Tag Archives: Troy Stanley

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM Opens November 23rd in the Rinker Playhouse

11 Monday Nov 2019

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MNM Theatre Company and the Kravis Center
co-present
A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum
Opening November 23rd in the Rinker Playhouse
“Something familiar… Something peculiar…
Something for everyone:  A comedy tonight!”

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

November 12, 2019

WEST PALM BEACH, FL:  The cast and crew of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum are deep into rehearsals and preparation for the show’s November 23rd opening.  Forum, an MNM Theatre Company co-presentation with the Kravis Center, will run in the venue’s Rinker Playhouse through December 8th.

Light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent, and completely politically incorrect, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is one of the funniest musicals ever written. Based on the works of the Roman playwright Plautus (254 – 184 BCE), whose comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety, the show focuses on Pseudolus, a crafty slave who struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan named Philia for his young master Hero in exchange for freedom. The plot twists and turns and is filled with cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors, and a showgirl or two. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum allows MNM’s terrific ensemble of comedic actors to shine.

Jonathan Van Dyke

The production’s director, Jonathan Van Dyke is extremely enthusiastic about the show: “I am so enjoying taking this riotous trip to the Forum with MNM and I know this cast would make Titus Maccius Plautus proud!” he says.  “They’re all welcoming this material with open arms and are going to supply our audiences their denarius worth of hilarity!”

“This is the first musical for which Stephen Sondheim wrote both the music and the lyrics,” Paul Reekie, Forum’s musical director explains.  “Some people find Sondheim’s later works more difficult to enjoy because they are musically dissonant,  but Forum has traditional harmonies and many of the songs are eminently hummable! MNM is again proud to have an amazing six-piece band for the show.”

Johnbarry Green

“It’s a farce, effortlessly shifting the audience from humor to biting social commentary on a dime all while throwing lyrics and lines as speedily as it can,” says Johnbarry Green, who plays A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’s Pseudolus  “It’s the reason I love the piece and why it’s so challenging.  Every moment has to be carefully constructed to walk that delicate edge, otherwise they can fail contextually.  That’s why it’s such a crowning achievement when it works.”

Along with Green as Pseudolus, the Forum cast includes Michael Scott Ross* as Hysterium, Aaron Bower as Domina, J Savage* as Hero, Terry Hardcastle* as Marcus Lycus, Troy Stanley as Senex, Sean William Davis as Miles Gloriosus, Paul Thompson as Erronius, and Meg Frost as Philia.  Other cast members include Victoria Joleen Anderson, Lauren Cluett, Alexandra Dow, Stephen Eisenwasser, Frank Francisco, Elijah Pearson-Martinez, Meredith Pughe, Ashley Rubin, and Alexandra Van Hasselt.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will run from November 23 – December 8. (There will be a preview performance on November 22nd.) The production will take place in the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center.   Tickets are $39 – $55 and are on sale now.  For tickets and information call 561-832-7469; online: kravis.org or mnmtheatre.org.  For group rates and sales call 561-651-4438.

MNM Theatre Company attained not-for-profit 501(c)(3) status in 2018. They are an award- winning theatre company based in the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. For more information about MNM Theatre Company please visit mnmtheatre.org or contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

*Appearing through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
November 23 – December 8
(Preview performance November 22 at 7:30)
Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
For Tickets: mnmtheatre.org / kravis.org / 561-832-7469
Performances:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday at 7:30 pm (no Thanksgiving night performance)
Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 1:30 pm
Tickets:  $39 – $55
All performances in
Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center
701 Okeechobee Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Like Us on Facebook!

About the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts:        
The Kravis Center is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, FL. The Center’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a diverse schedule of national and international artists and companies of the highest quality, by offering comprehensive arts education programs – serving approximately 2.5 million schoolchildren since its inception; by providing a Palm Beach County home for local and regional arts organizations to showcase their work; and by providing an economic catalyst and community leadership in West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism to Palm Beach County. To enhance and elevate the customer experience, the Center has embarked upon a $50 million capital campaign to support a campus redesign and facility expansion that will create a more accessible, comfortable and pedestrian-friendly venue for the community. Aptly named Kravis 2020: The Future is Now, this campaign is at the heart of the Kravis Center’s vision for the future. For information, please visit kravis.org or call the Box Office at 561.832.7469.

