Western Mass Theatre News November 7, 2024

Your source for theatre events in Western Massachusetts.

Western Mass Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser November 7-27, 2024 I hope you are all taking care of yourselves this week. This may feel like a stressful and uncertain time, and that only makes art more important. Maybe treat yourself to a show? The next issue will include events from November 14 - December 4. 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 Easthampton Theater Company - Auditions for On Golden Pond Nov 12 and 13 at 6:00 PM More Information and Sign Up Here Exit 7 Players presents Beauty and the Beast November 1-17 at Exit 7 Theater in Ludlow Tickets and More Information Valley Light Opera presents The McAdo November 8, 9, 10 at the Academy of Music  Tickets and More Information Greenfield Community College presents Love/Sick by John Cariani Nov 14-17, The Sloan Theater at GCC 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 Exit 7 Players Disney's Beauty and the Beast Performances:  Thu. Nov 7th 2024, 8:00 pm  Fri. Nov 8th 2024, 8:00 pm  Sat. Nov 9th 2024, 8:00 pm  Sun. Nov 10th 2024, 2:00 pm  Fri. Nov 15th 2024, 8:00 pm  Sat. Nov 16th 2024, 8:00 pm  Sun. Nov 17th 2024, 2:00 pm Exit 7 Theater, 37 Chestnut Street, Ludlow MA 01056 Based on the smash hit 1991 Disney animated feature and dating back to a late 18th-century classic French fairy tale, Disney's Beauty and the Beast tells the story of Belle, a beautiful and intelligent young woman who feels out of place in her provincial French village. When her father is imprisoned in a mysterious castle, Belle’s attempt to rescue him leads to her capture by the Beast, a grisly and fearsome monster, who was long ago trapped in his gruesome form by an enchantress. The only way for the Beast to become human once again is if he learns to love and be loved in return. There is a time limit, too: once a magical rose loses all of its petals, all hope will be lost and he will stay a Beast forever. The Beast’s enchanted household--populated by such beloved characters as Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Chip--watch anxiously as Belle and the Beast grow to understand and befriend one another. Their feelings grow ever deeper as the clock ticks and petals continue to fall off the enchanted rose--will they confess their love for one another before it is too late?  Featuring the talents of Maddy Oldenburg as Belle, Christopher Morey as Beast, Austin Kopp as Lumiere, John Scully as Cogsworth, Lila Dunk as Mrs. Potts, Trin Mutti as Chip, Lyndsey Raucher as Babette, Eleanor Tynan as Madame, Evan Garber as Gaston, Caden Boeri as Lefou, Joe Lessard as Maurice, John Woytowicz as Monsieur D'Argue, Lauren Bailey, Antonio Mutti, Haley Thompson and Joana Tulik as the Silly Friends, Zachary Ciano, Grace Peltier and Deanna Weech as the Featured Dancers, and Florry Arnold, Ben Crowe, Andrei Danilchenko, Kevin Grady, Alora Machuca, Matthew O’Reilly, Tim Tynan, Marissa Warren, and Joe Wilcox as the Villagers and Castle Staff.  Direction by Krystle Bernier  Music Direction by Benjamin Maniscalchi  Choreography by Sarah Devine  Stage Managed by Ben Cantwell and Kel Fellows  Costumes by Sue Dubois and Karen Webb  Set by Francisco Aquas and Kyle Maskell  https://tinyurl.com/6y333dwu MAJESTIC THEATER PRESENTS A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN  NOVEMBER 7 – DECEMBER 1 West Springfield’s Majestic Theater will present A Moon for the Misbegotten, Eugene O’Neill’s final and most personal play, onstage October 24 through December 1.  Set on a dilapidated Connecticut farm, the play focuses on Josie, a woman commanding and tough outside, sensuous and sensitive inside and Jamie Tyrone, a dissipated former actor with an astonishing capacity for alcohol. Josie’s father, Phil Hogan, a tenant farmer, suspects that Jamie intends to sell the farm to a hated neighbor and sets a plan in motion to bring Jamie and Josie together. This American classic play is a requiem about being able to love and be loved with a unique blend of comedy, tragedy, autobiography and imagination. The play will be directed by James Warwick.  Danny Eaton is producing director, and Sue Dziura is associate producing director.  Stephen Petit is production stage manager, and the associate production manager is Aurora Ferraro.  Chelsie Nectow is the stage manager, Greg Trochlil is the scenic designer, and the lighting designer is James MacNamara.  Costume design is by Dawn McKay and Alan Schneider is technical director. The cast includes Sue Dziura (Josie Hogan), J. T. Waite (Phil Hogan), Jay Sefton (James Tyrone, Jr.), Mike Hogan (Caleb Chew) and Tom Dahl (T. Stedman Harder).  Understudies include Tom Dahl, Myka Plunkett and Max Weinberg. Tickets to the show range from $35-$38 and can be purchased in person at the box office or by calling (413) 747-7797.  Box office hours are Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  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 Valley Light Opera The McAdo 11/8 at 7:30 p.m.; 11/9 and 11/10 at 2:00 p.m. Academy of Music in Northampton The McAdo, or The Town of Ballydew, is Valley Light Opera’s newest production. See Gilbert & Sullivan as you’ve never seen it before! Set in the Highlands of Scotland, it tells the story of a wandering minstrel and the dainty maiden he loves, a tailor who became the Lord High Executioner and the McAdo who leads them all. VLO is bringing new life to this wonderful operetta with beautiful voices, lively dancing, sumptuous costumes, and lots and lots of humor.  Originally created by Gilbert and Sullivan Austin, this show avoids issues with The Mikado by setting the production in Scotland and using different names for places and characters.  We invite you to an evening of laughter, merriment, kilts, and happy endings. Valley Light Opera has drawn talent from all over New England throughout its 49 year history. It brings light and comic opera to life in fully staged productions that include stunning costumes, intricate and engaging sets, and rollicking song and dance routines. Unlike “grand” opera, light opera generally involves comical situations that lead to a happy ending. They are filled with witty spoken dialogue, beautiful songs, and lively footwork. The focus is on the story-telling and, especially for Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, there is almost always a central role for the chorus.  This production is helmed by Jacqueline Haney as Stage Director, Aldo Fabrizi as Music Director, and Emily Moner as Choreographer. aomtheatre.com There will be a pre-show talk for all ages at 1:00 p.m. on matinee days by Michael Greenebaum, a founding member of VLO, about The Mikado and The McAdo for all tickets holders to that day's matinee. Wilbraham United Players One Slight Hitch 11/8, 11/9, 11/15, 11/16 at 7:30PM; 11/10, 11/17 at 2:30PM Wilbraham United Church Fellowship Hall Stage at 500 Main St, Wilbraham, MA 01095 Tickets are now on sale for the Wilbraham United Players upcoming production "One Slight Hitch". Tickets may be purchased online at www.wilbrahamunitedplayers.org.  Written by Lewis Black, this very funny farce takes place in a mid-west home in the 1980's. The Coleman's daughter, Courtney, is getting married. Delia, her mother, has all the wedding details, including her relaxed husband, Doc, in hand, when Courtney's ex-boyfriend, Ryan, shows up at the door. Chaos ensues as Doc, along with younger daughters Melanie and PB attempt to keep Ryan out of sight of the rest of the family and groom, Harper.  *Contains mature language  Premium seating tickets are $25. Regular seating is $22 with a $5 discount for Students and Seniors. Tickets Tickets are still on sale for Leonora, la maga y la maestra Preview: November 8 at 7:30 Performances: November 13 - 17 at 7:30   Tickets are still available for the latest iteration of Leonora, la maga y la maestra, conceived and directed by DE Founder and Vision Strategist Stacy Klein. Inspired by the visual art, writings and life of British-born Mexican artist Leonora Carrington and her mentorship of a long line of male artists, this surreal performance unfolds an encounter between Leonora and Adán (everyman) and portrays the magic, mystery, and humanity found in Carrington’s work. "a peek into an expansive world -- a hallucinatory symbol-heavy tour of Carrington's fervid mind" -New York Times, Critic's Pick Tickets Greenfield Community College Love/Sick by John Cariani Nov 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 @ 7:30pm and Nov 17 @ 2pm The Sloan Theater at GCC From the playwright that brought us the award-winning play ALMOST, MAINE comes LOVE/SICK by John Cariani at GCC’s Sloan Theater. Eighteen actors make up this full-length play of nine slightly twisted and completely hilarious stories about the joy and pain of being in love. gccfor.me/lovesick OUR TOWN By Thornton Wilder Directed by Behnam Alibakhshi Nov. 