Greetings Players,

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Jacques Brel for two outstanding performances: first, to a sell-out crowd in Concord on June 23, and then at the National AACT competition the following week. Here's a report on the Players trip to the festival from Director Kirsten Gould: "The Concord Players came home from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania without one of the top three awards at the AACT/Fest 2001, but with three truly shining moments. The first came after our cast and musicians, Susan Minor and Neil Tischler, gave a superb performance, and they, along our capable crew, received a standing ovation as they took their seats for what was one of the most positive adjudications of the festival. The second moment came during the awards ceremony when The Concord Players received an award for Outstanding Achievement in Production Concept. And the third came when our own Heddie Kent took Harrisburg by storm as she received The Robert E. Gard Superior Volunteer Award. Heddie had the entire house in stitches as she recalled the Concord Players' decision to do South Pacific in November with skimpily clad young women freezing in the scene dock. Bravo Heddie!! AACT/Fest 2001 was an unforgettable experience of excitement, anxiety, intense competition, and
also mutual admiration among the entrants, and one which those who attended will long remember."

Here's a note from Corinne Kinsman: "MEMBERS: It's just about time for Membership renewal. It is included on the Season Subscription Brochure, which you should be receiving shortly. If you are not a Season Subscriber, maybe you'll consider becoming one this season. You'll get three great shows, and a $10.00 discount on most membership categories. So, in the very near future, look for the brochure, which will be mailed in a white Concord Players envelope."

We previously reported that James Grana, Jack Sweet, and Heddie Kent were being given EMACT Achievement Recognition Awards at the EMACT Awards dinner on June 22. Bob Runck was also given an EMACT acting award for his performance as The Old Man in Prelude to a Kiss at Arlington Friends of the Drama. Congratulations to all four of them!

The producers of Honk, which is our fall production, would like to remind you all about the upcoming auditions in early September. Honk is a show for all ages, with challenging roles for adults. We will be looking for a cast of a dozen or so multi-talented, flexible, and playful actors, most of whom will be cast in multiple roles. There are ample solos, and several production numbers. All auditioners should be strong singers, and dancing skills are a definite plus. Auditions will be held on September 5 and 6, from 7;00 to 10:00 PM, with callbacks on September 9 from 1:30 to 4:30 PM, so save those dates! We will also need at least six fifth grade actors with strong singing and movement skills for the smaller but captivating roles of ducklings and coots. Auditions for children will be held in early October. The rehearsals will be on Sunday afternoons, and Wednesday and Thursday evenings. This is going to be a great show and a lot of fun, especially working with the fabulous directing team of Kirsten Gould and Susan Minor, so we encourage all of you singers and dancers to come and audition. Please look at auditions on our web site at for more information about the show, the roles, and the audition process. Sally Bull, Claiborne Dawes, and Peggy Elliot are producing; feel free to call any of them with questions.

Speaking of our web site, have you perused it lately? Rik Pierce, our Web master, has been doing an outstanding job, keeping it up-to-date with information about Players shows and activities, profiles of our members, and links to other community theater sites. Lillian Anderson told me an interesting story about the power of the web: recently she heard from two old friends from her childhood who she'd been out of touch with for years. They both found her profile on the members page of our web site, and were able to contact her as a result. So check out your profile and make sure it's accurate, you never know who you might hear from!

Bob Carter, who handles the ad sales for our programs, is looking for a few helpers to solicit ads from local businesses. If you would be willing to help (or if you have a business you would like to advertise!) please contact Bob at bobjon@gis.net

Four of our members have been hospitalized recently; we'd like to extend
best wishes and hopes for speedy recoveries to Betsy Connelly, George Funk,
Jackie Payne, and Jean English.

In addition to the many activities that we reported on in last month's newsletter, Giselle Ganz directed the Alexander Children's Theater School production of Fiddler on the Roof, which had four performances in Concord at the SunBridge Auditorium on June 16 and 17. This woman is amazing, I don't know where she gets all of her energy!

Here's a reminder, as reported last month, that Patricia Till will be performing in A. R. Gurney's play Ancestral Voices at Nantucket Actor's Theatre from July 14 to August 12. Also, Frannie Huxley is directing The Tempest at the Woods Hole Theatre Co. Performances are August 9 - 25. Those of you vacationing on the Cape or Nantucket might like to catch a performance and support our local talent!

Due to family conflicts this summer, Leslie Wagner has decided not to perform in the Atlantis Playmakers August Production of The Bride, which we publicized in the last newsletter.

That's all the news for now! Please send your news to Sara Ballard, 34 Aurora Lane, Concord, MA 01742, or e-mail to sara@sb.org. The next newsletter deadline is July 24.