Monthly Archives: February 2013
To Be Or Not-To-BE that Is the Question?
“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d.” – William Shakespeare “Hamlet” Circa 1623
Today with budget cuts across the country, Schools are asking this very question of fine arts departments. Are these programs to be or not to be? Should we suffer the financial pain of keeping these classes that are not covered by standardized testing? Or should we just cut them in order to free up money that we can use on helping text scores and athletic programs?
People think that math and science classes are more practical in the long run because they can be applied to the job markets of the future. For this reason, Math and Science classes are rarely, if ever cut from the public high school curriculum when there are budget shortfalls. The problem is that Fine Arts are just as, if not more important in creating well-rounded and educated Americans. School boards overlook the long-range effects of cutting arts classes and focus just on the immediate budget. It is Fine Arts however that sets students apart, because everyone can count and fill a test tube. Fine Arts make a student unique According to Americans for the Arts exposure to art and music does more than just improve creativity. Children who receive regular exposure to the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic excellence, to participate in a math or science fair, and win an award for writing a poem or essay. These children are also three times more likely to be elected to a class office or to win an award for school attendance.(americansforthearts.org)
Memorial Opera House stages ‘Guys and Dolls’
Crown Point Community Theater goes to Kindergarten
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Based on the books by Robert Fulghum
Conceived and adapted by Ernest Zulia
Music by David Caldwell
Directed by Becky Jascoviak
Crown Point Community Theater will present All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten written by Robert Fulghum.
The title of the book is taken from the first of fifty essays in the volume, in which Fulghum lists lessons normally learned in American kindergarten classrooms and explains how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children, i.e. sharing, being kind to one another, cleaning up after themselves, and living “a balanced life” of work, play, and learning. The essays cover topics from Childhood to Death. In his introduction, Fulghum describes these as having been “written over many years and addressed to friends, family, a religious community, and myself, with no thought of publication in book form.”
If you were asked “What did you learn in Kindergarten” what would your answer be?
“These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):
1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
7. Say you’re SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life – learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Stryrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first workd you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.”
― Robert Fulghum
Crown Point Community Theater
1125 Merrillville Road
Crown Point, IN 46307
219-805-4255
Show Schedule
Friday, April 12, 13 @ 8 pm Sunday, April 14 @ 3 pm
Friday, April 19, 20 @ 8 pm, Sunday, April 21 @ 3 pm
Theatre at the Center presents Chicago-area premiere
The “Chicago” theater
One look inside the venue will leave you speechless. Opened October 26, 1921 this theater cost $4 million to build, ans was the first large, lavish movie palace in America. Out side you can see the “C-H-I-C-A-G-O,” sign, it is nearly six stories high. This sign is one of the few such signs in existence today. As you walk into the grand lobby you will see that it is five stories high, has rick red carpet. the black marble trim on the fist floor, and has a wonderful french style staircase with a balcony that surround the lobby. As you pass into the 3,600 seat auditorium you can’ help but notice that it is seven stories high, as wide as half a city block , and nearly as long. Only by seeing this awe inspiring theater can a person grasp it’s grandeur.
I suggest you visit this treasure at http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/
Pirates Come to Hammond, IN
This month Genesius Gulid of Hammond, IN will be opening the Gilbert and Sullivan classic “The Pirates of Penzanace” premiered in 1879, confirmed the comic genius of librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, following on the heels of their wildly successful H.M.S. Pinafore. Pirates invade the rocky coast of Cornwall in this topsy-turvy tale of love and duty, highlighted by the famous strains of “Poor Wandering One,” “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,” “Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast” and “With Cat-Like Tread, Upon Our Prey We Steal.” This vocal score includes the complete music and all dialogue, a plot synopsis, articles on the famous partnership and the history of The Pirates of Penzance, a filmography and a discography.
Letter From The Director
When I think of “The Pirates of Penzance”, I usually think of it as a comedy. I love British humor, with its witty, understated observances and absurd situations presented in a “natural” way. The subtitle to “The Pirates of Penzance” is “The Slave to Duty”, and that’s the situation that’s taken to its ridiculous extreme in this show.
