photos - I AND YOU - Tuscany Theatre Company

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which runs March 31st to April 9th

photos by Lisa Webb / Southwest Shots Photography

cast announcement - I AND YOU - Tuscany Theatre Company

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which runs March 31st to April 9th

Maddy Rathbun as Caroline
Joseph Daly as Anthony

audition notice - YOU AND I - Tuscany Theatre Company - January 29 & 30

AUDITIONS! at Tuscany Theatre this Sunday and Monday!!!

I and You, written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Andrea McFeely

Performances April 6th - 9th

Auditions/Performances/Rehearsals:
Tuscany Theatre
861 S. Higley St.
Gilbert AZ 85234

Some rehearsals will be held at the director's private home near the intersection of Elliot and Gilbert in Gilbert

(from Playscripts) One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn't been to school in months, but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I and You is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.

Auditions: Sunday, January 29, 2017
1:00-3:00PM Tuscany Theatre

Auditions: Monday, January 30, 2017
7:00-9:00PM Tuscany Theatre

Auditions will consist of cold reads from the script in a group audition environment. The first 40-ish pages of the script can be found here https://www.playscripts.com/play/2698 if you sign up for their email list.

CLICK HERE to sign up for an audition group

CHARACTERS

ANTHONY, a boy, 17. He is neat, poised, mature for his age. He’s an “A” student, a team player, a nice guy. He’s not really great around girls. He takes his homework seriously. When he likes something (jazz music) he is all in. Throughout the whole play he looks at Caroline like he’s trying to figure her out. Like he really needs to know who she is.

CAROLINE, a girl, 17. She is in comfy clothing, she does not expect company, she is sick but mainly just looks a little weak and frumpy. She doesn’t go out. She is cynical, over it, does not let a stray “feeling” near the surface.

Casting Note
Per the playwright, she would prefer the two main characters not be the same race. Anthony is frequently described as "African American" but there are many ways to meet the playwright's wishes for a diverse cast.

review - THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD - Tuscany Theatre Company

the cast
photo by Lisa Webb / Southwest Shots Photography

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)
Click here for more information on this production that runs through January 14th.

"The Mystery of Edwin Drood is an incredibly fun musical that combines a murder mystery and a comedy with a huge amount of audience participation on top. Tuscany Theatre Company presents a solid production of this Tony winning Best Musical that features superb direction, great period creative elements, and a very game cast. Created by singer/songwriter Rupert Holmes...is an ingenious show, as Holmes took the final, unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, which focuses on young Edwin Drood and the possible suspects who want to murder him, and turned it into a musical-within-a-musical that includes the audience voting on how the story ends...If Dickens hadn't died before finishing the novel the musical wouldn't be quite as much fun as it is because the audience's involvement in the last quarter of the show provides an amazing way for them to connect with the material. The show is presented as if you are at a lively British music hall in the early 1900s, which gives the actors the opportunity to ham up the parts they play and interact with the audience. The rambunctious narrator continually interjects and interacts with the audience, and the part of Drood is played by a woman. ....Director Andrea McFeely has done an exceptional job in ensuring that both the comedy and the drama resonate. She has also found a way to have the joy that the actors are feeling wash over the footlights and out into the audience. While not every member of her cast is a gifted singer, which is a slight drawback in some of the more vocally challenging songs, they all effectively manage the dual roles they are given with fun facial expressions and exaggerated gestures that play up the humor in the show. ...As the Chairman...Chris Dennis is exceptionally charming and very good. Hillary Low brings a bright, joyful sensibility to the part of ...Drood, and Jared Kitch is quite effective as Drood's uncle John Jasper..who.. is in love with Rosa Bud, Edwin's betrothed. AJ Marshall plays Rosa...with an appropriate sense of mystery beneath a demure exterior. Monserrat Himler is excellent as Princess Puffer, the madam of an opium den...Steve Morgan and Allyson Igielski play brother and sister orphans from Ceylon...(they) are hysterical in their portrayals, with Igielski exceptionally impressive with her vocal skills, diction and accent, and Morgan's wide-eyed comical expressions and gestures superbly delivered. ...Shannon Perkins' rousing choreography delivers plenty of upbeat moments which add to the joy of the show. Creative elements are very good, with Mike Smyth's simple set design using large movable, painted curtains to portray the backdrops of the scenes along with a few smart set pieces. Carrie and Danie Grief's costumes are rich and intricate and perfectly in touch with the characters, the period, and the feeling of being back in the days of the British music hall. Brian Nason's evocative lighting design is quite effective in setting the many moods of the piece, from bright, lowbrow comedy to dark mystery. ...With firm direction, colorful creative aspects, and an enthusiastic cast who have a lot of fun with their parts, Tuscany Theatre Company's production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood will make you laugh and leave you feeling that the magic of the theatre is alive and well at the Tuscany Theatre.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

photos - THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD - Tuscany Theatre Company

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which runs through January 14th

photos: Lisa Webb / Southwest Shots Photography

Tuscany Theatre seeks volunteer help with wig styling for THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

from our friends at the Tuscany Theatre Company

Tuscany Theatre is looking for a volunteer to help us with about 6 wigs that need styling for our upcoming production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

These are synthetic wigs of varying quality that need to be converted into victorian looks (simple and SECURE).  2 male wigs, the rest are for women.

Any talented folks out there interested in getting involved with our theatre?  You can email Andrea McFeely at andrea_mcfeely@yahoo.com

Tuscany Theatre's TOPSY TURVEY CABARET - November 26

Topsy Turvy is an "Anything Goes" cabaret, filled to the brim with sublimely outrageous performers.  TTC favorites, local artists, dance masters, deliver wildly entertaining versions of Broadway numbers they could never do in a legit production.  Men and women swap roles, young and old switch it up, this is the chance for these talented folks to play the parts they will never get the chance to perform anywhere else!

Saturday, November 26th, 2016
at 3:00PM and 7:00PM
at Tuscany Theatre
861 North Higley Road
Gilbert, AZ 85234

Box Office:  480.907.7050

or just click here

cast announcement - THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD - Tuscany Theatre Company

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which runs January 5th to January 14th

Hillary Low: Miss Alice Nutting / Edwin Drood
Monse Himler: Miss Angela Prysock / Princess Puffer
AJ Marshall: Miss Deirdre Peregrine / Rosa Bud
Allyson Igielski: Miss Janet Conover / Helena Landless
Heidi Carpenter: Miss Joyce Throttle
Macy Wood: Miss Nicky Cricker / Deputy
Skyler Cully: Miss Isabel Yearsley / Wendy/Citizen
Tina Reynolds: Miss Florence Gill / Beatrice/Citizen
Katie Bennett: Miss Gwendolyn Pynn / Citizen/Maid
Sophie Lewis: Miss Violet Balfour / Citizen/Dancer
Erin McFeely: Miss Sarah Cook / Citizen
Amy Smyth: Miss Cristabel Lyon / Citizen
Chris Dennis: The Chairman
Jared Kitch: Mr. Clive Paget / John Jasper
Anson Romney: Mr. Victor Grinstead / Nevill Landless
Zackary Diepstraten: Mr. Cedric Moncrieffe / The Rev. Mr. Crisparkle
Matt Snell: Mr. Nick Cricker / Durdles
Danny Blankemeier: Mr. Phillip Bax / Bazzard
Travis Bovard: Mr. Montague Pruitt / Citizen/Horace

audition notice - THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD - Tuscany Theatre Company - October 22 & 23

Audition dates:
Saturday, October 22nd 6:00PM - 9:00PM @ FUSE
Sunday, October 23rd: 4:00-7:00PM @ FUSE
CALLBACKS, Wednesday, October 26th @ FUSE

Show Dates:
Opens Thursday, January 5, 2017
Closes Saturday, January 14, 2017
Runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays @ 7:00pm and Saturdays @ 3:00pm.

FUSE Performing Arts Center - Gilbert Studio
(Auditions & Rehearsals)
1017 S. Gilbert Rd.
Mesa AZ 85204
Suites 201&204 (2nd floor - north of AutoZone and south of Joann’s)

Tuscany Theatre 
(Rehearsals and Performances)
861 S. Higley Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85234
(N/E corner of Higley/Guadalupe)

For the auditions, please prepare:
32 bars of a broadway style song that best shows your ability

Please bring SHEET MUSIC marked up for your 32 bars.  We do NOT suggest singing a cappella!  No “canned” music.

