Greetings, Players!

The Annual Meeting was a wonderful success. Following the passage of the amendment to the bylaws, to be in effect for one year, that enables Marlene Mandel to serve a third year as President of the Players, the slate that was presented was elected unanimously. The Executive Committee for the coming year will consist of Marlene Mandel as President, Arthur Kinsman as 1st Vice President, Kate Blair as 2nd Vice President, Bill Mason as Treasurer, and Sally Bull as Secretary. The Board members that were elected are: for three years: Heddie Kent, Michael Salerno, and Laura Weiss; for two years: Jean Devine and Shana Dirik; and, for one year: Jean Reinhard. I'm sure these folks will serve the Players well, and we'll have a very productive year ahead.

Following the business portion of the meeting and refreshments, the Shakespeare Workshop presented some wonderfully acted scenes for our entertainment. The participants and their scenes were: Mike Gowing and Brenda Peskin, The Taming of the Shrew; Carol Mitchell, Richard II; John Schnatterly and Richard Gifford, Julius Ceasar; Gisele Ganz and Susan Becker; All's Well That Ends Well; Arthur Crocker and Lida McGirr, MacBeth; Judith Broggi and Pamela Dritt, As You Like It.

Our spring show, Rumors, directed by Michael Jacobs, and produced by George Funk, Gail Gauthier, and Patricia Till, has been cast and rehearsals have started. The wonderful cast includes Shana Dirik, Craig Ciampa, Jennifer Kirby, Eric Ruben, Ed Knights, Pamela Dritt, Paul Jones, Candy Goff, Chuck Holleman, and Leslie Wagner. The technical staff (also wonderful) are as follows: Stage Manager, Susan Tucker; Assistant Stage Manager, Daniel Kosmala; Set Design, Derek Till; Set Construction, Artty Kinsman; Set Dressing, Kate Wharton; Props, Candace Litchfield; Costumes, Nan Smith; Makeup, Birgitta Knuttgen; Sound, Paul Gill; and Lights, Bruce Pennypacker. Performances are April 21, 22, 28, 29, 30 (matinee), May 5 and 6. This promises to be a hilarious show; do plan to see it!

Hop on the Showbus for a great night of theatre on Friday, June 2, at 8 P.M. Join us in applauding Stephen Collins, known of late as the Stage Manager in Our Town, in Unlaunch'd Voices ­ An Evening with Walt Whitman, written and directed by Michael Z. Keamy. Ticket plus bus transportation from 51 Walden St., Concord, to the Brimmer Street Studio Theatre, 69 Brimmer St., Boston is $26. Make check payable to the Concord Players, Inc., and mail to Dorothy Schecter, 187 Partridge Ln., Carlisle, MA 01741. The bus will leave at 6:50 P.M. The play depicts the art and times of America's greatest poet through slides, poetry and Whitman's own words. Six performances at the Hooker-Dunham Theatre in Brattleboro, Vermont, last fall prompted the Brattleboro Reformer to say, "All aspects come together here to create a successful whole, thanks to Keamy's sympathetic direction and Collins' strongly created and engaging persona." Be assured, you'll come away from the theatre with a deeper understanding of the extraordinary Walt Whitman, poet and man.

Jack Sweet is appearing in the Merrimack Repertory Theatre production of The Front Page. The performances run from March 31 through April 30. Call the box office at 978-454-3926, or see their web site at www.mrtlowell.com.

Now that Spring is here, it's time to think ahead to the Spring Frolic. This year's Frolic will be on Sunday evening, June 4. Put it on your calendar now and plan to come!

Another item for your calendar: The annual EMACT awards banquet will be on Friday, June 23rd, at the Woburn Country Club. Watch for further details in future newsletters if you wish to attend.

Have you ever had a hankering to learn how to run the sound system for a show? With Bill Smith's retirement we will have a void to fill for sound crew, and we encourage new involvement in this area. To find out more, please call Paul Gill at 978-369-3006.

Here's a message from Rik Pierce, our Web Master Extrordinaire: "I'm working furiously archiving the older plays the Players have done. With the help of borrowed scrapbooks owned by directors and producers of earlier shows I'm now beginning to get into the 1970s. I'm looking for Players who have programs and pictures of past productions. Especially good production photos. Please get in touch with me at RikP@pobox.com or 978 371-7491".

Richard Fahlender of Musketaquid, The Arts and Environment Program of the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts, has inquired whether the Concord Players would be able to provide a skit or participate in some other way for the Parade or the Arts and Environment Expo at Concord's Millennial Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 29. Several activities are planned for the day, including a river ceremony at 10:00, Giant Puppets parade at 10:30, and the Expo which lasts from 11:30 to 2:00. If anyone would be interested in organizing something, they should leave a message on Richard's voice mail at 978-371-1736, and he will get back to you with more information.

That's it for this month! Please send your news to me at: Sara Ballard, 9 Stacey Circle, Concord, Ma. 01742, or e-mail me at sara@sb.org . The monthly newsletter deadline is the third Tuesday of each month; the next deadline is April 18. Happy Spring to all!

Sara Ballard