CHATHAM, NY — Take a trip back to the jitterbugging, rock ‘n rolling, teen idol 1950’s in Bye, Bye Birdie at The Mac-Haydn Theatre here, September 10 through 19. Inspired by Elvis Presley and his draft notice into the army in 1958, Bye, Bye Birdie has teen energy, tons of comedy and the Ed Sullivan Show combined in a great big happy musical. You’ll want to swivel your hips, roll your bobby sox down and bop along with the hip, hep and happy score that includes “Kids, A Lot of Livin’ To Do, How Lovely to Be A Woman, One Boy, Honestly Sincere” and “One Last Kiss.”

Talent Agent Albert Peterson’s biggest (and only) superstar Conrad Birdie has been drafted! A quickly arranged publicity stunt plans for him to record the new song One Last Kiss, premiere it on the Ed Sullivan Show, and then give lucky fan Kim MacAfee a real last kiss before leaving for the Army. In Kim’s home town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, Conrad proves to be a hit with his fans and completely the opposite with the adults. Albert’s mother also arrives in Sweet Apple, determined to break up the romance between her boy and “Spanish Rosie.” The Ed Sullivan show turns into a disaster when Kim’s boyfriend Hugo punches Conrad, and Rose breaks up with Albert – on live television. Conrad and the teens head for the Ice House and Hugo and Rose head for Maude’s, all to do a lot of livin’. Conrad is arrested! But Albert slyly smuggles him out of town – on the same train that he puts his mother on, while he and Rose head for Pumpkin Falls, Iowa, where the town is looking for an English teacher, preferably married.

Mac-Haydn company members are joined by talented area teens in MHT II Productions 3rd annual show. Mae Peterson, Albert’s long-suffering and insufferable mother, will be played by Monica M. Wemitt, who was lauded in the title role of Mame. Seth Eliser, who was featured as Frank in Showboat, will star as Conrad Birdie. Andy Geary and Sarah Pigion play Albert Peterson and Rose; the couple starred as Billy Crocker and Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes earlier this summer. Samantha Visconti plays Kim; besides being featured as Rusty in MHTII’s Footloose last year, she was winner of Columbia County’s Got Talent at the 2009 Fair.

Kevin Kelly (Mary Sunshine in Chicago, Moonface Martin in Anything Goes) will play the beleaguered Mr. MacAfee; Heather Dudenbostel (Julie in Showboat) will be Mrs. MacAfee. WROW Magic 590 radio personality Benn Patton (Jan and Ben In The Morning) will play the Sweet Apple Mayor.

Bye, Bye Birdie will perform on a special schedule: September 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19; Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 2 and 7:30 and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20.00 for adults and $12.00 for those 18 years of age and under. Fully air conditioned. Visit www.machaydntheatre.org or call 518-392-9292 for more information; make your reservations at 518-392-9292.

The comedy, It Had to be You, written by Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna, opens at The Theater Barn in New Lebanon on Friday, September 10th for a three week run.

This delightful comedy, which starred the authors on Broadway, is about Theda Blau, a kooky failed actress, health food nut and would-be playwright who wants to find love and success in New York, and Vito Pignole, a hugely successful TV commercial director. While holding him hostage in her apartment on a snowy Christmas Eve, she tries to convince him to be her partner both on the page and off. The New York Post called it “a comedy of great dexterity and loving warmth.”

At The Theater Barn, It Had to be You stars Theater Barn veterans Jerielle Morwitz (Urinetown, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and Richard Lounello (Moonlight and Magnolias). It is directed by Phil Rice (Red, White and Tuna, Boy Gets Girl and Moonlight and Magnolias).

It Had to be You runs from September 10 – September 26 at The Theater Barn located at 654 Route 20 in New Lebanon, NY. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $24.00 for the evening performances and $22.00 for the Sunday Matinees.
For reservations call (518) 794-8989.

Programs Support Arts-In-Education And Audience Development

SCHENECTADY-BASED PROCTORS AMONG WINNERS!

New York, NY – September 2, 2010 – The Broadway League announced today the recipients of its fifteenth annual National Education Grants. These grants support innovative programs that enable students from coast to coast to experience touring Broadway as a form of artistic expression and as an educational tool.

The 2010 National Education Grants program bestows $5,000 to ten presenters of touring Broadway shows across the U.S. for the development or support of education programs associated with touring productions.

A significant number of touring Broadway shows are featured in the various programs: 9 to 5, Dreamgirls, In the Heights, Mary Poppins, Next to Normal, Shrek the Musical, The Lion King, and West Side Story.

This year, organizations were selected from the following cities: Atlanta, GA; East Lansing, MI; Greenville, SC; Nashville, TN; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; Schenectady, NY; Seattle, WA; Tampa, FL; and West Palm Beach, FL.

