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NEWSROOM * CIRCULATION * ADVERTISING
Friday
March 2010
12
Community Blogs
Auditions............... auditions
Du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du ...du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du, du....
I am so excited! Auditions for "Driving Miss Daisy" are rapidly approaching. We will hold them at West Allis Central Auditorium, 85th and Lincoln Avenue at 7 p.m. February 15 and 16. We are looking for three dynamic people -- one woman, age 50+, one man age 30+ and one Afro-American man, age 50+. All must be able to speak with a Southern accent. Our auditions will consist of readings from the script.
I have wanted to direct "Driving Miss Daisy" for a very long time. It is an incredible story and playwright Alfred Uhry won a Pulitzer Prize for his efforts. He also wrote the screenplay for the movie.
Most people are familiar with the movie and may be surprised to learn that the play only has three characters. Uhry wrote in the part of Boolie's wife, Florine, especially for the actress who played the part in the film, Patti Lupone. He also expanded the character of the maid, Idella -- portrayed in the film by Esther Rolle.
This story is a great look at a wonderful friendship -- one that began grudgingly and gradually -- but one that blossomed and spanned more than 25 years.
I hope that some of you reading this will be interested in trying out for the show. We can also use help in a number of behind-the-scenes capacities. Stop by and check us out.
“Where There’s a Will There’s a Relative.”
One of our board members, Mary Beth Topf, takes over our blog today. She has been busy directing a great show in Menomonee Falls.
I'd like to invite everyone to Falls Patio Players production of. “Where There’s a Will There’s a Relative.” What a fun show this has been to work on; plenty of farcical situations, humorous puns and strange characters. Death brings out the good or bad in families--tempers flare, emotions are raw, and family feuds can resurface often in the name of greed. And that is the same for the relatives of the deceased Sam Price--they claim virtue but in reality are greedy materialists, and the truth of their relationships is revealed as the show goes on.
In doing a little research, I found out that the title of our production is actually an anti-proverb, or an antonym to, or a play on, the original “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The characters have both the “wills,” that is, both the legal document of patriarch Sam Price and the desire to make something happen; and they have found a way to make circumstances flow to their advantage.
Show dates are 7:30 p.m. February 5, 6, 12 and 13. There is a 2 p.m. matinee on February 14. We perform at North Junior High School Auditorium on Appleton and Garfield, Menomonee Falls.
We hope you enjoy our production!
What do YOU suggest we do next?
The West Allis Players are starting to fashion our 2010-2011 season and so far we have come up with a number of interesting suggestions for the plays and musicals. Anyone out there have any ideas to contribute?
We generally do two straight (non-musical) shows and then our summer musical. The Children's Show series (we open with a non-musical "Beauty and the Beast" December 20) are not shows we pick out. These are shows other groups do and we simply provide a venue.
Anyway, if you happen to have a show you would like to see us do, drop us a line at our website and we will add it to our discussion list. Hopefully, our season will be set in time to be included in our spring show program. Our spring show, by the way, is "Driving Miss Daisy" so be sure to spread the word on that. We are very excited to be bringing this fantastic story to the stage and know it will be a real crowd pleaser.
When One Show Closes...
We finished our fall play and we are already working behind the scenes for our spring show, "Driving Miss Daisy." I am so excited to be directing this phenomenal production and I can't wait for auditions and rehearsals. Unfortunately, this does not happen until February -- and the show opens in April. More details later. Suffice it to say, we will be doing a huge promotion for this warm and fuzzy -- yet powerful -- production. This Pulitzer prize-winning play has not been done in the Milwaukee area for a while and this year is the 20th anniversary of its theatrical release.
In the meantime, a number of us are working on other shows. I have been approached about recreating my very first role -- that of Janet McKenzie in Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution" (West Allis Players 1993). A friend of mine -- also in the original show -- is doing the show in Indiana at the end of January and as this role is part of the courtroom scene, I will be able to do it with minimal rehearsal. Let's hope the winter weather cooperates on that commute!
SHOWTIME!!!
