Bring the kids this Saturday to our story time event for Disney Camp Rock the Musical at Barnes & Noble in Scottsdale!
This FREE event starts at 11am and you can have a chance to win 2 tickets to the show (no purchase necessary).
See you then!
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
check out Desert Stages Theatre's DISNEY CAMP ROCK THE MUSICAL at the Barnes & Noble Storytime event this Saturday, September 3
Bring the kids this Saturday to our story time event for Disney Camp Rock the Musical at Barnes & Noble in Scottsdale!
This FREE event starts at 11am and you can have a chance to win 2 tickets to the show (no purchase necessary).
See you then!
CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES - Arizona Broadway Theatre - September 22 – October 2, 2016
inspired by the book Growing Up Lutheran, by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson
Barbara McBain (ABT debut): Vivian
Kat Bailes: Mavis
Carolyn McPhee: Karin
Ali Whitwell: Signe
Tim Shawver: Pastor Gunderson
ABT SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT:
In rural Minnesota, 1965, the ladies of the local church fortify their flock with love, wisdom and, of course, the food they prepare in the church’s basement kitchen. Inspired by the best-selling book Growing Up Lutheran, Church Basement Ladies mixes together delightful original music, endearing characters, and hilarious scenes to yield a deliciously funny musical comedy. Church Basement Ladies, a celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who work there, features four distinct characters and their relationships as they organize the food and the problems of a rural Minnesota church. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, audiences get a touching, funny look at their lives as we see them handle a record breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter Fundraiser, and a steaming hot July wedding. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the Pastor on due course while thoroughly enjoying each other. Funny and down to earth, audiences will recognize these ladies as they begin to see the Church year unfold from below the House of God. This is most certainly true!
Thursday September 22 2016 at 7:30 PM
Friday September 23 2016 at 7:30 PM
Saturday September 24 2016 at 2:00 PM
Saturday September 24 2016 at 7:30 PM
Sunday September 25 2016 at 2:00 PM
Sunday September 25 2016 at 7:30 PM
Wednesday September 28 2016 at 7:30 PM
Thursday September 29 2016 at 2:00 PM
Thursday September 29 2016 at 7:30 PM
Friday September 30 2016 at 7:30 PM
Saturday October 1 2016 at 2:00 PM
Saturday October 1 2016 at 7:30 PM
Sunday October 2 2016 at 2:00 PM
Doors open two hours before show time for dinner - show only tickets are available, based upon availability.
CLICK HERE for more information, and to order tickets
cast announcement - A LITTLE PRINCESS - East Valley Children's Theatre
Sara Crewe: Isabelle Jensen
Miss Minchin: Rachael Lunt
Becky: Karsten Flake
Miss Amelia: Paige VanConant
Alice: Alexia Zitzke
Trudy: Sydney Preston
Jessie: Jaden Webb
Ermengarde: Danica Rauch
Lavinia: Brighten Knight
Lottie: Kaydee Church
Christine: Jenna Officer
Josephine: Maggie Van Patten
Cook: Arianna Eckblad
Mr. Barrow/Mr. Carrisford: Colton Spencer
Perkins: Joshua Boenzi
Ram Dass: Bobby Dean Kuehler
Capt. Crewe/Mr. Carmichael: Eric O’Dell
Mrs. Carmichael: Ashton Flake
Jane Carmichael: Keira Duggan
Lily Carmichael: Kathleen Jensen
Dream Dancers: Soliel Woodward, Kylie Burge, Madison Peterson, Ryder Gailmard,
Calabria Pelletier, Tre Moore, Cecilia Bradley, Emma Lovata, Niall Schubring
Young London Ladies: Soliel Woodward, Madison Petersen
Maid: Kylie Burge
Street Urchin: Ryder Gailmard
Newspaper Boy: Niall Schubring
Society Lady: Calabria Pelletier
Chimney Sweep: Tre Moore
Flower Lady: Emma Lovata
Directed by: Jere Van Patten
Musical Director: Karen Rolston
reviews - DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER - Desert Stages Theatre
 |
| Ashley Jackson, Wade Moran, Deborah Ostreicher, and Geoff Goorin Photo by Heather Butcher / Desert Stages Theatre |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through September 19th.
