Theatre North Carolina

Upcoming Performances and "Just So Busy"

No matter how much I prepare myself mentally I'm never fully prepared for it to hit me, and when it hits, it hits hard. We all have them and some are worse than others. Sometimes they last for a few day, sometimes a few weeks and for some it's an ongoing way of life.

I'm talking about the busy times. Not the normal busy times, the REALLY busy times. People in my business (the business that is theatre) are always talking about how busy they are, and we usually are crazy busy. We are forced into insane deadlines because of lack of resources, we strive for the unimaginable because an artist imagined it and we love what we do. I've often worked several jobs at once or at jobs that required 70+ hours per week. I have even occasionally been paid for those hours! I know a lot of people who are always "just so busy", as if that wasn't just standard operating procedure for a theatre. Those people, for the most part, drive me crazy. They are on boards and committees and they promise to check that email as soon as they can... they just have so much to do! As if the rest of us aren't "just so busy" too.

No, I'm not talking about the "just so busy" type of busy, or the "always busy" life in theatre. I'm talking about knock-down drag-out busier than is humanly impossible busy. The busy that gives me the shakes, and I have a high capacity for getting things done! It happens about three times a year for me in my current job. Once in the summer for about a month when the beginning of the season is getting closer and closer and deals need to be done, planning needs to be wrapped up and materials proofed and edited. Once in the fall towards November and December when everything is due, and we are in the middle of the season. Then once in the early spring (is it spring yet), right before a major fundraiser and in the middle of about a dozen events. It's this "early spring" crazy that I now find myself. I'm swamped.

Why have I written all of this dear blog buddy? Just to let you know that I haven't fallen of the face of the earth and that I have every intention of blogging again ASAP. I'm "just so busy"! :)

OK, on to some shows I'm seeing... Honestly, not much coming up soon. Did I mention I was busy?

Tonight I'm going to the American Dance Festival Season Announcment Event! You should come! Then off to Raleigh tomorrow night for a show at Raleigh Ensemble Players called SLIENCED by Wildfire Theatre. Deets below!

**********

American Dance Festival
Season Announcement Event

Friday, March 19th - 7:30pm
The Cotton Room, Golden Belt

Be among the very first to learn which companies and choreographers will be presented this summer right here in Durham.

Don't miss:

• the 2010 season video montage
• dance party with your friends
• an informal dance showing by local youth
• valuable door prizes
• cash bar & other food options!

*******

SILENCED by Wildfire Theatre

March 18 - 21

Produced in Conjunction with Raleigh Ensemble Players

REP's Upstairs Studio at 213 Fayetteville Street

Silenced: Rhythm, Intensity, and Consequence examines the darker side of attraction and kinship, and what happens when we are placed in moments of extreme intensity and fear. The evening will be comprised of three different acts, each one dealing with a certain art form: Acrobatics, Music, and Theatre/Visual Art, but all are connected thematically.

Wildfire Theatre Company bursts into the Triangle theatre scene, in one of its first major public appearances, with an explosive night of art and entertainment in conjunction with the reputable and acclaimed alternative theatre, Raleigh Ensemble Players. Silenced: Rhythm, Intensity, and Consequence examines the darker side of attraction and kinship, and what happens when we are placed in moments of extreme intensity and fear. The evening will be comprised of three different acts, each one dealing with a certain art form: Acrobatics, Music, and Theatre/Visual Art, but all are connected thematically.

Our first act will feature The Musicians Royale from the North Carolina Renaisssance Faire, who will perform original music dealing beauty and history. Our second musician is Jon Sebastian from the local band Paper the Operator to give us some acoustic introspection and heart. In our second act, Nickolas Fields & Jeffrey Fowler together form Exentrik, an intense acrobatic duo who will tell a story of love and loss through spectacular feats of strength and agility. Our closing act will be the world premiere of an original work, MARKED, written by Carmen-maria Mandley. The show features Triangle theatre veterans Jesse R. Gephart, and Shawn Stoner. The piece tells the story of two men hiding from the new government, trying to preserve all forms of art in a single cell, and waiting for the footsteps outside that let you know when your end is near.

This piece will contain mature subject matter and is not recommended for young audiences.

CINDERELLA Enchants at North Carolina Theatre - April 10-18

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s

Cinderella
April 10-18, 2010

North Carolina Theatre

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh

North Carolina Theatre, the region’s only producer of professional Broadway musical revivals, opens its second production for the 2010 season – Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella – on Saturday, April 10th. Sponsored by ABB, it will run through Sunday, April 18th in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.