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23 at 7:30 p.m. | Nov. 20 at 10 a.m. | Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. The Curtain Theater $5 students, seniors, Card to Culture, $17 general admission “Our Town” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com Content advisory: alcohol use and smoking, discussions of death. Recommended for children age 12 and up Tickets on sale through the Fine Arts Center Box Office (413-545-2511 and online), as well as at the door on the night of the show (subject to availability). To make our shows more affordable, we offer Card to Culture pricing for qualifying patrons. Finding the profound in the everyday UMass Theater presents Our Town, a timeless play about what's important. Do we appreciate the present moment as we should? That's the question to which director Behnam Alibakhshi returns over and over as he contemplates Thornton Wilder's Our Town. This American classic, which runs Nov. 15-23 in the Curtain Theater at UMass Theater, conveys the profundity of ordinary human experiences, something Alibakhshi feels we need more than ever in our current moment. "Life's inherent brutality often prevents us from fully understanding and enjoying simple, ordinary moments," says Alibakhshi. "The play draws attention to the fact that we don't need more brutality; we don't need to further complicate our lives." Our Town is a play in three acts that follows the journey of two main characters, Emily and George, from childhood to marriage and eventually death. Along the way, we also get to know other citizens of Grovers Corners, NH, as they encounter their own milestone moments in life. In Our Town a stage manager frames and comments on the action, and the production design is minimal, with actors miming where they might otherwise use props. The production creates what dramaturg Pedro Eiras describs as a "timeless" effect. "While our version will be timeless, it will gesture toward the past—not any specific past, but rather an idea of the past. Time is fluid, and the circle of life is eternal. Our version of Our Town could take place 100 years ago, it could take place now, or it could take place 100 years in the future." Alibakhshi notes that Wilder wrote the play in 1938, a time of global upheaval between two wars — and with the conflicts happening currently around the world, we might be uniquely positioned to appreciate Wilder's simple, immersive, and deeply resonant message. Our Town is presented in the Curtain Theater, a intimate space, so make your reservation now before performances sell out! Tickets and More Information CitySpace Pay It Forward Series: Grotesque Burlesque Friday, November 15 at 8:00 PM Saturday, November 16 at  8PM 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA 01027 Educator, activist, and performer, Lex Grotesque, presents Grotesque Burlesque on November 15-16, 2024, 8pm in CitySpace’s Blue Room at Old Town Hall at 43 Main St. Easthampton, MA. Advanced tickets are $20-$25 and $30 at the door. 18+  The Grotesque Burlesque will transform CitySpace’s Blue Room into an immersive dreamscape, inviting audiences to explore the intricate tapestry of the dream world and the beyond. This interactive, healing theater arts group features queer burlesque performance that welcomes audience engagement. Their latest work centers on the theme of dreams, inviting you to experience this emergent, evocative piece.  Lex Grotesque (aka Jupiter Returned) is a Black, transgender- nonbinary, queer, educator, activist, and witch. Lex specializes in somatic healing, process arts, contemporary dance movement, theater arts, and curriculum development. Co-founder of Moon Prism Arts Collective; a queer makerspace & arts community in Easthampton, Ma & Literacy Educator and Teacher.  This project is part of the Pay It Forward Series. https://www.cityspaceeasthampton.org/all-events/#/events/113453 The Holyoke Community College Theater Department presents Polaroid Stories, by Naomi Iizuka  Directed by Rose Schwietz Malla  Thursday November 21st 7:30pm  Friday November 22nd 7:30pm (ASL Interpreted)  Saturday November 23rd 2:00pm  Saturday November 23rd 7:30pm  All performances will be in the Leslie Phillips Theater on the campus of Holyoke Community College  303 Homestead Ave. Holyoke MA, 01040 [Fine and Performing Arts Building, 2nd floor]  Tickets:  HCC Students Staff and Faculty $5.00  General Admission $10.00  Seniors $8.00  Tickets available 1 hour before show, at the Leslie Phillips Box Office, or by calling 413 552 2528 to reserve tickets.  