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Empire Stage Presents CLEMENZA & TESSIO ARE DEAD – August 15 – September 8

12 Monday Aug 2019

Posted by in Shari Upbin

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Direct from The New York City Fringe Festival
Empire Stage Theater Presents the South Florida Premiere of
Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead
August 15 – September 8

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

August 12, 2019

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL:  Empire Stage will present a limited 13 performance run of Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead by Gregg Greenberg from August 15 – September 8. The play – a clever and humorous parody of the classic 1972 movie “The Godfather” (based on the novel by Mario Puzo), was originally produced as part of the 2009 New York City Fringe Festival.

Shari Upbin

Shari Upbin will direct the production, which will star Troy Stanley, Christopher Dreeson, and Aaron Bravo.

Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead takes a look at two little-noticed cogs in the Mafia machine and shows how those wise guys who are often overlooked can actually have the most fascinating stories of all.

Peter Clemenza and Salvatore Tessio are two longtime foot soldiers of the Corleone crime family, but after more than 40 years of service, upper management changes in the organization, and a perceived lack of respect from the incoming generation leads them to wonder if they’re being put out to pasture (or under it). But with the handwriting already on the wall, is it possible to change what fate has already decreed? Well, yes – but only if someone is cunning enough to radically change the script.

Clemenza & Tessio Are Dead will run at Empire Stage Theater form August 15 – September 8. Empire Stage Theater is located at 1140 North Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $35 ($20 for Aug 15 preview performance). Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased on line at www.empirestage.com or by calling 954-678-1496.

For more information about this production, please contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

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Clemenza & Tessio are Dead
August 15 – September 8
By Gregg Greenberg
Based on the movie The Godfather (1972), screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel by Mario Puzo
Tickets: $35 ($20 for August 15 preview)
Performances:
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Sunday at 5 pm
To purchase tickets:
www.empirestage.com or 954-678-1496
All performances will take place at
Empire Stage
1140 North Flagler Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

 

White Ibis Productions Announces the Casting for BOCA BOUND: A NEW MUSICAL ~ September 19 – 22

06 Tuesday Aug 2019

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White Ibis Productions
Announces Casting for
Boca Bound: A New Musical

Premiere Performances at The Wick Theatre
September 19 – 22

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

August 6, 2019

BOCA RATON, FL:  Casting has been completed for Boca Bound: A New Musical.  The show, with a book by Bonnie Logan and music and lyrics by Richard Peshkin, both of whom are residents of Boca Raton, Florida, will have its world premiere performances at the Wick Theatre from September 19th through September 22.

Boca Bound is being produced by White Ibis Productions; Chad Larabee will direct the production, and Michael J. Moritz, Jr will serve as the show’s Music Supervisor/Vocal Arranger.

Boca Bound tells the story of Nadine, a successful New York attorney. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, and when a significant change occurs in her well-ordered life, she must learn to adapt – and to reassess.   A trip to Boca Raton,  re-connections with friends and family, and the possibility of a future she had often dreamed of but never believed could happen lead Nadine on a journey of discovery – about the choices she has made and those she can still make in order to find fulfillment and happiness.

The Boca Bound cast includes Neva Rae Powers as Nadine, Missy McArdle as Gert, and Steve Carroll as Allan.  Other cast members include Philip Chaffin, Justin Figueroa, Ashley Wilcox, Gail Byer, J.R. Coley, Peter Librach, Janna Morrison, Colleen Pagano, and Troy Stanley.

“I am excited to start working with this phenomenal cast and creative team,” says director Larabee. “We are fortunate to be working with an eclectic array of actors and artists from South Florida, Broadway, national tours, and regional theatres from across the country.

Chad Larabee

“I immediately connected with the material and I was drawn to how Bonnie and Rich were telling this story of children and parents learning how to connect as adults. At some point in everyone’s life we realize that our parents aren’t perfect, that they do the best that they can in the moment, but they sometimes make mistakes.

“I loved the humor and the heart of the story, and I am impressed by how fearless the writers are in approaching their first musical,” Larabee says. “Bonnie and Rich’s characters celebrate how people should approach the third act of their lives. I think a lot of us have misconceptions about retirement and are afraid of growing older. I love that the characters in Boca Bound thrive in their lives – instead of slowing down, they are speeding up. The musical celebrates the 60+ year lifestyle and reminds everyone that anything in life is possible.

As a New Yorker, I’ve loved immersing myself in the Boca Raton lifestyle, which permeates the show.  There is a distinct beat and energy to Rich’s music that is synonymous with South Florida. And I think Bonnie has beautifully captured the vibrancy and the complexity of our characters and reveals how a family can heal their old wounds and reconnect as a family.”

