Western Mass Theatre News September 12, 2024

Your source for theatre events in Western Massachusetts.

Western Mass Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser September 12 - October 2, 2024 This week: more auditions! An opportunity for a child actor in Marie Antoinette at Smith, K & E Theater Group's Spring Awakening, Arena Civic Theatre's Christmas Carol, and of course, Newsies! at Amherst Community Theatre.  Check out Max Hartshorne's review of Shear Madness at the Majestic Theater here.  The next issue will include events from September 19 - October 9. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at westernmasstheatre@gmail.com Submit Your Theatre Event Amherst Community Theater - Auditions for Newsies! September 20-22 at Amherst Middle School More Information Exit 7 Players present Next to Normal  September 27 – October 13 at 37 Chestnut St., Ludlow  Tickets and More Information    YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. Click to Access: Western Mass Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet PERFORMANCES MAJESTIC THEATER ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR 27th SEASON West Springfield’s Majestic Theater has announced the lineup for its 27th season.  Producing Director Danny Eaton will present a five-play season that incorporates a mix of classic and original works featuring music, comedy and drama. First up is Shear Madness (September 5 – October 20) by Paul Portner.  Shear Madness has been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World records as the longest running non-musical play in American theater history. It ran for over 40 years in Boston.  It’s a day like any other in the local Shear Madness Salon until suddenly the lady who lives upstairs gets knocked off.  In this “Whodunit” farce, the Majestic audience will have to match wits with the suspects to catch a killer in this record breaking and interactive solve-the-crime comedy. Shear Madness will be directed by Bob Lohrmann.  Producing director is Danny Eaton, and Sue Dziura is Associate producing director.  Production stage manager is Stephen Petit, Aurora Ferraro is Associate production manager, Dan Rist is set and lighting designer, and Dawn McKay is costume designer.  Cast members include Benita Zahn (Mrs. Shubert), Jeff Haffner (Nick), Jack Grigoli (Eddie), Elizabeth Pietrangelo (Barbara), Steve Sands (Tony) and Michael DeVito Mikey). Subscriptions to the five-play series will be accepted through October 20, but single tickets are now being sold to all five plays.  Prices for single tickets for the plays range from $35 to $38. Doors to the theater will open one hour before the start of a show, which is also when the café opens.  For more information, visit www.majestictheater.com Shakespeare & Company presents the World Premiere of Awni Abdi-Bahri’s Three Tall Persian Women, directed by Dalia Ashurina and staged at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre through October 13. This comedic play is about generational differences, grief, control, and learning to let go; but more than anything, it’s a love story to immigrant mothers. Golnar, a punkish Iranian-American millennial, returns home to her mother Nasrin for the anniversary of her father’s passing and walks into hoards of family memorabilia that her grandmother Mamani has moved in with her. Originally staged at Shakespeare & Company in 2023 as a reading in the Plays in Process series, Ashurina said that the play explores how and why societies police women’s bodily autonomy. “We see how the women in this play are restrained by societal expectations, even in the safety of their own home," she said, "and how being honest instead of staying ‘peaceful’ can help each generation learn valuable lessons from one another.” Tickets range from $22 to $72; for more information or to purchase tickets, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353.   About Shakespeare & Company Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists. CitySpace Pay it Forward Series: Tragedy of Maila Kami September 20 and 21 at 7:00 PM September 22 at 2:00 PM 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA 01027 Following a successful run at the Minnesota Fringe Festival this summer, The Tragedy of Maila Kami is a solo performance blend of dance, singing, drumming, and storytelling - all as a vehicle to explore the challenges of caste-based discrimination in Nepal. As is typical of “hudkeli” performances, audiences will be invited to participate at moments in the piece, with call-and-response singing, rhythm-making, and responding to the performer’s questions. Written by Sahalesh, directed by Rose Schwietz and performed by Suraj Malla.  Performances:  Friday, September 20 @ 7pm  Saturday, September 21 @ 7pm  Sunday, September 22 @ 2pm  Tickets: $10 student, $10 General Admission, $25 at door  Suraj Malla is an actor, director, and acting teacher. He completed his acting training from Actor's Studio Nepal and has been performing with them since 2012. He is a three-time participant in the BRM Festival with NSD Delhi. He was invited as a Nepali representative for International Prospero Workshop in Denmark, focusing on devised theatre for youth and children. Recently, he participated in an online theatre intensive with SITI Company. Having taught in schools for several years, he has produced a variety of student shows. He has also worked as a professional theatre trainer at various acting institutions around Nepal. He is excited to share his love of theatre around the world, as a way to share stories and to know ourselves.  