"...In the French sex comedy Don’t Dress For Dinner now playing at Scottsdale Desert Stages Actor’s Cafe until September 19... the audience is thrown into the middle of a marital deceit that you know will soon go disastrously wrong as the plot machinations of secret affairs breathlessly unfolds....Adapted from French into English by British playwright Robin Hawdon, Don’t Dress For Dinner takes place in the living room of a cozy country home... The philandering middle-aged Bernard (Geoff Goorin) is to have a free weekend. His wife, Jacqueline (Deborah Weissman Ostreicher) is about to leave to visit her mother. This gives the adulterous husband the opportunity of sneaking his young mistress, Suzanne (Skylar Ryan) into the farmhouse for the weekend. Naturally, it all goes disastrously wrong when Jacqueline cancels plans and remains. What follows is a frantic mess involving Bernard’s friend Robert (Wade Moran), a Cordon Bleu cook who makes house-calls, Suzette (Ashley Jackson) and Suzette’s threatening, leather-jacketed husband, George (Jeff Viso). The six-person cast attack their roles with the kind of full-on, over the top energy required of characters in a farce as they race around the set, mug, panic and outdo each other by telling lie after lie while everything around them picks up speed and spirals out of control. ...It’s not the wordplay that’s funny – the wit of the script is minimal – it’s the actions and tangled plot developments that make you laugh; torturous for the characters but laugh-out-loud funny for the audience. As co directed by Virginia Oliviera and Gary Zaro, there’s something of a three-way cultural divide in the play’s presentation. The setting, setup and characters are definitely French, the dialog is British...and it’s all delivered with an American accent....Towards the last half hour, the play often looks as if it’s in danger of losing steam – it feels longer than it should – but the cast bring it back for the conclusion...As Suzette, Ashley Jackson’s natural charm and unforced comedic quality makes her Cordon Bleu caterer all the funnier as she willingly involves herself in the men’s deceit for a fee. ...Ashley steals every moment she’s on...." -David Appleford, Valley Screen and Stage (click here to read the complete review)
"Farce can be a difficult thing to pull off. You need the right pacing, proper comic timing, and the ability to not veer too far into the extreme; otherwise, it can come across as blatant mugging and scenery chewing. Desert Stages Theatre's production of the French farce Don't Dress For Dinner, while not perfect, features some fun performances, spirted direction, and several hilarious moments.
....While there are several times when the cast gets too broad or even a little amateurish, the production is fortunate that Ashley Jackson... is playing Suzette the cook. She has a natural ease in her line delivery and good comic timing. She manages to elevate her scenes with the other cast members, always keeps things interesting when she is on stage, and expertly handles everything required of her. As Bernard and Robert, Geoff Goorin and Wade Moran deliver on the frantic, crazed requirements of their parts. While they form somewhat realistic relationships with their romantic partners, neither really sizzle in the sexuality of the roles. Though that may partly be due to the upper crust British adaptation, which has them using phrases like "darling" when referring to the person they are in love with, which does tend to make the whole affair more "Downton Abbey" than "Lady Chatterly's Lover." ...Deborah Ostreicher... is sensual, perfectly charming, and does well when displaying how her character gets overly agitated. But this is a sex farce, so a little more heat would be nice from the three leads. ...Skylar Ryan...as Suzanne...provides a huge shot of sensuality in the otherwise mostly prim and proper cast....Directors Virginia Olivieri and Gary Zaro do a nice job of staging the action on the small DST stage. While the play does bog down a bit toward the end, they keep the pace fairly brisk and their cast hitting their appropriate marks. However, it is unfortunate that this production doesn't incorporate any accents, especially since it is set in France. Having everyone speak with an American accent seems strange. The recent Broadway revival used English accents for everyone but Suzette and her husband, who had thick French accents. This helped to not only set the location accurately but also made the use of British slang in the script seem appropriate. ...While DST's production may suffer from some shortcomings, especially with a cast that really needs to turn up the heat, be more natural, and pull back from crossing the line into being too broad, Don't Dress For Dinner still results in a fun affair." -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
cast announcement - THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY, JR. - Desert Foothills Theater
Stanley- Zachary Snyders
Arthur- Harrison Lowe
Mr. Lambchop- Keagan Smith
Mrs. Lambchop- Anne Bugbee
Caitlyn- Stella Chamoff
Jackson- Adrian Bahnerth
Jackie- Isabella Varela-Prendergast
Sophie- Mia Dybvig-Pawelko
Bulletin Board- Brooke Kilgore
Mrs. Cartero- Bronte Bowling
Doctor Dan- Wyatt Chamoff
Nurse Betty- Dakota Else
King of Cool Kids- Olivia Ledesma
Cool Kid 2- Ashley Ames
Cool Kid 3- Caitlyn Aragabright
Bird 1- Stella Chamoff
Bird 2- Adrian Bahnerth
Bird 3- River Vogelsang
Hollywood Agent- Benjamin Ledesma
Hollywood Assistant 1- Isabella Varela-Prendergast
Hollywood Assistant 2- Elliot Walker
Samantha- Bridget Zatarga Fronstin
O’Jay D’Art- Ashley Ames
Mona Lisa- Belize Ellis
Napoleon- Wyatt Dybvig- Pawelko
Sneak Thief- Abby Ames
Herb Wavecrest-River Vogelsang
Kiki- Olivia Ledesma
Assistant Director- Bridget Zatarga Fronstin
Bikini Wahini- Mia Dybvig-Pawelko
the ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence announce new procedures for Nominees
from our friends at the Zoni's:
NEW PROCEDURES for Nominees!
