Audition Information from Backstage Studios

What is Backstage Studios? Well, it is the newest community theatre in the Hazleton Area. It is spearheaded by Joelle Witner (founder of the Pa Theatre of Performing Arts and most recent Artistic director).

Traveling down a different avenue than PTPA, Backstage Studios is aimed at the teaching of theatre. The building will be located on Laurel Street in Hazleton (formally PTPA building. Check the PTPA website for their new location information)

We would like to announce auditions for the 1st show at Backstage Studios, the children’s musical ‘NO STRINGS ATTACHED - An Adaptation of Pinocchio’ on Sunday, August 20, 2006 at the Degenhart Rehab Center. The show dates are posted on the website.

Also in November, Backstage Studios was fortunate enough to get the rights to the newly released ‘High School Musical’. Based on the Disney Movie, this show is sure to make a scene! Auditions will be held on September 1 and 3 at the new location on Laurel Street.

Please check the website for all audition information and show times. There is also a link for which you can get the background music and lyrics to practice for your High School Musical Audition!

Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre Announces Auditions

Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre is pleased to announce auditions for its upcoming production of “Murder by Poe”, written by Jeffrey Hatcher, which kicks off the theatre’s 2006-2007 special events calendar.

“Murder by Poe” opens to a dark and dreadful night. A woman in white is lost within a wood, and the only shelter is a house full of murderers. Mixing funhouse tricks, Grand Guignol and a deadly game of cat and mouse, “Murder by Poe” is a theatrical reimagining of some of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous tales of terror: “The Black Cat”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “William Wilson”, “The Purloined Letter”, “The Mystery of Marie Roget” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. As each haunted figure tells a story of crime and mayhem, the woman must solve the puzzle of the house and the riddle of the man who ushers her into its mysteries.

Auditions will be held August 22 and 24, 2006 from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. at Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, 537 North Main Street, Wilkes-Barre. Casting requirements are for 5 men and 4 women, at least 18 years of age. In addition, auditions will be held for a short piece which is currently being written for this event, that will open the evening’s entertainment.

“Murder by Poe” will be directed by Alan Waclawski, who returns to bring works inspired by “the master of the macabre” to the stage at Little Theatre after the very successful production of “Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe” in the fall of 2005.

The production will open on Friday, October 20, 2006 at 8:00 P.M. with additional performances on Saturday, October 21, 2006 also at 8:00 P.M. and a Sunday matinee on October 22, 2006 at 3:00 P.M. All tickets are general admission and cost $10. For more information, contact the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre Box Office at (570) 823-1875.

About the Playwright: Jeffrey Hatcher is fast becoming one of the most prolific and frequently produced playwrights in the U.S., Jeffrey Hatcher adapted his acclaimed stage play “Compleat Female Stage Beauty” for the screen. He is currently working on a screenplay of “Casanova” for director Lasse Hallstrom, as well as screenplays for directors Steven Shainberg (Secretary) and Kim Pierce (Boys Don’t Cry). He has also written for the Peter Falk TV series “Columbo” and E! Entertainment Television.

About Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre: Since 1923, Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre has proudly fulfilled their mission to offer theatrical productions and various community services which educate, entertain and broaden the creative experiences of their audiences, as well as their participants and contributors. As part of that goal, Little Theatre provides training opportunities for people of all ages to develop their unique talents. As a community theatre, Little Theatre is open to all residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania and invites their participation in fulfilling their mission.

Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre announces 84th consecutive season

The ever-popular family musical “Wizard of Oz” kicks off the 84th consecutive season at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. To be presented September 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17th, “Wizard of Oz” has all the familiar songs from the classic Judy Garland movie, as well as the lovable Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion.

Next comes the Northeastern Pennsylvania premier of “Assassins”, Stephen Sondheim’s edgy musical which peers into the minds of such notorious presidential plotters as John Wilkes Booth, Charles Manson and John Hinkley. Show dates are November 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19.

In a scheduling first for Little Theatre, two comedies will be presented on alternating nights over two weekends in March, 2007. One is the Tony-award winning comic-drama “Art”, which examines what happens to three best male friends who argue over the value of an expensive plain white painting. Sharing the bill is “Sealed for Freshness”, set in 1968, which shows a Tupperware party gone bad when several lifelong girlfriends realize that they’re issing out on the feminine revolution. Dates for this twin bill are March 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, 2007.

