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WINTER WORKSHOPS NOW REGISTERING
Sussex...Tri-State Actors Theater is now registering Winter Classes for Children,
Teen, and Adult Acting.
Advance sign-up can be made by phone by calling 973 875-2950.
Teen Classes for ages 13-17, will begin Monday, January 11 with Tri-State Artistic
Director, Paul Meacham.
Classes will learn the basic skills of acting, work on monologues and
2-character scenes, with individual
instruction for every student. Registration fee is $230.00. Classes meet Monday
evenings from 5 until 7 pm
for 10 sessions, final class is Monday, March 22.
The Advanced Acting Workshop for ages 18 and up, under the direction of
professional actor and teacher,
Tara Bowles, is for adults with or without acting experience. Class focus is on
acting as developed through
Stella Adler Technique. Scene study. Classes meet Monday evenings from 7 until 9
pm, beginning January 11.
Workshops will be held once a week, for a total of ten sessions; final class is
March 22. Registration fee is
$260.00.
Children's Classes for ages 6-12 years, under the instruction of Fran DeCesare,
a professional actor and
teacher begin on Saturday, January 23. There will be a total of six sessions.
Individual attention is given to each
student; creative dramatics, games, and ends with Parents Participation Day.
Final class is Saturday, February 27.
Registration fee is $190.00.
For more information or to register, please call the theater
at 973 875-2950.
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TRI-STATE ACTOR GARNERS BEST PERFORMER AWARD
 Paul
Meacham, long-time professional actor and artistic director of
Tri-State Actors Theater, was named the best performer for 2009 by the
TIMES-HERALD-RECORD in the paper's year-end "Go Magazine Best
of 2009" awards in the arts.
The award was based on his
performances as Ebenezer Scrooge in
Tri-State's acclaimed production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL during
December, 2009.
As Ebenezer Scrooge
Paul Meacham as himself
Meacham began his
professional acting career in 1970 in New York following a career in
educational theater
at Michigan State University, the University of Tennessee where he
taught, directed and acted in numerous
productions, and at Sussex County's Wallkill Valley Regional High
School, where he taught and directed the
theater program for many years.
His career in theater has
spanned almost 50 years including performances on many stages, in film
and on
television. He founded Tri-State Actors Theater in 1988 and has
developed Tri-State into the foremost professional
theater company in Sussex County and the surrounding regions of
Pennsylvania and New York.
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RICH AND VIBRANT VERSION OF DICKENS' 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL'

TIMES
HERALD RECORD
PLAY REVIEW December 15, 2009
By James Cotter
Sussex, NJ.--Ebenezer Scrooge is busy onstage again this December,
and Paul Meacham of Tri-State Actors Theater has not only adapted
Charles Dickens'’ "A Christmas Carol" in a new version, but also
plays the role himself. Dickens subtitled his novel "A Ghost Story of
Christmas," and the three ghosts of Scrooge’s past, present, and future
life cause him to turn himself around from a stingy, gruff and mean boss
to a kindhearted Christian.
Meacham makes his conversion
a personal
adventure that embodies the meaning of Christmas.
The Victorian setting
by Meacham with its platform risers
topped by a curtained bed in this century-old theater
enhances the dramatic
experience for the
audience.
Patricia Meacham's
lavish costumes capture the period perfectly.
Mixing narration and dialogue, director Meacham has his five other
actors multitask by playing a variety of roles.
Bill Edwards appears as the ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's former
partner, who warns him of the dire conse-
quences of his money-grubbing way of life. Edwards is also Bob Cratchit,
Scrooge's beleaguered office clerk
whose family is impoverished and struggling to survive. Katie Tame
appears as the ghost of Christmas Past in a
flourishing white sleeping gown to show him critical moments of his life
when he turned from true values to merely
material success. She also portrays Mrs. Cratchit, who, unlike her
husband, is angry with miserly Scrooge, but
ends up forgiving him in the Christmas Spirit.
Christmas Present is played by Veteran actor Jack Harris as a vigorous,
colorful force of goodwill who reveals to
Scrooge the plight of the Cratchits and their crippled son, Tiny Tim.
He is also Scrooge's nephew, Fred, who ar-
rives in the office announcing he good news of the season to his uncle’s
deaf ears. Harris returns as the friendly
Mr. Fezziwig and as Peter, another member of the Cratchit family. The
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is played
by Kevin Sebastian with silent mystery since he only points to scenes
without saying a word. He also portrays
Scrooge as a youngster at school and later as a reluctant suitor of
Belle, who refuses to marry him. Sebastian
manages to cut a pathetic figure as poor twisted Tiny Tim. Jenelle Sosa
plays Belle, Cratchits daughter, Martha,
and the amiable Mrs. Fezziwig. Like the others, she changes character
with remarkable believability.
Meacham and the whole
cast need to be seen to be believed. They have transformed this
familiar tale into some-
thing rich and strange, full of turbulent action from the first chaotic
moment when the actors arrive onstage wonder-
ing where their lead has disappeared to and equally resonant with the
eloquence of that master storyteller,
Charles Dickens. |
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NEW
PLAYS READING SERIES PRESENTS NEW SPANISH COMEDY
Sussex...
Tri-State Actors Theater's next and final 2009 New Plays Reading will be
held on
Saturday, November 14 at 8:00 pm in the Theater’s Black Box space, 74
Main St.,
Sussex. YOUR AVERAGE JOSE' is a new play by one of Spain's up and coming
young
playwrights, Juan Pablo Heras. Writer and translator, Rick Hite
(pictured at left), has translated
the script into English.
Your Average Jose' is "your average Joe" who is a twenties-something
Spanish guy (read by Bill Edwards)
who turns out to be anything but average when it comes to catching a
common cold, falling in love, and
figuring out what life is all about. Of course it takes the right woman
(read by Sarah Koestner) to help the
poor guy do all that figuring out and a little help on the side from a
few oddball friends. It’s all about what
we’re all about when we’re not so sure what it’s all about but feel it’s
still worth the effort and more fun than
not along the way. A great ride! A happy ending!
A talk back with the director, translator and actors will follow the
reading. Refreshments will be served.
Admission is by donation. For more information about the reading and
Tri-State Actors Theater, please
call the Box Office at 973-875-2950.
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Play Review:
TENSION MOUNTS IN COMPELLING "TURN OF THE
SCREW"
By James
F. Cotter
For
the Times-Herald Record
October 14, 2009
SUSSEX,
N.J. -- Henry James wrote "The Turn of the Screw" as
a ghost
story,
but it turned out to be
a psychological thriller.
For him, the twist in
the plot was to have two orphaned children encounter demonic spirits
with the
reader left guessing what evil they intend. The story is narrated by
their
governess, who tries to protect the boy and girl from harm, but is she a
trustworthy narrator? Is she too wrought up and enamored of the uncle
who
has sent her to the remote estate to supervise the two engaging wards?
Readers are left with even more guessing as they try to probe James'
original
intention.
The short novel has
been adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher for the stage and is
being presented by the Tri-State Actors Theater under the
experienced direction of Paul Meacham.
This
adaptation is unusual in that it
calls for only two actors to play all the roles: the governess, of
course, and then a
male actor for the rest. It is also performed without an intermission so
that the audience is propelled
right into
the "tale of terror"
that takes place at Bly, the isolated
country estate with its haunted gothic rooms and tower,
extensive grounds and adjoining lake.
Meacham's set design captures the Victorian setting
with a single large armchair, massive
stairway and
shrubbery to suggest the lake. Patricia Meacham's costumes also reflect
the period with a long lady's gown and
wraps and a man's dark tight-fitting suit that requires no changes for
the various parts.
As the governess, who remains unnamed in
the tale she tells,
Ellen Lindsay
begins as a dreamy idealist
who
forms an instant crush for the uncle who hires her on the condition that
she never contact him no matter what
happens at Bly. She is just as
enthusiastic when she first meets lovely little Flora,
who remains mute
throughout the whole unfolding mystery, and handsome 10-year-old Miles,
who has been dismissed from school for
some misbehavior that he is reluctant to discuss.
The governess soon becomes more ardent
in her attachments
and more determined to save the children
as
she encounters the apparitions of evil that come to her, the former
servants, Peter Quint and Miss Jessel, who were
lovers when they were alive.
Lindsay is compelling to watch as she grows more frantic and
possessive
toward Miles,
embracing him and urging him to reveal his past secrets. They enjoy
exchanging riddles while
becoming more enigmatic in their sexually fraught relationship.
As everybody else,
Jason Guy gives a tour-de-force
performance,
coolly commanding as the seductive uncle,
twisted and cackling as the housemaid,
Mrs. Grose, and bouncing up and down and whirling around as the
rambunctious Miles.
Guy has a dancer's and gymnast's energy as he
rapidly moves from role to role,
hardly pausing as he builds up tension that is leading to an
unimaginable climax.
It is all there in James'
text, only more dramatic and
perilous as the havoc increases
in the characters' confrontations.
See for yourself how James, who
never succeeded in the plays he wrote for the stage,
will keep you on the
edge of your seat.
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Youngsters' enthusiasm keeps 'Fable' aloft
BY CYNTHIA TOPPS
THE TIMES HERALD RECORD
Sussex,
NJ. - You
may have thought that Aesop was a freed slave in mid sixth
century B.C. Greece, who told wonderful fables that had morals. Or you
may have
thought Aesop and his son were cartoon characters on “Rocky and
Bullwinkle” who
told wonderful fables that had morals (with a pun tacked on at the end
as well).
Well, according to
Joseph Robinette and Thomas Tierney, Aesop is Greek, but he is
more than 2,400 years old and travels around in a space ship called the
Fabulous Fable
Factory. Along with him are mechanical parts that help him create
Fabulous Fables. But
he is missing a very important part: a moral maker.
Tri-State Actors
Theater is presenting the musical THE FANTASTIC RETURN OF THE
FABULOUS FABLE FACTORY performed by its Student Intern Company. The
story is
peppered with such fables as “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “The Day
Dreaming Milkmaid”
accompanied by cheery, delightful songs.
As we board the
spaceship, the parts are hatching a surprise for the 2469th
birthday of Aesop (Cody Riker). They
have returned the ship to a spot where 30 years ago they found a moral
maker. When they arrive, they find they
have landed in a mall. Jane (Kelly Osborne) discovers them when she
enters a store dressing room. Aesop and
the parts convince Jane to help them and she agrees and uses a computer
device called a porcupine to assist them.
What makes this show
"Fabulous" is the enthusiasm and energy of the young performers.
Standouts are Riker as
an appropriately ancient Aesop, yet spry for his 2,000-plus years, and
Osborne as a charming Jane. Jackie Torres
expertly plays a series of tough characters (a Wolf, A Sailor, a Lion
and a hungry Cat). Dallas Haines garners lots
of laughs, and Lauren DeVore is especially fine as the Day Dreaming
Milkmaid and the Goddess Juno.
Alexis Alemy, Ali
Castellucci, Jon Dragon, Megan Good, Rebecca Kus and Alexa Ross round
out the troupe of players.
They throw themselves into all the stories as well as the dance routines
by Anna Matthews. All the performers can
be heard (without the use of body microphones), but sometimes words to
the songs were difficult to understand.
The costumes by
Patricia Meacham and the props were colorful. The spaceship set design
by director Paul Meacham
was eye catching with lots of lights and levers.
THE FANTASTIC RETURN
OF THE FABULOUS FABLE FACTORY has its own moral: Young people should not
rely
too heavily on technology but use their own brains and imaginations
instead.
A great lesson for
youngsters to learn, and what a fun way to learn it ... watching a
theatrical production performed by
their peers. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE LOST
RAMBLERS BRING LIVE BLUEGRASS TO TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER
The
Lost Ramblers are back! One night only, July 18,
at Tri-State Actors Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex, NJ. 973
875-2950
Sussex...The Lost Ramblers are back for a
one-night concert at Tri-State
Actors Theater on Saturday, July 18 at 8:00 pm. The band offers high-
energy, foot-tapping beats, tight harmonies, and boasts a repertoire
that is
as entertaining as it is eclectic. They specialize in authentic
Appalachian
acoustic sounds, and their performances run the gamut from bluegrass and
gospel, to swing, Irish, and favorite old-timey music. The concert will
be held
in the air-conditioned mainstage of the historic, Crescent Theater, 74
Main St.,
Sussex, New
Jersey. The Lost Ramblers put on a fun and entertaining show for the
whole family.
The Lost Ramblers
have been playing and promoting bluegrass in and around northeastern PA
and northwestern NJ
since about 1978, when Neil Morris, Pete Papallardo and John Updike
("the other John Updike") first got together to
pick and sing. A few years ago, the guys decided to throw their hat in
the ring and go for broke, with their own nonprofit
organization, visit their website at
http://www.poconobluegrass.org,
devoted to bringing Bluegrass and other acoustic
sounds to everybody. They started their very own "Winterfest" a
three-day bluegrass festival in Stroudsburg, PA, to add
to the monthly "Shindigs" they’ve been running for some time, and have
appeared at festivals throughout the East.
If you've been to the Peters Valley Craft Festival during the past few
years, or visited Winterfest and the many other
Bluegrass festivals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you've heard these
fine players. The band’s talented and highly
skilled musicians are known for their mastery of multi-instrumental
acoustics and three-part harmonies. The Lost
Ramblers have been performing regionally and nationally for over twenty
years. Their music has been featured on TV,
videos, radio, and on recordings.
Get your seats now for this family friendly, musical funfest at
Tri-State. Curtain time for The Lost Ramblers opens
8 pm on Saturday, July 18. All seats are $20 each. Wheelchair access and
elevator service are available for patrons
with special needs. Reservations are recommended for all performances.
For tickets, information, and special
services, please contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Main Street
parking is limited and patrons are encouraged
to use the free municipal parking lot on Harrison Street, directly
behind the theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs
and services are available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater has been made possible in part by a
grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State,
a Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Horizon
Foundation of New Jersey. |
COMEDY BY
CANDLELIGHT AT TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER
Bill
Edwards, left, and Scotty Watson, accompanied by Chris Lance, star in
THE BIG BANG, a deliciously silly musical comedy.
Sussex, NJ...Last Friday was not much different than most days this
month; it rained.
Due to an electrical storm that tore through the Northwestern corner of
NJ, Tri State
Actors Theatre in Sussex was one of many establishments that lost power.
The
theater’s directors, Paul and Patricia Meacham, greeted audience members
arriving at
the darkened theater. Was the show still on? Yes, but not exactly. The
electric key-
board was out of the question. Instead, the audience was invited to stay
for a battery-
operated, candle-lit hour of improvisation comedy with THE BIG BANG
actors, Scotty
Watson and Bill Edwards. Everyone had a great time and the laughter was
momentarily
interrupted with a groan when the lights finally came back on at 9PM.
(Ticket holders were offered rain checks.)
THE BIG BANG explodes with big belly laughs
and is a great night out for July 4th. The musical comedy runs
through Sunday, July 12. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
evenings at 8:00 pm and Sunday
matinees at 3:00 pm. All tickets on Thursdays are $20; tickets for
Friday, Saturday and Sunday matinees are $30,
$27 for Seniors 60 and over, and $20 for students. Group Rates are
available.
'
Advance ticket purchases are recommended for all performances. Large
print programs, wheelchair access and
elevator service are available for patrons with special needs. For
tickets, information, and special services, please
contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Main Street parking in Sussex is
limited to two hours and patrons are
encouraged to use the free municipal parking lot on Harrison Street,
directly behind the theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs
and services is on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater has been made possible in part by a
grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State,
a Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and The
Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. |
Play Review:You’ll get a kick out of THE
BIG BANG
By
BY LISA HEWEL
For the Times-Herald Record
SUSSEX,
N.J. — Mel Brooks' most recent forays on the Great White Way —
"The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein" — were based on two of his hit
movies.
One can only imagine what colossal production numbers might be
choreographed if
"Blazing Saddles," "High Anxiety" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" were
to make it
to Broadway.
But one need not look any further than Boyd
Graham and Jed Feuer's "The Big
Bang" to envision what Brooks' "History of the World, Part I" would have
been
like if Brooks had sent this 1981 film he wrote, directed and produced
to the stage
with a tiny bit of "The Producers" plot line thrown in for good measure.
If
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Brooks would be happy
to know that
Graham (book and lyrics) and Feuer (music) have paid him homage with
their work currently
being presented by a fantastic two-man cast
at Tri-State Actors Theater.
As prospective investors of a Boyd (Bill Edwards)
and Jed (Scotty Watson) $83.5 million budget, 318-member-
cast production encompassing "the entire history of civilization," the
audience is treated to a backer's audition
of "highlights" from this mega-musical billed as "one of the greatest
theatrical events of all time."
What follows in
the umpteen acts and scenes are 90 minutes of
the most laughable lyrics and chaotic costume
changes you will ever see, thanks to this duo of gifted actors.
From the beginning of time,
Edwards and Watson delight us in "One
Big Bang," the opening number. Throughout
history, and subsequent acts and scenes, the two go on to portray Adam
and Eve, Jewish slaves, the Blessed
Virgin and Mrs. Gandhi, Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella,
Minnehaha and Pocahontas, Napoleon and
Josephine Bonaparte, and Tokyo Rose and Shanghai Lil.
As Boyd, Bill Edwards is
just marvelous as the jive-talking Egyptian queen Nefertiti
in "Viva la Diva," a wacky
soothsayer in "Wake Up Caesar" and a heavily Puerto Rican-accented Queen
Isabella in "The United States of
Isabella." With Watson at his side,
Edwards
shines as Amber Lee in the antebellum South, serves up a
witty
ditty as one of Henry VIII's chefs in "Cooking for Henry"
and brings down the house
in the final
number.
Not to be outdone by his
partner, Scotty Watson is equally entertaining
as Jed. In his
scenes as Mrs. Gandhi
("Motherhood Is One Hell of a Job"), Pocahontas ("The Dating Scene") and
Tokyo Rose ("Ladies of the Orient"),
he is a zany sidekick. However,
Watson is best as Leo the Christian-eating lion in
"I Work the Colosseum,"
Josephine meeting Napoleon Bonaparte for the first time in "Today's Just
Yesterday's Tomorrow" and
Eva Braun in "Loving Him Is Where I Went Wrong."
Chris Lance adds a bit of
dry humor as Albert, their accompanist.
Jenn Womack's direction of this
insanely inventive musical is superb, as is Patricia Meacham's wardrobe
created from costume designs used in Tri-State's 2004 production of this
show. |
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THE NEW JERSEY HERALD:
THE BIG BANG MAKES A COMIC COMEBACK 6-19-09

By Elisa D. Keller
When asked to describe the two-man
musical
comedy THE BIG BANG,
now playing at the
Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex, actor Bill
Edwards
has a standard response he likes to
give. " Have you heard of
'Wicked'
and 'Les
Mis?' he asked. "It's nothing like that."
Directed by Jenn Womack and starring Bill
Edwards and Scotty Watson
as two overly
ambitious writers seeking investors for their
new epic musical
production telling the entire
history of the world, THE BIG BANG is 90
minutes of prop-driven hilarity.
The two actors jump between comic reenactments of major historical and
religious events,
from the creation of Adam and Eve to the rise and fall of Julius Caesar,
all while trying to convince the
audience to financially back their play, which , at an
estimated cost of around $85 million and a 12-hour
running time,
would inevitably be destined to fail.

"These are not smart men we're playing,"
laughed Watson. "It's really
fun, frenetic and
crazy."
THE BIG BANG was also stage at Tri-State in
2004,and has been frequently
suggested as a
play the community would like to see again,
according to
theater founder Paul Meacham.
"It was such a popular show," Meacham said.
"At least in one slot during the
season, I try to
listen to the community about what they like.
I thought I would
bring THE BIG BANG back
and do it again. It's meant to be a funny, slap-
stick musical, a little like 'The Producers' on a
small scale."
Also the director during the show's 2004 run at
Tri-State, Womack describes
THE BIG BANG
as the history of the world meets "Waiting for Guffman."
"It is kind of like choreographed chaos," womack explained. "It is an
explosion of comedy and music intertwined with more
props than almost
any other show. It's also a lot of fun."
With
different audiences serving as the show's
potential investors every
night, Watson and
Edwards also hope to work in some improvisations,
making each performance a unique
experience. The duo worked together
in 2007 in
the Tri-State production of GREATER TUNA and
a recent improv
comedy benefit, and found that
their different acting styles mesh well.
"We've been laughing about it because it's incredibly similar to Laurel and
Hardy," said Watson,
noting that he is a larger man, while Edwards is
thin
and over-the-top. "He really can go for flights
of fancy. It's my place to always
scowl. When that
happens, it's a tough acting job for me because I'm
always amused."
Watson, originally from Toronto, Canada, is a
Second City veteran with a
background in sketch
comedy and improv. Edwards, a more traditional
theater actor, is a Kittatinny Regional high School graduate who grew up in Stillwater
before his family moved out of the area.
"It's kind of nice how things come back in circles," said Edwards, who
now lives in Secaucus and enjoys commuting
back to
Sussex for work. This is his fifth season performing in
various productions at Tri-State.
"They are excellent comedians," said Womack, noting that her
professional experience is more rooted in musical
theater,
making for an interesting balance. "I don't really have an[y]
experience directing comedy, so I think the
combination of
their talents and my experience directing musicals has
made it a different show than I ever thought
possible."
Tri-State will follow THE BIG BANG, which runs four shows a week through
July 12, with its traditional all-student
children's
production from Aug.5-22. This year's cast of local
student interns will perform THE FANTASTIC RETURN
OF THE
FABULOUS FABLE FACTORY.
These two lighter summer shows fall in the middle of more serious
fare, including a spring run of PROOF and Henry
James'
TURN OF THE SCREW coming up in the fall.
"We always try to have a lighter show in the season, one that maybe has
more mass appeal," noted Meacham.
Now in
its 22nd season -- the company's seventh in the historic Crescent
Theater in Sussex Borough -- Tri-State is
a professional
theater company and non-profit organization run through
charitable donations as well as grants from
entities like the New
Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Geraldine R.
Dodge foundation and the Horizon
Foundation for New Jersey.
While the current economic turndown has cut into both the theater's
donations and its grant money, Meacham is
hopeful
it will weather the storm with some cutbacks in rehearsal costs
and smaller cast productions.
"We really want Sussex Countians to know that we are something they
can't see other places. We want to be
here in 20
years--forever if possible--for the entertainment and,
really, the good of Sussex County," said Meacham. "We look forward
to a lot of people coming to this show and enjoying it. I could
sit through almost every performance myself and
laugh, and
I think that's great."
"We jump from ancient Rome to 500 years later in the Middle East for no
other reason that just to do it,"
Watson added.
"It's such a pleasure to go to the theater knowing you're going to make 100 people laugh tonight." |
COMEDY
NIGHT AT TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER
Sussex...Tri-State
Actors Theater is bringing back those
madcap men of mirth, Scotty Watson and Bill Edwards, for a
Night of Comedy and Improv on Saturday, May 30. The evening
begins at 8:00 pm at the historic Crescent Theater, 74 Main
Street, Sussex, NJ. Each actor will do a bit of solo stand-up
comedy followed by audience participation and improv. Scotty
and Bill starred in last season’s comic romp, "Greater Tuna."
Scotty Watson is a member of both U.S. and
Canadian Equity. Scotty has written and performed
for The Second City and served as an alternate clown in Cirque du
Soleil's - MYSTERE in Las Vegas.
After his Tri-State debut in GREATER TUNA, he was off to New York City
and appeared Off-Broadway
as the disembodied head of Sam Walton in the hilarious musical
comedy,WALMARTOPIA!
Bill Edwards, a
member of Actors’ Equity Assoc., has been seen by Tri-State audiences in
GLASS MENAGERIE, GREATER TUNA, ROUNDING THIRD, TWELFTH NIGHT,
THE STAR-SPANGLED GIRL, A CHRISTMAS CAROL & various play readings. Billy
has also
performed with various improvisational comedy & interactive groups as
well as performing in the theme
park realm at both Busch Gardens, VA & Universal Studios, CA.
The laughter continues when Scotty and Bill
return in June as Jed and Boyd in the comic musical,
THE BIG BANG. It's the story two writers who have created a musical
called "The Big Bang" -- whose
subject matter is no less than The Entire History of the World. Now Jed
and Boyd want to get it to
Broadway, so they've borrowed a friend's fancy apartment, have invited
potential moneymen and will
perform for them a backers' audition of the show.
Tickets are on sale now at the theater for Comedy Night and The Big
Bang. Advance ticket purchases
are recommended for all performances. Large print programs, wheelchair
access and elevator service
are available for patrons with special needs. For tickets, information,
and special services, please contact
the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Main Street parking is limited and
patrons are encouraged to use the
free municipal parking lot on Harrison Street, directly behind the
theater.
Tri-State Actors Theater is the foremost professional theatre company in
Sussex County, northeast
Pennsylvania, and south central New York. It's performances have been
praised by many critics including
those of the STAR-LEDGER, THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD, the Morristown DAILY
RECORD, and
the NJ HERALD. Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and
its programs and services are
available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater has been
made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on
the Arts/Department of State, a
Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and the generous
support of the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation.
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TRI-STATE OFFERS TEEN WORKSHOP AND
SUMMER THEATER CAMPS
Sussex...Tri-State
Actors Theater will offer a one-evening Teen Acting Workshop (for
ages 11-17) on Wednesday, June 3 in the historic Crescent Theater, 74
Main Street,
Sussex, NJ. The Acting Workshop, which will be held from 7 pm-8:30 pm,
is an
exceptional opportunity to learn acting from an experienced actress and
theater
teacher, Fran DeCesare. As a professional actor who has played featured
roles in
theater, film and television, Ms. DeCesare is a valued leader in
Tri-State’s theater
education programs. She teaches children and teenagers in both one-day
workshops
and on-going classes throughout the year.
Fran DeCesare
The Acting Workshop on June 3 will include warm-up exercises to prepare
actors mentally and physically, and
theater games that stretch the performer’s imagination. This offering is
a great way to introduce the positive aspects
of acting and developing self-confidence. Improvisation will also be
incorporated to place the actors in real and
imagined situations that will be developed into scenes and stage action.
The registration fee per person is $30.00
for the workshop.
Tri-State Actors Theater offers opportunities to young performers, both
new and experienced, which teach and
cultivate the art of acting. Theater arts assist in developing a
person's capacity for creative thinking and
imagining, problem solving, creative judgment and a host of other mental
processes as well as social interaction. In
addition to the June 3rd workshop, Tri-State will offer a one week
Theater Camp Children (6-12) and Teens (13-17).
Both Camps will include acting warm-up exercises, theatre games, and
improvisation games. Beginners and first-
timers are encouraged to join us! Camp registration fee is $180.00 per
student.
Summer Theater Camp - July 6-10
Children's Camp (6-12yrs): from 10am – 1pm. Program includes
Poetry Theater and scenes from children plays.
On Friday class will be from 10am-12:15 with a final performance at
12:15 for family and friends.
Teen Camp (13-17): from 2pm – 5pm. Teen camp will include short
sketches and scenes from teen scene books,
and some scenes created as a class. On Friday class will be from 2pm –
4:00 with a final performance for family
and friends at 4pm.
For more information, or to register, call 973-875-2950 or visit us on
the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Correction: Tri-State Actors Theater auditions continue for this
season’s Summer Intern Program, running July 13
through August 22. Please note the change in audition times on Saturday,
June 6 and 13. Auditions will be held
from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm, rather than 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm.
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Review: 'Proof' at Tri-State Actors Theater in
Sussex, N.J.
By MARCUS KALIPOLITES
For the Times-Herald Record
April 24, 2009
SUSSEX,
N.J. -- The set of a run-down house with barren flowers on the
back
porch serves as metaphor for the mental decline of a brilliant
University
of Chicago
professor and mathematician in the Tri-States Actors Theatre
production
of "Proof."
The agony is compounded as Robert's troubled
daughter wonders whether
she
inherited his genius or insanity.
In David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play directed by Paul Meacham,
four
polished players flesh out the dramatic story in both current time and
flashbacks.
Through several scenes, Paul Falzone as the late
mathematician
Robert captures the
torture of a disengaged man. At the hands of daughter
Catherine,
Katie Tame not
only struggles through several years to care for her
intelligent but
unstable father but
also has the anguish of fending off her controlling sister. As played by
Patricia
Durante, Claire dominates by selling off the family home and demanding
that Catherine
come to live with her in New
York. And Sal Caccaito as Hal, Robert's
former doctoral student, creates a dilemma concerning "Proof" as he
excitingly discovers among Robert's papers a unique and world-intriguing
mathematical formula, which
raises the
question "Who wrote it?"
The apparition of Robert is both fatherly as well
as engaging as he drops in on Catherine's 25th birthday, faulting
her with "don't waste your talent" and "stop moping around." He also
becomes furious that she should enroll in
rival Northwestern University. In an especially dramatic episode,
Falzone's character works at a small table in
the yard wearing a short sleeve jersey in 30-degree winter weather as he
increasingly turns feverish and
exhortive in his attempts to engage a hand-rubbing and chilled Catherine
to join him in a team effort.
Tame's character of Catherine covers a wide range
of emotions -- from unselfish love for Robert during his
years of mental turmoil yet defying his fatherly advice, to escaping her
frustration by swigging champagne, to
attempting to stop Hal's running off with any of Robert's documents as
well as romancing Hal.
While Cacciato as Hal succeeds in creating a respectful and unassuming
bespectacled student in a flashback visit
to his professor's home, he also conveys the image of a happy-go-lucky
rock band drummer. The joy of a kiss
by Catherine soon enough turns to exasperation as he rejects her claim
to the proof. Besides Claire also
disbelieving that Catherine had anything to do with the proof, Durante's
character remains domineering in faulting
her sister's wish to remain in Chicago and in planning to whisk
Catherine away.
In this play of well-drawn characters, the
dialogue is fast-paced and dazzling, and the production is worth seeing.
IF YOU GO ...
What: "Proof" by David Auburn
Where: Tri-State Actors Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex, N.J.
When: 8 p.m. April 24-25 and 30 and May 2 and 7-9; 3 p.m. April 26 and
May 3 and 10
Tickets: $30, $27 senior citizens, $20 students, $20 for all Thursday
performances
Call: 973-875-2950 |
TRI-STATE
ACTORS THEATER OPENS 2009 SEASON WITH SPRING FLING
AND AWARD WINNING PLAY, PROOF