One of the many changes we are making to the Celebration this year is an effort to make the ceremony run even more smoothly. In an effort to limit breaks in the ceremony where we wait to find out if a recipient is coming to the stage or not, we are implementing TWO new procedures.
1.) NOMINEES WHO ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE CELEBRATION: If you already know you WILL NOT be attending the ariZoni Celebration on September 19, PLEASE CLICK HERE to fill out this form by September 1
This will give us early notification we can share with our presenters so they will know not to wait for someone who isn't at the ceremony.
2.) ATTENDEES WHO ARE ATTENDING: Please CHECK IN at the nominee table when you arrive at the theater on September 19. This is our second double check for attendees. If you do not check in AND you have not submitted a Non-Attendee form, we will, FOR THIS YEAR ONLY, wait a few seconds for you to respond if you win.
In future years, those who do not check in will be assumed absent from the ceremony and a short announcement will be read up on the reading of your name as a winner noting that you were not able to attend the ceremony.
Your attention to these procedures will help make the ceremony run much more smoothly (and more on time) and will be greatly appreciated by the celebration producers AND attendees.
THANK YOU so much for your help.
a conversation with playwright Liz Duffy Adams, author of OR, premiering in Arizona this weekend at Southwest Shakespeare Company
 |
| Liz Duffy Adams |
This weekend Southwest Shakespeare Company presents the Arizona premiere of Liz Duffy Adams' Or. This comedy tells the story of Aphra Behn who was the first professional female playwright as well as a poet and a spy. It also includes an interesting love triangle that features King Charles II.
The play premiered Off Broadway at Women’s Project Theater and has been produced over forty times across the country.
Adams will be in town to attend the opening as well as participate in the talk back after the performance this Saturday evening, September 3rd.
She will also be in residence, working on her latest play Asterion for the weekend, that culminates in a world premiere reading of the play co-produced by The Bridge Initiative and Southwest Shakespeare Company on Monday, September 5th. This will be the first time the play has ever been read in public.
Liz took a few minutes before making the journey to Arizona to answer some questions about how Or came to be, the research involved in its creation, Asterion, and her words of advice for fellow female playwrights.
For those who don’t know about the play, what would you say it was about? And how did the idea for Or come to you?
"I first was introduced to Aphra Behn years ago when director Rebecca Patterson asked me to write a verse prologue for her production of The Rover. I didn’t know Behn’s work at all, so I started reading, and couldn’t stop—her plays and poems, her novel. Tremendously exciting. Then I read a biography of her, and thought: she’s fabulous; she could be the subject of a play herself.
Around then I was a member of the Women’s Project playwrights lab in NY, and wrote a 10-minute play for their new work festival as a way of experimenting with the idea. It became a short verse play called Aphra Does Antwerp; if anyone is interested, it’s available at Playscripts.com.
After that it was in the back of my mind for a long time, while I wrote other things and tried to find my entry point for the full-length play. The spark ended up being a combination of 1) reading about almost post-apocalyptic devastation of London after the plague and the Great Fire, a description of grass growing in the city streets—I’m attracted to stories of how people recreate civilization after catastrophe, and this made the setting very real to me—and 2) hearing, in all my reading about the period, a resonance between the 1660s and ‘70s and the same decades in the 20th century.
Just when those ideas were coming together for me, I had the chance as a resident playwright at New Dramatists to take part in a 2-week workshop called PlayTime. It’s usually used to workshop an already-written play, but I used it to actually write it, working each day up in the attic in their old church in the theater district, coming down each afternoon to a group of actors who would read the pages. It was an amazingly intensive and creative atmosphere that allowed me to write very fast—a pace that helped create the pace of the play itself. So basically, I thought about this play for ten years and wrote it in two weeks.""
 |
| Allison Sell and Emily Mohney in Southwest Shakespeare Company's production of Or photo: Patrick Walsh |
"I had been thinking about giving it a two-part period title, like Twelfth Night or, What You Will or Behn’s own The Rover or, the Banished Cavaliers. But I didn’t really want a long title. And then the idea occurred of just taking the connective or from the middle… and it felt thematically right, for reasons the play talks about in the prologue at the start. And also funny, though maybe that’s just me. It’s a terrible title for the age of Googling, of course!"
Or, is a fictional comedy but one based on history. How much of the play is historically accurate and what do you think is the biggest liberty you took in stretching the truth?
"I made a lot up but my general idea was to write nothing that couldn’t have happened, even if there’s no evidence that it did. Giving Aphra the king as her secret benefactor is an example – there’s no evidence for it, but it’s not out of character based on what we know about either of them, and they did meet at least once and had friends in common. And Charles and Nell of course were famously lovers, but there’s no reason to think they met at Aphra’s rooms - the usual story is that he went backstage after seeing her in a play – but they could have. And William Scott disappeared from history after his last meeting with Aphra in Antwerp – but his appearance as it happens in my play would not have been impossible. I tried to do justice to what is known of these people and their times, while feeling free – as writers of historical plays always have, back to Shakespeare – to prioritize storytelling over strict facts."