This show is appropriate for audience members 13 years of age and older. Contains: Strong language, references to prostitution and sexual violence, staged violence. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES The Harlot Queens Auditions for 2025 Season Online through December 1, 2024 Seeking female/non-binary identifying singers/musicians: The Harlot Queens is a professional comedic musical group that travels around New England and beyond performing both traditional family-friendly and bawdy tavern-style songs at renaissance faires, festivals, and more. For our 2025 season we are looking to add a second guitar player, a percussionist, as well as a dynamic singer/actor. Compensation is based on availability and bookings. We highly value diversity, and encourage performers of color as well as members of the lgbtqia community to apply. For more information visit www.theharlotqueens.com  Click the link below to sign up. https://forms.gle/xEkE5jP47G6Y4rFz7 Easthampton Theater Company Nov 12 and 13 at 6:00 PM AUDITIONS! Easthampton Theater Company is excited to announce auditions for the first production of our 2025 season, the classic Tony and Drama Desk award-winning play On Golden Pond.  More information, character descriptions, audition requirements, appointment link and audition form are located at this link: https://forms.gle/w2hWCKvgaTQ9pfm3A  Directed by Jason Rose-Langston Produced by Michael O. Budnick  We are seeking six talented and dedicated actors - three portraying adult males, two playing adult females and one playing a teen boy, for the roles of Norman, Ethel, Chelsea, Bill, Billy Ray, and Charlie. All roles are open; no roles are precast.  Synopsis: Norman and Ethel Thayer return for another Summer together at their beloved family lake house on Golden Pond. It’s an idyllic New England paradise where the loons sing good morning and Charlie the mailman delivers the mail by boat. Norman, turning 80, is convinced it will be his last time at the lake. During the course of the summer, the couple are visited by their adult daughter, Chelsea, her new fiancé, Bill, and his 13-year-old son, Billy Ray. This warm-hearted story is a meditation on aging and the long-term family wounds that drive us away from each other, but also can bring us together. Themes include facing the ravages of time, bridging the generational divides, and finding connection in the most unlikely places. Ultimately, the play shows us how we confront and accept each other with wit, humor, and above all, love.  Performance dates: Weekends of March 14th and 21st, in Easthampton, MA Tech Week (mandatory) starts March 9th. Rehearsals start: December 15th, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons, with a break for the Holidays.  More information, character descriptions, audition requirements appointment link and audition form are located at this link: https://forms.gle/w2hWCKvgaTQ9pfm3A Auditions are by appointment only in the evening of November 12th or 13th with sign up information provided at the above link. Callbacks (if required) will be on November 20th in Easthampton.  Easthampton Theater Company is a production group created by Easthampton and nearby residents to bring quality community and regional theater productions to Easthampton and the Pioneer Valley. Its founding board and members are dedicated to establishing community-based live theater productions in Easthampton as a premier venue and destination for the region. Our recent productions include God of Carnage, Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song and The Man Who Came to Dinner. Our performance venues include Williston Theater and CitySpace in Easthampton. We can be found on the web at easthamptontheater.com  Easthampton Theater Company seeks volunteers! No community-based theater exists without the much appreciated work of theater lovers who are willing to provide their time and expertise. If you are interested in any aspect of theater production for On Golden Pond or future productions, such as tech, set design or