The following three venues are first-time grant recipients:
Kimmel Center, Inc. – Philadelphia, PA
5th Avenue Theatre – Seattle, WA
Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts – West Palm Beach, FL

Since it was founded in 1996, the League’s National Education Grants program has awarded $750,000 in grants to support the education efforts of Broadway presenting organizations. The League administers this program with generous additional financial support from Theatre Development Fund.

During the past year, theatre education professionals at organizations that present touring Broadway productions have worked closely with local teachers and community organizations to create activities that engage young people with theatre and enhance their academic experiences.

“We salute our member organizations’ dedication to teaching impressionable young minds tolerance, literacy, peace, tradition, cultural identity, and more via the performing arts,” commented Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League. “Stories told through the pinnacle of plays and musicals not only educate students about the world at large, but exposure to live theatre creates a lifelong habit of theatre-going.”

This year, the ten programs that were awarded grants of $5,000 each are as follows:

The Fox Theatre – Atlanta, GA

The Fox Theatre’s “No Place to Hate: Teaching Tolerance Through the Arts” program is a new project to increase students’ awareness of the arts, help students understand tolerance for other people’s beliefs and culture, and enhance the students’ critical thinking skills. Two different student groups will attend performances at The Fox Theatre and engage in associated activities. The program will introduce 120 high school students to West Side Story who will participate in workshops dealing with gang violence, prejudices, and respect for others, culminating in the creation of their own play. Sixty-five elementary students will be introduced to Shrek, the Musical and learn about tolerance, improvisation, and storytelling, resulting in a book filled with stories they have written.

Wharton Center for Performing Arts – East Lansing, MI

Wharton Center for Performing Arts, partnering with Bingham Elementary, will conduct literacy workshops on writing reviews and short plays centered around Mary Poppins. “Mary Poppins Preview/Review Literacy Project” will enable 90 fifth grade students to attend a performance of the touring Broadway production of Mary Poppins and participate in workshops dealing with analyzing live theatre, previewing and reviewing a show, and modernizing classics.

Peace Center Foundation – Greenville, SC

Using content from West Side Story to promote awareness of gang violence and alternative means of social engagement, the Peace Center will provide 40 teenagers from Greenville’s West End neighborhoods with the opportunity to attend West Side Story at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, and to participate in Greenville’s “West End Story” program. This initiative includes a series of workshops with teaching artists, master classes with professional artists, facilitated discussions with community leaders, and a week-long summer camp exploring themes and various art forms found in West Side Story.

Tennessee Performing Arts Center – Nashville, TN

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center will give 48 high school students the opportunity to explore major themes from the musical In the Heights as well as develop an artistic work based on their own personal life experience in their program, “In the ‘cliff.” Students will attend a performance of In the Heights, engage in workshop sessions dealing with tradition, cultural identity, and internal and external expectations of self, take a backstage tour of the show, and participate in a question and answer session with the cast.

Kimmel Center, Inc. – Philadelphia, PA

“In the Heights: Beyond the Performance,” a program from the Kimmel Center, is an interactive, educational experience for high school students focused on the themes of multi-cultural identity, immigrant communities, and sense of self and family. Students will attend a performance of In the Heights, engage in a question-and-answer session with the cast members, and participate in a workshop with a teaching artist to explore the relevance of the themes in their own lives. They will then create their own creative writing project to be presented at the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza stage.

California Musical Theatre – Sacramento, CA

“Scribblin’ in the Margins” is a literacy-based theatre education project for 105 culturally diverse sixth-through-eighth grade students. Using In the Heights as a model, they will learn how to write monologues about life in their communities and will perform these monologues in English and Spanish for kindergarten through fifth grade students and their families. The monologues will be compiled and published, and the program culminates with students’ attendance at a performance of In the Heights at the Sacramento Community Theatre.

Proctors (Arts Center and Theatre of Schenectady, Inc.) – Schenectady, NY

With Disney’s The Lion King in mind, Proctors has developed a year-long project focused on African studies, diversity, and life cycles. Four hundred and seventy pre-K through fifth-grade students will participate in multiple, guest artist driven lectures including: African storytelling, Tribal mask making, Adrinka symbol and cloth design, and African dancing and drumming. They will then teach their skills to another grade, continuing the circle of education. After attending a performance of The Lion King, they will also participate in a post-performance discussion with the cast.

5th Avenue Theatre – Seattle, WA

The 5th Avenue Theatre will present three “Fridays at the 5th” workshops for high school students with a strong interest in musical theatre in conjunction with upcoming tours of In the Heights, Next to Normal and 9 to 5. “Fridays at the 5th” provides opportunities for students to work with professional artists, develop performance skills, and gain meaningful insight and connections to each show. Workshops include a two-hour practicum with a teaching artist, pizza dinner, pre-show discussion with a member of the technical crew, ticket to that evening’s performance of the show, and post-show talk back with the entire cast.

