2005 PRODUCTIONS

The Blue Ridge Community Theater presented the following productions to very responsive audiences in 2005: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe; Our Act One Workshops:  'Night Mother; Sunny D's Children's Theater Showcase Production: Anne Frank and Me; Steel Magnolias; Our Fifth Anniversary Reprise of "Love Letters"; Godspell; Saturday Night Comedy Show Starring Chris Kauffman, C.P.C. (certified public comedian); and The Nerd.  

We hope you were able to enjoy each of them.

The Nerd
October 21 through November 13, 2005

The cast and crew clockwise from far left: Penny Dalton, Stage Manager; David Alfrey as Willum; Tim Stanley as Rick; Michael Lacy as Axel; Daniel Parrish as Walgrave; Betty Ratcliffe  as Clelia; Paul Behrens as Thor; Rachel Claire as Tansy; Patti Vick-Lee, Director

The fourth and final show of the Blue Ridge Community Theater’s 2005 season, is The Nerd  by Larry Shue.  Directed by Patti Vick-Lee, the delightfully witty and funny play centers on poor architect Willum of Terre Haute, Indiana, whose unrequited love for downstairs neighbor Tansy will end in seven days when she departs for D.C. Even worse, he must deal with his boss, Ticky, who rejects design after design of his for a hotel that he is building, constantly demanding less ornateness, less humanity. But as bad as things are for him, he has yet to meet his worst nightmare. Rick Steadman, the man referred to in the title, is someone Willum owes quite a favor to, and Mr. Steadman decides to take him up on that offer by crashing at Willum's for...ever, it seems. Rick's inescapable nerdy tendencies are enough to break even the gratitude-filled Willum, who must muster the gumption to rid himself of his unexpected houseguest. The result is a side-splitting comedy about loyalty, friendship and backbone.                   The surprise ending will leave you wanting to see this hilarious show again and again.

The cast and crew from clockwise from top left: Tim Stanley, Paul Behrens, David Alfrey, Daniel Parrish, Betty Ratcliffe, Patti Vick-Lee, Penny Dalton, Michael Lacy, Rachel Claire.

CAST:
Rick Steadman - Tim Stanley
Willum Cubbert - David Alfrey
Tansy McGinnis - Rachel Claire
Axel Hammond - Mike Lacy
Warnock Waldgrave - Daniel Parrish
Clelia Waldgrave - Betty Ratcliffe
Thor Waldgrave - Paul Behrens
Pre-recorded voice messages:
Dean the Bean - Chris Pfund
Wink - Alan Bittner

BEHIND THE SCENES:
Director - Patti Vick-Lee
Produced by - Tina Maslankowski
Stage Manager - Penny Dalton
Technical Director - Lee Maslankowski
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt, Nancy Goodson
Costumes Design - Patti Vick-Lee
Props - Wanda Jefferson, Pat Baker
Food Props - Leah Dalton
Special Prop Artist - Steve Martin
Light and Sound Designer - Lee Maslankowski
Technical Operator - Lee Maslankowski
Set Design - Patti Vick-Lee, Joe Webb, Donna Vanderbilt
Publicity - Mike Lacy, Steve Martin
Playbill - Steffen Smith, Joe Webb
Cover Art - Mike Lacy, Steve Martin
Set Construction - Joe Webb, Ted McWilliams, Ed Ratcliffe, Bill Marsh, Bill Jefferson, Frank Moore, Albert Kraft
Woodshop Craftsmen - Ted McWilliams, Ed Ratcliffe
Set Painting - The Amazing Americorps Members, Pat Baker, Tina Maslankowski
Fundraising - Joe Webb
Volunteer Coordination - Helen McMahon
Head Ushers - Suzanne Lee, Helen McMahon

IMPROV AND COMEDY SHOW
SEPTEMBER 24, 2005

Chris Kauffman, C.P.C. ( Certified Public Comedian)

The Blue Ridge Community Theater presented a day of Improv and Stand-up Comedy Workshops PLUS a Family Friendly Saturday Night Comedy Show Starring Chris Kauffman, C.P.C. (certified public comedian) on Saturday September 24, 2005 . The Improv workshop was free and open to all on a first come basis. 

 Chris is Mr. Road Rage for the Clean Air Campaign

The Saturday Evening Comedy Show was a benefit to raise money for the Blue Ridge Community Scholarship Fund and to purchase a new sound system for the theater.  A portion was donated to local hurricane relief efforts. 