I imagine there was a lot of research involved in the writing of the play. What did it involve?
"A great deal of the research was accidental—that is, I fell for the Restoration since I was an 18-year-old acting student doing a scene from Way of the World, and have read work from and about the period over the years for my own pleasure. Royal Charles by Antonia Fraser, The Secret Life of Aphra Behn by Janet Todd, Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin, were some of the inspirations. And I steeped myself for years in plays of the period and Behn’s work in particular. Accidental research for me is the best kind—when I feel I have to read something it starts to feel too much like work."
 |
| Jesse James Kamps, Emily Mohney and Allison Sell photo: Matt Chesin |
"Indeed. Though I wouldn’t dream of telling an audience what to think. My plays generally turn out at least a bit funny, but I hope they are plays of ideas at the same time."
The play premiered Off Broadway at Women’s Project Theater. How did that production come about? Were you commissioned by them to write it?
"I wasn’t commissioned. After I wrote the first draft at New Dramatists, I carried on making my revisions, and then had a weeklong workshop at New Georges’ in New York, as an associate artist. I invited Julie Crosby and Megan Carter from the Women’s Project to come hear the final presentation. When it was over and we all stood up and chatted, they asked me where I thought the play was in its process. I said, “Honestly, I think it’s ready for production.” And Julie said, “We think so too. Let’s do it.” I couldn’t believe my ears – it is never that easy! But they meant it, and it went up within months."
Or, has been produced dozens of times since its premiere. Have you made any changes to the play since the original Off Broadway premiere production?
"After that premiere, Loretta Greco of the Magic Theater in San Francisco asked me if I would be willing to have a second production that was like a first – in other words, to be fully involved and take the play even further. I said yes, of course—what a rare and fantastic opportunity! She and I and her dramaturg Jane Ann Crum spent two full days reading and talking through the play, and as a result of that and through the rehearsal process, I made some small but immensely useful changes. That became the final, published version."
I know you'll be attending the opening weekend of the Southwest Shakespeare production here in Mesa. Have you seen many of the other productions of the play? And if you have, were there any new things you learned from your own play in seeing these productions?
"I’ve been fortunate enough to see several of the now over 40 productions; I think this will be the seventh. Very unusual! I love experiencing it with different audiences, and feeling how they respond to it. And I immensely enjoy seeing how different creative teams solve the staging challenges, and all the vastly different ways different actors and directors engage with the same text. One thing in particular I’ve learned about the play is how our ever-changing times shift the focus of its relevance, without—it seems to me—ever erasing it."
What do you think a company like SSC, who specializes in presenting the works of Shakespeare, will be able to add to Or,?
"I love the idea of Or, being produced by a classical company. Classical acting training is extremely useful for the play, for bringing high stakes and style and playing the language. And while I love Shakespeare enormously, I also love the idea of opening the doors to new plays alongside him. We need that, to keep the theater alive. So I’m delighted they’re doing it."
You’ll also be in town to work with the cast and director for a reading of your new play Asterion, a co-production of SSC and The Bridge Initiative. What can you tell us about your new play? How long have you been working on it and what do you hope to gain from this reading?
"Asterion is a very new play. This past January I got to take part in the launch of the New Territories Playwriting Residency in Serenbe, Georgia, in which three playwrights were there for two weeks to be inspired by the landscape and begin a site-specific play. There is a beautiful stone labyrinth in Serenbe, and walking it over and over again every day led me into the idea of Asterion, based on the ancient myth of the minotaur. Most playwrights sooner or later write their “Greek” play. In mine, the protagonist is a monster, which feels like a modern version; we are all monsters now. I wrote the first few pages in Georgia and got to hear actors read that. Then I finished a full draft in New York this spring, which I have not yet even heard read. So I hope to gain some understanding of how it is functioning, and what I want to do next with it."
Aphra Behn was a female playwright, you’re a female playwright, and the past decade has seen an emergence of female playwrights, though clearly plays by women are still in the minority. What advice do you have for women who are looking to become playwrights?
"It’s much the same as for men, except for women I’d add: know it will be even harder. For everyone: don’t expect to earn (much of) a living as a playwright; be ambitious for your work rather than for yourself; create or find a theatrical community that will sustain you. There’s no joy like creating new worlds and collaborating with wonderful theater artists in bringing them to life, and I wish that for you."
CLICK HERE for information on OR at Southwest Shakespeare Company, which runs September 2nd to September 17th.
