IN MEMORIAM, PATRICIA BEEDE
Patricia
Fleet Beede of Concord passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family
on Monday, May 16, 2011, at Emerson Hospital in Concord. She was the
wife of Russell Beede. She and her husband had been long-time members,
subscribers and donors to The Concord Players. She asked that gifts in
her name be made to The Players, or to Wheaton College, Norton MA. A
memorial service will be held Saturday June 04, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00
p.m. at the Trinitarian Congregational Church, 54 Walden Street,
Concord.
PLAYERS OUTSIDE/INSIDE NEWS
Tom Large and Paul Held have gone from being madcap Italians in Breaking Legs to madcap Brits in the farce Funny Money at TCAN in Natick center. The show goes up in early June. For info, go to www.TCANPlayers.org
The Play/Director Selection committee has added Craig Howard and Shana
Dirik as new members. The committee will meet in early June, to begin
planning the 2012-2013 season.
Shana will be also appearing as Maria in Lend Me A Tenor at the Next Door Theater Company in Winchester in July, and then as Mrs. Johnston in Blood Brothers at the Courthouse Center for the Arts in Rhode Island in September.
THANK YOU, CLAIBORNE DAWES
The
Players wish to thank Claiborne Dawes for her years of service in
asking for program ads from local businesses. Stefanie Cloutier is
taking over for her. Stefanie also helps with public relations for
Players shows.
ANOTHER THANK YOU TO MR. BANTLY AND MISS ALCOTT
Allen
Bantly has just completed building new shelves to house the Concord
Players' archives. We have an extensive collection of photos, programs,
and PR materials from our past productions. These sturdy shelves will
now accommodate our large posters and archival boxes which have been
stacked in the costume room.
This
summer, we will be organizing the collection and planning an special
exhibit for next year's production of Little Women.
This specially commissioned play is performed every ten years to honor
our founder, Louisa May Alcott. It will be a highlight in the year-long
100th anniversary celebration of the Louisa May Alcott Memorial
Association, founded to preserve Orchard House, home of the Alcott
family on Lexington Road in Concord.
YOUTH THEATRE BRANCHES OUT
At
this time of year, the Concord Youth Theatre has gone beyond their
mission of presenting children's literature to present two exciting and
very different productions, involving former performers, many just
graduated from high school or now in college.
On June 16-18 at 7:30, CYT presents the influential medieval romance, Tristan and Yseult.
Due to the mature content of this production, it is recommended for
ages 14 and over. The cast includes Players member Miles Petrie, who was
Jem Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. It's being directed by
Bill Plott, the recently retired Lincoln-Sudbury H.S. drama teacher, and
is being performed at CYT's black box theatre at 50 Beharrell St., West
Concord (tickets $13).
On July 6-9 comes Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Carly Evans, who has been on the Players' stage on many occasions, most recently in The Scarlet Pimpernel.
This production will be performed in the air-conditioned theatre at The
Middlesex School, 1400 Lowell Rd., Concord ($15). For ages 10 and over.
For tickets or more info visit the website at www.concordyouththeatre.org or call the office at 978-371-1482.
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THE FALL MUSICAL
If
you've ever found yourself sitting in a dark theatre before a
performance, thinking to yourself, "Dear Lord in heaven, please let it
be good," then the Fall musical will be the show for you! We will
officially announce the show's real title in early June. But here's a
preview into what's ahead. The winner of five 2006 Tony Awards,
including Best Book and Best Original Score, this "clever, gleeful and
intelligent" (The New Yorker) show, a musical within a comedy,
spoofs the musicals of the 1920s. To chase the blues away, a devout
theatre lover drops the needle on his favorite vinyl Broadway cast
record. "Yes, record," he says. It is his favorite 1928 musical
comedy. From the crackling first notes on the hi-fi, the show
magically bursts to life in his tiny apartment. You'll be instantly
immersed in the glamorous, hilarious tale of a Broadway bride, her
celebrity groom and their uproarious wedding day; a day resplendent with
thrills and surprises, in this trip back to the golden age of
musicals.
COME TO THE ANNUAL FROLIC!
 Join
us this Sunday, June 5, at 7:03 p.m. for the Annual Frolic. We'll look
back at the year, celebrate the shows, do a little
karaoke, and enjoy a pot luck (with strawberry
shortcake!). Bring your singing voice and an entree to share. Visit concord players.org for more info.
TALES FROM THE TREASURER
Chuck
Holleman is the Treasurer of The Concord Players, and as such handles
the money. He has these tales to tell: "Now some folks might think that
being the treasurer of the Concord Players would be a mind-numbingly
tedious job. And sometimes it is. But then there are those occasions
where one can be taken aback at some the things that people spend money
on: Peacock feathers, robotic penguins, prints of stolen paintings,
and Nazi flags are just some of items for which receipts are presented.
However, I had to look twice when I was presented with a receipt
during the run of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for a large number of
condoms. 'Ahmmm ... what's this for?' I asked. 'I don't think I saw
anything going on on stage that required a condom, did it? By any chance
might this have been an expense that I should charge to the cast
party?' 'Oh no,' I was told, 'These were for the body mikes.' 'Body
mikes?' I said. ' Is that some new urban slang term for what one does
with condoms at a cast party?' 'No, no, the condoms are used to protect
the body mikes. We have had situations where an actor's perspiration
will short out a mike during a performance. And those mikes are
expensive. A condom is the cheapest form of protection.' 'Of course it
is,' I said. 'You hear that on those public service announcements all
the time--but I don't think they were referring to electronics.' Well,
more than one member of the production team assured me that this was a
legitimate expense. However, if the next show doesn't require body
mikes, and still shows large expenses for condoms, padded handcuffs, or
leather costumes, I think I will have to charge it to the cast party
anyway."
COME FEAST ON GILBERT & SULLIVAN
The
New England Gilbert & Sullivan Society is celebrating its 35th
Anniversary Sing-Out on Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12 at 51
Walden. Concord Players Connie Benn, Tom Frates, and Jim Miller will be
among the 45 performers participating in this marathon sing-through of
all G&S Operettas!
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