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2007
PRODUCTIONS
The Blue
Ridge Community Theater presented the following productions to very
responsive audiences during 2007: Seeing Stars In Dixie; Byron: His Life and
Loves; An Evening with Mark Twain; Nunsense; Vincent; Glass Menagerie;
Raw Talent II; Sunny D Children's Theater presented The Prince Who
Wouldn't Talk; The Odd Couple (female version); Mardi Gras Musical
Masquerade; and Eleemosynary.
We
hope you were able to enjoy each of them.
SEEING
STARS IN DIXIE
By Ron Osborne
November 9 - December 2, 2007
Director - Shannon Fleeman
Seated,
from left, are Elizabeth Hornsby, Mendy Roebuck, Carol Smith; standing,
Wayne Roshaven and Eileen Kerr.
Seeing Stars in Dixie is set in
1956 in Natchez, Mississippi, where Hollywood and some of its brightest
stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, have arrived to film
"Raintree County".
Meanwhile at Clemmie's, a Natchez tea
room, the widowed proprietor who has a fascination with movies and a
secret admirer, oversees her own cast of characters.
Competition for a small role in the movie
brings out the best - and worst - of the town's memorable characters.
Twists, turns and revelations lead Clemmie to trade a moment of fame for
love.
In Ron Osbourne's gentle play, good
triumphs over adversity and true love conquers all. This simple,
uncomplicated tale is told through dialogue that successfully captures
the Southern rhythm and idiom.
CAST:
Clemmie - Eileen Kerr
Glease - Wayne Roshaven
Tootie - Carol Smith
Marjorie - Mendy McGuffey Roebuck
JoBeth - Elizabeth Hornsby
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Director - Shannon Fleeman
Assistant Director - Mike Fleeman
Production Manager - Tina Maslankowski
Stage Manager - Kelly Hornsby
Technical Director/Light & Sound Design - Lee Maslankowski
Light & Sound Operators - Micah Stuart, Sophia Swain
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt
Costumes - Cast, Mike Fleeman, Shannon Fleeman
Props - Carolyn Griffiths, Tom Griffiths, Kathleen Holt
Publicity - Dexter Benning, Mike Lacy, Tina Maslankowski
Set Design - Steve Martin, Joe Webb
Design Consultant - Steve Martin
Playbill - Jackie Smith, Steffen Smith, Joe Webb
Cover/Poster Art & Design - Steve Martin
Set Construction - Joe Webb, Alan Buchanan, Chuck Gorder, Bill Jefferson, Bob Jennus, Tom Kimmel, Albert Kraft, Bill Marsh, Ed Ratcliffe, George Southmayd
Set Painting - Kathleen Holt, Sierra Hudson, Beth Inman, Katie Williams
Fundraising - Kelly Hornsby, Lynda Thompson, Joe Webb
Special Thanks to: All of our volunteers who have so generously shared their time and talents and to Jack Morton, Lynda Thompson and L&L Beanery, Gigi Garrett, Anne Record, Pat Webb and Mike Lacy. Also Kelly Hornsby for cast makeup from MaryKay.
“Byron:
His Life and Loves”
October 20, 2007
IAN FROST's
one man shows have been performed in New York City, in London, at the
Edinburgh and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals, at the Luxembourg National
Theatre, on tours of major cities in the U.S., the U.K., Netherlands,
Denmark, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and Greece, and
for Cunard in the Mid-Atlantic, the Caribbean, and twice through the
Panama Canal!
After training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre
School and the Royal Court Actors Studio, Ian appeared with leading
repertory theatres in England, including seasons at Plymouth, Perth,
Farnham, Colchester, Birmingham and Coventry. His many television
credits include 'Z Cars', 'Dr. Who', 'The Poet Herrick', and 'Ivanhoe'.
