DELRAY BEACH, FL: The Delray Beach Playhouse will offer two theatrically based summer programs for children ages 6-16 this summer.
The 2022 Broadway Camp, which will run from May 31st to July 17th, will allow young performers the opportunity to experience the joy of live theatre, while building self-confidence, engaging their imaginations, and learning the importance of teamwork. The camp will culminate with performances of Disney’s The Little Mermaid on July 12th – 15th for fellow campers, and July 16th and 17th for the public. Auditions for the Broadway Summer Camp will be held on April 30th from 9 am to 1 pm, with call-backs scheduled on May 1st from 9 am to 1 pm. A limited number of spaces are available. Cost for the Broadway Camp is $249 per week for 6 weeks. Camp will run from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, however three Saturday rehearsals are scheduled.
The Playhouse’ Summer Fun Camp, which will run from May 31st to August 5th, will allow youngsters to explore drama, music, and dance. The program is suitable for children who want to be active and involved in theatre without performing on stage. Cost for Summer Fun Camp is $175 for the first week, and $100 for each week thereafter. Campers can sign up for the entire 10 weeks, or as many or few weeks as desired.
Each camp requires a $99 deposit, due April 15th, with the balance of the fees due on May 20th.
There will be an Open House at the Playhouse on Saturday, April 2nd from 11 am to 12:30 pm where parents and potential campers can meet with the Camp Director, actress, singer, and model Jessie Dez, and Camp Manager Shoshana Davidowitz to learn more about both programs.
DELRAY BEACH, FL: From Lillie Langtry to Cyndi Lauper and Betty Boop to Tina Turner, or from Rosie the Riveter to Britney Spears, female singers and pop stars and their music provide a vivid reflection of how much has changed for women since the beginning of the 20th century. Respect: A Musical Journey of Women, which has evolved from a one-woman dissertation by Columbia University Professor Dorothy Marcic to an international hit musical revue,is an entertaining, exuberant, and exhilarating look at the lives of women as reflected in the popular music of the times. Respect will run at the Delray Beach Playhouse from January 28th through February 13th.
Featuring an ensemble cast of eight and a live band, and combining excerpts of 60 songs including “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” “As Long As He Needs Me” and “Whatever Lola Wants” along with such modern standards as “Where the Boys Are,” “It Must Be Him,” “The Greatest Love of All,” and “Stand by Your Man” with women’s own stories about finding dreams, lost love, relationship issues, entering the workforce, gaining independence, and more, Respect has resonated with audiences around the world. Men as well as women will have no trouble at all identifying with the messages of encouragement and empowerment that Respect portrays.
Suzanne Dunn
“The show has changed a lot since it premiered in South Florida in 2003,” says Respect’s director Suzanne Dunn. “That’s why we’d encourage anyone who’s seen it before to come out and enjoy it again, because it has been updated with different songs and dialogue and will be a new experience. I’m thrilled to be working with the great team at the Delray Beach Playhouse (I first performed on stage there when I was in college at FAU, directed by Randy DelLago in See How They Run) and with this incredible group of actors.
“These very talented women, who are well-known throughout the theatre community, have been rehearsing under the strictest of COVID guidelines – singing and dancing with KN95 masks on every night!” she continues. “They have such a huge amount of enthusiasm and commitment, and audiences are going to have a blast taking this trip down memory lane with them.”
Dunn’s cast includes Kelley DiLorenzo, Spensyr Bach, Sara Hope Tripp, Amanda Gomes, Lissen Ellington, Rachel O’Hara, Jacynth (J.B.) Brown and Patricia Sotolongo.
Respect’s Music Director is Karen Nagy and the show’s Choreographer is Jeannie Krouch. Stage Manager is Michele Popken, Technical Director is Andre Lancaster, Set Design is by Cindi Taylor, Lighting is by Sonia Buchanan, and Props and Costumes are by Susan Rose.