Branchville's Patricia Durante serenaded Tri-State's Gala audiences with
Broadway
show tunes. Ms. Durante will play Claire in Tri-State's season opener,
PROOF,
opening April 22 at the historic Crescent Theater, Main St., Sussex, NJ.
973 875-2950
Sussex… Tri-State Actors Theater opened its
twenty-second season with a recent Spring Fling Gala on March 21
at the historic Crescent Theater, Main St., Sussex. The evening began
“Downstairs in the Black Box Theater” with
introductions from Tri-State’s Board President Joe Shallenburger and
Master of Ceremony, actor and stand-up
comic, Scotty Watson. A variety of appetizers were served by several of
Tri-State’s Student Interns and singers
Ava Rae Heatley and Kyle Hancharick provided musical selections, while
magician Seth Dale treated the audience
to a mix of slight of hand and humor. The evening events concluded
“Upstairs on the Mainstage” with coffee and
dessert and show tunes performed by Patricia Durante, accompanied by
Chris Lance on the keyboard.
Tri-State Actors Theater is proud to announce David Auburn’s award
winning play
Proof as its 2009 season
opener. Auburn’s play, a family drama that touches the soul,
debuted at
the Manhattan Theater Club in New York
in 2000 and was instantly hailed
by critics. In addition to a two-year,
sold-out run on Broadway, the play was
awarded
the Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in
2001. Proof was also
made into a major
motion picture. David Kaufman of the Daily News called PROOF "an
exciting new drama. This play … combines
elements of mystery and surprise with
old-fashioned storytelling to
provide a compelling evening of theater."
You don’t have to know anything about math to enjoy PROOF. PROOF is
about
mathematicians, but it's more
about what goes on in their hearts than in their heads.
Auburn brings
together four characters on the porch of an
old Chicago home to explore
the complex formulas of love, trust and fear
that bind a family together, for better or
worse. It's the eve of Catherine's 25th birthday. Her father, a famous
mathematician
who in middle age slipped into
dementia, has just died. Catherine dropped her own studies in math to
spend the
last five years taking care of him,
and now must confront her own life head-on. How much of her father's
genius-or
madness-will she inherit? Her sister Claire has flown into town to take care of her and Hal, a former student
of her
father's, has fallen in love with her. When
Hal discovers a revolutionary new mathematical proof in the family's
attic,
the bonds between all three are tested to
their limits as they search for the truth about the proof's author.
Catherine is played by Equity actress Katie Tames, who’s past
appearances at TAT include A CHRISTMAS CAROL,
THE GLASS MENAGERIE, 12th NIGHT and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Patricia
Durante of Branchville
plays Catherine’s sister Claire. Sal Cacciato,
who plays Hal, is making his Tri-State debut.
Playing Robert,
the brilliant but disturbed mathematician is Paul Falzone. Falzone, a member of Actors’ Equity, made
his
Tri-State debut in Arthur Miller’s THE PRICE in 2007.
Performances for PROOF begin Wednesday, April 22 with an open Dress
Rehearsal at 8:00 pm and runs until May
10.
Tickets for Thursday evenings at 8:00 pm are $20. Tickets for Friday and
Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm and
Sunday
matinees at 3:00 pm are $30, $27 for Seniors 60 and over, and $20 for
students.
Spring Acting classes for children, teens, and adults are just beginning
and registrations are still being taken by
calling the theater at 973 875-2950.
2009 Season Subscriptions, Flex Passes and individual tickets are now on
sale. Advance ticket purchases are
recommended for all performances. Large print programs, wheelchair
access and elevator service are available for
patrons with special needs. For tickets, information, and special
services, please contact the Box Office at 973
875-2950. Main Street parking is limited and patrons are requested to
use the free municipal parking lot on Harrison
Street, directly behind the theater.
Tri-State Actors Theater is the foremost professional theatre company in
Sussex County, northeast Pennsylvania,
and south central New York. It’s performances have been praised by many
critics including those of the
STAR-
LEDGER, THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD, the Morristown DAILY RECORD, and
the NJ HERALD. Additional
information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs and services
are available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for Tri-State Actors
Theater has been made possible in part by a
grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State,
a Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of the Geraldine R.
Dodge Foundation.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2009
New Jersey Theatre Alliance 12th Annual Family Week at the
Theatre
in association with Tri-State Actors Theater presents
Charlotte's Web, the musical
The New Jersey Theatre Alliance and Tri-State Actors Theater will
present
Tri-State's Summer Intern production of Charlotte's Web, the musical,
on Saturday, March 7, 2009. This performance is part of the 12th Annual
Family
Week at the Theatre and The Stages Festival, a statewide event that
provides
discounted and free theatre performances for families during the first
week of
March, and continues with low-cost events for all ages throughout the
month.
Charlotte's Web will be presented 11:00 am and 2:00 pm for children and
their
families.
Joseph Robinette, a national award-winning children's playwright, has
adapted award-winning author E.B. White's
book for the stage with music and lyrics by Charles Strouse (Annie, Bye,
Bye, Birdie.) This exciting musical version
of Charlotte's Web brings a new dimension to E.B. White's beloved
classic with a thrilling musical score. White
considered the book a story of "friendship and salvation on a farm,"
basing his story on his own love for animals on
his family farm in Maine.
Family Week at the Theatre is an annual statewide event offering free
and discounted tickets to attendees, and
was developed to encourage families to attend professional theatre
together by making the experience affordable,
educational and exciting. Across the state, in all 21 counties, young
people (ages 5 -18) will receive free and
discounted tickets to over 100 performances and special events,
including free classes, workshops and backstage
tours. Since its inception in 1998, the program has served over 65,000
people. The New Jersey Theatre Alliance
encourages our audiences to bring grandparents, aunts and uncles,
friends, caregivers and more in their theatre
parties. For the second year in a row, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance
extends the invitation with The Stages
Festival – offering discounted shows, programs, and workshops for all
ages in theatres, libraries and Barnes and
Noble bookstores statewide.
While most of these performances are offered free of charge for young
people, there may be a nominal admission
charge for adults. Reservations are a must for Charlotte’s Web. Tickets
prices are $10 for adults and one child free
with each paying adults; the cost for children 11 and under is $8.00.
For more information or to order tickets, call the
box office at 973 875-2950. Tri-State Actors Theater is located at 74
Main Street in Sussex, New Jersey. To receive
a full schedule of events for Family Week at the Theatre (March 4-11,
2009) and The Stages Festival (March 11 - 31,
2009) please visit
http://www.familyweek.com.
The New Jersey Theatre Alliance provides a wide variety of programs and
services for the state's professional
theatres and the audiences who enjoy them. Two free Acting Workshops led
by Fran DeCesare are planned for
children ages 10 to 18. The first will be held on Saturday, March 5
beginning at 7:00 pm at the Main Branch of the
Sussex Library, 973 948-3660, and the second on Saturday, March 14, from
10 am until noon at the Sussex-
Wantage Branch, 973 875-3940.
Family Week at the Theatre is a co-sponsored project of The New Jersey
State Council on the Arts/Department of
State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and
Discover Jersey Arts. Visit
http://www.JerseyArts.com
for more information about other arts programming happening around the
Garden
State. Additional support has been provided by, Bank of America, The F.M.
Kirby Foundation, Fund for New Jersey
Blind, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The George Ohl, Jr. Trust, The
New Jersey Division of the Deaf and
Hard of Hearing, the New Jersey Library Association, New Jersey Monthly,
New Jersey State Library, Johnson &
Johnson, Barnes and Noble, Discover Jersey Arts, The Prudential
Foundation and WNYC. |
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Play review: 'A Christmas Carol' at Tri-State
Actors Theater in Sussex, N.J.
By
MARCUS KALIPOLITES
For
the Times Herald-Record
December 06, 2008 6:00 AM
SUSSEX,
N.J. — Next to reincarnating Scrooge, Paul Meacham turns
in an inimitable
portrayal of the larger-than-life character in "A Christmas Carol." And
with resourceful
acting by the veteran actor and five other players in two-dozen roles,
19th-century London
comes to bristling life in the Tri-States Actors Theater production of
Charles Dickens' classic
novel adapted for the stage by Christopher Schario.
In addition to the visual appearance of arrogance early on, Meacham's
character scorns the
poor with violent raps of his cane, snarls at a cheerful nephew and
dispatches soliciting
Gentlewomen without a donation. Soon enough, however, a torturous
confrontation by the
ghost of his deceased partner (accompanied by booming and thunderous
claps) finds
Scrooge cowering in terror. By play's end, and having given up his
penurious ways,
Meacham's alter-ego relishes the joy of an angel with a combination of
praying, crying
and laughing.
But while Meacham
portrays only one character (and a very evolving one at that),
all
of the other performers imbue
their many characters with a whole range of emotions.
Besides playing the
humble employee and modest family
man Bob Cratchit,
Bill
Edwards (laden with raggedy appearance, keys, locks and sounds of
rattling chains)
electrifies the action with Marley's dire threats.
And the action does
indeed cover a lot of ground as Scrooge is led through happier episodes
of his life, as in the
school-room where
Kevin Sebastian (who also later plays a congenial Tiny Tim) conveys the
image of a serious
student.
In
guiding the gaping and astonished man through the early years,
white-gowned Katie Tame not only
serves as the ebullient Christmas Past, but also, as Mrs. Cratchit, she
frowns, then relents, on toasting Scrooge
at dinner. She and Jennelle Sosa also serve as congenial Gentlewomen.
Christmas Past aside,
it's also the reality check of Jack Harris' Christmas Present and the
foreboding of
Sebastian's Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come that force the scornful
businessman to change his outlook on life.
Directed by Meacham, the production features credible character acting
throughout, efficient use of props in quick-
changing scenes, nonstop movement of the players, effective light and
sound changes and costumes appropriate
to time and place.As
inspired and captivating as any story dealing with a salvaged soul, this
presentation of "A Christmas Carol"
is worth seeing. |
A CHRISTMAS
CAROL: SHARE THE TRADITION

Scrooge, played by actor and director Paul
Meacham, is a lonely miser
who finds a second chance to become a loving, generous human being.
The spirits and visions that haunt Scrooge are portrayed by (standing)
Bill
Edwards, Katie Tame and Jack Harris. Looking on from above is Kevin
Sebastian as Tiny Tim and Jenelle Sosa as Belle. Tri-State Actors
Theater’s
A CHRISTMAS CAROL runs December 3 through December 21, 74
Main St.,
Sussex, New Jersey. 973-875-2950
A CHRISTMAS CAROL - SHARE THE TRADITION
Sussex...The stage of the historic Crescent Theater will glow with good
spirits and tradition when Tri-State
Actors Theater presents its annual production of Charles Dickens’
A CHRISTMAS CAROL, adapted by "
Christopher Schario, playing December 3 through December 21. The
heart-warming holiday classic has
delighted tri-state audiences since 2005, making it a well-loved holiday
entertainment.
Schario's adaptation sparkles with clarity and wit and brings the
holiday spirit to all ages. Song and dance,
ghostly chills, laughter and warmth deck the halls, as the miserly
Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by the spirits
of his past, present and likely future. This evergreen tale of
generosity, kindness and true Christmas spirit
comes to joyous life as six actors portray all of Dickens’ characters.
Vividly told and richly interpreted,
A CHRISTMAS CAROL captures all of Dickens' delightful
language, and delights the eye as well as the spirit
and is a great holiday gift for the entire family and friends!
Artistic Director and Tri-State founder, Paul Meacham* will direct A
Christmas Carol, as well as play Scrooge -
a lonely miser, who, through the help of spirits and visions, finds a
second chance to become a loving,
generous human being. Returning cast members Bill Edwards*, Katie Tame*
and Jenelle Sosa are joined on
stage this season by Jack Harris* and Kevin Sebastian. (*Denotes
membership in Actors Equity Association,
the union of professional actors and stage managers.)
The play begins with a young boy reading Dickens' novel for the first
time. As the scenes are played out behind
him, the child becomes totally caught up in the story and is finally
invited by the other characters to enter the
play as one of them. Playwright Christopher Schario focuses on Dickens'
powerful language, humor and warmth
as this charming version tells the story of the redemption of a human
soul.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL plays December 3 through December 21.
The performance on Wednesday, December
3 has been rescheduled to 7:00 pm. All tickets are $20.00 each. Student
Matinee tickets are still available for the
10:30 am matinee performance on December 4. The Student Matinee rate is
$18.00 per ticket. Opening Night for
A CHRISTMAS CAROL is Friday, December 5 at 7:00 pm. A
"Meet the Artists" reception and refreshments will
follow the performance. The evening performance on Saturday, December 6
will begin at 7:30 pm following Sussex
Borough’s Christmas tree lighting in the park next to the theater.
To provide more access to more people, Tri-State will offer an open
captioned performance on Saturday,
December 6 at 2:00 pm. This open captioned performance is made possible
by The New Jersey Division of the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing in partnership with the New Jersey Theatre
Alliance and the New Jersey State Council
on the Arts/Department of State. Open captioning is a text display
located on the side of the stage. Scrolling the
words in synchronization with the performance, open captioning assists
people with varying degrees of hearing
loss, as well as hearing audience members who might not catch every word
during a performance.
Public performance dates and times are:
Fridays, December 5, 12 and 19 at 7:00 pm---Saturdays, December 6, 13,
and 20 at 2:00 pm
Saturdays, December 6 at 7:30 pm, December 13 and 20 at 7:00 pm
---Sundays, December 7, 14 and 21 at 3:00 pm
Ticket prices for all performances are: $30, $27 for senior citizens 60
and over, and $20 for students (college
students will need ID.) The running time for A CHRISTMAS CAROL is
approximately two hours. Tickets for
are available on-line at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org, by calling the Box Office at
973 875-2950 or by
stopping by the theater at 74 Main St., Sussex.
Reservations are recommended for all performances. Large print programs,
wheelchair access and elevator
service are available for patrons with special needs. For tickets,
information, and special services, please
contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Free parking is available at the
Municipal Parking Lot on Harrison
Street, directly behind the theater. Handicap parking is available on
Main St.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs
and services are available on the web
at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for Tri-State Actors
Theater has been made possible in part
by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of
State, a Partner Agency of the
National Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of the
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. |
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Review: Sussex production is filled with chills
by James Cotter
for the TIMES HERALD-RECORD
October 11, 2008
SUSSEX, NJ--
Halloween will be soon upon us with its haunted houses and
ghosts.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
has both house and ghost with mayhem
and death lurking in the English
fog on a deserted island cut off from the
mainland by a march. A solicitor talks an actor
into playing his part to help
him exorcise
the evil memories of his encounter with the ghost of a mother
who has
lost her child in an accident
on the causeway. In re-enacting the
scenes, the actor brings the
past back to life, with terrible consequences.
THE
WOMAN IN BLACK is adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from the novel by Susan
hill. it is being revived by
Tri-State Actors, under the adept direction of Paul Meacham, with two
first-class players: Roland Johnson in
the
part of Arthur Kipps, the solicitor, and Gordon Gray as the actor.
Johnson
transforms himself
from a third-rate reader of his own play into a versatile actor
portraying not only Kipps
but also a variety of other characters. He narrates passages while
they unfold on the stage with horrifying
reality as Gray grapples with the ever-growing tension of dark rooms,
ghastly apparitions and screams in the night.
Gray is mesmerizing as he throws himself into solving the mysterious
events of the past. Both actors project
forcefully and handle English accents convincingly. Lauren DeVore
is the skeletal woman who seems all the
more frightening in her silent and sudden appearances.
Set design by Paul Meacham shifts easily from the cluttered actor's
studio to the macabre rooms of the
marshland house. Costumes by Patricia Meacham allow Johnson to
change quickly into different roles
and make
the Woman in Black a true specter. The total blackouts by
lighting designer Steven Silvia are
particularly effective.
A pre-show Halloween Party and Costume Contest will be held on Oct. 31. For genuine stage fright,
do not miss
this gothic Victorian thriller.
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TRI-STATE
ACTORS THEATER PRESENTS GHOST PLAY, THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Sussex
– Looking for a good scare this Halloween
season? Look no
further than the spine-chilling ghost play THE WOMAN IN BLACK. Entering
its 17th year on the London stage, this eerie Victorian-style drama adapted
by Steven Mallatratt from a modern Gothic novel by Susan Hill will surely
send shivers and make everyone wonder, “Who is this ghastly figure shrouded
in black clothing…and what does she want?” Mysteriously creaky doors and
bumps in the night are a few of the terrors to be expected in this show that
begins on Wednesday, October 8 at 8:00 p.m. and runs until November 2.
In THE WOMAN IN BLACK Arthur Kipps, a British solicitor and haunted soul,
seeks out the guidance of a local actor and rents a theatre to help him
“exorcise
his demons” of the past. By rehearsing and then theatrically retelling his
real-life
ghost story in the company of family and friends, he sincerely hopes he can rid
himself of the horrific nightmares from an unnerving sighting that have plagued
him.
As his anecdote unravels, and both he and the Actor play various roles, we learn
that Kipps was sent to the Eel
Marsh House in eastern England to settle the estate for a deceased recluse named
Mrs. Alice Drablow. Though
the townspeople will not reveal the dark secrets surrounding the gloomy
residence, he soon discovers them over
the course of a night's stay and a funeral ceremony…where a disfigured specter
dressed in black repeatedly
presents herself. After a landowner finally shares the tragic saga of the estate
with Kipps, a final surprise twist of
fate causes Kipps and the Actor to reevaluate what is and what is not just
another “ghost story.”
Tri-State’s production features Actors Equity members Gordan Gray and Roland
Johnson. Lauren DeVore,
an intern actor for Tri-State for three seasons, portrays “the Woman.”
THE WOMAN IN BLACK opens with a preview performance at 8:00 pm on
Wednesday, October 8; all seats
are $20.00. The play continues through Sunday, November 2. Opening Night is
Friday, October 10. The
performance is followed by a “Meet the Artist Reception” and refreshments will
be served. Tickets for all
Thursday evenings are also $20.00. Tickets for Friday and Saturday evenings at 8
pm and Sunday matinees
at 3 pm are $30 regular admission, $27 for senior citizens and $20 for students.
The Sunday matinee on
October 26 will be followed by a post-theater talk back with the actors and
Artistic Director, Paul Meacham.
A pre-show Halloween Party and Costume Contest will be held on Friday, October
31. Food and refreshments
will be served from 6:30 to 7:00 pm and are included in the price of admission.
Large print programs, wheelchair access and elevator service are available for
patrons with special needs.
Reservations are recommended for all performances. For tickets, information, and
special services, please
contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Main Street parking is limited and
patrons are encouraged to use
the free municipal parking lot on Harrison Street, directly behind the theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs and
services are available on the
web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for
Tri-State Actors Theater has been made possible
in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of
State, a Partner Agency of
the National Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of the Geraldine R.
Dodge Foundation.
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GLENN ZERVAS IN CONCERT
SUSSEX…Tri-State
Actors Theater proudly presents guitarist Glenn Zervas on
Saturday,
September 27. The performance begins at 8:00 pm at the historic
Crescent Theater, 74
Main Street, Sussex. Admission is $20.00. As a guitarist Glenn
explores
melodic, ambient
pieces as well as harder edged rock tunes. He uses acoustic,
electric
and bass guitars with
splashes of guitar synthesizer and a myriad of special
effects to
produce a sound rich in
texture and melody. Glenn’s music varies in ranges which
include
peaceful solo acoustic
guitar, bluesy rock instrumentals, moody ambient sounds,
bright
jazzy up-tempo tunes,
heavy rock, spacey sounds and lunch string ensembles.
Long-time
friend and musical
collaborator, Chas Ricci, will open the evening. For tickets
and information, please call the
Box Office at 973 875-2950. Additional information about Tri-State’s 2008 Season
is available
on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
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Play review: 'Charlotte's Web' at
Tri-State Actors Theater
Young actors enliven musical version of E.B. White's fable
By James F.
Cotter
For the Times Herald-Record
August 13, 2008
SUSSEX, N.J. -- "Charlotte's
Web" by E.B. White is a fable about the power of words. A pig named Wilbur is
destined to become baked ham when a spider named Charlotte makes him famous by
spinning words to describe
him: "terrific" and "radiant" for starters. Farmer Homer Zuckerman sees fame and
fortune in his precious piglet and
calls in the media on the eve of the county fair to garner blue ribbons for his
prize. At the end of the first act, the
farm and town are all excited with the publicity, but things take a twist in the
second half to teach us all that
friendship is not to be bought or taken for granted. White's humor and sense of
truth make this appeal to all ages.
A stage adaptation by Joseph
Robinette with music and lyrics by Charles Strouse, who wrote the Tony-winning
scores of "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Annie," is being revived by the Tri-State Actors
Theater featuring the 2008 Student
Intern Company. The 20 actors ages 13-18, under Paul Meacham’s expertly
experienced direction, keep the
audience guessing about what will happen next.
Chris Lance at the electronic keyboard sounds all the
right notes and maintains a quickened pace, while
choreographer Sandy Gardner takes the dance numbers to a
level of high steps and sudden shifts. The costumes
by Patricia Meacham are strange and imaginative for the animals while
typically rural for the farm folks. Paul
Meacham's set design adapts quickly for barnyard and fairgrounds.
As
Charlotte, Amanda Martino is tall and sinewy with attractive movements for her
many arms and legs. She sings
her "Spinning Song" and advice to Wilbur, "You're You," with clear conviction,
while Emma Delia as Wilbur wavers
and wiggles trying to adjust to the changing ways of fate. Without being cute,
she endears her character with a
growing self-awareness and the values of friendship.
As Templeton, Lauren DeVore creates a complex rat
interested only in its own survival while learning to live with
and to help others. Goose (Raquel Warehime), Gander and Boar (Dallas Haines),
Lamb (Sarah Woods), Sheep
(Jackie Torres), Bat (Kelly Osborne) and Owl (Alexis Alemy) complete the
menagerie with wings, dancing feet and
varied expressions to match each creature.
Among the
humans, the most important role,
Fern Arable, is played with
authority by Emily Maynard
as she
pleads
to save Wilbur from the butcher's knife and sings a satiric duet, "Don't," with
her brother Avery (Jon Dragon) on what
parents forbid children to do. Christian Rohde and Ava Rae Heatley portray the
parents with proper solicitude.
Josh Ernst plays farmer Homer Zuckeram, and Lauren Caldera his wife, Edith, with
realistic ideas of what to expect
from their livelihood and the opportunities a famous pig offers them. Cody Riker
is Lurvy, their young farmhand who
feeds Wilbur but is more interested in looking out for himself.
|
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER WILL
PRESENT CHARLOTTE'S WEB
Tri-State
Actors Theater’s
2008 Intern Company
Sussex... Tri-State Actors Theater will
present Charlotte's Web, the musical,
live on stage August 6 through August
23 at the historic Crescent Theater, 74
Main Street, Sussex, NJ. Joseph Robinette,
a national award-winning children's playwright,
has adapted award-winning author E.B.
White’s book for the stage with music and
lyrics by Charles Strouse (Annie, Bye, Bye,
Birdie.) This exciting musical version of
Charlotte's Web brings a new dimension to
E.B. White's beloved classic with a thrilling
musical score. White considered the book a
story of "friendship and salvation on a farm," basing his story on his own love
for animals on his family farm in Maine.
Charlotte's Web, celebrating Tri-State's twenty-first season of presenting
classic theater for children and family audiences, is a memorable account of
friendship, trust, and sacrifice, as the bond between Wilbur the pig and
Charlotte the spider sets the pace for this heartwarming story. Wilbur, a naive
youthful pig, is the runt of the litter with a big heart on the Zuckerman Farm.
The barnyard
animals, including Templeton the Rat, tease Wilbur prompting the close
friendship Wilbur develops with Charlotte.
Wilbur is doomed for slaughter, and only a miracle can save him. The friendship
between Wilbur and Charlotte is so
strong that Charlotte saves him by spinning words in her web in an effort to
convince the farmer that "Wilbur is some
pig and worth saving." In this story, a very small pig finds that the most
powerful source in the world is the bond of
friendship.
This season's intern company features: from Franklin -
Lauren Caldera, Lauren DeVore, Emily Maynard,
and Sarah Woods; from Hardyston - Amanda Martino; from Wantage - Alexis Alemy,
Amanda and Ashlee
Autore, Jonathan Dragon, Dallas Haines, Cody Riker and Jackie Torres, from
Sparta - Raquel Warehime; from
Ogdensburg - Christian Rohde; from Branchville- Josh Ernst; from Lafayette -
Kelly Osborne; from Stockholm -
Ali Castelocci; and from Warwick, NY - Emma Delia, Allison Dethmers and Ava Rae
Heatley. Chris Lance of
Hackettstown serves as Music Director and Conductor, with choreography by Sandy
Gardner of Newton. The
Interns spend their three weeks of rehearsal time learning theater and acting
techniques from director, Paul
Meacham.
Charlotte's Web, the musical -- When: August 6 through
August 23. Performances are Wednesday
through Saturday at 11:00 am, with a second performance on Fridays at 7:00 pm
and on Saturdays, August 9
and 16, at 2:00 pm. Where: Tri-State Actors Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex, New
Jersey. Cost: $8.00 for ages
11 and under, $10 for ages 12 and over. Advance reservations are highly
recommended for all performances.
Large print programs, wheelchair access and elevator service are available for
patrons with special needs. The
theater is air-conditioned.
For tickets, information, and special services, please
contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Group rates
are available. Main Street parking is limited and patrons are encouraged to use
the free municipal parking lot on
Harrison Street, directly behind the theater. Additional information about
Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs
and services is available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater
has been made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on
the Arts/Department of State,
a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and the generous support
of the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation. #####
|
THE
LOST RAMBLERS BRING LIVE BLUEGRASS TO TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER

The Lost Ramblers will perform
at Tri-State Actors
Theater on
Saturday, July 12 at 8pm.
Call 973 875-2950 for
tickets.
Sussex...The Lost Ramblers will perform in concert at
Tri-State Actors Theater on Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 pm.
The band offers high-energy, foot-tapping beats, tight
harmonies, and boasts a repertoire that is as entertaining
as it is eclectic. They specialize in authentic Appalachian
acoustic sounds, and their performances run the
gamut from
bluegrass and gospel, to swing, Irish, and favorite
old-timey music. The concert will be held
in the
air-conditioned mainstage of the historic, Crescent Theater,
74 Main St., Sussex, New Jersey. The Lost
Ramblers put on a
fun and entertaining show for the whole family.
The Lost Ramblers have been playing and
promoting bluegrass
in and around northeastern PA and northwestern NJ since
about 1978, when Neil Morris,
Pete Papallardo and John
Updike ("the other John Updike") first got together to pick
and sing. A few years ago,
the guys decided to throw their
hat in the ring and go for broke, with their own nonprofit
organization, visit their
website at
http://www.poconobluegrass.org, devoted to bringing Bluegrass and
other acoustic sounds to everybody.
They started their very
own "Winterfest" a three-day bluegrass festival in
Stroudsburg, PA, to add to the monthly
"Shindigs" they’ve
been running for some time, and have appeared at festivals
throughout the East. If you've been to
the Peters Valley
Craft Festival during the past few years, or visited
Winterfest and the many other Bluegrass festivals
in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you've heard these fine
players. The band’s talented and highly skilled musicians
are known for their mastery of multi-instrumental acoustics
and three-part harmonies. The Lost Ramblers have been
performing regionally and nationally for over twenty years.
Their music has been featured on TV, videos, radio, and
on
recordings.
Get your seats now for this family friendly, musical funfest
at Tri-State. Curtain time for The Lost Ramblers opens
8 pm
on Saturday, July 12. All seats are $20 each. Large print
programs, wheelchair access and elevator service
are
available for patrons with special needs. Reservations are
recommended for all performances. For tickets,
information,
and special services, please contact the Box Office at 973
875-2950. Main Street parking is limited
and patrons are
encouraged to use the free municipal parking lot on Harrison
Street, directly behind the theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and
its programs and services are available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for Tri-State
Actors Theater has been made possible in part by a grant
from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of
State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment
for the
Arts and the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation.
|
A CAST THAT COULDN'T BE BETTER: THE STAR-SPANGLED GIRL
Too bad Simon was right about this 'Girl'
by
Peter Filichia/The Star-Ledger
Sunday June 22, 2008, 9:28 PM

