Advertisement

Curtain Calls ONLINE

Professional Theater News from Around Town:
Breathe Art Theatre Project moves to new Detroit stage

DETROIT – Continuing its third Detroit/Windsor Cross-Border Season, Breathe Art Theatre Project announces that it is moving Detroit theaters, citing growth and artistic capabilities. Breathe Art Theatre Project will take the stage at the Furniture Factory, located on 4126 Third Street, for its Detroit performances of "Wit" that opens in February, and "Wonder of the World"; that opens in April.
Breathe Art is moving from 1515 Broadway where it had performed for the last two seasons and its 2006/2007 season opener of "Closer."
Breathe Art Theatre Project also has a new phone number for its patrons to purchase advance tickets with credit cards when seeing Detroit shows. Credit card purchases of advance tickets for Detroit shows can be made by calling 313-831-1939. (Ticket sales at the theater are cash only.)
In Windsor, Breathe Art will continue to perform at the Capitol Theatre & Arts Centre, located at 121 University Ave. West.
Tickets are on sale now for "Wit" by Margaret Edson and "Wonder of the World" by David Lindsay-Abaire. For Windsor shows, call the Capitol Box Office at 519-253-7729. For Detroit shows call the Breathe Art line at 313-831-1939.
"Wit," written by Margaret Edson and directed by Courtney Burkett, will feature Diane Hill, Mark Robson, Dylan MacDonald, Sarah Clare Meyer, Connie Cowper, Rachel Kiner and Brandon Massey. Show dates are Feb. 9 – 10, 2007 at Capitol Theatre in Windsor, and Feb. 16 – March 3, 2007 at Furniture Factory in Detroit. Show times are Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize, "Wit" is a rare beast: art that engages both the heart and the mind. It is the story of famed John Donne scholar, Vivian Bearing, who interrupts her doctors, nurses and students to explicate her own story as she is being treated for late-stage ovarian cancer. The production contains mature content.
"Wonder of the World," written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Kevin Young, will feature Michelle Hooks-Stackpoole, Jennifer Sessions, Dylan MacDonald, Chris Roady, Linda Rabin-Hammell, Peter Coady and Christa Coulter. Show dates are April 20 – 21, 2007 at Capitol Theatre in Windsor, and April 27 – May 12, 2007 at the Furniture Factory in Detroit. Show times are Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. "Wonder of the World" is a wicked comedy of marital discord. Nothing will prepare you for the secret Cass discovers in her husband's sweater drawer. It is so shocking that our heroine has no choice but to flee to the honeymoon capital of the world in a frantic search for the life she thinks she missed out on. It's a hilarious, wild ride over Niagara Falls as Call crosses paths with an assortment of lunatics and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
For more Breathe Art Theatre Project Information, log on to .

East Lansing's "Menopause The Musical" adds third performance

EAST LANSING – The international hit show "Menopause The Musical," the hilarious celebration of women and The Change, has added a third show at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007 at the Fairchild Theatre at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Tickets to this added performance are now on sale. The first two performances (3 p.m. and 7 p.m.) sold out in four hours and this added performance is expected to sell out very quickly.
Since its first show in a tiny, 76-seat perfume-shop-converted theater on March 28, 2001, "Menopause The Musical" has launched a women's movement that has superseded entertainment and become a must-see event. Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, writer/producer Jeanie Linders (who is also a native of Dixon, Ill. and a graduate of Northern Illinois University) created the show as a celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived The Change. Since its first performance, the show has evolved as a "grassroots" movement of women who deal with life after 40 and all the challenges that result from the mental, physical and spiritual freedom of the post-WWII baby boomer generation.
The ensemble production features four women at a department store's lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black lace bra and hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, chocolate binges, not enough sex, too much sex and more. A joyful parody of 25 re-lyricized classic baby boomer hits, the 90-minute show features chart-toppers including "I Heard It Thru the Grapevine You No Longer See 39" and the disco favorite "Stayine Awake! Stayine Awake!
"Most women know intuitively that every other woman is experiencing hot flashes or night sweats," says Linders. "There is always a close friend or two who can sympathize or identify with her, but when they are sitting in a theatre with 420 other women, all laughing and shouting, 'That's me! That's me on stage!' they know what they are experiencing is normal. They aren't alone or crazy. It becomes a sisterhood."
"Menopause The Musical" is directed by Kathryn Conte and choreographed by Patty Bender with musical direction by Alan Plado.
The Fairchild Theatre is located at Farm Lane and Auditorium Road in East Lansing.
Tickets for "Menopause The Musical" start at $40 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 517-432-2000 or 1-800-WHARTON.