We don't know how Ruth Caves, one of our board members and the stage manager of our show, "Three Murders and It's Only Monday," has time to even catch her breath, but she somehow found a few moments to jot down some of her thoughts:
If you had a childhood like mine murder mysteries were as common as cutting teeth. We had some great shows growing up; detectives were everywhere. “It was a dark and stormy night… Suddenly a shot rang out…. And then the screaming started” was surely the beginning to many an exciting tale.
Why not relive those days by coming to see the upcoming West Allis Players production “Three Murders and It’s Only Monday?" It is a hysterical farce on all those common cliché phrases and stereotypes found in those classic murder mysteries of days gone by. In this show, people are dropping like flies -- but who is the real murderer? A hard hitting private eye; a slinky dame that oozes across the room and into your hearts; the high society broad that knows all, but really knows nothing ; the pushy neighbor who knows more than she tells. You can find them all in this show. Will you remember all the clues and figure out who the killer is before everybody dies? Come see the show, opening on October 2nd and start your Halloween season off with a bang….or two.
Thanks, Ruth. She will be sharing more insight into her backstage world in future blogs.
"Three Murders and It's Only Monday" runs October 2, 3, 9 and 10. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Our theater is the West Allis Central Auditorium, 85th and Lincoln. There is street parking and a parking lot just west of the theater across the street. Hope to see you all there!!!
Three Murders and It's Only Monday
The West Allis Players will be opening the 2009-2010 season, our 40th anniversary year, with the murder mystery spoof, "Three Murders and It's Only Monday." The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. and show dates are October 2, 3, 9 and 10.
This is a real laugh-out-loud mystery spoof. The setting is a sanitarium and three people are murdered in rapid succession. The police send out one of their finest detectives, a man named Monday to investigate. What makes this show so cool is that Monday takes breaks from the onstage goings on to comment to the audience (in theater terms, this is called breaking the Fourth Wall -- the other three walls being the three physical sides of the stage, but then you may already know that.) Anyway, Monday, then steps back into the action without missing a clue -- or does he?
The show is filled with mistaken identities, of course, along with many other surprises -- plus an ending that you will NOT see coming. The dialogue is fast and clever and while you may not have heard of this show before, you will definitely be telling others about it!
Tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors 60+ and students and $8 for children. Our theater is at West Allis Auditorium, 85th and Lincoln.
Latte Cafe's Cabarets
Latte Cafe a sponsor of The West Allis Players will be holding one of their fall Cabarets featuring local talent youths from The Greater Milwaukee Area. Performances will be Thursday September 17t at 7:00 PM and Saturday September 26th at 2:00 PM. Latte Cafe is located at 13780 W Greenfield Ave Brookfield WI.
The last time that I attend one of their cabarets I was impressed with the variety to musicians and the talent that these local performers have, hope you can stop by and enjoy the show. Space is limited so I would suggest to arrive early
Settlers' Weekend
West Allis is a pretty large city, but in its early days, it was a tiny community. The city is going back to those roots this weekend as it celebrates the 4th Annual Settlers' Weekend at the West Allis Historical Society, 8405 W. National Ave. West Allis. The festivities run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 29 and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, August 30. Admission is free.
Visitors will step back in time as they visit early West Allis -- once called North Greenfield. They can visit a general store, see the blacksmith shop and pioneer room and experience an 1880s class room -- complete with old school bell. Mountain men and trappers from the 19th century will be on hand to tell their tales. The Historical Society building is chockablock with antique tools, dolls and other artifacts from the beginnings of the town. There will also be guided tours of the adjoining Honey Creek Cemetery -- led by one of the town's "early citizens." Honey Creek, founded in 1849, has five Civil War soldiers and is still an active cemetery.
There will also be an ice cream social and other fun activities.
This late summer get-together is sponsored by the West Allis Historical Preservation Commission. Come and see West Allis life in the days gone by!
"Julie and Julia"
Theater people do go to movies and I was very eager to see Meryl Streep's latest, "Julie and Julia." I was not disappointed. I do, however, disagree with a number of other reviews on one aspect of this film.
Meryl Streep as Julia Child is delightful, delicious, de-lovely -- and any other de-adjective Cole Porter might have chosen. Her scenes with Stanley Tucci, as Paul Child, are film chemistry to the max. This storyline could have carried the entire movie.
