Valparaiso Theatrical Company Helps Local Charities With The Showing of “Almost Maine”

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Almost, Maine by John Cariani
“Almost, Maine”
By John Cariani with special permission from Dramatist Play Service Inc.
Directed by Joe Culley

A Friday night in the middle of winter in Almost, Maine can get pretty cold and snowy. But happy and not so happy romances seem as abundant as the stars twinkling in the deep blue sky that overarches actor turned playwright John Cariani’s vignettes. As groups of stars form constellations, so these brief episodes are connected by time and place (each occurs on a Friday night in the middle of winter in and around Almost) as well as their wistful charm, quirky humor and bracing sense of hopefulness.

Director Joe Culley has worked most effectively to bring his vision and the atmosphere of a tiny town where moving South for easier living doesn’t mean Florida but Vermont. You are sure to find this endearing little show just the ticket for escaping from cell phones and  tensions to a world where a kiss is not just still a kiss but a life changing big deal.

Each night the Valparaiso Theatrical Company will be spreading hope by donating to part of the proceeds to a different chosen charity.

Show Dates:

May 3,4,5 & 10,11,12 / 2013

Location:

The Buggy Wheel Pavilion at The Expo Center Porter County Expo Center and Fairgrounds
215 East Division Road
Valparaiso, IN 46383

To use your credit card and print your tickets at home:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/366898

OR  Tickets are $10.00 per seat at the door general admission seating

Charities that will benefit from this show are as follows:

May 3rd. NW Indiana Literacy Foundation

May 4th. Opportunity Enterprises

May 5th. March Of Dimes

May 10th. National Alliance on Mental Illness .

May 11th. PCASC (ramp building project)- Building handicap ramps for those who cannot afford them.

May 12th. Valparaiso Women’s Club

Our guest for today is …..

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William Shakespeare

“Considered the greatest English-speaking writer in history and known as England’s national poet, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) has had more theatrical works performed than any other playwright. To this day, countless theater festivals around the world honor his work, students memorize his eloquent poems and scholars reinterpret the million words of text he composed”. With works such as Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear and Hamlet. Shakespeare made the theater experience remarkable. These shows have withstood the test of time even after nearly 400 years since his death almost everyone can recite at least one line from one of his masterpieces.

http://alturl.com/9hcag

William Shakespeare check this article on History.com

Joseph is comong to Highland, IN

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poster-highland-joseph

This summer Highland parks will be bring Andrew Loyd Webber’s

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to the gazebo in Main Square Park off of Ridge Road.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the “coat of many colors” story of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly.

Audition Information

When

Monday, June 3 from 6 – 8 pm

Where

Highland Parks & Recreation Lincoln Center
2450 Lincoln Street
Highland, IN 46322

Audition Infomation

Be prepared to sing a song (bring your own pianist or CD accompaniment) or sing a ceppla. We need a lot of male voices. You will also be taught a short dance routine that you will need to show how easily you pick up.

Initially the rehearsal schedule will be one or two nights a week from 6-9 pm for singing and two nights a week from 6-9 pm for dancing. As the show comes together the rehearsals will be M-Th 6-10 pm with the live musicians.

All singers must be 16 and up. We will not be auditioning anyone under age 16. Everyone must be able to make their scheduled rehearsal and be available for all nights of the performances. If you miss the audition night we will not be holding another

WICKED to Cast Spell on the Tri-State Area Again

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wicked 1For 10 years Wicked has been smashing box offices with over  wherever it goes with over 2.9 billion in ticket sales. It became Chicago’s longest-running Broadway musical after a record-breaking 3 1/2 year run of over 1,500 performances..

Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED, winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So Called Life,” “Once And Again” and “thirtysomething”), WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone, And is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues)

You can catch this show in

Milwaukee, WI June 12- July 7, 2013 at Uihlein Hall Marcus Center for Performing Arts

Chicago, IL October 30 to December 21, 2013 at the Oriental Theater

Tickets are on sale at http://www.wickedthemusicalticketsonline.com

Who inspires you?

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Everyone has at least one person that inspires them for one reason or another.

When I was in high school I had the pleasure of having a few great teachers. Two of them are one of the main reasons I started to love theater. Not only did these teachers truly care about their students getting good grades, but they also wanted students to learn a strong work ethic that would last throughout their life.

These leaders would spend countless hours of their personal time to make sure students had what they needed to perform. Things like taking home music so they could record it with the keyboard or staying at the school every night and weekend hand painting a set for the next show.

These teachers would not let you just get by with being just average but they would push you to better yourself at all times. They allowed mistakes but all they asked was that you would say “I’m sorry for that, and I will try harder.” One of these teachers is Mr. Greg Easton who taught at Donald E. Gavit MS/HS and is now the administrator of the Hammond Performing Arts Academy at Morton HS.

Why did you become a teacher?

“I became a teacher to make a living during my early years as a performer. Teaching was only supposed to sustain me until I became a star. I was singing a lot in Chicago and I started substitute teaching to make ends meet. I was shocked at how the quality of the arts had faltered in my home town, so I decided to spend a year or two teaching full-time to make a difference. It’s now 28 years later, and I’m still here.”

Why do we need Fine Arts in school?

“The Performing arts experience that I had in high school was life changing, and unfortunately for Hammond, the heritage was gone. The Hammond Academy for the Performing Arts is a shared vision championed by Dr. Watkins that brings exceptional opportunities in the arts to all students in Hammond. HAPA is a rigorous program dedicated to academic and artistic excellence that is a school within a school on the campus of Morton High School. It is a magnet school that draws from all Hammond schools. My life is an example of why the arts are so important in school.”

Do you have a person that inspires you?

Sunset Playhouse — Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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This post uses content from the Sunset Playhouse Website

In the 1950’s, a small theatre group from St. Mary’s in Elm Grove had been leading a transitory life doing their shows in different venues. Eventually they managed to buy some swampy land with an old barn on it. A little construction and Sunset Playhouse opened its doors in March of 1960.

Sunset was the first theater in the state of Wisconsin to be built entirely by a community theater group. Sunset’s air conditioned auditorium has a seating capacity of 299, with a large well-equipped proscenium stage. The offices, lobby, Furlan Auditorium (named after Alan Furlan, Sunset Playhouse’s Artistic Director for nearly 30 years), Studio Theatre, catering kitchen, storage areas and rest rooms, stage and shop occupy the main floor. The Green Room, dressing rooms and Esposito Rehearsal Hall, and costume shop are located on the lower level. Offices, board room, costume storage, light and sound booth and video taping facilities are on the upper level. The founders of The Playhouse didn’t have the money to build the facility they wanted. In fact, the building was little more than a concrete box. However, the building was the ticket to providing the levels of quality and service the community deserved. Without having to worry about conflicting with school events or janitor schedules, the new home would quickly become the bedrock upon which The Playhouse would continue to grow and attract thousands of volunteers.

With four additions over forty years, The Playhouse has come a long way since the first productions, when the audience sat on folding chairs. The 1968 addition expanded the lobby and allowed the business office to move out of the basement. In 1973, the scene shop was able to move upstairs, with a large furniture and prop storage room below. The lobby and offices grew again in 1981, doubling the size of the rest rooms. And in 1999, with the biggest move since the construction of the original building, a studio theatre was added, with a new rehearsal hall, dressing room and a completely rebuilt and expanded lobby.

“Of course our greatest asset has always been our volunteers and our paid staff. The three full-time and several part-time employees create the environment that provides the high level of quality product that is enjoyed by the patrons and attracts some of the best volunteers in the Milwaukee area”.

As the building has grown, so has service The Playhouse has been able to return to the community. And the public interest has been growing. Not only are new groups using the Studio Theatre/Reception Room to host theatre parties, the Studio Theatre/Reception Room also holds the SideNotes and bug in a rug series and provides room for the Sunset Playhouse School for the Arts classes.