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February 24 - March 16, 2022
Tonight: Ellen Wittlinger's Guilty at Silverthorne Theater and the opening of Blithe Spirit at the Majestic. Also this weekend, catch Witch at UMass or Nunsense at Ja'Duke. or check out some virtual theatre from Maine!
UMass FAC is hiring a lighting designer and CitySpace is hiring an events coordinator, and there are several ways to get involved with brand new theatre companies listed below as well. Scroll to the bottom and if your email server cuts it out, don't forget that you can always click to view in your browser.
The next issue will include events from March 3 - 23. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com
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YOUR EVENT HERE
$5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing!
Email me to reserve your dates.
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THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS:
from Howlround
Casting Roles with Nudity: Body Checks and Why They Should Have Never Existed
by Katrina Stelk
From the article:
In the spring of 2021, the final semester of my undergraduate acting program, we had a routine Q&A session with a prominent casting director in Los Angeles to prepare for our end-of-the-year showcase. I, an emerging intimacy director, asked him about his experience with intimacy in the industry and what he knew of the professional casting process when the role involved nudity. To my dismay, he began to explain what he referred to as “body checks” that were performed at callbacks. If the role required full nudity, the “body check” would involve an actor coming into the casting room wearing just a towel, standing in front of the casting team, dropping their towel, turning in a 360-degree circle, putting the towel back on, and then leaving the room.
Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com
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Silverthorne Theater is proud to present the 2022 iteration of our Theater Thursdays play reading series, beginning on February 24th at 7:30 p.m with Guilty by playwright Ellen Wittlinger (Haydenville), directed by Keith Langsdale. This free event will be held at The LAVA Center located at 324 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, 01301. Following the reading, audience members are invited to stay for a discussion with the playwright, director and cast members.
Seating capacity is limited to 35, please register for this free event on Eventbrite www.eventbrite.com/e/guilty-tickets-264465372047 Everyone who attends a Silverthorne event at the LAVA Center must wear face coverings while in the building and show proof of full vaccination for COVID-19.
Guilty Description
Instigated by a jury trial in which the white defendant is found to be not guilty, two couples who have been friends since college 15 years before begin to question what it is that has held them together all these years and whether they even like each other. In 24 hours, the relationships between all four of them fray and sometimes break.
Ellen Wittlinger is an author and a playwright. After receiving an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, she began, in the late 1970s, to write plays. In Boston, she worked for several years with Playwrights’ Platform, but eventually swerved into a career as a novelist for young adults and children. After a 35-year career and 17 novels, many of them award-winning, she returned to her first love: playwriting. For more information visit ellenwittlinger.com
A strong cast of local actors are performing including Al Neal, Brandon Lee, Carissa Dagenais, Jimmy Murphy, and Linda Tardif.
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Ja’Duke Theater presents "Nunsense" The Musical
2/25 & 2/26/22 @ 7pm, and 2/27/22 @ 2pm
Ja'Duke Theater
Ja’Duke Theater is proud to present Nunsense, this year’s first Ja’Duke musical of the highly anticipated Ja’Duke 25th Anniversary Season. Nunsense is directed by Ja’Duke's founder Nick Wanyelovich with choreography by Eula Sagan. Nunsense will be presented in the brand new, state of the art, Ja’Duke Theater!
Nunsense is a hilarious spoof about the misadventures of five nuns trying to manage a fundraiser with a supporting cast of 20 nuns, the Little Sisters of Hoboken. Sadly, the rest of the sisterhood died from botulism after eating vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia Child of God. Thus, the remaining nuns – ballet-loving Sister Leo (Jenna DiDonato), street-wise Sister Robert Anne (Samantha Myburgh), befuddled Sister Mary Amnesia (Rachel Howe), the Mother Superior Sister Regina (Judith Dean Kulp), and mistress of the novices Sister Mary Hubert (Juniper Holmes) and the Little Sisters of Hoboken – stage a talent show in order to raise the money to bury their dearly departed.
Ja’Duke Theater is continuing its quest to bring laughter and joy into people's lives during these trying times. With catchy songs and irreverent comedy, Nunsense is sure to keep audiences rolling with laughter and wanting more. After all, Nunsense is Habit Forming!
For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit JaDukeTheater.com.
Admission:
General Admission (Adult) - $15
Children (12 and under) - $12
Senior Citizen (65 and over) - $12
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Witch
by Jen Silverman
Directed by Rudy Ramirez
Feb. 25, March 3, 4, 5 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 26 at 2 p.m
In the Rand Theater, located in the Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts at UMass
Tickets sold through the Fine Arts Center Box Office and at the door.
Prices: $15 general admission, $5 youth, students, and seniors
Content Advisory: Strong language, violence, and blood
Would you dance with the Devil?UMass Theater's Witch examines the cost of our choices and the value of hanging on to hope. |
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When the Devil strolls into the town of Edmonton to bargain for people's souls, he figures that Elizabeth Sawyer, an accused witch, will be an easy mark. Turns out, he's wrong — while others in town are practically lining up to make bargains galore, she resists.
Find out what happens next when UMass Theater presents Jen Silverman's topical-and-funny play, Witch, directed by directing graduate student Rudy Ramirez in the Rand Theater Feb. 25-March 5.
“Witch captures several of the big existential questions we’ve been grappling with throughout the events of the pandemic with heart and tons of humor, empowering us to face our own devils — and perhaps even to laugh at them,” said dramaturgy graduate student Percy Hornak, who is the play's dramaturg.
Inspired by a Jacobean play that was in turn inspired by real events, UMass Theater's production of Witch filters the story through a funhouse lens — watch for a surreal set complete with working drawbridge and props that accentuate the humor in Silverman's writing — that invites current audiences to see how the themes of the tale overlap with concerns in our own world.
Why do the characters in Witch even consider a dance with the Devil?
As Hornak encapsulates it, there are some big questions being asked: "The notion of 'burn it all down': The play is asking us to think about what that means, and what it would cost for us to do that. What would you give up for things to be better?"
Inextricably linked to these questions are themes of power, agency, and above all, hope. Why think about what it would take to create a better future, without hope? Witch invites audiences to come up with their answer while they watch.
Get your tickets today!
Tickets can be purchased through the Fine Arts Center Box Office (click here to go directly to our events) or at the door before each performance. |
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BLITHE SPIRIT REVIVES MAJESTIC THEATER’S 24th SEASON
FEBRUARY 24 THROUGH APRIL 3
Blithe Spirit, a classic comedy by Noel Coward, will be presented at West Springfield’s Majestic Theater February 24 through April 3. The opening of the show follows a brief hiatus in the Majestic’s 24th season of live theater that was caused by an uptick in reported cases of COVID in the region.
The story focuses on Charles, a socialite and successful writer who is researching the occult for his latest novel. He arranges for clairvoyant Madame Arcati to hold a séance in his home, during which she inadvertently summons the ghost of Charles’ first wife Elvira, who has been dead for seven years. Only Charles can see or hear Elvira; his current wife Ruth doesn’t believe Elvira exists. The ghostly Elvira makes ongoing efforts to disrupt the marriage, including sabotaging Charles’ car in the hopes that he will join her in the spirit world. Instead, it is Ruth who is killed in the car, and her ghost immediately comes back for revenge on Elvira.
Producing Director Danny Eaton feels certain the play will lift the spirits of its audience. “We’re really glad to be reopening our doors after closing for a few weeks when COVID numbers were climbing in our area,” he stated. “We were very dismayed to reschedule our January play, Betty and the Patch, for June of this year, but it really made sense, given the circumstances, and our mission to help keep attendees, performers and staff in good health. We, along with everyone else, feel weary at times due to the pandemic, but Blithe Spirit will provide great laughs and we think audiences will really enjoy this solid comedy.”
