Be sure to make your reservations for this wonderfully funny play that will make you laugh and warm your heart!

Transcription

1 IN JANUARY JOIN FREMONT COMMUNITY THEATRE. OVER THE TAVERN Fremont Community Theatre will open 2008 with the hilarious and heartwarming comedy Over the Tavern. Director and veteran FCT member Elizabeth Stetzel has been working diligently through rehearsals with her talented and hardworking cast and crew. The cast is lead by powerhouse talent and FCT stage veteran Michael PJ Foos as Chet Pazinski the tired and weary, head of the Pazinski household. Starring as his tough but loving wife Ellen is Tabitha Greer who recently made her phenomenal stage debut in Wait Until Dark. Annie Pazinski the couple s only daughter, a somewhat shy but boy crazy girl with an affliction for Twinkies is portrayed by Ashleigh Kosanka who was last scene in FCT s Meet Me in St. Louis. Son Eddie who is a typical teen-age boy with raging hormones will be portrayed by Matt Ingles last scene in FCT s West Side Story. Brandon Wurgess who has appeared in several FCT productions most recently West Side Story, portrays Georgie, the ever cheerful, much loved 13-year-old son who is mentally retarded. Cyrus Foos will play Rudy, the plays central figure and chief protagonist. This is Cyrus s first major role as well as the first time he and real life dad Mike Foos (Chet) have appeared on stage together. Rounding out the cast is another very talented FCT stage veteran, Karen Langley who takes on the challenging role as the tough as nails Sister Clarissa. The play takes place in the year 1959, in Buffalo, New York, where 12 year Rudy is in the 7 th grade at St. Casimir s Catholic School. Rudy is a smart, wisecracking kid who suddenly starts to question family values and the Roman Catholic Church. When he goes up against the ruler-wielding Sister Clarissa and announces that instead of being confirmed he d rather shop around for a more fun religion, all hell breaks loose. The whole family is drawn into the chaos making for some incredibly funny laughs, as well as a few tender moments on stage. Over the Tavern is a warm and hilarious look at family, growing up, and God. The shows equally hard working tech crew consists of the ever-talented Mitch Antesky who is serving as tech director and set designer. Mitch is hard at work turning the FCT stage into the cramped, late 1950 s Pazinski apartment situated over the family tavern. Along with directing, Liz Stetzel is also busy recreating the 1950 s costumes. Lighting designer Jim Gruss is working his usual electrical genius magic as lighting designer. Bob Bell is lending his talents as sound effects designer. Rounding out the tech crew and helping out wherever needed is assistant director Kathy Van Wey and stage manager Donna Wollenslegel. Be sure to make your reservations for this wonderfully funny play that will make you laugh and warm your heart! PERFORMANCE DATES: January 11, 12, 13*, 18, 19, 20*, 2008 TIMES: 8:00 PM & *2:00 PM RESERVATIONS: TICKET PRICES: ADULTS $12.00, SENIORS/STUDENTS $10.00 FOR MORE INFO VISIT THE FCT WEBSITE:

2 Tryouts for Love, Sex, & the IRS January 13-14, 7pm Tryouts for Guys & Dolls February 17-18, 7pm A wild farce with twists of fate, sight gags, mistaken identities, and hilarious comic lines. Jon Trachtman and Leslie Arthur are out-ofwork musicians who room together in New York City. To save money, Jon has been filing tax returns listing the pair as married. The day of reckoning comes when the Internal Revenue Service informs the "couple" they're going to be investigated. Leslie masquerades as a housewife, aided by Jon's fiancée, Kate. Complicating matters further, Leslie and Kate are having an affair behind John's back, Jon's mother drops in unexpectedly to meet her son's fiancée, and Leslie's ex-girlfriend shows up demanding to know why Leslie has changed and won't see her anymore. Written by: Billy Van Zandt and Jane Millmore Directed by: Judy Smith Cast: 5 males and 3 females Show dates: March 7-9, 14-16, 2008 Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight "mission doll" out to reform the evildoers of Times Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact that she's been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancée, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game. With a bright, brassy, immortal score that include the title song, "Luck be a Lady", "A Bushel and a Peck", "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat", as well as many other crowd-pleasing tunes. Book by: Abe Burrows & Jo Swerling Music/lyrics by: Frank Loesser Directed by: Randy J. Brown Cast: 15 males, 4 females, and a large singing/dance ensemble Show dates: May 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 2008