Come prepared to dance - wear clothing and shoes you can move in!

Be prepared to read WITH ENGLISH ACCENTS (Cockney, RP, etc.)

Bring a headshot, completed audition packet (listed conflicts required), resume

The AUDITION will consist of:
Singing your 32 bars
Completing a cold read
Learning a dance combination (if you dance ballet, please be prepared to share that dance discipline with the directors)

CLICK HERE to visit our website for the link to sign up for an audition slot and to download the audition packet which includes all rehearsal and performance dates!

photos - ARCADIA - Tuscany Theatre Company

CLICK HERE for more information on this production, which runs through August 20th

photos: Lisa Webb / Southwest Shots Photography

A conversation with Andrea McFeely, Artistic Director of the Tuscany Theatre Company

by Gil Benbrook

Tuscany Theatre Company is one of the newest companies in the Valley. Their 2016 – 2017 season includes some interesting selections. Opening next week is Tom Stoppard’s award winning, but challenging and rarely produced, play Arcadia. That is followed by the Tony winning Best Musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood - another show that isn’t produced that often, and another somewhat challenging one in that it involves plenty of audience participation, including having the audience vote for the killer of Drood. 

They follow that in the Spring with a new play, for younger actors, You and I, as well as a New Works Festival that, instead of just accepting completed works, will pair works in progress with mentors and directors. 

I had the chance to talk to Andrea McFeely, the Artistic Director of Tuscany Theatre Company, to ask her some questions on how the company started, the challenges of being a new theatre company and how the New Works Festival came about.

Andrea, I guess the perfect opening question is, how did the Tuscany Theatre Company start?

"Have you ever seen the old American Playhouse adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Who Am I This Time?”  It features that small town theatre club, I think it was the Wig and Mask Society, one that perhaps only exists in fiction, where folks of varying talent come together for the fun, the joy of staging a production. And an audience shows up!  That image, that idea, has tickled my brain and heart for many years.  Marcus Ellsworth, who at the time was the Executive Director of Actor’s Youth Theatre, Cheri Lundgreen, our General Manager, and I met to bounce around some ideas for using the Tuscany Theatre stage during the quiet month of August.  Out of that conversation came the idea to try a non-youth production.  We thought we would use some of the older youth performers, some of the recently “aged-out” performers, and encourage local talent and families to get involved."

Marcus Ellsworth in The 39 Steps
photo: Lisa Webb/Southwest Shots Photography

What was your first production?

"The 39 Steps!  It seemed like a natural choice for a show that was going to be staged with virtually no budget.  It wasn’t, of course - it was actually quite challenging!  But we had many volunteers and a can-do spirit and I think we created an entertaining version of it.  We had a wonderful bunch of young people from AYT come out and crew the show, the clowns were played by two young men who had recently started college, another young man designed and built the set, a friend volunteered to do the costumes.  Even Marcus got in on it and performed."

Sounds exactly like the "Wig and Mask Society!" Your 2016 – 2017 season includes some interesting selections. First up you have Tom Stoppard’s award winning play Arcadia, which is a challenging drama as it is set in the same location – an English estate – but set across different decades and with both American and English characters. This is a play that isn’t done that often. What made you decide to choose it?

"Arcadia is a play that has been in the back of my mind for many years.  My daughter read it in high school and loved it, so I had picked it up for my drama class and we read and worked with it.  While I enjoy musicals, and we certainly have produced some major musicals, I love “straight” plays.  I love the work of wordsmiths.  I love being swept away by their ideas.  Shakespeare done well is swoon-worthy.  Oscar Wilde is brilliant.  Federico Garcia Lorca is poetry and probably pulls off my favorite forays into symbolism - I’d love to stage one of his plays. Tom Stoppard, in Arcadia, has the same love of language.  When it came down to it, I wanted to do a play that elevated the written word.  Here’s a play that mixes Byron with thermodynamics and determinism, that reveals an affair through four-handed piano playing, that makes you smile just as it breaks your heart.  We might, of course, lose everything we’ve got going if nobody comes to see the play.  It’s adult, and our audience to date has been “family” - but I wanted to get it out there that we are NOT going to pick the same plays that everyone else is doing.  I did that with The 39 Steps to get us on the map - and now I want our community to know that we are trying to make some unusual or original, and still entertaining, choices."