The “Enchanted” version of Cinderella features the same score by Rodgers & Hammerstein that audiences know and love, but has an updated book by Tom Briggs and more magical effects. Gabriel Barre mounted the National Tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring the late Eartha Kitt , Paolo Montalban and Deborah Gibson after the success of the Disney teleplay, and he will direct the North Carolina Theatre version as well.

“What excites me most about this production is the fun and contemporary language, the stronger connection made between the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella, and the addition of a bit of spice and a lot of strength to the character of Cinderella,” says Barre.

Paolo Montalban will star as “Prince Christopher.” He starred in the same role alongside the likes of music star Brandy, powerhouse Whitney Houston, Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander and several others in the hit Disney movie Cinderella. He also appeared on Broadway in Pacific Adventures, The King & I, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Man of La Mancha. Off-Broadway he was in various productions ranging from Two Gentlemen of Verona to Tears from Heaven.
 

Jessica Rush stars as “Cinderella” and recently has been on Broadway in Guys and Dolls and Gypsy. She replaced pop star Deborah Gibson in the National Tour of Cinderella, opposite Eartha Kitt, and was also in the First National Tour of Mamma Mia!.

Harriett D. Foy, who will play Cinderella’s “Fairy Godmother,” is known from Broadway’s The American Plan, Mamma Mia! and Once on this Island. She also has film and television credits including All Good Things, Law & Order, Rescue Me, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and One Life to Live.

Ticket Information

Tickets are $26-$76 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Walk-ups are also available at the North Carolina Theatre Box

Office. For groups of 10 or more, please call 919-831-6941 x6944. For more information on Cinderella, please visit www.nctheatre.com.

Shows I'm Seeing This Weekend! Drama, Comedy, Burlesque & the Mandolin!

Here's a list of the performances I'm seeing this weekend! Gonna be a good one! Four performances in three days! Eek!

*****

Limbo
by Declan Feenan

Burning Coal Theatre Company
March 11-21, 2010

Burning Coal’s ‘Wait ‘til You See This’ second stage series presents this haunting tale of a quiet young woman from Dublin who finally allows her workmates to take her out for a night on the town. There, she meets the man of her dreams .. or is he?

This suspenseful one-woman show by one of Ireland’s brightest young playwrights receives its American premiere at Burning Coal.

*****
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde

PlayMakers Repertory Company
March 3-21, 2010



Absolutely one of the funniest comedies in the English language. Wicked wit and dead-on social satire wrapped in a Victorian confection of dual identities, matters matrimonial and the provenance of a particularly pertinent handbag. Wilde's exquisitely delicious dialogue and hilarious turns of phrase are an irresistible delivery system for his subversive look at society. In the words of Wilde himself “A trivial comedy for serious people.”  And what tremendous fun to cap off our Mainstage season!

*****
When a Man Makes Love…
A Uncle Typhus Uncommon Burlesque

Common Ground
March 13, 2010



featuring
International Male Dual-Sensation, “Menvious”
The Exotic Dance Stylings of “M.I.L.F.”
Dana Marks as Nick Cave Does Leonard Cohen
Lucius Robinson’s Children’s Theatre of Cruelty in “The Further Adventures of Timothy Dentist”
Stand-Up-and-Spread-’Em Comedy by Annie Zipper
Another Death-Defying 80’s Video Reenactment by Rachel & the Klembots
Wil “Sexual Sunshine” Weldon, Screamin’ Geraud Hawkins and Dr. Tony Perucci, PHD.

All supported by our gentleman house band, Captain and Tunnell.
Children and the infirm will be escorted from the premises…

*****
The Miraculous Mandolin!
An Evening with Chris Thile

Winston-Salem Symphony
March 13, 14 and 16, 2010

This concert brims with virtuosity! Bach’s brilliant Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 celebrates the unconventional with a most unusual instrumental ensemble: trumpet, violin, flute, and oboe. Strings sing warmly in Tchaikovsky’s graceful Serenade, loved by audiences the world over since its premiere in 1880. And mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile offers a change of pace as he and the orchestra present the East Coast premiere of his newly commissioned Mandolin Concerto. A member of the progressive acoustic trio, Nickel Creek, and the bluegrass band, Punch Brothers, Thile will thrill you with his bold style and Grammy Award winning playing.

