Reno Little Theater in partnership with Hug High School presents Veronica s Room By Ira Levin Directed by Dr. Sam Coleman Starring Michael Joey, Tamara Kuebler, Peggy Schmidt-Tune, and Ryan Tune Audience Advisory: This play contains nudity and adult situations and may not be suitable for all members of the family. No one under 18 will be admitted. November 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 10 at 8:00 pm November 7, 14, 21 at 2:00 pm 2004 Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Veronica s Room The play is set in a room in a house about an hour s drive from Boston. The time in an evening in spring. Act One Susan Fifteen Minute Intermission Act Two Veronica Director s Notes I have been fortunate to direct two wonderful thrillers by Ira Levin; I am attracted to thrillers, with their action and intrigue, and I have always enjoyed orchestrating surprises. With many thrillers, unlike conventional mysteries, it is impossible, unless one is psychic, to predict what will happen next. Ira Levin is particularly adept at lulling audiences into thinking that all is well, only to hit them hard in the next act. My good fortune has been extended to working with yet another wonderful, talented cast and crew. Everyone worked incredibly hard to make this play first class, surprises and all. Without them, and without support from a lot of other Reno Little Theater people, and without the support of our audiences for the past 70 years, this performance would not have been possible. I hope that you will enjoy the play. Your comments are always welcome. Sam Coleman
Cast (in order of appearance) Woman ----------------------------------------------- Peggy Schmidt-Tune Girl --------------------------------------------------------- Tamara Kuebler Man ------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Joey Young Man ------------------------------------------------------- Ryan Tune Behind the Scenes Director --------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Coleman Assistant Director ----------------------------------------------- Megan Conelly Stage Manager -------------------------------------------------------- Joan Varley Lighting Design -------------------------------------------------------- Jim Martin Set Design ------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Coleman Set Construction ---- Diana Carter, Sam Coleman, Megan Conelly, Kristen Davis-Coelho, Cameron Dyer, Kirk Gardner, Jim Martin, Robert Mills, Doug Mishler, Nancy Podewils, Lloyd Shanks, Mike Trojak, Joan Varley Props --------------- Peggy Schmidt-Tune, Lloyd Shanks, Anne Stewart Costumes ------------------------------- Diana Carter, Peggy Schmidt-Tune Special Thanks To Tom Kallay, Principal; Jim Studer, Vice Principal; and Keith Roberts, Theater Director, all with Hug High School. A-1 Used Furniture Wendy Ricco University of Nevada, Reno Art Department Jim Ainsworth, Art Images AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY THEATRE
Casting People often ask about Reno Little Theater s casting procedures and how best to prepare for auditions. Here are some thoughts. Dedication Dependability and dedication are at least as important as talent. Recently, a seriously ill actress performed beautifully, only to collapse every time she went off stage. That is dedication. Another actor, feeling ill, took a week off of work so he would be in better shape to perform the following weekend. Legend has it that one Reno Little Theater actor had an actual heart attack on stage, but refused to go to the hospital until the performance was over. That s going too far, of course, but actors with a reputation for showing up, on time, for rehearsals and for every performance, will have an advantage during auditions. Directors are happy to work around scheduling conflicts during rehearsals if they know about them in advance. Becoming known New actors can enhance their chances of being cast by volunteering to work on the crew for other productions or other volunteer activities. We encourage new actors to audition for many plays, even when there seems to be no appropriate role, to learn the process and become known. And you never know! Preparation Actors who study the script, in advance, perform better at auditions and show serious interest in being cast. They also know the special requirements of the script, which might ask actors to use an accent, perform a challenging physical stunt, kill or be killed (safely, of course), scream, sing, wear a ridiculous costume, kiss someone, disrobe, etc. Studying the script also eliminates surprises at the first rehearsal! Actors known to be willing to do what the script requires have an advantage at auditions. Being professional Obviously, cast members need to work well with others. One basic theater rule, often broken, is that actors and crew should not try to direct the play by suggesting to actors how to say their lines or how to move. (Most directors welcome suggestions, but comments should be addressed to the director.) Even in a volunteer organization, putting on a production is hard work, and actors who demonstrate short attention spans, don t take direction well, disrupt rehearsals (talking or joking off-stage, etc.), or attempt to act as the director will hurt themselves in subsequent auditions. Why wasn t I cast? There are usually more actors at auditions than roles, so many fine actors will be disappointed. Most directors are willing to discuss why an actor wasn t cast, but the most common reason is that another actor fit the director s vision for the play better. The director also has to consider actors who fit together best, for example actors whose ages match the other cast members or who generate the right chemistry during auditions. The mechanics Different theaters and directors have different audition procedures. Typical Reno Little Theater auditions are held on two consecutive evenings. Everyone is encouraged to come both evenings, so that the director can pair actors differently the second evening;