The reading of Adams' latest work Asterion is free and takes place on Monday, September 5th, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. at Southwest Shakespeare Co.'s rehearsal studio, 55 E. Main Street, Mesa, AZ 85201
Monday, August 29, 2016
WEEK AT A GLANCE: August 29 - September 4
And Click Here for a complete day by day calendar of what shows are playing.
CONCERTS/ LIMITED RUN:N/A
CLOSING:
N/A
OPENING:
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Fountain Hills TheaterSeptember 2 - 18, 2016
LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE
Theatre Artists Studio
September 2 - 18, 2016
OR
Southwest Shakespeare Company
September 2 - 17, 2016
3C
Nearly Naked Theatre
September 2 - 24, 2016
13 THE MUSICAL
Greasepaint Youth Theatre
September 2 - 11, 2016
THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN
iTheatre CollaborativeSeptember 2 - 17, 2016
WILLY WONKA JR
Spotlight Youth Theatre
September 2 - September 18, 2016
THE MOUSETRAP
Grand Canyon University
September 2 - 11, 2016
STILL PLAYING:GUYS AND DOLLS
Don Bluth Front Row Theatre
August 11 - September 17, 2016
DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER
Desert Stages Theatre
August 12 - September 18
DISNEY'S CAMP ROCK THE MUSICAL
Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre
August 19 - September 18, 2016PAGEANT
Arizona Broadway Theatre
August 26 - September 18, 2016
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
Hale Centre Theatre
August 26, 2016 - October 8, 2016
ON GOING:
MURDER AND A MEAL DINNER THEATRE
Friday and Saturday nights
OPENING SOON:
September 8 - 11, 2016
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
Starlight Community Theatre
September 9, 2016 – September 18, 2016
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
Starlight Community Theatre
September 9, 2016 – September 18, 2016
Ghostlight Theatre offers Fall 2016 Acting and Improv Classes
Acting and Improv Classes
Classes are limited to 12 students, so don't wait to sign up. Registration ends on 9/14.
FALL CLASSES
Acting 101 for the Stage- Ages 6-10
(No prerequisites required) 5 weeks 1.5 hr. per class. Cost: Introductory price of $75.00. Only $15 per class!
Tuesdays- 4:30pm-6:00pm- 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18. Class is limited to 12 students.
This is the perfect class for our youngest actors who will learn basic theater terms and techniques, how to project, audition and what is needed to develop characters. All students will perform in a short scene at the end for family and friends.
Acting 101 for the Stage- Ages 11-15
(No prerequisites required) 5 weeks 1.5 hr. per class. Cost: Introductory price of $75.00. Only $15 per class!
Wednesdays- 4:30pm-6:00pm- 9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19 Class is limited to 12 students.
This class, while still a beginner one, will move a bit faster for our older students. Actors will learn basic theater terms and techniques, how to project, audition and what is needed to develop characters. All students will perform in a short scene at the end for family and friends. (This class is a perquisite to Advanced Acting for the Stage which will be offered at the next session.)
Improvisation- For Beginner-Ages 12-17
(No prerequisites required) 3 weeks- 2.5 hours per class. Cost: Introductory price of $75.00.
Saturdays- 11:45am-2:15pm- Oct 1st, 8th, 15th Class is limited to 12 students.
Through a series of fun acting exercises and lessons actors will have a ball learning to take on a variety of personas and different situations. No experience is necessary. A performance for families at the end of the last day. (This class is a perquisite to Advanced Improvisation which will be offered at the next session.)
Improvisation for Adults-Adult Class Ages 18+.
(No prerequisites required) 3 weeks. 2.5 hour per class. Cost: Introductory price of $75.00.
Saturdays- 9:00am-11:30am- Oct 1st, 8th, 15th, Class is limited to 12 students.
Through a series of fun acting exercises and lessons actors will have a ball learning to take on a variety of personas and different situations. No experience is necessary. A performance for families at the end of the last day. (This class is a perquisite to the Improvisation Troop Class along with Instructor Invitation.)
Classes are held at Ghostlight Theatre
13541 W Camino Del Sol, Sun City West
CLICK HERE for more information and to sign up today!
job opening - Guest Services Coordinator - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Position Opening at Scottsdale Arts
Guest Services Coordinator
Part Time (25 hours/week Sept - May) working with guests visiting the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
Position requires evenings and weekends, and offers an exciting opportunity to be a part of the exceptional arts and culture experience for our patrons. Works with volunteers and other parts of the organization to ensure quality concierge type services to patrons.
To apply send resume and cover letter to resumes@scottsdalearts.org EOE
audition notice - RICHARD III - Grassroots Shakespeare - September 10
from our friends at Grassroots Shakespeare:
Come join Grassroots Shakespeare Arizona's production of Richard III!
Who:
We are and original practice, outdoor Shakespeare Company. We like to make Shakespeare fun and accessible to everyone!
What:
We want YOU to perform in Richard III!