How are rehearsals going for Arcadia and have you encountered any challenges with it so far?

"The props for this play are beautiful and difficult.  Not in that “I had to build an army of elephants” kind of way, but in the level of research and precision way.  We are very much a community theatre in that we rely on our wonderful community to help us out.  Amy Jacobs Smyth volunteers to make some of our more demanding pieces, and I spend many an evening with a glue gun in hand.  Diane Senffner, the dialect coach, came out to ensure cohesive dialect.  Choreographer Shannon Perkins worked with our actors helping them master the waltz.  We’re almost all volunteers donating our time and expertise.  The rehearsals have been challenging and exciting.  There is a complexity to this story, a mystery of sorts, that plays out across two different time periods (1809 and current day) that we’ve had to work through.  Documents, letters, books, flowers, drawings, essays. They tell the story in a fascinating dance of reveals and assumptions and clues - sometimes the audience knows more than anyone onstage, sometimes the actors have information they still need to tell us.   And I love our cast.  We have a mix of extremely polished actors completely new to TTC, young actors still a part of AYT, the return of some of my favorite actors (look for a Lockstock and Barrel reunion) - the precise mix of community and AYT that I had hoped for.

Zack Diepstraten and Erin McFeely
in Leading Ladies
photo: Lisa Webb/Southwest Shots Photography

You also have the Tony winning Best Musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood in your season. I have to believe the intimacy of the Tuscany Theatre will make this production especially rewarding.  What made you decide to present Drood?

"Exactly that - the space itself.  The Tuscany Theatre is intimate and well suited for audience interaction.  It was constructed to house a melodrama company so it was always intended to have that interaction.  And I love Victorian era clothing!  And when you add the music hall element into the costuming, I am over the moon.  Also, I look for productions that feature opportunities for women - there simply are not enough of them."

You end your season with a newer play, You and I – what can you tell us about that play? And what made you choose a show that people may not be aware of?

"When TTC finished The 39 Steps, we discovered that the Tuscany Theatre had room on their schedule for us to do two more shows that season.  Suddenly, we were a theatre company.  We were given a name and a home.  And a logo!  So we hammered out what we would be.  A home for actors “aging out” of youth theatre, a home for local families wanting to be involved in community theatre, a home for talented folks from all over the valley looking for a safe place to perform.  What we can’t offer in facilities (rehearsal space and green room space are always a challenge), we hope we offer in welcome.  This season offered plenty of adult opportunities, but not as many opportunities for young people.  One day I was reading scripts and I stumbled across I and You - it features just two teenagers.  I realized I could do something no youth theatre would take on - I could do a two person play.  Youth theaters have a revenue stream that makes a two person play an unlikely choice.  I wondered what it would be like for two young performers to have all that dedicated rehearsal time to explore and discover complicated characters - to focus on a heartbeat instead of quickly mastering a new dance.  I also wondered what it would be like to direct such a thing.  I like to try new things - push myself.  This is definitely new for me.  As for pulling in an audience - the East Valley has wonderfully supportive theatre kids.  We’re running for one weekend (four shows) - those kids will come out to see their friends do something unique.  And it is family friendly."

the cast of Pirates: A Love Story
photo: Lisa Webb/Southwest Shots Photography

Well that sounds like a fantastic opportunity and a challenge, for both young actors in town and yourself.  But the biggest news is that your season also includes a New Works Festival. How did this come about?

"The first show I directed for AYT was Jekyll and Hyde.  Unfortunately, at the last minute, we couldn’t get the script the theatre was interested in using.  I had auditions in two days!  In a panic, I started writing.  It wasn’t the first thing I had written, but it was the first play.  A whole new world had opened up to me with that script.  I found myself writing more scripts. I had written prose, film scripts, articles, but now I was writing plays!  I made so many mistakes.  I wrote my first two plays as if they were films - but over time I began to understand the freedom of the stage.  A friend of mine is also a writer - prose - and she has yet to break through.  It occurred to me that she might be working in the wrong medium.  But how do you get someone to take a chance?  My chance was born out of desperation - not everyone is going to experience that adrenaline-fueled need to create.  So I thought we could offer a mentor-guided experience that would inspire people to take a chance, plus I'm also hoping my friend who I want to take a chance will submit a play!"

I know you are specifically asking for one act plays from Arizona playwrights, but what I find intriguing about your festival is that you aren’t necessarily asking for finished one act plays or musicals. Instead you will have the playwrights paired up with mentors, and directors, to polish their works and then cast and stage them. It’s such a great idea, but seems like a huge effort for such a new theatre company. What made you decide to present a festival with all of this behind the scenes effort, collaboration and mentorship, instead of simply presenting new, finished works in staged readings?

"Well, when you put it like that!   I got my first directing gig under false pretenses.  It wasn’t that I lied, it was that they never asked.  I had little or no experience directing for theatre, but it turns out I’m very good at doing research.  I just dove in, experienced it.  So many times I wanted to ask for help but worried that I would reveal myself.  It shouldn’t feel that way for a writer or director - help should be available!  Now that I don’t have that fear hanging over me, I am open to asking for help or information.  I’ve turned to Peter Hill at Fountain Hills with questions.  I’ve brought in a musical expert (Karli Kemper) to help me direct musicals.  I’ve relied on expert designers (Ryan Terry’s lighting) and experienced builders (Mike Smyth) to create these worlds.  I’ve surrounded myself with warm and open professionals who understand collaboration, commitment, and support.  I want to provide that to other artists and build our TTC family at the same time.  I feel like I have this amazing cabinet surrounding me - Cheri Lundgreen, Chantel Powers, JT Turner, Mike and Amy Smyth, Carrie Grief - and a pool of loyal, talented rep-style actors - looking at you Jared Kitch - and we just need to find other like-minded folks and bring them into our fold.  We cast a woman in a show once who had never done theatre - she said it changed her life.  Theatre can do that.  I guess I have a grandiose vision of TTC changing lives."

Jared Kitch, Adam Bei and Andrew Lipman
in Urinetown
photo: Lisa Webb/Southwest Shots Photography

That's a great vision to have! What do you think the biggest challenge to being one of the newer theatre companies in town is?

"Number one: getting an audience.  Number two: getting talented actors to take a chance on you."

You’re one of the newest theatres to be included in the ariZoni Awards for Theatre Excellence. What does this inclusion mean for Tuscany?

"I was very excited when the ariZoni Awards officially accepted us as a theatre company.  It was the impetus for us to offer season tickets for the first time - we attained a feeling of permanence!  But theaters in the East Valley have a tough time staying alive.  I can think of three that have failed in the past couple of years.  There aren’t enough audience members to go around.  If we are not fulfilling a very real need in the community, do we need to exist?  We spend a lot of time evaluating our role and identity, or our potential identity - a lot of existential conversations going on at TTC.  We have a big musical theatre program at MCC, a round the clock rotation of family favorites at Hale - so who is TTC?  Well, if we keep pushing the envelope, we will need some attention - a spotlight on our work - and, if we are fortunate, we may get some Zoni attention.  It’s hard to get an audience when we are competing with the Avengers and Star Trek and popcorn (which I get - I love all of those things), let alone established theaters.  My hope is that being Zoni eligible will bring out actors and audiences."

What are some future plays and musicals you’d like Tuscany to present?

"You wouldn’t be asking me that question if you had ever witnessed the agony of my team and me choosing a season!  I love classics, I love modern plays.  I’m pretty sure I know the musical we’ll be doing next season - it’s heartbreaking and beautiful and, of course, rarely done in the valley.  Plays are harder for me.  I just want to throw caution to the wind and do the plays I want to do - because if no one is going to come see them, what does it matter?  But that is defeatist talk and I usually manage to squash that and blend my desire to “direct-what-I-want” and select something that has a chance of interesting an audience.  It is my hope that Arcadia will find an appreciative audience - if it does, it opens the door to making more interesting choices.  Is there an audience in the East Valley for plays with mature themes?  I guess we’ll find out.  I know my fingers are crossed - because it means a lot for our future and our future choices."

What do you hope for the future of Tuscany Theatre Company?

"Enough success that we can become known as a destination for quality theatre and smart theatre.  Maybe a place that can offer original theatre each season.  Wouldn’t that be nice?"

For more information on Arcadia, and other upcoming productions at Tuscany Theatre Company, including their New Works Festival, which information will be available starting Monday, August 8th, CLICK HERE  You can also email Andrea directly for more information regarding festival submissions by CLICKING HERE

Tuscany Theatre Company's Season Tickets

from our friends at the Tuscany Theatre Compay:

As we enter our exciting 3rd season TTC is excited to announce our new season ticket packages!

There are many added benefits to becoming a season subscriber, including:

-Early access to premium seating.

- Exclusive Invitation to TTC's Winter Gala at the home of TTC's Artistic Director, Andrea McFeely. (DATE TBA)

-Discounted tickets to TTC's annual "Topsy Turvy Tuscany!"

And more!

ARCADIA by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Andrea McFeely
Opens August 11th, 2016
Runs August 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 20th @7:00PM
August 13th and 20th @3:00PM

Winner! 1995 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
Winner! 1994 Olivier Award for Best Play
Arcadia moves back and forth between 1809 and the present at the elegant estate owned by the Coverly family. The 1809 scenes reveal a household in transition.As the landscape is being transformed into picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with a hermitage, thirteen year-old Lady Thomasina and her tutor delve into intellectual and romantic issues.In present day, the Coverly descendants and two competing scholars research a possible scandal at the estate in 1809 involving Lord Byron. This brilliant play moves smoothly between the centuries and explores the nature of truth and time, the difference between classical and romantic temperaments, and the disruptive influence of sex on our lives. Parental advisory: mature language and themes.

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
Directed by Andrea McFeely
Auditions October 22nd, 23rd, and 25th
Opens January 5th, 2017
Runs January 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, and 14th @7:00PM
January 7th and 14th @3:00PM

This wildly warm-hearted musical kicks off when the Music Hall Royale (a loony Victorian musical troupe) “puts on” its flamboyant rendition of an unfinished Dickens mystery in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The story itself deals with John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster who is quite madly in love with his music student, the fair Miss Rosa Bud. But Miss Bud is engaged to Jasper’s nephew, young Edwin Drood. Our title character disappears mysteriously one stormy Christmas Eve-has Edwin Drood been murdered? And if so, whodunnit? The giddy playfulness of this play-within-a-play draws the audience toward one of the play’s most talked-about features: the audience votes on the finale - different audience, different ending!

ON THE VERGE: A New Works Festival of One Acts
Submission of original works DEADLINE: September 2nd, 2016
Director and Mentor applications due: September 15th
Mentor/Director/Playwright pairings made: September 30th
Festival Weekend: Thursday, March 30th - Saturday, April 1st, 2017

Arizona area playwrights are invited to submit original one act plays or musicals and directors are invited to apply to direct. Selected writers and directors will be paired with a mentor to polish scripts, collaborate, audition, and stage these works starting in October, and present these new works over the course of three days, March 30th-April 1st. One writer may be invited to develop a new play at Tuscany Theatre Company for a full staging the following (2017-2018) season.

I AND YOU by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Andrea McFeely
Auditions TBA
Opens April 5th
Runs April 5th, 6th, 7th @7:00PM
April 7th and 8th @3:00PM

One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound, Caroline hasn't been to school in months. She is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I and You is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.

Season tickets start at only $40 (not per show - per season!) for adults/seniors and $30 for children. Purchase yours today at https://tuscany-theatre-company.ticketleap.com/season-tickets/. Thank you again for your continued support. See you at the theatre!