NCTC High School Play Festival Host Sites Needed

The North Carolina Theatre Conference is searching for host sites for the Central Region of the 2010 High School Play Festival, scheduled October 29/30 and November 5/6. The central region includes the following counties:

Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Granville, Guilford, Lee, Mecklenburg, Moore, Montgomery, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rowan, Rockingham, Stanly, Swain, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren
 
Would your school/company be interested in hosting?
 
Benefits of hosting include -
 
- The ability to show off your school and programs!
- The opportunity for great press exposure!
- A great learning opportunity for students - introduce your students to arts management and event planning!
- Service to your state theatre community and the future theatre artists and audiences of North Carolina!
- High Schools that host and participate receive one free play entry and save the expense of traveling!
 
The festival consists of 14-16 plays over two days. You and your space would need to be available from very early in the morning to very late at night. NCTC is not able to rent your space or pay any fees, but provides a small host stipend.  NCTC provides adjudicators and on-site representation from the NCTC board to assist you. The NCTC Executive Director would provide you with a host training packet and extensive phone training. The NCTC office also handles all registration and payment information.
 
You would need to provide the following:
 
- A proscenium theatre space with 300+ seats and backstage space that can accommodate at least 4 shows loading into a 10x10 space each
- A coordinator (teacher, faculty or staff member) that will be the point of contact with NCTC, will handle scheduling, will send out materials to schools, organize light/sound cue sheet, design and print the programs, and run the festival
- A crew of volunteers (some can be students) to serve as stage managers, time keepers, ushers, light/sound technicians, and liaisons to each school
- A basic lighting plot and sound system, and adults or advanced students to run the boards
- Programs - schools will email program pages to you upon registering for you to create copies of the program for each participant
 
Please contact angelahays@nctc.org if you might be able to host the festival. 

Farber Foundry Theater Company's MoLoRa at Duke

Farber Foundry Theater Company presents

MoLoRa

(An Adaptation of the Oresteia Trilogy)

Featuring the Ngqoko Cultural Group
Friday & Saturday, March 19 & 20, 8 pm
Duke Performances
Reynolds Industries Theater

This “mesmerizing” adaptation of Aeschylus’s Oresteia (Guardian UK) turns the ageless language of Greek tragedy toward a particularly modern object --South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee, when torturers and tortured confronted one another in open court. As a white Klytemnestra and a black Elektra speak testimony into dark spaces, a chorus of Ngqoko elders drones laments, an unceasing, split-tone indictment that is devastating and beautiful at once. In this tragedy for the global age, classical form and contemporary life come into contact, throwing off sparks that are appropriate, since in Sesotho, MoLoRa means “ashes.”

Alert: The Farber Foundry's performance includes scenes in which the actors smoke cigarettes on stage.

Presented in association with Duke University’s Theater Studies Department.
The Farber Foundry’s residency is made possible, in part, by a Visiting Artist Grant from the Council for the Arts, Office of the Provost, Duke University.

Breaking News! BILLY ELLIOT Comes to DPAC!

It's a good day for Durham and a GREAT day for Musical theatre lovers!

The 2009 TONY AWARD-WINNING BEST MUSICAL


Launches the second national tour in Durham!

Performances begin November 2, 2010
at the Durham Performing Arts Center!

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions bring the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical to the Triangle’s DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center from November 2-14, 2010.  Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical  has earned critical acclaim on Broadway including 10 Tony Awards.

Billy Elliot the Musical is the joyous celebration of one boy’s journey to make his dreams come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising passion that inspires his family and his whole community.

“On behalf of my fellow producers and the entire production team, we are delighted to be launching the second national tour of Billy Elliot the Musical at the Durham Performing Arts Center.  We look forward to presenting the show in this magnificent home for world-class live entertainment” said Eric Fellner, a producer of the show.

In addition to the Tony Award for Best Musical, Billy Elliot the Musical received the award for Best Direction of a Musical (Stephen Daldry); Best Book of a Musical (Lee Hall); Best Choreography (Peter Darling); Best Orchestrations (Martin Koch); Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Ian MacNeil); Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Rick Fisher); Best Sound Design of a Musical (Paul Arditti); Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish); Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Gregory Jbara).

 

The production has been awarded 73 national and international awards including ten Tony Awards, Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle.