The Star-Spangled Girl
Where:
Tri-State Actors
Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex
When: Through July 6.
Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.
How much: $30 ($20 Thursdays). Call
(973) 875-2950 or visit
tristateactorstheater.org
In
his first memoir, Neil Simon called it "a play that I wasn't very fond of. It
didn't ring true. It wasn't good enough."
Those
opinions haven't discouraged
director Paul Meacham from mounting Simon's self-proclaimed lackluster
effort, the 1966 comedy "The Star-Spangled Girl," at his Tri-State Actors
Theater in Sussex. Simon was right.
The saddest part of the
evening is that
Meacham directs splendidly, with a cast that couldn't be
better.
Only
l-r:Bill Edwards as
Norman, Misty Foster
the
play disappoints -- and mightily.
as Sophie, & Clark Gookin as Andy
Andy Hobart is the publisher of Fallout magazine, a
money-bleeding, counter-cultural, anti-war publication. He fields
endless phone calls from his creditors, which result in his equally endless
excuses. Then Andy tries to convince the
collectors that they've reached a wrong number. Simon apparently hoped that if
he repeated these phone calls
enough, eventually he'd come up with a funny bit. He didn't. Norman Cornell is
Fallout's editor, not to mention its
writer, columnist and proofreader. He's able to do all those jobs, but what does
him in is swimmer Sophie
Rauschmeyer, the pretty Olympic hopeful who moves next door. Simon delivers two
hours of Norman making an
idiot of himself over Sophie -- perpetually talking about her demeanor, her
aroma and, of course, her looks (leading
to such lines as "She has the most magnificent earlobes on the face of the
earth"). Norman exclaims each with the
excitement level of an electroshock therapy session. Andy and Norman are
supposedly political, yet Simon doesn't
show that side of them. These two clowns are unconvincing as the guys who say
they finished first and second
respectively in their class at Dartmouth. Andy tells Sophie that Norman was
recruited by Life, Look and the
Saturday Review, but there's nothing to show us why.
Norman's super-hyper blather can't be easy for
an actor to sustain, but Bill Edwards does superbly in
keeping up the frenzy. Looking like Ellen DeGeneres' twin -- and sharing her
sense of comic timing --
Clark Gookin excels as Andy. Gookin enlivens things, too, in showing Andy's
exhaustion from his
landlady's attempts to romance him. That brings
up another problem with the script: Everything interesting
that happens to Andy occurs off-stage. We only hear about it.
Deep in
the play, Sophie has a line, "I am honest about my emotions, and that's the only
way I know
how to be." Misty Foster apparently has taken this as her cue to deliver a
no-nonsense, straight-laced,
level-headed
characterization. She succeeds.
Meacham keeps all three performers running at a crazed pace, all over the
cluttered, charming and
convincing dump of a set that he designed, too. His wife, Patricia Meacham, also
gets into the act,
designing costumes that are spot-on for the period.
Really, it's only Simon who's let Tri-State down.
|
Times Herald Record--Lifestyle
Who's
That 'Girl'?
Cause for laughs
at
Tri-State Actors Theater
Play review:
'The Star-Spangled Girl' at Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex, N.J.
By James Cotter
June 13, 2008
Sussex, N.J. ---
Three's a crowd in Neil Simon's
slapstick comedy
"The
Star-Spangled Girl" at the Tri-State Theater.Andy Hobart and Norman
Cornell publish an offbeat protest magazine called Fallout from their
cramped San Francisco apartment; it's 1966 and a typical article is titled
"Is LBJ on LSD?" Norman writes and Andy manages the shoestring operation:
"Let me worry about the bills," Andy declares; "you write the magazine." Of
course, they are broke and cannot pay
the printer or landlady.
Enter Sophie
Rauschmeyer. She has just moved into the apartment next door and brings the boys
a rum cake that
she cannot eat
because she is in training for the Olympic swimming team. Starry-eyed Norman is
instantly enthralled.
Sophie, however,
is engaged to a Marine officer and wants to have nothing to do with the madcap
Norman. He buys her
gourmet food that
she finds inedible; he mops up her floor after she has waxed it; and he stalks
her at work at the YWCA
where she is a
swimming coach, causing her to be fired. Sophie also feels that Fallout is
subversive, repulsive and
representative of
everything she opposes.
In this collision
course,
Bill Edwards makes Norman a crazy
character who explodes with emotion at the
mere sound of his beloved's voice.
He records her speaking his name and plays it over and over. As Andy,
Clark Gookin tries to be reasonable with his partner but
soon grows desperate when the lovesick Norman no longer
has time to write.
Gookin is truly comic
as a sunburned sufferer who has been out all day at the beach
with
the elderly landlady as a way of
avoiding payment
of rent, only to return to a scene of chaos between ardent Norman
and frantic
Sophie.
As Sophie, Misty
Foster looks and acts the part of an all-American girl
with a Texan drawl who is, in Andy's
eyes, "a flag-waving sea urchin." At first
a self-described "nervous wreck," she becomes just as physical and loud
as the
two men who attempt to dominate her
and is more than a match for them in the increasingly intense
confrontation.
In her miniskirts, Foster
is also attractive enough for one to see why Norman falls head over
heels in
love at first sight.
There are some
unforeseen developments in Act 2 that the actors handle with believable
earnestness
and humor.
Director Paul Meacham prepares
for these changes with dramatic contrasts and
fast-paced dialogue.
There's never a dull moment in this
energetic revival of Simon's 1960's comedy.
For the Fourth of July, the show will be preceded by a picnic celebration
outside in the historic town square.
|
|
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER PRESENTS THE
STAR-SPANGLED GIRL
Sussex…What
happens when you combine a plot that includes the all-American girl
next door with a lovesick writer and a harried editor? Neil Simon’s THE STAR-
SPANGLED GIRL! Tri-State Actors Theater will present Simon’s comedy, a love
triangle mixed with politics, June 11 through July 6, at the historic Crescent
Theater,
74 Main St., Sussex.
Set in San Francisco in the 1960s, Andy Hobart (played by AEA member, Clark
Gookin)
and Norman Cornell (played by AEA member, Bill Edwards) are two radical liberals
struggling to make a living working on their magazine, Fallout, which is
dedicated to fighting
"the system" in America. Sophie Rauschmeyer (played by Misty Foster) is a former
Olympic
swimmer who moves into the apartment next door.
Norman immediately falls in love with Sophie, but his feelings are not shared.
Norman's obsession with Sophie
inspires Andy to hire her just to keep the magazine going. When Sophie falls in
love with Andy, the magazine
and the men’s friendship are threatened. The situation ends happily as love and
politics blend in a series of funny
happenings set forth with the masterly skill and inventiveness that are the
hallmarks of playwright Neil Simon.
THE STAR-SPANGLED GIRL opens with a preview performance at 8:00 pm on Wednesday,
June 11; all
seats are $20.00. The play continues through Sunday, July 6. Opening Night is
Friday, June 13. The
performance is followed by a “Meet the Artist Reception” and refreshments will
be served. Tickets for all
Thursday evenings are also $20.00. Tickets for Friday and Saturday evenings at 8
pm and Sunday matinees
at 3 pm are $30 regular admission, $27 for senior citizens and $20 for students.
The Sunday matinee on June
29 will be followed by a post-performance talk back with the actors and Artistic
Director, Paul Meacham.
A pre-show outdoor cookout will be held prior to the performance on Friday, July
4 and is included in the
price of admission.
Large print programs, wheelchair access and elevator service are available for
patrons with special needs.
Reservations are recommended for all performances. For tickets, information, and
special services, please
contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Main Street parking is limited and
patrons are encouraged to use
the free municipal parking lot on Harrison Street, directly behind the theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs and
services are available on the web
at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater
has been made possible in part by
a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a
Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation. |
|
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER PRESENTS THE WIZARD OF VERSE
Sussex…Saturday, May 17 will be a busy day on Main Street
in Sussex and throughout the borough. Tri-State Actors
Theater will begin its day with an outdoor table at the
Borough wide yard sale on Saturday (and also, Sunday.) Young
performers, 13 to 18, are invited to audition for Tri-State
Summer Intern program, Charlotte’s Web the Musical from
1:00 to 5:00 pm. And Tri-State ends the day hosting the
Delaware Valley Opera at 8:00 pm. All events will be held at
the historic Crescent Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex.
The Delaware Valley Opera, under the new artistic leadership
of Jim Blanton, has been presenting quality opera and
Broadway productions in the Delaware Valley region for over
20 years. Performing at the charming Tusten Theater in
Narrowsburg, NY, Seelig Theatre at the Sullivan County
Community College and Ritz Theatre in Hawley, PA, the
company presents regionally and nationally known singers in
its celebrated Summer Festival and in school and community
outreach programs.
The Wizard of Oz, Finian's Rainbow and Brother, Can You
Spare a Dime ? are just a few of many familiar titles
presented in a program of Broadway and popular songs with
lyrics by Yip Harburg. The distinguished area performers of
The Delaware Valley Opera include pianist and director Jim
Blanton, mezzo soprano Carol Diefenbach, soprano Jody
Weatherstone and bass baritone Eric Barsness. Breathing new
life into "hit" songs from the not-so-distant past, the
performers delight audiences young and old with Somewhere
Over the Rainbow, It's Only a Paper Moon, April in Paris and
many more favorites by the master wordsmith. For those who
find today's music a bit "shocking," Blanton's rendition of
Lydia, the Tattooed Lady proves that pushing the musical
envelope did not begin with songs from the 1960's! Yip
Harburg’s prolific output spanned the 1930's into the
1970's. Collaborating with such composers as Harold Arlen
and Burton Lane, Harburg became famous in the Hollywood,
Broadway and popular music realms. He lived not only in New
York and Beverly Hills, but resided for a while in nearby
Deerpark, NY, where he wrote the lyrics to his first hit,
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? For more information on the
Delaware Opera, call 845-252-3136.
Tickets for the Delaware Valley Opera at Tri-State are
$20.00 each. The theater is wheel chair accessible. On
street parking for Saturday, May 17 may be limited due to
yard sale. Patrons are encouraged to use the free municipal
parking lot on Harrison Street, directly behind the theater.
Please call the Box Office at 973 875-2950 to order your
tickets or for additional information on Tri-State’s 2008
Season.
|
Examining a multi-faceted 'Glass Menagerie'
by Peter Filichia/Star-Ledger
Staff
Friday April 18, 2008, 10:00 PM
The Glass
Menagerie.
Where: Tri-State Actors Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex. When: Through May 11.
Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. How much: $20 Thursdays, $30
all other performances.
Call (973) 875-2950 or visit
tristateactorstheater.org.
No sooner does one
fascinating production of "The Glass Menagerie" close than another one opens.
Fresh on the heels of Two River Theater Company's success
with Tennessee Williams' 1944 classic,
the Tri-State Actors Theater of Sussex stages a production that also opts for
something new.
One could be cynical and say the reason the play is so
often chosen is that its one set and four characters
don't break the bank. But just as Robert Rechnitz at Two River showed he had a
new idea in mind, so does
director Paul Meacham here.
While Rechnitz had a new, proactive slant for Laura -- the physically and
emotionally disabled young woman
whose life is passing her by -- Meacham is more interested in her brother Tom,
the unhappy warehouse worker
who's yearning to break free of his home. Tom is the narrator of this "memory
play," as he calls it. He draws us
into the story of his mother Amanda, who puts on a happy face much of the time,
but is aware that "the future
becomes the present, the present becomes the past, and the past turns into
everlasting regret."
Tom is mostly
portrayed with shame in place as he begins narrating: He isn't proud of how he
deals with his
destitute and demanding mother and his loving but fragile sister. However, actor
Bill Edwards starts off blithely,
as if he were telling the story of a family he never knew.
That sounds as if it were
a mistake, but Edwards and Meacham know what they're doing. In the final scene,
the
actor reaches a day-of-reckoning moment when he can no longer sustain his
cavalier approach. Many Lauras
have been close to nervous breakdowns in other "Glass Menageries"; here's one in
which Tom shares her pain
and the danger of cracking.
Katie Tame's Laura shows more delicacy than usual, especially in the scene where
she recalls hearing that the
boy she loved unrequitedly in high school became engaged. Though Tame is a young
actress, she has the ability
to make her face look careworn beyond her years.
As Amanda, Mary Ann Hay expertly conveys the Southern belle charm that allows
the audience to believe that,
yes, there was a time when no fewer than 17 men showed up at her door one
afternoon. Usually, at play's end,
Amanda ferociously lashes out at Tom and doesn't care if she hurts Laura's
feelings. Hay pauses before this
moment comes, and shows a mother's unconditional love instead.
Unfortunately, Gordon Gray, as the gentleman caller whom Tom brings home for
Laura, comes off more as a
glad-hand, even a con-man who needs to be taken down a peg. Laura's better off
without him.
|
|
Review: THE
GLASS MENAGERIE
THE
TIMES HERALD RECORD
by Marcus Kalipolites
Laura may be a crippled and shy young lady and mother Amanda may live the
fantasy of being a sought-after
Southern belle who boasts about past gentlemen callers, but it falls on Tom to
provide for this dysfunctional
family during the Great Depression. And so it is, that in playing the
$65-a-month warehouse worker Tom, as
played by Bill Edwards, not only escapes his mother's constant criticism by
going to the movies but, in the
end, he imitates his father's decision to desert the family as well. In
Wednesday night's performance, Edwards
displayed commanding presence in capturing every nuance of his character's
various moods.
While his taxed-to-the-limit character exhibits hate for a carping mother, an
altogether different Tom shows
empathy for Laura. Sibling affection finds the two of them cheerfully sharing
the re-creation of a magician's
kerchief trick. In returning the favor, Laura lovingly tucks a drunken Tom in
bed.
Looming large in the mind of Edwards' character is the prospect of adventure.
Fueled by movie addiction, he
"bubbles on the inside" to live a different life. Tom tells this to fellow
worker and dinner guest Jim O'Connor —
who has been invited to the Wingfield residence by Tom after pressure by Amanda
to find a "gentleman caller"
for Laura.
In playing Amanda, Mary Ann Hay creates with Southern accent a giddy character
who prattles on and on about
all the beaus she had as a young woman. Dates with her own "gentlemen callers"
are revisited as Amanda
glowingly whirls around the living room while showing off her flowery gown of
yesteryear. Charm to impress a
guest, however, does not become a woman who otherwise screams at her son with
fury enough to find Laura
cringing in fear.
In playing the clinging vine, Katie Tame creates a woman whose shy appearance,
slightly hunched body and
limping movements all contribute to the picture of a student unable to continue
typing courses in a business
school. But beyond insecurity, Tame's character also panics at the anguish of
facing her secret high-school
crush before answering the doorbell but later beams exhilaration after being
kissed by him.
Rounding out the polished
cast is Gordon Gray, who easily fills the role of self-assured Jim, the
high-school idol
of past successes in music, sports and girls. Notwithstanding future
promise, however, the boastful Jim continues
to work in the warehouse
Directed by Paul Meacham, this production shows off fine acting within a layout
of modest furniture, period
costumes and occasional dance music emanating from the Paradise Lounge across
the alley. Completing the
picture of inner-city life are a fire escape, apartment buildings on each side
and above.
|
|
Bill
Edwards as Tom Wingfield looks back at
his family, Katie Tame as Laura and MaryAnn Hay
as Amanda in Tri-State Actors Theater's season opener,
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. April 16
through May 11, 74 Main St., Sussex, New Jersey. 973 875-2950
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER PRESENTS
THE GLASS
MENAGERIE
Sussex, NJ...Tri-State Actors Theater opens its 21st
anniversary season on Wednesday, April 16 with the
Tennessee Williams' THE GLASS MENAGERIE, directed by Artistic Director Paul
Meacham, at the historic
Crescent Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex, NJ. Williams' masterpiece is one of the
most haunting and delicate
plays of the American theater and introduced Williams as one of the preeminent
American playwrights of the
20th century. This semi-autobiographical account of Williams' early days in
1930' s St. Louis is heartbreaking
yet often funny. As revealed in the opening lines of the play, The Glass
Menagerie is told through the memory
of Tom Wingfield (Bill Edwards*), a restless soul trapped in a stifling factory
job as the reluctant breadwinner for
a family abandoned by his father. His mother, Amanda (MaryAnn Hay*), once a
grand Southern socialite,
struggles to regain her former glory through her children, while her painfully
shy daughter Laura (Katie Tame*)
retreats from the world's harsh realities into her collection of tiny glass
animals. The arrival of a "gentleman caller"
(Gordon Gray) could be a sign of hope ... or a disturbance that will shatter their
fragile home. (Mr. Edwards, Ms.
Hay and Ms. Tame are all members of Actors' Equity Association.)
In an interview Tennessee Williams once stated, "I have always been interested
in creating a character that
contains something crippled. They have a certain appearance of fragility, these
neurotic people I write about,
but they are really strong." The Glass Menagerie was the playwright's first
critical success when it opened in
Chicago in 1944 and premiered on Broadway in 1945. Following its New York
premiere, the play won the New
York Drama Critics' Circle (Williams' first of four) and a Pulitzer Prize
(Williams' first of two); it was revived on
Broadway in 1965 and again in 1983.
The Glass Menagerie opens with a preview performance
at 8:00 pm on Wednesday, April 16; all seats are $15.00.
The play continues through Sunday, May 11. Opening Night is Friday, April 18.
The performance is followed by
a "Meet the Artist Reception" and refreshments will be served.
Evening performances are Thursdays, April 24 and May 8; tickets are $20.00.
Tickets for Friday and Saturday
evenings at 8 pm and Sunday matinees at 3 pm are $30 regular admission, $27 for
senior citizens and $20 for
students. The matinee on Sunday, May 4 will be followed by a post-theater talk
back with the actors and Artistic
Director, Paul Meacham, to examine the themes and issues of the play.
Large print programs, wheelchair access and elevator service are available for
patrons with special needs.
Reservations are recommended for all performances. For tickets, information, and
special services, please
contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Main Street parking is limited and
patrons are encouraged to use the
free municipal parking lot on Harrison Street, directly behind the theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs and
services are available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater
has been made possible in part by a
grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a
Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation.
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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
STUART LITTLE RETURNS FOR FAMILY WEEK
AT THE THEATRE
SUSSEX…
The New Jersey Theatre Alliance and Tri-State Actors Theater will present
Tri-State’s Student Intern production of STUART LITTLE, the musical at 11:00 am
and
2:00 pm on Saturday, March 8. The performances are part of the 11th Annual
Family Week
at the Theatre, a yearly event that provides free and discounted theatre
programming during
the second week of March. Performance tickets will be offered at one free
child’s ticket (ages
3 to 11) with a paid regular ticket (ages 12 and over) at $10.00. Children’s
tickets are $8.00.
Performances will be held at the historic Crescent Theater, 74 Main Street,
Sussex.
The many adventures—both big and small—of Stuart Little are brought vividly to
life in
this story theatre presentation of E.B. White's classic tale about a little
mouse born
into a normal New York family. The story has been adapted for the stage by
Joseph
Robinette, with music by Ronna White and lyrics by Joseph Robinette and Ronna
White. The acting ensemble plays
"many human and animal roles in a series of delightful scenes that make up the
marvelous maneuverings of a mild-
mannered mouse trying to survive in a "real people's world." From melodic
ballads to exciting chorus numbers, the
score by England's Ronna Frank features such delightful songs as "Paddle Your
Own Canoe," "Feed Him Up," "Size,"
"Stuart Little," "I'm Headed in the Right Direction" and "Nighttime in New York"
(sung by a quartet of cats!).
Family Week at the Theatre is an annual statewide event offering free and
discounted tickets to attendees, and
was developed to encourage families to attend professional theatre together by
making the experience affordable,
educational and exciting. Across the state, in all 21 counties, young people
will receive free tickets to over 100
performances and special events including free classes, workshops and backstage
tours. Since its inception in
1998, the program has served over 45,000 people with professional theatre
performances and activities. In honor
of its eleventh year, the New Jersey Theatre Alliance is expanding programming
beyond one week to make this
the most accessible and enjoyable year to date. This year, the New Jersey
Theatre Alliance invites residents to
experience the month of March in STAGES: Sharing Theatre Arts with Generations
through Events Statewide.
The New Jersey Theatre Alliance provides a wide variety of programs and services
for the state’s professional
theatres and the audiences who enjoy them. Family Week at the Theatre is a
co-sponsored project of The New
Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the
National Endowment for the Arts
and Discover Jersey Arts. Additional support has been provided by Appel Farm
Arts and Music Center, Bank of
America, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The F.M. Kirby Foundation,
Fund for New Jersey Blind, The
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, The George
Ohl, Jr. Trust, Johnson and
Johnson, The New Jersey Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the New Jersey
Library Association, New
Jersey Monthly, New Jersey State Library, The Prudential Foundation and WNYC.
Reservations are necessary for all performances. For more information or to
order tickets, call the box office at 973
875-2950. Tri-State Actors Theater is located at 74 Main Street, Sussex, New
Jersey. To receive a full schedule of
events for Family Week at the Theatre (March 8-16, 2008) please call
1-800-THE-ARTS, or visit
http://www.familyweek.com.
Large print programs, wheelchair access and elevator service are available for
patrons
with special needs. Main Street parking is limited and patrons are encouraged to
use the free municipal parking lot
on Harrison Street, directly behind the theater. Additional information about
Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs
and services are available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater has
been made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the
Arts/Department of State, a Partner
Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of the
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
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TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER ANNOUNCES 2008 SEASON
Sussex…As Tri-State Actors
Theater launches into its twenty-first season in
2008, audiences
can expect the best season in the theater’s history. Acting
classes for
children, teens, and adults
have already begun, our New Plays
Reading Series will present new challenging
works
throughout the season, the
theater’s special events will entertain audiences
with a wealth of
musical talent,
and our special matinee performances for students will bring
young audiences
the
best of American and classical drama. In order to insure that more area
audiences
get to
view Tri-State’s productions the run of each show will be extended from three "
to
four weeks.
Sailing into its new season with a great story, Tri-State is reviving its
acclaimed hit family show,
STUART LITTLE, the
Musical, as part of the state-wide Family Week at the
Theatre, for two
performances only on Saturday, March 8.
The Tri-State Youth Company will again
present this
delightful tale of Stuart Little, the mouse son of the Little family,
with music
and song.
April and May bring a great American playwright back to Tri-State in the
production of Tennessee
Williams’ THE GLASS
MENAGERIE. Praised world-wide as the quintessential family
drama,
THE GLASS MENAGERIE stars three veteran Tri-State
performers, Mary Ann Hay in the
monumental role of Amanda, and Katie Tame as her fragile daughter, Laura.
Because
this
magnificent play is often studied in schools, special matinees for students have
been added to the
performance schedule.
Call 973-8785-2950 to reserve groups for these special
matinees.
Tri-State will also present the incredible Delaware Valley Opera in May for one
performance only
on Saturday, May 17,
in their acclaimed salute to YIP HARBURG, the lyricist who
gave the
world the film THE WIZARD OF OZ with his
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow, ” "We're
Off to
See the Wizard," and more. Other popular hits include “It’s only a Paper
Moon,”
and “Brother,
Can You Spare a Dime? " which became the anthem of the Great Depression. This
program is
for age twelve and over.
The master of laughter, Neil Simon takes a bow at Tri-State in June and stays
for July 4th with his
delightful summer
farce, THE STAR-SPANGLED GIRL. This fast moving, hilarious
comedy,
deals with two earnest young men struggling
to put out a "protest" magazine, and
the all-American
girl who moves in next door and manages to send both of them
into a romantic
tail spin. Coming
out of the conflicted years of the 60’s, love and politics blend delightfully in
a bubbling
series of
funny happenings, set forth with the masterly skill and inventiveness that are
the hallmarks of
Neil Simon.
July also heralds the Tri-state debut of one of the finest acoustic bands
around: THE LOST
RAMBLERS come to
Tri-State for the first time in a one-night stand on Saturday,
July 12, that
will prove to be the best night of Bluegrass
(and more!) that will leave
audiences cheering for encores.
Tri-State’s Youth Acting Company returns in August to perform CHARLOTTE’S WEB
with an
all-new ensemble of
players. This exciting, musical version of CHARLOTTE’S WEB
brings a new
dimension to E.B. White's beloved
"classic. With music and lyrics by Charles Strouse (ANNIE,
'BYE, 'BYE BIRDIE) and book by Joseph Robinette
(national award-winning
children's
playwright) audiences will thrill to the very special experience of this
rollicking
musical version
featuring Wilbur the pig, Charlotte, Fern, and all the delightful characters.
New Play Readings and the final special event of the 2008 season fill the month
of September.
On September 27,
Tri-State welcomes back the incomparable guitarist, GLENN ZERVAS,
with his ensemble of friends who accompany
his unique and inspiring guitar
sounds.
October is “Ghosts and Ghouls” month at Tri-State, as the theater hosts the
scariest ghost play
ever presented—
THE WOMAN IN BLACK. A haunting tale of mystery and suspicion, HE WOMAN IN BLACK explores the chilling
past of Arthur Kipps. But as the
characters
delve further they begin to uncover incidents that cannot be directly
explained--chilling, scary fun!
Audiences and critics alike have reveled in the terror of THE WOMAN IN BLACK.
It’s been
called a “good old-fashioned ghost story that is virtually guaranteed to scare
you . . .” and “a
genuine,
copper-bottomed audience-pleaser [full of] spine-tingling,
blood-curdling screams."
One playgoer warned that
“You'll be sleeping with the light on and running away
from shadows
for months afterwards."
Season 2008 will draw to a close with Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL adapted
by Christopher Schario,
a tradition at Tri-State. The month of December will be
filled with fine
family entertainment and holiday fun.
Tri-State Actors Theater is the foremost professional theatre company in Sussex
County, northeast
Pennsylvania,
and south central New York. It’s performances have been praised by
many critics
including those of the
STAR-LEDGER, THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD, the Morristown
DAILY RECORD, and the NJ HERALD.
2008 Season Subscriptions, Flex Passes and individual tickets are now on sale.
Advance ticket
purchases are
recommended for all performances. Large print programs, wheelchair
access and
elevator service are available
for patrons with special needs. For tickets,
information, and special
services, please contact the Box Office at
973 875-2950. Main Street parking is
limited and patrons
are encouraged to use the free municipal parking lot
on Harrison Street,
directly behind the theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs and
services are available
on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for
Tri-State Actors Theater has been
made possible in part by a
grant from the New Jersey State Council on the
Arts/Department of State,
a Partner Agency of the National
"Endowment for the Arts and the generous support
of the Geraldine
R. Dodge Foundation.
|
TRI-STATE OFFERS A KINDER, GENTLER SCROOGE
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Star-Ledger Staff NEW JERSEY STAGE
BY PETER FILICHIA
Tiny
Tim isn't so tiny in this version of "A Christmas Carol."
In fact, at the Tri-State Actors
Theater in Sussex, he looks as if he could be in
graduate school.
It's all part of the fun,
though, in Christopher Schario's take on Dickens' famous
novel. Schario starts the show by having five people just sittin' around at
Christmastime,
each in his own home, reading "A Christmas Carol." Then each breaks away from
the
book and just plays the parts he likes. So tall and trim
(and excellent) Philip Mutz can
portray Tiny Tim, because it's only in his imagination, anyway.
Interesting, isn't it, that none
of the five sees himself as Ebenezer Scrooge, the miser extraordinaire? That's
all right, because
Tri-State artistic director Paul Meacham is happy to take the role. Sussex
audiences should be equally happy to have him,
because Meacham brings a great deal to the role that
others around the state haven't found during this holiday season.
Many Scrooges wait until the end
to show any humanity. Meacham doesn't, though Schario gives him a line that
helps. When
his nephew Fred (a charming Clark Gookin) says that
he got married because he fell in love, Meacham's Scrooge
mutters,
"because you fell in love" in a way that he intends to be mocking -- but there's
an unexpected softness in there, too, as if
Scrooge is suddenly remembering his own lost love. This gives him a head start
on his ultimate atonement.
Meacham
shows a wondrous delight when he's whisked back to the past (by the exquisite,
erudite, and confident
Sarah Koestner). He makes a theatergoer believe that he's genuinely
returned to days gone by, and very much in the
moment of remembering his less complicated life of years ago. How endearing he
is during these moments.
Still, Meacham does err twice.
Early on, in editorializing on the mental capacity of the poor, he twirls a
finger around his ear
a few times to indicate that they're crazy. That gesture seems decidedly
anachronistic for 19th century London.
Then, during the redemption
scene, Meacham makes his biggest mistake. Though Scrooge is supposed to see that
his life
of stinginess has been ill-spent, Meacham seems to be operating out of fear,
that he'll straighten out and be generous only
because the punishment would be too terrible if he didn't. That's not the
message of the show.
Perhaps Meacham simply
overextended himself, because he functions as director, too. He's done an
especially good job in
the breakup scene between Young Scrooge and Belle. Jenelle
Sosa excels in showing a young woman who realizes, however
reluctantly, that she mustn't marry someone who's less interested in love and
marriage than in shillings and pence. Philip
Mutz is appropriately clueless in not seeing what the problem is between them.
On the other hand, perhaps
Meacham was just a bit too busy to notice that Clark Gookin was over the top as
the Ghost of
Christmas Past. The place for a Christmas ham is on a table, and not on stage.
Be apprised that this is the
shortest of the "A Christmas Carols" that New Jersey's professional theaters are
currently offering.
It's less than 90 minutes, and that even includes a generous intermission. So if time is tight, and you'd prefer a theatrical
dessert to a full entree,
here's the "A Christmas Carol" for you." |
'CHRISTMAS
CAROL COMES TO LIFE'
TIMES
HERALD-RECORD
Play review: 'A
Christmas Carol'
By Marcus Kalipolites
For the Times Herald Record
December 15, 2007
Sussex,
N.J. — In the Tri-State Actors Theater production of "A Christmas Carol,"
written by Charles Dickens and adapted for stage by Christopher Schario, it's
only
in the many locales of the story that you need to use your imagination. But that
is
enough when you have a presentation overflowing with a
talented and spirited cast,
colorful and authentic costumes and special effects in sound and sight.
This is
an engaging show that features remarkable performances. While five of the
six actors carry multiple roles, the one exception is Paul
Meacham, who not only
directs the well-done production but also stars as Scrooge. It would be
difficult to
find a more
resourceful interpretation of the mean-spirited and stingy owner of a
counting house in 19th-century London who hates Christmas and everything
associated with the celebration.
But before Scrooge can find
redemption, he must suffer the anguish of reviewing bad choices he had made.
Warning the
ill-willed man of his impending ordeal at the hands of three haunting spirits is
Marley, his former partner deceased for
seven years. As Marley's Ghost, Bill Edwards is
electrifying. Besides the fearsome appearance of frizzled hair and
raggedy
clothes, the combination of clanging chains wrapped around him and thunderclaps
overhead add to the horror of a scene
that shakes Scrooge to the core.
In altogether different roles, Edwards imbues Cratchit with servitude in dealing with his
boss, warmth in caring for crippled
son Tiny Tim and duty in offering a toast for Scrooge.
While
Sarah Koestner as an angry Mrs. Cratchit objects to the testimonial before
changing her mind, in her role of
Christmas Past she tenderly leads Scrooge to places of his childhood, which includes the scene of a lonely boy reading
a book. Beyond playing Scrooge at school, Philip Mutz also
creates a cheerful Tiny Tim and an upbeat Ghost of
Christmas Yet to Come.
Among the 24 characters, the role of Scrooge's nephew is played with a cheerful
glow by Clark Gookin. The refusal by
Scrooge to donate money provides Jenelle Sosa as one of the two gentlewomen a
benevolent voice for the poor.
The show also
succeeds because of Patricia Meacham's authentic costumes, Jacqueline Perry's
efficient set design and
Steven Silvia's profound sound effects.
If you go ...What: "A Christmas
Carol" Where: Tri-State Actors Theater, 74 Fountain Square, Sussex, N.J. When: 3
p.m.
Dec. 16, 23, 30; 7 p.m. Dec. 21-22, 27-29 Tickets: $17-$27 Call:
973-875-2950
|
SHARE
THE
HOLIDAY MAGIC OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Sussex…’Tis the season for Tri-State Actors
Theater’s revival of Christopher Schario’A
CHRISTMAS CAROL. An excellent stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale,
A CHRISTMAS CAROL plays December 14 through December 30 at the historic Crescent
Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex, NJ.
Schario's adaptation sparkles with clarity and wit
and brings the holiday spirit to all ages.
Six actors portray all of Dickens’ characters: the miserly Scrooge, Bob Cratchit,
Tiny Tim,
and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Vividly told and richly
interpreted,
A CHRISTMAS CAROL captures all of Dickens' delightful language, and delights the
eye as
well as the spirit and is a great holiday gift for the family and friends!
Artistic Director and Tri-State founder, Paul Meacham* will direct A CHRISTMAS
CAROL, as
well as play Scrooge - a lonely miser, who, through the help of spirits
and visions, finds a
second chance to become a loving, generous human being. Bill Edwards* returns as
Bob Cratchit and others, as well as
Clark Gookin* who will play the Ghost of Christmas Present and others.
New to the company this season are Sarah Koestner*
as Mrs. Cratchit and others, Philip Mutz as Young Scrooge and
others and Jenelle Sosa as Belle and others.
(*Denotes membership in Actors Equity Association, the union of professional
actors and stage managers.)
The play begins with a young boy reading Dickens’ novel for the first time. As
the scenes are played out behind
him, the child becomes totally caught up in the story and is finally invited by
the other characters to enter the
play as one of them. With traditional carols and English folk tunes creating the
proper atmosphere, the world of
Scrooge, Fezziwig and Tiny Tim comes alive, igniting the holiday spirit for
young and old alike. Focusing on
Dickens' powerful language, humor and warmth, this charming version of A
CHRISTMAS CAROL tells the story
of the redemption of a human soul.
Opening Night for A CHRISTMAS CAROL is Friday, December 14 at 7:00 pm. A Meet
the Artists reception and
refreshments will follow the performance. Additional performance dates and times
are:
Thursday, December 27 at 7:00 pm
Fridays, December 14, 21 and 28 at 7:00 pm
Saturdays, December 15, 22 and 29
Saturday, December 22 at 2:00 pm
Sundays, December 16, 23 and 30 at 3:00 pm
Ticket prices for all performances are: $27, $25 for senior citizens 60 and
over, and $17 for students (college
students will need ID.) Tickets for 7 PM, Thursday, December 27 and Saturday,
December 22 at 2:00 pm are
$18/$17 for students. The running time for A CHRISTMAS CAROL is approximately
two hours. Tickets are
available on-line at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org, by calling the Box Office at 973
875-2950 or by
stopping by the theater at 74 Main St., Sussex.
Reservations are recommended for all performances. Large print programs, wheelchair access and elevator
service are available for patrons with special needs. For tickets, information,
and special services, please
contact the Box Office at 973 875-2950. Free parking is available at the
Municipal Parking Lot on Harrison
Street, directly behind the theater. Handicap parking is available on Main St.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs and
services are available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater
has been made possible in part by
a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a
Partner Agency of the National
Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation.
Patricia Meacham
Managing Director
Tri-State Actors Theater
P.O. Box 7225
Sussex, NJ 07461
Phone: 973 875-2950
Fax: 973 875-8415
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TIMES HERALD-RECORD
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
'Price' is right in Sussex
By Cynthia Topps
For the Times Herald-Record
Sussex,
N.J. -- It is difficult to believe that Arthur Miller’s
"The Price," which
was
written in 1968, would speak to a modern audience. How could a play about two
estranged brothers getting together to dispense with their deceased parents’
possessions
be relevant 40 years later? Still, [to] people searching
for self-awareness, one's
place in society, and the balance between happiness and success in one's life
[the play]
feels as modern today as it must have in 1968.
Tri-State Actors Theater and director Paul Meacham are
presenting this piece with a
competent and often brilliant cast. The play is set in 1968 in the attic of a condemned
New York City apartment, beautifully crafted and designed by Paul Meacham and
Jacqueline Perry. This is a place
full of bittersweet memories for members of the Franz family who were ruined by
the 1929 Wall Street crash. Victor
(Randall McCann) is meeting his wife Esther (Tara Bowles), and an estate
appraiser, Gregory Solomon (P. Brendan
Mulvey), to dispose of his parent’s belongings.
From the outset, Victor is on edge, clearly reluctant
to sell the “stuff” without his brother's permission, although
they have been estranged for 15 years. When Walter (Paul Falzone) arrives just
as Victor and Solomon are finalizing
the sale, a confrontation ensues that pulls in all four characters and reveals
the reasons for the estrangement.
In the role of Victor, McCann
seems every bit the no-nonsense, distrustful policeman. He carefully
questions
each character as to motives and the truth of the words spoken. McCann is skillful at winning sympathy with his
portrayal and not going too far and turning Victor into a victim.
Bowles' portrayal of Esther is at times too
controlled and slightly disconnected. In her Act 1 appearance,
Bowles’ lack of warmth with her husband makes her seem self-centered and
materialistic. Her Act 2
appearance is more spirited and aware, especially when she
vigorously comes to her husband’s defense.
As Walter, the successful
brother, Falzone is appropriately polished. He is superb when he describes his
recent breakdown and subsequent soul-searching journey. His attempts to
forge reconciliation with his brother
are believable. The price that each paid--Walter sacrificing family for career
with Victor sacrificing career
for family--has profoundly impacted each. When McCann and
Falzone come head to head, sparks fly.
With all this angst, Gregory
Solomon, the 89-year-old appraiser, brings wisdom, eccentricity and comic
relief.
He laments that modern society knows the price of everything but the value of
nothing. Mulvey is a delight to
watch in this role. He plays this character as if born to it.
If “Death of a Salesman” or “The Crucible” is the
only Miller you have ever sampled, it may be time to treat
your theatrical taste buds to something different. This production is the right
brew and it’s worth “The Price.” |
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TRI-STATE PRESENTS ARTHUR MILLER’S THE PRICE
Sussex…Tri-State Actors
Theater will present one of Arthur Miller’s most powerful plays, the touching
and thought-
provoking drama, THE PRICE. First performance will be a Preview on Thursday,
October 25 and the play runs through
Sunday, November 11 at the historic Crescent Theater, Main St., Sussex, NJ.
When THE PRICE opened on Broadway on February 7, 1968,
Clive Barnes of the New York Times called the play
“one of the most engrossing and entertaining plays that Miller has ever
written,” and to expect a great evening of
theatre as “…it does, I think, emphatically deliver the goods.”
The play takes place in the attic of a once prosperous
Manhattan brownstone, soon to be pulled down in the
cause of progress. The apartment is a floor to ceiling clutter of furniture and
family memorabilia. The play follows
Victor and Walter, two estranged brothers who reluctantly meet to dispose of
their father’s belongings after his death.
After the 1929 stock market collapse left his father ruined, Victor dropped out
of college to earn a living and support
the family. Now a policeman, Victor resents his wealthy brother Walter, whom
Victor feels benefited from his sacrifice.
While trying to put a price tag on their family’s belongings, they discover that
there are some things that are truly
priceless – brotherhood, love, and justice.
Taking on the roles of the two brothers are Randall
McCann who will play the tough New York City policeman
Victor, and Paul Falzone as the wealthy doctor Walter. P. Brendan Mulvey takes
on the role of the appraiser,
Gregory Solomon. Tara Bowles plays the role of Victor’s wife, Esther. Actors
Paul Falzone and P. Brendan Mulvey
are both members of Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors
and stage managers.
The artistic team for The Price includes director and set designer,
Paul Meacham, Tri-State’s founder and artistic
director; sound designer and Technical Staff member, Steven A. Silvia; costume
coordinator, Patricia Meacham;
and Stage Manager, Lara Terrell, returning to Tri-State under her first Equity
contract.
The Price runs from October 25 through November 11. Opening
Night is Friday, October 26. The performance is
followed by a “Meet the Artist Reception” and refreshments will be served.
Evening performances are Thursday
through Saturday at 8PM; matinee performances are Sundays at 3PM. Tickets are:
$18 on Thursdays (preview -
$17), $27 regular/$25 seniors and $17 students on Friday, Saturday and Sundays.
The performance on Sunday,
November 11 will be Closed Captioned for the hearing impaired. Large print
programs, wheelchair access and
elevator service are available for patrons with special needs. Reservations are
recommended for all performances.
For tickets, information, and special services, please contact the Box Office at
973 875-2950. Main Street parking
is limited and patrons are encouraged to use the free municipal parking lot on
Harrison Street, directly behind the
theater.
Additional information about Tri-State Actors Theater
and its programs and services are available on the web at http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Funding for Tri-State Actors Theater has been made possible in part by a grant
from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner
Agency of the National Endowment
for the Arts and the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. |
|
A "LITTLE" MOUSE
STANDS TALL IN SUSSEX
From the
TIMES HERALD-RECORD
Play review: 'Stuart
Little'
By
James F. Cotter
August 04,
2007
Sussex, N.J. -- "I'm
Headed in the Right Direction" sings the
mouse Stuart Little at the climax of "Stuart Little," a musical based on the
children's book by E.B. White.
The story has been artfully adapted for the stage by
Joseph Robinette with music by Ronna Frank and lyrics
by Robinette and Frank. Indeed, Stuart is headed in the right direction
after a happy home life in the Littles'
Manhattan apartment where he was born and brought up with sensitivity and
affection by his human parents.
When he finally decides to go out into the world to make his own fortune and to
find the bird that
has been the love of his life, we know that Stuart has chosen the right path for
himself.
Tri-State Actors
Theatre is presenting a revival of "Stuart Little" with the Student Intern
Company
directed by Paul Meacham. The 11 teenagers between the
ages of 13 and 17 are terrific as they take on
myriad human and animal roles, led by the ever resourceful, mild-mannered
supermouse Stuart. Emma
Della makes Stuart a true hero, confident yet modest, threatened but optimistic.
With Stuart's mouse
hat, the performer shivers and quakes, then races off to a fresh adventure,
sailing boats, chased by
dogs, thrown onto an East River garbage barge, and, of course, negotiating with
cats.
As Stuart's housemate, the cat Snowbell, Allison Ann Dethmers claws the air and
agrees in a duet,
"Natural Enemies," that pets need to be friends. One of the highlights of the
show is a quartet sung by cats
about the joys of "Nighttime in New York.
As Stuart's Mom and Dad, Alexa Ross and Josh Ernst are caringly comic when they
agree to avoid the
m-word whenever addressing their tiny son, while Jonathon Dragon hits the right
notes as brother George
who treats Stuart as a younger sibling in need of guidance. Amanda Martino has a funny scene as a dentist,
Dr. Carey, who befriends Stuart while extracting a tooth from a frantic patient played by Dallas Haines.
As the bird Margalo, Raquel Warehime flutters her wings
and looks beautiful as she joins in the title duet,
"Stuart Little," while Amanda Autore as the ritzy Harriet Ames shares a
frustrated date with the wandering hero.
Alexis Alemy is a helpful shopkeeper and Jackie Torres a desperate school
superintendent whom Stuart
encounters in the search through the Big Apple for his true identity.
Jim Blanton accompanies
the cast at the keyboard while also acting as the accomplished musical
director. Choreographer Melissa Pisarri creates some
marvelous dance sequences, and scenic artist Jackie
Perry uses alphabet blocks spelling out the hero's name in an imaginative
variety of ways. The pastel-colored
costumes, logolike skyline and lighting by Courtney O'Rourke all add up to making this show a delightful
experience for young and old alike.
|
WINDOWS IN MY LIFE
CONCERT
SUSSEX…Guitarist
Glenn Zervas returns to Tri-State Actors
Theater, 74 Main St., Sussex, on Saturday, July 14. Glenn will
be joined on stage by wife Carol and Rob Nappa on vocals and
Chas Ricci on guitar. The performance begins at 7:00 pm and all
tickets are $15.00. The concert is a benefit for the Zervas family,
who lost their home to fire earlier this year.
Glenn Zervas, who performed at Tri-State in 2006, writes and performs
guitar instrumentals. Rob Nappa worked the Asbury Park rock music circuit
all
through its heyday. Chas
Ricci has been a long-time friend and musical
collaborator with Glenn. Glenn
writes and performs complex
guitar instrumentals strong on melody and harmony. He
plays acoustic
finger-style and flat-picking guitar in
folk, classical, jazz and pop styles. His musical genre is similar to
Adrien
Legg, Phil Keaggy, Leo Kotke and
Michael Hedges. Glenn’s original pieces are melodic, mesmerizing compositions
that are played with both a
soft touch and with passion and zeal. Besides performing, Glenn owns and
operates a digital
recording studio
and teaches guitar.
For tickets and information, please call the Box Office at 973 875-2950.
Additional information about
Tri-State’s 2007 Season is available on the web at
http://www.tristateactorstheater.org.
|
|
Tasty
'Tuna' in Sussex
TIMES HERALD-RECORD
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
PLAY REVIEWS
Tasty 'Tuna' in Sussex
By Cynthia O. Topps
Sussex,
N.J.—There exists in the theater
world something called the “Tuna
Trilogy.” These are three plays written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed
Howard concerning the inhabitants of a fictional town in Texas called Tuna.
They are titled “Greater Tuna,” “a Tuna Christmas,” and Red, White and Tuna.”
The most popular of the three is “Greater Tuna,” which is being produced by Tri-
State Actors Theater in Sussex, NJ.
The play
does not have a plot or a story line. It is closer to a series of comedy
sketches that are linked together by news reports given on local radio station
OKKK. Two performers portray 10 Tuna citizens each. The humor comes not
only from the rapid and clever way they transform from person to person but also
from the absurdity of those characters as portrayed. Bill
Edwards and Scotty
Watson inhabit Tri-State’s “Tuna” with high energy and brilliant comic timing.
Both
are equally gifted and well cast by director Paul Meacham.
Edwards is particularly fine in his portrayal of
the three Bumiller children: Jody, Stanley, and Charlene. He
morphs from Jody, a young boy obsessed with dogs, to Stanley, his stuttering
juvenile delinquent brother to
Charlene, their obese, frustrated sister. As Petey Fisk, the lisping president
of the Tuna humane Society,
Edwards is hilarious while valiantly trying to save ducks, whales, snails,
llamas, and shrimp. Watson is as
accomplished as Edwards. His Rev. Spikes was comical as he worked himself into
a lathered funeral eulogy
peppered with every pithy saying imaginable. Watson is wonderfully skillful at
playing Pearl Burras, a sadistic
dog-poisoning old woman, and Bertha Bumiller, the mother of the Bumiller terror
trio.
The
costumers Patricia Meacham and Nicole Lee Smith deserve kudos for their
colorful, appropriate costumes.
But a standing ovation should go to the dressers Jane Cunningham and Alisone
Alcordo, who have to change
the actors with rapid-fire precision. The only glitches of the night
were Charlene’s pants and Arles Struvie’s
mustache. Neither wanted to stay on Bill Edwards, but the actors used these
mishaps for moments of improvis-
ational fun. After struggling with his mustache, Edwards remarked that he had
to wear a fake mustache after
his wife had ripped off his real one.
So if you are looking for a night out filled
with laughter and chaos, go see “Greater Tuna.” Edwards and
Watson are adept at working the audience, which adds to the fun and flavor of
your evening. |
|
A "NIGHT" TO REMEMBER
Play
review: 'Twelfth Night'
THE
TIMES RECORD HERALD