Of course, “Pirates…” also has that glorious music by librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. Along with “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “The Mikado”, it’s one of their best-loved and most-revived operettas. And for good reason–who can resist those delightful songs about funny pirates, a fast-talking Major General, his silly daughters, and some nervous English bobbies?!
The cast and crew of our production have been working hard the last few months to bring this production to you. We hope it’s all it should be and brings some happy diversion to your day!
David Long
Show dates
Febuary 22, March 1&8 at 8:00 PM
Febuary 23, March 2&9 at 3:00 PM
Dinner theater March 8
For more Information Contact
The Genesius Guild
6635 Hohman Avenue, Hammond, IN 46324
Toll free (877) 724-7715
Chicago Street Theatre stages new work
Last weekend, audiences were treated to the world premiere of American Rex, a new work by playwright Joshua Rollins.
The unique story of a coal-mining family in West Virginia unfolded onstage for the first time on Friday, Feb. 1, and co-director Jonni Pera said the response was very positive.
“Audiences at both the Friday and Saturday performances were excited by this play – not only because they were the first people to ever see it, but because it is a riveting story,” Pera said. “And we are really looking forward to continuing to share this story with audiences during the final two weeks of performances.”
American Rex will be on the stage at Chicago Street Theatre, 154 W. Chicago Street in Valparaiso, six more times this month. Performances will take place this weekend on Friday, Feb. 8, and Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2:30 p.m. Next week’s performances include Thursday, Feb. 14, Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m.
After the Feb. 9 performance, audiences will be invited to join the cast and crew at Martini’s in Valparaiso to discuss the play and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Chicago Street Theatre will also host a post-play discussion on Thursday, Feb. 14, with the audience and members of the cast.
Pera and Traci Brant collaborated to direct the play, which features an award-winning cast of veteran actors.
“The cast is exceptional,” Pera said. “They have tackled the material with a lot of enthusiasm and their dedication shows onstage.”
Brant and Pera have worked on new plays at Chicago Street Theatre in the past, most notably those of resident playwright Jim Henry, who was vocal in bringing American Rex to Valparaiso.
Henry also works as a resident playwright at the Chicago Dramatists, where he was given a draft of the play to critique. He began working with Rollins on revisions, and organized a staged reading of the play at Chicago Street Theatre. Pera and Brant attended the reading and approached Rollins about directing a full production.
Henry, who is also a member of the American Rex cast, said the mission of the theatre, and the open mind of the audience, makes it possible to produce cutting-edge plays.
“Chicago Street Theatre’s board believes in promoting new work (and) new writers and that’s rare in community theatre,” Henry said. “We’ve got actors, technicians and directors who are willing to take that chance and, luckily, we have audiences as well that are willing to come see it, which is exciting. “
Rollins is an actor and playwright who currently lives in Boulder, Co. His plays have been produced in Chicago, Boston, and New York, among other cities. He has been involved with the directors and cast at Chicago Street Theatre throughout rehearsals, and was in attendance at opening night on Feb. 1.
Rollins said he enjoyed the experience of bringing American Rex to the stage with the Chicago Street Theatre cast and crew.
“I’ve never been to Valparaiso until now and it’s refreshing to see that there are people that are this dedicated to quality theatre and to new work,” he said. “New work is always a risk. And to see a company that is so dedicated to bringing new work to the stage, I think, is really refreshing.”
To reserve tickets for any of the upcoming performances of American Rex, call the Chicago Street Theatre box office at 219-464-1636, Ext. 1, or visit www.chicagostreet.org.
About American Rex
Coal miners and farmers, the icons of American industry, are being discarded. In a small town in the heart of West Virginia, one family is under siege. Holding out despite crumbing foundations, barren land, and poisoned water, they’re slowly having the ground taken away from beneath their feet. And then they start to fight back. Lives intersect as two college students stumble into a world they’ve lived separate from. A brother and sister try to maintain the lives they know, a father stops at nothing to protect his family and land, and the spirit of a woman long gone forces everyone into desperate action. Please note, this production contains adult subject matter, strong language, brief nudity, and loud noises.
Tri-State Area Theater 