Chris Kauffman is a Comedian, Actor, Keynote Speaker and Motivational Humorist currently living in Atlanta . Chris is most recognizable in Metro Atlanta Clean Air Campaign's extensive TV campaign which stars Chris as a frustrated, irritated Atlanta driver. Chris co-wrote and starred in the spot, now airing on most North Georgia network and independent TV stations. He has performed in a wide range of venues including The Punchline, Kudzu Grill, Laughing Matters., Robert Lowe & Co., Jerry Farber's Nightclub
Comedy Atlanta, Next City Comedy, Rose & Thistle and Copperhill, Tennessee Arts Festival.

GODSPELL

August 19 through September 11, 2005

The Cast – clockwise from top left: Steve Gamba, Michael Fleeman, Jay Varnadoe, Sophia Swain, Desiree Lulay, Shannon Fleeman, Amanda Galloway, Micah Stewart

One of the biggest off-Broadway and Broadway successes of all time, GODSPELL is based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew. In the Gospel, Jesus Christ preaches through parables and storytelling. The show, which is not built on a traditional plot, utilizes a classroom setting with modern day teenagers singing and dancing the joyful and entertaining celebration of life and the story of Jesus.  A pageant that moves from moment to moment, GODSPELL is a reflection on the life of Jesus by ten performers who are non-conventional but real.

The cast – clockwise from top left: Desiree Lulay, Micah Stewart, Jay Varnadoe , Sophia Swain, Shannon Fleeman, Amanda Galloway, Steve Gamba, Michael Fleeman

Featuring a sparkling, seminal score by Stephen Schwartz, GODSPELL boasts a string of recognizable songs, led by the international hit, “Day By Day.” As the cast makes it way through “Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord,” “Save The People,” “Learn Your Lessons Well,” “Bless The Lord,” “All For The Best,” “All Good Gifts,” “Turn Back, O Man” and “By My Side,” we, as audience members get to see the parables of Jesus Christ come humanly and hearteningly to life.

CAST:
Mr. Carpenter/Jesus - Mike Fleeman
John The Baptist/Judas - Jay Varnedoe
Shannon (the gothic girl) - Shannon Fleeman
Amanda (the makeover girl) - Amanda Galloway
Steve (the jock) - Stephen Gamba
Desiree (the princess) - Desiree Lulay
Sophia (the apple polisher) - Sophia Swain
Micah (the geek) - Micah Stuart

THE BAND:
Pianist - Birdie Towle Bright
Guitarist - Dan Worley

BEHIND THE SCENES:
Director - Stephen Gamba
Production Manager/Assistant Director - Tina Maslankowski
Stage Manager - Rachael Romano
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt
Costumes - Shannon Fleeman, Stephen Gamba
Props Mistress - Wanda Jefferson
Props - Rachael Romano, Tiffany Duvall, Polly Morgan
Technical Director/Light and Sound Design - Lee Maslankowski
Stage Manager - Rachael Romano
Choreographer - Stephen Gamba
Stage Hands - Ann Sims, Hanna Sims
Publicity - Mike Lacy
Set Design - Donna Vanderbilt, Joe Webb, Stephen Gamba, Tina Maslankowski
Playbill - Steffen Smith/Content Creative, Joe Webb
Cover/Poster design - Mike Lacy
Set Construction - Joe Webb, Frank Moore, Bill Marsh, Albert Kraft, Lee Maslankowski, Bobby Whitley
Desk Craftsmen - (The Shelving Guild) Ted McWilliams, Ed Radcliffe, Bill Jefferson and Albert Kraft
Set Painting - Donna Vanderbilt, Tiffany Duvall, Sophia Swain, Leah Dalton, Margaret Dalton, Penny Dalton, Tina Maslankowski, Amy Sarrel and Hanna Sims
Fundraising - Joe Webb
Volunteer Coordination - Helen McMahon

Thanks to all of our volunteers who have so generously shared their time and talents. Special thanks to: Jason Smith, Sharon and Phil Albert for the use of their lovely home for offsite rehearsals, Blue Jeans Pizza & Pasta Factory and Americorps.

LOVE LETTERS

JULY 7-9, 2005

BRCT celebrated their fifth anniversary by resurrecting its first production ever!  Love Letters is a sentimental addition to the budding Act-One Workshop series.

Love Letters is A.R. Gurney's 1989 unique and critically acclaimed theater piece, comprised of letters exchanged over a lifetime between the dutiful lawyer, Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, and the lively artist Melissa Gardner who met in second grade, fall in love, go off to different boarding schools and eventually many others yet keep yearning for one another.

Their bitter-sweet relationship gradually unfolds as the actors read their letters aloud, creating an evocative, touching, frequently funny but always telling, pair of character studies in which what is implied is as revealing and meaningful as what is actually written down.

CAST:

Melissa Gardner - Patty Vick-Lee

Andrew Makepeace Ladd III - Hirsch Bressler

DIRECTOR:

Patty Vick-Lee

PRODUCER:

Pat Webb

Steel Magnolias
May 27 through June 26, 2005

From left to right: Penny Dalton (Understudy M'Lynn), Margaret Dalton (Understudy Shelby), Patti Vick-Lee(Asst. Director),Norma Bean ( Truvy),Lisa Lacy ( Director),Sonia Smith (Oiuser), Jessica Warrren( Annelle), Pat Baker ( Clairee), Ann Kinnebrew (M'Lynn), not pictured Abby Kinnebrew (Shelby).

Revolving around Truvy's Beauty Parlor in a small parish in modern-day Louisiana , STEEL MAGNOLIAS is the story of a close-knit circle of friends whose lives come together there. As the play opens M'Lynn and Shelby depart for Truvy's to get their hair done for Shelby ’s wedding that afternoon. Annelle Depuy Desoto (who may or may not be married because her marriage may not be legal) is introduced to Truvy's customers as her new "glamour technician." While in the chairs, the sour-tempered Ouiser Boudreaux shows up and entertains the assemblage with her barbs. It seems that the only one of the group who truly understands Ouiser is Clairee who is recently widowed and looking for a diversion. As she says, later in the play, "If you can't find anything good to say about anybody, come sit by me." Filled with humor and heartbreak, these "Steel Magnolias" make us laugh and cry as the realities of their lives in tiny Chiquapin Parish unfolds.

CAST:

M'Lynn - Lisa Lacy-Avery
Ouiser - Sonia Smith
Clairee - Pat Baker
Truvy - Norma Bean
Shelby - Margaret Dalton
Annelle - Jessica Warren

Understudies:
M'Lynn - Penny Dalton
Shelby - Margaret Dalton

Sunny D's Children's Theater SHOWCASE PRODUCTION:  ANNE FRANK AND ME by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, published by Dramatic Publishing. 

April 15, 16 , 17,  2005

This thought provoking all youth performance directly confronts the lack of knowledge many have about the Holocaust.  This national award winning new American classic is about the awakening of a modern teen who denies the holocaust.  Nicole Burns doubts the truth about the Holocaust and cares even less, but ultimately comes face to face with the horrors of the Holocaust and--in an extraordinary sequence--meets Anne Frank on a cattle car to Auschwitz.  Nicole is transported from her present life of unfinished homework and young love into Nazi-occupied Paris, 1942-44 and back again with many lessons learned about the past. 

The lesson of Anne Frank & Me is clear and the impact is powerful. It reminds all who see to never forget. This production provides an exceptional life lesson and theater experience.

Shannon Fleeman is delighted to be a part of Sunny D’s Children’s Theater Showcase Production of Anne Frank & Me by Cherie Bennett. She is supported by the excellent team of Assistant Director/Stage Manager, Jason Smith, and Producer, Mike Fleeman.

CAST:

Teri Nichole Shaw - Nicole
Rebekah Romano - Lisabette "Little Bit"
Ashley Messer - Mimi
Danielle Newby - Suzanne
Hannah Wehunt - Chrissy/Christina
Raven Welch - Anne Frank/Mary
Joseph Romano - Jack/Jacques
Travis Boyd - David
Kathryn Jenkins - Ms. Zooms/Renee
Matt Dixon - John/Jean
Chad Whitmire - Jason
Elizabeth Hornsby -Monologue
Brittany Dockery - Monologue
Bethaney Hawkins - Monologue
Renina "Gina" Hawkins - Monologue
Ashley Palladino - Chosen Treasures Trio
Jenny Palladino - Chosen Treasures Trio
CoaCoa Palladino - Chosen Treasures Trio

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Director - Shannon Fleeman
Assistant Director & Stage Manager - Jason Smith
Producer - Mike Fleeman
Playbill & Poster Design - Elaine Owen
Production & Ad Sales - Elaine Owen and Sandra Delany
Set Construction - Bill Marsh & Joe Webb
Original Curtain Call Music - Sam Glasner
Encouragement & Support - Pat Webb
Rehearsal Space - Temple Baptist Church and Blue Ridge United Methodist Church
Projector - Blue Ridge First Baptist Church
Hebrew Coach - Lisa Moore
French & German Coach - Renee Ninov
Cast Party - Lou & Joyce Smith
Choreography - Niki Shaw, Shannon Fleeman & Jason Smith
Sound Design - Jason Smith
Lighting Design - Lee & Tina Maslankowski
Light & Sound Operations - Mike Fleeman
Technical Assistance - Rachel Romano
Special Sundries - James Hooper
Costumes - Shannon Fleeman
Seder Ceremony - Fred Romano
Set & Multi-Media Design - Shannon & Mike Fleeman
Props and Support - Children's Theater Committee

Special thanks to the Ladies of St. Lukes Episcopal Church

ACT ONE WORKSHOP BEGINS WITH 'NIGHT MOTHER

April 1, 2 and 3, 2005

The first production of the series was ‘night Mother, a one act play written by Marsha Norman. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1983, the play is lauded for its emotional honesty and realistic dialogue. The play unflinchingly depicts a mother and daughter in crisis.