3 by Director Mitchell Antesky Our second production of the season WAIT UNTIL DARK, was a critical success despite some smaller than deserved attendance figures and showcased some of the finest in veteran and new talent on the FCT stage. New comer Tabitha Greer masterfully lead the cast as the young blind woman Suzy, who had to outwit FCT favorite Michael PJ Foos in the amazingly shocking, and oh-not-so funny, role of a sinister con-man and master of disguise named Roat. I personally can't recall seeing another climatic scene recently like these two gifted actors turned in on any community theatre stage. Despite some controversy over the pitch black darkness of some of the final moments, this is exactly what the author had intended to do, to place the entire audience in the same conditions that a blind person would had to live everyday. So for less than 2 minutes we all experienced what it would be like to be blind and out of our element and yes, maybe even very uncomfortable. By achieving this, the cast and crew did exactly what was required to bring an unfortunate but realistic life challenge to the stage. This is a task seldom attempted and more rarely achieved on a community theatre stage. Personally I think we should embrace and encourage more theatre that can challenge and expand the minds of both actors and audience members. (end of editorial rant from the director) Scott Havice also turned in one of the finest performances of his career with the complicated role of Mike, mixing honest moments of compassion with rage and greed. Pete Lowry brought a little comic relief to the other wise drama and mystery filled show with his sincere and lovable portrayal of a sometimes bumbling detective Carlino. Young Brook Walker conquered the role of bratty neighbor Gloria, with attitude and humor. Josh Sanchez was possibly too briefly seen as husband Sam. Stage Manager John Carroll and lighting designer Jim Gruss also served as police officers in the final touching moments of the production. A big thank you to all who helped in even the smallest way to make WAIT UNTIL DARK a rewarding and wonderful experience from start to finish and a special "I couldn't have done it without you" to my assistant director and costumer extraordinaire Liz Stetzel. 1/11-1/19 Death and the Maiden Fort Findlay Playhouse /11-1/20 Gilligan s Island Encore--Amil Tellers /11-1/26 Tuesdays with Morrie The Village Players /17-1/20 Honkey Tonk Angels Bellevue Society for the Arts /24-2/2 Kitchen Witches Van Wert Civic Theatre /7-2/10 Chicago Waterville Playshop /7-2/17 A Piece of My Heart Harlequins Community Theatre /21-2/23 Into the Woods Bellevue Society for the Arts /22-3/1 A Murder is Announced Archbold Community Theatre /22-3/2 Grease Ritz Players /28-3/16 The King & I Playmaker Civic Theatre /29-3/15 Let s Murder Marcia The Village Players

4 Theater terminology: Break a leg "Break a leg" is a well-known saying in theatre which means "good luck". It is typically said to actors before they go out onto stage to perform. The expression is a theatrical superstition that replaces the phrase "good luck," which is considered bad luck. The expression is sometimes used outside the theatre as superstitions and customs travel through other professions and then into common use. There are several theories for origin of the expression. All are heavily debated. The earliest known example in print refers to the title of a play from Naturally, the saying is much older for it to have been borrowed for a title and there is anecdotal evidence from theatrical memoirs and personal letters as early as the 1920s. In the U.K., the most common idea of origin for the expression comes from tradition. Historians know from the time of King James I and Shakespeare's King's Men that actors would, on occasion, receive tips on top of their salaries. Rather than receiving tips directly from the company or theatre, tipping was left to the audience. During the final bows or curtain call, audiences would throw money, usually coins, onto the stage depending on how well they enjoyed the performance. In some bad performances they would throw rotten vegetables, but in the good cases, money. Actors would then 'take a knee', effectively breaking their leg line, on stage and pick up the money. As a result, when you wish someone to 'break a leg' it refers to wishing them success in their performance so in the end they would have to kneel down and collect a welcoming tip. Theatre evolved and the tradition of tipping changed. This tradition led to the tradition of throwing flowers on stage, as well as presenting flowers. Taken from If there was an error with your mailing label (spelling of name, etc.) please contact Scott Havice at havices@fremont.k12.oh.us OR We are presently working on updating our records.

5 Buy a season ticket for the remaining three shows of the season. $29 for adults and $23 for students and seniors. Time Change: Press Dress for Over the Tavern is 7:00pm instead of the usual 7:30pm Though the season is almost half over you can still pay or renew your $10 membership dues! For Sale: Gently and Completely damaged set pieces and props. Contact Tabitha Greer for more information. HEY! This is a real coupon! Cut it out and use it.