When:
Auditions will be held from 1-4pm. Saturday, September 10
*Please prepare to stay the whole time.* Prepare a Shakespearean monologue about 1 minute long. Bring your headshot and resume. Have fun with it!
[Rehearsals will be 6:30-10pm Mon-Fri starting Oct. 10th. Plus one Sat. rehearsal 10-2pm on the 15th. Shows are Fri. & Sat. nights Oct. 21st thru Nov. 5th at 7:30pm. ]
Where:
Auditions, rehearsals and performances will be at Dobson Ranch Park. 2359 S Dobson Rd, Mesa, Arizona 85202
We set up our beautiful stage near the lake northeast of the library. (The last performance weekend will be elsewhere. We will explain.)
Why:
We do things differently! We freely cross-gender cast and cross-type cast. We work as an ensemble without a director. Everyone can input ideas. We interact with the audience and encourage back-talk, cheering and booing. Similar to the Elizabethan era, we only use a small rehearsal time. We focus on telling the story in the simplest, most entertaining way.
Questions? Message us here or email us at arizona@grassrootsshakespeare.com
See you then!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
THE MOUSETRAP - Grand Canyon University - September 2 - 11, 2016
“It seems very hard that all our guests should either be unpleasant or odd.”
A group of people are gathered in a country house when they discover there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be? One by one, the characters reveal their sordid pasts until at the last, shocking moment the identity and motive are finally revealed. Staged continuously at London’s West End, Agatha Christie’s masterpiece is the longest-running play in history.
This murder mystery premiered at Theatre Royal in Nottingham in 1952 and is still showing in London today.
Directed by Michael Kary. The plot has enough turns to keep audience members at the edge of their seats and some fabulous lines penned by one of the grand dames of fiction.
Friday, Saturday - 7:30 pm
Sunday - 2:00 pm
CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets when available
OF THEE I SING - Grand Canyon University - October 14 - 23, 2016
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind
“What you need for an issue is something that everybody can get excited about and yet something that does not really make any difference.”
This all-American political satire focuses on the election campaign and Presidency of John P. Wintergreen. Lacking a viable platform, Wintergreen promises that if elected he will marry the partner chosen for him at an Atlantic City beauty pageant. When he falls for someone else instead of Southern enchantress Diana Deveraux (the winner of the pageant), a world of trouble begins!
The timing of this show (one month before the presidential election) is deliberate, as it is both a musical extravaganza and political satire with a score by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Directed by Claude Pensis. This hilarious romp lampoons the presidential election process and features a candidate named “Wintergreen” who runs on a platform of “romance” and whose running mate’s name no one can remember.
Friday, Saturday - 7:30 pm
Sunday - 2:00 pm
CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets when available
OUR TOWN - Grand Canyon University - November 18 - 27, 2016
“Does anybody realize what life is while they’re living it- every, every minute?”
Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, is a beautiful small town at the turn of the century. Follow the lives of Emily and George, as they fall in love and experience change and growth together. Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer-winning play delivers an intimate experience of the precious details of everyday life in every-town America. It's about Americana as America can get. This heartwarming sentimental journey is directed by Michael Kary.
Friday, Saturday - 7:30 pm
Sunday - 2:00 pm
CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets when available
TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA - Grand Canyon University - February 10 - 19, 2017
“Love is your master, for he masters you: And he that is so yoked by a fool, Methinks, should not be chronicled for wise.”
This Shakespearean comedy finds two young friends, Valentine and Proteus, making their way from Verona to Milan. Valentine’s father is sending him to take a position in the Duke of Milan’s court, and Proteus accompanies him reluctantly, not wanting to leave his beloved Julia. While in Milan, Valentine falls for the Duke’s daughter. From here, things get considerably more complicated as the bosom buddies find themselves torn between the bonds of friendship and romance. This production is considered the “granddaddy” of modern buddy comedies and thought by some scholars to be one of the first plays by William Shakespeare. GCU alumnus Scott Campbell will return to direct this season’s annual nod to The Bard of Avon. The story is about friendship, conflict between friends, love and the silly behavior of people in love.
Friday, Saturday - 7:30 pm
Sunday - 2:00 pm
CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets when available
WEST SIDE STORY - Grand Canyon University - March 31 - April 9, 2017
Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
“Why do you kids live like there’s a war on?”
In Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway debut, the Sharks and the Jets are two feuding street gangs in 1950’s New York’s blue-collar Upper West Wide. At a school dance, Tony, a Jet, falls in love with Maria, a Sharks’ sister. They know they can’t be together because of the gang’s war but that doesn’t stop them. The classic Romeo and Juliet saga’s dark theme, sophisticated music and extended dance scenes have made it an American classic.
One of the most memorable romantic musicals ever staged, “West Side Story” was written by Arthur Laurents and is based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. With lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Leonard Bernstein, this Broadway smash has some of the most beloved songs, such as “Something’s Coming,” “Jet Song” and “Maria.” Claude Pensis will direct this cautionary tale.
