Greetings Players,

The Rivals has been cast, rehearsals are underway, and we have a terrific
company for the show. The cast includes Margaret Roberts as Mrs. Malaprop,
Samantha Stein as Lucy, Kerry Quinn as Julia, Lea Contarino as Lydia, Jack
Sweet as Sir Anthony Absolute, Eric Rubin as Acres, Peter Yensen as
Coachman, Christopher Lockheardt as Captain Absolute, John McAuliffe as
Lucius O'Trigger, and Danny Rooney as Fip. The Production and Tech teams are
Marcy Campbell, Director; Bob Carter and Jan Taylor, Producers; David
Atwood, Stage Manager; Heddie Kent, Props; Michael Finke, Set Design;
Patricia Till, Costumes; Jack Wickwire, Makeup and Hair Styling; Stephanie
Cloutier, Publicity; Rik Pierce, Photography, and Iain Bason, Program.
Performances are April 27 and 28, May 4, 5, 6, 11, and 12. This Restoration
Era comedy is riotously funny, be sure not to miss it!

Our Annual Meeting will take place on March 25 at 7:00 pm at 51 Walden. The
short business meeting will be followed by refreshments, and then we'll be
entertained by a presentation of scenes from the Shakespeare Workshop at
8:15. The scenes from MacBeth, The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra, and King
Henry VI, Pt. 3 are directed by Antonio Ocampo-Guzman of the faculties of
Emerson College, Boston College, and Shakespeare and Company. Antonio has
directed four of the six workshops sponsored by the Players. The company
includes Deren Cluff, Pamela Dritt, Patricia Collins, Lida McGirr, Judith
Broggi, Dick Levinson, Moira McCarthy, Arthur Crocker, Ronda Yeomans, and
Dorothy Schecter. Come find out what's in the works for next year, say hi to
fellow Players, and get a dose of the genius of the Bard. I hope to see you
all there!

Rik Pierce sends this along: "Jacques Smith presented me with several manila
envelopes stuffed with his wife's old pictures of several seasons back. They
are wonderful pictures and I am in the process of filling out some graphic
gaps in the web site. I've just finished A Little Night Music now and
perhaps by the time this newsletter comes out I'll have Oliver, Guys and
Dolls, and The Royal Family all up. And speaking of the web site, if anyone
would like to either update a bio or include more shows in their credit
list, please e-mail me. Concordplayers@concordplayers.org."

Here's a reminder that there will be a meeting of the full EMACT Festival
Host Group Committee in the Green Room at 51 Walden on March 14 at 7:00 p.m.
More help is always welcome, and anyone interested in getting involved is
encouraged to attend. There is also a need for many volunteers to help out
at the festival over Memorial Day weekend; it will be a lot of fun! Contact
Pat Morrow at <patmorrow@juno.com> for more information.

Players member Thomas Caron will be moving to Massachusetts from New York by
June 1st. He is looking for a small apartment or a good sized room to let,
preferably in Concord. If any of you know of an availability, he would
appreciate knowing about it, and he will travel here to check it out. You
may call him at (201) 867-1575, or let me know, and I'll pass the
information on to him.

I'm sad to report that Lora Chase, a leading light as a director in local
community theater and friend to many of us, unexpectedly passed away
peacefully in her sleep in late February. She was well beloved, and will be
greatly missed. She was an inspiration to many local thespians, who all
learned a great deal from her. Her passing leaves a large void in the
Eastern Massachusetts theater community. Plans for a memorial service (or,
as she would prefer, "party" in her honor) have not yet been finalized.

Giselle Ganz is performing the role of Emily in Stephen Sondheim's Follies
at the Turtle Lane Playhouse in Newton. Performances run through March 18 at
8:00 pm. Sally Bull reports that she and Peggy Elliot saw it, and they
thought it was great! Call the box office at (617) 244-0169 for tickets.

Here's news from Patricia Till: "I will be an adjudicator at the New
Hampshire AACT State Festival March 18th. Small compared to EMACT but still
an honor and a responsibility. The best part is that the other adjudicator
is Kevin Gardner, who did such an excellent job at the Regionals last
fall...after all, he loved our Jacques Brel the most! So I look forward to
learning a lot from him."

Long time Concord Players member Bill Payne will be performing with his jazz
ensemble in a "Swing into Spring" Jazz Concert on Sunday, April 1, from 7:00
to 9:00 PM, at First Parish in Concord. This wonderful ensemble includes
Bill Payne on banjo, Dave Whitney on trumpet, Billy Novick on clarinet, Mark
Pucci on string bass, and local favorite Jean Kelly on piano. Enjoy the
tuneful melodies of the 20's, 30's, and 40's, including classic Dixieland,
big band, swing, and ballads. Don't miss the great songs of Gershwin, Cole
Porter, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, and many others. Seating will be
coffeehouse style, and a dance floor will be available. Tickets, at a cost
of $10, are available in the office at First Parish, call 369-9602 for
information.

Please send your news to me at: Sara Ballard, 34 Aurora Lane, Concord, MA
01742, or e-mail me at <sara@sb.org>. The next newsletter deadline is March
21.