ARCADIA - Tuscany Theatre Company - August 11 - August 20, 2016

by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Andrea McFeely

Runs August 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 20th @7:00PM
August 13th and 20th @3:00PM
Auditions May 28th and 29th

Winner! 1995 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
Winner! 1994 Olivier Award for Best Play

Arcadia moves back and forth between 1809 and the present at the elegant estate owned by the Coverly family. The 1809 scenes reveal a household in transition.As the landscape is being transformed into picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with a hermitage, thirteen year-old Lady Thomasina and her tutor delve into intellectual and romantic issues.In present day, the Coverly descendants and two competing scholars research a possible scandal at the estate in 1809 involving Lord Byron. This brilliant play moves smoothly between the centuries and explores the nature of truth and time, the difference between classical and romantic temperaments, and the disruptive influence of sex on our lives.

for more information, and to purchase tickets when available, CLICK HERE

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD - Tuscany Theatre Company - January 5 - January 14, 2017

by Rupert Holmes Based on the novel by Charles Dickens
Directed by Andrea McFeely

Runs January 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, and 14th @7:00PM
January 7th and 14th @3:00PM
Auditions October 22nd, 23rd, and 25th

This wildly warm-hearted musical kicks off when the Music Hall Royale (a loony Victorian musical troupe) “puts on” its flamboyant rendition of an unfinished Dickens mystery in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The story itself deals with John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster who is quite madly in love with his music student, the fair Miss Rosa Bud. But Miss Bud is engaged to Jasper’s nephew, young Edwin Drood. Our title character disappears mysteriously one stormy Christmas Eve-has Edwin Drood been murdered? And if so, whodunnit? The giddy playfulness of this play-within-a-play draws the audience toward one of the play’s most talked-about features: the audience votes on the finale - different audience, different ending!

for more information, and to purchase tickets when available, CLICK HERE

I AND YOU - Tuscany Theatre Company - March 31 - April 8, 2017

by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Andrea McFeely

Runs March 31, April, 6th, 7th @7:00PM
April 1st and 9th @3:00PM
Auditions TBA

One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound, Caroline hasn't been to school in months.  She is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I and You is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.

for more information, and to purchase tickets when available, CLICK HERE

cast announcement - ARCADIA -Tuscany Theatre Company

for more information on this production, which runs August 11th to August 20th, CLICK HERE

Brady Anderson: Capt. Brice

Chris Dennis: Bernard Nightingale

Justin Howell Ezra Chater

Jared Kitch: Septimus Hodge

Michael LeSueur: Valentine Coverly

Libby Mueller: Lady Croom

Robert Peters: Jellaby

Anthony Policci: Richard Noakes

Savannah Powers: Thomasina Coverly

Kristina Rogers: Hannah Jarvis

Liam Thibeault: Augustus/Gus Coverly

Hailee Weber: Chloe Coverly

Andrea McFeely: Director

JT Turner : Producer

Chantel Powers: Stage Manager

Mike Smyth: Set Designer

Ryan Terry: Lighting Designer

audition notice- ARCADIA - Tuscany Theatre Company - May 28 & May 29

Auditions for Arcadia are being held May 28th (10AM - 1PM) and 29th (5PM - 8PM) at Tuscany Theatre.

Callbacks will be held Monday, May 30th.

Early auditions by appointment.

Performances run August 11th to August 20th

CLICK HERE for more information and to download your audition packet

CLICK HERE to sign up for an audition

Tuscany Theatre's 2016 / 2017 Season!

Tuscany Theatre Company at the Tuscany Theatre presents their 2016 - 2017 Season

ARCADIA
by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Andrea McFeely

Runs August 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th, 20th @7:00PM
August 13th and 20th @3:00PM
Auditions May 28th and 29th

Winner! 1995 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
Winner! 1994 Olivier Award for Best Play

Arcadia moves back and forth between 1809 and the present at the elegant estate owned by the Coverly family. The 1809 scenes reveal a household in transition.As the landscape is being transformed into picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with a hermitage, thirteen year-old Lady Thomasina and her tutor delve into intellectual and romantic issues.In present day, the Coverly descendants and two competing scholars research a possible scandal at the estate in 1809 involving Lord Byron. This brilliant play moves smoothly between the centuries and explores the nature of truth and time, the difference between classical and romantic temperaments, and the disruptive influence of sex on our lives.

