photos by Laura Durant
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Applications now open for ariZoni Adjudicators for the 2025 / 2026 Season
Do you love theatre?
Do you have a theatre background or training?
Are you able to see up to a dozen shows a year, for free, to help determine the nominees and winners for the ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for the 2025/2026 season?
The ariZoni Board of Directors are looking for qualified individuals to serve as adjudicators for the upcoming theatre season.
Adjudicators are the anchor of the ariZoni Theatre Awards. Each year the over 30 participating ariZoni theaters put on over 200 productions. The Zonis need qualified and committed people to see and score these productions which helps decide the nominees and award recipients for each year.
The ariZoni Board of Directors are looking for individuals with the following qualifications:
1) Have a theatre educational background, experience in performing or creative production aspects, knowledge of theatre arts and/or expertise that allows you to accurately and efficiently adjudicate the different types of theatre in town.
2) Able to attend 8-15 performances a year to adjudicate. The shows will be randomly assigned to you.
3) Able to drive to the various participating ariZoni theatres in town, some of which may be across the Valley from where you live, in order to adjudicate their productions.
4) Able to not allow personal preferences or bias to influence your adjudication scores.
5) Have access to a computer and email account in order to receive notifications from and communicate with the Adjudicator Liaisons, theatre representatives and ariZoni board of directors; and in order to score your ariZoni ballot for each show in our online adjudication scoring system.
6) Able to act and respond in a timely manner concerning:
- coordinating tickets for shows you are assigned to adjudicate at least two weeks before the performances for the show begin
- requesting a substitute due to personal conflicts or conflicts of interest at least two weeks before performances begin
- filling out the scores on your ballot within two weeks of seeing the production
Applications are due by April 30, 2025
Auditions for SELENA AND JUDY GO DANCING at Space 55 announced for April 21
Auditions will be in person on April 21, 2025 from 6-9pm
Callbacks (if needed) will be the following evening, April 22, 2025 at 6pm
Performance Dates: June 6-15, 2025
Audition Location:
Metropolitan Arts Institute
1700 N 7th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Play by: Ashley Naftule
Directed by: Chris R. Chávez
Choreography/Movement by: Cydney Trent
Auditions will consist of a 1-2 minute contemporary monologue. Either from a play or collection is fine
The role of Selena has been cast. The remaining roles have not been cast. Unless specified below, all races/ethnicities, shapes, sizes, and genders across the spectrum are highly encouraged to audition.
Show Synopsis:
Selena and Judy like to dance, like a lot! Even when they aren’t spending a night at the club, they dance. Whether metaphorical or literal, they like to dance. Selena and Judy Go Dancing! is an original play about a lesbian couple living together who, like any typical couple, love, fight, and argue. What isn’t typical - through each scene in the play, a certain dance is dictated by our MC who calls the shots in the show… mostly. Through the narrative the two central characters encounter other characters and obstacles that just add to the beautiful complexity of this show. This play is about love, loss, finding yourself, and of course DANCING!
*All actors except the MC will move/dance at some point in the show with Selena/Judy having the most dancing/moving through all scenes. No dance experience required. There will be choreographed intimacy between the three female actors.
JUDY BOSTON (early 30’s-40’s; female presenting): A square who’s been bent out of shape. A White woman who’s younger and shyer than Selena.
THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES (ageless; non-binary or trans): A being of any age or gender. The MC presides over the happenings and has a god-like level of knowledge. While he initially presents himself as male, that shifts over the course of the play.
CHARLOTTE (mid-40’s-early 50’s; female presenting): Judy’s boss, a hippie/New Age type turned businesswoman.
KIA (mid-40’s-early 50’s; female presenting): Ex-stripper turned fitness guru. Flighty but well-meaning.
JOEY (mid-20’s-30’s; male presenting): A drug dealer, chill vibes, gay, a mensch.
ANDY (mid-20’s-30’s); male presenting: A bro, a creep, the worst guy you know.
All the male parts will be played by one actor. Charlotte/Kia will be a double-cast. Selena, Judy, and the MC are all solo roles.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Your first look at THE JUST at B3 Theater
Photos by Jennifer Giralo
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Directed by Gabe Escudero
The show runs April 10th-13th. Tickets available at https://our.show/thejust
In an age of oppression, four revolutionaries plan an attack in the hope of liberation against a fascist state. While putting their plans into motion, they wonder how far is too far? Could they even go through with it? Are they willing to sacrifice their lives in the name of love and justice? And perhaps most frighteningly... will their actions even matter in the end?