Bonnie Logan, the show’s book writer is thrilled and excited with the direction and progress she and lyricist Richard Peshkin have seen since Larabee and Moritz came on board.  “Their enthusiasm, their knowledge, and their support…I can’t begin to tell you what it’s meant to us.  And we’re so grateful to Marilynn Wick for allowing us to rent her theatre for this production.”

Boca Bound will run from September 19 – 22 at The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton.  Tickets are $50 – $55 and are available by phone at 561-995-2333 or online at www.bocaboundmusical.com or www.thewick.org.

A portion of the proceeds from Boca Bound ticket sales will be donated to The Pap Corps*.

For more information about Boca Bound please visit www.bocaboundmusical.com or contact Carol Kassie at 561-445-9244 / Carol@CarolKassie.com.

In the attached photo:  Bonnie Logan and Richard Peshkin
Photo credit:  Karen Peshkin

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Boca Bound: A New Musical
September 19 – 22
Book by Bonnie Logan
Music and Lyrics by Richard Peshkin
Directed by Chad Larabee
Tickets: $50 – $55
Performances:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday at 7:30 pm
Saturday & Sunday at 2 pm
To purchase tickets: www.thewick.org or www.bocaboundmusical.com
Or call 561-995-2333
All performances will take place at
The Wick Theatre
7901 North Federal Highway,
Boca Raton, FL  33487
www.bocaboundmusical.com
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*Since its founding in 1952, The Pap Corps has donated more than $110 million to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, including a historic $50 million pledge in 2016. The Pap Corps derives its name from Dr. George Papanicolaou, a pioneer in cytopathology and early cancer detection, who introduced the world to the revolutionary ‘Pap’ test. A small group of women began the organization to support his efforts, and over the decades it has grown into an organization of over 22,000 men and women, in over 50 chapters, who raise funds to support research for all types of cancers. https://thepapcorps.org/ 

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MNM Theatre Company Announces the Cast of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM

09 Tuesday Jul 2019

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MNM Theatre Company
Announces the Cast of
A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum

November 22 – December 8

“This brazenly retro Broadway musical, inspired by Plautus, is
almost as timeless as comedy itself.”
Vincent Canby, The New York Times

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie
carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244

July 9, 2019

WEST PALM BEACH, FL:  The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and MNM Theatre Company are pleased to announce that casting is complete for their upcoming co-production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which will run from November 22 –  December 8 in the Kravis’ Rinker Playhouse.

“Forum is such a fun show,” MNM’s Executive Producer/Artistic Director Marcie Gorman said recently. “And we’re incredibly lucky to have found a cast who can sing and dance and deliver the comedy – and what comedy! The script is hilarious and clever, and often extremely politically incorrect… and of course the music is Sondheim’s…we can’t wait to share it all with our audiences!  Once again, our entire cast is local and we’re very proud of that.”

Dom Ruggiero, who directed I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, and My Way-A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra for MNM last season, will helm A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Ruggiero has cast Johnbarry Green as Pseudolus, Michael Scott Ross* as Hysterium, Aaron Bower as Domina, Terry Hardcastle* as Marcus Lycus, Troy Stanley as Senex, Sean William Davis as Miles Gloriosus, Paul Thompson as Erronius, and Meg Frost as Philia.  Other cast members include Victoria Joleen Anderson, Lauren Cluett, Alexandra Dow, Stephen Eisenwasser, Frank Francisco, Joshua Graham, Meredith Pughe, Ashley Rubin, and Alexandra Van Hasselt.

Paul Reekie will serve as Forum’s Musical Director, and Laura Plyler will provide additional choreography.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will run from November 22 – December 8. The production will take place in the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center.   Tickets are $39 – $55 and are on sale now.  For tickets and information call 561-832-7469; online: www.kravis.org or mnmtheatre.org.  For group rates and sales call 561-651-4438.

MNM Theatre Company attained not-for-profit 501(c)(3) status in 2018. They are an award- winning theatre company based in the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information about MNM Theatre Company and/or Marcie Gorman, please visit mnmtheatre.org or contact Carol Kassie at Carol@CarolKassie.com / 561-445-9244.

Photos, graphics, and additional head shots and bios available on request.

*Appearing through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
November 22 – December 8
Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Performances:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday at 7:30 pm (no Thanksgiving night performance)
Saturday & Sunday at 1:30 pm
Tickets:  $39 – $55
All performances in
Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center
701 Okeechobee Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
mnmtheatre.org
Like Us on Facebook!
~

Johnbarry Green (Pseudolus) appeared as King Arthur in MNM’s production of Monty Python’s Spamalot.  Other credits include Rock of Ages with Slow Burn Theatre Company as Dennis, Spitfire Grille at Palm Beach Dramaworks as Caleb, and West Side Story at Maltz Jupiter Theatre as Officer Krupke.  Occasionally you’ll find him hamming it up on the streets at various ren faires or giving walking tours in Massachusetts when he isn’t in a show.