StarBrite Presents' newest entre on menu at Premier Entertainment Center

CHESTERFIELD TWP. – Star Trek meets Star Wars as StarBriteis production of David Landauis spacey spoof, "Murder: The Next Generation", lands February 3 through March 31at Premiere Entertainment Center, 33151 23 Mile Rd., 2 miles east of I-94, in Chesterfield Township.
Travel through time to the year 2140 to visit Deep Space Noir, a seedy space station nightclub where the house detective must recover some stolen crystals, while solving the murder of an alien n all in less than a couple of hours.
The audience quickly becomes involved and helps determine the course of the case when the harried detective asks for, and acts upon, their advice in this interactive musical mystery.
The Premier Entertainment Center differs from StarBrite's other venues as theater patrons proceed to the theater to watch the show, rather than watching the show from their dinner tables. The prospect of playing Premier's expansive stage and utilizing the theater's superior sound system excites StarBrite's artistic manager Randy Magner of Royal Oak. "Our theatergoers will enjoy experiencing our shows in comfortable theater seating with excellent sightlines," he says.
Theater patrons enjoy a tasty dinner at Guiliano's Italian Ristorante before strolling down Premier's indoor concourse to see StarBrite's professional theater productions. AprEes theater possibilities include having a cocktail back at Guilano's, enjoying a rousing session of two-stepping to the Country Western sounds of The Cajun Band in Premier's Diamond & Spurs nightclub or even bowling a couple of lines in Premieris state-of-the-art, 34-lane bowling center.
Chesterfield Township resident Frank Sgroi established Premier Entertainment Center in 1999, envisioning it as a convenient way for people to enjoy a full and varied menu of entertainment options under one roof. "When people go to the theater, they want something to eat before they go, or they're looking for something to do afterwards," says Sgroi. "People coming to see a StarBrite play don't have to leave here to find something to do after the show."
Dinner theater shows are Friday and Saturday evenings. Cocktails and dinner are at 6:30 p.m. and curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Three-course dinner and theater, including tax, cost $39.95 per person.
Reservations strongly recommended.
For reservations, call 586-725-2228; for group discounts, call 248-390-5443. For all other information, log on to http:// www.starbriteprod.com .

"Riverdance" triumphantly returns to the Fox Theatre March 16 – 18, 2007

DETROIT – Few shows have touched audiences like "Riverdance," the original international phenomenon, now in its 12th phenomenal year. This thunderous celebration of joyful music, song and dance that has thrilled millions of people around the world returns to Detroit's Fox Theatre, March 16 – 18 for five performances only!
Of all the performances to emerge from Ireland in the past decade, nothing can compare to the energy, the sensuality and the spectacle of "Riverdance." Composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, "Riverdance" has played over 9,000 performances, been seen live by more than 19,350,000 people in over 276 venues throughout 32 countries across 4 continents. The show has traveled over 500,000 miles (or to the moon and back!), played to a worldwide television audience of over 1.75 billion; sold over 2.5 million copies of the Grammy Award-winning CD (certified Platinum in the US) and over 9 million videos making it one of the best-selling entertainment videos in the world!
"Riverdance" had its world premiere at the Point Theatre, Dublin, in February 1995, where it opened to unanimous critical acclaim. Innovative and exciting in its unique blend of dance, music and song, "Riverdance" draws on Irish traditions and the combined talents of the performers to propel Irish dancing and music to the present day and capture the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures. "Riverdance" which boasts an international company of 70 performers all performing to the magic of Bill Whelan's music, now returns to Detroit!
"An explosion of sight and sound that simply takes your breath away," cheers the Chicago Tribune. "A family evening unlike anything else!" raves The London Times. Rediscover the Original! Whether it's your first time or your fifth, there is no better time to share the magic of "Riverdance" with your family.
Performance times for "Riverdance" appearing March 16 – 18, 2007 at the Fox Theatre, located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, are as follows: Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 17 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, March 18 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Ticket prices for the Detroit engagement of "Riverdance" range from $38 n $68 and are now on sale at the Fox Theatre box office.
For more information, call 313-471-6611 or visit http:// www.OlympiaEntertainment.com .