Straz Center for the Performing Arts – Tampa, FL

The Straz Center for the Performing Arts’s new program “Shrek Broadway Education Project” will engage 75 kindergarten through eighth-grade students from three schools in a multi-week, in-class journey exploring the evolution of a story from the pages of a book to the big screen and to a Broadway stage. Students will learn the differences between each art form and will be introduced to elements of storytelling, character development, and design. With these tools, they will create an original character that will be used in a final classroom project. The program will culminate in the students seeing the touring Broadway production of Shrek, the Musical at the Straz Center.

Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts – West Palm Beach, FL

Dreamgirls will be the focal point for the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts’s program “Young Women Pursuing Dreams Through Performance Discovery.” Middle and high-school aged young women will attend the touring Broadway production of Dreamgirls, engage in a talk-back with the cast, and participate in resident artist seminars and workshops focused on lyrical dance, scene improvisation, lyric writing, and vocal performance to create their own public performance for the community.

In addition to the National Education Grants program, the League also administers similar grants for education programs affiliated with Broadway productions in New York City each year.

The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 240 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. Visit www.BroadwayLeague.com. Follow on Twitter @TheBwayLeague or on www.Facebook.com/BroadwayLeague.

For more information on The Broadway League’s education programs, call Rachel Reiner at (212) 703-0215.

New Season, New Classes! Fall 2010 at HMT

Home Made Theater announces two new sessions of acting classes for children and teens ages 8 to 17 starting in September and running until November. All classes are held at the Spa Little Theater in the Saratoga Spa State Park and taught by Kathleen Dunham.

Creative Acting, for children ages 8-11, students learn how to use their own unique qualities to act. Creative Acting is taught in session I & 11. Session 1begins September 11th and meets from 9:00-10:15am and runs for four consecutive Saturday mornings. Session II begins October 19th and meets from 4:30-5:45pm and runs for four consecutive Tuesdays. Creative Acting costs $65

Audition Prep, for ages 12-17, helps students understand all aspects of the audition process. Session I begins September 11th and meets from 10:30am-12:00pm on four Saturdays. Audition Prep costs $75.

Scene Study, for ages 12-17, will work on character development through scripted scene work. Session II begins October 19th and meets from 6:00-7:30pm on four consecutive Tuesdays. Scene Study costs $75.

Registrations are accepted over the phone with a credit card, or by mail with check or credit card. Class size is limited to 12 students, and reservations are accepted in the order they are received. Visit homemadetheater.org to obtain the fall ‘10 class flyer and registration form. Call (518) 587-4427 for further information or to receive a flyer by mail.

Albany Civic Theater Presents it first production of the 2010-11 season:

The Complete History of America (Abridged)

by Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor

directed by Matt MacArevey

September 17-19, 24-26, & October 1-3, 2010
*Pay-What-You-Will Preview September 16 at 8 pm*
Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm

The Complete History of America (Abridged) attempts to explain 600 years of history in 6000 seconds – a roller coaster ride through the glorious quagmire of American History, from Washington to Watergate, from the Bering Straits to Baghdad, from New World to New World Order. The past is interpreted as a breathlessly paced sequence of vaudeville sketches, word-association games, puns and parodies of movie and television genres. Nothing is sacred, and many of the facts have been skewed. History has never been this much fun…or as delightfully mutilated!

With: Rocky Bonsal, Ashley Christensen, and Jennifer VanIderstyne

Call 462-1297 for Reservations

235 Second Avenue, Albany, NY (3 Blocks from the southern terminus of I-787)

www.albanycivictheater.org, an all-volunteer community theater.

Auditions for Albany Civic Theater’s second show of the 2010-2011 season, Plaza Suite by Neil Simon, directed by Margaret King, will be held Monday, September 20 and Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at Albany Civic Theater, 235 Second Avenue , Albany , NY , 462-1297, info@albanycivictheater.org.

Plaza Suite runs November 5-21, 2010.

Auditions begin at 7pm both evenings; there is no need to make an appointment. There is no need to prepare a monologue; auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. We are looking for 4-5 women, able to play ages 20-60, and 4-5 men, able to play ages 18-60.

Hilarity abounds in this portrait of three couples successively occupying a suite at the Plaza. A suburban couple take the suite while their house is being painted and it turns out to be the one in which they honeymooned 23 (or was it 24?) years before and was yesterday the anniversary, or is it today? This wry tale of marriage in tatters is followed by the exploits of a Hollywood producer who, after three marriages, is looking for fresh fields. He calls a childhood sweetheart, now a suburban housewife, for a little sexual diversion. Over the years she has idolized him from afar and is now more than the match he bargained for. The last couple is a mother and father fighting about the best way to get their daughter out of the bathroom and down to the ballroom where guests await her or as Mother yells, “I want you to come out of that bathroom and get married!”

