AACT GARD AWARD
The American Association of Community Theatres (AACT) is honoring Susan
Tucker with their prestigious Robert E. Gard Superior Volunteer Award,
presented to individuals above the age of 65 who have faithfully served
community theater on a non-paid basis for over 25 years.
Susan has been a fixture at 51 Walden since the production of Little Women
in 1972 and has done everything from producing to being president
of The Players. The only thing she hasn't done is performed on stage--except when she was dragged into a Frolic or two.
Her Concord Players mentor, Heddie Kent, was a beloved fixture at 51
Walden for more than 40 years and herself a recipient of the Robert E.
Gard Award. The apprentice has honored the master most aptly.
To quote Linda McConchie, who wrote the nomination (at the prompting of
Allen Bantly), "For more than forty years, Susan has been the spine of
our organization: steely, straight and strong, supporting all of the
ways we need to bend and flex to adapt to the happy surprises that come
with making theater. Her acumen in the theater is surpassed only
by her quiet grace and unassuming demeanor." Congratulations to
Susan! The award will be handed out in July in New York City.
LONDON SHOWBUS
On
March 6, a group of Concord Players and friends flew to London for a
week of theatre. The first offering was a great production of Guys and Dolls at the Savoy Theatre. Afterwards we met with Gavin Spokes, the actor who played Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Chekov's Uncle Vanya
at the Almeida Theatre was next. It was a new interpretation, complete
with a stage that slowly revolved during the performance. Next we saw The Painkiller,
a farce by Francis Veber, adapted and directed by Sean Foley and
starring Kenneth Branagh, at the Garrick Theatre. At the Old Vic, we saw
a stunning production of Ibsen's The Master Builder with Ralph Fiennes. We travelled to Richmond, outside of London, to see German Skerries
by Robert Holman at the Orange Tree Theatre, a tiny, well respected
theatre in the round. We had a post-performance discussion with the
entire cast. Our final performance was Waste by Harley
Granville Barker at the National's Lyttelton Theatre. We had a
post-performance discussion with the lead actor, Charles Edwards. But
that wasn't all we did ...
There was a morning discussion with Martin Kettle, Political Columnist of The Guardian
on major issues of the day. We visited Sands Films, maker of some of
the finest hand-crafted costumes for the screen. We were allowed to
wander through and examine closely their vast collection. We spent most
of one day in Vauxhall after a short presentation about the Vauxhall
Pleasure Gardens and Frank Auerbach by Linda Bolton, a historian who
works for the National and Tate Galleries. We had a glimpse of what was
left of the Pleasure Gardens, saw Damien Hirst's new Newport
Street Gallery and then the Frank Auerbach exhibit at the Tate Britain.
We had a discussion with The Guardian's theatre critic Michael
Billington about the plays we had seen. It was a full week, but there
was time for an extra matinee and visits to galleries such as Alexander
Calder at the Tate Modern, Vogue 100 at the National Portrait Gallery,
Delacroix at the National Gallery, and Curtain Up: Celebrating 40 Years
of Theatre in London and New York at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
--Susan Tucker
PLAYERS NEWS
Last chance to see Craig Howard as Captain Hook, Joshua Wright as Smee, Brian Kelly as Starkey and Michael Ciccolella as Mullins in Peter Pan,
presented by the Open Door Theater in the Dragonfly Theater at the R.
J. Grey Junior High School in Acton MA on April 8 at 7:30, April 9 at
noon and 7:30, and April 10 at 2. Tickets at opendoortheater
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AMADEUS SOON TO COME!
Please don't miss the final production of the 2015-16 season: Amadeus,
the Tony-award winning play, directed by award-winner Kirsten
Gould, which is a fictional account of the tragic story of Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri--especially also to hear the glorious
music of Mozart's operas, The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute.
Amadeus was inspired by an 1830 play by Alexander Pushkin called Mozart and Salieri, which was also used as the libretto for the 1897 opera of the same name by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Performances Apr 29, 30, May 1 (matinee)
May 6, 7, 8 (matinee), 13, 14. Tickets available from The Players website
MORE MOZART
Will Amadeus have you curious about Mozart's music? The Concord Chorus is hosting a three-lecture series on Mozart and the mysteries of the Requiem,
April 17 and 24 from 3-5 p.m. at Newbury Court in Concord. And for
those who want to hear the music, the chorus is having its 70th
anniversary concert on May 21 featuring the Requiem as well as the world premiere of a specially commissioned piece, Uriel.
The concert takes place at 8 p.m. at the Church of St. Brigid in
Lexington. For more info or to purchase tickets call 978-254-1551 or go
to concordchorus
2016-17 SEASON
We are thrilled to have an action-packed season planned for 2016-17:
 APRIL EVENTS AT 51 WALDENApril 8 and 9 at 8:00 p.m.: Concord Band Spring Pops featuring guest vocalist Amanda Carr. Table seating and refreshments. On Friday, April 8, Rotary Club is the sponsor; buy tickets on-line For the Saturday, April 9 concert, call 978 897-9969 for tickets or e-mail the Band at reservations
April 15 at 7 p.m. T.O.S. concert featuring Madi Bode and Pat Nero and
other high school and college musicians. Tickets $10 at the door.
Proceeds will benefit 51 Walden. |
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