Olivia and Maria tease
the "man," Cesario,
who is really the woman, Viola, in Tri-State's
"Twelfth Night."
From.left are Katie Tame as Olivia,
Jenelle Sosa as Maria, and
Celia Montgomery as Cesario/Viola
By
Lisa Hewel
May 01, 2007
Sussex, N.J. — What do you get when you combine a pair of
separated
siblings, a few cases of mistaken identity, a cross-dressing female, a modicum
of madness, and the
absurdity of love? No, it's not an upcoming episode of "Desperate Housewives,"
but rather one of William
Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, "Twelfth Night" or "What You Will." Director Paul Meacham's
rousing rendition of the Bard's work is being staged by Tri-State Actors
Theater, an Equity professional
regional theater in Sussex, N.J.
Shakespeare's play, written
around 1601, tells the story of Viola and Sebastian, a brother and sister
who are separated by a shipwreck and therefore think the other dead. Alone in a
foreign country, Viola
disguises herself to become Cesario, a page to the Count Orsino. Orsino is in
love with the lady Olivia,
who does not love Orsino. The count sends Cesario to woo Olivia. As fate would
have it, Olivia falls in love
with the cross-dressing confidante. To complicate the plot even further, an
idiotic nobleman, Sir Andrew
Aguecheek, and a pompous servant, Malvolio, find themselves the objects of a
scheme by Olivia's oft-
inebriated uncle, Sir Toby Belch, who leads the men to believe Olivia loves
each. Sebastian returns,
more calamity and laughs ensue, and almost everyone lives happily ever after.
As Viola/Cesario, Celia Montgomery plays the perfect
protagonist. While in the midst of conflict, she is
cunning and confident; when caught in the lover's triangle, she is appropriately
nervous as she avoids
revealing her gender and her love for Orsino.
Andrew Danish as Orsino does well as the lovesick nobleman.
He is at times fittingly foolish, and at other times apparently confused by his
growing interest in Cesario.
Katie Tame is a beautiful and bold, yet cruel and
cool Olivia. She appears to have great fun being
the object
of so many men's affections.
The scenes with Craig Dudley as Sir Toby Belch, Bill
Edwards as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Clark Gookin
as Feste, are worth the price of admission alone. The trio provides much of the
comic relief, and work well
together being plain old fools. Kevin Shinnick as the puritanical butler Malvolio is as
strait-laced as can be,
and then as silly as a schoolgirl when he is the object of an unkind practical
joke. Jenelle Sosa as Maria,
a young woman in Olivia's employ, is smart and sassy, and basks in the glory of
pulling off her own practical
joke and then getting her man, too. Freeman Borden as Sebastian
is at first a little too stiff for his part, but is
quite funny when not realizing he is the unwitting object in a case of mistaken
identity. The remaining
ensemble cast — Jason Shane as Curio, Ben Schaub as Valentine, Ted Odell as the
sea captain and priest,
and Daniel Mian as Antonio — help to keep the humor in high gear.
Original bluesy-type music
by Vince Di Mura adds the right air of absurdity. |
|
CRESCENT CITY CAPER:
SHAKESPEARE'S TWELFTH NIGHT DOWN SOUTH
Tuesday, April 24,
2007
BY PETER FILICHIA Star-Ledger Staff "
Laissez les bons temps rouler!"["Let the good times roll!"] is
certainly the current policy at Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex.
Artistic director Paul Meacham has taken "Twelfth Night," William
Shakespeare's 1601 hit, and transposed it to 1910 New Orleans.
The good times indeed roll, along with plenty of actors who roll
around the stage in one of the Bard's rowdiest comedies.
Celia Montgomery & Katie Tame
Jenelle Sosa, Kevin Shinnick
and Craig Dudley
This is supposed to be the story of Viola and Sebastian,
fraternal twins who are separated in a shipwreck. She
quickly decides she'd have better job opportunities if she pretended to be a
man. He, of course, doesn't need
that ruse. Both cause a great deal of mistaken identity en route to being
reunited and falling in love with a soulmate.
But Shakespeare indulged in plenty of time-killing scenes with some low-class
drunks. Do the math: The often-
intoxicated Sir Toby Belch has 152 lines -- exactly the number that Viola and
Sebastian have combined.
So there are plenty of scenes where Belch is bobbing and
weaving about, placing all his energies into
maintaining a sober look. His equally besotted buddy, Sir Andrew Aguecheek,
joins in the liquid debauchery.
Given the situation, Meacham has gone all out to make it
wild 'n' rollicking, putting all these rakes onstage --
though he avoids the obvious in having Belch belch. Craig
Dudley does the part proud. Think of W.C. Fields
with a pretentious British accent. Bill Edwards, an expert at physical comedy,
playfully plays Aguecheek.
When depicting a drunk, he tries to convince others that his cane is a mere
walking stick, though it's a
necessity to keep him propped up.
Clark Gookin shows Feste the jester chooses to get high on
life. He's very winning, almost to the finish line,
when Meacham assigns him the show's concluding song. Alas, Gookin doesn't have
the voice for it, and
grasps for notes as if he were trying to catch mosquitoes in his bare hands.
Some scholars consider "Twelfth Night" the world's first
musical, given that it contains six songs. Composer
Vince DiMura provides lovely ballads and sprightly up-tempo songs. However, none sounds particularly
right for 1910 New Orleans -- especially when contrasted with the Scott Joplin
tunes used as incidental
music.
Any gender-bending Shakespearean comedy must be at least
somewhat convincing in having characters
mistake Viola for Sebastian, and vice-versa. Celia Montgomery and Freeman Borden
do look a bit alike,
thanks to the (bad) blond wig worn by the latter. Too bad Montgomery can't
sustain a deep speaking voice --
and that Borden can't shave a little closer. He's acceptable in the acting
department, though, and there's some
nice chemistry with his lady love, Olivia. She's played by Katie Tame, who must have seen "Sex
and the City"
on every channel, for she's channeling Sarah Jessica Parker.
Two others stand out in the 14-member
cast. One is Jenella Sosa as the maid Maria, who starts out disapproving
of the drunks, but gets down and dirty to join them in trickery. The victim?
Malvolio, delightfully portrayed by
Kevin Shinnick, the career sycophant who goes from workaholic to lustaholic. To
see him try to smile -- he seems
to have forgotten how to do it -- is one of the show's highlights. Audiences
have eight chances to see "Twelfth Night"
in the next -- yes -- 12 nights.
Peter Filichia may be reached at pfilichia@starledger.com or (973) 392-5995.
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2007
New Jersey Theatre Alliance 10th annual
Family Week at the Theatre Saturday,
March 3 through Sunday, March 11, 2007 in
association with Tri-State Actors
Theater presents Pushcart Players’ production
of
WOW! WHAT A CENTURY at Tri-State Actors Theater on Saturday, March 3
at 11:00am
and 2:00pm
The New Jersey Theatre
Alliance and Tri-State Actors Theater will present Pushcart Players’ production
of WOW! WHAT A
CENTURY on Saturday, March 3rd at 11:00am and 2:00pm. These performances are
part of the 10th annual Family Week at the
Theatre, a yearly event that provides free theatre performances
or children
during the first week of March.
This performance will be offered at buy one adult ticket at $10,
one child goes
free, with each additional child at $7
each.
Wow! What A Century is a whirlwind tour of the twists and turns in history –
from 1900 to the present. Filled
with
drama and discovery, heartbreak and hope, this dazzling new musical offers a
view of the century past,
as it launched
new frontiers at breakneck speed. The 2:00pm show will be open-captioned for the
hearing
impaired. This production is
recommended for all ages.
Family Week at the Theatre is an annual statewide festival offering free and
discounted ticket deals to
attendees and
has been developed to encourage families to attend professional theatre together
by making
the experience
affordable, educational and exciting. Across the state, in all 21 counties,
young people (ages
5 – 18) will receive
free tickets to over 100 performances and special events including free classes,
workshops
and backstage tours.
Since its inception in 1998, the program has served over 45,000 young people and
their
parents with professional
theatre performances and activities. In honor of its tenth year, the New Jersey
Theatre
Alliance is expanding the
definition of “family” to make this the most accessible and enjoyable year to
date.
While these performances are offered free of charge for children, there is a
nominal admission charge for adults
and
reservations are necessary. For more information or to make a reservation, call
the box office at
(973) 875-2950. Tri-State Actors Theater is located at 74 Main
Street in Sussex. To receive a full schedule of
events for Family Week at the
Theatre (March 3-11, 2007) please call 1-800-THE-ARTS or visit
http://www.familyweek.com.
The New Jersey Theatre Alliance is the statewide consortium of professional
theatres and exists to promote
and develop
professional theatre in the Garden State. Family Week at the Theatre is a
co-sponsored project
of The New Jersey
State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National
Endowment
or the Arts and Discover
Jersey Arts. Additional support has been provided by AT&T, Bank of America, The
Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation,
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Horizon Foundation, The George
Ohl, Jr.
Trust, The Prudential Foundation, Target
Stores, Kings Super Markets, The Karma Foundation,
Johnson and Johnson, and WNYC. |
|
Tickets Now On Sale
for Last of the Red Hot Lovers
The Illustrious Theatre Company, in residence at
the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery, opens its fifth season with
Neil Simon's
outrageous romantic comedy, Last of the Red Hot Lovers. The
company will also continue its unique
collaboration with Sussex County's
professional theatre company, Tri-State Actors Theater by presenting a third
weekend
at Tri-State's theatre in Sussex.. Last of the Red Hot Lovers
opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 1969 starring
James Coco, Linda Lavin,
Doris Roberts, and Marcia Rodd. It won the 1970 Tony Award for Best Play and
went on to
play 706 performances. In this charming play Barney Cashman, a
middle-aged married nebbish, wants to join the sexual
revolution of the late
60's before it's too late. Joe Barra of Pine Bush will portray Barney in ITC's
production, with Victoria Ford,
Cindy Rea, and Mary Lee Shorr portraying the
three women who come into Barney's life.
Simon, one of America's most famous and prolific playwrights, got his break
writing comedy for Sid Caesar's live TV
comedy Show of Shows in
the 1950s where he worked along side Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbert, and
Carl
Reiner. He is the only playwright to have four productions running on
Broadway simultaneously. His first Broadway hit
was Come Blow Your Horn
followed by numerous others including Barefoot in the Park,
Plaza Suite, Rumors,
The Odd Couple, and his
autobiographical trilogy Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and
Broadway Bound.
Performances at the Winery are February 23, 24, 25 and March 2, 3 and
4. Curtain time on Fridays and Saturdays is
8 PM and Sundays at 7:30 PM.
Seating, which is cabaret style, begins at 6:15 on Friday and Saturday and 5:45
on
Sunday for those planning to enjoy a dinner from the winery's Pané Café
and Bakery; dinner reservation times are
required when purchasing tickets
for the play. Tickets are now available at the Winery, by phone (845-258-4858),
or
through the winery's web site (www.wvwinery.com. Go to Marketplace,
then Tickets). Ticket prices are $18, or $16
for seniors and children
(12 and under). Advanced purchase is recommended, and required for dinner
reservations.
The Warwick Valley Winery is located at 114 Little York Rd. in
Warwick, just off County Route 1 in the Pine Island region.
The final two performances at
Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex will be Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March
10 at 8:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased
in advance by calling the theatre at 973-875-2950. The historic Crescent
Theatre is located at 74 Fountain Square in downtown Sussex, NJ.
|
TREASURED
PLACES--A slice of life in Sussex County, seen through the landmarks, downtowns,
gathering places,
havens for children and quiet spots:
HIST0RIC CRESCENT THEATER
By Colin McEvoy
NJ HERALD, January 15, 2007
SUSSEX---Legendary screen star Al Jolson sat down at a
piano, started
pounding down on the keys, turned his back toward the audience
and , with that
familiar smile of his, said, "Wait a minute, you ain't heard
nothing yet."
The audience gasped, their jaws dropping in amazement. On that evening 80
years ago in Sussex Borough's
Crescent Theater, a sold-out audience saw "The
Jazz Singer," widely considered the first "talking picture" ever
made, and Al Jolson was right--it was like nothing they had ever seen, or heard, before.
Today, the days of vaudeville and silent films are gone, and the novelty of
sound at the movies has long since
worn off. But the historic Crescent
Theater is still standing, and still serves as a center of culture and
entertainment for the borough, the county, and the surrounding region.
"All these years later, this place is still a
showcase for the arts," said
artistic director Paul Meacham. "That's what it was destined for."
Meacham, who leased and renovated the then-closed theater in 2002, has made it
the home for the Tri-State
Actors Theater, a professional regional theater
company, for the last [four] seasons.
Although the style of
entertainment and interior of the building has changed
drastically since it was built in 1917, the exterior of the
Crescent Theater--an
old-fashioned rectangular, red-brick building on Main Street--remains unchanged.
"We tried
to keep and preserve as much as we could of the old theater," Meacham
said.
The Crescent Theater opened its doors on July 24, 1917, as a showcase for
vaudeville showmen and a silent
movie house, back in the days when coming to the
movies was not just a trip to the multiplex, but a community
event.
"Do you realize what film did to the area?" Meacham said. "It changed the nature
of the people. They had
no TV, no radio. Once the movies got here,
people began to see what the rest of the world was like."
More than
800 people attended the theater's first film, a comedy called "Miss
George Washington" accompanied by the
14-piece Sussex Municipal Orchestra.
Tickets were 25 and 50 cents.
It would be 10 years before residents saw "The Jazz Singer," their first
"talkie" in a Sussex County theater,
which happened to star May McAvoy, a Sussex
Borough native.
The theater continued to show movies--its titles displayed on a dazzling light
marquee, which has since been
removed--until the 1970s, when the money ran out
and the doors were closed.
"Sussex, I suppose you could say,
was hit by hard times," Meacham said, "and the moview all went to the mall."
The borough purchased the building
in 1980 and turned it into a community and
senior center, removing the stage, screen and seats and installing a
new roof
and a second floor, which remained a [proposed]] lecture hall.
The building remained in this capacity until
[2001].when the drainage [system
near the] roof was damaged and floods made the building completely
uninhabitable.
The community center moved out and there had been talk of demolishing the
building. But Paul Meacham, a
former university of Tennessee theater
professor living in Matamoras, Pa., saw an opportunity to bring back what
he
felt always belonged there: the arts.
The borough leased the building to [Tri-State Actors Theater, Inc., a non-profit
theater founded by Meacham]
which had previously been located in Branchville's Garris Center. After repairing the roof and the interior, they
built a
"Black Box" style theater and rehearsal space on the bottom floor, and an
intimate 99-seat theater on the
top floor. Meacham said the new theater, which
opened with a David Sedaris comedy, "Santaland Diaries," in
December 2002,
sparked a "renaissance" on Sussex Borough's Main Street, with new stores,
antique shops and
restaurants springing up shortly after the grand opening. "It
was like CPR, bringing this town to life," he said.
"There was a feeling
of fresh air on the streets because of this."
Sussex Mayor Katherine Little also credited the theater with helping spur the
revival, fondly recalling watching
shows like "The Big Bang" and "Always...Patsy
Cline." "To me, that theater is our cultural center," Little said. "It
adds a
lot to the borough, and jelps enhance the history of the community."
The casting for the Tri-State Actors Theater's next show, William Shakespeare's
"Twelfth Night," began this
weekend, and the show is scheduled to premiere in
April. It will kick off the group's[2007] season at the Crescent
Theater,
and the 20th [anniversary] season for the group itself. A wide range of shows,
including musicals and
dramas as well as comedies, will be presented at the
Crescent this year, Meacham said. "It's good for people to
get together, watch
something as a group and experience different emotions,: he said. "Weather they
are laughing
or crying or are afraid, they are feeling something. That's what
this place is all about." |
|
06/16/06 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
Odd couple coaches clash in
'Rounding Third'