Respect: A Musical Journey of Women will run from January 28 – February 13 at the Delray Beach Playhouse. Tickets are $38 and can be purchased online at delraybeachplayhouse.com/, or by phone at 561-272-1281.The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach (33444).
For more information about Respect: A Musical Journey of Women contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
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Respect: A Musical Journey of Women By Dorothy MarcicJanuary 28 – February 13, 2022 Tickets: $38 Performances:Friday & Saturday at 8 pm Saturday & Sunday at 2 pm For tickets: https://tinyurl.com/2cywthjx Or call 561-272-1281 Delray Beach Playhouse 950 NW 9th Street Delray Beach, FL 33444
Who’s Who in Respect: A Musical Journey of Women:
Spensyr Bach
Spensyr Bach (Eden) “One of the best things that ever happened to me is that I’m a woman. That is the way all females should feel.” – Marilyn Monroe. When she’s not performing, Spensyr is an attorney practicing entertainment and intellectual property law in Boca Raton, FL at The Lomnitzer Law Firm, P.A. Spensyr has a BA in Music from Rollins College, and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Previous DBP credits: Annie Get Your Gun, The World Goes Round,1940’s Radio Hour, Showtune, See How They Run, and Take Me Back to Manhattan.
Jacynth Brown
Jacynth Brown (Ensemble) This is Jacynth’s debut performance with the Delray Beach Playhouse and she is thrilled to join the cast of RESPECT. After many years as a “Theatre Mom” Jacynth has finally decided to step out from behind the scenes. Jacynth played Blanch Ethels Pracket in the short film “Walk On” and most recently performed with Torch and Trumpet Theatre Company in The Gospel According to Scrooge. A long-time resident of Palm Beach County, Jacynth is a mental health professional who enjoys volunteering, singing and actively serving in her local church.
Kelly DiLorenzo
Kelly DiLorenzo (Janet) Originally from Los Angeles, Kelly has enjoyed a 30+ year career in “the biz”. Roles she’s extremely proud of are Fantine in Les Miserables (Broadway National Tour), she originated the role of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin at Disneyland and went on to portray Belle in Beauty and the Beast and every other Princess imaginable! Other favorites include The Narrator (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Miss Hannigan (Annie), Mary Magdalene (JC Superstar) and Eva Peron (Evita). For almost a decade, she was the lead singer of South Florida’s popular band, The Fabulons. She’s entertained on cruise ships and on stages around the world in Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia. Love and gratitude to her husband Rick and two amazing kids, Austin and Bella. “Thank you for always being my cheerleaders”.
Lissen Ellington
Lissen Ellington (Ensemble) Lissen is excited to be back at the Delray Beach Playhouse with RESPECT. Last season, Lissen made her DBPH debut in Take Me Back To Manhattan. She has been seen around the state performing in a variety shows including Into the Woods (Witch), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Drood), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Lin), A Funny…Forum (Gymnasia), Flora the Red Menace (Maggie), Spelling Bee (Rona), You Can’t Take It With You (Penny), Alice In Wonderland (Queen of Hearts), No, No, Nannette (Flora). Lissen is a proud EMC candidate. During the day you can find Lissen at Santaluces High School where she is the Director of Theatre Arts for the award-winning Tomahawk Theatre Company. When not performing, Lissen runs Disney marathons and volunteers with JLPB. Thank you, Suzanne for this opportunity! For my guardian angels Bubba and Matty!
Amanda Gomes
Amanda Gomes (Rosa) Amanda is making her Professional Debut as Rosa in Respect. Amanda is a recent graduate of FAU. She is well-versed in several areas of Theatre from singing and acting, to directing, writing, stage managing, wardrobe, and theatrical makeup. Some previous performance credits include Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, and Charlotte in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. She’d like to thank her friends, family, and the Cast & Crew of Respect for all their support.