The season closes with “The Fantasticks”, the world’s longest running musical about two young lovers who learn certain truths about life despite their squabbling fathers. This charming love story runs June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10, 2007.

Artistic Director Walter Mitchell says “This is one of our most appealing and exciting seasons ever. There is something for everyone, audience member and actor alike. And to get Broadway-style entertainment for less than $15 a ticket, this is a real bargain”.

Brochures have been mailed to current subscribers and advertisers. Reserved seats for the entire season start at just $50. Show sponsorships are also available. For more information, call LittleTheatre’s box office at 823-1875, or log on to www.ltwb.org.

The Northeast Theatre presents The Key

On September 27th through October 1st, The Northeast Theatre presents Richard Grunn in his latest one-man creation, “The Key”, a monodrama of many characters that features a mysterious Italian puppeteer (who creates puppets out of garbage) who prompts others to encounter something revealing about their lives while they retrieve their luggage from a train station’s lost and found.

Performance Dates: Sep. 27 - Oct 1, Wed. & Thurs. at 7, Fri. and Sat. at 8 and Sun. at 3 at The Northeast Theatre Performance Space at the Jermyn, 326 Spruce St., 2nd Floor, Downtown Scranton.

Admission:
Pay-What-You-Can Wednesday: No set price
Cheaper-Than-A-Movie Thursday: All tickets $5
Friday thru Sunday: General $15, Senior (60+) $10, and Students under 25 $5.

To make reservations, please call 570-558-1515 or visit us on the web: www.thenortheasttheatre.us

‘Urinetown’ Opens at the Music Box Playhouse August 18, 2006

The Music Box Players proudly present their newest production, URINETOWN beginning on Friday, August 18 and continuing through Saturday, September 2 at the Playhouse in Swoyersville. In celebration of their twenty-fifth anniversary, the Players have specially chosen this hilarious musical satire, filled with enough greed, lust and laughter to capture a fist full of Tony Awards in 2002, as the perfect way to relax and unwind after a long, hot summer day.

The premise of URINETOWN is a drought of epic proportions has forced corrupt city officials to come up with a unique way to conserve water: people may only use public restrooms and they have to pay for the privilege. Fed-up citizens take to the streets, but those caught relieving themselves in the bushes are sent to the mysterious Urinetown, never to be heard from again.

Featuring the original Music Box Player, Michael Gallagher, as the evil, greedy owner of Urine Good Company and a host of Music Box favorites in supporting roles, URINETOWN is the musical that began a new genre of mainstream Broadway successes. Unlike any show before it, URINETOWN was the smash hit that made such irreverent blockbusters as Avenue Q and Spamalot possible.

Director Kevin Costley and musical director Aimee Radics have assembled a first-rate cast of Music Box veterans including Ron Araya, Wendy Popeck, Seth Brandreth, Dana Feigenblatt, Alice Lyons, Dan Van Why, Lauren Costanza, George Thomas, Cate McDonald, Daniel Pascoe, Cindy Brandreth, Amber Lizza, Adam Orseck, Ted Anderson, Linda Orseck, Jennifer Rogers, D.J. Nat, and Costley taking triple roles as director, choreographer, and actor. Sets and lighting are by Michael Gallagher with costumes by K.D. Love.

URINETOWN is presented as a unique dinner-show experience. Expert catering is presented by Northeastern Pennsylvania’s premiere caterer A TOUCH OF CLASS AT THE PALACE and a fully stocked cash bar is available at every performance in a comfortably air conditioned environment. Show only tickets are also available. Restrooms are complimentary.

****For this production a special student rate of $12.00 is available for show-only tickets with a valid student I.D., to make reservations or for additional information, contact the box office at (570) 283-2195 or (800) 698-PLAY. Visit us on the web at WWW.MUSICBOX.ORG.

The Northeast Theatre presents The 2007 Conservatory Company. Professional Level Actor Training in the Heart of Scranton.