Ian's professional association with Lord Byron
began several years ago. A founder-member of ATC-London, he created the
part of Byron/Narrator in its award-winning production of 'Don Juan' at
the Edinburgh Festival. The company then toured extensively through
England and Scotland and was invited to the Avignon Festival. The Byron
connection continued with 'Byron: In Words & Music' for the British
Council in Amsterdam and at the Edinburgh Festival, and the BBC Radio
series, 'Byron's Last Letters'. Ian then decided his next Byron project
must be a solo performance: both the man and the poet had so much to say
about life, love and the human condition that this was the only way to
attempt to do justice to such a remarkable character.
His enthusiasm was infectious. Bill Studdiford,
the New York playwright, began extensive research and the result was a
Byron biography/autobiography using for the most part Lord Byron's own
words - from his letters, journals and poems.
“An Evening
with Mark Twain”
September 28, 29, 30, 2007
Mr. Kurt Sutton performs as
Mark Twain in the setting of Samuel L. Clemens’ parlor and will share
his wit, wisdom and humor and sing-a-longs with which he entertained his
family and friends. Join us for a unique evening of fun with an all time
literary favorite!
Nunsense
By Dan Goggin
August 24 - September 16, 2007
Director - JoAnne Leone
“Nunsense”
follows the musically hilarious misadventures of the Little Sisters of
Hoboken at Mount Saint Helen's School in
Hoboken
,
New Jersey
. Originally founded as a missionary order, they started out running a
leper colony on an island south of
France
. Forced to leave the island when they lost control to a group of
Protestant competitors, they returned to
Hoboken
. They went unnoticed until one day their cook, Sister Julia, Child of
God, unwittingly served some tainted vichyssoise soup and 52 sisters
died of botulism. Fortunately a few of the sisters were off playing
bingo and so were spared. Upon discovering the disaster, Mother Superior
had a vision -- it was either Saint Catherine of
Siena
or Saint Thomas Aquinas in drag (she's not sure) -- in which she was
told to start a greeting card company to raise funds for the burials of
the 52. The greeting cards were a success and thinking there was plenty
of money, Reverend Mother bought a VCR for the convent. When she
realized there was only enough money left to bury 48, she decided to
stage a talent show to raise the money to bury the last four sisters who
were put on ice in the convent deep freeze. The fun is only just
beginning when these crazy nuns take over!
CAST:
Reverend Mother - JoAnne Leone
Sister Robert Anne - Delilah Davenport
Sister Amnesia - Sophia Swain
Sister Leo - Norma Bean
Sister Hubert - Beth Inman
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Director - JoAnne Leone
Production Manager - Tina Maslankowski
Musical Director - Delilah Davenport
Stage Manager - Kay Thomas
Choreographer - Denver Clark
Technical Director/Light & Sound Design - Lee Maslankowski
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt
Costumes - Sonia Smith
Props - Tina Maslankowski, Pat Baker
Special Props Maker - Bill Jefferson
The Band - Charles Milne
Publicity - Mike Lacy
Set Design - JoAnne Leone, Steve Martin
Design Consultant - Steve Martin
Playbill - Steffen Smith, Joe Webb, Jackie Smith
Cover/Poster Art & Design - Steve Martin
Set Construction - Joe Webb, Bill Jefferson, Bill Marsh, George
Southmayd, Frank Moore, Allen Buchanan, Chuck Gorder, Bob Jennus
Set Painting - Pat Baker, Bobby Whitley, Tina Maslankowski
Fundraising - Joe Webb, Kelly Hornsby
Special Thanks to: All of our volunteers who have so generously shared
their time and talents and to Charles Milne, Mathew Pacer, Fred Romano,
Charlie Poss and Megan Gribble for her production help.
Vincent
By Leonard Nimoy
July 13-22, 2007
Director - Pat Webb
Vincent
is based
on actual letters exchanged between Vincent Van Gogh and his brother
Theo and written from the perspective of the artist's well-known
sibling. Written by Leonard Nimoy, the play offers an intimate and
highly personalized view of the tormented artist's passionate life as
images of his work are projected onto the background to show just how
Van Gogh's turbulent personal life affected his remarkable body of
work.
Van
Gogh stars two remarkable actors: Joshua Jenkins, as Vincent and Mike
Lacy as his brother Theo. It is a collaborative workshop
production led by Director Patricia Webb.
Glass
Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
May 25 - June 17, 2007
Director - Mike Fleeman
The first play to establish Tennessee
Williams as a major new playwright and Broadway success. The
Glass Menagerie is the compelling story of a St. Louis family
struggling to cope with the harsh realities of the Great Depression and
the bitter memories that haunt them.
At the end of the 1930s Amanda Wingfield
is left by her husband, leading her to run a powerful dictatorship over
her two children, Tom and Laura. Revealed in flashbacks, the play
follows the lives of shoe factory worker Tom, torn between his
role as the family breadwinner and the desire to lead a life of his
own...his abrasive mother Amanda, once a grand Southern socialite, now
trying to maintain her dignity amidst the gloom of the tenement...and
Tom's frail sister Laura, who has retreated to an imaginary world caring
for her collection of glass animals. As tension mount and
tempers flare, the prospect of a husband for Laura becomes their final
chance for stability and escape. But this gentleman caller's
arrival could also deal a powerful blow that shatters their tenuous
dreams. A daring drama of metaphors and human condition, this is
one of Tennessee Williams' finest.]
CAST:
Tom Wingfield - Mike Fleeman
Amanda Wingfield - Shannon Fleeman
Laura Wingfield - Kristy Lindstrom
Jim O'Connor - Bubba Gibbs
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Director - Mike Fleeman
Production Manager - Tina Maslankowski
Assistant Director - Lee Maslankowski
Stage Manager - Beth Inman
Understudy to Tom - Jason Smith
Technical Director/Light & Sound Design - Lee Maslankowski
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt
Costumes - The Cast
Props - Tina Maslankowski, Micah Stuart, Pat Baker
Publicity - Ben Thatcher, Mike Lacy
Set Design - Mike Fleeman, Joe Webb
Playbill - Steffen Smith, Joe Webb, Jackie Smith
Cover/Poster Art & Design - Steve Martin
Set Construction - Joe Webb, Bill Jefferson, Bucky Ratcliffe, Ed
Ratcliffe, Bill Marsh, George Southmayd, Frank Moore, Alan Buchanan
Set Painting - Beth Inman, Tina Maslankowski
Fundraising - Joe Webb, Kelly Hornsby, Lynda Thompson
Special Thanks to: All of our volunteers who have so generously shared
their time and talent and to Micah Stuart. Special Thanks also from the
cast and directors to Jason Smith for helping to "fill the
gaps" by lending his time and talent to this production's
rehearsals. Ed Izor and The Antique Warehouse for their loan of iron
rails.
Raw
Talent II - April 20-21, 2007
From The News Observer's April
2007 Happenings
Eddie Ratcliffe, kneeling, and Tina
Maslankowski portray Elvis and his attendant during the first Raw Talent
event held at the Blue Ridge community Theater. The second Raw
Talent variety show will take place at the theater on April 20 and 21.
On April 20 and 21 the theater had two nights
of live music in a musical variety show known as Raw Talent II.
This is the second time Raw Talent has been put
on and each year there's a theme. Last year the theme of the show
was that a media company had come to town to hold auditions. This
year, another media company has come to town to compete with the one
that showed up last year. As a result, the musicians work harder
than ever to make it through their auditions for each company.
"The spontaneity of the event is a lot of
the attraction," said Bobby Don Bloodworth, who's organizing Raw
Talent. "We're pretty much going to be making it up as we go.
The Prince Who Wouldn't Talk
By James Brok
March 30 - April 7, 2007
Directors - Lisa Lacy Avery and Sonia Smith
The plot of this play revolves around a young
prince whose parents have taken note of his apparent inability to speak.
What the king and queen don't realize is that they've never really given
the prince a chance to talk. In an effort to determine what's
wrong with their son, the king and queen have him examined by three
wizards who all find nothing wrong with him. A young maiden comes
into the prince's life and things begin to change forever.
CAST:
Connor Jones - The Prince
Dylan Lynch - The King
Brandon Lynch - Wizard of Voiceology
Madison Upshaw - Court Jester
Katie Gent - Wizard of Noiseology
Julia Vorpahl - The Maiden
Erica Turner - The Queen
Jesie Turner - Wizard of Thinkology
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Directors - Lisa Lacy Avery and Sonia Smith
Producer - Pat Webb
Stage Manager - Elizabeth Hornsby
Set Construction - Bill Marsh
Set Design - Eleanore Buchanan
Publicity - Kelly Hornsby
Costumes - Anne Record
Stage Hands - Parent Volunteers
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt
Light & Sound - Lisa Lacy-Avery, Chad Avery
Poster Art/Playbill - Tina Maslankowski, Robbie Muschamp
Rhyme - Abie Stuart
Fable - Charlie Carpenter
Special Thanks: To the parents and families of the cast and crew for
their support! And to Louis & Sandy Schubert.
The
Odd Couple (female version)
By Neil Simon
February 23 - March 18, 2007
Directors - Mike Lacy & Tina Maslankowski
The
Odd Couple Cast
From Left to Right: Kay Thomas, Patti Vick-Lee, Michael Fleeman, Eileen
Kerr, Dehila Davenport, Ray Pigott, Shannon Fleeman, Shannon Fleeman,
Sonia Smith.
Blue
Ridge Community Theater's first play of the 2007
MAIN
STAGE season is The Odd Couple (Female
Version), by Neil Simon. A
remake of Neil Simon's long-running Broadway comedy, The Odd Couple
centers around two divorced woman who live together, but can't stand
each other's habits. Simon himself updated the script in the mid '80s to
an all female version starring Rita Moreno and Sally Struthers in the
Madison/Unger roles.
Neil Simon's famous
update of his contemporary classic starts with a group of women friends
playing their regular game of Trivial Pursuit. This week, the coterie is
meeting at the apartment of Olive Madison, Shannon Fleeman, a divorcee
who freely admits to being a slob: "I leave a mess when I read a
book." Late to arrive is Florence Unger, Dehila Davenport, a
stickler for detail who would try the patience of a saint, and who has
unfortunately just become separated from her husband. As life would have
it, the slob and the fuss-budget decide to room together -- with
hilarious results!
Within days,
Florence
's obsessive habits start taking their toll on Olive and their friends.
The only remedy Olive can think of (a pair of brothers from
Barcelona
, Michael Fleeman and Ray Piggot) disastrously backfires, and the two
women are forced to agree on one thing -- even the best of friends
sometimes make the worst of roommates.
CAST:
Olive Madison - Shannon Fleeman
Florence Unger - Delilah Davenport
Mickey - Patti Vick Lee
Vera - Kay Thomas
Renee - Eileen Avery Kerr
Sylvie - Sonia Smith
Manolo Costazuela - Ray Pigott
Jesus Costazuela - Mike Fleeman
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Directors - Mike Lacy & Tina Maslankowski
Production Manager - Tina Maslankowski
Stage Manager - Daniel Parrish
Stage Crew - Melanie Rymer, Elizabeth Hornsby
Technical Director/Light and Sound Design - Lee Maslankowski
Box Office - Elizabeth Hunt
Costumes - The Cast
Props - Daniel Parrish, Tina Maslankowski, Pat Baker
Publicity - Pat Webb, Mike Lacy
Set Design - Tina Maslankowski, Mike Lacy, Joe Webb, Ted McWilliams
Special Set Pieces - Ted McWilliams
Design Consultant - Steve Martin
Playbill - Steffen Smith, Joe Webb, Jackie Smith
Cover/Poster Art & Design - Steve Martin
Set Construction - Joe Webb, Bill Marsh, George Southmayd, Chuck Gorder,
Frank Moore, Bill Jefferson, Alan Buchanan, Bob Jennus
Cabinetmakers - Ted Mcwilliams (Master), Bill Jefferson, Albert Kraft
Set Painting - Beth Inman, Tina Maslsankowski, Mike Lacy
Fundraising - Joe Webb, Kelly Hornsby, Lynda Thompson
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
all of our volunteers who have so generously shared their time and
talents and to Mike Lacy for the set furniture, Lynn Pigott for the Cast
Party, Megan Gribble for her production help, and the City of Blue Ridge
Police Department.