BY WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY RECORD
"Rounding Third" has made the
rounds in New Jersey, and now it has come around
again. The logistics of Richard Dresser's humorous morality tale
-- which requires only
two actors and simple staging -- make it a
popular work in regional and community
theater. And its gentle
comedy-with-a-message, dressed up as a
baseball story, has
proven to be a hit with
audiences.
Now it has,
as Dizzy Dean used to say, "slud" into
Sussex, where Tri-State Actor's Theater takes a turn at the plate.
Seeing it for the second time (Centenary Stage Company fielded it two seasons
back),
I finally figured out
what nagged me about the play the first time around. Once I did, I was able to
better enjoy
Dresser's
compelling characters. It also helps that
artistic director Paul
Meacham has a good feel for the material
and coaxes strong performances from his cast.
The always-enjoyable David
Volin and Bill Edwards star,
respectively, as Don and Michael, an odd couple of
Little League coaches in contemporary Anywhere USA. Don (never "Donald") is a
stereotypical type-A former
jock coach, preaching a win-at-all-costs philosophy at his peewee platoon.
Michael (not "Mike") is more the
sensitive Yuppie-type, balancing his desire to share-bond with his son while
taking business calls on his cell.
The coaches get to know each
other during a pre-draft meeting at the local tavern, where Don guzzles
longnecks
and figures since Mikey isn't drinking, he must have a "problem -- not that it's
your fault, it's a disease." Michael
has problems, all right, but alcohol is not among them. As the story plays out,
Don will learn about many of them,
starting with the troubling news that neither Michael nor his son knows beans
about baseball.
Don has his
share
of problems as well, and doesn't need Michael's baggage messing up the one thing
he's got going for him. Life
has obviously passed Don by, to the point where his entire self-worth is tied up
in the team's win-loss record.
"Rule No.
1, winning is fun," he tells the kids on opening day. "I hope this isn't new
information." Don has a lot of
Rules No. 1, starting with showing up for practice on time, a rule that Michael
breaks. "Assistant coach Mike has
helped us out by demonstrating what not to do," Don tells the team before
calling one of a series of mandatory
coach's meetings, where the conflict escalates.
Eventually and inevitably, the men form an uneasy friendship and help each other
check their respective baggage.
Dresser's character development is a bit predictable, so don't expect any
startling revelations. But
the characters,
in the hands of two good actors and steered by Meacham's skillful direction,
never cross the line to caricature,
giving the production a solid foundation of realism.
Volin's comedic abilities have been showcased on many a stage in New Jersey,
including turns here as Bottom
in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and as one of the mad players in "The Compleat
Wrks of Willm Shakspr
(Abridged)." He's still funny, but also builds a strong and surprisingly
sympathetic character study. Edwards
brings an endearing, nervous energy to his character.
Oddly, while Dresser based Michael on his own experience
as a Little League coach, he is the least interesting of the two, and is saddled
with some dialogue and mannerisms
that repeat in pattern long after we get the message --
Michael's a geek. Fortunately, Edwards has obviously found
his own inner geek and revels in the moment, making it easier for the rest of us
to spend some time with him.
The
biggest problem with "Rounding Third" is while it doesn't purport to be a
baseball play, it is set in the mythical
Field of Dreams, which many Americans cannot visit without experiencing the
romantic, nostalgic, almost religious
aura of America's pastime. Dresser just doesn't have a feel for that and, at
times, the play drags the ballfield
around like a lead weight. But once you accept the limitations, as I finally did
midway through the second act,
and focus on the characters,
"Rounding Third" comes up a
winner. |
|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AN UPBEAT BASEBALL
COMEDY "ROUNDING THIRD"
Sussex… Just
in time for baseball season, Tri-State Actors Theater presents the touchingly
comic “odd couple”
story, ROUNDING THIRD by Richard Dresser. Two Little League coaches
- a tough, win-at-any-cost veteran coach and his new assistant -
are “baseball dads” with dramatically different philosophies. “Rounding Third”
runs June 7 through June 25 at the historic Crescent Theater, 74 Main St.,
Sussex.
The new little league season is just
around the corner and Don,
played by
David Volin, a seasoned head
coach with a reputation of winning, has lost his
like-minded assistant head coach to the Babe Ruth league. Enter new assistant
head coach Michael Johnson,
played by Bill Edwards, a
father who wants to
spend
more quality time with his son and believes in just having fun. For Don,
however,
winning is the fun of baseball and with the help of his son’s all-star
pitching he is determined to do so despite
having to field Michael’s
not-so-gifted
son. Rounding Third is the story of these two coaches trying to find a
way
to relate their two very different coaching styles over the course of the
season. It is through these often hysterical
struggles that we begin to see that Rounding Third not only explores what
it means to win on the field, but what it
means to win off it as well. Actors David Volin and Bill Edwards are both
members of Actors Equity Assoc., the
union of professional actors and stage managers.
Playwright
Richard Dresser began writing Rounding Third when his son's Little League
coach suggested
that a slower player fake an injury as part of the team's strategy for winning.
"I was horrified," Dresser wrote in
an Introduction to the play. "Is this how our children are being trained to deal
with competition? How many
future Enrons are brewing on our Little League fields and in our school gyms
under the watchful eyes of
over-zealous coaches? What about building character and encouraging fair play?
Or are such notions
laughable in this country at this point in history? At that moment I knew that I
had to write Rounding Third."
Rounding Third
begins with an Open Dress Rehearsal on Wednesday, June 7. Admission is free and
tickets will be available at the door. The run opens with a preview performance
on Thursday, June 8; all tickets
are $17.00. Ticket prices for Friday and Saturday evenings are $27.00 and $25.00
for seniors 60 and over and
students. Regular Thursday evening and Sunday matinee tickets are $25.00, $23.00
for seniors and
students. Evening performances begin at 8:00 pm and Sunday matinees begin at
3:00 pm. Reservations
are recommended for all performances. Large print programs, wheelchair access
and elevator service are
available for patrons with special needs. For tickets, information, and special
services, please contact the
Box Office at 973 875-2950. Main Street parking is limited and patrons are
encouraged to use the free
municipal parking lot on Harrison Street, directly behind the theater.
Additional
information about Tri-State Actors Theater and its programs and services are
available on the web at http://www.tristateactorstheater.org. Funding for
Tri-State Actors Theater has been
made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the
Arts/Department of State, a
Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and the generous support
of the Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation. |
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 22, 2006
MYSTERY
NIGHT AT THE INN
Sussex…Tri-State Actors Theater’s Spring Fundraiser combines dinner and a show
at the Sussex Inn,
Main St., Sussex on Sunday, June 4 at 4:00 pm. Tri-State Trustees take center
stage in their own original
murder mystery.
A terrific audience participation event,
Mystery Night attendees will assist investigators Bill Edwards
(Rounding Third, June 8-25) and Freddie Maas (Passion of Dracula) who are on the
scene to help solve
the crime. A series of fictitious colorful local characters, suspenseful and
hilarious activities provide clues to
crack the case.
Tickets for Mystery Night at the Inn are
$50.00 per person. Admission includes a buffet dinner, salad,
beverages and gratuity. There will be a cash bar. During the evening, several
art pieces, dinner and theater
tickets, and other items will be auctioned.
For reservations and
tickets, please call the Box Office at 973 875-2950. A portion of the ticket
price is tax
deductible and will be acknowledged to all ticket buyers. Information about
Tri-State and our 2006 season
is also available on the Internet at www.tristateactorstheater.org. |
|
04/21/06 - Posted from the
Daily Record newsroom
Gwendolyn Walker captures
spirit
of Patsy Cline in Tri-State production
BY WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY RECORD
Jukebox musicals are all the rage on Broadway.
Elvis, John Lennon and the Beach Boys bombed, but Billy Joel,
Abba and Frankie Valli are charting high.
With all
those hitmakers rubbing shoulders in Manhattan, there's no room for the big
voice, and tender story, of
Patsy Cline. Fortunately, she's found a home in Sussex, where Tri-State Actors
Theater has revived its own
enjoyable revival of "Always ... Patsy Cline."
A
near-capacity crowd packed the historic Crescent Theatre Friday night to welcome
back Equity professionals
Gwendolyn Walker and Suzanne Hayes, stars of Tri-State' popular 2003 production
of Ted Swindley's 1997 tribute
to the late country star.
Walker and
her opera-trained voice inhabit the spirit of Cline with gusto, while Hayes
provides the narrative hook
as Louise Seger, the single Texas mom whose real-life relationship with her
favorite singer wraps the story in a
blanket of warm Southern hospitality.
For those not
steeped in country-Western lore, Cline rose to fame in the late 1950s. Her
powerful and dramatic
voice pushed songs like "Walking after Midnight" and "Crazy" from the country to
the pop charts, but her career
was tragically cut short when she died in a plane crash in 1963.
Her story
gained notoriety in the 1980s, when Oscar-winner Jessica Lange starred as Cline
in the film "Sweet
Dreams." A few years later, singer K.D. Lang jump-started her career with an
album of Cline songs produced by
Cline's famed producer, Owen Bradley.
Swindley's
show is Cline's story, seen through the eyes of an obsessed fan who found
comfort in a voice she
first heard on Arthur Godfrey's TV show.
"That's how I
always wanted to sing," Louise exclaims, with Hayes curling her words around an
authentic
Mason-Dixon accent.
Louise also
tells us her story, happy to be rid of her no-good husband, even with the burden
of two little ones to
support. She works, oddly enough, as an electronics technician. "We cain't all
be hairdressers," she explains
cheerfully.
When Louise
learns that Cline will be in town for a concert, she's first in line to greet
her. The red and white stage
of the honky tonk serves as the main setting for the story. No matter that the
multi-level stage looks more uptown
than down-home. It functions well enough for the show. A center entry at the top
level provides for a few stagy
entrances, while the six musicians work the flanks.
Louise bonds
with Patsy like a big sister, and brings her home after the show for bacon, eggs
and more bonding,
which at times, in Paul Meacham's direction, seems on the verge of intimacy. But
then, the mood changes with
more talk of children missed, followed by some lullabies and spirituals that,
while not part of Cline's regular
songbook, tug at the heartstrings.
It's all as
sweet as creamed corn and Hayes successfully gives the audience another
character to care about.
But the unmistakable lure of "Always ... Patsy Cline" is Walker belting out the
big-voiced ballads, one after
another, with convincing and genuine enthusiasm. More importantly, without
resorting to pure mimicry, she does
Cline, and the songs, justice. Trying to capture Cline's soaring blend of torch
and twang is like trying to play guitar
like Jimi Hendrix -- you better be good, or you're going to embarrass yourself.
Walker at times borrows Cline's
quivering vibrato, but on other occasions, she's not afraid to hit and sustain
notes that were probably beyond
Cline's range. Listen for one of these at the very end of "Lovesick Blues,"
which also ends Act 1, and you'll know
you're in the presence of a singer who deserves to be heard.
The band,
which includes a fiddler and a pedal steel guitar player, is improbably led by
19-year-old Jessica Arnold,
a music major at Seton Hall. The Bodacious Bobs tackle a tough score of 28
songs. The good news is that by the
time you read this, they'll undoubtedly be even better. Let's hope fans keep
filling the Crescent to cheer them on. |
|
New Jersey Theatre Alliance
9th annual
Family
Week at the Theatre
Sussex…The New
Jersey Theatre Alliance and Tri-State Actors Theater will present Youth Stages’
production
of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on Saturday, March 4, 2006 at
11:00am and 2:00pm. These performances
are part of the 9th annual Family Week at the Theatre, an annual
event that provides free theatre performances
for children during the first week of March. This performance will be offered
at one child admitted free for every
adult ticket purchased
In this unique
adaptation of the classic tale, all the roles are played by two performers...
with some audience
participation. This imaginative and whimsical interpretation, stars Laurie Hardy
and Joey Rizzolo. Their dynamic
acting, accentuated by simple costumes and set, allows young people to create
Narnia in their imaginations.
Youth Stages, LLC is proud to bring this heroic tale of love, faith, courage and
giving, a tale in which good
triumphs over evil, to yet another generation of children. Recommended for
grades K through 6.
Family Week at the Theatre
is an annual statewide festival offering free and discounted tickets to young
people
and their families and has been developed to encourage families to attend
professional theatre together by making
the experience affordable, educational and exciting. Across the state, in
all 21 counties, young people (ages 5 –
18) will receive free tickets to over 100 performances and special events
including free classes, workshops and
backstage tours. Since its inception in 1998, the program has served over
45,000 young people and their
parents with professional theatre performances and activities
While this
performance is offered free of charge for children, there is a admission charge
of $10.00 for adults and
reservations are necessary. For more information or to make a reservation,
call the box office at (973) 875-2950.
Tri-State Actors Theater is located at the Historic Crescent Theater at 74 Main
Street in Sussex. To receive a full
schedule of events for Family Week at the Theatre (March 4-12, 2006),
please call 1-800-THE-ARTS or visit www.
familyweek.com.
The New
Jersey Theatre Alliance is the statewide consortium of professional theatres and
exists to promote and
develop
professional theatre in the Garden State. Family Week at the Theatre
is made possible by the generous
support of
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency
of the National
Endowment for the
Arts. Additional support has been provided by AT&T, The Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation,
The Edward W. and Stella
C. Van Houten Memorial Fund, The HMS Foundation, The Prudential Foundation,
Target Stores, Kings Super Markets,
PSE&G and The Karma Foundation. American Airlines is the official airline
of The
New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
|
ILLUSTRIOUS THEATRE'S 2006 PLAY FESTIVAL CROSSES STATE LINES
The Illustrious Theatre Company, in
residence at the Warwick Valley Winery in Warwick, NY, will present its
2006
One Act Play Festival at the winery on February 24, 25, and 26 and then take the
production to the Tri-
State Actors
Theater in Sussex, NJ for two nights, March 10 and 11. Artistic Directors Mary
Clifford (ITC) and
Paul Meacham
(Tri-State) believe that collaboration and resource sharing benefits the
theatres and the audiences
of the region. Clifford and Meacham have worked together for a number of years in various
capacities, usually one
directing the other;
most recently Meacham directed "Veronica’s Room" for ITC where he and the cast
had the
pleasant surprise and
honor to meet its playwright Ira Levin.
This year’s one-act plays were selected from approximately 150 plays submitted
in response to ITC's posting on
a web
site and notices in the local papers. Artistic Director Clifford said the
response was overwhelming and flattering,
"The
company received plays from as far away as India, many from England and Ireland,
and from all over the U.S.,
including
Alaska and Hawaii. The four plays selected for performance were written by
playwrights with impressive
and interesting
backgrounds. We are thrilled to have attracted such talent."
The evening will feature the following four one-act plays: "Before Nightfall", a
poignant drama about a daughter and
her
elderly father written by Beverly Wallace; "Fifteen Minutes" by Dave
DeChristopher, a comedy about a woman
who hosts
her own TV talk show taking place in her bedroom every night. Jed Downey's
"Enjoying Your Fame" is
a black comedy
about the rewards and pitfalls of one’s moment in fame. "Coffee with God" by
Kal Wegenheim, is
a touching serio-comedy.
Playwright Beverly Wallace is from Manhattan studies at the Circle Rep and has
had a
number of her plays produced for
off-off Broadway theatres. Ms. Wallace was a semi-finalist at the Louisville 10
minute play festival. Mr. DeChristopher from
Ohio plays have been produced in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Los
Angeles,
Milwaukee, Chicago, and in more than thirty
New York City theatres. He also serves as artistic director
of The Aural Stage.
Jed Downey of Hawthorne, NJ currently
teaches high school English at Fairlawn High School.
His play "Open, Close" was
a finalist in NYC's Riant Theatre's
Strawberry One Act Festival. Additionally, his work
has been performed at The
Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca, NY and
recognized by The Kennedy Center College Theater
Festival's New Play
Competition. Playwright Kal Wagenheim of
Millburn N.J. is a journalist (formerly with The New
York Times and currently
editor of Caribbean UPDATE monthly
newsletter), and the author and translator of eight
books, and nine plays and
screenplays. His biography of Babe Ruth
was a Playboy Book Club selection and was
adapted for an NBC-TV movie.
On March 10 and 11 the festival travels to the Tri-State Actors Theater, 74
Fountain Square in Sussex, NJ.
Tri-State’s
theatre, originally know as the Crescent Theater, has just been added to the
New Jersey and U.S.
registries of historic
buildings, having been originally opened in 1917 as a vaudeville and silent
movie house.
Show time for both evenings is
8 PM and will feature a wine and cheese reception before the performances.
Tickets prices are $15 and $13 (seniors).
Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling Tri-State at 973-
875-2950, or at
the door the evening of the performance.
|

|
|
09/23/05 - Posted from the
Daily Record newsroom
Storytellers in 'The Weir' need better material to match their talent
BY WILLIAM
WESTHOVEN
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY RECORD
It's often said that great
orators can entertain you just by reading the phone book.
It's the same with
great storytellers. They don't need great stories to show their
audience a good
time.
There's a bunch of good storytellers currently at the Crescent Theater in
Sussex,
where Tri-State Actors Theater is staging Conor McPherson's "The Weir."
Too bad
they don't have better material to work with.
McPherson, an Irish playwright, won several awards in 1997 for this drama about
a group of interesting characters swapping ghost stories in a rural Irish pub.
Unfortunately, as these kinds of stories
go, they are as thin as widow's lace.
There's a hint of creepiness here and there, but they lack the sort of
imagination,
tension and clever twists that make you want to repeat them at the
next campfire.
Even the
author seems to acknowledge this. One storyteller finishes by saying, "That's
it. That's the story."That's a
bad sign if there ever was one.
At least
his setup is sound enough -- a small band of boozy locals, all men, are joined
by a slightly mysterious woman
who just bought a house in their isolated
neighborhood. Valerie (Brooke Lucas) is a bit reserved but pleasant and willing
to fit in with the crowd. She's just looking for a little peace and quiet.
"You're in the right place," says Jack (John Little),
a garage owner who appears
to be the oldest of the clan. "You're going to have a peace-and-quiet overload
around here."
The pub
owner, Brendan (Chris Harcum), is suspicious about the motives of local
businessman and real estate broker
Finbar (Bob Senkewicz), who sold Valerie the
home and is now shepherding her around town. Finbar is married and
Brendan
doesn't go for any shenanigans in his establishment other than drinking, smoking
and cussing, which are all
here in abundance.
But "The
Weir" steers clear of romantic scandal and turns down a darker path when it is
revealed that Valerie has
bought the local haunted house. As the whiskey and
stout start to loosen tongues, the stories begin to flow freely.
Jack talks
about the house being built on a "fairy road." Finbar goes next and is razzed by
his mates for
misidentifying a Ouija board as a "Luigi board."
Jim (Dan
Matisa) tells a grimmer tale, but Valerie, after sitting in the background for
most of the 90-minute, one-
act affair, trumps them all with a stirring and
emotional work of non-fiction that explains her presence in town.
Valerie's story is gripping,
but more thanks to Lucas'delivery than McPherson's wordsmithing. The same goes
in
spades for the stories that precede it.
Little, seen last year on this stage as Dr. Seward in "The Passion of Dracula,"
is a strong presence,
although,
like most of the cast, his brogue needs some polishing.
Harcum
has a nice blend of intensity and laid-back
charm,
while
Matisa is also convincing as
the socially awkward yet dignified Jim.
Senkewicz,
who frequents the Tri-State stage, looks less like an Irishman than anyone
director Paul Meacham
could have found, but he still
makes a difficult character work.
And
Lucas, one of two non-Equity actors in the
cast (Senkewicz is the
other), comes out of nowhere to knock you out with
her climactic monologue.
I
wouldn't want to read "The Weir," but no one's asking me to. Then again, I don't
really enjoy reading Shakespeare,
but seeing it onstage is another matter
entirely. So skip the script,
take a seat and enjoy.
|
|
07/22/05 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
MANZELLI
COVERS ENTIRE MENU IN TRI-STATE'S 'FULLY COMMITTED'
By William Westhoven, Special to the Daily
Record
Ever want to smack one of those obnoxious people
on the phone who insist you'll have
to wait for an appointment or reservation?
Well, contrary to popular opinion, especially
when you're experiencing reservation rage, they're not all sadists like the
David Spade
character on those Capital One commercials.
Here's another
surprise - their workaday world makes for some pretty funny theater, at least
at
Tri-State Actor's Theater in Sussex, where the blue plate special is Becky
Mode's
"Fully Committed."
Mode, a former
writer for "The Cosby Show," has drawn on experiences from the early phase of
her career, when
she made ends meet by working in a typically trendy Manhattan
restaurant ("fully committed" is a pretentious
euphemism for "booked solid").
"Fully
Committed" represents her all-too-common situation with Sam Peliczowski, a young
actor from South Bend,
Ind., who is paying his dues by suffering as a
reservation booker for a preposterously posh Big Apple trattoria
frequented by
celebs, sheiks and chic socialites.
We neither see
the restaurant nor hear its name. All we are privy to is the dank, dingy
underbelly of the glittery
restaurant scene. Sam does his business in the
restaurant's windowless basement, which is strewn with storage,
laundry, clunky
file cabinets and other clutter (scenic
artist Jacqueline Perry's set is detailed and gloriously
unattractive).
His only connections to the real - and surreal - world are two telephones. One
he feverishly works
with multiple lines and a headset. The other has a large red
light bulb, which blinks ominously when Sam's boss,
a stressed-out chef, demands
his attention.
John Manzelli,
an affable everyman sort, deftly embodies every character,
hopping from one side of the
conversation to the other with a swift change of
voice, posture and manner. In addition to the chef, who holds
the phone tightly
clenched in front of his face, there are many customers who keep calling their
way back into
the action. They include a snooty rich woman who keeps making
impossible demands and a mobster who wants
a waiter to croon "The Lady is a
Tramp" for his mother. Staff members range from Jean Claude, the useless
maitre
d', to Bob, a fellow reservation booker whose car is stuck on the Long Island
Expressway.
Then there's
Sam's aging dad, a widower who keeps hoping his son can get home for Christmas.
Whenever Dad's
on the line, Manzelli swings his chair around to use it as a
walker.
Sam's holiday
schedule becomes one of several plot lines that cut through the shtick and
eventually point the play
to a clever and positive climax. The ending comes as
surprise after a long day of disasters, including a bungled
visit from Zagat's.
Of course,
performing artists aren't the only people whose dreams are waylaid by necessary
day jobs. So Sam's
predicament is accessible to a large audience, certainly a
bigger one than Tri-State's Crescent Theater can hold.
Perhaps that's
why, more than a week into its limited run, "Fully Committed" was still filling
a respectable number
of seats. This is a good sign for Tri-State, which, like
many theaters, has been feeling a pinch at the box office over
the last year or
so. In fact, artistic director Paul Meacham said before Saturday night's
performance that one reason
"Fully Committed" replaced "Proof" on the 2005
schedule was because this one-man show was less expensive to
produce.
So much the
better for North Jersey theater patrons, who have had myriad productions of
"Proof" to choose from.
Instead, they can look forward to this fresh bit of fun,
because "Fully Committed" is a choice
entrée. Manzelli
resists the urge to indulge himself by plowing through the
40-plus characters (some of which appear only for
seconds) with a Red Bull-rush
of comic hysteria. Instead, he inhabits them with stylishly subtle panache. His
fluid delivery and smooth segues give you a chance to digest the characters
along with the comedy.
Sure, Robin
Williams could have you rolling in the aisles with this material, but Manzelli's method, wisely
cultivated by Meacham's
direction, makes it a night at the theater instead of a night at the improv.
William
Westhoven can be reached at (973) 428-6200.
|
|
'Grace and Glorie' mixes pathos, humor
By William Westhoven,
Special to the Daily Record
Playwright Tom Ziegler probably didn't target the
Sandwich Generation as the
audience for "Grace
and Glorie," an enjoyable dramatic comedy currently
being
staged at Tri-State Actor's Theater in Sussex.This moving two-woman play about
a 90-year-old
illiterate farmer and a transplanted New Yorker in
the Blue Ridge
Mountains of Virginia offers many
pleasures and a couple of useful life lessons.
Ziegler, director Paul Meacham and his small cast go beyond the easy work of
clashing cultures and bravely explore the more
difficult frontier of life and death.
Too
bad that Ziegler bails out at the end, wrapping things up with a frustratingly
sentimental climax, but we all know
that sometimes the journey is more rewarding
than the destination. And for those of us Sandwich Kids
who have
experienced he joys and frustrations of caregiving for elderly
parents, there's an added poignancy that touches
home.
As the
play begins, Grace (Anne Barclay) is back in her ramshackle Virginia home after
a long stay at the hospital,
where her doctors told her that cancer would claim
her life within a matter of weeks. At her front door is Glorie
(Clodagh Bowyer),
a 40-something hospice volunteer who's come bearing soup, medicine and pamphlets
on how
to care for the terminally ill. "Whatever you're selling, I'm long past
needing," the crusty Grace tells Glorie. But
Glorie, poorly outfitted in a
designer dress and heels, is determined. She's recently moved to the area with
her
husband, a lawyer with a rich law firm where the privileged wives are
expected to help out the less fortunate citizens
of their rural community.
"You
help people die for a living?" Grace asks.
"No.
I'm a volunteer," says Glorie.
"You
volunteer to help people die?" Grace asks. "Is that some kind of Yankee custom?"
It's a
clever exchange and, to Ziegler's credit, he doesn't paint Grace as a
stereotypical backwoods savant who
never went to school but seems to know more
about life than anyone else. She's smart enough to know what
hospice volunteers
do, and she's clever enough to crack wise about it, but she really doesn't know
much more
about life than she needs to get by.
Glorie
is a bit more predictable. She's an ambitious, educated Manhattan Yuppie who is
as lost in Grace's
modest kitchen as Eva Gabor was in Hooterville. She even
needs instructions to use the sink pump and
guidance in the culinary art of
boiling an egg.
Even
more predictably, the two gradually bond, with the predictable bumps along the
way. But the two actresses
have a nice chemistry and Ziegler provides them with
some genuinely clever dialogue. Glorie, frustrated with
Grace's irascible
resistance to her efforts, complains that the other two patients she was
assigned to "were
quiet, cooperative and happy to take their drugs."Grace labels
Glorie as a snob, but encourages her to say
what's really on her mind. "I'm a
redneck," Grace says. "Even worse, I'm a backwoods redneck."
The
story intensifies when Glorie reveals the nature of her interest in death and
dying. The loss of a child is the
oot of her problems, which Grace intuitively
realizes are more serious than they seem.
The
statuesque Bowyer towers over the diminutive, 77-year-old Barclay, who is a bit
too energetic to play 90
years old. She also speaks with a rapid, halting
cadence that at first seems like she's muffing lines, but remains
consistent
enough to convince you that's her interpretation of the character. Bowyer has a
tendency to shout her
lines and doesn't have Barclay's instinct for comedy, but
she's terrific when she needs to be, rising to the
occasion during the more
dramatic moments.
Meacham has prepared both ladies well for their demanding
roles and has them working on a realistic set,
complete with a working
pump and a wood stove that backs up smoke when Glorie forgets to open the flue.
Well-selected rural inspirationals ("holy roller music," as Grace calls it)
complete the setting.
Again,
the ending saps "Grace and Glorie" of its potential impact, but it worked for
the majority of the opening
night audience. I'll encourage
you to go and decide for yourself.
William
Westhoven can be reached at (973) 428-6200. |
|
04/08/05 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom

Tri-State produces
appealing 'Midsummer Night's Dream'
By William Westhoven,
Special to the Daily Record
Pounding rainstorms
had flooded rivers and valleys throughout the mid-Atlantic.
The Catholic
faithful were at home or at church, mourning the passing of Pope
John Paul II.
And sports fans were
glued to their televisions watching the Final
Four.
It was a rough night to be selling
Shakespeare.
But the small band of buyers who came out
Saturday for the opening night of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at
Tri-State
Actor's Theater in Sussex got their
money's worth. Artistic director Paul Meacham has
assembled an
appealing cast for this visually eclectic production, which uses
modern fashion and music, and some imaginative
set design, to create an
appropriately dreamy atmosphere.
And there's the story,
one of Shakespeare's most popular and accessible works and always a great
vehicle to
introduce young adults to the Bard. Leave the little ones at home - Meacham does not hide the bawdier aspects
of this tale of
love, lust, scheming fairies and bad actors. But teens will identify with the
clothes and the attitudes
of the young lovers who look like they just stepped
out of one of those screwy Old Navy ads. Swathed largely in
colors swiped from a
bag of Skittles, they stand in rainbow contrast to the forest setting, which is
effectively
established by camouflage netting. Slits in the netting allow the
fairies to pop in and out of the action as if they
are appearing, or
disappearing, out of thin air.
The story, though, is
faithful to its origin. Athenian maiden Hermia (Jennifer Klein) rebels
against her father's
directive to marry Demetrius (Wayne Hu). She's in love with
Lysander (David B. Sochet), and he, her. Besides,
her best friend, Helena
(Felicia Bertch), has her heart set on Demetrius, even though he won't give her
a second
look.
Meanwhile in the forest, fairy king Oberon
(Mark Light-Orr) is feuding with his queen, Titania (Suzanne Hays),
and recruits
his mischievous aide, Puck (Michael Nathanson), to drug her with a flower potion
that will make her
fall in love with the first living creature she sees. That
"creature" turns out to be Nick Bottom (David Volin), the
hammiest of a troupe
of talent-challenged thespians preparing a play for the Duke. But not before
Puck casts
another spell giving Bottom the head of a donkey.
Oberon also takes pity on Helena's
unrequited love and orders Puck to whip some extra flower power on
Demetrius,
but Puck misfires and doses Lysander instead. Lysander then wakes to see Helena
first, which
shifts the comedy into high gear.
Many of the actors play multiple roles as
the plots weave their way through the enchanted forest. For me, the
favored
thread has always been the young lovers, with Hermia and
Helena as the key roles. And here, Meacham
has struck casting gold. Klein and Bertch are not among the six Equity professionals in the cast, but their work
together is terrific. Klein plays Hermia like a whiny, spunky Jersey girl who's
more embarrassed by her father's
prehistoric demands than she is worried about
the capital punishment she risks for disobeying.
Klein is good, but
Bertch is a revelation in her New Jersey stage debut. With long brunette hair
and round,
expressive eyes, she has the looks of a model, but isn't afraid to
squish and sour her pretty face as she
expresses her envy for the "prettier" Hermia. She's a gifted physical actress, funny and fearless, with a dazzling
gift for motormouthing that won the audience over in her first scene.
This is a genuine
breakthrough performance, and you can bet your Nick Bottom dollar that she's got
a brilliant
future ahead of her.
Volin, as usual,
stands out among the pros. He's one of the better comic actors on the local
scene, and Bottom
is one of those parts that comic actors love to play.
Nathanson lays
it on a little thick as Puck, mincing one minute and snorting like a chauvinist
pig the next, but
his energy and enthusiasm serve the
story well.
All in all, a bad night, but a good start, for the beginning of Tri-State's new season.
William Westhoven can be reached at (973) 428-6200. |
10/22/04
- Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
'Passion of
Dracula' raises its share of chills

By William Westhoven, Special to the Daily
Record
Looking for a different way to
celebrate Halloween? You can bloody well have a
good time at
Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex, where "The Passion of Dracula"
is haunting the historic Crescent Theater.
There are several stage versions of Bram Stoker's legendary
tale, but this is the
only one that originated in the Garden
State. Bob Hall and David Richmond developed "The Passion of
Dracula,"
which premiered in 1976 at George Street Playhouse in
New Brunswick. George Street founder Eric Krebs brought
}it to the
off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre in 1977, where it ran for two
years. It later played on London's West End.
Tri-State founder and artistic director Paul Meacham (who
performed in the original George Street production)
brought in
Hall to direct this revival, which drags here and there but
definitely has its moments. Despite a tight
budget, the company
still manages to offer a few nifty special effects and create an
appropriately chilling
atmosphere.
The show is billed as a tongue-in-cheek adaptation, but Hall
doesn't invest a lot of effort into the humor.
There are passing
references to the writings of Sigmund Freud, William Blake and
Christopher Marlowe, and
a suggestion that the work of Dickens is
a lot darker than it is given credit for.
The playwrights also take a few jabs at yellow journalists and
the English public school system, but for the most
part, the jokes
were buried with the rest of the undead.
Fortunately, there's enough action, heavy breathing and fear to
keep you interested and occasionally pull you to
the edge of your
seat.
The entire play takes place in one setting: the study of the
manor home on the campus of an insane asylum in
England in 1911.
There, Dr. Cedric Seward (John Little) is fretting over the
condition of his lovely niece,
Wilhelmina (Cori Lynn Campbell),
who is experiencing unexplained spells of anemia and delusion.
Fearing the worst, Seward brings in a specialist, the noted
professor Van Helsing (Neal Arluck), who smells
trouble when he
learns that the mysterious Transylvanian Count Dracula (Vincent Lamberti) has moved into the
fixer-upper castle next door.
Meanwhile, the lusty Dr. Helga Van Zandt (Mary Ann Hay) is
studying a patient named Renfield (Brian Maslow),
}who snacks on
bugs, escapes at will and probably drinks too much coffee. Jumping
around the study like a
}poorly trained puppy, Renfield also seems
to be under the spell of a master whose name must never be
}mentioned.
There's also a handsome young reporter from the London Globe
(Jared Reinmuth) who arrives in the middle of
}the night to
document a series of local murders and woo the winsome Willie.
Over the course of three acts, Van Helsing gradually convinces
the rest of the men that Dracula is responsible
}for the epidemic
of evil-doing and arms the posse with guns, crosses and enough
garlic to keep Emeril in
business for decades.
With a few minor exceptions, the cast is competent and
appealing. Arluck's Van Helsing appears to be a bit
}of a nebbish,
especially compared to Hugh Jackman's action-hero makeover of the
increasingly famous vampire-
}hunter. But he's still brave enough to
stand up to dark lord and whup him upside the head with full might
of the
}Most High.
Reinmuth and Campbell have a nice chemistry, while Maslow is a
lively and limber Renfield. Lamberti casts a
large and formidable
shadow as Dracula and has the requisite dark, handsome looks to
spare.
Those who are familiar with the story won't gain any additional
insight into the character, and if you are looking
}for musical
numbers, as you can find in the current Broadway production,
you're out of luck. But if you're a fan
of Dracula and things that
go bump in the night, you will most likely leave the theater with
a chill and a smile.
That goes double for the 8 p.m. performance on Halloween, when
the audience is invited to participate in a
costume contest right
after the final curtain. Advance reservations are recommended for
that special night.
|
Cndnsd Shkspr nchnts

Acrobatic trio gleefully
sends up Bard's plays
Friday, August 20, 2004
BY PETER FILICHIA
Star-Ledger Staff
Three
spectacular actors are performing "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)"
on a stage -- or is it a trampoline?
At the Tri-State Actors Theater
in Sussex, Ian August, Eben Gordon and David Volin are
jumping around and
bouncing so high that the flooring beneath them seems to give way.
Audiences will seize up with laughter when they see this
terrific trio in action.
The show almost appears to be a
mini-version of Cirque du Soleil. The only difference is that once these zanies
leap
in the air, they're not afraid to fall on the floor. If they get through
the run without breaking a bone, it'll be a minor
miracle.
Since the show's debut in 1987,
many have done this two-hour spoof of all the Bard's comedies, tragedies and
histories. Few have succeeded as well as this triumvirate,
under Paul Meacham's expert direction.
On a
smartly designed set by Liz Proepper -- meant to evoke Shakespeare's Globe
Theater -- there's the funny-
faced August, the cute Gordon and the
professorial Volin. They treat "Titus Andronicus," one of the Bard's
bloodiest,
as a cooking show. All the histories are summarized as a football game.
("Richard the second;
Richard the third; Henry the sixth one, two and, three --
hike!")
The language isn't always
Shakespeare's. ("Second base for second dates," chides a demure Gordon, when
playing Juliet.) But once in a while, an actual Shakespearean quotation squirms
its way into the show, such as
"There are more things in heaven and earth,
Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Certainly this script
by Adam
Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield proves that there are many more things
than Shakespeare ever
could have imagined while penning his plays.
But he very well might have been
the first to laugh at what the writers and performers have accomplished,
especially
in the second act, which is entirely devoted to "Hamlet." August has
a wonderfully doddering old-man walk as
Polonius. As Ophelia, Gordon out-screams
Estelle Parsons in "Bonnie and Clyde." Volin, as Hamlet, does well
with "To be
or ..." -- though he has a bit more trouble remembering "not to be."
And how much of a Bard-brain
does an audience member need to be? To quote the show, "One doesn't need to
know
Shakespeare from Shinola." August, Gordon and Volin make
their audience wish that Shakespeare had
written more plays.
|
08/27/04 - Posted from the
Daily Record newsroom
Tri-State actors offer riotous overview of 'Wllm Shkspr'
By William Westhoven, Special to the Daily
Record
Shakespeare is surely rolling in
his grave as "The Compleat Works of Wllm
Shkspr
(Abridged)" rocks the
house at Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex.
The house did, indeed, shake during
Saturday night's well-attended performance. And
it's nice
to see a full
house at Tri-State, whose productions are usually worthy of a much
larger audience than they attract.
Then again, this wildly funny comedy,
which renders all of Shakespeare's plays into
one two-hour laugh fest,
has proven to be a popular ticket all over the world since it was
created by Jess Winfield,
Adam Long and
Daniel Singer for the Reduced Shakespeare Company in 1996.
The play is fun as long as it's done right, which it has been
here.
Ian August, Eben Gordon and David Volin tackle the unenviable
task of making light comedy out of the
Bard's heavy body of work. The first two have done this sort of
thing before on this very stage. As a duo
back in May, they killed in the manic "The Big Bang - The
Musical," each playing dozens of roles during a
comedy that attempted to dramatize the complete history of
civilization.
This production is not quite as precisely choreographed as "The
Big Bang," and not as consistently funny.
But in many ways it's more fun, both for the
cast and the audience, as the show brings the two parties together
through the magic of audience participation. Never mind trying to
sit in the back row; everybody gets involved
before the evening is over.
The actors play themselves and use their own names, although
each is actually playing a character with a
scripted personality. Volin starts out as the scholarly narrator,
pipe in hand, at least until his lack of expertise
is revealed. August is the affable, eager, semi-straight man,
while Gordon is the excitable one who gets all the
female parts and frequently loses his focus.
On a set that is part Globe Theatre, part
Coney Island, all three continually rush on and off stage,
changing
costumes and parts as often as the U.S. wins Olympic medals.
The costumes are as ridiculous as the
irreverent presentations of revered classics such as "Romeo and
Juliet"
(Gordon has to fend off August's busy hands), "Titus Andronicus"
(the bloody tragedy is reinterpreted as a
cooking show), "Othello" (as a rap song) and "Hamlet" ("performed"
several times at several speeds and once
in reverse).
Along the way, Gordon flees from the theater in a fit of panic
and August is left to tell a bad joke as Volin
chases after him, while Volin also has to deal with a misaimed
spotlight. Some of the silliness works, and some
of it doesn't, but the pace is so fast that
you never have long to wait before something comes along to tickle
your fancy.
Of course, none of this can work without a tremendous amount of
talent. Volin's sly and slightly more
restrained
humor complements the proven commodity that Gordon and August
bring to the table.
All three also flash a gift for
improvisation, mostly during the audience participation
portions of the evening. On
Saturday night during the second act, which is largely devoted to
"Hamlet," a woman from the audience was
recruited to play the shrieking Ophelia. Taking her instructions a
little too literally, she screamed once too often
and threw the entire sketch off, but the boys' reaction quickly
turned a potential negative into a hilarious positive.
While the show sometimes teeters on the edge of good taste, it
never quite crosses the line. Still, there's enough
nudge-nudge, wink-wink humor to make you think twice about
bringing younger children, although most of them
have probably seen more adult humor on the Fox Network.
A sketch comedy show like "Saturday Night
Live" could do worse than to add any of these versatile and
capable performers to their company. You may have seen "The
Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)"
before, and you'll surely get the chance to see it again, but you don't want to miss this particular group
of
lunatics doing to Shakespeare what Chuck Berry did to Beethoven.
|
|
A SLAPSTICK TOUR OF THE BARD'S GREAT
WORKS