Do you have a vocation as an actor? Perhaps you want to advance your training, or you’re looking for an affordable alternative to college. Or maybe its just time to go back for the training you never got twenty years ago, so you can enjoy your art at a deeper level. For any of the above, check out The Northeast Theatre’s Conservatory Company, a regular program of professional level actor training suitable for both early career and mid-career actors: student, amateur, and professional. Training includes daily classes in voice and speech, Meisner-based acting, Feldenkreis-based movement, show business, and a wide variety of workshops in specialized aspects of the craft for a total of more than 330 hours of instruction in 13 weeks. All ages are welcome. Those who complete the first term are eligible to be considered for professional apprenticeships and more.

Faculty Includes:

Mary Ethel Schmidt (acting): has been an Associate Faculty member of the American Academy for ten years and has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at Lycoming College and Marywood University. She has studied at the National Theatre in London and Classic Stage Company in New York and is a member of both Actors Equity and the Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers.

Page Clements (voice and speech): is an actress and private coach in New York. She is a graduate of Wesleyan College in Macon, GA and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts/New York, receiving degrees in acting from both institutions. She was the first recipient of the Neil Simon Foundation Scholarship. Currently, she teaches dialects, voice/speech, and Shakespeare at the T. Schreiber Studio in NYC. She is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Connie Rotunda (movement) - is a Guild-Certified Feldenkraisr Practitioner, trained with David Zemach-Bersin and continues to deepen her understanding of the Method in her work as the training program practitioner and organizer of the NYC Feldenkraisr Professional Training Program. She holds an MFA from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. A professional actor and director, she has worked regionally and off-Broadway. She has taught actor movement at the FSU Asolo Conservatory, the Metro Playhouse, and the American Academy.

David Zarko (show biz) - a professional director for thirty years and a theatre administrator for fifteen, he has been a member of the associate faculty at Long Island University (C.W. Post Campus), SUNY Old Westbury, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (New York Campus), and has taught workshops in colleges and universities across in this country, in Italy, and Lithuania. He is active with Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival as a respondent and workshop leader. He is the founding artistic director of The Metropolitan Playhouse of New York, and is currently producing artistic director of The Northeast Theatre. He has well over 100 professional directing credits, and as a playwright has had scripts produced around the country.

Workshop leaders may include: Barbara Blackledge (Theatre Department Chair, Indiana University of Pennsylvania), Mark Medoff (Tony Awarding winning playwright, Emeritus Chair at New Mexico State University, screen writer, director, and actor), Don Wildman (Los Angeles based actor, writer and director, radio producer, commercial actor, movie actor), John Cariani (Tony nominated actor, award winning playwright), Zuppa del Giorno (commedia troupe that performs internationally), and many others.

Program Dates: February 11 - May 24, 2007 (with a break the week of April 2)

Culminating Production Series: May 23 - June 17, 2007

All classes, workshops, and performances take place in the Performance Space at the Jermyn, downtown Scranton, PA

Full Course Fee: $3,295; Tuition assistance may be available

Auditions will be held in September, October, November, and December 2006–various dates in Scranton, New York, and Philadelphia. Deadline to sign up for an audition is on the 25th of each month prior, with audition appointments being announced the last five days of each month for the following month. Prospective students will be auditioned at the location closest to their residence

For appointments and further information: www.thenortheasttheatre.us or call 570-558-1520 (if answered by voice mail, leave a message in box 2)

The Northeast Theatre is an Equity theatre company its fourteenth season of production. Plays in the past year have included: Over the River and Through the Woods, Lackawanna Rails: 100 Years of Life in the Anthracite Valley, Operation Opera and La Postina (in Orvieto, Italy). The Theatre received Best Play of 2004 for Legal Snarls and Best Theatre of 2005 from the Electric City Readers’ Poll.

Top 10 Musicals that Changed the Face of Theatre

Musical Theatre is an ever evolving art form. Over the decades, the genre has gone from pure escapism to social commentary to gripping dramatic expression. For those who are curious as to how musicals have changed over the years and which shows influenced the changes, here is a list of the 10 shows that had the most impact on the great white way.

