Pioneer Valley Theatre News June 9, 2022

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser June 9 - 29, 2022 When this newsletter is long, some email service providers tend to shorten it - don't forget that you can always click the view in browser button to see the full email with all the details - especially all the wonderful upcoming workshops and classes that are available!  Chris Rohmann's latest, featuring a visit to Double Edge Theatre, can be read here. It's not too late to catch one more event in that series, this weekend.  The next issue will include events from June 16 - July 6. 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 YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from Howlround How to Produce a Podcast Series: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to the Art of Podcasting by Tatiana Hernandez-Mitchell From the article:  Podcasting has gained significant traction and is set to increase in popularity within the next couple of years according to industry professionals. In 2022 podcast listeners will account for about 20 percent of all internet users, which means that there will be about 424 million listeners around the world. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com PERFORMANCES Through June 12, we will hold an Outdoor Festival that highlights DE’s partnerships: Apollo Theater and National Black Theatre's In The Name Of The Mother Tree  A project of Jupiter Performance Studio (Harlem, NY) Developed in Residency at Double Edge Theatre Originally Commissioned by the Apollo Theater. Support to develop this work has been provided by Mercury Store, The Shed, Network of Ensemble Theaters, Hi-Arts, NYSCA, and a National Theater Project artist development grant. June 8 – 12 at 7pm Learn more about the performances   Ghost Light Theater The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) June 9, 10, 11 at 8pm Gateway City Arts Three hapless actors, 90 minutes, Shakespeare’s entire catalog. What could go wrong? Prepare to have a long laugh as Shaun O’Keefe, Tina Sparkle, and Kevin Tracy trip, fall, stab, and kiss their way through the Bard’s tales. Are you ready to have an evening of fun, unbridled laughter? Ghost Light’s cast is ready to serve it to you. One of the world’s most produced plays, the Complete Works is appropriate for all ages. Shows are June 9, 10, 11 at 8pm Tickets $20. Several tickets are available at low cost each performance. This show has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Gateway City Live. http://ghostlightmass.ticketleap.com/shorty-shakes/ BETTY & THE PATCH ONSTAGE AT MAJESTIC THEATER JUNE 9 THROUGH JULY 24   The Majestic Theater will present the debut of Betty & The Patch, a new contemporary comedy/drama by Producing Director Danny Eaton June 9 through July 24.   The play is set at The Patch, one of those local destination restaurants with the reputation of good and plentiful food along with a kind of privacy which makes it ideal for intimate get togethers. It’s been run by Betty Borelli for years but a recent kitchen fire has forced a shut down. Determined to reopen, Betty has recruited her daughter Cristina, a successful attorney, to come home and help. But that’s not the only reason — she has had recent health issues and Betty wants Cristina and chef Bobo Henderson to ensure the restaurant’s future. There are family secrets as well that need to be finally revealed, and recent visits from past friends have added to the urgency. Will Cristina stay? Will Bobo finally let Cristina know he’s in love with her? And just who is Cristina’s father?   The cast of Betty & The Patch includes Christine Anthony (Betty), Katie Mack (Cristina), Issa Best (Bobo), Brad Shepard (Joey), Michael Graham Morales (Michael), J. T. Waite (Andy), Linda Storms (Betty understudy), Valerie Vaile (Cristinas understudy), Joel Gladu (Bobo understudy), Rick Malone (Andy/Joey understudy) and Liam Toner (Michael understudy).    Eaton will direct the play.  Associate Producing Director/Stage Manager is Sue Dziura, and Stephen Petit is production stage manager.  Set design is by Greg Trochlil, and Dawn McKay is costumer designer.  Daniel D. Rist is lighting designer.   In accordance with regulations from the Actors' Equity Association, an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance, the Majestic Theater requires all attendees to wear masks at all times (except when eating and drinking), to be fully vaccinated against COVID, and to present their vaccination card (or a photo or other proof of it, on their cell phone) upon arrival.  At this time, no food or drink may be brought into the theater, and needs to be consumed in the Majestic Café.   Tickets to Betty & The Patch range from $31 - $35 and are available for sale at the Majestic’s box office Monday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 1pm; or on the phone at (413) 747-7797.  