Tricia Sotolongo Mundarain
Tricia Sotolongo Mundarain(Ensemble) Tricia is a Palm Beach County native and lifelong music lover. She began singing as a toddler and later in her middle and high school choirs. She is the proud mother of two vocally gifted daughters who inspired her to pursue her passion again in 2018 when she performed the role of the haughty ballet company headmistress in Flashdance at the Lake Worth Playhouse. Respect: A Musical Journey of Women is only her second foray into musical theater and her first for the Delray Beach Playhouse. She is inspired by her female cast, crew, and director and hopes to continue to entertain in the future.
Rachel O’Hara
Rachel O’Hara (Ensemble\Dance Captain) Rachel is thrilled to be back on stage at the Delray Beach Playhouse after two years away from the theater due to the pandemic. Since moving back to her hometown in 2017, Rachel has performed in two other shows at Delray Beach Playhouse; Annie Get Your Gun in 2017 and 1940’s Radio Hour in 2019, and as Blue Girl in Maplewood Playhouse’s SHOUT! The Mod Musical. She is the Communications Associate at Gulf Stream School and a freelance photojournalist for The Coastal Star. She would like to thank all her friends and family for being so supportive of her love of theater and she hopes everyone enjoys the show!
Sara Tripp
Sara Tripp (Samantha) Sara Hope Tripp is happy to return to the Delray Beach Playhouse, where she last performed in A Doll’s House Part 2 and Take Me Back to Manhattan. A native New Yorker, she’s performed as Anna in the King and I and Maria in the Sound of Music at Dicapo Opera Theatre; Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Vertical Players Repertory; the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, Charlotte Malcom in A Little Night Music, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, and most recently Mrs. Anderssen in A Little Night Music at the Manhattan School of Music, where she earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in vocal performance.
Suzanne Dunn
Suzanne Dunn (Director) Suzanne made her professional acting debut in Eleemosynary at the Theatre Club of the Palm Beaches for which she was nominated for a Carbonell Award. Other roles include: Blythe Spirit (Edith), Proof (Catherine), Steel Magnolias (Annelle), See How They Run (Ida), Mama Drama (Morgan), Chicago (Mona/Go-to-Hell Kitty/undst. Velma), Foxfire (Holly), Bananas (House of Blue Leaves), and The Cover of Life (Weetsie). Directing credits include The Bachelorette, Death by Design, Church and State. Suzanne was last seen on the Delray Beach Playhouse stage as Nora in A Doll’s House Part 2, and recently completed the role of Anita in the independent film The Pool, directed by Anna Hozian. She was a founding member of the all-female comedy improv troupe, Big Purse…and Matching Shoes with screenwriter Kim Turner as well as a founding member of the Comedy Squad with Upright Citizen Brigade members Michael Delaney and Billy Merritt. Suzanne holds a BFA from Florida Atlantic University where she studied with J. Robert Dietz, Zoe Caldwell, and Hume Cronyn, and attended Selwyn College, University of Cambridge, obtaining certificates in British Society and 20th Century Literature, Theatre, and Poetry. Suzanne would like to thank this absolutely amazing cast of talented women – Kelly, Sara, Spensyr, Amanda, Lissen, Rachel, Jacynth, and Trish – as well as her talented friend Jeannie, Randy, Andre, Karen, Sonia, Cindi, Michelle, Susan, the band, and the Playhouse crew and staff. All the love to her family and friends, especially Mr. Pie, Mom & Dad, and Ronan.
Karen Nagy (Music Director) Karen Nagy is thrilled to be working at DBPH with such a talented cast and crew! She has worked in professional theater in south Florida for over 30 years, as a singer, actor, music director, band member, stage manager, and in all areas of tech. She and two colleagues developed and oversaw the longest-running play reading series in south Florida, Theatre With Your Coffee, introducing works of local playwright Michael McKeever and others. She is a longtime adjunct professor of music at Miami-Dade College, also having taught at NSU and New World School of the Arts. She proudly holds membership in Actors’ Equity; NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and NSAI (Nashville Songwriters). That said, her favorite job for the past 24 years is playing 2nd keyboard in theatres from Jupiter to Coral Gables. Favorite shows include: “Violet,” “1776,” “Ragtime,” and “Memphis,” (Actors’ Playhouse); “Avenue Q,” (MNM at the Rinker); and anything rock or pop, including “Tommy,” (Entr’acte) and “Footloose” (Lake Worth and Actors’ Playhouses). Karen is also proud to be a published author. Her book Girlfriend of Bill (Hazelden) has helped many in the recovery community, and she is currently finishing her second book, Finding Home: The Journey to My Happy Place. Many thanks to Suzanne, Randy, Andre, Michele and this great group of people!
