Pioneer Valley Theatre News January 26, 2023

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser January 26 - February 15, 2023 There are so many good auditions coming up in the next few weeks! It's not too late to get involved in a show this spring! Scroll down to the audition section for a whole lot more information.  The next issue will include events from February 2 - 22. 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 Every Production Is a Moonshot: Research on Improving Repertoire Selection by Kristin Patton and Nick Rabkin From the article:  Making theatre repertoire decisions is complex, high-risk, and difficult work. These decisions set the trajectory for all that follows, and the process of making them deserves far more attention. After decades of audience erosion, the future of theatre clearly depends on more people choosing to attend. But that will require far more than continuing to invest in improving marketing and fundraising functions. It will require holistic new strategies to produce work compelling enough to artists and audiences to overcome the significant underlying social, cultural, and economic changes that have driven the erosion. The high-stakes decision-making process at the very start of the production cycle is one place to develop these strategies. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com PERFORMANCES Come join the swimming, singing, and sparkling sea creatures in this delightful tale, complete with irresistible songs, stunning sets and costumes, and full live orchestra! Join us “under the sea” in UMass’s beautiful Bowker Auditorium; performances run January January 26-29, 2023. For tickets, just visit www.amherstacts.org! NATIVE GARDENS IN BLOOM AT MAJESTIC THEATER JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 12   West Springfield’s Majestic Theater continues its 25th Season with Native Gardens, a contemporary comedy by Karen Zacarias.  The play, which runs January 5 through February 12, looks at how next door neighbors in an affluent neighborhood in Washington, DC hash out border disputes and cultural misunderstandings.  The timely comedy focuses on Frank and Virginia Butely, residents of a lush home who fill their time with dinner parties and tending to Frank’s prize-winning garden.  When lawyer Pablo Del Valle and his pregnant wife Tania move into the fixer-upper next door, they challenge the status quo by cultivating a “native garden,” planting only vegetation indigenous to the area, and threatening Frank’s annual entry to the Potomac Horticultural Society’s neighborhood garden contest.   Danny Eaton is producing director, while James Warwick is directing the play.  Associate Producing Director/Stage manager is Sue Dziura, and Stephen Petit is production stage manager.  Aurora Ferraro is associate production manager, and Josiah Durham is technical director.  The set was designed by Greg Trochlil, Dawn McKay is costume designer, and Daniel Rist is lighting designer.    Cast members include J. T. Waite (Frank), Ellen Barry (Virginia), Peter Evangelista (Pablo) and Sara Linares (Tania).  They are joined by Tina Sparkle, Michael Morales and Mikey Perez.   Ticket prices range from $29 - $35 and can be obtained by visiting or calling the box office at (413) 747-7797 during hours of operation (Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.)   Audience members are required to wear a mask while in the building unless actively eating or drinking in the café.  Doors to the theater will open one hour before the start of a show, which is also when the café opens.  For more information, visit www.majestictheater.com Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School "Once Upon a Mattress" February 3 at 7:00pm, 02/04/23 @ 7:00pm, 02/05/23 @ 2:00pm; snowdate 02/05/23 @ 7:00pm PVPA 15 Mulligan Drive, South Hadley, MA 01075 The Queen had declared that no couples could marry until her son, the Prince, found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the tests given to them by the Queen. That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, showed up! Join us in PVPA's Main Stage Theater for this fabulous musical spin on the Princess and the Pea! Tickets at the door or at pvpa.org as follows: $15 general $10 seniors/military $7 alumni $5 students ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com. Music by MARY RODGERS Lyrics by MARSHALL BARER Book by JAY THOMPSON, DEAN FULLER, and MARSHALL BARER More information. The Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare Returns to the Berkshires on February 11 Shakespeare & Company will stage a special, Valentine's presentation of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., featuring the cast of the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare and directed by Kevin G. Coleman. I'll Be Thine, Valentine: Romeo & Juliet will be staged at the Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company’s Lenox, Mass. campus, featuring Travis Ascione, Cameron Davis, Ptah Garvin, JoJo McDonald, Stephanie Neuerburg, Savanna Padilla, and Naire Poole, with costume design by Shakespeare & Company Costume Director Govane Lohbauer and production design by Devon Drohan. Tickets range from $25 to $35, and $12.50 for students; for more information, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. This production is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. William Simpson Fine Arts Series "When I Put On Your Glove" Sandglass Theater's Shoshana Bass February 15, 7:00 PM Fuller Arts Center, Springfield College Campus SANDGLASS THEATER’s piece about belonging, memory and inter-generational dialogue, “When I Put On Your Glove” is a puppetry, dance and spoken narrative piece that