This project is part of the Pay It Forward program, made possible by generous funding from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts -  ValleyCreates, Greenfield Savings Bank, Peak Performance Roofing, Delap Real Estate, Finck and Perras, Tandem Bagel Co and individual donors. https://www.cityspaceeasthampton.org/all-events/#/events Smith College Department of Theatre presents Tidepools  A story by Francesca Sobrer, directed by Sue Clement  Friday, September 20 at 7:30 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre  Free  Tidepools is the story of one woman’s journey away from the shore and back. This hour-long performance takes the audience for a ride in the waves with the story of finding and living love only to be caught in an undertow of loss and grief  eventually drifting back onto the shore in a tidepool of realized joy.  The play is free and open to the public, no reservations required. Leonard Berkman, Anne Hesseltine Hoyt Professor of Theatre will lead a talkback with the artists, Assistant Professor of Theatre Monica Lopez Orozco, and Benita Jackson, Professor of Psychology after the show on Friday.  LOCULUS SIDEWAYS DOOR 3 Sep 20, 2024 at 7:00 PM 9/21/24 11am + 7pm, 9/22/24 11am + 4:30pm Downtown Holyoke SIDEWAYS DOOR 3: A weekend of ecstasies & escape routes – a festival celebrating multi-disciplinary performance, process, and practice  LOCULUS presents its third annual-ish SIDEWAYS DOOR festival September 20 – 22nd, 2024! SIDEWAYS DOOR brings together local and visiting artists for three days of performances, classes, and talks in Holyoke Mass.  FULL WEEKEND PASSES & CLASS BUNDLES AVAILABLE!  Friday 9/20 | 7pm Performance @ Pulp Gallery – 80 Race St.  Saturday 9/21 | 11am Movement Class @ Loculus Studios – 80 Race St. Third Floor Saturday 9/21 | 7pm Performance @Holyoke Media – 1 Court Plaza  Sunday 9/22 | 11am Super 8 Film Making workshop @ Loculus Studios – 80 Race St. Third Floor  Sunday 9/22 | 4:30pm Artist Roundtable presentations & dinner @ The Guilded Brick – 380 Dwight St.  Visit the website for the full line up and to purchase tickets!  www.loculuscollective.com/festival There are a limited number of free and discounted tickets available for Holyoke residents. We ask that you only take advantage of these tickets if you are unable to purchase tickets on the sliding scale. Email us at loculuscollective@gmail.com for more information. www.loculuscollective.com/festival Exit 7 Players Announce Fall Production of Next to Normal  September 27 – October 13, 2024 Friday & Saturday Performances at 8pm Sunday Performances at 2pm Thursday 10/5 Performance at 8pm  Exit 7 Players Theater, 37 Chestnut St., Ludlow  More info: (413) 583-4301 or at www.exit7players.org  The Exit 7 Players are pleased to announce its fall production of Next to Normal, taking place on the Paul R. Hamel Stage at 37 Chestnut Street, Ludlow, MA.  Next to Normal is the story of Diana Goodman and her family. Traumatized by the death of her infant son, Diana has lived with bipolar depressive disorder and delusional episodes for the past several years. The illness has affected everyone in her life, and has nearly torn her family apart on several occasions. Next to Normal, with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt, explores how one suburban household copes with crisis and mental illness. Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize, Next to Normal was also chosen as "one of the year's ten best shows" by critics around the country. Next to Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family's story with love, sympathy and heart, while exploring pressing contemporary issues of trauma, loss, mental health treatment, and the meaning of family.  This production is intended for audiences aged 13 and up, and contains themes and depictions of mental illness, profanity, discussions of self-harm and the loss of a family member.  For this production we are partnering with Empty Arms Bereavement, a nonprofit helping parents who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons, or infant loss. emptyarmsbereavement.org  Due to a town event, parking for our October 6 show may be limited. Please plan on arriving early.  For more information contact the Exit 7 Players at 413.583.4301 or admin@exit7players.org. Tickets can be purchased directly from our website. exit7players.org https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/exit-7-players/6644b8a7bfdeb50b25b86081 Intended for audiences 13+ Themes/depictions of mental illness, profanity, self-harm, loss of a family member Strobe lighting will be used in the performance The Performance Project's First Generation Ensemble Mother Tongue Sep 28, 2024 at 7:00 PM UMASS Amherst, Bowker Auditorium in Stockbridge Hall Mother Tongue is an original multilingual physical theater performance created by the Performance Project’s First Generation Ensemble. The piece is inspired by the experiences of First Generation ensemble members, their families and communities who are from Congo/Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan/Darfur, Holyoke and Springfield, Massachusetts. The 90 minute performance weaves together movement, music, dance, and stories in Arabic, Swahili, Luganda, and English. The piece incorporates themes of language, culture, identity, diaspora, hypermasculinity, xenophobia, transphobia, racism, the school to prison pipeline and revolution. https://performanceproject.org/blog/81-come-see-mother-tongue.html Appropriate for ages 12 and up $10-$25 General Public. Free for all students, UMass Faculty and Staff. Text for