March 1, 2005

The third and final show of our 85th season is “The Memory of Water” by Shelagh Stephenson, a darkly comic tale of three sisters coming to grips with the death of their mother. Director Fred Robbins helms an outstandingly strong and accomplished cast in Shana Dirik, Lida McGirr, Frances Vella, Liz Robbins, John McAuliffe, and Kent Miller. Producers Susie Baldwin, Thomas Caron, and Jean Devine are looking for a savvy assistant to Pam Saba, Stage Manager Extraordinaire. Contact Thomas at playersnews@mac.com if you’d like to be part of what promises to be a production of the first order.

For our 86th Season - drum roll, please - The Concord Players is proud to announce “Dolly West’s Kitchen” by Frank McGuinness, directed by Mario Salinas; “The Spitfire Grill” by James Valcq and Fred Alley, directed by Dennis Fitzpatrick; and Rodger and Hammerstein’s “ Cinderella,” directed by Paul Murphy. “Cinderella” will be produced by Sheryl Blair and Corinne Kinsman.

WGBH is celebrating their 25th season of “This Old House,” and are calling on The Players to participate. The house in question is in Carlisle, and they’re looking for volunteers to give tours, staff the store, sell tickets and greet visitors. If you’re interested, call Liz at (617) 300-5715.

Don Boroson has a garnered a nomination from The Independent Reviewers of New England for Best Music Director (Small Theatre), for his work on our very own “Sunday In The Park With George.” The annual IRNE Awards Announcement Ceremony will be held at The Hotel Lenox, 61 Exeter Street at Boylston, in Boston, on Monday, March 21, at 8 p.m.

Several Concord Players are working on stage and behind the scenes in the Sudbury Savoyards production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado.” Eric Ruben is playing the eponymous Mikado, Mike Lague (late of “1776”) is Pooh Bah, and Sara Ballard sings with the chorus. Stage direction is by Kathy Lague (“1776’s” Abigail Adams), and Jack Wickwire is designing the Kabuki-style makeup. Performances (which began February 25), continue through March 5 at the new Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Theater. For further information visit www.sudburysavoyards.org

And don’t forget: The Concord Players Annual Meeting will be held at 51 Walden Street on Sunday, March 20, at 7 p.m. Hobnob, network, nosh, and quaff!

CORRECTIONS

The Concord Players Yearbook for 2004-2005 is done and delivered, thanks to the yeoman efforts of Corinne Kinsman, Marion Pohl and Robert Runck. Unhappily, the best laid plans are prone to gremlins; herewith a handful of revisions . . .

The correct e-mail address for CONNELLY, Mark and Betsy is m1connelly@aol.com. (That’s “m,” followed by the number one, not a lower-case letter “L.”)

DAWES, Claiborne has but one “r” in her name.

The correct e-mail address for GALLO, Dr. and Mrs. Victor R. is
pegggyann@msn.com.

The correct telephone number of HUTCHINS, John is 369-7528.

Cheri Fletcher was omitted from the members of The Concord Players board. Her term expires in 2007.

Apologies to all affected.

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Act? What a nasty word! If acting were all there was to it, I feel that I have never known nor shall I ever know how to act! Those poor women in my plays have entered so totally into my heart and head, that while I am striving as best I can to make the audience understand them, I almost feel like comforting them . . . but it is they who, little by little, end up by comforting me!
How - and why, and at what point - this affectionate, inexplicable, and undeniable “exchange” takes place between these women and me . . . it would take too long and be too difficult to relate precisely. The fact remains that, while everybody else is suspicious of the women, I get along beautifully with them! I pay no attention if they have lied, if they have betrayed, if they have sinned, if they were born crooked, as long as I feel that they have wept, that they have suffered as a result of lying or betraying or loving . . . I put myself with them, and I ransack their emotions not out of any mania for suffering, but because the communal lamentation among women is greater and more detailed, is sweeter and more complex, then that which is granted to them by men.

- Eleonora Duse

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IN A SHOW? LET US KNOW!
playersnews@mac.com

Thomas Caron, editor