Friday, Saturday - 7:30 pm
Sunday - 2:00 pm
CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets when available
Desi Moreno-Penson's BEIGE Wins Arizona Theatre Company's 21st Annual National Latino Playwriting Award
Desi Moreno-Penson’s Beige has been named the winner of Arizona Theatre Company’s 2016 National Latino Playwriting Award, and the recipient of the $1000 prize.
The National Latino Playwriting Award was established by Arizona Theatre Company Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein and Playwright-in-Residence Elaine Romero to create a greater awareness of the work being done by Latina/o playwrights across the nation. This is the 21st year of the contest.
A surreal tale of self-identity and the sometimes schizophrenic effects of post-colonialism, Beige is set in 2001, after the tragedy of 9/11, and tells the story of Soledad Iglesias, a Nuyorican journalist who finds herself caught between the reality of her Jewish fiancée and the ideals of the Puerto Rican Nationalist, Lolita Lebron. Existing at the crossroads of history, reality, and cultural imagination, Beige is a cautionary tale of race, Puerto Rican politics, and love.
ATC Playwright-in-Residence Elaine Romero says, “Beige masterfully brings forth the clash between a woman’s sense of Puerto Rican nationalism and the love of her life, who does not neatly fit into her personal narrative. Recently, the conversation about Puerto Rican identity politics has reached new heights. This complex rendering, and clear fusion of character and politics, makes Beige perfectly timed to receive this honor.” ATC Literary Manager Katherine Monberg adds, “We were thrilled by the theatricality, the depth, and the vibrancy of Desi’s voice and the unique coalescence of immediacy and timelessness in Beige that speaks to an incredibly powerful story and storyteller.”
Desi Moreno-Penson is a New York-based playwright and actor. Her plays have been developed and/or produced at Ensemble Studio Theater, New Georges, INTAR, Henry Street Settlement, Perishable Theater (Providence, RI), SPF-Summer Play Festival, The Downtown Urban Theater Festival @the Cherry Lane, and Urban Theatre Company (Chicago), among others. Her play Beige is a finalist in the 2016 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and another play Comida de Puta (F%&king Lousy Food) was a finalist for the 2014 O’Neill NPC, received Honorable Mention on The Kilroys List, and was produced by MultiStages Theater Company. She was also a semifinalist for the 2007 Princess Grace Award for her play, Devil Land. Her plays Ghost Light, Devil Land, Lazarus Disposed, and 3 to a Session: A Monster’s Tale are published by Broadway Play Publishing and her ten-minute play Spirit Sex was selected for the short plays anthology “Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2010,” published by Smith and Kraus. Ms. Moreno-Penson is represented by Bruce Ostler at Bret Adams Ltd.
The finalists for the 2016 National Latino Playwriting Award are Georgina Escobar’s Sweep and Augusto Federico Amador’s Atacama.
Sweep is a femme spec evo story that follows two sisters and hit women of the multi-verse whose initial snafu with Adam and Eve catches up with them lifetimes later. Fighting for a last chance to reset humanity’s imperfect patterns, they hunt their targets from biblical times to the modern day in order to accelerate humanity’s collective evolution. Georgina Escobar’s credits include: Sweep (Lincoln Center Theatre’s Directors Lab 2016), The Unbearable Likeness of JONES (Dixon Place), Wayfoot (originated at the O’Neill National Puppetry Conference, 2014), The Ruin (Words Afire, 2011), and Firerock: Pass the Spark (Lensic, 2012). She is the recipient of the Kennedy Center’s National Theatre for Young Audiences Award for Ash Tree (Duke City Repertory, ASSITEJ Festival), and is the founder of Fourth Wall/One Blue Cat Productions and a Steering Committee Member for the Latina/o Theatre Commons. www.georginaescobar.com
Atacama is placed 30 years after the dirty wars waged by the General Pinochet regime on the Chilean people. Two strangers: a mother and father, search the Atacama Desert for their buried loved ones and discover that there are darker truths awaiting them underneath the hard sands of the Atacama. Augusto Federico Amador was born and raised in Silicon Valley, CA and is the son of a Peruvian composer and an Austrian chef. Previously, he was a playwriting fellow at the Public Theater in NY. Atacama was developed through the Center Theater Group/The Humanitas Prize in Los Angeles, CA and is part of his Latin American dictator play trilogy which includes Kissing Che and The Book of Leonidas, both of which are published in the Proscenium Theater Journal. Atacama is a semifinalist for the 2016 Princess Grace Award, and Mr. Amador’s latest screenplay, Ratcatcher, placed in the 2015 Top 50 Academy Nicholl Fellowship Screenplays and begins film production in January 2017.