SUSSEX: THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM SHKSPR (Abridged), presented by
Tri-State Actors Theater August 18 through September 5, is a high-energy evening
of
irresistible comedy. Playwrights Jess Borgeson, Adam Long, and Daniel Singer
have
bypassed all of Shakespeare's intelligence and given us his sensational
bits - death,
betrayal, murder, and sex. Paul Meacham directs three
remarkable actors, Ian August
and Eben Gordon (the zany duo from THE BIG BANG),
and David Volin (a master of
multiple characters, as seen in ON THE VERGE) in 97
hilarious minutes of madness
and mayhem at the historic Crescent Theater, Main
St., Sussex.
THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM SHKSPR (abridged) is a twisted parody
incorporating 11 tragedies, 16 comedies, seven histories, and some sonnets, into
a smorgasbord of vignettes -
compressing the entire 37 plays. The gung-ho
vitality of the cast, all members of Actors Equity Assoc., is
impossible to
resist. They gallop through the complete works of Shakespeare in a way never
seen before and
in a manner Shakespeare himself would not think imaginable.
Tri-State's presentation offers something for
everyone, even those who aren't
well-versed in the classics. The Los Angeles Herald has called this play
"...
outrageous, fall down funny! Shakespeare as written by Reader�s Digest,
acted by Monty Python and
performed at the speed of the minute waltz..." There's
also plenty of audience participation, so if you're the
shy type we advise not
sitting in the front row.
Preview performances are Wednesday and Thursday, August 18 and 19, at 8:00 PM.
All tickets are $15.00.
Opening Night is Friday, August 20, at 8:00 p.m. The
performance will be followed by a "Meet the Artists"
reception. Tickets for
opening night are $30.00. Performances continue Saturday, August 21 at 8:00 PM;
Sunday, August 22 at 3:00 PM; and the following two weeks Thursday through
Sunday, August 26, 27, 28,
29 and September 2, 3, 4, 5. Ticket prices for
regular performances on Thursday evenings and Sunday matinees
are $23 and $20
for seniors/students and on Friday and Saturday evenings, $25 and $23 for
seniors/students.
Advance reservations are recommended.
COMPLEAT WORKS is suitable for ages 12 and up. To order tickets by phone with
VISA/MC or for more
information, call 973 875-2950 or visit Tri-State on the web
at www.tristateactorstheater.org. The Crescent
Theater is air-conditioned and
offers wheelchair entrances and seating.
Tri-State Actors Theater, a non-profit, professional theater company founded in
1988, is a member of the New
Jersey Theater Alliance. THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM
SHKSPR (abridged) is co-sponsored by Sussex
Bank (www.sussexbank.com). Funding
for this season has been made available in part by a grant from The
Geraldine R.
Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, as administered
by the Sussex
County Arts and Heritage Council. |
STUDENT INTERN PERFORMERS TAKE A BOW

Tri-State Actors Theater's family theater presentations of THE LITTLE MERMAID
(8/6 & 8/14) and SKUPPER DUPPERS (8/7 & 8/13) continue at the historic
Crescent Theater, Main St., Sussex. Curtain time for all shows is 11:00 am.
973 875-2950.
|
|
Family conflict, drama lift ‘Rain in the Hollows’
By William Westhoven
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY
RECORD
Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex knows a thing or two
about counter- programming.
While your television is infested with summer reruns and movie studios
continue their
obsession with sequels, Tri-State is taking a different approach to attract your
entertainment dollar.
How does a brand-new,
original drama sound right about now?
Since its presentation at Tri-State’s New Play
Reading Series in 2002, Sean O’Leary’s
“Rain in the Hollows” has been produced
at a few new-play festivals. But Tri-State’s current
production can stake
claim as a bona fide world premiere.
Founder and artistic
director Paul Meacham awarded himself the honor of directing, and should give
himself a raise for a job well done. “Rain in the Hollows” taps into the kind
of family conflict that most of us can
identify with and has enough twists and
turns to keep you on your toes.
“Rain in the Hollows” takes place in the
backwoods home of the Hukills, a typically poor family in rural
West Virginia.
The year is 1972, although poverty lends a sense of timelessness to the setting.
The Hukills could have been the less fortunate
neighbors of the Walton family. The families have
common ground. Like
John-Boy, Rob Hukill (Kurt Elftmann) rose from the
squalor to become a respected writer.
Rob, though, left the holler behind and
is now a staff writer for the Boston Globe.
The Hukills also have some kindly neighbors,
represented by newspaper editor and fire chief Sam Burton
(J.C. Hoyt), but the
Walton parallel ends there. Rob’s father died young and Rob’s older brother, Claudie, was a
maverick prone to trouble. He was also the star of athlete at
the local high school who led his team to the state
championship. No one ever
mentions what sport he played, which adds to the mystery of a character who is
never
seen.
A year or so earlier, Claudie
became a local hero again when he saved a bunch of miners from a deadly
cave-in. Since that time, however, Claudie’s been acting strangely and
disappearing for weeks at a time.
This troubling turn of events is one of the
reasons Rob makes a long-overdue trip back home to visit his blind
mother (Anne
Barclay), Claudie’s loyal wife, Pearl (Kendal Ridgeway) and Claudie’s daughter,
Kit (Jane
Cunningham).
Rob’s been helping with the bills for some
time, adding to the lingering resentment he feels for his brother, a
favored son
whose irresponsible behavior has always been rationalized by family and
friends. Even Rob’s blue-
blooded wife, Tierney (Cori Lynn Campbell), joins the
family in spin-doctoring Claudie’s absence.
As the story peels away, layer after layer, a
steady rain continues to fall, threatening the holler with a flood of
biblical
proportions. At first, the storm merely serves as a dark backdrop to the
action, but it later plays a
significant role in the moving climax, when Rob
learns there may have been a noble method to his brother’s
madness.
Elftmann’s edgy
performance doesn’t generate much in the way of sympathy for his character, but
that just
leaves room for the growth he experiences along the way. The
remaining characters are a more sympathetic
lot, and the fine performances from
the entire cast help draw you in. Barclay’s weathered face mirrors her
decades
of proud struggle against poverty, and she’s so convincing as a sightless person
that you’re relieved
to see her eyes sparkle during the curtain call. Hoyt
gives a folksy Hal Holbrook-ish quality to Sam, while
Campbell is convincing as
the outsider of the group.
“Rain in the Hollows” closes on Sunday, so you
don’t have a lot of time, although Tri-State has plenty of seats. |