However, it does not. Half of the movie takes place 50 years later and features Julie and Eric Powell, as portrayed by Amy Adams and Chris Messina. Julie Powell, working for an government agency dealing with the traumatic post-9/11 survivors and victims' families, is a frustrated writer. Cooking is her outlet and she decides, within a year's time, to make every recipe in Julia's ground-breaking cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Julie starts a blog about it and slowly gains readers and a real obsession.
Most movie critics feel the film soars when focused on Julia (IT DOES!) and drags when focused on Julie. Here I disagree. The juxtaposition of each woman's story is well done and interesting on its own merits. Julia goes to cooking school because she has nothing to do while her husband continues to serve the US government in post WWII France. Julie begins her cooking mission as a creative outlet. The two tiny references to Julia and Paul's inability to have children are poignant and touching. The trouble Julie has completing her self-appointed task is more pronounced. But this is a great example of how the film treats the lives of both women.
The movie is based on Powell's book, "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen." There are also references from Child's book, "My Life in France." And, of course, the classic, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," which she writes with two other women. (That did not go very smoothly, as you will see!)
What I also found interesting -- and this was information made public long before the movie opened -- was that Julia was aware of Julie's blog -- and did NOT like it! She felt Julie was not serious enough in her devotion to the task and disapproved of her frequent use of profanity.
As for me, I immediately ordered my copy of the cookbook as well as Julia's book. I am taking her autobiography with me as my husband and I travel to Virginia and will tackle the menus when we return. (All Julia's instructions and explanations have already piqued my interest.) After you have seen the movie, you will understand why my first recipe must be Boeuf Bourguignon. Bon Appetit!
Auditions for: Three Murders and It's Only Monday
The West Allis Players will be holding open auditions for our next production of:
Three Murders and It's Only Monday
on
West Allis Central Auditorium
8516 West Lincoln Avenue
Cold reading from script; 9 men 5 women; Ages 18+
Performances are October 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th 2009
This is a cool murder mystery spoof with a number of great parts and plot twists. There are fantastic acting challenges here! Plus, you get to work with director Mary Beth Topf -- always a plus!
Beauty and the Beast -- Merci!
Wow.
I don't know how else to describe our production of "Beauty and the Beast." We had more than 1,800 people come to see our show and we are so deeply grateful. Kudos to director James Lentz, Jr. choreographer Amie Ferrante, Musical and Vocal Director/Conductor Megan Justman Sweeney, Stage Manager Ruth Caves and every member of our talented cast and crew. (My contribution? Did you see Gaston's crony, the one with the black pants and red vest? Yeah, well, I sewed his shirt.) Set strike happened Monday night and while it was sad to see the castle taken down, it was one more chance for the cast and crew to share memories. Once again, my contribution was limited to helping sort costumes because, frankly, no one wants me anywhere near power tools. I'm fine with that.
There are still a lot great theater productions this summer. I will be seeing Off the Wall's production of "Sweeney Todd" this weekend. I've heard that tickets are going fast.
As for the West Allis Players, we are not resting too long on our laurels. Auditions for our fall show (yes, summer is going by very fast) will be August 17 and 18. The show, a murder mystery spoof, "Three Murders and It's Only Monday," will be presented October 2,3,9 and 10. Come and help us celebrate our 40th anniversary during the 2009-2010 season!
We're on YouTube!
Our "Beauty and the Beast" opened last week to standing ovations and huge crowds. This is the last weekend to see our enchanted production.
Visit the behind the scenes clip at http://www.villageplayhouse.org/beautybeast.htm.
See you at the theater -- and thanks so much for being our guests!
By the way, here is our 2009-2010 40th Anniversary season:
- Fall 2009 "Three Murders and it's Only Monday." A murder mystery spoof directed by Mary Beth Topf.
- Spring 2010 "Driving Miss Daisy." The beautiful story of an unlikely friendship directed by Katherine Beeson -- hey, that's me!
- Summer 2010 "Jesus Christ Superstar" directed by Mary Beth Topf.
Our Children's Series will be announced at a later date.
"Be Our Guest!"