Previous winners of the National Latino Playwriting Award have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, featured at the Humana Festival and at regional theaters across the country. Recent winner The River Bride by Marisela Treviño Orta will be produced as part of ATC’s current 50th Anniversary Season. Edwin Sànchez’s La Bella Familia, Michael Mejias’s Ghetto Babylon, Caridad Svich’s Spark, and Kristiana Colón’s Octagon were given staged readings in ATC’s Café Bohemia new play reading series as part of the award. Other past recipients include Matthew Paul Olmos, Kristoffer Diaz, Carlos Murillo, Luis Alfaro, Octavio Solis, Raul Garza and Karen ZacarÍas. Felix Pire's winning play The Origins of Happiness in Latin was previously produced by ATC.
The 2016 National Latino Playwriting Award is supported by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment of the Arts as part of the Voices of a New America company-wide initiative.
Submissions for 2017 National Latino Playwriting Award Being Accepted
Submissions for the 2017 National Latino Playwriting Award are now open. Latino playwrights residing in the United States, its territories or Mexico are encouraged to submit scripts for the award. Each script will be read and evaluated by a culturally diverse panel of theatre artists; finalists will be judged by ATC artistic staff.
Submission Procedure
We respectfully ask that you adhere to the following application requirements:
Submit a single script via U.S. mail and email. Scripts must be postmarked by December 31, 2016.
Please include a title page on the script that includes the play's title, the author's name, and contact information (including a phone number, mailing address and email).
Include a cover letter of no more than one page, describing the play's developmental history, and how the play fits into the playwright’s broader career trajectory.
Submit manuscripts to:
National Latino Playwriting Award
ATTN: Katherine Monberg, Literary Manager
Arizona Theatre Company
343 S. Scott Ave. Tucson, AZ 85701
AND
kmonberg@arizonatheatre.org.
Eligibility
The award is open to all Latino playwrights currently residing in the United States, its territories, or Mexico.
Scripts may be in English, English and Spanish, or solely in Spanish. (Spanish-language and bilingual scripts must be accompanied by an English translation.)
Plays must be unpublished and professionally unproduced at the time of submission.
Full-length and one-act plays (minimum length: 50 pages) on any subject will be accepted.
Scripts
The physical scripts become the property of Arizona Theatre Company and will not be returned. In this case, "property" means the physical property of the theatre, not the intellectual property or any rights to the play.
The winner will be notified by August 1, 2017.
For more information contact Katherine Monberg, ATC Literary Manager (520) 884-8210 x 7508 or kmonberg@arizonatheatre.org.
audition notice - DRACULA - Actor's Youth Theatre - September 10
September 10, 2016: 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Directed & Written By: Zackary Diepstraten
This version of Dracula is closely based on Bram Stoker's classic novel of the same name. A young lawyer is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker's betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina's closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy's friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away as Lucy falls prey to Dracula's obsession.
CLICK HERE for more information and to sign up for your audition time
promo photos - IN THE HEIGHTS - Phoenix Theatre
for more information on this production, which runs September 7th to October 2nd, CLICK HERE
Pasha Yamatohari: Usnavi
Alyssa Chiarello: Vanessa
Chanel Bragg: Carla
Nick Flores: Male Ensemble
photos: Reg Madison Photography
Pasha Yamatohari: Usnavi
Alyssa Chiarello: Vanessa
Chanel Bragg: Carla
Nick Flores: Male Ensemble
Saturday, August 27, 2016
cast announcement - ALL IN THE TIMING - Mesa Community College Theatre and Film Arts
for more information on this production, which runs October 7th to October 15th, CLICK HERE
Sure Thing
Bill - Zane Rodriguez
Betty - Taylor Shepard
Words, Words, Words
Kafka - Annalynn Watson
Milton - Samantha Haire
Swift - Chance Bond
Universal Language
Dawn - Brittney Watson
Don - Ethan Doe
Young Woman - Liesl Hall
Philip Glass buys a loaf of Bread
Philip Glass - Steven May
Baker - David Westlake
Woman 1- Emily McAtee
Woman 2- Natalie Payan
Philadelphia
Al - Brandon Caraco
Mark - Zachary Fagan
Waitress - Lily Gastelum
Variations on the Death of Trotsky
Trotsky - Seamus McSherry
Mrs. Trotsky - Samantha Hanna
Ramon - Emilio Castro
promo photos - DISNEY'S ALADDIN KIDS - Musical Theatre of Anthem
for more information on this production, which runs September 15th to September 25th, CLICK HERE
Jasmine: McKenna Carlson
Aladdin: Christopher Poulios
Photo by Michele Celentano
Jasmine: McKenna Carlson
Aladdin: Christopher Poulios
Photo by Michele Celentano
photos - THE DROWSY CHAPERONE - Hale Centre Theatre
for more information on this production, which runs through October 8th, CLICK HERE
photos: Nick Woodward-Shaw / Lighting Jeff A. Davis
photos: Nick Woodward-Shaw / Lighting Jeff A. Davis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)