further discount code. Sponsored by University of Massachusetts Amherst Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Department with support from the UMass Fine Arts Center. The HCC Alumni Players Phillips Festival 2024 Sep 28, 2024 at 7:30 PM Leslie Phillips Theater, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA The 7th Annual Phillips Festival: A 24-Hour Theatrical Marathon Join us for the return of the Phillips Festival, a thrilling 24-hour theatrical marathon at Holyoke Community College! Witness the culmination of creativity, collaboration, and community as participants write, direct, and perform original short plays within a single day. Don't miss the showcase on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at 7:30 PM. https://phillips-fest-performance-tickets-temp-88340.cheddarup.com Tickets on sale now. Any questions, please reach out to the Alumni Players at hccaplayers@gmail.com. Magid Ensemble Pay It Forward: Shterna and the Lost Voice Oct 1, 2024 at 7:00 PM The Blue Room, CitySpace, 43 Main St Easthampton The Magid Ensemble presents: Shterna & The Lost Voice at CitySpace. “Unspeakably stunning, deeply soulful, profoundly moving… truly one of the most awe-inspiring performances I've ever seen” – Shterna and the Lost Voice transports audiences into the rich world of Yiddish folklore. Developed through rigorous research on Eastern-European Jewish folklore, this immersive storytelling production follows Shterna on an epic hero’s journey, through the living world, the underworld, and the immortal world, in order to retrieve the lost voice of her friend. Narration unfolds alongside a stunning papercut crankie (a long scroll wound onto two spools that illustrates the story as it unwinds) and is accompanied by a live original klezmer music score.  This project is part of the Pay It Forward program, made possible by generous funding from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts - ValleyCreates, Greenfield Savings Bank, Peak Performance Roofing, Delap Real Estate, Finck and Perras, Tandem Bagel Co and individual donors.  The Magid Ensemble (magid, meaning “storyteller” in Yiddish) – a new collaboration featuring award-winning klezmer musicians and composers Mattias Kaufmann, Raffi Boden, and Rachel Leader, Yiddishist and storyteller Weaver, and visual artist Kiah Raymond. The Magid Ensemble explores the interplay of sound, story, light, and shadow to create expressive and immersive storytelling landscapes. https://www.cityspaceeasthampton.org/all-events/#/events/113528 AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES K and E Theater Group is casting is our Spring 2025 production Spring Awakening Based on Frank Wedekind’s groundbreaking and controversial play (once banned in Germany), Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s brilliant rock score and searingly emotional book take the story of sexual awakening, youth revolt, and self-discovery into a new century. Audition Date & Time Saturday, September 14, 2024 Sunday, September 15, 2024 In-Person and By Appointment from 6-9 PM on both evenings Callbacks Date October 5, 2024 - 1-6 PM Location - Audition and Callbacks First Congregational Church of Southampton 212 College Highway, Southampton, MA 01073 SEEKING strong actors, singers and movers to play principal and featured roles in our production. Please visit KETG.org/auditions for cast breakdown of available roles. Please prepare a song in the style of the show that shows off your acting and vocal range. Please bring your book in case we need to hear additional material. If you have a headshot and resume please bring it. To audition and perform, all performers and production team members must be fully vaccinated, and have also received their first booster against COVID-19. Masks are optional during in-person auditions, callbacks, and rehearsals. If you have a headshot and resume please bring it. A small stipend will be provided at the end of production. If you have any questions, please email auditions.ketg@gmail.com. SIGN UP FOR AUDITION SLOT TIME at www.tinyurl.com/ketgspringauditions. PRODUCTION DETAILS First rehearsal – January 2025, with rehearsals generally on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Show run – March 28-30 and April 3-5, 2025 (8 Performances) at Northampton Center for the Arts in Northampton Directed by Eddie Zitka Music Director by Devi Badea Please visit KETG.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok! Arena Civic Theatre Auditions for Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol September 18, 2024 at 6:00 PM September 19th 2024 - 6:00 PM The Brick House Community Resource Center in Turners Falls 24 3rd St, Turners Falls, MA 01376 Arena Civic Theatre is holding auditions for its winter production of A Christmas Carol, adapted from the classic Charles Dickens tale. We are seeking adult actors aged 16 and older (to appear 18+) as well as 1-2 children aged 6-12. All roles are open, and actors of all experience levels are encouraged to audition. Auditions will be held on Wednesday, September 18th and Thursday, September 19th from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM at The Brick House Community Resource Center in Turners Falls (24 3rd St, Turners Falls, MA 01376). Rehearsals will begin at the end of September, with performances scheduled for the weekends of December 13-15 and 20-22. No preparation is required for the audition, and actors will be asked to read from the script. This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a cherished holiday tradition and to bring to life the timeless