Michael Scott Ross* (Hysterium) has appeared in several previous MNM productions including Monty Python’s Spamalot, The World Goes ‘Round, Avenue Q, and I Love You, You’r perfect, Now Change.  He has also performed throughout South Florida at Zoetic Stage, The Adrienne Arsht Center, The Wick Theatre, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Island City Stage, The Alhamba Theatre and Dining, The Winter Park Playhouse, TheatreZone, and most recently the Gulf Coast Symphony.  Michael can be seen portraying Dick Van Dyke in The Music of Julie Andrews, as well as in his cabaret show My Broadway: The Roles I Could Play.  Proud member of AEA, Wagner College Alum, and native New Yorker!

Aaron Bower (Domina) was recently seen as Irene in Crazy for You and Grace in
Annie at the Wick Theatre.  She received a 2018 Carbonell nomination for her portrayal of Murial in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Stage door Theatre.  Other credits in Florida include Frau Kost in Cabaret at Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street at The Wick, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls at The Wick, and Tess in Crazy for You at the Maltz.  She has traveled the world in three national tours and one European Tour.

Terry Hardcastle* (Marcus Lycus) is a three-time Carbonell Award-winner. His regional theatre credits include Actors’ Playhouse: Beauty and the Beast, Doubt: A Parable.  Zoetic Stage: Sweeney Todd.  Palm Beach Dramaworks: Side by Side by Sondheim, Sweeney Todd.  Florida Stage: End Days, Sisters of Swing. Mosaic Theatre: In a Dark, Dark House, True West.  Cumberland Theatre: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.  As a Professor of Theatre, he’s taught Acting and Public Speaking at Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Pittsburgh, New World School of the Arts, and Broward College.

Troy Stanley (Senex) played Eduoard Dindon in MNM’s production of La Cage aux Folles.  Other credits include West Side Story (Doc) and Disney’s Newsies (Mr. Jacobi/Mayor) at Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1776 (McKean/Hewes) at Palm Beach Dramaworks, Big River (Pap Finn) and Titanic (Isador Straus) for Slow Burn Theatre Company, Who Killed Joan Crawford? (Harvey) and Perfect Arrangement (Theodore Sunderson) for Island City Stage, Victor/Victoria (Squash) and The Rothschilds (William/Metternich) for Broward Stage Door, and eleven shows at the Wick Theatre including Funny Girl (Tom Keeney/Mr. Rinaldi), Annie with Sally Struthers (Drake), Brigadoon (Andrew MacLaren), Beauty and the Beast (Maurice), Oklahoma (Andrew Carnes) and Man of La Mancha (The Governor) among others.

Entr’Acte Theatrix presents MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT – June 20 – 30

21 Tuesday May 2019

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Entr’Acte Theatrix
presents
Monty Python’s Spamalot

June 20 – 30

We eat ham, and jam and Spam a lot…

For Immediate Release
Contact:  Carol Kassie

May 21, 2019:

DELRAY BEACH, FL: Entr’Acte Theatrix will revisit one of the silliest places on earth when their encore production of Monty Python’s Spamalot opens at the Crest Theatre at Old School Square in Delray Beach.   The show will run from June 20th through the 30th. The award-winning musical is “lovingly ripped off” from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with a book by Python Eric Idle, and a score by Idle and John Du Prez. Like the film, Spamalot is a totally irreverent and typically Pythonesque parody of the Arthurian saga:

The legendary King Arthur, accompanied by his faithful servant, Patsy, travels through his kingdom, collecting members for his Knights of the Round Table.  Some of his recruits include Sir Robin, a collector of plague victims, and Lance a ‘large, handsome, and incredibly violent man’, who agree to join him – Lance ‘for the fighting’, and Robin for ‘the singing and dancing’.  The Lady of the Lake (and her Laker Girls), Sir Bedevere, and Sir Dennis Galahad eventually join Arthur in his search for The Holy Grail. The show also features a bevy of beautiful girls (of course), not to mention ‘cows, killer rabbits, and French people’.  As The Sunday Times observed, Monty Python’s Spamalot ‘raises silliness to an art form’.

Entr’Acte Theatrix has assembled a talented cast to populate the surreal World of Python.  The suitably kingly Troy Stanley will take on the role of Arthur, and Greg Halmos will play his faithful Patsy.  Kalli Courakos will play The Lady of the Lake and Rosseroni Parris will don Sir Galahad’s armor. Also cast are Christian Ortega as Brave Sir Robin, Dallas Erwin as Sir Lancelot, and Chris Cimorelli as Sir Bedevere. Other cast members include Ennalls Berl, Drew Brown, Briana Earhart, Savanna Marino, Nysia Matos, Andy Morejon, Sarah Rayburn, Hannah Rosenberg, Carlo Rufino-Sabusap, Ben Shaevitz, and Nicole Stav.

“We consider this production of Spamalot a celebration of our 10 years as Entr’acte Theatrix,” the company’s Founder/Producer Vicki Halmos says.  We’ve captured a few of our original cast members from our 2013 production to reprise their roles.

“Spamalot did, and will again, allow our very talented cast to hone their comedic skills and to bring this tribute to the iconic Monty Python troupe,” she continues. “In preparation, particularly with new cast members, we had a workshop before we began rehearsals to encourage these cast members to hone their comedy chops, and I think the audiences will be delighted in what we have created. In addition, we have a couple of Palm Beach Principle Players/Entr’acte Theatrix alums in various positions – including our director, JR Coley, and our Choreographer, Jamie Mattocks. Both of these talented thespians were cast members together in our production of Oklahoma many years ago when they were still in high school and college. That particular early production set the standard of excellence for us having since turned out two Tony winners, and gave that cast the chance to work with a world class choreographer from the NY dance world. Our standard of excellence continues in providing performance and production training opportunities for young actors on the brink of their careers, and also allowing them to remain in Palm Beach County to begin building their resumes.”

Monty Python’s Spamalot will run for 12 performances only, from June 20th to 30th, at the Crest Theatre at Old School Square in Delray Beach.  The theatre is located at 51 North Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, 33444.  Tickets are on sale now and are available online at  https://oldschoolsquare.org/ or by calling 561-243-7922. Tickets are $35 – $45; $25 for groups of 10 or more. $15 Student Rush tickets will be available ½ hour before curtain only, with valid ID.

For more information about Entr’Acte Theatrix or Monty Python’s Spamalot visit www.entractetheatrix.com, or contact Carol Kassie at carol@carolkassie.com /561-445-9244.

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Monty Python’s Spamalot
June 20 – 30, 2019
Book:  Eric Idle
Score:  Eric Idle and John Du Prez
Tickets:  $35-45
Groups of 10 or more: $25
Student Rush – ½ hour before curtain: $15 – with valid ID
Click HERE to purchase tickets, or call 561-243-7922
Performances:
Thursday, June 20th @ 8pm
Friday, June 21th @ 8pm
Saturday, June 22nd @ 2pm and 8pm
Sunday, June 23rd @ 2pm and 7pm
Wednesday, June 26th @ 8pm
Thursday, June 27th @ 8pm
Friday, June 28th @ 8pm
Saturday June 29th @ 2pm and 8pm
Sunday June 30th @ 2pm

Crest Theatre at Old School Square,
51 N. Swinton Ave.
Delray Beach 33444
Box Office: 561-243-7922, ext. 1
https://oldschoolsquare.org
www.entractetheatrix.com
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Stage Door Theatre Presents VICTOR/VICTORIA – May 4 – June 10

27 Friday Apr 2018

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Stage Door Theatre
presents
Victor/Victoria
May 4 – June 10

For Immediate Release
Contact: Derelle Bunn
DerelleBunn@yahoo.com /954-344-7765
Contact:  Carol Kassie
Carol@CarolKassie.com  / 561-445-9244

April 27, 2018

MARGATE, FL:  Comedy, romance, and music.  Set this delightful combination together in the stylish Parisian nightlife of the 1930s and ‘voila’ – you have the sophisticated and appealing musical Victor/Victoria, which will open on May 4th and run through June 10th in Stage Door Theatre’s Theatre One.

Victoria Grant is a penniless soprano, totally down on her luck when she meets Carroll Todd (Toddy), who takes her under his wing and offers her shelter on a wet, wintry night.  Toddy, who is also unemployed, comes up with what he considers an inspired idea:  with him as her manager, Victoria will pretend to be a man, and get a job singing as a female impersonator.  It all goes according to plan until Chicago ‘business man’ King Marchan arrives on the scene and finds himself attracted to ‘Count Victor Grazinski’.

Based on the 1982 award-winning film of the same name, Victor/Victoria is funny, provocative, and entertaining, and in many ways as relevant today as it was over 30 years ago.  Although light in spirit, it highlights the need for acceptance of individual differences, and the right of anyone to love whomever they choose.

“This show is one I’ve always wanted to do,” says Victor/Victoria’s director, Kevin Black.  “It’s funny, it’s jazzy, it’s got music by the great Henry Mancini, it’s set in Paris… what more could you ask!?  The characters are not just one-dimensional,” he continues, “And some of the situations are absolutely hilarious.  It’s been great fun to stage this one, and I know our audiences are going to enjoy seeing it as much as I’ve enjoyed directing it.”

Black has cast Dalia Aleman, who recently wowed audiences with her lovely soprano in Stage Door’s Carbonell recommended Nice Work If You Can Get It to play the title character(s).  She will be joined by Larry Buzzeo as Toddy, James Skiba as King Marchan, Troy Stanley as Squash Bernstein, Ashley Rubin as Norma Cassidy, Kevin Reilly as Sal Andretti, Mike Cartwright as Andre Cassell, and Michael Schneider as Henri Labisse.  Other cast members include Jerel Brown, Carly Dorman, Jonathan Eisele, Luis Gomez, Barry Kramer, Natalie McPherson, Cat Pagano, Elissa Solomon, Phyllis Spear, and Alexandra Van Hasselt.

Victor/Victoria’s Musical Direction is by David Nagy; Choreography is by Danny Durr. Lighting Design is by Dean Landuis, Costume Design is by Jerry Sturdefant, Set Design is by Stage Door Scenic, and the Props Designer/Set Dresser is Jameelah Bailey. The production’s Operations and Technical Director is Paul O’Donnell and the Production Stage Manager is Nancy Clay.

Victor/Victoria will run from May 4 – June 10 at Stage Door Theatre. The theatre is located at 8036 Sample Road, in Margate (33065).  Tickets for Victor/Victoria are $48. Group rates are available, as are student prices (with valid ID). Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at https://www.stagedoorfl.org.

For more information about Victor/Victoria and/or Stage Door Theatre, please visit www.stagedoorfl.org, or contact Derelle Bunn Executive Producer/Artistic Director, at DerelleBunn@yahoo.com / 954-344-7765 or Carol Kassie (carol@carolkassie.com / 561-445-9244).

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Victor/Victoria
May 4 – June 7, 2018
Book by Blake Edwards
Music by Henry Mancini
Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Additional Music by Frank Wildhorn
Tickets:  $48
Tickets:  954-344-7765 / www.stagedoorfl.org
Showtimes:
Wednesday, Saturday, & Sunday at 2 pm,
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm
Stage Door Theatre
8036 W Sample Rd
Margate, Fl 33065
www.stagedoorfl.org
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Pigs Do Fly Productions to present FIFTY PLUS – A NEW ATTITUDE! – Six Brand New Short Plays – at Empire Stage Sept 11 – 21

26 Tuesday Aug 2014

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Logo---Attitude-PDF Pigs Do Fly Productions
presents
Fifty Plus – A New Attitude!
September 11th – 21st
A Collection of Six BRAND NEW Humorous Short Plays

Ellen Wacher

Ellen Wacher

Audience response to Pigs Do Fly Productions’ first outing, Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It confirmed what the company’s producer and artistic director, Ellen Wacher already knew – that the short, humorous plays she and her production team chose to present last May in Ft. Lauderdale would resonate with theatre patrons of all ages. The show sold out at Empire Stage, and sold even more tickets than anticipated when it ran for eight ‘encore’ performances in Boca Raton in August. The company’s newest production Fifty Plus – A New Attitude! will run at Empire Stage from September 11th through September 21st.

“We received close to four hundred submissions when we sent out a call forAttitude---ck plays last winter,” Wacher says, “and we quickly realized – even before our first run was over – that we’d found a great concept, that audiences were loving what we were doing, and that we still had a deep pool of excellent material to choose from. So…” she laughs, “I thought, why not do it again!?”

Empire Stage offered dates in September, and Wacher and her team revisited at least 75 of the previously submitted plays. Six plays were chosen and auditions were held in early August.

Todd Caster, Adela Del Rio, Kerry Sensenbach, Elissa Solomon, Troy Stanley, and Janet Weakely were cast.

The new collection, titled Fifty Plus – A New Attitude! reflects the company’s mission, to produce plays that highlight the actor over 50 as a viable, fully involved, full of life character perfectly.

Marj O'Neill-Butler“Anyone, any age, can do anything.  If you do it well at 25, you can do it twice as well at 50.  Not everything entertaining should be aimed at the young,” says Marj O’Neill-Butler, one of the show’s two directors.  You can have fun with an older crowd too.  Good stories resonate at any age.”

Beverly_BlanchetteCo-director Beverly Blanchette agrees: “Fifty Plus – A New Attitude! reminds me of Molly Shannon’s SNL character, Sally O’Malley, whose catchphrase is: “I’m proud to say I’m 50 years old. And I like to kick! Stretch! And kick! I’m 50!” Shannon says the phrase means: “Watch out people, here I come. . . I can kick ass.” And that’s what Pigs Do Fly Productions does.”

The six 10-minute plays are (see below for playwright bios):
Buddhists in the Basement  by Mary Beth Smith
Rainbow Sprinkles by Stacey Lane
Memoir by Donald Steele
Remote Control by Connie Schindewolf
Your Kiss is on My List by Christopher Lockheardt
Mrs Greenblatt’s Place in the Universe by Sharon Goldner

Tickets for Fifty Plus – A New Attitude! are $25 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.pigsdoflyproductions.com, or by calling 866-811-4111.
All performances will take place at Empire Stage, 1140 North Flagler Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, 33304.

For more information about Pigs Do Fly Productions, please visit www.pigsdoflyproductions.com.   For more information about Ellen Wacher, please visit www.ellenwacher.com. To set up interviews, or for photos, please contact Carol Kassie at ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244.

~*~

Fifty Plus – A New Attitude!

By Various Playwrights
September 11 – September 21, 2014
Tickets: $25
Tickets: 866-811-4111 / www.pigsdoflyproductions.org
Performances:
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday: 8 pm
Sunday: 5 pm
All performances will take place at Empire Stage.
1140 North Flagler Drive.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Fifty Plus – A New Attitude! – Playwright Bios:

Sharon Goldner’s (Mrs Greenblatt’s Place in the Universe) plays have been produced and workshopped in NYC; Canada; FL; WI; OH; PA; VA; TX; CA; & MN. She’s a member of Dramatists Guild.

Stacey Lane’s (Rainbow Sprinkles) plays have been performed at 400 theatres on 6 continents. She has 35 published works and has received numerous grants, awards and commissions. www.StaceyLaneInk.com

Christopher Lockheardt’s (Your Kiss is on My List) plays have been produced over 140 times nationally and internationally, but never before in Florida. His father, who lives in Merritt Island, was starting to take it personally.

Connie Schindewolf (Remote Control), an award-winning playwright, has had productions across the United States (including NYC and LA), Canada, and Australia.  She’s a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and when she’s not writing, she’s saving sea turtles.

Mary Beth Smith (Buddhists in the Basement) won the 2014 Peter Honegger award for “Keep A-breast”, a dramedy about her bizarre experiences surviving cancer, living proof that laughter heals.

Donald Steele (MEMOIR) has had four plays published by Samuel French. He is a Fellow of the MacDowell Colony and member of the Dramatist Guild.

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Pigs Do Fly Productions Takes off at Empire Stage May 1st – May 11th

15 Tuesday Apr 2014

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Working in association with Empire Stage,
Pigs Do Fly Productions will produce
Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It
A Collection of Seven Humorous Short Plays
logo-pigsdoflyprod-vertical

The plays have been chosen and casting is complete for Pigs Do Fly Productions’ very first production – Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It. Producer Ellen Wacher, along with directors Marjorie O’Neill-Butler and Beverly Blanchette and a committee made up of members of the South Florida theatrical community, spent several months weeding through the 353 short plays they received in response to their call for submissions. The final seven were selected at a marathon read through at Empire Stage on March 3rd.

Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It will run at Empire Stage from May 1st through May 11th.

Ellen WacherWacher was extremely specific in her search for just the right plays: “We looked for scripts that resonated with us; for situations that will strike a chord with our audiences; and of course, for humor,” she explains. “I’m really excited to be flying (pun intended!) this concept for the first time in South Florida. It’s definitely an idea whose time has come.”

Pigs Do Fly Productions’ mission is to produce plays that highlight the actor over 50 as a viable, fully involved, full of life character; the company’s goal is to tap into the 100 million plus Americans who are over age 50 and are under recognized by the marketers of products and entertainment – with theatre that reflects their world and resonates with them.

“Ellen told me she wanted to produce plays, and we agreed that she should produce plays about people over 50 since she is always discussing the lack of work for more mature actors,” says Marjorie O’Neill-Butler.  “I suggested the short play format; she came up with the idea of making the plays about people who are fit and happy.” O’Neill-Butler will direct four of the seven plays, Beverly Blanchette will direct three.