explores a daughter’s relationship to her father’s work building upon a premise that puppets are containers of memory. In it, a daughter explores what it means for her to slip into her father’s art – and not just the form, but the actual pieces. This work addresses universal questions of belonging, childhood, fear of loss, death and the complicated nature of navigating generational artistic legacy. The passing of these puppets into new hands marks a pivotal moment of generational transition for Sandglass Theater. It is an engagement with what legacy means in the field of puppetry; how an art form endures and transforms as it is handed to the next generation; meeting the voice of the past with the voice of the present, and singing it into the future. For ages 14 and up. When I Put On Your Glove is supported in part by an award from the Vermont Arts Council. https://springfield.edu/simpson Silverthorne Theater Company, Inc. The Building, by Betel Arnold, a new play reading February 16 at 7:30 PM The Divine Theatre, 92 Race Street, Holyoke MA 01040 Silverthorne Theater Company presents a staged reading of Northampton playwright Betel Arnold’s newest play, The Building. Directed by Kyle Boatwright, the reading will take place at 7:30pm on Thursday, February 16th, 2023 at the Divine Theater at Gateway City Arts as part of Silverthorne’s free Theater Thursdays reading series, with a talkback to follow. Tickets are free, and Silverthorne welcomes donations so that we can continue making our work accessible to all. The Building follows lifelong Brooklyn resident Agnes as she attempts to get her granddaughter Catalina out of their apartment building and off to a renowned fashion design program in France to further her education. When Agnes discovers that Catalina has been secretly dating the son of a notorious drug dealer, Agnes becomes all the more desperate, enlisting the help of her friends and eventually squaring off with the building’s landlord—who turns out to be much more than he appears. Tickets AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Smith College Department of Theatre AUDITIONS: LA RUTA by Isaac Gómez directed by Monica Lopez Orozco To the U.S.-owned factories in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, La Ruta is just a bus. But to the hundreds of women who live, work and often disappear along the route, it’s so much more than that. Inspired by real testimonies, and using live music to evoke factory work and protest marches, La Ruta is a visceral unearthing of secrets buried in the desert and a celebration of the Mexican women who stand resiliently in the wake of loss. Auditions: Sunday, January 29 and Monday, January 30, 7:00-9:00 PM Acting Studio 1, Mendenhall CPA Please let us know if you are interested but unable to make either date. Callbacks will be on Tuesday, January 31, 7:00-9:00 PM Rehearsals: Begin early March. Exact schedule TBD. We typically rehearse 5 days per week (Sunday through Thursday)  Performances: April 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 at 7:30 PM in Theatre 14 Casting Breakdown:  All of the characters in this play are Mexican. YOLI - a mother, 40s MARISELA - a mother, 40s IVONNE - a friend, 26 BRENDA - a daughter, 16 ZAIDE - a maquila worker, 40s DESAMAYA - a singer/musician who is both timeless and ageless WOMEN OF JUÁREZ - women who fill the world of Juárez, all ages Audition Prep: No appointment necessary. No preparation required, but auditioners are encouraged to be familiar with the text. If you are a strong singer and/or instrument player, please prepare a short, 32 bar cut of a song (roughly 1:15-1:30 minutes ) to bring into your audition. Genres to consider; folk, traditional (and/or regional) songs specific to any Latin American country, and blues. Perusal scripts available at Josten Library. Contact/Questions: Production Manager, Nikki Beck, ncbeck@smith.edu Majestic Theater 131 Elm St West Springfield, MA 01089 Theater Lighting technician needed. Part time.  Must be skilled in hanging and focusing theatrical lighting and is comfortable in a Genie personnel lift.  Knowledge of Theatrical LED Fixtures preferred but not necessary. Hourly pay depending on skill level and experience.  Must be available on Sunday nights with some daytime work also needed.  Send resumes to Associate Producing Director, Sue Dziura at sue@majestictheater.com Footlights at the Falls Community Theater Dancing at Lughnasa February 4 and 5, 3:30-5:30 PM, Callbacks February 7, 6-8 PM Arms Library in Shelburne Falls Footlights at the Falls Community Theater is happy to announce auditions for Dancing at Lughnasa, by dramatist Brian Friel, for an April 2023 production in Shelburne Falls. Dancing at Lughnasa, set in the north of Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg, is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator.  Michael recounts the late summer days in his aunts' cottage, when he was seven years old, and when love and happiness briefly seems possible for the five Mundy sisters (Maggie, Chris, Agnes, Rose, and Kate) and their frail elder brother, Jack, who has returned from a life as a missionary in Africa. However, as the summer ends, and Lughnasa arrives, the sadness and economic privations under which the family will suffer are made known.   Roles open for 5 women and 2 men. Experienced and new actors are welcome.  Auditions will be at the Arms Library in Shelburne Falls from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on both Saturday, Feb. 4, and Sunday, Feb. 5.  (Alternate date in case of bad weather will be 6 to 8 pm on Monday, Feb. 6).  