characters of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the spirits of Christmas. We welcome all who are interested in joining us for this festive production to attend. Amherst Community Theater Auditions for Newsies! Friday, September 20 from 6:00 pm to 9:15 pm Saturday, September 21 from 10:00 am to 12:15 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:45 pm Sunday, September 22 from 10:00 am to 12:15 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:45 pm Callbacks will be on Monday, September 23 from 6:00-9:00 pm Amherst Middle School https://amherstacts.org/auditions/ Amherst Community Theater is pleased to announce auditions for ‘Disney’s Newsies’, Directed by Megan Healey with Musical Direction by Cindy Naughton and Choreography by Sue Dresser. Set in turn-of-the century New York City, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged "newsies." When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what's right! Based on the 1992 motion picture and inspired by a true story, Newsies features a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman and a book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots). Featuring the now classic songs “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe,” Newsies is packed with non-stop thrills and a timeless message, perfect for the whole family and every audience. 9 performances in January, 2025! Actors, singers, and dancers ages 7-107 are encouraged to audition! WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Spend your summer Saturdays at LAVA with new free art, music and theater! WHAT: summer@lava: free visual and performing arts and workshops all summer long WHEN: every Saturday midday, June 22–September 28 WHERE: The LAVA Center, 324 Main St., Greenfield https://thelavacenter.org/summer/  Join The LAVA Center in downtown Greenfield every Saturday this summer for art, music and theater! Our “summer@lava” series features new visual and performing arts and workshops, and happens every Saturday midday, so you can come after your weekly trip to the farmers market, and then hit up the rest of downtown’s cafes, restaurants, library, bookstores and shops afterwards! And best of all — all summer@lava programming is all FREE, funded by the Crossroads Cultural District and the Mass Cultural Council. Improv workshops Join local improv veteran Henry Balzarini every 2nd and 4th Saturday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., all summer through September for free improv workshops! Using improv games, we will become a fast thinking, in the moment, loose goose brigade. September 14: 2nd Saturdays are for experienced improvisers to join in, share games, and brainstorm. September 28: 4th Saturdays are for everyone! — all are welcome, from brand-newbies to the most seasoned veteran, for a series of new improv games every time. Our summer@lava programming is FREE, funded by the Crossroads Cultural District and the Mass Cultural Council. Donations are always welcome! We are pleased to announce the launch of PIC Kids' Creative Workshop for Homeschoolers coming to Bombyx this fall! Registration now open This program offers young artists a chance to connect with other artistically minded kids for free play, theater games, and collaborative creation. Through a series of fun and creative activities, the participants will have the opportunity to work together as an ensemble to create their own unique theatrical works. For Ages 7-12 Tuesdays, 12-3pm Oct 1-Dec 3 (10 sessions) Cost: $350 Instructor: Sarah Marcus Location: Peacock Room, Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, 130 Pine St, Florence Learn More and Register Submit your workshop, class, audition, performance, or any other theatre opportunity here! Western Massachusetts Theatre Companies Academy of Music Theatre Amherst Community Theater Arena Civic Theatre A.C.T. Youth Theatre Barrington Stage Company Berkshire Theatre Group Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Easthampton Theater Company Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Ghost Light Theater Great Barrington Public Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center Human Agenda Theater Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater Mount Holyoke College Rooke Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Performance Project Phantom Sheep Players Play Incubation Collective Plays In Place Real Live Theatre Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare & Company  Shakespeare Stage Shea Theater Arts Center Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre South Hadley Players Spindrift Theatre St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Theater Between Addresses Theatre Guild of Hampden TheatreTruck UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Unity House Players Valley Light Opera Valley Players WAM Theatre Ware Community Theatre Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players Williamstown Theatre Festival World and Eye Want to know even more about events in Western Massachusetts and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Stagestruck ArtsBeat TV/Radio and News Column Local Theater Critic Max Hartshorne Copyright © 2024 Western Mass Theatre, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive the Western Mass Theatre Newsletter. This newsletter is published weekly on Thursdays and all information about upcoming performances and auditions is reader submitted. The newsletter is limited to information about theatre in Western Massachusetts. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences