Greetings, Players!

The calendar says it's spring, although the chilly weather could fool me ­ but, as changeable as New England weather is, it could be in the 80's by the time you get this! However, spring is officially here, and there are lots of spring events to keep us all busy.

The Concord Players are scheduled to perform Jacques Brel..., our entry in the EMACT Festival, on Thursday, May 25, at the Brandeis University Spingold Arts Center in Waltham. The performances start at 7:30 PM, and the Colonial Chorus Players, The Vokes Players, and the Winthrop Playmakers will also be presenting entries that evening. The Concord Players have the fourth spot on the evening's program. It would be great if a lot of us showed up to show our support. For tickets and information, call the EMACT Festival 2000
Hotline at 978-772-2989, or the Festival Box Office at 781-891-5528. Giselle Ganz, who is producing the CP entry, sends along this request: "I'm still looking for interested workers, preferably able-bodied men for loading the truck, unloading, etc. We will have to be at Brandeis on Thursday at 1:00 PM to unload the truck, our tech time is at 4:30. Any interested parties can e-mail me at <Ganzchic@aol.com>. Please note "EMACT Help" in the subject
line. Thank you."

The EMACT awards banquet will take place on Friday, June 23, at 7:00 PM at the Woburn Country Club. The cost is $30 per person. If you would like to attend, call Harriet Friedman at 781-891-5528 for reservations. The EMACT annual meeting is being hosted by the Concord Players in the green room at 51 Walden on Saturday, May 6, at 9:30 AM. They will be voting for new board members at that time. If you are interested in finding out more about EMACT, please attend, the meeting is open to all interested parties. And, just in
case you were wondering, EMACT stands for "Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters".

Here is a reminder that the Showbus will roll on Friday, June 2, for a great night of theater. Join us in applauding Stephen Collins (known of late as the Stage Manager in Our Town) in Unlaunch'd Voices...An Evening With Walt Whitman, written and directed by Michael Z. Keamy. Ticket plus bus transport from 51 Walden St., Concord, to the Brimmer Street Studio Theatre, 69 Brimmer St., Boston, is $25. Make checks payable to the Concord Players, Inc., and mail to Dorothy Schecter, 187 Partridge Lane, Carlisle, MA 01741.
The show starts at 8:00 PM; the bus will leave promptly at 6:50 PM. The play depicts the art and times of America's greatest poet through slides, poetry, and Whitman's own words. Be assured, you'll come away from the theater with a deeper understanding of Walt Whitman, the poet and the man.

The Spring Frolic will be on Sunday Evening, June 4th. Plan to attend, bring a friend, and indulge in some luscious strawberry shortcake. If anyone has any ideas for spoofs on our past season for the Frolic, Heddie Kent would love to hear from you. Give her a call at 978-369-2421.

Congratulations to Frannie Huxley, whose award winning play, Flowering Spurge, will be given its premier performances by The Colonial Players of Annapolis MD on June 16-18 and 22-24. Frannie's play won the 1998 Promising Playwright Contest, which included a prize and full production of the winning play.

Birgitta Knuttgen was cast as a "dinner party guest" in the independent feature film Treading Water which was shot in the Boston area in April. No word yet on when it's expected to be released, so stay tuned!

Dick Levinson is in The Arlington Friends of the Drama's production of Driving Miss Daisy, and Iain Basin is doing the lights for this show.

We were sorry to learn of the death of Jim Shepherd. The Players would like to extend condolences to his wife, Annabelle.

Arts/Boston is offering several workshops this spring at minimal cost in the area of marketing and professional development for community theaters. Among the workshops offered are: "Getting the Word Out: Marketing to Locals", "Getting the Word Out: Marketing to Tourists", "Building and Growing Your Brand", and others as well. For a schedule or more information, call 617-423-4454 ext. 222.

Here's a couple of dates to put on your calendar: The Concord Players will hold a work day on Saturday, September 23, 2000. Plan to come and help - you'll have fun, camaraderie, and the satisfaction of doing something good for the Players. Then, the following weekend, you can join in the festivities at the Fall Huddle, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 1,
2000.

On June 19, 2000, Stage Source will be hosting a Theater Community Town Meeting. Last year's meeting was so successful that they have decided to repeat the event. We don't have any details yet, but look for more information in next month's newsletter.

If you haven't checked out our web site lately, you should go to <http://www.concordplayers.org/> and take a look. Rik Pierce, our webmaster, has been doing a fantastic job with this site. He also would like to remind everyone that he is still looking for photos of past productions for the web site. You may mail them to him at 1152 Westford, Carlisle, MA 01741, or e-mail them to him at <RikP@pobox.com>.

That's it for this month! Please send your news to me at: Sara Ballard, 9 Stacey Circle, Concord, Ma. 01742, or e-mail me at <sara@sb.org>. The next newsletter deadline is May 16.