Jeannie Krouch (choreographer) Jeannie is thrilled to join the Delray Beach Playhouse family. Jeannie has performed all over South Florida. Her favorite roles include: Leisl (The Sound of Music) Louise (Carousel) Snoopy (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) Spider (James & the Giant Peach) Joan (Dames at Sea) and Dolly (The ThreePenny Opera) Her most fulfilling role is “mom” to Zach (16) and Sydney (14) Jeannie has choreographed many shows for American Heritage School and Coral Springs Centre for the Arts including Chicago, Legally Blonde, Young Frankenstein and Into the Woods. She would like to thank her husband, Rob for his support, Suzanne for the opportunity to dance again and last, but not least the amazing RESPECT cast and crew who have worked so hard to make this show a success. Enjoy!
Michele Popken (Stage Manager) – Michele is excited to be stage managing this all-female cast. Michele has stage managed several plays at the Delray Beach Playhouse. Some of the recent plays have been the Playwright Festival, Steel Magnolias, Lost in Yonkers, 1940’s Radio Hour. Thanks to the wonderful women in the play, Suzanne for her great directing. All the love to her family and friends, especially her husband, Dave for all of his support.
DELRAY BEACH, FL: The Delray Beach Playhouse will present actor/comedian Peter Fogel’s multi-media solo show, ‘Til Death Do Us Part… You First, for one performance only, on Wednesday, February 23 at 12:30 pm, as part of the theatre’s popular “Lunch & Laffs” Cabaret Series.
Fogel will also bring his show to the brand-new Charlotte J. Burrie Civic Center in Pompano Beach on Wednesday, March 2nd at 7:30 pm.
Peter Fogel
Eternal Bachelor Peter Fogel has significant commitment issues as the love of his life has just broken up with him on Valentine’s Day. Sensing his own mortality, he is visited by a Special Guest who mentors him on how he can end all his romantic disasters and reconnect with the one woman who can change his life!
Directed by Academy Award nominee and three-time Emmy Award-winner Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale), Fogel employs his signature wit to bring to life such relatable characters as Iranian Ex-Girlfriend Elena, Magician & Ex-Fiancé Jamie, High Maintenance Marla, his college roommate “Uncle” Harold, plus his Demented Father and Evil Step-Mom Eva. They all have one goal – to continue to stress him out about his unfilled love life! “The longest relationship I’ve had in my entire life is with Amazon’s Alexa!” Fogel laments.
Just as Robert DeNiro discovered Chazz Palminteri in his one-man show A Bronx Tale, director Palminteri discovered Peter’s one-man show during a South Florida run. Excited about the play’s potential – Palminteri immediately offered to direct it.
“Now, more than ever, audiences want to get back to laughing and enjoying live theater…” Fogel says., “And ‘Til Death Do Us Part… is the perfect post-Valentine’s Day show for single, divorced, and devoted couples!”
“A funny show about marriage and relationships. Go see it!” Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”)
Tickets for Peter Fogel’s ‘Til Death Do Us Part…You First are on sale now and can be purchased online at delraybeachplayhouse.com or by phone at 561-272-1281. Tickets are $44 and include lunch. Tickets for the Burrie Civic Center performance are also on sale and can be purchased online at https://tinyurl.com/45fy7wzt or by calling 954-786-5566.