Happier Valley Comedy 2nd Saturdays Presents: Longform Improvisation June 11 at 7:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy's Next Door Lounge (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA) A cast of experienced improvisers dive into a variety of formats based on audience suggestions. Second Saturday of every month 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 HVC's Fun Fridays: Storytelling Standup Showcase June 17 at 7:00 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. More information ViewPoint Theatre Blood and Water, a love story 6/17, 18, 19 (6/19 is a 3pm matinee) and 6/23, 24, 25, 26 (6/26 is a 3pm matinee) 7:00 PM 6/19 and 6/26 are 3pm matinees. All other shows begin at 7pm. CitySpace in Easthampton, MA Blood and Water, a love story is based on a true story, the life of the playwright and fellow cast-member, Francesca. It tells the story of two mothers and two daughters as one mother is diagnosed with cancer. It's a story of love and grief, but also humor as the family dynamics emphasize the strength of this family as they grapple with illness and eventually, death. Blood and Water explores the meaning of family with its intimate production and honest dialogue and music. Our opening night is June 17th with 6 other dates over the course of 2 weeks in Easthampton, MA. We hope this production will be a celebration of live theatre, new works, and  the many ways to love. Tickets Happier Valley Comedy HVC Presents: Not In Charge! June 18 at 7:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy's Next Door Lounge (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA) Join the talented group Not In Charge for a fast-paced improv show inspired by true stories from the cast! Third Saturday of every month 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. K and E Theater Group Presents HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH   COVID can try to tear her down, but Hedwig is going to give Northampton the whole Angry Inch! The Tony Award-winning glam rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch comes to Northampton Center for the Arts for 5 performances this summer, June 23-25, 2022. K and E Theater Group is presenting this show as an inaugural production of their Coming out with Pride series, presented this June in an annual event, celebrating queer-forward stories.   Innovative, heartbreaking, and savagely funny, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the landmark rock’n’roll musical with text by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask that broke the mold and captured Broadway. This genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation, with a pulsing score and electrifying performances, tells the story of Hedwig Schmidt, an East German punk rock goddess whose botched sex change operation left her with just “an angry inch.” Now, she and her band are out to right many wrongs.    Directed by K and E Theater Group Artistic Director Eddie Zitka, this production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch features Eddie Zitka as Hedwig, Kelly Gagner as Yitzhak, and David Webber as The Angry Inch. The band is led by musical director Devi Badea, and features Justin Rodzen, Charlotte Ross, and Mitch Tilghman.   Performances run from Thursday, June 23, 2022, through Saturday, June 25, 2022. Shows are presented on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at 7:30 PM, Friday, June 24, 2022, at 7:00 PM and 10:30 PM, and Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Tickets are general admission for $27.00. There is no reserved seating.   All performances are at Northampton Center for the Arts, located at 33 Hawley Street in Northampton, Massachusetts.   For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit KETG.org. Happier Valley Comedy The Happier Valley Championship June 25 at 7:00 PM Happier Valley Comedy's Next Door Lounge (1 Mill Valley 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: your laughter! Fourth Saturday of every month 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. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES SILVERTHORNE THEATER TO HOLD AUDITIONS FOR FALL SHOW   Silverthorne Theater Company announced today that open auditions for its 2022-23 Season opener, Lauren Gunderson’s The Taming, will be held June 10-12 at the LAVA Center, 324 Main Street, Greenfield.     Audition slots are available for Friday, June 10, from 6-8 pm; or Saturday, June 11, from 9:30-11:30 am. Callbacks will be held on Sunday, June 12, from 1-3 pm. Auditioners should submit recent headshots and current resumes to silverthornetheater@gmail.com. Video submissions will be considered if received by June 10, but anyone submitting a video would need to be available for the Sunday callbacks. Proof of vaccination against Covid-19 is required for all auditioners. Call 413-7678-7514 for more details.   