building, ushering, marketing, or board membership, and you have time and skills to offer, please contact us at info@easthamptontheater.com https://forms.gle/w2hWCKvgaTQ9pfm3A Easthampton High School Drama Club is looking for 2 resourceful and reliable people. Both positions carry stipends. Neither person would be working alone. Amy is directing the production and will be providing support, especially with student communication and navigating the resources we have at the school. Quinn Renehan is the EHS shop teacher and he is teaching Stagecraft during the school day so many things can be started or finished there. Contact Amy Pawlus at apawlus@epsd.us Technical Director  The technical director is responsible for making sure that all of the set, prop, costume, lighting and sound elements are in place for the rehearsal and performance process. The technical director coordinates with the EHS shop teacher and stage director on material needs, budget and building strategies to run the Saturday set construction sessions from 10-2 during Mar/April. They will need to create job lists for student and parent volunteers and oversee work on set, prop and costume building and organization. The technical director should be available to oversee the run of the performances and the breakdown and disposal of the set as well as return any rental or borrowed items. This position comes with a $2500 stipend and requires at least 100 hours of time. Musical Conductor The musical conductor is responsible for teaching the students all of the music for the musical. Rehearsals usually happen between 2-4 usually one or two days a week. The cast focuses on learning the group songs early in the rehearsal process and then rehearsals for music are shorter and more focused on solos as the process continues. There is no live orchestra for this production. The musical conductor must be comfortable with the digital playback software for both rehearsal and performance purposes and needs to be available for rehearsals and performances to work with and/or train the sound board operator. The musical conductor should help with assignment of wireless microphones and placement of monitors or other audio related equipment. This position comes with a $1700 stipend and requires at least 60 hours of time. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Phantom Sheep Players Game On! Improv Workshops 11/11, 11/18 Unity House Players, 245 Porter Lake Dr, Springfield, MA Focusing on short form theater games with a different theme each week such as "storytelling", "guessing", "gibberish", "character swaps" and more. This is an all levels program perfect for those who are brand new to improv, as well as those experienced who want to develop their stage technique. Each person is challenged at their own pace. Facebook event $22 per week drop in rate. Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Sign up for Spring 2025 musicals Classes begin January 18, 2025 Mapleridge Community Center 659 Amherst Road, Sunderland, MA Aladdin Jr musical for grades 1-6 start January 18, 2025 every Saturday morning with performances at the Amherst Middle School auditorium March 22, 2025 Aladdin Jr. will be so much fun for the cast with expanded characters, new songs, and more thrills, this new adaptation of the beloved story will open up “a whole new world”. Class fee is $260, limited space, sign up at https://starlights-youth-theatre.org/register-portal/ Starlight classes are held at Mapleridge Community Ctr 659 Amherst Road, Sunderland, MA Financial Aid is available. No experience necessary.  Hello, Dolly! The musical for grades 7-12 , classes start January 18, 2025, every Saturday 11am with performances May 2 & 3, 2025 at The Academy of Music in Northampton. This Tony Award winner has some of the greatest songs in musical theatre history. Songs such as “Hello, Dolly”, “Put on your Sunday clothes”, “Before the Parade marches by”, and “It only takes a moment”, Besides the lead and supporting lead roles this show has a very active ensemble that fill the show with song and dance. Class fee is $295 Auditions Dec 7th but everyone will have a role. Sign up at https://starlights-youth-theatre.org/register-portal/ Starlight meets at Mapleridge Community Ctr 659 Amherst Road, Sunderland, MA Financial Aid is available. No experience necessary. Register Here. 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