~ ‘Til Death Do Us Part…You First! Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 12:30 pm By Peter Fogel Directed by Chazz Palminteri Tickets: $44 (includes lunch) For tickets: delraybeachplayhouse.com or Call 561-272-1281, Ext.5 Direct ticketing link: https://tinyurl.com/ejhdpryd The performance will take place at The Delray Beach Playhouse 950 NW 9th Street Delray Beach, FL 33444
‘Til Death Do Us Part… You First! Wednesday March 2 at 7:30pm By Peter Fogel Directed by Chazz Palminteri Tickets: $15 For tickets: https://tinyurl.com/45fy7wzt or Call 954-786-5566 The performance will take place at Burrie Center 2669 N Federal Hwy Pompano Beach, FL 33064
BOCA RATON & DELRAY BEACH, FL: In Italian Bred – The Theatrical Comedy, actress/singer/storyteller Candice Guardino effortlessly slips in and out of multiple family characters as she reminisces about her childhood. The show, which has received rave reviews wherever it has played, will have its Florida premiere performances at the Mizner Park Cultural Center on February 24th, and at the Delray Beach Playhouse on February 25th and 26th.
Based on true life events and told through the eyes of a little girl growing up Italian on Staten Island – from learning to make meatballs to learning to drive – Guardino shares heartfelt and hilarious memories of her childhood with humor and skill. And from her matter-of-fact father to her outspoken, chain-smoking grandmother, she impersonates all the members of her sitcom-worthy family, while sharing the stage with virtual cameo appearances of Emmy Award-winner Steve Schirripa (“Blue Bloods”), Mario Cantone (“Sex & the City”), Leslie Jordan (“Will and Grace”), and Vic DiBitetto (“Mall Cop 2”).
Candice Guardino
Candice Guardino was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, was raised on Staten Island, and now splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City. She made a name for herself on the New York theatre scene with her outrageously revealing one-woman show, “S.O.S.” which ran at Stage 72 and The Laurie Beechman. Candice has also written several sitcoms, stage plays, screenplays, and shorts. She has studied with UCB, Second City, The Pit Improv and has a BA in Theatre. www.candiceguardino.com
Italian Bred will be at the Mizner Park Cultural Center on Thursday, February 24th and at the Delray Beach Playhouse on Friday, February 25thand Saturday, February 26th. Tickets for these performances range from $32.50 to $40, and can be purchased online at https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com and https://delraybeachplayhouse.com.
Masks covering the mouth, nose, and chin must be worn in order to attend.
The Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center is located at 201 Plaza Real, in Boca Raton (33432). The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach (33444).
For more information about Candice Guardino and Italian Bred – A Theatrical Comedy contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
In the attached photo: Candice Guardino (Photo credit: Dirty Sugar Photography, NYC)
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Italian Bred – A Theatrical Comedy Show Thursday, February 24 at 7:30 pm Tickets: $32.50 – $40 For tickets: https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com/events/italian-bred Or Call 844-672-2849 Mizner Park Cultural Center 201 Plaza Real, 2nd Floor Boca Raton, FL 33432
“Suspense, anyone? The old-fashioned kind? Who’s for good, clean fun? One is Agatha Christie’s 1954 puzzler, A Spider’s Web.” – Howard Thompson, The New York Times
DELRAY BEACH, FL: The Delray Beach Playhouse will open their season with a classic mystery. Dame Agatha Christie’s A Spider’s Web, a unique blend of suspense and humor, will open at the Playhouse on December 3rd, and run through December 19th.
Agatha Christie famously wrote the longest-running play in the history of the English-speaking theatre – The Mousetrap, now in its 69th year in London’s West End. Her second longest-running success is an intricately plotted mystery with comedic overtones which involves discovering a hidden treasure of unsuspected value, a young girl’s fascination with witchcraft and a hostess who must keep a murder from interfering with an important diplomatic conference.
