February 2000 Gossip

FORT WAYNE CIVIC THEATRE 2000 - 2001 SEASON

MY FAIR LADY, auditions Sunday, May 13, 2000, performances July 20, 2000 - August 6, 2000; 1776, auditions Sunday, August 20, 2000, performances October 26, 2000 - November 5, 2000; THE GIFT OF THE MAGI, auditions Sunday, October 1, 2000, performances November 30, 2000 - December 17, 2000; JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, auditions Monday, December 4, 2000, performances February 8, 2001 - February 25, 2001; A RAISIN IN THE SUN, auditions Sunday, January 21, 2001, performances March 29, 2001 - April 8, 2001; NUNSENSE, auditions Sunday, March 18, 2001, performances May 24, 2001 - June 10, 2001

---------

PULSE OPERA HOUSE SEASON CHANGE

"Dames at Sea" replaces "Hay Fever" as the Pulse Opera House's season opener. Auditions will be moved up to Monday, February 21. Director Cynthia Smyth-Wartzok seeks 2 women and 3 or 4 men who can sing, tap dance, and act. She also plans a special announcement regarding the production as soon as details are confirmed. Call (219) 422-8230 for more information.

-----------

WELCOME TO THE MOON PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS "OLEANNA"

The struggle for power takes the stage as Welcome to the Moon Productions presents David Mamet's Oleanna at the LaFontaine Center in downtown Huntington, Indiana from Friday, February 11th through Sunday, February 13th. General admission tickets are $2.00 and will be available at the performances, with a curtain at 8:00 p.m. each evening.

This psychological thriller takes place in three separate meetings in the office of a collegiate professor. What begins as a session to establish understanding between professor and student quickly deteriorates into charges of sexual harassment that reveal the prejudice of higher education, a battle of the sexes, and - most importantly - an envious, hypocritical struggle to acquire and maintain a position of power.

The playwright has established himself as a writer of "new realism," a style marked by naturalistic language and a small number of characters in a contained environment.

His dramatic style reflects that of the lower-middle class, and he won the Pulitzer Prize for Glengarry Glen Ross in 1984. Other successful plays include American Buffalo, Speed-the- Plow, and The Cryptogram.

Welcome to the Moon Productions was founded in 1996 by five students from Huntington College as an extension in their education of theatre performance. As the original members have graduated, the torch has been passed and the mission of Welcome to the Moon remains: to present important issues that are at the forefront of our society through the powerful medium of performance art.

Recent productions include Samuel Beckett�s Waiting for Godot and Sam Shepard�s True West. For more information, please contact Welcome to the Moon Productions at [email protected] or visit www.geocities.com/wttmproductions.

Audience discretion is advised as this play contains mature content that may be offensive to some. Oleanna is made possible by a generous gift from Ken and Judy Prior.

----------------

EDWARDS PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS "TWO BY TWO"

Years ago, like most theatre groups, a couple of people were sitting around and one said to the other, "Let's put on a show." Calling themselves One Night Stand, they performed NUNSENSE with actresses from the Tri-state area and performed in both Ohio and Indiana in areas were there were no active theatre groups.

The group varied from the norm in that the rehearsal process was not held on weeknights but only on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Brent Blalock was involved with the first group, and several years after its successful debut production, he was approached by a theatre in Archbold, Ohio, to bring a production to their theatre for a benefit performance. With much planning and a plan of attack, Blalock and fellow theatre veteran Scott Rigdon decided to form a new group and make a fresh start.

"When the word went out," says Blalock, "many of the areas we had reached in the past contacted us stating they wanted the production brought to their areas for various fundraisers. We made a few phone calls and with the help of many local organizations (like the Green Room) we decided to produce TWO BY TWO. The cast, many new faces, again come from both Indiana and Ohio. We also found in talent a few musicians wanting to perform but having no outlet for them. We have a road manager to help assist in the moving in and out of the locations, photographer, and a schedule at this point. We have stuck with the 'Saturday Rehearsal' and in six weeks are ready to perform."

With music by Richard Rodgers ("The Sound of Music," "Oklahoma!"), lyrics by Martin Charnin ("Annie"), and book by Peter Stone ("1776," "Titanic"), TWO BY TWO brings a modern perspective and contemporary sensibility to the age-old-story of Noah and the Ark.

TWO BY TWO takes a fairly traditional approach to its Biblical theme, telling the story of Noah, his wife Esther, Their sons their sons' spouses through a straightforward narrative, Where Two by Two deviates from the norm, however, is in it's staging. There are no real animals, the ark is built right in front of the audience's eyes during the first act, God makes his presence known through the use of effects, and perhaps most atypical of all, this is a full-scale musical that features a total company of eight.

TWO BY TWO provides good family entertainment and is rich in comedy, full of melody and that rare ingredient, heart.

Listed below is a schedule of confirmed dates and the organizations they are working with:

*�� Feb 12th & 13th Giffey Hall in Ridgeville Corners Ohio for the building fund of Archbold Community Theatre. This is a dinner theatre or show only performance. Ticket are $22.50 (show only $10.00)

*�� Feb 20th 2:00pm Antwerp Local School in the Old Gymnasium. Tickets are $7.00 (groups of ten or more $2.00 off each ticket)

*�� March 25th 8:00pm Montpelier Superior Middle School for the "Animal Rescue Mission" in Williams County. Ticket prices not yet set.

*�� Also in planning is a performance for the Hicksville Community Hospital Auxiliary League in Hicksville Ohio.

------------

HUNTINGTON THEATRE GUILD PRESENTS "THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM SHKSPR (ABRIDGED)"

Fast and funny, The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) skewers the Bard and honors him, too. In fact, the more you love Shakespeare, the more you'll be amused by this jolly nonsense. The show is a mix of pratfalls, puns, willful misreadings of names and dialogue, clunky female impersonations, clean-cut ribaldry, and broad burlesque.

Featuring Kerry Arnold, Travis Fisher, and Darren Turney in all the roles, the show appears at a new venue for the Huntington Theatre Guild -- the Prudential Building on the corner of Guildford and Franklin streets (246 E. Franklin, a block east of the courthouse). The show is set for February 11, 12, 18, and 19 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for students (high school and under) and can be reserved by calling (219) 356-5095 or purchased at the door.

--------------

ENGAGING NEWS

Kerry Arnold proposed to girlfriend Lee Ann Butz on January 14. They met during a Pulse Opera House production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum last season. Says Arnold, "A funny thing did happen. I fell in love!"

1
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws