Highlights from the Newsletter

Dec, 2001

 

 
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Greetings Players,

Congratulations to all who were involved with Honk, which was a smashing success! Auditions for our next show, Sideman, are Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:00 PM, and Sunday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 PM. We'll report on the cast in next month's newsletter.

Work on Little Women has begun! Co-producers Lillian Anderson and Jiffy Read, as well as director Dorothy Schecter, are collaborating with the Orchard House to publicize the production, as well as some interesting programs in conjunction with the show. More details will follow. Auditions for the show are early - starting on January 20th. An exciting Opening Night Gala party ( April 19th !!) is being planned by Chris Davies, Heddie Kent, Vinnie MacLeod, Joan Wood and Fritz and Gigi Kussin to reunite former Little Women casts and crews. Anyone interested in helping on the party or the show should contact Lillian

The annual Concord Players Shakespeare Workshop will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, for six weeks, beginning February 5, 2002. It will be held in the green room at The Concord Youth Theatre, which contains a small proscenium stage. Membership is limited to ten. The cost of the Workshop is $120. Members will work on a scene of their own choosing, and will each share the title role in scenes from Hamlet, which will be presented at The Spring Frolic. The Workshop will be led by Players member Thomas Caron, himself an accomplished Shakespearean actor, director, and producer, who received his training from the founders of the legendary Group Theatre, namely Harold Clurman, Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, Bobby Lewis, and Lee Strasberg. For further information contact Thomas by phone at 617-784-5224, or by e-mail at <thetowncow@mac.com>.

Join the Concord Players Holiday Show Bus (twice!). Details are below: 1) Sunday, December 9th, at 1:45 for the 3:00 pm performance of Nuncrackers. The wacky, lovable ladies from Nunsense in an all-new Christmas musical at the Lyric Stage in Boston. Fun for all the family. The cost of tickets is $42, and he deadline for ticket orders is Nov. 30.

2) Sunday, January 13, at 6:15 for the 7:30 pm performance of Contact, winner of the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical. This dance/play is hard to pigeonhole, but it's "Positively revolutionary!" and "Exhilarating!". The essential feel good experience, not to be missed! Tickets are $55, and the deadline for ordering them is December 10. Mezzanine seats, coach from 51 Walden, and refreshments are included with the ticket price for both shows. email Patricia Till to reserve your seats.

Rik Pierce reminds us that we are having another informal play-reading afternoon for our members at 4:00 pm on Saturday, December 1. We'll read City Of Angels, which is a musical. Rik will bring the CD and a player, and anyone who wants to is encouraged to join in and sing. If you'd like to participate, please let Rik know at 978 371-7491 or e-mail at
<RikP@pobox.com>.

Betsy Connelly, who, along with Gladys Foreman, has managed the Concord Players costume department for many years, is retiring from her duties, although she plans to continue in a consulting role. We thank her for her excellent and long service in this job. Pat Kane will be taking over the management of the costume department, with help from Gladys. She will be putting forth a proposal to reorganize the costume room, and the costume rentals, and will give us more details in a future newsletter. She plans to develop a useful map of the costume area, and weed out the costumes and accessories that are not usable. Costume rentals will be handled in a more businesslike manner, with signed contracts, and the rental fees will be raised slightly (for the first time in 20 years!). She requires at least 24 hours notice from those wishing to rent costumes. Anyone who would like to arrange costume rentals should contact Pat at 978-369-8418, or e mail her at <rpkane@massmed.org>.

Gisele Ganz has been keeping busy with Comedy Theater Productions at Three Cheers, and recently in Saratoga Springs, NY. She also was featured in a John Hancock commercial, which aired during the World Series. Gisele will be performing in a Cabaret with Shana Dirik at Acme, along with Ephraim\ Herrera, Adam Orn, Bob Mattson, Margaret McCarty, Juree James, and Barbara Larson. Performances are December 14th & 15th. On top of that busy schedule, she is directing the Pirates of Penzance for ACTS, and is still keeping busy with the Barbizon Modeling Agency. She wants to send a big hello out to everyone, and she misses seeing her Players friends!

From Bob Runck : "More casting news! I was just cast by the American Repertory Theatre in a production of a new play, Stone Cold Dead Serious, by Adam Rapp, to go up Feb. 6. (I get paid, and Equity points.) "

Sara Ballard, Kate Blair, Pamela Dritt, Pat Kane, and Laura Weiss will be performing with the Concord Madrigals in a Holiday Concert on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 4:00 PM at the West Concord Union Church. The music of Rutter, Praetorius, Casals, Schein, and others will be featured, with an audience carol sing-along. The concert will be followed by a festive reception. Tickets are $10, and $5 for children.

That's all the news for this month. Please send your news to Sara Ballard, 34 Aurora Lane, Concord, MA 01742, or e-mail to <sara@sb.org>. The next newsletter deadline is December 23.