Callbacks, if necessary, will happen on Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 6 to 8 pm. Auditioners are encouraged to arrive as close to the start time as possible and stay for as long as possible. Auditions will include dancing as a group. The dance steps will be taught at the auditions. Please don’t let that scare you away!  These are very basic steps and are easy to learn. Auditioners will be asked to read several roles/scenes with other actors. Audition monologues of 3 minutes or less are also welcome but not required. Accents are not required. Performances will be April 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29 in Shelburne Falls.  Rehearsals begin in early February. Please bring a list of all time conflicts you may have during the rehearsal period.  All auditioners must be 17 or older.   If you can’t make these dates and want to audition separately, please contact director Jean Koester at jeanjkemail@gmail.com or producer Jackie Walsh at shelburnejackieb@gmail.com "Grants from local Massachusetts Cultural Council towns are helping fund the show." Greenfield Community College Auditions for THE MINUTES by Tracy Letts Sloan Theater at Greenfield Community College Auditions for THE MINUTES at GCC Theater Mon, Feb 6 & Tue, Feb 7 at 3:30pm, with Callbacks Wed, Feb 8 at 3:30pm. No experience needed for actors or backstage crew. Fresh from Broadway and 2022 Tony Award nominee for Best Play… The Minutes A comedy by Tracy Letts Directed by Tom Geha Described as a “scathing new comedy about small-town politics and real-world power, from the author of August: Osage County, exposes the ugliness behind some of our most closely-held American narratives while asking each of us what we would do to keep from becoming history’s losers.” – Concord Theatricals Setting: City Council Meeting in the fictional town of Big Cherry UMass Theater to hold auditions for Into the Woods Feb. 12-14! This spring, UMass will take on one of most beloved musicals of all time, INTO THE WOODS. Our production will draw inspiration from American folk art to bring to life the world of Cinderella, Jack, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood and all their fellow fairy tale figures. In doing so, we hope to bring forward the idea that "if you know what you want, then you go and you find it and you get it" is exactly how you get giants in your midst, whereas realizing that "people make mistakes" and that you must "fight for their mistakes, honor their mistakes" is a way to make the next journey into the woods a little easier. AUDITION INFORMATION Who: All community members and non-majors who sing are welcome. Audition for the role you prefer, regardless of your gender or that of the character (vocal range will be a consideration) When & Where Feb. 12, 1-6 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14, 6-10 p.m. Callbacks are scheduled for Feb. 15 and 16, 6-10 p.m. Bromery Center for the Arts, The Rand Theater Stage. Please come to the Green Room first for paperwork and instructions.  Sign up for a slot on the SignUpGenius page Please note that rehearsals begin February 21. There are no rehearsals over spring break. PERFORMANCES ARE APRIL 28-MAY 6 How to Prepare Auditioners should prepare any number of the following solos listed below. In order to be considered for a role, you must prepare the solo associated with that role (in other words, if you are interested in multiple roles, you should prepare multiple solos). You may prepare as many solos as you wish, regardless of your gender or that of the character (vocal range will be a consideration). We may ask actors to sing solos they have not prepared as well, if they are willing. No monologue preparation is necessary, and we will not be hearing actors perform any songs besides the excerpts listed below. Character descriptions and synopses for INTO THE WOODS are readily available online, and while we know that there are many versions of this musical available to watch, we encourage you to find your own version of the character to present. Be inspired by the versions you've seen, but don't try to recreate them.  Audition Song Exerpts (click here to access the folder):  Agony (both Princes) Baker's Reprise (Narrator, Baker, Mysterious Man) Giants in the Sky (Jack, Wolf) Hello Little Girl (Wolf, Jack) I Know Things Now (Little Red) Last Midnight (Witch, Jack's Mom, Cinderella's Mom) Steps of the Palace (Cinderella, Rapunzel, Stepsisters) Moments in the Woods (Baker's Wife, Cinderella's Stepmother) WORKSHOPS & CLASSES PRACTICE STUDIO with Chalia La Tour A Weekly, 90 minute Drop-In Class, ​​Open to All Levels of Experience Mondays starting January 9 | 12-1.30pm EST | On Zoom NEW PRICING FOR 2023! First Session for $5 / Drop-In for $15 / 4 Class Pack for $55 Click here to sign up for your first session! And click here to drop-in or grab a 4 class pack. Like any art form, acting is a practice. In Practice Studio you will be given held space to do just that. Practice. Practice tuning into yourself. Practice releasing & empowering your voice. Practice generously offering and vulnerably revealing yourself. Each week Tony Award nominee and Broadway Black’s Antonyo Award Recipient for Best Featured Actor in a Broadway Play, Chalia La Tour (Slave Play Broadway, Yale MFA) will guide you through a progression of exercises & deep internal exploration to aid you on a path where your artistry is ever growing. This class is perfect for maintaining a sharpness of skills, preparation for auditions, or revitalizing your connection to your work. What does practice make? Better. 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 Easthampton Theater Company 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 Local Theater Critic Max Hartshorne 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|*