SPOTLIGHT Fall Edition November 2010 News Presenting Shows Worth Seeing for sixteen years! Upcoming Events: Nov 5-20 Front Row Centre Players Chess Nov 20 & 21, 10:00-4:30 Dialect Workshop Nov 25, 27, 28 AUDITIONS The Sorcerer Nov 26 Dec 19 StoryBook Theatre Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Dec 9-18 Liquid Meld Theatre How I Learned to Drive Dec 15-19 ALI BABA & THE FORTY THIEVES Warm up this Winter in Baghdad This traditional family panto is a high energy comedy full of corny jokes, silly songs and audience participation. Poor Ali Baba is worried that the evil El Scorpio and his 40 thieves will steal the little money he has saved to pay his rent. While trying to avoid the advances of Fatima Kebab, Ali attempts to help the intrepid Professor Jones and his daughter, Polly, find the cursed tomb of King Pomegranate. Pantomimes are great fun for the whole family, and what better time of year for a pantomime, than at Christmas? We invite you to bring the kids or grandkids to: Jan 7-22 UNDER MILK WOOD Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves presented in the Victor Mitchell Theatre at the Pumphouse Theatre (2140 Pumphouse Avenue SW) December 15 19, 2010 Show Times: Wednesday to Saturday at 7:30pm Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm Adults - $17 Students/Seniors - $14 To purchase tickets/flex Passes Visit or call Would you like to see Ali Baba for Free? We need 4 volunteer ushers for each of the performance and 1 box office assistant. Both ushering and helping in the box office is quick and easy, and all volunteers are invited to stay and watch the performance for free! To volunteer, please email or call the office. INSIDE THIS EDITION: Page 2 - Audition Details for The Sorcerer, Workshop Update, Panto Background Page 3 Call for Directors, New Space Update Page 4 Under Milk Wood Background, Casino Call-Out, Farewell Burton
2 Make a Little Magic this March! will be holding open auditions for our spring production of Gilbert & Sullivan s The Sorcerer, directed by Tim Elliott. Mark your Calendars! Under Milk Wood By Dylan Thomas January 7 22 Alexis and Aline are in love, and want everyone in Ploverleigh to feel the joy that they do, and are not above using a little magic to see that it happens! The sorcerer mixes up a love potion which is served at the betrothal party. When the villagers regain consciousness, they find that they are indeed, all as in love as Alexis and Aline but not with whom they expected! As Alexis and Aline try to set right the problems they have caused, they only manage to make matters worse. For more information, including a character list, audition requirements, tips and resources or to book an audition, please visit our website, or call the office. Dialect Workshop: "Essential Accents for Every Actor" Auditions will be held at Morpheus Rehearsal Centre in Parkdale: Thurs Nov 25 7:00 9:30 Sat Nov 27 1:00 5:00 Sun Nov 28 1:00 5:00 with David LeReaney Sat Nov 20 & Sun Nov 20 10:00 4:30 Synopsis: Some actors whip out accent after accent without pause while for others, attempting to speak with an accent can be terrifying territory. David will guide participants in learning how to tackle 3 commonly SOLD required accents. OUT Where: Community ACall rts Centre our on office the Currie to Barracks join the (2633 waitlist Hochwald Avenue SW) Cost: $30 For more information, or to register, please visit our website or call the office. *This workshop is sponsored by Theatre Alberta with funding from The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Details on s 2011 Workshop Series will be announced in Dec. Who will you meet at our 3rd annual PANTO(mime)? If you loved robbing the rich with Robin Hood in 2008, or charming Prince Charming with Cinderella in 2009, don t miss this year s British Panto Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves! Make no mistake! There is something you should understand: there is no miming in British pantomimes. None Absolutely none None at all! Never!! (Well, maybe one little character dressed as an animal but it s funny! We promise.) Our cast of 24 is busy learning new lyrics to old rock and roll favorites (Beatles, CCR and Billy Idol to name a few!). They will take you on a romp through the caves and deserts of Baghdad as they help Ali Baba foil his evil brother s wicked plan. And yes, we promise you beautiful dancing girls, hapless heroes, disguises, a magic rock, and a very endearing camel. Tickets are selling fast for this family-friendly, yuletide show. Get yours today! Be a Hero! Save Trees! Request to receive your newsletter by email! Contact
3 Are you Interested in Directing a Show with Morpheus? invites directors to make proposals for shows to be produced during our 2011/2012 season. We encourage experienced and passionate directors to submit a letter of interest along with a resume with related theatre experience and background. Give the gift of LIVE THEATRE Gift Certificates make great stocking stuffers! Morpheus produces 4 quality shows each year (a farce or comedy, a pantomime, a contemporary drama, and a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta) at the Pumphouse Theatre, in both the Victor Mitchell & Joyce Doolittle Theatres. We are looking for WELL- KNOWN SHOWS with HIGH AUDIENCE POTENTIAL that fall within our four show categories. Ideally, the shows will appeal to a wide family audience (primarily 12 and up, although under 18 is not the target audience). This season we are also giving consideration to shows that are technically simple to stage (eg. size & complexity of set, lighting effects, etc). Proposals should include the following information: * Name of director * Directing and theatre related experience * Name of show * Playwright of show * Cast size of show, with male/female breakdown * Why you think Morpheus should produce it * Director's Vision for the show (including overall thoughts about how it would be staged & any special effects, set ideas, costume ideas, technical considerations) * Which theatre it would work best in * Potential challenges * Any other comments or considerations At this time, we ask that you don't try to recruit production crew or check on the production rights. Please email or deliver letters of interest by December 31, 2010 to: Sean Anderson, Artistic Director, 2633 Hochwald Avenue SW Calgary, AB T3E 7K2 info@morpheustheatre.ca NEW SPACE UPDATE: Over the past month, we have had the pleasure of showing off our new space to several people involved in community theatre, and you can see the excitement build as the potential of our new home is obvious over the saw horses and steel framed walls. Meetings, auditions and rehearsals are all set to take over the space in the next few weeks even though work is far from complete. We are now at the point of working with contractors to get the new support beams & columns in place so progress can move forward on the walls, electrical and plumbing. We are truly on the verge of seeing some amazing progress on the horizon. Volunteers are still needed please call or email tickets@ morpheustheatre.ca if you are available to help. We also are still trying to reach our goal of $50,000 in the Ready Set Create campaign. We are hovering around the $35,000 mark and could sure use your help to get us there. Be a Hero! Save Trees! Request to receive your newsletter by email! Contact
4 LLareggub s Legacy Want Discount Tickets to Ali Baba Under Milk Wood The Sorcerer???????????? SEASON TICKETS ARE STILL on Sale! -3 show packages -Flex Passes -Discount with Rumors ticket stub Call/Email the office today! Under Milk Wood was originally written as a play for voices. Over 10 years, Dylan Thomas penned the 72 individual characters, creating an all at once beautiful and profoundly human piece that is more verse and stanza than act and scene. Once it was completed in 1954, what began as a radio play blossomed in the hands of the artists who love it; from a film starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, to recordings, staged reads, and live performances around the world. It is a poetic journey through the dreams, and a day in the lives of the colourful characters of the imaginary Welsh town of Llareggub. Brought to Calgary audiences by, in partnership with the Calgary Welsh Society, Under Milk Wood is directed by Michelle Brandenburg; whose work with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was highly acclaimed. Michelle leads a cast of 11 through the words and $$ CASINO FUNDRAISER $$ world that Welsh author Dylan Thomas created. Among the 72 voices, you will meet Old Captain Cat; the blind, retired sea captain who listens all day, every day to the goings-on in his beloved seaside town, Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard and the ghosts of her two husbands as they plod squeaky clean through their days, gossipy women who gather around the town pump to trash and guffaw their neighbours, the children romping through their songs and games and all the quirky, cooky, raw and real characters that only a pen as gifted as that of Dylan Thomas could manifest. Join us for a romping, unique theatrical experience in January of 2011. A piece that exists somewhere between a staged read and a more traditional play, Under Milk Wood is charming, universal and rooted in the earth of an ancient land by the ocean, where dreams and the day roll into each other like waves. The Society will be holding a casino fundraiser to be held at the Cash Casino on Blackfoot Trail on Sat Mar 26 & Sun Mar 27, 2011. Casinos are an excellent way for non-profit organizations to earn funds for projects. Running a casino requires filling some 36 jobs - Bankers, Cashiers Chip Runners, and Count Room staff in a variety of shifts, both day and night. If you are available to help out with a shift, please contact the office. More information on job responsibilities and shift hours can be provided. There is no easier way to donate up to $3,000 to your favourite theatre company without ever opening your wallet! A FOND FAREWELL It was with great sadness that the Morpheus G&S Singers say good-bye to their long time director, Burton Harker. Over the last year he has found it increasingly difficult to carry out duties as G&S director while also nurturing his own life career in music, and, finally, the need to make a living has won out. Burton has been instrumental in developing the skills of the chorus, and spearheaded the drive to take us to the Kiwanis Festival, where we took a Certificate on our first visit. His skill and gentle manner leading us through the intricacies of Sullivan s music and Gilbert s lyrics will be sorely missed. We look forward to welcoming a new director in the next couple weeks. The chorus will next be meeting on Sunday, November 14 at 7PM at the Community Arts Centre. If you ve ever had a hankering to sing G&S, come out and join us! Fees are a mere $10 a month for adults and $5 for students/seniors. Be a Hero! Save Trees! Request to receive your newsletter by email! Contact
Be a Hero! Save Trees! Request to receive your newsletter by email! Contact 5