Available roles:

Karen Nash (45-55) Forty-eight years old and fine with it. A pleasant and affable woman, comfortable with herself and her age, witty, down-to-earth.

Sam Nash (45-55) Sam is fifty years old but can not come to terms with it. He is trim, incredibly neat, well-tailored, exercises and diets, and is a workaholic.

Jean Mc Cormack (25-30) Jean is Sam’s secretary and highly efficient. She is well groomed, attractive, and bright and cheerful at 28 years of age. She is also Sam’s mistress. (Jean will also play the bride in a later act.)

Waiter (20-50) Well-trained to be friendly and please customers. (The waiter will be in two acts and can be either male or female.)

Bellhop (18-30) Younger, eager to please and will visit as long as needed to get a tip. (The Bellhop will also play the groom in a later act.)

Jesse Kiplinger (35-45) A confident forty-year-old Hollywood producer who has made his success but still feels his life is missing the kind of relationship he had in his teens with Muriel.

Muriel Tate (35-40) Late thirties, very attractive and still seems somewhat naive. Warm and generous and very impressed with Jesse, although she claims to be happily married. She is unsure of meeting with him, and yet can’t seem to make a decision to stay or go.

Norma Hubley (40-60) Mother of the bride and trying to appear calm in a crisis with every one- EXCEPT her husband. Married to a Type A personality, she sways from trying to keep him in calm and in control while passively and aggressively taking a stand for herself.

Roy Hubley (40-60) Father of the bride, a competitive businessman, out of his league when dealing with emotions and marrying off his daughter.

Musical director sought for April Production of “Anyone Can Whistle” to be produced by the Not So Common Players. Auditions will be in early December with production dates the first two weekends in April.

Interested parties should contact the director, Tom Heckert at TomH823@aol.com to discusss interest. Smale stipend is available.

Nutshell Playhouse presents “Dance With a Clown”, and grandparents come for free!

Where: Main Street Stage, 57 Main Street, North Adams

When: Saturday, September 11, 11 AM.

How much: Grandparents free, children $5, adults, $7. Tickets available at the
box office.

Yes, it’s grandparents day! Kids invite your grandma and grandpa to enjoy a delightful performance featuring clowns, puppets, music and more. Clowns Shmurple, Mambo and Bowtie visit some pesky puppets, including The Encyclopoodle (the dog who knows everything), the Ductionary (the duck who knows every word in the English language), and Taco Caramba, the most ferocious pirate parrot to fly the seven seas! Join them as they struggle to find out what a “compromise” is, brave the Big Dark Scary Cave and Dance With a Clown!

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Minerva Stage is proud to present ALIZA, a musical theatre piece written by and starring Los Angeles-based artist Ali Mandelbaum. Artistically directed by Kathleen O’Mara and musically directed by New York-based Charles Sanchez, this is the first full-scale production of ALIZA to date. Performances are Thursday, September 2nd, Friday, September 3rd, Saturday, September 4th at 8PM and Sunday, September 5th at 2PM at 1288 Massachusetts Avenue in North Adams, MA. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and can be reserved or purchased at the door. To reserve tickets, contact Kathleen O’Mara at (413) 441-6120.

ALIZA takes place during the course of a Friday Night Shabbat Service. It is the story of Ali, an alternative Jewish Girl whose punk/goth views don’t sit well with the mainstream Jewish community at her shul—a lackadaisical congregation that takes very little seriously, especially Ali’s passion for Judaism. Ali asks for guidance and is immediately beset with her ancestors from a diasporic family tree—including Cuban and Israeli Jews, Sephardics and Ashkenazics, and the direct link to the famed “Mandelbaum Gate” in Jerusalem. They help her on a journey of self-discovery, of connection to family, and eventually a road to the Rabbinate. Ali’s ancestors build her confidence in this process, dealing with mentors who do not support her quest, and help quell her fears regarding circumstances she doesn’t know if she’s prepared to handle. Above all else, ALIZA is a story about finding family and finding faith.

Oldcastle Theatre Company has scheduled its Annual Fundraiser for Friday, September 10, 2010 at the Bennington Center for the Arts. Admission is $25.00.

The doors will open at 7 p. m. for refreshments and a silent auction.

At 7:30 we will enter the theater for the main Auction items and the Improv Comedy described below.

The performers in Oldcastle’s improvisational comedy are led by Christine Decker, an actress who has performed with Oldcastle for many years. She has also spent many years at Disney World doing improvisation and some of the New York actors who are working with her on September 10th have also worked at Disney World.

This evening at Oldcastle is a unique opportunity for the audience to participate in this exciting and spontaneous creation of comedy skits. This combined with a silent and live auction should make for a special evening.