Presented in the round, the audience is thrust into the action of the play alongside these revolutionaries and asked to ponder their own morality.
Featuring Isaac Salazar, Savoy Antoinette, Joey Whelan, Ruben Davalos, Sebastian Navarro, Jairyn Bullinger, Betsy Smith, and Hanna Nur
Review Highlights: THE SECRET GARDEN - Southwest Shakespeare Company
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| Cam Blackwell and Wyatt Murphy Photo by Devon C. Adams |
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 13
"James Cougar Canfield's enchanting new stage adaptation of The Secret Garden remains refreshingly faithful to Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved 1911 novel, capturing the heart and soul of its timeless themes. Southwest Shakespeare Company is presenting the first fully staged production of this new adaptation and it resonates with warmth and a transformative nature. The cast, brimming with talent and heart, bring Burnett's cherished characters vividly to life, instilling the story with emotion, authenticity, and a sense of magic that honors the original tale....Though Canfield's adaptation overall is strong, and it does a wonderful job in breathing life into Burnett's characters, there are moments when the pacing falters slightly. A few scenes repeat information already well established, while there are a couple scenes that aren't truly necessary or that run on a tad too long, and trimming these could streamline the story and tighten the pacing without sacrificing depth. Nevertheless, the emotional core remains intact and Canfield's script hits every necessary beat in the well-regarded story–from sorrow to joy, isolation to connection–ensuring the audience stays deeply invested in the characters and plot throughout.." - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)
Auditions for ANASTASIA, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, and GUYS AND DOLLS at Hale Centre Theatre announced for May 3
Hale Centre Theatre will hold auditions for Anastasia, playing August 22 - Oct 4, 2025, Singing in the Rain, playing October 10 - November 22, 2025, and Guys and Dolls, playing February 12 - March 28, 2026. These shows are directed and choreographed by Cambrian James. Cathy Hauan will be the Music Director for Anastasia, Lincoln Wright will be the Music Director for Singing in the Rain, and Tyler Thompson will be the Music Director for Guys and Dolls. Performances for Anastasia, Singin in the Rain, & Guys and Dolls are Wednesday – Saturday evenings with select Thursday, Friday and Saturday matinee performances.
Callbacks for Anastasia will be held Saturday, May 24th with the first rehearsal scheduled for July 7, 2025at 6:00PM.
Callbacks for Singing in the Rain will be held Saturday, May 31st with the first rehearsal scheduled for August 25, 2025 at 6:00PM.
Callbacks for Guys and Dolls will be held Saturday, July 26th with the first rehearsal scheduled for December 29, 2025at 6:00PM.
Monday, April 7, 2025
Registration now open for Starlight Community Theater's 2025 Summer Camps!
Summer Camp is BACK for 2025, and registration just opened this week. We're so excited about all the different offerings! Click the blue button below to get all the details, and for information about signing up for a summer of FUN!
Review Highlights: ART at Theatre Artists Studio
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| Jason Isaak, Dominik Rebilas, and Steven Mastroieni Photo by Bill Phillips |
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 13
"Yasmina Reza’s ART is a scalpel disguised as a play—a cutting, hilarious, and painfully accurate dissection of friendship, ego, and the maddening subjectivity of taste.... Theatre Artists Studio’s production, under Carol MacLeod’s superb direction, leans into both the comedy and the discomfort, making the play’s exploration of personal taste and fragile egos feel strikingly relevant." - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)
Cast announced for THE PRODUCERS at Almost Famous Theatre
Max Bialystock Greg Lutz
Leo Bloom Patrick Keyser
Ulla Natacha Bachour
Franz Liebkind Kirk Thompson
Roger DeBris Steven Settefrati
Carmen Ghia Shane Sedivy
Mr. Marks Garth Williams
Hold Me-Touch Me Cliff Alfrey
Lick Me-Bite Me LaGina Bevans
Kiss Me-Feel Me Carolynn Russell
Usherettes Leslie Kempton, Channing Cooper, Kat Noone
Stormtrooper Jordan King
Ensemble Ali Flores, Asher Johnston, Ben Cadriel, Tobias Guisto, Sylvia Chimbo,
Johnny Bryant, Dina Michelle, Markus Rosendahl, Eric Lee Olson,
Leslie Kempton, Channing Cooper, Kat Noone, LaGina Bevans,
Carolynn Russell
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