there are no call-backs. Directors usually select parts of the script for the actors to read but, sometimes, actors are asked to bring prepared monologues. The audition is not just a reading; actors should put their hearts into their audition to show the director what they can do. A good audition feels like a performance. Often, the director will give clues about how they envision each character; occasionally they will describe what they are looking for in detail. It's to your benefit to pay attention to this. Casting Veronica s Room I needed an older couple and a younger couple, and each couple needed to be wellmatched. A mix of experienced and new people came to the audition. I saw Tamara Kuebler perform two completely different roles in The Beverly Hillbillies, showing her versatility. Ryan, on the crew of Henry IV, replaced an ill actor in a small part, with no time to prepare, and did a wonderful job. I also saw Ryan perform at McQueen High School. Tamara and Ryan have proven themselves to be dependable, and they did very well together at the audition. Peggy and Michael were new to me. They put emotion into their reading and reacted well to the other actors when their characters had no lines. They seemed comfortable with the Irish accents and with each other. I m sure that others at the auditions could have performed the roles well but, since history does not record its alternatives, we ll never know Sam Coleman
Biographies Cast Michael Joey (Man) has been singing since he was in kindergarten. He started acting as a sophomore in high school, appearing in Grease. He wanted to do back-up vocals, but ended up on stage and enjoyed it. He played Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and was in a band for three years. Michael studied acting in college, and is currently taking acting classes at John Robert Powers. In his spare time, he writes songs and poetry. This is Michael's Reno Little Theater debut. Tamara Kuebler (Girl) performed with her drama class in all four years of high school. She is excited to be involved in theater again. She most recently appeared in Reno Little Theater's Beverly Hillbillies. Tamara is not sure what her future holds but, hopefully, it will include more theater fun and less real world work. Peggy Schmidt-Tune (Woman) won awards for her high school roles in The Curse of the Aching Heart and Shakespeare's Women. She worked backstage at the New Trinity Players, in New Jersey, and McQueen High Schhol in Reno. She loves to sing, paint, knit, and read. Peggy worked backstage at Reno Little Theater's Sierra Street theater for four years. She met her husband at a Reno Little Theater party. Now, being on stage with her son, Ryan, life seems to have come full circle with this play! She is looking forward to renewing her involvement with Reno Little Theater.
Ryan Tune (Young Man) is a Freshman at TMCC. He appeared in The Desperate Hours, Mr. Hobbs' Vacation, Fiddler on the Roof, The Laramie Project, Under Milk Wood, and Brave New World. He jumped from crew to cast in Reno Little Theater's Henry IV last season when another actor was ill, and appeared in Beverly Hillbillies. Ryan is a member of the International Thespian Society. Director Dr. Sam Coleman has worked on most of Reno Little Theater's plays in the last four seasons and appeared as Merriman in The Importance of Being Earnest. As a member of the Board of Directors, he has served on committees, trucked props and furniture, and has done lots of other things necessary to help keep the theater going. Sam directed Deathtrap last season, winning Blythe Awards for Best Play and, with Anne Stewart, Best Set. Previously, Sam was a scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 25 years before retiring to the beautiful Reno area. When there's nothing to do for the theater, Sam enjoys snowboarding and hiking.
SAVE THE DATE! Reno Little Theater announces Shakespeare in the Garden June 25, 2005 Featuring Elizabethan feast and entertainments, and a silent auction. Mark your calendars now don t miss it! DSL Fastest Speeds Available ADSL, SDSL, IDSL, T-1 and Beyond DIAL UP ACCESS As Low as $9.95 Roaming Available WEB HOSTING/DESIGN E-Commerce Business Solutions Expert Design Team Available COLOCATION Your Server at Our Secure Facility Dedicated Connection LONG DISTANCE As Low as 2.5 cents, anytime minutes International Rates Available EXTRAS Spam Filter Remove unwanted emails Packaged Deals Available
Ira Levin by Marion Reis The seeds of Ira Levin's taste for mystery and horror were sown in his childhood while reading the books of Edgar Allen Poe, Agatha Christie, and Ellery Queen. Born in New York City in 1929, Levin fell in love with the theatre as a boy after his father took him to see his first play, Charley's Aunt. It sparked a desire to become a playwright himself. Walking down Broadway, he'd look up, see the playwright's name on a marquee, and say Oh boy! One of these days... His education as a writer began at Drake University and was completed at New York University in 1950. Drafted into the service, he wrote training films for the army while working on his first novel, A Kiss Before Dying. The novel about a vicious killer won the 23-year old Levin awards and recognition. Levin's first stage success came in 1955 with his adaptation of Mac Hyman's No Time For Sergeants, a comedy with a contrary emotional appeal to his usual work. Levin continued to write both novels and plays. His greatest success as a writer came when his horror novels Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, and The Boys from Brazil were adapted to the screen. His ability to balance elements of the fantastic, with everyday background details, within the context of relentlessly suspenseful plots won him critical praise. Twice he was the winner of the Mystery Writers of America Award, and in 1997 he won the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Horror Writers of America. On accepting this award, he explained his penchant for the mystery genre, When I started, my ambitions were much higher. I was going to write serious plays and tragedies and the great American novel. But so far, all I've been doing is purely entertainment. When I got out of college, I stopped reading things that weren't fun to read I don't care what it is, if I'm not having a good time, I put it aside. In the long run, I think Agatha Christie's body of work will be respected more than the books many people who were considered literary lights at the time were writing. Despite the success of his novels, Levin struggled to find an audience for his stage plays. Twenty-three years after No Time for Sergeants, he finally had his second stage hit in 1978 with Deathtrap. Veronica's Room opened on October 25, 1973 at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway with a cast that included Eileen Heckart and Arthur Kennedy. Initially, it was not the hit that Levin had hoped for, but a survey of productions attests to its staying power. Not a month goes by without one or more productions of Veronica's Room opening in cities all over the country, where it gets a more favorable reception than it did earlier in its history. The longevity of Deathtrap and Veronica's Room can be traced to America's love of thrillers. As Levin himself explains, Thrillers are satisfying deep down because they give you a chance to deal safely with violence and murder. I think they touch deep emotional chords. They touch our fears, anxieties, guilts. It's a way of exorcising them. It gives the emotions a workout.
Reno Little Theater Board of Directors Chairman ------------------------------------------------------------ Diana Carter Vice-Chairman ----------------------------------------------------- Carol Pevney Secretary -------------------------------------------------------------- Judy Mosher Treasurer ----------------------------------------------------------- Julie Douglass Board Members ---------------------- Brian Bass, Sam Coleman, Kristen Davis-Coelho, Brenda McCarthy, Candace Wheeler 345 Parr Circle Reno, NV 89512 775-788-8800 Reno Little Theater would like to thank Mr. Frank Bender for his continuing support. Fine Mexican Food and Cocktails Since 1976 Home of the Chimichanqa in Reno, Nevada 1575 Vassar at Kietzke Reno, NV 89502 Call 323-3210
A Lifetime of Memories Reno Little Theater Life Members We thank them for their continuing interest. Frank Bender Bruno and Edna Benna Peter S. Bing Mrs. Robert Brigham Diana Carter Sam and Carol Coleman Lester Conklin, Jr. Gregory D. Corn, Esq. Mr. and Mrs. Wm. K. Cowan III Mr. and Mrs. Ken Cusick Mrs. Jack Douglass Robert and Kathy Easly John Flanigan Robert and Cathy Gabrielli Kirk Gardner and Julie Douglass Bert Goldwater Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gorrell Art and Caryn Hawman Mrs. Helen Heppner Patrick and Mary Hughes Mrs. Martin Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Larry Kirk Joan Long Mrs. Eve Loomis Mr. George Manilla Mrs. H.E. Manville Dr. and Mrs. Thomas McCleary Mrs. Rollan Melton Mrs. Fran Merrell Mrs. Lilika Newman Carol Pevney David and Kelly Radu Mr. and Mrs. George Randolph Mrs. Warren Richardson Mrs. Sidney Robinson Donald Stanke Anne Stewart Mrs. Joyce Sweger Mrs. Hewitt C. Wells James and Dani Woods UNR s Nevada Repertory Company presents Footloose by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie directed by Tanya Jean Kluck November 12, 13, 17, 19, and 20 at 7:30 pm, November 20 and 21 at 1:30 pm in the Redfield Proscenium Theater
The Reno Little Theater 2004 2005 Season (Reno Little Theater s 70 th season) continues with h V THE LIFE OF enry BY WM. SHAKESPEARE ADAPTED BY MICHAEL PETERS AND KIRK GARDNER DIRECTED BY KIRK GARDNER Following the death of his father, the reprobate Prince Hal has cast off his former low ways and ascended the throne as Henry V. But some in the English court, and abroad, still misjudge the young King s ability. Can he restore the glory of his country? One of Shakespeare s most popular and powerful works, this one has it all: sweeping historical drama, comic interludes, meditations on war and leadership, and even a touch of romance as Henry woos the Princess of France. Reno Little Theater is proud to present this follow-up to last season s acclaimed Henry IV. January 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 8:00 pm January 16, 23, and 30 at 2:00 pm at the Little Theater on the Hug High Campus Reno Little Theater P. O. Box 7071 Reno, NV 89510-7071 775-329-0661 http://www.renolittletheater.org