We are so proud to announce our summer show, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast!" Opening night is July 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have a cast of almost 90 talented actors, singers and dancers and this production is phenomenal!!! Director James Lentz, Jr. has put in many tiny touches that bring so much to this tale of love. I enjoy watching musicals like this just to see all the special bits included. Just watch the opening sequence and you will know what I mean! Every cast member brings something to each scene -- the village is alive, the castle truly enchanted. And I may have said this before, but I don't care -- this show has the BEST line in musical theater EVER -- "I use antlers in all of my decorating!" It doesn't get any better than this.
Show dates are 7:30 p.m. July 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th and 2:00 p.m. July 12 and 19.
July 12th and 19th 2:00 PM
We are located at West Allis Central Auditorium, 8516 W Lincoln Ave. Tickets are sold at the door. Our box office opens one hour before show time. We are air-conditioned!!!
July 12th and 19th 2:00 PM
We are located at West Allis Central Auditorium, 8516 W Lincoln Ave. Tickets are sold at the door. Our box office opens one hour before show time. We are air-conditioned!!!
Steve will be working the box office for every performance and I will be there the second weekend. Be sure to say hi and let us know you are reading our blog!
WOW!
That is all we can say at this point about West Allis Players' auditions for "Beauty and the Beast." We had more than 200 talented people come out and we want to thank them all.
Our director, James Lentz, Jr. is now huddling with his production staff and making the very difficult decisions as to whom to cast. This will be a blockbuster show -- with a cast hovering around 80 -- and James has so many fantastic ideas.
Suffice it to say, this will be the don't miss show of the season! We open July 11. More details later.
By the way, this is our 40th anniversary and we will be announcing our 2009-2010 season very soon so stay tuned!
We Are In Rehearsals
The West Allis Players' rehearsals of "Beauty and the Beast" are in full swing five days a week. Director James Lentz, Jr. cast more than 90 talented individuals and we are so excited. Although other commitments meant that I could not audition, I listened to a musical rehearsal and I thought it was amazing. And this is just Week Two!
There are a number of West Allis residents in the cast, starting with Nick Zajdel who plays The Beast. Theater regulars may remember him from last year's musical, "All Shook Up."
Bobby Schmeling plays Cogsworth, Gene Schuldt is D'arque and Ryan Krueger is one of the Cronies.
These West Allis singers and dancers are part of the Ensemble: Jenny Anderson, Ashley Bruski, Anne Clark, Allison Drury, Maureen Georgesen, Tim Jesse, Catlin Koller, Allison Koller, Christian Koller, Anna Lewein, Don Mulholland, Francesca Steitz and Kristin Walters. Our board member -- and brand new West Allis resident -- Ruth Caves is our Stage Manager.
We also picked our 2009-2010 season that officially starts in the Fall. Details will be announced soon. This year we celebrate our 40th anniversary and are always so grateful for everyone who comes to see our shows. Thanks for letting us entertain you!
Our Show Opens!!!
West Allis Players is proud to present our spring show, "A Murder is Announced." This Agatha Christie thriller runs at 7:30 p.m. April 17, 18, 24 and 25 at West Allis Central Auditorium, 85th and Lincoln Ave.
This final week -- tech week -- is when it all comes together. The acting, costumes, lighting, sound, set and props all appear through the efforts of a fantastic backstage crew. Our stage manager, Ruth Caves and props mistress, Beth Bland are busy coordinating all the unseen jobs that are so important to the show. (So far, my extra jobs -- in addition to my role -- involve striking the book and newspaper and setting the cigarette box. Got it.) We also have to be careful not to disrupt any drying paint and walk around any working tech people who may be on stage.
Don't forget to use your Entertainment Book coupon which will give you the buy-one-get-one bonus. In addition, any moneys realized from our intermission sales goes to our scholarship fund. This spring one student from Central and another from Nathan Hale will receive a stipend toward their college expenses.
We hope you come to see "A Murder is Announced." If you have been reading our blogs but have never seen one of our shows, this may be the perfect time to check us out. We also hope you patronize our advertisers. Their support is very important to us.
Now, on with the show!
Our guest blogger: James Lentz Jr.