Director Mary Corinne Miller is a theater-maker, educator, and arts administrator based in the Pioneer Valley. She has worked with numerous professional theater companies in New York City and throughout Western Massachusetts including The Player’s Theater, The Children’s Theater Company, TADA! Theater, Shakespeare and Company, New Century Theater, and Barrington Stage Company.   The Play: The Taming by Lauren Gunderson is a raucous, all-female political comedy inspired by Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. When two political opponents wake up to discover themselves locked in a hotel room with a beauty queen hell-bent on revolutionizing the American government, they are forced to face the vast political divide in order to find a way to save both themselves and our great democracy. Born out of frustration over the partisan grid-lock holding our country hostage, this play tackles the role of women in contemporary American government, the vision and biases of the founding fathers, feminism and beauty pageants, political extremism, Liberal angst and the GOP, through the startling humor of three wildly different, and richly developed women who might just be political geniuses.   Settings: The present, Georgia, at the hotel hosting the Miss Georgia Pageant. July, 1787, the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.   Cast: The cast is comprised of three roles, with each role portraying two to three characters. All roles are described as being in their 20s-30s and female-identifying. As per the playwright: “Actors need not be white”. Actors of all races, ethnicities, abilities, genders, ages and political leanings are strongly encouraged to audition.   KATHERINE- A southern belle and determined pageant winner. Also plays George and Martha Washington in 1787 as well as Dolley Madison.   PATRICIA- A conservative aide to Georgia’s Senator Peter Baxter. Also plays James Madison in 1787.   BIANCA- A liberal southern hipster activist. Also plays a sweet southern good-girl intern, and Charles Pickney in 1787.   For the auditions, actors may choose to: Read from sides provided OR Perform a 1-2 minute contemporary comedic monologue of their choosing   Actors are also strongly encouraged to demonstrate a non-musical talent (such as a magic trick, telling jokes, flexibility/ yoga, gymnastics, juggling, baton-twirling, tap-dancing, hip-hop, etc.) CHILDREN’S THEATER AUDITIONS AT MAJESTIC THEATER   Children’s Theater auditions will be held at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield for the play Schoolhouse Rock Live, which will be presented this August.  Teens aged 14-19 who are interested in acting, playing live music, or working as crew members for the play should contact the Majestic Theater to book an audition.     Audition times are as follows: Sunday, June 12 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Monday, June 13 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 13 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.   Singers are requested to sing along with the instrumental song of their choice.  The theater will provide a Bluetooth speaker that can play the song over a phone, or a CD player for an instrumental disc.  Schoolhouse Rock Live is a musical that is based on the cartoon from the 1970’s and combines lessons with catchy songs.  To book an audition time, performers must call the theater at (413) 747-7797.  People auditioning and performing at the Majestic must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.     Schoolhouse Rock Live Performance Dates:   Monday August 1st 1:00pm & 6:30pm Tuesday August 2nd 10:00am, 1:00pm, & 6:30pm Wednesday August 3rd 10:00am & 1:00pm   Sunday August 7th 1:00pm & 4:00pm Monday August 8th 1:00pm & 6:30pm Tuesday August 9th 10:00am & 1:00pm Wednesday August 10th 10:00am & 1:00pm the Drama Studio OPEN HOUSE June 14th and June 15th at 6 pm 41 OAKLAND STREET, SPRINGFIELD, MA, 01108 Join us for our 2022 on-site Open House to learn about our acting classes and Conservatory program! Come and visit the Drama Studio on Tuesday, June 14th, at 6 pm for ages 6-8, and Wednesday, June 15th, at 6 pm for ages 9-18. To R.S.V.P. for the Open House, click here. *Please note, all participants must be masked. WAM Theatre is looking for a new Director of Community Engagement. WAM Theatre is seeking a part-time (20/hrs a week) Director of Community Engagement to lead our educational programming, coordinate our volunteers, manage group sales and represent WAM at community events. Interested candidates should email a resume and cover