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.