Ben Brantley of the New York Times says that Billy Elliot “Sends audiences into a mass swoon!”  Time Out says it’s “The most electric and passionate show in years.”  The Daily News calls Billy “So exhilarating that you feel like leaping!” Liz Smith calls the show “Absolutely awesome,” The New York Observer raves that Billy is “The best thing to happen to Broadway in a long while,” and WOR’s Dave Richardson cheers, “All I can say is WOW!

Billy Elliot the Musical is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are Executive Producers. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

Additional information about Billy Elliot the Musical is available at www.billyelliotthemusical.com.

Billy Elliot the Musical will be the season opener of DPAC’s “Third Spectacular Season.” The SunTrust Broadway Series goes on sale beginning March 19th with two easy ways to purchase at DPACnc.com or 919-680-2787.  Season ticket holders receive special savings, the best seats, complimentary parking, flexibility, and payment plan options.  Visit DPACnc.com for more information on how to be the first to purchase the National Tour Debut of Billy Elliot.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at PlayMakers Rep

Hilarity takes the stage as PlayMakers Repertory Company concludes its 2009-10 main-stage season with
 Oscar Wilde’s comedy classic

The Importance of Being Earnest
March 3-21

The most enduringly popular of Wilde’s plays is hailed as one of the funniest comedies in the English language. Wicked wit and dead-on social satire are wrapped in a Victorian confection of dual identities, matters matrimonial and the provenance of a particularly pertinent handbag.

Photo by Jon Gardiner

In the words of the playwright himself, “a trivial comedy for serious people.” The New York Times called it “endlessly funny comedy … swift, sardonic repartee (that) ripples through the ages.”

“This play is pure enjoyment,” said Joseph Haj, PlayMakers producing artistic director. “But between the laughs Wilde’s dazzling wordplay delivers a subversive look at society’s hypocrisy.”

Photo by Jon Gardiner

PlayMakers’ production includes a casting treat, featuring company member Ray Dooley as the terrifying, imperious and altogether wonderful Lady Bracknell, a role usually played by great Dames, such as legendary British actresses Edith Evans and Judi Dench.

Photo by Jon Gardiner

All performances will be in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC’s Center for Dramatic Art on Country Club Road. Show times will be 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, and 2 p.m. Sundays. For a complete schedule, more information and to purchase tickets, call (919) 962-PLAY (7529) or visit www.playmakersrep.org. Tickets are $10 to $40.

LIMBO by Declan Feenan at Burning Coal Theatre Company

Burning Coal Theatre Company presents
(as part of the Wait 'Til You See This! series)
The United States premiere of

Limbo, by Declan Feenan



The play, directed by Joshua Benjamin, runs
March 11th - 21st
at the Meymandi Theatre at the Murphey School, 224 Polk St., Raleigh, NC.

ABOUT THE PLAY
Limbo is a tender and compelling story of a lonely teenage girl and her relationship with a much older man. The play centers on Claire, the seventeen year old narrator, as she traces the course of events-from her mundane days in the meat-processing plant, to her unexpected pregnancy-that have brought her to her current state of uncertainty. At once uplifting and heartbreaking, Limbo reminds us just how much power even the most fleeting relationships can have to completely change our lives.

This production will be the U.S. premiere of Limbo, which was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007. It will make Burning Coal Theatre only the second theatre in the United States (after Mind the Gap Theatre in New York City), to produce playwright Declan Feenan's work. Feenan, an up-and-coming Irish playwright, is currently under commission at the Bush Theatre, London, The Abbey Theatre, Dublin, and Prime Cut Production, Belfast.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Writer Declan Feenan was born in Newry, Northern Ireland in 1980. He is currently under commission at the Bush Theatre, and has been on attachment at London's National Theatre and The Royal Court Theatre. Limbo premiered at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival, presented by Colchester, England's Real Circumstance Theatre. Other plays include Catherine Medbh (Arcola Theatre, London, 2008), Lough (Underbelly, Edinburgh Fringe, 2008), Minsk (Bush Theatre, London, 2007, U.S. Premiere at Mind the Gap, NYC, 2008), St. Petersburg (Bush, London, 2008) and Volcano (Mind the Gap, NYC, 2009).