After Clarissa Brown convinces her husband, a Foreign Office diplomat, and his two colleagues to help her hide a murdered body, the conference begins. But it is soon interrupted by the arrival of the police, who have been summoned by a mysterious call. To her chagrin, when Clarissa tries to lead the police to the body, it has disappeared. Usually adept at spinning tales of adventure to amuse her husband’s colleagues, Clarissa learns that facts can be far more terrifying than fiction.
A conscious parody of the detective thriller, Christie delivers a unique blend of suspense and humor. There is tension and laughter in equal parts in an intricate plot of murder, police, drug addicts, invisible ink, hidden doorways and secret drawers.
A Spider’s Web will be directed by Randolph (Randy) DelLago, and features Marci Hall as Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, Ken Vianale as Henry Hailsham-Brown, Mark Liebert as Sir Rowland Delahaye, Neal Evangelista as Hugo Birch, Marissa Shala as Pippa Hailsham-Brown, Tom Gregory as Jeremy Warrender, Colin Elias as Oliver Costello, Tom Turner as Elgin, Michael Beecher as Inspector Lord, and Dean Christopoul as Constable Jones.
A Spider’s Web‘s Stage Manager is Doug Moore, and the show’s Technical Director is Andre Lancaster. Scenic Design is by Ann Cadaret and Cindi Taylor, and Scenic Art is by Cindi Taylor. Lighting is by Sonia Buchanan, Properties by Susan Rose, and the production’s Master Carpenter is Jeff Davis.
A Spider’s Web will run from December 3 – 19 at the Delray Beach Playhouse. Tickets are $38 and can be purchased online at delraybeachplayhouse.com/, or by phone at 561-272-1281.The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach (33444).
For more information about A Spider’s Web contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
BOCA RATON/DELRAY BEACH, FL: Comedian/writer/raconteur Joe DeVito will bring his unique comedic talents to the Mizner Park Cultural Center on November 5th and the Delray Beach Playhouse on November 6th.
Whether taking on relationships, his Italian-American family, or current events, Joe DeVito’s dead-on timing, unexpected twists and sheer flights of lunacy make him a favorite at clubs and colleges throughout the United States, and at the top venues in New York City.
After spending a decade as a journalist and advertising writer, Joe gave into his coworker’s demands to try performing so he could find fame, while they finally got some work done! Since then, he has appeared on television more than 150 times, including Comedy Central, The Late
Late Show (CBS), Last Comic Standing (NBC), AXS-tv’s Gotham Comedy Live, Comics Unleashed, E! Network, CNN, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and more. He has been a regular panelist on FOX News Channel’s Red Eye and Kennedy discussing current events with a satirical bent. He has also appeared on FOX’s The Greg Gutfield where he serves as the show’s lead comedy writer.
As a writer, Joe has contributed to Maxim Magazine, MTV, and the award-winning film “Super Size Me”. In 2006, he was invited to the prestigious Just for Laughs Festival in Canada, where the Montreal Gazette rated his performance “9.5 out of 10.”
Joe’s debut album “First Date with Joe DeVito” is in regular rotation on Spotify and Sirius XM satellite radio.
Joe DeVito will perform at the Mizner Park Cultural Center on Friday, November 5th at 7:30 pm and at the Delray Beach Playhouse on Saturday, November 6th at 8 pm. Tickets for both performances range from $25 to $35, and can be purchased online at https://miznerparkculturalcenter.com and https://delraybeachplayhouse.com.
Masks must be worn in order to attend.
The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach (33444). The Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center is located at 201 Plaza Real, in Boca Raton (33432)
For more information about Joe DeVito or to arrange an interview, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
DELRAY BEACH, FL: The 2021 edition of what has become a popular vehicle for South Florida playwrights to showcase their work, the Playhouse Playwrights’ Project, (“P3”) will take place on October 23rd and 24th at the Delray Beach Playhouse. This year’s event will feature nine brand new one-act plays.
In 2019, director Marianne Regan and art historian Dan Bellante approached the Delray Beach Playhouse with the idea of starting a local playwright’s festival.