James Lentz is our director for our next production "A Murder Is Announced"
Director’s Notes Dear Friends, A Murder is Announced is a classic murder mystery set in post World War II England. In this story, the many motives for murder are included. From greed, to jealousy, and of course passion, this story has it all. The only question is which of the suspects have which motives, and which of these are enough to lead to murder. Please join Inspector Craddock and the enigmatic Miss Marple as they match wits with the person or persons responsible in a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The above is, of course, a classic teaser for promotional use but is never the less accurate. I was very excited by the prospect of directing a mystery play, since mysteries were among my favorite stories for as long as I can remember. Staying up late on Sundays to see the mystery show on PBS was the perfect way to start the week, or end the weekend. From Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, to Sherlock Holmes and Ellery Queen, this genre has been an important part of my life. I am proud now to help bring to you this story, in which every character is important and every nuance relevant. Whether the ending is a surprise, or the savvy among you get it right off, I hope you enjoy this performance as thoroughly as we have enjoyed bringing it to you. James Lentz Jr.DirectorHope to see at one of the performances at April 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th 2009 7:30 PM (Box Office opens at 6:30 PM) at
West Allis Central Auditorium 8516 W Lincoln Ave West Allis, WI.
Mention our blog and receive an discount off the ticket price. (not to be included with any other discount)
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-->Interested in Theater?
West Allis Players is proud to announce our first $250.00 scholarship! This award will be given to one student from West Allis Central High School and one student from Nathan Hale High School. This scholarship will be awarded based on a student's participation in any aspect of a theater production, from acting to backstage work to designing and painting sets to working on a show's programs.
If you are interested in being considered for one of these scholarships please see your guidance counselor at you high school and submit your application by April 1st.
Good luck
"A Murder is Announced" -- at MY House
The director of our spring show has cast the production -- and I was lucky enough to snare the lead! This is a fantastic murder mystery -- one of Agatha Christie's best. The synopsis of the story is thus: An ad runs in the local village paper to say that a murder will be committed in the home of Letty Blacklock (me) later that evening. The day just happens to be a Friday the 13th. A number of neighbors read the ad and drop in to see what might happen. Then the lights go out and...
We are in Week Two of rehearsals and it is very interesting to be sent back in time to the late 1940s in post-war England. It is also a pleasure to get to "meet" the legendary Miss Marple -- the amateur detective who will solve the crime. Miss Marple is being played by another Players' board member -- the talented Julie Valona.
These mysteries are known as "Cozies" -- meaning that in stories like these, the mysteries are solved by characters usually not in law enforcement. There is very little violence, profanity and gore.
In a few weeks, we will turn over our blog to the director, James Lentz, Jr., to get his take on bringing such a well-known and well-loved character to life and the challenges he faces in staging a Christie production. Our show dates are April 17,18, 24 and 25.
AUDITIONS!!!
We are holding our auditions for our spring show, "A Murder is Announced" at 7 p.m. on February 16 and 17 at West Allis Central Auditorium, 8500 West Lincoln Avenue. Five men and seven women ages 18 to 70 are needed. Auditions will consist of reading from the script. Information: (414) 299-0384. The show dates are April 17,18, 24 and 25.
I know it can be intimidating to come out for the first time and audition -- I did it back in 1993. It was also an Agatha Christie murder mystery and I was cast as the housekeeper who had to testify against the suspect in court. I was thrilled to be in the show but was afraid of making eye contact with my family and friends in the audience. My character comes onstage and sits in the witness box looking out over the seats. I solved my problem by asking everyone I knew not to sit in the first five rows. After that, the theater is too dark for us to see any audience members. It worked -- and I have been hooked ever since.
If you need a dose of courage before trying out, come on Monday night just to watch and then come back on Tuesday to audition. Many people do that and it provides just a little more security. Hope to see you there!
I also wanted to mention that I am a former reporter for CNI Newspapers and last week we lost our former managing editor, Mary Lou Stover. Mary Lou could be aptly described as a great old dame -- feisty, interesting and a lot of fun. She hired me back in 1994 and she stayed in touch with many of us after her 1998 retirement. I will miss her.
The opinions and views expressed by these writers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Journal Interactive, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Community Newspapers, or Lake Country Publications. www.westallisnow.com does not control, is not responsible for, and does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of, the postings on this Web log. Readers can report objectionable content by clicking here.
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