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Joshua Benjamin is a freelance director based in Mebane, N.C. He previously worked as an Assistant Director for Burning Coal's production of Way to Heaven (U.S. Premiere). Other directing credits include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Our Town, Beauty and the Beast, The Libation Bearers, Jean Anouilh's Antigone, Lux in Tenebris, The Elephant Calf, The Beggar, The Lady Aoi, Fighting, and an original adaptation of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. Joshua has a B.A. with a double major in Theatre and English from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

ABOUT THE CAST AND CREW
Limbo is a one-woman show featuring the actress Emilie Stark-Menneg. She recently appeared at Burning Coal in Much Ado About Nothing and Hysteria. Emilie is a graduate of Cornell University. She recently collaborated with a group of artists from Ithaca, NY and Manhattan on a production called BOP: The North Star, which premiered at Ithaca's Kitchen Door Theatre. BOP will be presented as part of Burning Coal's Wait ‘til You See This! series in 2011. Scenery and lighting for Limbo will be created by Chapel Hill's Rebecca Buck. Costumes are by Jordan Elizabeth Jaked of Chapel Hill. The production stage manager is Kylie McCormick of Raleigh.

Are You Ready For The Full Monty? Are You Ready For Sally Stuthers' Chicken?

I am! I've got tickets to see North Carolina Theatre's production of The Full Monty staring Sally Struthers and Ira David Wood! I'm going Saturday night! Hope to see you there!



Sally Struthers & Ira David Wood III

I'm also a little obsessed with this image of Sally Struthers' purse 'Pat'.

Yes, it's a chicken. I found this gem on the North Carolina Theatre blog. There's a lot of great stuff on the blog. Check it out! And check out The Fully Monty!

Performance Schedule:
Friday, February 26: Student Preview Night: 7 PM
Saturday, February 27: 8 PM
Sunday, February 28: 2 PM
Tuesday, March 2-Friday, March 5: 8 PM
Saturday, March 6: 2 and 8 PM
Sunday, March 7: 2 and 7 PM

All performances are in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.
 
There is great heart in The Full Monty as six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers come up with a bold way to make some quick cash. In the process they discover renewed self-esteem, the importance of friendship and the ability to have fun. As the guys work through their fears, self-consciousness and anxieties, they find the strength as a group to overcome their inner demons. Nominated for nine Tony Awards, The Full Monty is a feel-good musical with a modern and delightfully wicked sensibility.

ANONYMOUS SPONSOR UNDERWRITES TICKETS TO THE FULL MONTY FOR THE UNEMPLOYED

ART IMITATES LIFE IN THE FULL MONTY

ANONYMOUS CORPORATE SPONSOR UNDERWRITES TICKETS FOR UNEMPLOYED MEN

North Carolina Theatre is excited to open its 2010 season with The Full Monty, starring two-time Emmy award-winning actress, Sally Struthers and Raleigh favorite, Ira David Wood III. Directed by Matt Lenz, the show will run Saturday, February 27th through Sunday, March 7th in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. 

The Full Monty tells the story of six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers and their personal struggles as they search for work and self-esteem. This mirrors the current economic crisis that is hitting men much harder than women in the workplace, largely because male-dominated industries like construction and transportation are bearing the brunt of job losses. An anonymous corporate donor who understands the uplifting power of the arts, has generously underwritten tickets to unemployed men in the Triangle. NC Theatre has set aside 100 tickets for the Saturday, February 27th performance at 8 PM and the Sunday, February 28th performance at 2 PM.

Matt Lenz, director of The Full Monty, says “This show is about humanity. It's about 100% real people that we can all relate to -- and they are literally fighting for their lives and the relationships they value most. Terrence McNally's book manages to be enormously touching and hilariously funny at the same time, and the characters are so rich and so real. David Yazbek's fabulous rock score is astonishingly fresh, accurate and evocative of the place and the people he's making sing.”

In addition to Sally Struthers and Ira David Wood III, the show has an all-star cast including Tony Award-winner Jarrod Emick (Broadway’s Damn Yankees), Kingsley Leggs (Broadway’s The Color Purple, Miss Saigon), Julie Reiber (Broadway’s Wicked, All Shook Up), Angie Schworer (Broadway’s Young Frankenstein, Chicago, The Producers, Crazy for You), Joe Coots (National Tour of The Full Monty) and many more.

“For any man who has not been in our audience lately - this is the show for you! If you're out of work, we invite you to join us for an unforgettable night of theatre with guaranteed laughs and a renewed sense of hope and possibility - for free!" says Lisa Grele Barrie, President & CEO of North Carolina Theatre.

Download the Order Form Today
Visit www.nctheatre.com and fax it back to NC Theatre at 919-831-6951. The deadline for this is Thursday, February 25th at 4 PM, so act quickly.