Mardi
Gras Musical Masquerade
February 17, 2007
Music Concert / fundraiser for Blue Ridge Community Theater on
February 17th. This event will feature two bands:
CIRCLE LIKE a HALO
From Left:
and
THE REMAINS OF US
From Left:
Christian McGinn, Joseph Romano, Mark McGinn, Alex Gannon
Doors open at 7:00 PM.
Music starts at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $10.00.
This event will feature a
costume party/contest. You certainly don't have to dress
up in a funny suit or a cute costume, but why wouldn't you? Come
Out and Play!
Eleemosynary
January 12-14, 2007
By Lee Blessing
Collaborative Cast
Direction Led By Lisa Lacy-Avery
Eleemosynary
plays for one
weekend on the Blue Ridge Community Theater Main Stage,
January 12 – 14, 2007
. This is the first of 3 plays in the ACT ONE Series at the Theater.
Left
to Right: Norma Bean, Lisa Lacy-Avery, Katie Jenkins
"Eleemosynary"
is defined as being charitable.
Playwright
Lee Blessing's work explores the complex relationship between three
brilliant women: Dorothea, a mystically inclined sort who in her 70s has
deliberately cultivated eccentricity for a lifetime; Artie, Dorothea's
40ish daughter and complete opposite, scientifically minded and seeking
rationality in all things; and Echo, the exceptional and sensitive 20ish
daughter that Artie abandoned years ago to be raised by Dorothea.
The
drama-comedy explores the delicate balance of love and resentment among
the women -- "Eleemosynary," or charity, doesn't come easily
for any of them -- as well as universal themes of life, motherhood,
mystery and the human spirit. The tale will play out in the Blue Ridge
Community Theater on a bare-bones set, making the work highly theatrical
and placing all of the focus on the actors. The cast consists of three
accomplished local performers: Norma Bean as Dorothea, Lisa Lacy-Avery
as Artie and Katie Jenkins as Echo.
Lee
Blessing's play "Eleemosynary" is a remarkable tapestry of
life woven between three generations of exceptional women -- a superbly
written affair.
Their
characters don't possess this same confidence and strength in Blessing's
tale of women and their expectations, choices and compromises. They love
one another, but they don't know how to relate. They want to please one
another, but they miss the mark.
The
story is deep, intricately connected and highly theatrical, yet the
brilliant cast of three – Norma Bean, Lisa Lacy-Avery & Katie
Jenkins -- make it easy to understand all the misunderstandings between
an elderly woman, a daughter and a granddaughter.
All
three ladies are at turns caught between the two other women in this
triangle. It falls to Echo to narrate this tale, explaining characters'
motives, recalling many mistakes made over decades of time and offering
a glimpse of hope for t
he future.
CAST:
Dorothea - Norma Bean
Artemis - lisa Lacy-Avery
Echo - Katie Jenkins
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Producer - Tina Maslankowski
Technical Director - Lee Maslankowski
Set Construction - Joe Webb & Crew
Lighting/Sound Design - Lisa Lacy-Avery
Artistic Consultant - Sonia Smith
box Office - Elizabeth Hunt
Costumes - Eileen Keer, Cat
Special thanks: Randy Bean, Rex Smith, Chad Avery, The Jenkins
Family and Charlie
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