Todd Caster, Mark Kroczynski , Kitt Marsh, Troy J. Stanley, Carol Sussman, and Janet Weakly will all be featured in the production. Several of the actors, all of whom fall within the demographic Wacher hopes to attract, had signed on even before the plays were chosen. “However,” she stresses, “I have absolutely no doubt these plays will appeal to everyone. They’re funny, and witty, and touching, and will resonate with anyone who sees them.”

The seven 10-minute plays selected will be mounted in the following order (see below for playwright bios):
Flight Fright by Marjorie O’Neill-Butler
Kiss Her Goodbye by Mike Vogel
Theater In the Red byJoan Broadman
Mrs. Jensen Isn’t Here Now by Steve Korbar
Spice by David Susman
Poison Control by Rebecca  Gorman O’Neill
How Nice of You to Ask by Rich Rubin

Tickets for Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know it are $25 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased on line at www.pigsdoflyproductions.com, or by calling 866-811-4111.

For more information about Pigs Do Fly Productions, please visit www.pigsdoflyproductions.com.   For more information about Ellen Wacher, please visit www.ellenwacher.com. To set up interviews, or for photos, please contact Carol Kassie at ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244.

~*~

Pigs Do Fly Productions presents
Fifty Plus – A Celebration of Life… As We Know It
Dates:  May 1 – May 11, 2014
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday: 8 pm
Sunday: 5 pm
Tickets: $25
Tickets: 866-811-4111 / www.pigsdoflyproductions.com
All performances will take place at Empire Stage.
1140 North Flagler Drive.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Pigs Do Fly Production Team:
Producer/Artistic Director:        Ellen Wacher
Director:                               Marjorie O’Neill-Butler
Director:                               Beverly Blanchette
Stage Manager:                    Jeffrey Ostrow
Set Designer:                        Preston Bircher
Marketing & Public Relations:  Carol Kassie

Playwright Bios:

Joan Broadman (Theatre in the Red) has written twelve short plays, three full-length plays, and three feature-length screenplays. Her plays have been performed in twelve states, Australia, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Her many playwriting awards include “Excellence in Playwriting” from the Theatre Association of New York State. In June 2013, Broadman completed UCLA’s Professional Program in Screenwriting.

Steven Korbar’s (Mrs. Jensen Isn’t Here Now) full-length and one-act plays have been produced throughout the United States and Canada. Productions include I Understand Your Frustration at the Turtleshell Theatre NYC, Let Go at Future Ten in Pittsburgh, Hard at Elephant Stageworks in LA, Circles at Shelterbelt Theatre in Omaha.  His comedy What Are You Going to Be was recently published as part of Smith and Kraus’ “Best Short Plays of 2013”.

Rebecca Gorman O’Neill (Poison Control) was born in Akron, Ohio.  She escaped at age 17 to attend Dartmouth College, and she went on to earn her M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.  Rebecca’s original plays have been produced across the country, and her plays Tell-Tale and The Greater Good are available from Eldridge Publishing and Next Stage Press, respectively.  Rebecca is an Associate Professor of English at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she reaches playwriting, screenwriting, cinema studies, and the graphic novel.

Marj O’Neill-Butler, (Flight Fright) a member of the Dramatists Guild and the International Center for Women Playwrights, is a produced playwright of True Blue, eight Theatre for Children scripts, short plays Stalwart Woman, At The Bus Stop, Life Imitates Art, Leaving Home, What If?, Scavenger Hunt, Missed Connections, Elf Yourself, Chairs, One Less, and a reader’s theatre script The Women Of The Beat Generation.   She is proud member of Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Visit her online at http://www.marjorieoneill-butler.com.

Rich Rubin’s (How Nice of You to Ask) plays have been produced throughout the U. S., including theaters in New York, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles. Internationally, his work has been staged in London, Berlin, Sydney, Singapore, Mexico and Canada. Rich is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild as well as Portland’s Nameless Playwrights and P-Town Playwrights.

David Susman’s (Spice) short plays have been staged at the Boston Theater Marathon, the Maine Playwrights Festival, the Playwrights’ Platform Festival of New Plays in Boston, the Company Theatre’s Winter Shorts Festival in Norwell, MA, and the 0-60 Ten Minute Play Competition at Longwood University in Virginia. He lives and teaches in southern Maine.

Mike Vogel’s (Kiss Her Goodbye) full-length comedy March Madness was successfully produced off-Broadway in Fall 2012 at NYC’s Abingdon Theatre. He has had numerous one act plays produced nationwide and also writes a weekly column for a NYC newspaper.

 

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