Muddy sound: Static
threatens to drown out
thoughtful play
Tuesday,
June 22, 2004
BY PETER FILICHIA
Star-Ledger Staff
"Rain in the Hollows,"
Sean O'Leary's new play, takes place in rural West Virginia during an intense
downpour.
Perhaps O'Leary mentioned in his stage directions that pelting rain
should be heard throughout the two-hour-plus
play, or perhaps director Paul
Meacham thought it would add atmosphere.
Whatever the case, the
noise coming through the speaker system -- compounded by Tri-State's
less-than-world-
class acoustics -- overwhelms the production. That's a shame
because O'Leary, despite starting his script in a
most conventional manner, comes up with a surprising
resolution to the question of who's a "good" son -- and
who's a "better" one.
Rob Hukill hasn't been
back to his boyhood home in eight years, ever since he forged a career as a
successful
Boston journalist. He wouldn't return now, except he's been given
an assignment involving Sam Burton, the local
newspaper editor who gave him
his first job.
He hates coming home,
where he grew up in the shadow of older brother Claudie, who helped his high
school
win a state championship. But a teenage hot-shot is all Claudie became.
Now he's just Pearl's unfeeling
husband, and the father of 11-year-old Kit.
But Claudie, a character
that doesn't appear in the play, has been gone for two weeks now. Clara --
Claudie and
Rob's mother -- hotly defends her older son, to the consternation
of her younger one. Clara lost her sight some
years ago, but Rob wonders why
she's blind to Claudie's imperfections.
The story of a high-school
star who doesn't amount to much -- and the bookworm who does -- has made for
many dramas, most effectively in "Death of a Salesman." Just when "Rain in the
Hollows" threatens to become,
literally and figuratively, a watered-down
version of that classic, Rob tells his new wife, Tierney, about an act
Claudie
committed that suggests he's both a renegade and a hero. Perhaps, during Rob's
homecoming,
Claudie may once again play these two distinct roles.
While "adequate" somehow
implies less-than-satisfactory, Kurt Elftmann as Rob, Jane Cunningham as Kit,
and J.C. Hoyt as Sam are adequate in the best sense of the word.
Cori
Lynn Campbell has the requisite haughtiness and confident walk for Tierney,
whose ancestors arrived on
the Mayflower. As Pearl, Kendal Ridgeway gives an
admirable portrayal of a natively strong woman who has
finally reached the
breaking point. Pearl is also concerned over how unsophisticated she must seem
in front
of gentrified city folk, and Ridgeway brings that hat-in-hand
characteristic to life.
The
most haunting performance is delivered by Anne Barclay as Clara. She is
marvelously adept at playing a
blind woman, but meeting that challenge is not
her biggest achievement. Clara believes in both her sons, but
with Rob
ignorant of that, she must defend herself to him. Barclay is a wonder at
stating her case softly,
eloquently and honestly. She'd make even the most
citified cynic believe in folk wisdom.
O'Leary originally called
his play "Claudie Hukill." Perhaps he should have retained that title, for his
new one
may have been responsible for those annoying and almost incessant
sound effects. Much of the evening is
so successful
that it's a shame the play and the production don't know enough to come in
from out of the rain.
|
THE STAR LEDGER
Review
Nothing's
sacred in 'Big Bang'
Saturday, May 08, 2004
BY PETER FILICHIA
Star-Ledger Staff
That old expression that big things come in small
packages?
It's certainly true out at the Tri- State Actors
Theatre in Sussex, where "The Big Bang"
is a smash
hit.
It's the story of Jed and Boyd, two writers who have
created a musical called "The Big Bang" -- whose subject
matter is no less than
The Entire History of the World. Now Jed and Boyd want to get to it to Broadway,
so
they've borrowed a friend's fancy apartment, have invited potential money men
and will perform for them a
backers' audition of the show.
As pianist John Zatorski
tickles the ivories, Ian August (Jed) and Eben Gordon (Boyd) tickle the
audience's
fancy. In the great tradition of comedy
teams, Gordon is The Good-Looking One and August is The Funny-
Looking One.
For 90 intermissionless minutes, they show they'd do a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g to get their dream of
Broadway fully
financed. They strip to their
skivvies (for the Adam and Eve sequence), put lamp shades on their heads (for
the Egyptian sketch), jump on the furniture (almost all the time), and grab an
expensive clock off the mantel
to use as a prop. How they create a hoop skirt
for a Civil War sequence is terrifically creative.
Under Jenn Womack's taut
direction, the two zip through History's Greatest Hits. August, with his enormous
mouth and bulbous nose, can
employ a Lower East Side accent just as readily as an Irish brogue. [August is]
most amusing in a song where he's supposed to
be Eva Braun, who says of her boyfriend Hitler, "For the
longest while, I
thought his name was 'Heil.' "
Gordon offers a wonderfully charming grin after he
finishes performing a number, giving an air of, "Yes, that was
good, wasn't it?" -- even after he's played a deliciously silly Queen of the
Nile. He's even endearing when he
dons a powder blue shawl, plays the Blessed
Virgin Mary, and sings, "After the loaves and the fishes, guess
who did all the
dishes?"
That brings up the stickiest parts of the show -- the
songs and scenes that will strike some as politically
incorrect. But no one
could accuse Feuer and Graham of picking on one group. Native Americans,
Spaniards,
Italians, Jews, Catholics, African- Americans and everyone else are
in for a ribbing. Because the parodies are
good-natured, they don't wind up
offending.
When this show debuted off- Broadway in 2000, Jed was
played by Jed Feuer and Boyd by Boyd Graham.
That they had the same names as
their characters wasn't coincidental; Feuer wrote the music, and Graham
penned
the book and lyrics. They get high marks for the way they wrote low comedy. But
that didn't prevent
Feuer from actually writing a quite lovely melody, "You're
Gonna Find a New World," which Isabella sings to
Columbus.
En route, Feuer and Graham
cleverly indicted the excesses of Broadway musicals that were creating their own
big bangs in the'80s and'90s. You think that "Phantom" chandelier or "Miss
Saigon" helicopter was something?
The authors of "The Big Bang" envision their
12-hour show with an $83 million budget to pay for its cast of 318,
not to
mention its 14,306 wigs. But on Alice M. Golden's smart set, they and the actors
show that less is indeed
more entertaining.
By the time the indefatigable August and Gordon finish
up, audience members will be so impressed with them
and "The Big Bang" that they
just might feel like opening their wallets to invest. There's no question that
every
theatergoer who has a penchant for musicals should invest in a ticket.
Daily Record Review
|
|
05/14/04 -
Posted from the
Daily Record newsroom
'Big Bang' is hilarious tour de
force
By Williams Westhoven, Special to the Daily Record
A little musical with big ambitions is asking for
your attention at Tri-State Actors Theater
in Sussex. And those of you who
answer the call will be rewarded with the funniest thing
I've seen onstage in at
least a year.
"The Big Bang" does more with one set and a cast of two than some Broadway
musicals accomplish with brand-
name stars, a division of dancers and budgets
exceeding the GNP of some countries.
Composer Jed Feuer and book-lyricist Boyd Graham starred as themselves when
this madcap musical debuted,
and failed, off-Broadway. Fortunately, it found a
new life in regional theaters out of town, as did their previous
work, a staging
of the cult film "Eating Raoul."
At Tri-State, Feuer and Graham are played by Ian August and Eben Gordon, but
the story is the same. They are
would-be theater moguls who hope to lure
investors, who are represented by the audience, to back their new play.
The
musical is called, appropriately enough, "The Big Bang," which ambitiously
attempts to act out the entire
history of recorded time.
The production they envision will feature a cast of hundreds, thousands of
costumes and, for some reason, 302
prosthetic devices. The show is 12 hours long
and will demand a budget of $83.5 million.
But for the moment, the team of Feuer and Graham are a little cash-strapped,
so they are forced to act out a
backer's version of the play by themselves in
the living room of a borrowed apartment in Manhattan. The
apartment offers
neither a backstage nor a backstage crew, so they are forced to improvise
costumes, sets
and props using anything they can find lying around. The only
luxury is a pianist (Jon Zatorski, a former Dover
High School band director).
Curtains are ripped from the wall to fashion costumes; lampshades and mantle
clocks become hats; tables
and chairs become transportation devices. Two
umbrellas become the infrastructure of a hoop skirt in a scene
depicting the
Civil War era.
The inspired and hilarious ingenuity is trumped only by the energy,
enthusiasm and talent of August and Gordon.
Both play more than a dozen
characters, often in drag or in their skivvies. Their frequently humiliating
costumes
are enough to get the audience howling, beginning with the enactment of
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
But that is just the beginning of the side-splitting merriment as August and
Gordon joke, sing, dance and pratfall
their way through the 90-minute show like
a Monty Python tape on fast forward.
Bible stories give way to tales from the Nile, where a diva-like Queen
Nefertiti complains about her boring
husband, King Notalotincommon. Moses,
Caesar, Columbus and Hitler join the queen on a skewer before
the lights go
down.
Most of the history is depicted through song, with some of the funniest
lyrics you will ever hear in a single show.
Some of them get a little bawdy,
while others will never win medals for political correctness. But it never gets
too
nasty, so I doubt if too many will be offended. Nevertheless, leave the
younger kids at home.
August and Gordon are utterly amazing from wire to wire. Gordon's dark,
rubbery face and incredible vocal range
get quite a workout, while Gordon's
boy-next-door smile gives the pair a Martin-and-Lewis quality. Alone, each is
obviously comfortable in the spotlight. Together, they can skip the small prizes
and go for a Nobel in chemistry.
Director Jenn Womack supports their considerable talents and wisely exploits
their fearlessness to go for every
laugh that can be found. As a group, they
execute an extremely difficult production to precise perfection.
Tri-State may be a bit of a ride for many Morris County residents and, gas
prices being the way they are,
everybody's keeping an eye on the odometer. But
seriously, folks, this one is not to be missed, so gas up and
get up there.
Carpool if you have to. There's plenty of room for everyone.
|
|
APRIL 9, 2004
'Diary of Anne Frank' makes a riveting drama
By William Westhoven, Special to the Daily Record
Anne Frank would have been 75 years old this year.
How sad that she died just before her 16th
birthday, yet
how wonderful it is that
we are blessed with her diary, a timeless testament to
faith and hope forged in a
world of, in her own words, "chaos, suffering and
death."
A revised
edition of that testament is now onstage at Tri-State Actors Theater
in Sussex.
Most of us already know the story of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl in
Holland
who during World War II was forced into hiding along with seven other Jews
to
escape the occupying Nazis. Anne's diary, given to her on her 13th birthday,
provides a first-person account of 25 months in hiding with her family, another
family
and a neighborhood dentist.
We
also know the tragic outcome. They were all captured by the Nazis just before
the Allies liberated
Amsterdam. Anne and six other occupants of the "Secret
Annex" die in concentration camps. Her father was
the only one of the group to
survive.
Anne's diary was rescued and published in 1947. A play based on the diary
debuted on Broadway in 1955.
A revised edition of
the diary was published in 1995 and adapted two years later for the stage by
Wendy
Kesselman. Her revisions make this production a must-see, even for those
who are intimately familiar with the
story.
Director Ken Wiesinger and his cast, a mix of
experienced amateurs and Equity professionals, take us on an
emotional roller
coaster. Lighter moments of Anne's "adventure" give
way to desperate drama. Minor conflicts
become unbearable as eight frightened
people get on each other's nerves, then cower together when they hear
a siren or
a bump in the night. The original adaptation had been whitewashed a bit,
focusing on the innocent
observations of a 13-year-old girl. Kesselman allows
some of Anne's more mature thoughts to emerge. She
describes the changes in her
body in some detail, and admits her desire to be touched by Peter Van Daan,
the
16-year-old boy whose family shares the hiding place.
Anne also
goes into more detail about her hatred for her mother, a phase in her life that
gives way to love before
the story is over. There is also more emphasis on the need for them to hide
because they are Jews. Peter says
he will likely change his name when they are free to avoid such conflicts in the
future. Anne says she could never
turn her back on what she is.
Brittany Knoll, a senior at Wallkill Valley Regional High
School in Hardyston, bears an uncanny resemblance to
Anne and does some fine
work in an extremely difficult role. She can be a
bit shrill when excited, but that's a trait
not uncommon among younger teens,
even, one would assume, Anne Frank. Knoll actually does her best work
with her
eyes, in which you can clearly see all of Anne's wishes, hopes and fears.
The cast's professionals support Knoll's admirable
apprentice work and anchor this strong production. David
Snizek stands tall as
Anne's warm, dignified and courageous father, who gladly takes in other Jews who
have no
where else to hide. Judy Rosenblatt as Anne's mother is the strong,
silent cornerstone of the Frank family who
explodes when Mr. Van Daan is caught
stealing bread.
Anne Connolly, as the slightly snooty Mrs. Van Daan,
earns our compassion when she's forced to sell her
prized mink coat, then
comforts her husband when he's shunned by the others. Neal Arluck gives us a few
laughs as the quirky Mr. Dussel, who is nervous enough without having to share a
bedroom with relative strangers.
This
moving and memorable production closes on Easter Sunday, so those who want to
see it had better
move fast. You may already have plans for the holiday, but what theatrical experience would suit the occasion
better than this one? Anne Frank would have been 75 years old this year.
Instead, she left us with the hope that
"I still believe, in spite of
everything, that people are truly good at heart."
|
TAT's AUDIENCE COMMENTS:
In recent
letters-to-the editor in the NJ Herald, the main newspaper in NW New
Jersey, some of our
patrons commented
on Tri-State Actors Theater:
SEASON 2003--
In Praise of ALWAYS . . . PATSY CLINE and STONES
IN HIS POCKETS--
"I attended today's performance of
Stones in His
Pockets, and I wanted to send my thanks for a wonderful
afternoon at the
theater. This is the second production I have attended, my first was
Always Patsy Cline.
I attend Broadway performances frequently and for many
years I have had a season subscription to the
Papermill Playhouse.
Papermill's productions are top notch, but I became tired of seeing the
same musicals
over and over again. Stones and Patsy Cline were two new
pieces for me, and I was blown away by both. I
kept reminding myself that
I was not sitting in an NYC Broadway or Off-Broadway house, but I was sitting in
Sussex, NJ. In both productions the acting has been top notch.
When I heard about this show, it was hard
for me to imagine that only two actors
could play all the parts. Brian O'Halloran and Erik Singer were
superb;
each actor flawlessly transitioned between characters. I look
forward to the 2004 season."
--an e mail from a patron
SEASON 2000--
"If you are a person to
whom theater is nearly as necessary as water, food, and oxygen,
then I only need mention Tri-State
Actors Theater, for you are well aware of the existence and
excellence of this organization.
If however, you are looking
for live, local theater with an intimate ambiance, look no further
than Tri-State Actors Theater producing at the tiny but very appealing Garris
Center Theater in
Branchville. I attended the June 1 performance of
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW
I LEARNEDIN KINDERGARTEN
(based on Robert Fulghum's books) and it was,
in a word,
superb."
98-99--
[Sussex] county's cultural development . . . has amazed and
delighted me. . . . I am
especially excited by the discovery of Tri-State Actors Theater at the charming
Garris Theater
in
Branchville. . . . . The production
[THREE
TALL WOMEN] was superbly done . . .The
performances . . . professionally
crafted."
"More of us need to support these events with our attendance not only for
our gratification
and soul-feeding, but for the
continued growth of our community. I believe our children and
grandchildren will be
inspired by our example, and their own exposure to the arts."
"BRAVO!" (SEASON
2000)
--"Thanks toJeanne
L. Austin and Jessica Cooke for
absolutely wonderful
performances this night (5/12). It's difficult to give a standing
show of
appreciation when you have just
been emotionally pushed as far down in
the seat as you can go!"
--An email praising the production of
COLLECTED
STORIES
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAbsolutely wonderful"
(SEASON 2000)
--"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAbsolutely wonderful performances by
Amanda,Dominic,Kristin and Marc
and I will never ever look at a dog the same way again! Thanks to Gina and
Jenna as stagehands
that will remain with us as part of the show (applause
for them). It was a wonderful season and last
year's
THREE TALL WOMEN will always
synapse around my brain. We appreciate all your
efforts and when our friends . . . said
they enjoy these shows more than New York we agreed.
Thanks again to all.
--An email praising the production of
SYLVIA
Praising our
holiday production of
A CHRISTMAS CAROL,
a delighted patron writes:
". . . the performers were terrific, we were especially impressed
with the production techniques
from the special effects, to the
musical backgrounds, to the scene transitions, to the way the actors
moved seamlessly through the
action."
Another patron
writes:
"It was wonderful to hear Dickens himself speaking, rather than some misguided
attempt to
move the story into modern speak."
After seeing TAT's
family-oriented
TOM SAWYER, a Musical,
a satisfied audience member wrote us:
"It was wonderful! What a delightful group of actors you
have assembled! I was pleasantly
surprised by the excellence of
these young people. "Tom" and "Huck" were fantastic! It was so
professional. Next summer I intend to come back with my grandchildren.
May these high-fidelity
performances continue!"
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WLLM SHKSPR, abridged
brought this E mail comment:
"I saw your play, The Complete Works of... and I loved it!
I wanted to see it again . . ."
|
THE NEW JERSEY HERALD August
21, 2003
Brendan Berls
Absolute Value :
A Comment on Stones in His Pockets
The Crescent Theater, on Fountain Square
in Sussex Borough, is a squarish brick affair backed up against a
hilllside
behind a wooden gazebo and with a sign that reads "Tri-State Actors Theater"--its
current tenant--
hanging from a wrought iron balcony. Built in 1917
(though it has gone through a number of renovations since),
t fits pretty
well architecturally with the rest of the town center. Other than
its age, that is, its appearance is
largely unremarkable; it seems an unlikely
place to house what goes on inside, which is kind of amazing.
The current
production of Marie Jones' play "Stones in His Pockets," which runs through
August 31, is
a miracle of economy and talent. Produced with a minimal
set, first-rate talent and, to be sure, a
great script, the play succeeds
on just about every front: the jokes work, the affecting scenes affect,
and that neat trick -- convincing the audience that the world presented
them on something as
grotesquely artificial as a stage is somehow real
-- is pulled off in fine fashion.
The stage itself brought back fond memories
of the black box theater at my college, where student
productions were
staged on $100 budgets. The difference here is that the lighting
system is more advanced,
and the seats, which are set up on three sides
of the stage, are far more comfortable.
Director Brian Shnipper's set is perfectly
minimalist: two chairs, a row of shoes running the entire width of
the
stage, a matte painting of an Irish seacoast, and a sort of chest with
a lid which serves, at different times,
as a table, a bar, abed, a church
pew, and a coffin. Most of the money collected at the box office
clearly goes
to the talent.
The cast is
made up of exactly two wonderful actors, Brian O'Halloran (who "Clerks"
fans -- the
movie and TV show -- will remember as Dante) and Erik Singer.
Jones' very clever script require them
each to play about a half-dozen
characters of both sexes and various accents. They change between
characters with quick shifts in body postures and mannerisms, and do it
so effectively that it's hard to believe
these are the same two actors.
O'Halloran and Singer play Charlie Conlon
and Jake Quinn, two men from County Kerry who are extras in
the big Hollywood
movie being shot in their small town. Jake has just come home defeated
from America, where
he wen chasing dreams of stardom, and Charlie keeps
an action movie screenplay hopefully in his back pocket.
These two characters hare the stage with
Mickey, an old timer ("I'm famous, ya know -- I'm the last surviving
extra
on 'The Quiet Man'"), Aisling (pronounced "Ashlin"), the snooty third assistant
director, Sean, Jake's strung-
out cousin, Clem, the pompous British director,
and Caroline Giovanni, the sexy American film star who can't
master that
Irish accent.
Caroline's character was probably the
toughest to play, but O'Halloran does well in trying to avoid making
her
into a caricature, as when she nails Jake when he tries to pass off a Seamus
Heaney poem as his own
("There's no 'of' in that last line").
When the
Geraldine R. Dodge foundation awarded the theater a grant last month, artistic
director
Paul Meacham spoke of the "absolute value of professional art
in this rural area." Having been there
now myself, I see what he
meant. Theater, when done well, can enlarge this mundane world of
our
much more than any movie. This is done well. If you stay
away, you do yourself a disservice. |
|
08/22/03 -
See
'Stones in His Pockets' for O'Halloran and Singer
By Debra Scacciaferro, Special to the
Daily Record
Sure and it was a hot August night. The kind that makes you think twice
about getting out of
your hammock. Ah, but it was a cool row of seats
we were sharing on the opening night of Marie Jones' Irish
comedy "Stones
in His Pockets," at the Crescent Theater in Sussex.
This being
the last main stage show of the Tri-State Actors Theater, and starring
"Dogma" and "Clerks"
film and stage actor Brian O'Halloran (who made me
laugh my head off here in last season's production of "Art"),
I wasn't
about to miss it.
Two strapping
young laddies, O'Halloran and his wonderful stage mate, Erik Singer, were
fixing to whisk
the audience off on a comic breeze to a cool, quaint
farming village in County Kerry, Ireland. It was, if you get my
drift,
the kind of village where half the population is related to just
about everyone, and the other half is perpetually
immigrating to the United
States or London, and coming back again. The local topics of conversation
- lack of
work and loss of the old ways of life - get a short reprieve,
as the little village is invaded by an American film
company looking to
make the Irish version of "Gone With the Wind."
Wouldn't
you know it, O'Halloran and Singer were billed as playing all 15 different
roles - just the two of
them. Luckily, it was veteran director Brian Shnipper
of 12 Miles West and Luna Stage, who was taking on the job
of
keeping all those roles straight. So it had all
the makings of a perfect summer night of theater.
Pity
that the play itself wasn't up to the standards of those two fine actors.
Sure, "Stones in His Pocket"
came highly recommended. It had won
an Irish Times drama award a few years back, and two awards in London,
including an Olivier for Best New Comedy. Perhaps it lost something
in the translation to American audiences -
or just to me.
The story
of culture clash between idiosyncratic village people and a crass Hollywood
film crew started out
on a lighthearted note,
with some good comic jabs. Yet, just as it was starting to flex
its muscles, it veered
off erratically into high drama.
The second
act slips into a social commentary on the rotten luck of the Irish, morphing
into an unearned
"Big Emotional Moment" connected with the funeral of
the young and reckless Sean. The trouble is, since Sean's
two short scenes portrayed him as so thoroughly obnoxious, I had trouble feeling
sad about his demise. The
playwright tries to use Sean as the pivotal turning point in the two main
characters' lives, but it's a flimsy
construction that briefly flares into high energy before petering out into soap
opera.
In any
event, the script provides a true tour-de-force
vehicle for inspired actors - which O'Halloran
and Singer prove to be.
You might find it a bit confusing at first to figure out who's who.
But thanks to the
actors' excellent ability to
provide different inflections and body language, each one soon emerges
as
an individual character. And their array of Irish, British and American
accents is terrific.
O'Halloran's
main character is down-on-his-luck Charlie Conlon, who is evidently star-struck
and welcomes
the chance to earn a quick 40 pounds a day as an extra. He's
got big dreams; he's desperate to get somebody
important to read
his screenplay. And whenever he can, he tries to sneak a second helping
of dessert past the
commissary.
Singer's
main character, Jake Quinn, is more pragmatic and cynical. Back from a
disappointing stay in
America, he's "on the dole and back living with me
Ma." He needs the money, but is suspicious of the movie
business and its
effect on the locals, especially his coked-up cousin Sean, and 70-year-old
Mickey, the last
surviving extra from the John Wayne film "The Quiet Man" (both of whom Singer also portrays).
I can't
say which was funnier, but O'Halloran is particularly
deft when portraying the seductive,
chain-smoking, American movie star
Caroline Giovanni - how Singer keeps a straight face when
"she" flirts
with Jake, I'll never know. Singer
is hysterical as the flouncing . . . assistant director ("Settle
everyone")
and the irascible old Mickey, who clues the rest of them on
the ins and outs of filmmaking ("They're
only bluffing," he cries, when
the director threatens to fire them all if they leave for the funeral.
"Don't
worry. We're in the can.")
Best
of all are Charlie and Jake's comic scenes in the "film" as the two extras
pose as peat
diggers, try to follow a non-existent galloping horse, and
unsuccessfully try to cheer on the wedding
while in mourning for Sean.
These vignettes are worth the price of a ticket alone.
"Stones in His
Pockets" continues through Aug. 31 on Thursdays through Saturdays at 8
p.m. and Sundays
at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $18 to $22.50 in the air-conditioned
Crescent Theatre on Fountain Square and Main Street in
Sussex Borough,
off Route 23.
The
professional company continues its New Play Reading Series on Aug. 25 at
8 p.m. with "For
Some Reason Comma She Laughed" by J. Boyer. Admission
is by donation. For more information on
this professional company and the
season, check the Web site at www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Debra Scacciaferro can be reached at (973) 428-6200. |
|
SANTALAND DIARIES
BEGINS TAT's TENURE AT THE HISTORIC CRESCENT THEATER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE SANTALAND DIARIES
Sussex---Holiday shopping got you down? Need a special gift for that
Scrooge on your shopping list? Well,
Tri-State Actors Theater has just the answer with their presentation
of David Sedaris’ THE SANTALAND
DIARIES. This “delightfully thorny account of working as a Yuletide
elf at Macy’s” (The New York Times) will
have three evening performances
- curtain up at 8:00 p.m. on December 19, 20, and 21 - at the Crescent
Theater,
Main St. and Fountain Square, Sussex. Admission is $18.00, $15.00
for senior citizens and students.
THE SANTALAND DIARIES was originally presented by humorist David
Sedaris in 1992 on National
Public Radio’s Morning Edition as a commentary on the collision of
Christmas and commerce. Adapted for the
stage by Joe Mantello, director of the Broadway production of Love!
Valor! Compassion!, THE SANTALAND
DIARIES is a bombastic one-man monologue,
taking the audience on the full tour of Sedaris' elfin tenure.
Michael Gabiano, who played “Serge” earlier this season in TAT’s presentation of
“ART”, returns as David/
Crumpet (David’s elf name). Ken Wiesinger, who
directed “ART”, also returns to stage THE SANTALAND
DIARIES. Full of wry insights, Sedaris comments on
people and culture during the season that brings out
the best and worst
in both. By the end of the evening, he has regaled all the Yuletide lunacy
down to every last,
tacky strand of tinsel.
THE SANTALAND DIARIES is a comedy suitable for audiences ages 12 and
over.
Seating in TAT’s “black box theater” is limited and reservations are
recommended. Tickets may be purchased
with VISA or MC by calling 888 840-7889,
on-line at www.tristateactorstheater.org, or at Baker’s Pharmacy,
Main
St., Sussex. The performance on Saturday, December 21, will be followed
by a “Raise the Roof” Fundraiser
and Reception. Refreshments will be served
and the elves have promised a visit from Santa that evening.
Admission
to the reception is a tax-deductible donation of $35.00 per person. All
proceeds from the reception
will go towards the rehabilitation of the Crescent
Theater. Happy Holidays! # # # |
|
TRI-STATE ACTORS
THEATER PREMIERES NEW PLAY
Sussex...Tri-State Actors Theater premieres a stimulating and timely
comic drama, THE VIEW FROM
HARRY'S BAR, authored by award-winning and acclaimed Canadian playwright,
Tevia Abrams. Harry's Bar will
run June 11 through June 29 at the theater located at 74 Fountain Square
and Main St., Sussex, NJ.
Mr. Abrams has worked on Harry's Bar over the past year with
the cooperation and developmental
support of Tri-State Actors Theater. TAT's presentation of new, never-before
produced plays is an outgrowth of
its New Plays Reading Series begun in 2000. Mr. Abrams' play, ERICA'S
LAST MISSION, first read by TAT
under the title THE SOUNDER SLEEP, was given its premiere production
in TAT's 2001 Season and received
critical acclaim.
THE VIEW FROM HARRY’S BAR will have thirteen performances. Previews
are Wednesday and
Thursday, June 11 and 12 at 8:00 PM; all tickets are $13. Opening Night
is Friday, June 13 at 8:00 PM, all
tickets are $25. A Meet the Artists Opening Night Reception will follow
the performance. In conjunction with
THE VIEW FROM HARRY’S BAR opening night premiere on June 11 - The Flying
Pig Art Gallery, Kerr
Studios and Ward-Nasse Art, all located on Main St. in Sussex, will
hold open public receptions from 7 until 11
pm. Performances continue Saturday, June 14 through Sunday, June 29.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening
performances begin at 8:00 PM and Sunday matinees are at 3:00 PM. Ticket
prices range from $22.50 to $18.00.
Group rates are available. To order tickets by phone with VISA/MC or
for directions and more information, call
973 875-2950 or visit TAT on the web at www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Free parking is available in the Harrison
Street Municipal Parking Lot, directly behind the theater. |
View
from Harry's Bar' is innovative theater . . .
06/20/03 - Posted 6:57:08 PM from the Daily Record newsroom
"THE VIEW FROM HARRY'S BAR"
"With a beer on tap, and a merry face, the world takes on a certain
grace... and that's the
view from Harry's Bar."
Tri-State Actors Theater in Sussex Borough
is slowly building a reputation for
taking chances. Artistic director and
founder of the only professional non-profit
theater group in Sussex County,
Paul Meacham often tackles dramas and searing
comedies that turn our expectations
about theater and human nature on their
head.
This month's offering, the premiere of "The View From Harry's Bar" by
Tevia Abrams, which continues through
June 29, certainly does that. Abrams'
last play, "Erica's Last Mission," which was also developed through Tri-
State,
tackled the issue of assisted suicide. Its unusual framework told the story
of a marriage through the
confrontation between a man standing trial for
murdering his terminally ill wife, and the lawyer who wants to
understand
why he did it.
In "The View From Harry's Bar," Abrams once again looks at the story
of a love relationship through an even
more unconventional framework of
political activism. Dolores, a Wall Street analyst with a penchant for
collecting
obscure modern art, and her lover Paul, a hot shot computer
programmer floating on the dot.com boom, are
suddenly downsized.
Now part of the burgeoning "Nouveaux Poor," they are evicted from their
posh apartment and conned into taking
one in a building their landlord
has deliberately neglected. Unable to climb out of the unemployment hole,
the
couple vent all of their frustrations on the landlord by staging a
public rent strike, egged on by an old hippie friend
who's been reduced
to working for a reality TV show.
I really liked this play's unusual structure
- stylized dialogue that breaks into chanted, rhythmic
monologues or duets
set to the percussive talents of jazz drummer Jason Wildman. Scenes unfold
rapidly, like a vaudeville show or an evening of comic improvisation.
Abrams borrowed these conventions from his Ph.D. research into the folk
theater tradition of rural India. In his
notes in the playbill, Abrams
writes, "I had the opportunity to follow itinerant theater troupes as they
developed
popular and socially relevant entertainments with fast-paced
comic dialogue, punctuated by lyrics chanted or
sung ..." At first, this unconventional style seems
odd. It's almost as if the actors are going to break into
song, then decide
not to. Yet this half chant, half rap
style resonates with the New York sensibilities
that Abrams is trying to
conjure up - the coffee house scene where Beat poets of the 1950s and today's
more modern Poetry Slam authors perform in rhythmic cadences, and the bebop
jazz rhythms of the
old Village Vanguard and piano bars.
Not all the cast seems comfortable with the convention. Mark Irish and
Lynn Laurence, who play the lovers,
seem to be holding back against the
rhythms. David Volin as the alcoholic, hippie TV reporter is outrageous
and overly effusive, sometimes to the point of distraction.
John Little as Amethyst, the manipulative landlord
who has an answer and a seduction for every
occasion, and Kellie Roberts as Sadie, a black, up-from-welfare camera operator
for the infotainment
news show, are far better: Little breezes through the lyrics as if he's tap
dancing on top of the world;
Roberts gets the cadence of the mean streets into her role as a former welfare
mom turned
camerawoman, scornful of the problems of a bunch of whining white folks.
"It's not like these people are really desperate, or on welfare or something,"
Sadie says.
And that sums up the main problem with "The View From Harry's Bar."
Abrams wanted to show the insecurity
and uncertainty of the American economy
and society, yet this particular couple's fall from Eden just isn't that
compelling. The two share shattered ideals, shattered fantasies, yes. But they
haven't got much at stake in the
dissolution of the relationship. No children
to worry about. No illness to contend with. No creditors knocking at
the
door. No one repossessing their car, or breaking into their house. They
aren't even married, so the parting is
easy.
"Admit it," Dolores says, "our relationship was defined by our jobs."
"Oh great," Paul says, "now you're applying
Wall Street analysis to human
relationships."
Even when they are evicted to a crummy building, they're not homeless.
And yet, the landlord is made to bear
the brunt of their wrath against
the system that promised them the world, then changed the rules.
We see only the barest hint of their "fall." Dolores shrieks at seeing
a cockroach, but the moment is purely
superficial. If one ran up her leg,
or over her food, that would bring out the shudders in the audience. If
the
neighbor Marie, played by Tri-State veteran Mary Ann Hay, had to borrow
blankets to wrap her children in when
the landlord shuts off the heat,
if Paul were accosted in a malfunctioning elevator, the situation might
hit the
audience harder. Although the entire play is fast-paced and satirical,
what's missing are those well-framed
moments where the couple realize they
are trapped, lost and utterly unprepared for the way the real world
works.
One scene that does work is when Dolores questions her own motives during
the tango of seduction and
negotiation with the manipulative landlord.
A little more of that kind of satirical introspection would help "The
View
From Harry's Bar" hit home.
Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at
3 p.m. at the theater on Main Street
and Fountain Square in Sussex Borough.
The New Plays Reading Series, where Abrams' plays were developed,
will
hold a reading on June 23 at 8 p.m. Admission is by donation. Free parking
is behind the theater in the
Harrison Street Municipal Parking Lot. For
more information, check the theater's Web site at
www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Debra Scacciaferro can be reached at dscaccia@gannett.com
or (973) 428-6662.
|
ALWAYS . . .PATSY CLINE
 |
|
'MOCKINGBIRD' HAS
SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT TO TRI-STATE STAGE
04/11/03 -
By Debra Scacciaferro, Daily Record
"TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD"
A lovely and evocative production of "To
Kill a Mockingbird" is a terrific choice to open Tri-State Actors Theater's
first season in the company's new home in the Crescent Theater in Sussex.
Based on Harper Lee's famous coming-of-age novel about the workings
and prejudices of a small Southern town,
this staged version is lovingly
directed by Paul Meacham, the company's founder and artistic director. Every
little
detail, from the red clay-streaked overalls the children wear, to
the soft sounds of gospel music, to the coarse
sack of turnips farmer Cunningham
brings in payment for legal services, evokes the sleepy bygone age.
The production features excellent performances
by Tri-State professional actors John Little as the widowed
lawyer Atticus
Finch, and Mary Ann Hay as Miss Maudie, who also narrates most of
the tale. That shift in
narration (in the book, the story is told through
Scout's eyes) gives the story a broader, more mature focus.
Little is a fine, fine actor who brings warmth, intelligence, humor
and a sense of wistful idealism to the role of
Finch. As Miss Maudie, Hay
wields a sharp tongue and a wise heart that stands at odds with her neighbors'
ignorance and hypocrisy. She and Atticus are the major moral forces in
the story, and this adaptation brings out
many of the novel's wisest insights.
"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is your conscience,"
Atticus tells his children, explaining why
he has taken on a controversial
case defending a black laborer on a charge of rape.
"We are the safest people in the world," Miss Maudie tells the children
after the trial is over. "We are rarely called
upon to show our Christianity
in any meaningful way."
Jane Cunningham and Drew Cranisky, both sophomores
at Wallkill Valley Regional High School, also give fine
performances as
young siblings Scout and Jem Finch.
Several supporting actors are truly standouts,
starting with Pharah Jean-Philippe (of the New Jersey Repertory
Company),
who brings a subtle touch of humor to the calm, no-nonsense black housekeeper Calpurnia, who is
mother and mentor to the motherless Scout and Jem.
Actor/director and singer Jonathan Dewberry as
the Reverend Sykes leads the cast in several soaring gospel
tunes that
add richness to several scenes. Off-Broadway actor Joanes Prosper brings
great dignity and humility
to the role of accused black laborer Tom Robinson,
whom Atticus Finch defends.
Brian Maslow, a graduate of the Mason Gross School
of Arts, portrays "white trash" accuser Bob Ewell with a
stimulating blend
of intimidation and insolence, yet also manages to reveal something of Ewell's deep insecurities
and mistrust. Comic actress Fran DeCesare adds
lots of fun to the proceedings as Stefanie Crawford, the
flirtatious town
gossip who's got her eye on Atticus Finch.
Since "To Kill a Mockingbird" is required reading for most high school
students, many youngsters will enjoy
seeing this fine adaptation. I attended
a student matinee of mostly middle and high school students who were
totally
engrossed in most of the action. However, mature themes of race, prejudice
and violence are discussed
throughout the play, although never shown on
stage, making this unsuitable for very young children.
The company has done a wonderful renovation job
on the old Crescent Theater, which is located in the center of
town,
with free parking in the Harrison Street municipal parking lot behind the
theater. It's a far cry from the
cramped Garrison Center in Branchville,
where Tri-State used to perform. The u-shaped seating still surrounds
the
stage on three sides, creating an airy theater setting
with tiered rows of seats, excellent acoustics and good
sightlines.
The stage is twice as high and wide as the Garrison. This allowed scenic
artist Paul Zahorosky and set designer
Meacham to create an impressive,
two-story yellow clapboard house with green porch rails, shutters and a
multitude of front doors. Decked out with flowers and other props, the
doors become a whole street of houses.
Replace with benches and a podium,
it transforms into a court house. Meacham's fluid staging keeps scene
changes
to a minimum, as the play flows nicely from one moment to the next.
Tickets cost $22.50 and $20 for adults on Fridays and Saturdays, $20
and $18 on Thursdays and Sundays, with
a $2 discount for seniors and students.
Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays
at 3
p.m. through April 20.
The company is set to produce a musical "Always ... Patsy Cline" in
May, an original play "The View From
Harry's Bar" by Tevia Abrams in June,
and an Irish play, "Stones in His Pockets" by Marie Jones, in August.
For
more information or reservations, call Tri-State Actors Theatre at (888)
840-7889 or check the Web site at www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Debra Scacciaferro can be reached at dscaccia@gannett.com
or (973) 428-6662. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER PRESENTS A ROMANTIC
COMEDY
Branchville---Tri-State Actors Theater Season
2002 continues with a romantic comedy, TALLEY’S FOLLY,
playing May 15 through June 2, at the Garris
Center Theater, Broad St., Branchville, NJ.
TALLEY’S FOLLY, written by
one of America’s most gifted playwrights, Lanford Wilson, won the
Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics
Circle Award.. Firmly rooted in reality, TALLEY’S FOLLY is a
summer romance
between the love struck Matt Friedman, played by John Little, and the love lorn Sally Talley,
played by Mary Ann Hay. Mr. Little, of New York City,
and Ms. Hay, of New York City and Highland Lakes, are
members of Actors’
Equity Association. TAT’s Artistic Director and founder, Paul Meacham,
directs this
compact, but rich one-act play (a mere 97 minutes, as we’re
told in the opening monologue).
Set in WW II in Lebanon, Missouri,
the play opens on the fourth of July, 1944 at the old boathouse on
the Talley farm. Matt, a Jewish German immigrant,
has driven from St. Louis to plead his love to Sally, a woman
on the verge
of becoming a spinster. Matt refuses to accept Sally’s rebuffs and her
fears that her family would
never approve of their marriage. Charming and
indomitable, he gradually overcomes her defenses, telling her his
innermost
secrets and learning hers as well. Both are lonely and yearning for love.
In the end it is clear that they
are two kindred spirits who have truly
found refuge and comfort in each other.
TALLEY’S FOLLY will have two preview
performances, Wednesday and Thursday, May 15 and 16; all tickets are
$11. Opening night is Friday, May
17; all tickets are $25. The performance on Opening Night will be followed
by
a Meet the Artists Reception and refreshments. Performances continue
Saturday, May 18 through June 2.
Friday and Saturday evening performances
begin at 8:00 PM and Sunday matinees are at 3:00 PM. Ticket
prices on Friday
and Saturday evenings are $20, $18 for senior citizens and students, and
Sunday
matinees, $18, $15 for senior citizens and students.
To order tickets by phone with VISA/MC
or for directions and more information, call toll free, 888 840-7889 or
visit TAT on the web at www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Seating at the Garris Center is limited and advance
reservations are recommended. Seating
is general admission; group rates are available. The Garris Center offers
wheelchair accessible ramps, entrances,
and seating. Please call in advance to arrange seating.
Tri-State Actors Theater, a non-profit, professional theater company founded in
1988, is a member of the
New Jersey Theater Alliance. Funding for this
season has been made available in part by the New Jersey State
Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner
Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the
State/County
Partnership Block Grant Program, as administered by the Sussex County Arts
and Heritage
Council and by a generous grant from the Geraldine
R. Dodge Foundation.
|
THEATER-DAILY RECORD. MAY 24. 2002
Winning performances lift 'Talley's
folly'
BY
KATHY SHWIFF -DAILY
RECORD
BRANCHVILLE-- Matt Friedman, a 42-year-old Jewish
accountant from St. Louis, has driven to a farmhouse in
Lebanon, Mo., to
pop the question. He waits in a dilapidated boathouse by the river for
Sally Talley, the 30ish
woman he fell in love with during his one-week
vacation last summer. It is early evening July 4, 1944. When Sally
arrives,
she is wearing a new dress, but she seems to want Matt to leave, especially
after he describes the
confrontation he just had with her family up at
the house.
Matt, who admits that he is much better with numbers
than with people, must unravel the mystery of Sally's life in
97 minutes,
with no intermission, as he informs the audience before Sally arrives.
And unravel he does--to the
delight of theatergoers at the Tri-State Actors
Theater production of "Talley's Folly" at the Garris Center Theater in
Branchville.
Michael Forrest Kurtz, scenic and lighting designer,
and Paul Zahorosky, scenic artist, have created a wonderful
version of
the the folly of the title, complete with a small rowboat and oars.
And John Little and Mary Ann Hay, both of whom
were seen in TAT's production of "Beauty Queen of Leenane"
last season,
do excellent jobs portraying characters reluctant to open themselves to
another, yet not quite
resigned to spending the rest of their lives alone. Little carries most of the
burden of telling the story of the couple's
meeting and courtship, and he easily switches from Friedman's European accent to
Friedman's portrayal of a
Southern accent to Friedman's imitation of Humphrey Bogart, which Sally pretends
not to recognize. Hay holds her
own, creating a Sally who is both an independent woman and a vulnerable one.
Much of the credit goes to playwright Lanford
Wilson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Talley's Folly" in 1979. Wilson,
who was born in Lebanon, Mo., manages to deliver a lot of information to
audience members without them feeling
that they are being told a story
rather than watching two people interact.
And there's poetry in Matt's description of his
family's persecution in Europe, which he turns into a fairy tale
--the only way he can tell it, he says to Sally.
The conclusion, which Matt attributes to an angel
watching over them, could seem pat. But by that time, most of
the audience
is cheering for Matt and Sally and is happy to share their happiness.
The production, directed by TAT artistic director
Paul Meacham, continues through June 2.
|
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--LIFE
IN LOCAL ZINC MINES REMEMBERED
Branchville --- Tri-State Actors Theater will
present the first of its Monday Evening Special Events on May 20,
when
it hosts a one-woman show, WE LIVE BY THE WHISTLE, performed by Jeanne
L. Austin and written
by Peter R. Nadolny. Curtain time for WE LIVE
BY THE WHISTLE is 8:00 pm at the Garris Center, 6 Broad St.,
Branchville,
NJ. Tickets are $15, $13 for seniors (60 and over) and students.
In 1998, HerStory Productions, a
creative partnership of this husband and wife duo, was commissioned
by the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, Ogdensburg,
NJ, to create a monodrama based on the lives of women
associated with the miners of the area. Mr. Nadolny
wrote “We Live by the Whistle” drawing on information
derived from oral and written histories, as well
as interviews with residents of the area. The fictitious characters
are based on actual occurrences. Each character
has a different set of circumstances and a different attitude
toward the miner’s life, but they all lived “by
the whistle” which sounded at regular intervals from dawn to dusk.
The play was first presented in 1999.
Audiences are also invited
to join TAT in the presentation of a new script, FISH OR CUT BAIT by John
Holleman of Nashville, TN, as TAT’s 3rd Annual
New Plays Reading Series continues at 8:00 pm on Monday
evening, May 27, also at the Garris Center. FISH
OR CUT BAIT places two antagonists on a desert island to
fend for themselves and learn something of life’s
biggest lessons: survival. At once funny and dangerous, the
lounge act from a cruise ship and businessman
with a superiority complex conjure up ways to stay alive and sane.
Admission for the play reading series
is by donation.
TAT’s presentation of Lanford Wilson’s
award-winning romantic comedy, TALLEY’S FOLLY,
continues at the Garris Center through June 2.
For reservations and information, call toll free 888 840-7889 or
visit TAT on the web at www.tristateactorstheater.org.
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER PREMIERES NEW
DRAMA
Branchville---Tri-State Actors Theater’s third
production for Season 2002 is the world premiere of a new drama,
ON THE
SHOWROOM FLOOR, by JudyLee Oliva. Performances will be held June 12 through
June 30, at the
Garris Center Theater, Broad St., Branchville, NJ.
ON THE SHOWROOM FLOOR is set in the fall of the early 1980’s in Lubbock,
Texas. The playwright
takes up back in forth in time, in and out of reality
as she explores the consequences of a woman’s encounter with
a shattering
event in her past, and how her death affects her family. The mother of
the family has passed away, still
obsessed with an appalling episode from
her past. Her car salesman husband and their three very different
daughters
must now overcome the demons of this mother and wife to salvage some common
bond with each other.
Jeanne L. Austin, Augusta, a member of Actors’ Equity
Assoc., plays the mother “Irene.” Ms. Austin recently
performed her one-woman
show recalling life in the local zinc mines, “We Live By The Whistle” at
the Garris Theater.
John Little and Mary Ann Hay, who charmed TAT audiences
with their performances as Matt and Sally in TAT’s
presentation of TALLEY’S
FOLLY, are “HB,” the car salesman husband and father and “Diane,” the oldest
of HB
and Irene’s daughters. Mr. Little, of New York City, and Ms. Hay,
of New York City and Highland Lakes, are also
members of Actors’ Equity
Assoc. Kendal Ridgeway and Dina Drew, both New Jersey actresses, will play
the
two younger daughters, “JK” and “Holley.” Ms. Ridgeway performed in
the New Jersey premiere of THE LARAMIE
PROJECT earlier this season at New
Jersey Repertory Company. Ms. Drew can be seen regularly on Soap
Operas
and just finished a one-woman show at the Producer’s Club in NY. TAT’s
Artistic Director and founder,
Paul Meacham, directs.
TAT presented Ms. Oliva’s
script in March, 2000 as part of TAT’s first New Plays Reading Series.
Playwright, JudyLee Oliva, calls “the development
of ON THE SHOWROOM FLOOR...typical of new plays
these days...After three staged readings and
workshop productions, and five contest wins (OTSF recently won
first place in the National Writers Association/Playwriting
Division Competition), and four years of working on
the text...I am anxious to finally see this play
in a full production. The play is based, in part, on my family, but
the
plot itself is fiction. The characters, however, are drawn directly from
my family, with some liberties taken for
theatrical purpose.” Ms. Oliva,
of Chikasaw descent, is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Native
Women Playwrights Archive, and the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.
ON THE SHOWROOM
FLOOR will have two preview performances, Wednesday and Thursday, June
12 and 13 at 8:00 PM; all tickets are $11. Opening
night is Friday, June 14; all tickets are $25. The performance
on Opening
Night will be followed by a Meet the Artists Reception and refreshments.
Performances continue
Saturday, June 15 through June 30. Friday and Saturday
evening performances begin at 8:00 PM and Sunday
matinees are at 3:00 PM.
Ticket prices on Friday and Saturday evenings are $20, $18 for senior citizens
and
students, and Sunday matinees, $18, $15 for senior citizens and students.
To order tickets by phone with
VISA/MC or for directions and more information, call toll free,
888 840-7889 or visit TAT on the web at www.tristateactorstheater.org.
Seating at the Garris Center is limited
and advance reservations are recommended. Seating
is general admission; group rates are available. The Garris
Center offers wheelchair accessible ramps, entrances,
and seating. Please call in advance to arrange seating.
Tri-State Actors Theater, a non-profit,
professional theater company founded in 1988, is a member of the
New Jersey Theater Alliance. Funding for this
season has been made available in part by the New Jersey State
Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner
Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the
State/County
Partnership Block Grant Program, as administered by the Sussex County Arts
and Heritage
Council and by a generous grant from the Geraldine
R. Dodge Foundation.
|
THEATER
DAILY RECORD, JUNE 21, 2002
On the Showroom Floor' unlocks family
secrets'
BY
DEBRA SCACCIAFERRO-DAILY RECORD
BRANCHVILLE
-- JudyLee Oliva's new play "On the Showroom Floor," which opened last
week at Tri-State Actors
Theater; takes us on a
lyrical journey deep into the shadowy Southern recesses of family secrets.
And it's well-
worth the drive to the Garris Center theater in Sussex County
to catch a performance before it closes on June 30.
First of all,
there is the sheer poetry of Oliva's language to enjoy,
infused with the languid cadences of her
hometown of Lubbock, Texas. Oliva's Native American heritage (mixed blood Chickasaw) and her background
as
an actress, educator and award-winning playwright and lyricist infuse
her work with a unique voice.
Second, there
is the joy of seeing a solid ensemble cast. It's
led by three excellent Tri-State Veterans, Jeanne L.
Austin as the mother
"Irene," John Little as car slaeman dad "HB," and Mary Ann Hay as oldest
sister "Diane."
They are matched by the exciting energy of two dynamic
newcomers, Dina Drew as the flamboyant and rebellious
baby sister "Holley,"
and Kendal Ridgeway as the thoughtful, detached middle sister Jackie, otherwise
know as
"JK."
Little, especially,
turns in a heartbreaking performance as the bewildered HB, who can't accept
that his wife is
trapped in an emotional limbo tied to an event she still
lames him for. his fishing scenes with JK, as they cast off
the side
of an abandoned black Chevy, are beautifully nuanced as he turns to his
daughter for help in puzzling out
the mysteries of his successes and failures.
Finally, there
is the fascination of a brutally honest yet
compassionate script that delves deeply into
the questions
of family dynamics and filial obligations.
The sisters'
relationships form the heart of the play. They have played on the
cellar doors. Slept on the cellar
doors when their father stormed
home in one of his jealous alcoholic rages. Held cussing tournaments
on the
cellar doors. And even slid "perfect mud pies" down the cellar
doors. But they have never been able to unlock the
doors to see what's
down there.
When their
mother declares her intention to stoop the city from dismantling the storm
cellar, since it lies
technically on city land, the sisters are forced
to take sides between their parents. When the truth of the cellar
is
finally revealed, it is less exotic and more painful than any of their
wildest assumptions.
By the end
of the play, Oliva adroitly allows the sisters to shift those loyalties
through a series of finely developed
revelations that turn the story on
its head.
Tri-state's
artistic director, Paul Meacham, nurtured this play through several readings
before willinly committing to
this full production. although he is
limited by the tiny theater and even slimmer budget, Meacham's
concise
staging and Michael Forrest Kurtz's spare set and lighting smoothly
transport the actors back and forth through
time, and through the emotional
landmines of emerging maturity.
There are several
flaws--namely the father's fascination with musician buddy Holly, (which
might confuse younger
audience members) and a disorienting early courtship
scene between HB and Irene. Still, "On
the Showroom
Floor" is a delicate and compelling drama, laced with comic
moments, as JK attempts to discover why her
parents are haunted by a secret that is connected to a locked storm cellar
and the key that Mama keeps around
her neck.
But there are
also some very funny scenes
in HB's slick car showroom. Many of the references about life take
on
the parlance of carsalesman patter--especially one very funny scene
in which the father touts the qualities of his
daughters as if he were
auctioning them off. Doors and windows tgake on metaphorical meanings.
A simple key
becomes a weapon of possession and control.
Performances
of "On the Showroom Floor" continue Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with
tickets at $20 for adults,
$18 for seniors and students, and Sundays at
3 p.mp., with tickets at $18 and $15. Call (888) 840-7889, order
online at www.tristateactors theater.org, or e mail info@tristateactorstheater.org
for reservations. |
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--CHILDREN’S
THEATER FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
Hardyston---Tri-State Actors Theater will revive
one of it’s first children’s theater presentations,
TARRADIDDLE TRAVELS by Flora Atkin, July 18 -
27, at Wallkill Valley Theater, WVRHS, Grumm Rd.,
Hardyston, NJ.
The players in TARRADIDDLE
TRAVELS invite the audience to travel with them to different foreign
lands to find folk tales which they will bring
to life through narration, dance, pantomime and simple musical
instruments. Four authentic folk tales - “Mouse
Marriage” from Japan, “Spider Talk” from Ghana, “Cricket
Song” from Puerto Rico, and “Tiger Trap” from
India are presented, each in a different dramatic form. The
audience is involved through participation and
reaction to these lively tales. TARRADIDDLE TRAVELS was
created to appeal to children of all age-groups.
The presentation of TARRADIDDLE
TRAVELS is a part of TAT’s Student Intern Training Program.
Students who have auditioned for the company
learn theater by “doing.” TAT founder and Artistic Director, Paul
Meacham
begins the interns’ training day with classes in movement, pantomime, voice
and acting. Frank
Arvizzigno, a recent theater major graduate of
DeSales University and former Wallkill Valley Regional HS
student, returns to work with TAT as Director
of the Intern Program, under the mentorship of Mr. Meacham.
The cast of travelers
include: Jane Cunningham of Ogdensburg, Josh and Mitchell Gabe of
Hamburg, Brittany
Knoll of Franklin and Taryn Sasjack of Stockholm.
Performances will be held in
the wheelchair accessible, air-conditioned Wallkill Valley Theater, WVRHS,
Grumm Rd., Hardyston, NJ. Performance dates and
times are: Thursday through Saturday, July 18 through July 27,
at 10:30
am; also, at 7:00 pm on Friday, July 19 and 26; 2:00 pm on Saturday, July
20 and 27; and 10:30 am
on Wednesday, July 24. Tickets are $7 for ages
3 to 11 and $9 for ages 12 and over.
Tickets can be purchased at the door
on day of performance. Group rates are available. For ticket reservations
and more information, call toll free, 888 840-7889 or visit TAT on the
web at www.tristateactorstheater.org.
AT’s mainstage season closes with
a comedy by Yasmina Reza, ART, playing July 31 through August
18 at the Garris Center Theater, Broad St., Branchville,
NJ. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--
AWARD WINNING COMEDY CLOSES TAT 2002 SEASON
Branchville---When a friend of French playwright
and actress, Yasmina Reza, bought an all-white painting for a
lot of money, she laughed. Their friendship survived
and the play, ART, was born. ART premiered in Berlin and
opened in Paris in 1994, where it won the Moliere
Award for best author, best play and best production. It also
won prizes
in NYC and London for best comedy and in Germany for best foriegn play.
Tri-State Actors Theater
closes its 2002 Season with this dazzling comedy,
playing July 31 through August 18 at the Garris Center
Theater, Broad St.,
Branchville, NJ.
Yasmina Reza’s
play is essentially about the concepts of friendship and value, and the
way in which the
two can cause conflict. Serge, played by Michael
Gabiano, has purchased a work of art which has cost him
dearly. His friend, Marc, played by David Volin,
finds it hard to believe that any friend of his would spend so
much money on what to him is merely a white canvas.
Another friend, Yvan, play by Brian O’Halloran, tries to
calm the dispute between the two but in trying
to appease both, ignites the quarrel which forces all three of them
to re-examine their friendship and the direction
in which it is going.
Ben Brantley of
the Theater Review wrote that “ART belongs to a tradition that once flourished
on Broadway,
but is seldom present there these days: the sleek, pleasant
comedy of manners with an intellectual veneer that
allows audiences to
relax at the theater without feeling they’re wasting their time.”
The roles in ART
are coveted by actors. TAT’s production brings together four talented artists
who know
each other as friends and co-workers. Director Ken Wiesinger,
who directed the NJ premiere of THE LARAMIE
PROJECT at the New Jersey Repertory
Company earlier this season, has matched the characters of ART to
his actors
like well fitting suits. Brian O’Halloran, of Parlin, NJ, remarked “Ken
understands what an actor needs,
what I need. He has a great eye for the
whole project.” Mr. O”Halloran, whose film credits include “Dogma,” “Mall
Rats” and “Clerks,” enjoys the actor’s medium of live theater, from first
rehearsal to final performance. Michael
Gabiano, who is from New York City,
finds “working at the Garris Center very comfortable, like going home.
I
saw TAT’s last production and was impressed by this little gem of a theater.”
David Volin, of Tenafly, NJ, was
seen here last season in ERICA’S LAST
MISSION and ON THE VERGE. He commented that “having worked
and known these
gentlemen before helps me as an actor to take the gloves off and allows
a greater form of trust.
I don’t have to worry about a safety net, because
I know them and they know me.” Mr. Gabiano and Mr. Volin
are both members
of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors.
ART will have two preview performances,
Wednesday and Thursday, July 31 and August 1 at 8:00 PM;
all tickets are $11. Opening night is Friday,
August 2; all tickets are $25. The performance on Opening Night will
be
followed by a Meet the Artists Reception and refreshments. Performances
continue Saturday, August 3
through August 18. Friday and Saturday evening
performances begin at 8:00 PM and Sunday matinees are at
3:00 PM.
Ticket prices on Friday
and Saturday evenings are $20, $18 for senior citizens and students, and
Sunday matinees, $18, $15 for senior citizens
and students. To order tickets by phone with VISA/MC or for
directions
and more information, call toll free, 888 840-7889 or visit TAT on the
web at www.tristateactorstheater.
org.
Seating at the Garris
Center is limited and advance reservations are recommended. Seating is
general
admission; group rates are available. The Garris Center offers
wheelchair accessible ramps, entrances, and
seating. Please call in advance
to arrange seating.
Tri-State Actors Theater, a
non-profit, professional theater company founded in 1988, is a member of
the
New Jersey Theater Alliance. Funding for this
season has been made available in part by the New Jersey State
Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner
Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the
State/County
Partnership Block Grant Program, as administered by the Sussex County Arts
and Heritage
Council and by a generous grant from the Geraldine
R. Dodge Foundation. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- AN ACTORS MEDIUM
Actor Brian O'Halloran, a Parlin, NJ resident,
feels equally comfortable whether he is on-stage in front of a live
audience
or in front of the camera. Brian is currently performing as Marc "the joker"
in Tri-State Actors Theater's
presentation of Yasmina Reza's award winning
comdey, ART, playing through August 18 at the Garris Center
Theater, Broad
St., Branchville, NJ.
ART brings Brian to TAT and Sussex County for
the first time. It is his second opportunity to work with director,
Ken Wiesinger. He commented, "Working with Ken is a great experience.
Ken understands what an actor
needs, what I need, for the proper motivation.
He has a great eye for the whole production." Brian finds stage
work -
the actors medium - enjoyable because he is able to work on and develop
his stage character from the
play's first rehearsal to its final performance.
"The audience's response is an immediate indicator of how the
performance
is going." The Garris Center's intimate seating puts audiences virtually
at arm's length from the
performers.
Brian 's film credits include the role of Dante
Hicks in "Clerks," Gil Hicks in "Mall Rats," Chasing Amy, Groupies,
Grant
Hicks in "Dogma," Dante Hicks in "Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back," and
Shawn in the soon to be
released "Drop Dead Roses." He finds film notoriety
a great ice-breaker at auditions and is often asked for his
autograph.
ART plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and
Sunday matinees at 3:00 pm through August 18 at the Garris
Center. Michael
Gabiano and David Volin are also featured in TAT's production of ART. For
tickets and
information, call TAT toll free at 888 840-7889 or visit TAT
on the web at www.tristateactorstheater.org. |
|