Tim Stanley made his directorial debut with this intense drama which allows both the audience and the actors to feel deep, honest emotions as they explore the outcome of a failed mother/daughter relationship.   Tim says of the challenge of bringing these characters to life., “depicting true life can be hard. Allowing the audience and the actors to truly feel the deep, honest emotion of this show is my objective. Our black box space allows us the wonderful opportunity to explore this type of serious theatre. Actors Shannon Fleeman and Rachel Romano will only enhance the success of this show because of their immense talent.”

CAST:
Jessie - Rachel Romano
Thelma - Shannon Fleeman

Behind the Scenes:
Director - Tim Stanley
Original Music - Jason Smith
Poster Artwork - Trey Wood

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
March 4 through March 27, 2005

Based on the classic novel by CS Lewis. Four London children are sent to a professor's country home in order for protection during World War II. There they find a magic wardrobe which leads to a mystical land called Narnia, which is being ruled by an evil witch. To defeat the Witch, they must join forces with Aslan, the lion God of Narnia, and the great battle between good and evil.

CAST:

Aslan - Micah Stuart
Peter - Ian Nye
Susan - Alison Kinnebrew
Edmund - Peter Dohogne
Lucy - Kelsey Kinnebrew
Dwarf - TJ Godfrey
Ferris Ulf - Jake Reuse
Mr. Beaver - Kris Harris
Mrs. Beaver - Norma Bean
Tumnus - Angela Delconte
Tumnus/Evil Cat - Gina Hawkins
White Witch - Lisa Lacy-Avery
Father Christmas - Mike Lacy
The Professor - Daniel Parrish
Mrs. McCready - Eileen Kerr
Unicorn - Sophia Swain
Centaur - Justin Moore
Bluebird - Bobby Whitley
Elf - Abigail Rice
Leopard - Abby Crawford
Mouse - Cassidy Ross
Porcupine - Jaime Richert
Skunk - Jordan Fisher
Evil Hyenna - Hanna Sims
Cruel - Hannah Dohogne
Zebra - Elisabeth Knopf
Spring Nymph - Melissa Rice
Fall Nymph - Sara Jordan
Summer Nymph - Danielle Moore
Winter Nymph/White Stag - Margaret Dalton

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Director - Ann Kinnebrew
Assistant Director - Patti Vick-Lee
Producer - Lisa Lacy-Avery
Stage Manager - Tina Maslankowski
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt, Sue Gree
Costumes Design - Abigail Kinnebrew, Tina Maslankowski, Ann Kinnebrew
Costume Builders - Penny Dalton, Tina Rice, Mary Delconte, Ann Sims, Tina Maslankowski
Make-Up Design - Betty Ratcliffe
Make-Up Mistress - Elisabeth Knopf
Props Mistriss - Denise Haggard
Props Builder - Denise Haggard, Micah Stuart
Technical Director/Light & Sound Design - Lee Maslankowski
Assistant Technical Director - Katie Rice
Assistant Stage Manager - Misty Struble
Music Director - Tina Maslankowski
Fight Coordinator - Lisa Lacy-Avery
Technical Operators - Katie Rice, Lee Maslankowski, Chad Avery
Set Design - Patricia Scott
Publicity - Mike Lacy, Susanne Lee, Michelle Ross
Program Design - Elaine Owen
Playbill - Joe Webb, Elaine Owen
Cover Art - Ande Cook
Set Construction - Joe Webb, Ed Ratcliffe, Tom Kimmell, Rod Chamberlain, Frank Moore, Bucky Ratcliffe, Jamie Robinson, Bill Marsh, Bill Jefferson, Albert Kraft
Clock Craftsman - Al Yoemanns
Wardrobe Craftsman - Ted Mcwilliams
Doors To Narnia - Ed Ratcliffe
Set Painting - Mike Lacy, Pat Baker, Denise Haggard, Lisa Lacy-Avery, Ann Kinnebrew, Patti Vick-Lee, Jaime Robinson, Pat Scott, Ruth West
Castle Murals - Ande Cook
Backdrop - Chuck Whited of C&M Backdrops
Artistic Set Painting - Tina Maslankowski, Pat Baker
Fundraising - Joe Webb
Volunteer Coordination - Helen McMahon