“We called it the Playhouse Playwright’s Project and we had over 30 submissions that first year,” Regan explains. “We chose eight brand new, locally written plays to perform on the Playhouse’s Cabaret stage.”
The event was a huge success. The plays were warmly received and thoroughly enjoyed by sell-out audiences.
“Dan and I realized we had hit a nerve in the community and while 2020 put us in COVID-limbo, we are thrilled with the interest and excitement generated by this year’s submissions,” Regan continues. “So, this is officially our Second Annual Playhouse Playwright’s Project Festival of New Plays, written and performed by a community of talented playwrights and actors.”
The call for scripts went out in March, with a May 31st deadline. Criteria are well specified: Submissions must be 20 minute one-act plays and should not have had any previous productions. They must contain at least two, and not more than seven characters, and are judged on concept, dramatic action, and characterization.
The committee chose the plays in June (once again there were over 30 submissions) and everyone is encouraged to audition – actors with and without experience. “These are just readings,” Regan says, “there is no blocking, no sets, minimal props, and best of all, no memorizing!
“We hold a “mixer” with the playwrights and the actors to meet one another and then we start rehearsals,” she continues. We usually have 2 two-hour rehearsals before our final dress-tech rehearsal and then we’re ready to perform. Playwrights are invited to attend all the rehearsals because it is so valuable to them to hear their creation come to life. And it also gives them the opportunity to polish their writing because of the collaboration with the actors.”
Nine plays were chosen for this year’s Festival. Five plays will be produced on Saturday evening, and four will be produced on Sunday afternoon. (The list of plays and playwrights is below.)
The Playhouse Playwrights’ Project will take place on Saturday, October 23rd at 8 pm and on Sunday, October 24th at 2 pm at the Delray Beach Playhouse Tickets for each of the performances are $12 and can be purchased online at https://delraybeachplayhouse.com. A $20 Festival Pass covering both days is also available.
Masks must be worn in order to attend.
The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at 950 NW 9th Street, in Delray Beach (33444).
For more information about the Playhouse Playwrights’ Project, please contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244.
Playhouse Playwrights’ Project list of Plays and Playwrights:
TODD CASTER: INTO WISHIN’ Todd Caster is a local playwright and has an extensive catalog of short plays. His regional full-length productions include Broken Angels, Riddle Of Three, Surfing The Rubicon, Little Piggies, Stranded On The Isle Of Few, and Approaching The Speed Of Life. Todd was a finalist in the Delray Beach Playhouse’s 2019 Playwrights Festival of New Plays with The Burden Of Truth.
ANNE DICHELE: MEETMARKET.COM Anne Dichele has been involved in many aspects of the theater including acting, play writing and production. Her short plays have been part of play readings produced by the South Florida Theatre League Summer Short Play Festival, Boca Raton Theatre Guild, and the Looking Glass Theatre in Manhattan. Her full length play Piano Man won an Honorable Mention in the California Stage Three Festival of New Plays and was a Semi-Finalist in the McClaren Play Writing Contest. She is a past president of the Boca Raton Theatre Guild, where her production credits included A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Jerry’s Girls, She Loves Me, Lend Me a Tenor, Goodbye Charlie, and Squabbles. She is thrilled to have her plays included in the 2019 Festival (Debbie Squared) and now in the 2021 Playhouses Playwrights’ Festival.
JUDY MARILYN GOLDSTEIN: STRANGERS AT THE BAR Judy Marilyn Goldstein is a published poet and playwright. She began writing plays in the summer of 2018 and many of her plays have since been produced on stage and Zoom. She also enjoys acting and writing short fictional stories. Judy appreciates the opportunities that the Delray Beach Playhouse Playwrights Project has provided to local playwrights.