|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--LIVE
THEATER RETURNS TO SUSSEX BOROUGH
Sussex---Lon Chaney, Mutt and Jeff on the silver
screen, local soloists Alice Linn, Madge Willson, and Ethel
Dennis singing to raise funds for the hospital.
Do these names sound familiar? Then you might just remember the
days of vaudville and silent movies at the Crescent
Theater in Sussex Borough. The Crescent Theater, after years
of sitting
silently waiting, has a new tenant.
On August 8th, the Mayor
of Sussex Borough, Peter P. Horvath, and Tri-
State Actors Theater Board
of Trustees President, Peter R. Nadolny, made
it official with the signing
of a twenty-five year lease for the building on
Fountain Square.
Over
the past year Mayor Horvath, Borough Council members Kurt Brennan, Frank
Dykstra, John
Pierce,
Patti Riposta, Christine Sharlow and John Stendor, Tri-State Actors Theater
(TAT) Board of
Trustees members, Artistic Director and Founder, Paul Meacham
and legal council for both
organizations have worked together to reopen
the Crescent Theater as a performing arts center.
Mayor Horvath has pledged
that the borough “will give you (TAT) all the cooperation you need.”
After years of performing
season to season in rented theater space, TAT will have a permanent place
to
hang their hats, and costumes, build scenery
and props, hold acting classes, and have a business office.
Founded in 1988, TAT
- a non-profit, professional theater company - has grown from a one-play
student
performance and training program to a full professional season
of dramas, musicals and comedies, and an intern
training program. TAT’s
current season at Branchville’s Garris Center ends Sunday, August 18th
with the award
winning comedy, ART, by Yasmina Reza and featuring Michael
Gabiano, Brian O’Halloran and David Volin as
directed by Ken Wiesinger.
TAT’s mission is
threefold: to present entertaining, professional productions of plays for
children and
adults; to encourage and train young people in
the theater as actors, designers, and technicians; and to
encourage and
propagate a theater-going public in our region.
Artistic Director,
Paul Meacham, expects “to have the theater ready for a performance by Christmas.”
The first
phase of TAT’s move will include transforming the Sussex Community
Center into a black box theater.
Performances and classes will be held
in this space. Upstairs, the existing space will be cleaned, repaired,
rewired, painted and finally, additional seating and a stage will be installed.
Tri-State Actors
Theater is looking forward to contributing to the entertainment and growth
of Sussex
and the tri-state region. |
|
SUSSEX FINALIZES
THEATER LEASE
Non-Profit Actors Group Will Move To Former
Borough Senior Center
from-- THE NEW JERSEY HERALD
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
by Kate Brex Herald Staff Writeer
Sussex--
The Borough Council Monday approved on second reading an ordinance which
would bring
professional theater to its downtown.
An agreement with Tri-State Actors Theater sealed a long-awaited deal with
the borough to lease the Sussex
Community Theater [originally the Crescent Theater] to the non-profit
organization at $1 per year for 25 years.
The
nearly unanimous decision, 5-0, solidified the lease agreement with an
exception. According to the
agreement, the theater company must provide
insurance coverage on the former senior citizens center. As of
Monday,
that end of the bargain had not been completed, said Mike Garofalo, attorney
for the acting company.
Garofalo said the company currently has applications
with two insurance carriers. "They are exercising
their right
to inspect the building," he said.
Garofalo
asked the council to adopt the ordinance, saying that a grant application
must have a lease attached.
The group is anticipating a grant
from the New Jersey Historic Trust for renovations and restoration of the
1917
theater. The council approved the lease without the mayor's
signature.
"As soon as the insurance is forthcoming, I will sign
the lease," said Horvath.
Councilman Frank Dykstra, who said of the deal, "It is a win-win situation," was
concerned about the use of the
theater parking lot. "The whole spirit of the
agreement was to use the parking lot," said Dykstra.
Acting borough administrator Jeff Card, who had met
with theater artistic director Paul Meacham to discuss the
parking issue, said minor repairs to the lot could be made with little or no
trouble, allowing the company to
proceed with the project. "The surface could be
redone easily," he said. Card said the group wants
to get the
theater up and running and address the parking lot later.
Borough attorney Megan Ward left the lease with an open end saying that 25 years
is a long time. By allowing
an open-ended lease, revisions are possible, she said. Both Meacham and
the council members agreed that the
move was mutually beneficial.
"I was at Sussex Family Day (on Saturday)," said
Meacham. "So many people came up to me and said they
were glad that we were going to join the borough."
|
|
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER LOOKS TO SUSSEX
BOROUGH FOR A PERMANENT HOME,
BUT WILL REMAIN AT
THE GARRIS
CENTER IN BRANCHVILLE FOR SEASON 2002 --
THE NEW JERSEY HERALD, Tuesday, October 2, 2001 THEATER GROUP SEEKS HOME IN SUSSEX
By Kate Brex
Herald Staff Writer
SUSSEX BOROUGH
-- The now-defunct Sussex Community Center, former home of the borough's
senior citizen's center, was a stately vaudeville
theater circa around 1900. It may once again open its
doors as a legitimate theater, if the Tri-State
Actors Theater and borough officials can come to terms.
Paul Meacham, producing director of the
theater company, asked the mayor and council Monday night
for a prelininary letter of approval, which would
state that borough officials support a non-profit theater
in their town.
The mayor and council voted unanimously to offer
Meacham and his company a letter stating that they
would favorably support a theater company within
the borough, noting that a more lasting commitment
would be forthcoming after the necessary site
and building inspections had been completed.
According to borough attorney
Joseph Pojanowski, the senior center had been shut down due to leaks
and water damage. 'The
structure was not conducive to housing our senior citizens," he said. The
center
was no longer a viable and healthy environment, he said.
Meacham said the theater company already had the
financial backing of the Dodge Foundation, one of the
largest funding organizations for the arts in
New Jersey. "We have been given a grant of
$50,000 [a grant
over two seasons contingent upon meeting goals set by
he foundation and Tri-State] from them for our play
productions," he said.
"They believe in us and I certainly think they would believe in a renovation
project for
a once-thriving theater." Meacham explained
that [some] foundations exist specifically for the purpose of
refurbishing and renovating old and historic theaters. He said that he has
been in contact with several already,
but before he could go further, he needed official borough support.
Tri-State presently produces
its plays at the Garris Center in Branchville and at Wallkill Valley Regional
High School in Hardyston. The group is a theater
company in search of a permanent home and believes
they have found it in the Sussex Community Center,
Meacham said.
According to Mayor Peter Horvath, Tri-State's willingness to lease the old
theater building would be
mutually beneficial. It would further the
borough's reclamation process started several years ago and
answer the theater company's search for a permanent
home, he said.
"It would benefit the businesses,
restaurants, shops and galleries on Main Street," he said. "The theater
would be a welcome addition. I am very
excited about the prospect."
"It is a win-win situation," said
Councilman Frank Dykstra." |
|
New
Jersey stage: "Rustic setting adds to impact
of 'Beauty Queen' "
05/03/01
BY
PETER FILICHIA
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
At
long last, Martin McDonagh's 1996 black comedy "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" is having its New Jersey
premiere. Not at one
of our high-profile houses, but at the Tri-State Actors Theater in Branchville
-- a company
that's proving that very good things come in very small packages.
For "Beauty Queen" is receiving a beauty of a
production under the direction of Paul Meacham, the founder
and artistic
director of Tri-State, now in its second season. Because Meacham operates
out of what was a
small Sussex County barn, he's got an ideal setting for
this rustic comedy-drama. The 57-seat house makes
an audience feel the
oppression of being cooped up with a most dysfunctional family.
Septuagenarian Irishwoman Mag Folan
expects her 40-ish daughter Maureen to wait on her hand and foot,
24/7. She believes it's her right and privilege to give order after order,
and that each will be faithfully followed,
while constantly carping about
"me bad hand."
But McDonagh shows that the sour apple
doesn't fall far from the tree. Maureen's the one who gave Mag that
bad
hand.
Maureen is clearly frustrated, and that
drives her to bring Pato Dooley into the house and to flaunt to Mag
that
she's sleeping with him. Poor Pato is mortified to see mother and daughter
go at it, but he still would like
to woo Maureen. How Mag handles that
is a big part of the disturbing yet funny script.
As Mag, Anne Barclay has the right
weathered and craggy look for this quiet monster, but captures her
malevolence,
too. She cold-bloodedly throws Maureen's fanciest dress on the floor so
that it will look worse for
wear to any would-be suitor. How Mag's eyes
sparkle when she tells Maureen, "Seventy years old you'll be at
my wake,"
thrilled that she'll control the woman for many more years.
Mary Ann Hay is potent as Maureen.
Her face has a careworn look that has come from overexhaustion -- or
is
it just apathy? When Mag complains, her looks to the ceiling seem to be
a plea to God to get her out of this
minimum-security prison.
Hay gets the most out of her dialogue,
especially when she tells Mag that she wouldn't mind bringing home a
murderer who'd kill them both -- if indeed she had the satisfaction of seeing
him first slay her mother. Is she
genuinely mad? Hay keeps her audience guessing until the final curtain.
John Little is delightfully goofy
as Pato, a small-town roué who believes he's romantic hot stuff.
But Little has
layered the performance to show that he's a genuine good
guy -- certainly the only noble character in the script.
One of his
speeches, expressing his wanderlust, is a heartfelt highlight.
Then there's Pato's brother, Ray,
who plays a pivotal role in the plot. John Kinsman portrays the angry young
man with a scrunched-up face that masks his utter boredom with the world.
That expression can change to a
frighteningly evil grin when he takes out
his lack of fulfillment by punching a table. Kinsman also exhibits
extraordinary
comic timing in delivering his funny lines.
"The Beauty Queen of Leenane" is
so impressive that theatergoers would be well-advised to get seats before
it closes -- ironically enough, on Mother's Day.
The
Beauty Queen of Leenane
© 2001 The Star-Ledger.
|
|
McDonagh's scathing comedy hits its mark--
THEATER
- DAILY RECORD. May 4, 2001
BY DEBRA SCACCIAFERRO
BRANCHVILLE -
"The Beauty Queen of Leenane" by Martin McDonagh
is a hard play to describe. it's part comedy, part love
story, part
cautionary tale, part ghost story.
Yet the production by the Tri-State Actors Theater
in Branchville seems uncertain at time how to blend comedy
with the more
ferocious elements of the play.
The play, awarded four Tony Awards in its 1998
Broadway production, is a wicked comedy about a mother/
daughter relationship
from hell. Tri-state Actors Theater production turns it into a claustrophobic
and
catastrophic tale of an overprotective parent who clips her child's
emotional wings, and unleashes a monster.
McDonagh takes Tennessee Williams' obssession
with characters dependent on the "kindness of strangers"
one step further--in
his play, Ireland itself is sadly dependent on strangers, leaving its small
town citizens no
choice but to "beg a job" from England or America.
Gritty in language and ghoulish in his examination of the
human heart, McDonagh's crude humor mirrors the stunted lives of his characters.
Yet he also writes with great
poignancy and playfulness.,
capturing the yearnings of lonely lovers on the brink of a last chance at
happiness.
Anne Barclay is Mag Folan, the controlling querulous
old woman who connives to keep her eldest daughter
Maureen under her thumb
by appearing more helpless than she really is. Barclay nicely portrays
Mag as a
chameleon, who adapts to each new perceived threat. Underneath
that wrinkled exterior, we get glimpses of
what drives her--a stubborn
temper, cat-like cunning, fear of being alone and fear of her daughter's
wrath.
Their dreary existence, in which the choice of
biscuits is the highlight of the day, has nearly strangled the life out
of Maureen. At 40, she's still a virgin and desperate for love--a
trait Mary Ann hay captures quite convincingly.
She is less convincing
portraying Maureen's cold malevolence that erupts in the second act.
Into these women's lives comes an invitation to
a "do" at the Dooleys' from Pato Dooley, who is back from his
job in London
to see off his visiting American relatives. the invitation is relucctantly
delivered by Pato's dim-
witted younger broother, played as a lovable lout
by John Kinsman, who delivers some of the play's funniest
lines.
his indolence and indifference becomes a crucial factor in the burgeoning
romance between Maureen
and Pato.
John Little gives a vibrant and deeply touching
performance as Pato. The sweet lilt of his voice plays so nicely
against the harsh, flat tones of the emotionally wary women.
Maureen sees Pato as her salvation--someone who
sees her with a different set of eyes, a different set of
expectations.
A man whose genuine kindness can turn aside her jealously about his
flirting with his American
cousins with the endearing statement, "How was
I to know the beauty queen of Leenane was coming?"
And the morning after their night of love is hell.
Coming down from Maureen's room, Pato runs into Mag and
attempts to placate
her with small talk and fresh porridge. But Mag is dumbfounded, open-mouthed,
agog, as
if watching a green-eyed monster. It's a funny scene that
quickly turns nasty, as maureen and Mag begin an
escalating duel of verbal
assaults in front of an increasingly bewildered and embarrassed Pato.
The second act is one of twists and turns, of
possibilities of escape, and the consequences of those possibilities.
In the ensuing cat-and-mouse game, mother and daughter vie for dominance,
working up to a chilling showdown.
Perhaps because the Garris Center theater is so
tiny--as one patron remarked, if the seats were any closer,
you'd be sitting
on the actors' laps--Barclay and Hay and Kinsman seems to be shouting their
lines in the first
scene.
Director Paul Meacham displays a heavy hand in
his direction, sacrificing some of the humor in several mother
and daughter
scenes, which would benefit from a lighter touch. In a crucial second
act scene, the action seems
awkward instead of deliberate, undercutting
the horror. Yet, elsewhere, such as the humorous verbal jousting
between Ray and Mam in the second act, he displays a more delicate control.
Still McDonagh's play is worth a look. the
ironic ending dredges up more questions than answers. Driving home,
I was haunted by the plight of those characters. maConagh's unsentimental
tale ultimately challenges our blithe
assumptions about sanity, choice,
the power of love and the meaning of the phrase "a fate worse than death."
|
|
ERICA'S LAST MISSION FACES FAMILY CRISIS
(Review) 2001
THEATER
DAILY RECORD. JULY 6. 2001
BY DEBRA SCACCIAFERRO
BRANCHVILLE -
Canadian playwright Tevia Abrams packs a lot of
issues -maybe too many -
into the world premiere of "Erica's Last Mission."
But the play, which runs for only three more performances
tonight through
Sunday at the Tri-State Actors Theater at the
Garris Center Theater in
Branchville, is well worth seeing,
In one sense, "Erica's Last Mission" is a thoughtful
and gripping portrait of a
20th-century marriage. The Kroners are
an intellectual Canadian couple who
have struggled for half a century to keep their
marriage intact against their own
worst failings of infidelity, emotional dead
ends, deception and near
collapses. Their final test of courage comes
in the form of a battle with a
life-sapping illness.
In a lesser sense, it is a social drama on the
controversial notion of euthanasia or
mercy killing. The fact that Abrams throws into
the mix an estranged daughter who
joined a cult many years ago, and may now hold
her father responsible for her
mother's death, makes this an almost too rich
stew.
But that is perhaps this play's only flaw. Otherwise,
it is an intelligent and compassionate
look at how ill-equipped most families are to
cope with the suffering and death of a loved
one -let alone the moral questions that surface
under pressure from society's rules about dying.
Having experienced this issue personally -at my
dad's bedside after he lost a long battle with
cancer in December, and as a cancer survivor
myself-- I was pleased to see that Abrams
and director Mary Clifford {herself a cancer
survivor) did not sensationalize this play, but
nailed just about every emotional milestone in
the struggle, Abrams offers no definitive
answers, but uses the questions to illuminate
the larger issues about judgment, commitment
and marriage.
The cast of three is very fine indeed.
Jeanne L. Austin plays Erica Kroner, a proud and bitter
wife who is determined to battle this unspecified
illness (cancer, leukemia, or any of the
progressively debilitating diseases). At
some point -a question that the play hinges on -
she abandons her medical team and enlists a Jack
Kervorkian- style doctor to help her
end things more quickly.
Paul Meacham, the artistic director of Tri-State
Actors Theater, plays her husband, Stanley,
a history professor whose emotional distance
has often left his marriage tottering on the brink
of divorce. With the decision out of his hands,
he nevertheless struggles to make sense of it all
as he awaits trial for murder.
At first, he is not interested in the outcome,
But David Volin, who is brilliant as the young and
cynical lawyer whom Stanley's friends have hired
to defend him, pounds away at - Stanley's defenses
to uncover the truth.
What is thrilling about "Erica's Last Mission"
is not the legal battle between the lawyer and the
Canadian Crown Prosecutor, of which we see only
glimpses, but rather the emotional battle
between a curious lawyer and a resigned defendant.
Volin and Meacham are equally matched opponents,
given to flashes of arrogance, anger and
a stubborn conviction of the righteousness
of their position.
But Stanley's weapons are silence, withdrawal
and disconnection, while the lawyer's include
relentless probing, connection and an ability
to tap into Stanley's professional need to explain the
past.
All three actors give entirely believable
and richly complex performances. Meacham told me that
several loved ones in his family have battled
cancer in the past year. His scenes with Austin during
her last moments are so finely wrought, you can
feel his heart breaking with the strain.
Meacham who has been friends with Abrams
since graduate school, has helped to nurture this play
from a one-act version, read during Tri-State.s
New Plays Reading Series of 2000, to its current
form. Abrams first began writing it in 1993,
inspired by a nightmare he had about suicide.
Many people who might broaden their minds
by seeing "Erica's Last Mission" probably won't go.
But for those lucky enough to get tickets to
the last few performances in the tiny Garris Center
Theater, "Erica.s Last Mission" will ultimately
provide a stirring and hopeful view of marriage.
Tested by human frailties and seared by
adversity, mar. riages that do not break often forge
powerful bonds that can bolster a couple through
death and bring the survivor out whole again
on the other side.
Debra
Scacciaferro DAILY RECORD. July 6. 2001 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER PREMIERES NEW PLAY--2001
[CAST][PLAYWRIGHT]
Branchville---Tri-State Actors Theater Season 2001 continues with the world
premiere of a new
play, ERICA’S LAST MISSION, by award-winning
Canadian playwright, Tevia Abrams. ERICA’S
LAST MISSION will be on stage at the Garris Center
Theater, Broad St., Branchville, NJ from June 27
through July 8.
Under
the title A SOUNDER SLEEP, ERICA was a part of TAT’s first-ever play readings
series last
season. ERICA’S LAST MISSION is the story of
a man’s public and private struggles to come to terms with his
decision
to assist his terminally ill wife in her suicide. For playwright, Tevia
Abrams, the story started as a dream
on a hot summer’s night in 1993. Either
inspired or desperate, Mr Abrams was driven to write a number of versions
of the script, coming to a final version just this year. First read in
1994 in Delhi, India with a cast of
seven, Mr. Abrams began working on the script
again in 1996 in a series of workshops run by Milan Stitt, a
playwright and teacher. The play was whittled
down to a one-act version and the cast was cut to three. In 1999, Mr.
Abrams
returned to the task of finishing his script which led to it’s being given
a public reading last season. After
several more revisions, A SOUNDER
SLEEP became ERICA’S LAST MISSION, a play in two acts, and was ready
for
its premiere.
The three
characters who inhabit the play are the Lawyer, Jason Maxwell, Erica Kroner,
and Stanley
Kroner; played respectively by professional actors,
David Volin of Tenafly, Jeanne L. Austin of Augusta, and
TAT Artistic Director, Paul Meacham. ERICA will
be directed by TAT Associate Director, Mary Clifford of
Highland Lakes. Ms. Austin, Ms. Clifford, and
Mr. Meacham, are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the
union of professional actors.
When asked why he chose to produce and act in ERICA’S LAST MISSION, Mr.
Meacham responded, “Tevia
was so enthused by TAT’s reading of his script,
I saw the possibility of producing it the next season as a full
production. The play’s issues are contemporary, and the clash of wills in the
play among these three strong
characters is great theater. Plays are supposed to challenge us and shake us a
bit, and ERICA’S LAST
MISSION is an earthquake that will rattle every preconceived notion we have
about our life choices. Along with
entertaining audiences, I want to bring them plays that cause us to respond with
both our hearts--and our heads.
ERICA does just that.”
ERICAS’S LAST MISSION will have two preview performances, Wednesday and
Thursday, June 27 and 28, at
8:00 pm. Opening Night is Friday, June 29,
at 8:00 pm. The performance on Opening Night will be followed by a
Meet
the Artists Reception and refreshments. Performances continue Saturday,
June 30, at 8:00 PM; Sunday,
July 1, at 3:00 PM; and the following weekend
- Fri., Sat., and Sun., July 6, 7, 8. Tickets are $10.00 each for all
performances.
Seating at the Garris Center is limited and advance reservations are recommended. Seating is
general admission. To
order tickets by phone with VISA/MC or for directions and more information, call toll free,
888 840-7889
or visit TAT on the web at www.tristateactorstheater.org. The Garris Center offers wheelchair
accessible ramps,
entrances, and seating. |
|
TRI-STATE ACTORS THEATER SEASON 2001
FINALE: ON THE VERGE,
by Eric Overmyer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Branchville---Tri-State Actors Theater Season
2001 closes with a “thoroughly serendipitous theatrical journey”
(Mel Gussow, The New York Times), ON THE VERGE
or the Geography of Yearning, a comedy by playwright
Eric Overmyer, on
stage at the Garris Center Theater, Broad St., Branchville, NJ from July
25 through August 12.
Blending the limber linguistics
of Tom Stoppard with Thornton Wilder’s historic overview, Mr Overmyer
takes audiences on a mirthful safari that leads
from darkest Africa to Terra Incognita, spinning into time travel.
Three “sister sojourners,” played by professional
actors Jeanne L. Austin of Augusta as Mary, Kristin Reeves of
West Milford
as Fanny, and Amanda Jones of Brooklyn, NY as Alexandra, each a prototypical
Victorian lady
explorer equipped with dialogue as pithy as their helmets,
thwack their machetes through the wilderness while
telling tales of past
jaunts. These three intrepid trekkers encounter several characters along
the way, all played
by David Volin of Tenafly, also a professional actor.
Fanny and Alexandra decide to settle down in the year 1955.
Mary, still
seeking adventure, pushes on. ON THE VERGE is filled with wit within the
palaver. As one traveler
says, “I have seen the future and it is slang.”
The author himself is an ecologist of language and a shrewd
observer of
our quest to control our environment and, perhaps, the environment of others.
ON THE VERGE will have two preview
performances, Wednesday and Thursday, July 25 and 26, at
8:00 pm. All tickets are $10. Opening Night is
Friday, July 27, at 8:00 pm. All tickets are $25. The performance
on Opening
Night will be followed by a Meet the Artists Reception and refreshments.
Performances continue
Saturday, July 28, at 8:00 PM; Sunday, July 29, at
3:00 PM; and the following two weekends - Fri., Sat., and
Sun., August
3, 4, 5, and 10, 11, 12. Ticket prices on Friday and Saturday evenings
are $20, $15 for senior
citizens and students, and Sunday matinees are
$15, $13 for senior citizens and students. Seating at the Garris
Center
is limited and advance reservations are recommended. Seating is general
admission. Group rates are
available. To order tickets by phone with VISA/MC
or for directions and more information, call toll free, 888-840-
7889 or
visit TAT on the web at www.tristateactorstheater.org. The Garris Center
is air-conditioned and offers
wheelchair accessible ramps, entrances, and
seating.
Tri-State Actors Theater, a non-profit,
professional theater company founded in 1988, is a member of the
New Jersey Theater Alliance. Funding for this
season has been made available in part by the New Jersey State
Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner
Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the
State/County
Partnership Block Grant Program, as administered by the Sussex County Arts
and Heritage
Council and by a generous grant from the Geraldine
R. Dodge Foundation.
|
THEATER
DAILY RECORD, AUGUST 3, 2001
Dynamic cast keeps 'On the Verge' afloat
BY DEBRA SCACCIAFERRO
DAILY RECORD
Eric Overmyer's "On the Verge," a
highly fanciful tale of three women explorers navigating the future, is
often
exhilarating in its nimble and humorous wordplay. But it's
definitely weird in concept and doesn't hang together
in execution.
Still, Tri-State Actors theater has made
a humorous silk purse of a sow's ear by virtue of a dynamic cast of four,
solid direction by Paul Meacham, and an inventive set by Michael forrest
Kurtz and Paul Zahorosky.
Jeanne L. Austin as the unflappable older
Mary, Amanda Jones as the golden-haired, word-struck Alexandra and
Kristin
Reeves as the proper-to-a-fault Fanny share this wacky expedition with
humor, crisp pacing and a delightful
sense of irony.
(Anyone who can handle O vermyer's polysyllabic
puns and torturous tongue-twisters like "I once saw the Dalai
Lama himself
transmute buckets of gold coin into yellow yak butter" without bursting
a bustle has my admiration.)
The play is at heart a moral tale--we are
all standing "on the verge" of the future. Some of us face changes
as
intrepidly as Mary, confident in our abilities and endlessly curious
about what's around the next corner. Others of
us hand back, like
conservative Fanny, resisting change, insisting that our prejudices are
rooted in inviolable truths.
Others, like Alexandra, embrace every
new fad with equal fervor until they find their own comfortable niche.
The play is also a satire on the changing
social mores of 20th century women. Three wealthy American female
explorers in 1888 embark on what is to be their final and most bewildering
trek into Terra Incognita.
This fantastical continent is represented
by Kurtz and Zahorosky's set--the entire stage, floor and walls, painted
to resemble an old-world map. thick ropoes strung across the back
of the set mimic longitude and latitude, while
cleverly resembling everything
from jungle undergrowth, rope bridges over sheer cliffs and tackle ropes
to rappel
down snow-covered mountain-tops.
David Volin, playing the eight odd "creatures"
the women encounter in their quest, is a hoot from the moment he
oopens
his mouth as the German-accented cannibal to his suave louge lizard at
the Paradise Bar and Grill. his
characters are mostly cartoon figures--I
still can't figure out why he's playing a troll dressed in greaser garb,
nor a
baby yeti who throws snowballs for several cheap laughs. but
as Madame Nhu, the fortune cookie spouting fortune
teller, he's bizarrely
divine, my dear.
As I said, much of this play doesn't quite
make sense, even in the odd world of Terr Incognita. A lot of the
encounters seem trite, out of synch or more embarrassing than silly.
Engaging story
But the thread that holds
the story together, about three women struggling to make sense of the changing
world
around them, is ultimately engaging.
The women begin their journey with all
the annoying characteristics of the patronizing Imperialist attitudes.
Mary
and Fanny argue for outdated and useless social conventions, as alexandra
pushes them to embrace technology.
There are arguments about trousers
vs. petticoats (Mary insists she survived a bed of nails and quicksand
because she wore petticoats), photographs vs. hard evidence, and the shortcomings
of "native" foods. Each
tries to top the other with tall tales of
their exploits, complete with Fanny's hysterically ear-splitting yodels.
The women are united, however, in their
devotion for collecting specimens, using umbrellas for hacking jungle
undergrowth
and dispatching crocodiles, their loathing of manioc and their condescending
attitude toward Yettis
and cannibals.
When they start finding newspaper clippings
about a man named "Nixon," and "osmosing" bewildering words
and phrases
from the future, the play starts to flounder.
But all three actresses are so good, they
keep the audience interested in finding out what will happen to them.
Reeves, in particular, as a poignant moment when she realizes she will
never return to her own time. Jones is
so lovable, the absurdity
of her final career choice--no, no, no; I',m not giving it away--seems
somehow right. But
it's austin who convinces us, with her dignity
and her wisdom, that she will persevere into the future, intrepid to
the
end. |
YOUNGSTERS,
TEEN ACTING CLASSES, ADVANCED ACTING WORKSHOP
for spring-- Tri-State Actors
Theater Staff is holding registration for 2009 spring acting classes for young performers,
ages 13-17,
taught by Artistic Director and teacher
Paul
Meacham, for an advanced acting workshop, under
the
direction of
Tara Bowles,
professional actor and teacher, and for
children 6-12 years of age under the
tutelage of Fran De Cesare. Interested parents, teens, and adults may contact Tri-State Actors Theater via
E-mail
at
tristateactorstheater@tellurian.com,
or call the Crescent Theater, 973-875-2950. |
|
For
additional information,
E-mail: Tri-State! Bookmark
us for updates and information about our Season
2010!
Children's
Plays, too!
|