1) Little Johnny Jones - George M. Cohan wrote, starred and Directed this patriotic musical comedy which became the first musical to garner recordings of the songs. “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” were the shows big hits.

2) Showboat - Became the first musical play to introduce serious issues into the storyline. It was a strong departure from the happy song and dance shows that preceded it. Oscar Hammerstein’s book and lyrics dealt with issues ranging from racial tensions to spousal desertion. “O’l Man River” and “Make Believe” were among the plays big songs.

3) The Cradle Will Rock - Marc Blitztien’s labor opera combined the political theatre of Bert Brecht with the popular jazz infused music of the 1930’s to create this inspiring piece. The show was so controversial that the government attempted to shut down the production. Director Orson Welles cleverly devised a way for the show to go on. He had his actors perform the show not from the stage, where equity regulations would have made them conform to the edicts of their union, but from the audience. The inspiring tale of the show’s premiere was turned into a hit film in the late 1990s by Tim Robbins.

4) Oklahoma! - Rodgers and Hammerstein successfully blended music, book and dance into one complete entity, using all three to progress plot and character. This was also the first American musical to release a complete original cast recording.

5) My Fair Lady - Alan Jay Lerner adapted Shaw’s masterpiece Pygmalion into possibly the most perfect musical of all time. Not only did it smash Broadway box office records but it was the first hit musical to not include a love story as its main theme.

6) Cabaret - Kander and Ebb’s musicalization of Chris Isherwood’s I Am A Camera not only delved into more serious themes in musicals but it also brought Brechtian flavor and political themes into the world of musical theatre.

7) Oliver - Lionel Bart’s retelling of Dickens classic “Oliver Twist” was the first British musical to become a major blockbuster in America, paving the way for other British writers and composers such as Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse and Andrew Lloyd Webber to invade New York.
Company - Stephen Sondheim’s landmark piece about marriage and relationships was the first “concept” musical. Relying on characterization, thoughts and themes over a linear plot, it was also the first collaboration between Sondheim and innovative director Hal Prince.

9) Evita - the British Mega Musical arrived on Broadway in the form of this Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber show and, for better or worse, the genre dominated Broadway into the mid 1990s.

10) Rent - Johnathan Larson’s biting story of AIDS, love, and social clash in New York burst onto the scene with a driving rock score, introducing the Gen X and Gen Y generations to live theatre.

Period Comedy Sets Sail This Coming Weekend at Endless Mountains Theatre

Laughs, ho! You don’t need a telescope to see that Peril on the High Seas is a winner.

Endless Mountains Theatre Company’s latest production is sure to please comedy fans and vintage fashion enthusiasts alike. Set on a 1920’s cruise ship, this over-the-top spoof of old-style love-and-adventure stories presents cartoonish characters dressed in dazzling outfits that evoke the era of Art Deco. In its laughs and in its looks, this show is really the cat’s pajamas — as we used to say in the Jazz Age.

“Peril” is EMTC’s third production of playwright Billy St. John’s work. In prior seasons, EMTC’s versions of St. John’s Figments and Southern Fried Murder proved to be big crowd-pleasers, and this one promises to be no less!

Peril on the High Seas will be staged August 11-12 at 7:30 pm and August 13 at 3:00 pm, at Mountain View High School in Kingsley, PA. For those who have seen various other EMTC shows, please note that this one is at Mountain View High School, not restaurant, and that this is a different school from the one at which many of the group’s other productions have occurred. Admission is $7 for Seniors/Students/Members (with Membership Card), and $9 General Admission. Reservations are not required for this show.

Endless Mountains Theatre Company Schedules Auditions for “Lust, Lugers, and Larceny”

Lust, Lugers, and Larceny is the creation of EMTC’s own David Schmidt. Don’t miss your chance to try out for this hard-boiled, locally-written detective yarn!

It is the 1940’s, the era of hard-boiled detectives and gangsters, who collide in this entertaining take on the pulp detective novels of the 40’s and 50’s. Private Detective Nick Holliday and his girl Friday, Dora Chase, are hired by a grieving widow, Kathleen Neuman, to find her husband’s murderer. A routine case quickly becomes anything but for Nick and Dora when they run afoul of gangsters and learn the existence of a criminal mastermind calling himself The Sicilian. As the play progresses, Nick battles hired thugs and encounters an array of odd characters . . . .

