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Aglet Theatre Company Announces Spring Season
Posted by Gail M. Burns - February 2010
Aglet Theatre Company will once again present staged readings at Berkshire Theatre Festival’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and at TriArts’ Bok Gallery in Sharon, Connecticut. In the last several years Aglet has garnered a reputation for doing new or seldom-performed plays featuring local professional actors, designers and directors. A buffet of complimentary wine and refreshments precedes each reading which is then followed by a discussion where the themes of the play are analyzed. Aglet has developed a strong and loyal audience who often express their gratitude that we bring provocative theatre to the tri-state area in the fall and spring seasons.
Aglet will begin its spring season with Lynne Kaufman’s Daisy in the Dreamtime. Based on a true story, in the 1920’s Daisy Bates, a transplanted Dubliner, committed herself to protecting the Australian aboriginal culture against the encroaching power of a strong-willed missionary, the railroad and western civilization. Daisy features Joanna Seaton (Lakeville, CT Donald Sosin (Lakeville, CT) and Laurie Ellington (Canaan, CT,) and is directed by Gloria Miller (Taconic, CT,) Aglet’s Associate Artistic Director and Dramaturge. Daisy will be seen at the Bok Gallery on March 13 and at the Unicorn on March 20.
Michael Weller’s 50 Words had its world premiere at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York last spring. Behind the civilized exteriors of the middle-class marriage of Jan and Adam is a tangle of neediness, hostility and resentment. 50 Words is a minute-by-minute presentation of searing marital conflict. It features Jim Beaudin (Pittsfield, MA) and Melissa Wolff (Becket, MA) and is directed by Aglet’s Artistic Director Macey Levin (Taconic, CT).
Mr. Weller, author of Moonchildren, Loose Ends, many films, including the screenplays for Hair and Ragtime, and television dramas, is scheduled to participate in the discussion.
The Art of Dining by Tina Howe is a pointed comedy in which the owners of an exclusive restaurant and various diners act out their private dramas over dinner; their conversations are exquisite burlesques of contemporary attitudes. The Art of Dining features Andrew Joffe (Craryville, NY,) Clover Bell-Devaney (Lenox, MA,) Valerie von Volz (Sharon, CT) Charlie Tirrell (Norfolk, CT,) Melissa Wolff (Becket, MA,) Gary Cookson (Ashley Falls, MA), Betsy Colhoun (Mill River, MA,) Joan Coombs (Stockbridge, MA) and Gail Ryan (Pittsfield, MA) and is directed by Thomas Gruenewald (Sharon, CT.)
Domaney’s Liquors of Great Barrington, MA and Rick’s Wine and Spirits of Sharon, CT will offer, at the respective theatres, a selection of hand selected, popular priced wines; refreshments will also be available.
The theatre opens at 7:00 with the reading at 7:30. For The Art of Dining, the reading will begin at 8:00. Tickets are $25.00 or $20.00; for students 18 and under. For reservations call 860-435-6928.
For those of you who may not know the Aglet Theatre Company, we are a small company, presenting staged readings, based at TriArts’ Bok Gallery in Sharon, CT and at BTF’s Unicorn Theatre. Macey Levin is the artistic director; Gloria Miller is associate artistic director and dramaturge; and our executive director is Deann Halper.
We have had an interesting history. We started in spring 2005 at the Chaiwalla Tea House in Salisbury, CT and outgrew the venue in 2007. We have presented several full productions plus staged readings at TriArts. We are now in danger of outgrowing this space, which may or may not be a good thing. In January of 2008, Kate Maguire invited us to perform at the Unicorn starting in 2009.
We offer complimentary wine and refreshments before the reading. This has become something of a social hour during which friendships have been established. The reading is followed by a discussion that explores the author’s intentions, the company’s approach to the work, where the play fits in the canon of the writer’s career etc.
We also endeavor to have the playwright participate, if possible, (note that Michael Weller is scheduled to be present for 50 Words,) or someone with personal experience or insight into the play’s content. For instance, in 2007 and 2009 we performed Sin (A Cardinal Deposed) which concerns the depositions of Cardinal Law of Boston regarding the sex scandals in the Church. As a guest speaker, we had the founder of Voice of the Faithful, the grass roots organization that impelled the investigations into the scandal. In the past we have also performed original works which have moved into other venues.
The name “Aglet” describes our budgetary philosophy.
We invite you to attend one of our readings, not necessarily to review, but to get the full flavor of the Aglet experience.