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
by Rupert Holmes Based on the novel by Charles Dickens
Directed by Andrea McFeely

Runs January 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, and 14th @7:00PM
January 7th and 14th @3:00PM
Auditions October 22nd, 23rd, and 25th

This wildly warm-hearted musical kicks off when the Music Hall Royale (a loony Victorian musical troupe) “puts on” its flamboyant rendition of an unfinished Dickens mystery in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The story itself deals with John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster who is quite madly in love with his music student, the fair Miss Rosa Bud. But Miss Bud is engaged to Jasper’s nephew, young Edwin Drood. Our title character disappears mysteriously one stormy Christmas Eve-has Edwin Drood been murdered? And if so, whodunnit? The giddy playfulness of this play-within-a-play draws the audience toward one of the play’s most talked-about features: the audience votes on the finale - different audience, different ending!

ON THE VERGE: A New Works Festival of One Acts
March 30 - April 1, 2017

Submission of original works DEADLINE:  September 2nd, 2016
Director and Mentor applications due:  September 15th
Mentor/Director/Playwright pairings made:  September 30th
Festival Weekend:  Thursday, March 30th - Saturday, April 1st, 2017
FULL INFO PACKET AVAILABLE AT http://www.tuscanytheatrecompany.com/ beginning JUNE 1st

Arizona area playwrights are invited to submit original one act plays or musicals and directors are invited to apply to direct.  Selected writers and directors will be paired with a mentor to polish scripts, collaborate, audition, and stage these works starting in October, and present these new works over the course of three days, March 30th-April 1st.  One writer may be invited to develop a new play at Tuscany Theatre Company for a full staging the following (2017-2018) season.

I and You 
by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Andrea McFeely

Runs April 5th, 6th, 7th @7:00PM
April 7th and 8th @3:00PM
Auditions TBA

One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound, Caroline hasn't been to school in months.  She is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I and You is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.

for more information, and to purchase tickets when available, CLICK HERE

Tuscany Theatre Company's 2016 - 2017 Season Announcement fundraiser - May 7th

review - URINETOWN - Tuscany Theatre Company

Lauren Scoville and Adam Bei
Photo by Lisa Webb / Southwest Shots Photography

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through April 30th.

 "... Urinetown is a musical that is a crowd pleaser...nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning three, including awards for the very funny book by Greg Kotis and the witty score with music by Mark Hollmann and lyrics by Hollmann and Kotis. Tuscany Theatre Company's production of this satirical comedy is well directed with simple yet vibrant creative elements and a cast who know how to correctly wink at the audience as they dive headfirst into the material to ensure that the satire lands effectively, while also instilling their characters with plenty of warmth. The musical is set in the not too distant future. Water has become so scarce that private bathrooms have been banned, doing your business in the street or even behind a tree faces severe consequences,; and a corporation has been put in charge of a series of pay toilets scattered across the land ...Kotis also instills a playful parody of famous musicals and musical conventions into the proceedings while also shedding light on such serious topics as greed, capitalism, and even ecological disaster. Hollmann's music is ever changing, with brisk, upbeat numbers, charming romantic ballads, and a rousing gospel tune; and the lyrics are continually witty and colorful. ...Director Andrea McFeely knows exactly how to guide her cast to deliver the satire, romance, and self-mocking tones of the piece, and they do so, for the most part, perfectly. As Bobby and Hope, Adam Bei and Lauren Scoville are simply adorable. Scoville's sweet nature and Bei's determination make them a realistic couple with a shared purpose. /.. Harold LeBoyer is OK as Hope's father. I just wish he were a little more strong and forceful to project a sense of menace and darkness in the role....While most of the ensemble work well there are a couple of actors who cross the line from satire into overacting and McFeely would be wise to pull them in line in order to not draw attention away from the intended focus of a few scenes. Karli Giles Kemper's assured music direction delivers lovely vocals throughout, including some tight harmonies from the ensemble during the rousing "Run, Freedom, Run!." Shannon Perkins's choreography is excellent...Urinetown is an extremely clever musical with an ever-changing plot, interesting characters, and some very catchy musical numbers. While it may not appeal to everyone, since it is dark and satirical, it is very creative and ultimately an extremely appealing show. Tuscany Theatre's production has very good leads and a strong supporting cast that, when combined with spot on direction and choreography, make for a very solid production."  -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)