ED KESSLER: DINNER PLANS Ed is a frustrated comic who performed for 3 years at New York City’s “Catch a Rising Star” and “The Improv.” He moved to Florida with his wife Melody in 2009. They reside at Villaggio, a 55 and over community, in Lake Worth. Ed is the President of the Villaggio Softball Team. This is the only way they will let him play. He is also a member of the Villaggio Players. It’s a theater group that performs two shows a year for the community. He has written short plays for the group and has acted in many shows. Ed is thrilled that Delray Beach Playhouse selected his play to be read at the theater.
PAMELA MEEK: FAMILY SECRETS, FAMILY REMAINS Pamela Meek is a retired psychologist who wrote and performed her one-woman show in 2015 titled “How to Be a Good Mom…When You’ve Got a Schizophrenic Mother for a Role Model” in NYC, DC and Maryland. She’s been writing plays ever since. Her 10-minute play Undecided about a teenager born with both sexes has been produced by TAP Productions at Standing Ovations Performing Arts in Lake Worth Beach and Love Fest 2021 in South Florida. She is currently working on a play about the forgotten existence and benefits of matriarchies.
DORIS OBERSTEIN: WOW! IT WORKED Doris is the author of two novels, RIPTIDE and THE SHOE TREE. She taught elementary education for twenty-six years while earning two Masters of Education Degrees, and trained student teachers for four universities in Connecticut. She was listed in the 1975 edition of “Outstanding Elementary Teachers Of America”. As a retiree, she became an Adjunct Professor in the University of Nevada Las Vegas College of Education training student teachers and facilitated “Literature: The Short Story” in the University of Nevada College of Continuing Education. Recently, she gave lectures, “Amusing Tales In Greek Mythology” in many local venues. She is honored to have her play read at the Delray Beach Playhouse.
LAURA RATTO: BEASTS IN BALL GOWNS Laura Ratto is a writer and playwright. Her debut play, All In The Family Tree, was produced last year at Theatre Nova, in Ann Arbor, MI. Laura participated as a reader/actor in the 2019 Delray Beach Playhouse Playwrights’ Festival, a wonderful experience which inspired her to submit a play for this year’s project. She is beyond thrilled that BEASTS IN BALL GOWNS was selected and grateful to Marianne Regan and the talented actors who are bringing her “fabulous ladies” to life.
PHYLLIS SPEAR: MY MOTHER’S SABBATH CANDLES Phyllis is delighted to have been chosen for the Playhouse Playwrights’ Festival of New Plays. A long time Florida resident, she spent the bulk of her working life as a mother, business executive, and doing acting in the evening. When she retired ten years ago she decided to “live her dream” and has been an actress and director since then. She always had an interest in playwriting, and with the onset of the pandemic picked up a script she had started working on several years before. This play is her first playwriting effort and is dedicated to her Jewish mother.
PATRICIA WAKELY WOLF: MEMORIES IN STORAGE Patricia Wakely Wolf began at an early age writing poetry, short stories and had her own column in her high school newspaper. She won the Writer’s Digest award for her first full-length play, Closed Casket. Recently, her full-length play, Stung & Wounded, was selected for The South Florida Theatre League’s Summer Theatre Fest 2015 and a staged reading was performed at Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes. Patricia’s 10-minute plays have been produced at The South Florida Theatre League’s Summer Reading Series, Group Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood, CA, Playwrights’ Slam at The Kennedy Center and Pinky Swear Productions, Washington, DC. Her short play about Mary Cassatt was published by 365 Women A Year – A Playwriting Project. Her One-Minute-Plays have been produced at Anarchist Jurisdiction, Collaboration between the Dramatists Guild and #1MPF, South Florida One-Minute Play Festival in Miami, Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City and at Theatre J in Washington, DC. Patricia participated in several spoken word evenings that included her original work at Spark Off Rose in Los Angeles. Patricia is an actor/model in South and Central Florida and has also worked in commercials, theatre and independent film in Los Angeles and New York. Member: The Dramatists Guild, Stage 32, and The Writer’s Group/LA. Board Member: Shakespeare Troupe, Inc.
Carol Kassie 