, Christian Bechdel & John Bechdel have been cast. All other roles available. #GLTFunHome Facebook Event Link WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Happier Valley Comedy presents Zen of Improv 1 November 13 at 5:00 PM Repeats weekly until January 22nd Happier Valley Comedy Theater, 1 Mill Rd, Hadley, MA Would you like to play and laugh in a supportive community every week? Do you want to get better at thinking on your feet? Could you use some practice in mindfulness? turning off your judgmental mind? 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 1 would be an ever so lovely way to spend some time every week. Happier Valley Comedy's Founder and Head of Happiness Pam Victor offers this weekly 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. More info. 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 Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Real Live Theatre Red Thread Theater Royal Frog Ballet Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare Stage Shea Theater Arts Center 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|*