letter with the subject heading “Director of Community Engagement Search” to talya@wamtheatre.com by June 20, 2022. A detailed job description can be found HERE. Majestic Theater 25th Season Auditions Equity Principal Auditions 6/27 & 6/28 10AM-6PM Non-Equity and Equity drop-ins 6/29-7/1 6-10PM, 7/2 12-3PM Call (413) 747-7797 to make an appointment Casting for: MAMMA MIA Music & Lyrics by Benny Anderson & Bjorn Ulvaeus Book by Catherine Johnson Directed by Danny Eaton LOVE, MILLY & MURRAY By T. Emerson Directed by Sheila Siraguisa NATIVE GARDENS By Karen Zacarias Directed by James Warwick THE GLASS MENAGERIE By Tennessee Williams Directed by Rand Foerster BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY By Alan James Directed by Danny Eaton More details about which roles are available here. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Happier Valley Comedy Stand Up! Comedy Writing Workshop June 11 at 11:00 AM Happier Valley Comedy's Next Door Lounge (1 Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA) Stand-up comedy has the power to heal and renew, validate shared experiences, counterbalance bigotry, and reach people who would otherwise be unwilling to listen. In this three-and-a-half hour workshop, you'll learn how to be a stand-up comedian from Kim DeShields, a popular, local stand-up comedian with decades of experience. Kim leads you in an exploration of how to identify potential material, how to turn life experiences into jokes and make simple observations funny. You'll learn ease, flow, and stage presence to develop your own personal comedy style or persona. We'll also discuss how to control hecklers and other distractions during a performance. Then you’ll have time in class to write your very own short stand-up set. By the end of the workshop, you’ll perform for the class and get expert feedback on your set from Kim! More information. WAM Theatre Presents Spotlight Series Online conversations with groundbreaking artists WAM Theatre is delighted to announce our brand new online Spotlight Series. The series invites audience members into conversations with groundbreaking theatre artists, where WAM patrons and the wider community will gain insight into their process and how their work intersects with activism.  In the first installment (released on April 20, 2022)  WAM’s new Board Member Nicole M. Young-Martin (Community Investments Manager at the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts) initiates a conversation on season planning with members of WAM Theatre’s Artistic staff: Kristen van Ginhoven (Producing Artistic Director), Tatiana Godfrey (Dramaturg) and Talya Kingston (Associate Artistic Director).  Their frank conversation takes viewers inside the process of choosing WAM’s 2022 season as a group and with community input. The next installment in the Spotlight Series (released on April 26, 2022) is a conversation on art and climate change with The New Galileos playwright Amy Berryman in conversation with WAM Dramaturg Tatiana Godfrey.  The New Galileos,  the first play in WAM’s 2022 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, was written while Amy Berryman was in residence at MIT and in conversation with climate scientists.  Its one of two plays (the other being Walden) that Berryman has set in a “near future.”  In this interview, she talks about how her imagined futures both “serve as a warning sign but also futures that contain some sort of hope and vision… are important in how we try to bring attention to this [climate] crisis.” The third Spotlight installment (released on May 24th), is an interview with director and WAM board member Megan Sandberg-Zakian about directing The New Galileos, as well as her autobiography and general philosophy on storytelling articulated in her book, “There Must be Happy Endings: on a Theater of Optimism and Honesty.” In the interview, Megan talks about the ethics of making hopeful art in an unjust world and how she hopes to empower both the artists she works with and the audiences who attend her productions. All three of these first three Spotlight videos are available now to watch for free on the WAM website.  Others that are coming up include: a conversation on casting controversies with Victor Vasquez (the founder and lead Casting Director of X Casting), a panel on women in theatrical designing (featuring some of the designers of our Fall production of Cadillac Crew) and a conversation on the importance of highlighting elder women on stage that will put Producing Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven in conversation with some of her cast of Escaped Alone. For more information visit wamtheatre.com Drama Studio Summer Programs July 5th, 2022 - August 19th, 2022 41 OAKLAND STREET, SPRINGFIELD, MA, 01108 The Drama Studio is a unique community where young people grow as artists, leaders, and individuals. Now offering a variety of onsite acting and theater programs in a safe environment, including Stories on Stage, where students will prepare an entire production of Story Theatre and Improv for younger audiences, including a literacy video. In TeenScene: SummerFest teens will present a fully produced festival of One Acts. Other programs include Acting Up: Summer Fun Stories, SummerSlam: Improv Week, and Island Improv, Scenes and Myths. No prior acting experience is required. Summer enrollment now open! Space is limited. https://dramastudio.org/summer-programs Hampshire Shakespeare Company presents Educational Theater Workshops July 11-15, July 21-29, Aug 1-5 Northampton Center for the Arts Fun and educational week-long theater programs for kids ages 7-15 run by local professionals. https://hampshireshakespeare.com/ WORKSHOP with GERARD STROPNICKY FIRST PERSON: Crafting Your Story for Performance July 18 - 23, 2022 Gerard Stropnicky finally returns to the Ko Festival to teach his highly popular on-your-feet writers' and performers' story intensive. Designed to release the enormous potential energy already in you – and in your story, this class is geared for adults with all levels of experience. Not local? On-campus housing is available. This workshop may be of particular interest to people interested in participating in Ko's July 24th Story Slam Enrollment Opens Monday for PIC's First Youth Program WHAT: This 2-week summer program, led by arts educators Kit Marshall and Felicia Sloin, will invite participants to explore their creativity through art, music, yoga, drumming, dance, and improvisation. The program will culminate in a celebratory sharing for friends and family.  We are very excited to be presenting our first ever youth programming with CREATIVE JOURNEYS - formerly a program of Valley Performance Playground-  this summer! WHO: Ages 7-11 (limited to 14 participants) WHERE: Lander Grinspoon Academy, 257 Prospect St., Northampton WHEN: August 1-5, 8-12, 9am-3pm COST: $625 for 2 weeks Registration opens Monday, March 7th and will be limited to 14 participants. So register early to reserve your spot! Learn More Here Yoga Sanctuary Play Practice: Exploring Yoga & Theatre Summer Program for Kids 8/1–8/5 (Monday–Friday), 9–2 pm Yoga Sanctuary, Thornes Marketplace (Third Floor) Join us for a fabulous week of daily yoga practice and theatre-making, as we use our bodies, breath, and voices to develop skills for acting and storytelling. Every day will include yoga techniques, theatre games, and creative exercises designed to unleash each student's unique expression, as well as foster dynamic group creation. Plus, all the summer fun of daily outdoors time and a special day spent walking and swimming in our beautiful local nature! On the last day, we'll host a sharing at 1pm for families to get a peak at what the students have been practicing this week. Play Practice is open to students ages 10-13 of all experience levels (including no previous experience) and all physical abilities—yoga and theatre are for every body! Reach out to us with any questions. More information. Play Practice is led by Ellen Morbyrne, a local teacher and parent with over 20 years of experience as both a theatre-maker and a yoga practitioner. Ellen has been teaching and directing theatre at North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens since 2003, has taught theatre locally at high schools and homeschool co-ops and at the Drama Studio, and has been teaching yoga to folks of all ages since 2009. She is the cofounder of Real Live Theatre and teaches weekly yoga classes here at Yoga Sanctuary. Cost: $325/child (regular price); $400/child (pay-it-forward price; help us offer a scholarship to another child!) Submit your workshop, class, audition, performance, or any other theatre opportunity here! Pioneer Valley Theatre Companies Academy of Music Theatre Amherst Community Theater Arena Civic Theatre A.C.T. Youth Theatre Black Cat Theater Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Cold Spring Community Theatre Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Ghost Light Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater Mount Holyoke College Rooke Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Performance Project Phantom Sheep Players Play Incubation Collective 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 Theater Between Addresses TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Unity House Players Valley Light Opera Ware Community Theatre Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players World and Eye 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 TV/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|*