Auditions will be held from 7-9 pm on Wednesday, August 16 at Head Start in the New Milford Armory on Church St. in New Milford, PA. Those auditioning should be at least 16 years of age.

The show will be performed September 22-23, 2006, at Montrose Area High School, Montrose, PA.

For more information call 570-278-7828.

The Northeast Theatre Celebrates Family with “Over the River and Through the Woods”

Back again by popular demand, The Northeast Theatre opens its Fifteenth Season on July 26 with Joe DiPietro’s Over the River and Through the Woods, the Italian-American hit comedy about the modern dilemma of family versus mobility, a sweetly hilarious play appropriate for ages 10 to 100.

Joe DiPietro, who is also known for his long-running musical comedy hit, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, lovingly explores the dynamics of family in his sweetly hilarious play, Over the River and Through the Woods. The Northeast Theatre will present its acclaimed production of this hit comedy for the third time July 26 through August 13, 2006, featuring the same talented cast.

Over the River and Through the Woods is set in Hoboken, NJ at the home of Frank and Aida Gianelli. Their neighbors are also their in-laws, Nunzio and Emma Cristano, and all four share a grandson, Nick. Nick is single, lives in Manhattan and visits every weekend. They love each other, squabble about petty things, and try to figure out how to operate the VCR; a very familiar American scene.

The play opens as Nick is poised to make an important announcement. As the only remaining family member within an easy visiting distance, he has to tell his grandparents that he is taking a job in Seattle. They respond to this ultimate catastrophe with the ultimate solution: find him a girlfriend, and the story unfolds from there.

There is something so familiar and so true about this play, that laughter and happy tears compete throughout. Although the family of the play is Italian, they could be of any ethnic origin. It is life as we know it. A generation that grew up with horses in the streets, now looks at the computer in their spare bedroom and wonders how they had managed to lived so long. They stare across the table at their grandchildren for whom a cross country jet ride has been normal for all of their lives. They love each other, but at the same time they are worlds apart. And when these two worlds need to communicate, the results, although almost painful, are also hilarious. Mr. DiPietro captures the sweet irony of this disconnect so perfectly that you almost feel you have been invited to step up on stage and join them for dinner. This extraordinarily truthful depiction grew from the playwright’s loving observations of his own grandparents, and his affection for them infuses the play.

TNT regular Mary Ethel Schmidt directs (she appeared as Lettice in Lettice and Lovage and as Margaret in Waiting for the Parade) and the revival cast is the same as the original; the only difference being that the part of Kaitlin will be played by Amber Irvin (last seen as Marta in Waiting for the Parade). Returning to play their roles again are New York actors: Jeff Wills (last seen in Operation Opera), Bob Ader (who also played the Groucho role in Legal Snarls) and his wife Marilyn Spanier, and Nancy Ward. They will be joined by Joe Newbury of Towanda, who was last seen as Kringle in Kringle’s Window. His wife, Julie Larnard-Newbury designed costumes with Colleen Close (together they are known as Stitch in Time Costumes), lighting is by Scranton designer, Jim Langan, and sets are by award-winning San Francisco designer, Alan Curreri.

Over the River and Through the Woods runs July 26 through August 13 at The Northeast Theatre, Performance Space at the Jermyn, 326 Spruce Street, 2nd Floor, Downtown Scranton.

Wednesday, July 26 is Pay-What-You-Can Night when there are no set prices and admission is granted for any donation of $1 or more. Thursday, July 27 is Cheaper Than a Movie Night for which all tickets are $5. Friday, and July 28 is Big Bargain Night with tickets priced at $10 (except for students under 25 who always get in for $5). Saturday, July 29 is Opening Night at regular prices, and a reception with the actors follows the performance.

Regular ticket prices are $20 general, $15 seniors over 60, and $5 students under 25. Tickets may be purchased at the box office Wednesday through Saturday 3:00 p.m. until curtain, by phone at 570-558-1515, or online at www.thenortheasttheatre.us.

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