Eaton reported that the down time was put to good use to upgrade amenities at the venue. “We’ve installed all new carpeting, stage lighting and sound equipment. New chairs have been ordered, and new HVAC systems are improving air quality throughout the theater and café. We’ve been very busy during the time we’ve been closed,” he stated.
The cast of Blithe Spirit includes Fleece (Ruth), Russell Garrett (Charles), Jeannine Haas (Madame Arcati), Sara Corbyn Woolf (Elvira), Stuart Gamble (Dr. Bradman), Christine Voytko (Mrs. Bradman) and Caelie Flanagan (Edith). Understudies include Myka Plunkett, Jack Grigoli, and Alexandra O’Halloran.
Sue Dziura, who is the associate producing director, is directing the play, Stephen Petit is production stage manager, and set design is by Greg Trochlil. Costume designer is Dawn McKay, Dan Rist is lighting designer and Aurora Ferraro is the associate production manager.
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Exit Seven Players Ltd.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
March 11, 12, 18, 19 @ 8pm and March 12, 20 2pm
Exit Seven Players Theater, 37 Chestnut Street, Ludlow, MA
Originally produced in London and on Broadway, the stage version of the best-selling novel by Mark Haddon won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play.
“This adaptation by the acclaimed playwright Simon Stephens is intensely, innately theatrical; it is also funny and extremely moving…resonates with quality.” —Telegraph (London). “…just terrific…a profoundly moving play about adolescence, fractured families, mathematics, colours and lights…dazzling.” —Independent (London). “A beautiful, eloquent, dazzlingly inventive show about the wonders of life.” —Evening Standard (London).
Curious Incident follows a critical period in the life of fifteen-year-old Christopher, a young man with an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at math but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, detests being touched, and distrusts strangers. Now it is seven minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a “garden fork” (British for pitchfork, as the story is set in England.) Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his life.
Through creative lighting and sound, clever staging and a versatile ensemble, Curious Incident invites the audience to embark upon a journey to understand the point of view of its unusual narrator and his completely unique way of interacting with the world. At times both comedic and heart-wrenching, Curious Incident is a timely examination of our assumptions about “normality” and neurodiversity.
Directed by Michael O. Budnick, Produced by Jami Wilson and Christine Greene
http://exit7players.org
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Mamma Mia! Hits the Stage at Northampton High School
Iconic ABBA Extravaganza Bows March 17-19 as Musical Theater Returns to NHS
It's time to dust off those bell bottoms, puffy shirts, and platform shoes! Musical theater makes its long-awaited return to Northampton High School (NHS) with the staging of Mamma Mia!, the jukebox musical romantic comedy based on the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA. The student cast, crew, and musicians will stage four performances March 17-19 in the NHS auditorium.
Written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia! features several iconic songs including "Money, Money, Money," "Super Trouper," "Dancing Queen," and "Take a Chance on Me," all composed by Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA. The NHS production is directed by noted actress Myka Plunkett, with musical direction by Beau Flahive and choreography by Eddie Zitka, who is founder, president, and artistic director of the K and E Theater Group.
"Don't miss this show! What's better than a musical to bring us out of what's felt like two and a half years of winter?" said Director Myka Plunkett, who is known for the 2019 film, Time to Go, and the 2011 documentary, The Grandfathers. "These young people will get you singing, make you laugh, and send you home with a new groove in your step."
"More than anything, this production of Mamma Mia! is a celebration, the rebuilding of a community of students and parents who are committed to our city, our school, and each other," said Musical Director Beau Flahive, a member of the NHS faculty. "After the pandemic forced the cancellation of our previous musical, The Sound of Music, a week before opening night, we felt we had lost everything. This group of students is a dedicated bunch, working hard to create an experience for the community that will be
filled with joy and celebration. This is my 17th musical at NHS and I'm proud to say every single show I've worked on has had a student pit. We're back!"
Performances of Mamma Mia! will be staged at the following dates and times:
• Thursday, March 17, 7:00pm
• Friday, March 18, 7:00pm
• Saturday, March 19, 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and children, and $5 for NHS students and staff.
Tickets are available via EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mamma-mia-the-musical-tickets-269978562147. Seating is by general admission. NHS musicals typically sell out, so buy your tickets now!
For more information about the NHS production of Mamma Mia!, contact Karen Adelman at k adelman@yahoo.com.
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Happier Valley Comedy
HVC's Fun Fridays: Storytelling Standup Showcase
March 18 at 5:30 PM
Happier Valley Comedy's Next Door Lounge (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA)
Watch Happier Valley Comedy talent try out their latest material, laugh together, raise a glass, and support up-and-coming standup comedians. Doors open at 5:30. Showcase starts at 7pm.
Tickets and more information.
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A.P.E.@Hawley and The School for Contemporary Dance and Thought Present:
Bread & Puppet Theater
Sunday, March 20, 6pm
The Workroom, 33 Hawley Street
Bread & Puppet comes to A.P.E at Hawley Street in Northampton, MA on Sunday, March 20th with Finished Waiting, a new show created this winter by B&P director, Peter Schumann and the storied Vermont troupe of puppeteers, carpenters, bus drivers, musicians, dancers, agitators and bread-bakers—many of whom do all of the above in the process of inventing Bread & Puppet's aesthetically iconic and politically plainspoken shows and bringing them to audiences far and wide.
Finished Waiting is a show for this moment of political, social, ecological, and epidemiological rupture and uncertainty, a moment in which many feel the seduction of a stance of waiting: waiting for the pandemic to be over, for better leaders to be elected, for actions to be taken by the powerful to respond to ecological catastrophe, for families to be reunited or seemingly eternal wars to end.
What do we do and where do we go when we're finished waiting? What transformations might be possible in our lives and in our politics if we stopped waiting for them to change, or for others to change first? How is it possible to recognize the moment in which we can set waiting aside and set out toward something—and, as importantly, how can we recognize the moment in which we can, at last, lay aside cherished innocences or bootless hopes, see what is for what it is, and act accordingly? How can it become possible for us to arise together and promote the arising of new worlds of collective possibility through collective uprising?
Bread & Puppet foments such practices of rising in the provocatively quotidian terms of “Domestic Resurrection”— under the banner of which aesthetic and spiritual sublimity are not at odds with political stridency and the rigors of traditional household chores.
In Finished Waiting, Bread & Puppet invites audiences throughout the Northeast to harken to these practices of uprising, and take heart from them—as we all participate in the satisfaction of another, equally fundamental kind of waiting: the waiting for spring's arrival after a long winter. With this show, Bread & Puppet seems to call on us to recognize how nature itself shows us what is possible and what can arise, when we abandon waiting and embrace transformation.
According to Schumann the show will star “the clock and its customers, skies, cities, mountains, forward dancers, backward dancers, a stop officer, and an eye divinity who teaches seeing to non-suspecting eyes.”
After the performance Bread & Puppet will serve its free sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art”—books, posters, postcards, pamphlets and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press—will be for sale.
Purchase tickets online
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From New England New Play Alliance:
Virtual Theater
Portland Stage Company presents
Senior Living
by Tor Hyams and Lisa St. Lou
now-February 27
directed by Judith Ivey
At Riverdale Manor, a retirement community in the Bronx, seniors contemplate the possibility of dying from a broken heart, if divorce is even worth it at a certain age, and when is the right time to have sex again. A talent show, with the promise of cake for dessert, sets the scene for a series of life-changing vignettes that debate what to do with the time we have left. TIckets: $25.
Fresh Ink Theatre Company presents
Shrike
by Erin Lerch
now-February 25
directed by Josh Glenn-Kayden
After the Alien Legion came, all Sheena had left is an unlikely dream: the Rebellion. But the Rebellion has been shattered by the loss of its leader and pushed to increasingly desperate measures, including working with its alien enemy. As tensions mount, Sheena has to face the question: When you have nothing left, what do you fight for? Tickets: $10 and up.
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