"Tony n'Tina's Wedding" comes to Costick Center January 20

FARMINGTON HILLS – "Tony n'Tina's Wedding" the hilarious off-Broadway dinner theater hit, is coming Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007 to the Costick Center located at 28600 West Eleven Mile Road in Farmington Hills. The fun begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m. Sponsored by the City of Farmington Hills Cultural Arts Division, individual tickets are $62; a reserved table of ten is $600.
"Tony n'Tina's Wedding" brings the entire audience into the show, as more than 30 actors mingle with the "wedding guests" in the wackiest Italian wedding around! The show begins as Tina walks down the aisle of the banquet room with a full wedding party and continues throughout the dinner and reception. Dancing to live music, champagne toasts, a pasta dinner and a slice of wedding cake are all provided by the hosts, the Nunzio and Vitale "families."
Since opening on February 14, 1988 in New York City, this unique theatrical experience has won the hearts of thousands of people in over 100 cities worldwide.
"Tony n'Tina's Wedding" ticket price includes the show, dancing, dinner and champagne toast. A cash bar for wine, beer, and soft drinks will be available.
For more information or to order tickets, call 248-473-1857. Tickets may also be purchased in advance at the Costick Center during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Help choose The Whiting's 2007-08 Season

FLINT – It's survey time! The Whiting's 2007-08 season survey is now available on-line allowing easier accessibility for you to vote for the shows you want to see!
Simply visit http://www.TheWhiting.com, print out the survey and return it back to us for your chance to win tickets to our 2007-08 Season!
Surveys returned by Jan. 15 will be entered to win a Bronze Subscription (two tickets to three shows) in the 2007-08 Spotlight Series and surveys returned by Jan. 30 will be entered to win a pair of tickets to a performance of your choice in our 2007-08 Season!
Thank you for your participation! Your responses better enable us to select the best shows possible for our upcoming season!
The Whiting is a member organization of the Flint Cultural Center Corporation and is dedicated to bringing the performing arts to the community. The Whiting is a nonprofit organization and an Equal Opportunity Employer providing programs and services without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex or handicap.

From Our Hallowed Halls of Learning:
LCC Theatre schedules auditions for "The Crucible"

LANSING – "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller will be LCC Theatre's spring main stage production, directed by Chad Badgero and presented March 23-31, 2007 in Dart Auditorium. Arthur Miller's masterful drama set against the 1692 Salem witch trials is a tale of intolerance, mass hysteria, vengeance n and integrity. Now a classic, it is as timely today as when it won the 1953 Tony Award during the anti-Communist witch hunts of the McCarthy-era 1950s.
Badgero selected the play due to its startling parallels to our society today and its crisp, passionate dialogue. "You can't read or see this show without being angered or drawn in to the maddening situation that Miller has created. And to then add to the mix that the play is based on true life events, and in many ways is a situation that continues to play itself out in our society makes the play so wonderfully immediate and relevant to both actors and audiences."
Badgero is a theatre instructor at LCC and is the artistic director of the Peppermint Creek Theatre Company.
Though "The Crucible" is LCC's spring main stage play, it is also the culminating production for students in their final semester of LCC's Studio Theatre Program. Previously, this semester focused on period acting styles and students performed in a studio theater production. Now the focus is advanced realism and the production is the spring main stage. "This change will create a richer experience for our students," said Andy Callis, Lead Faculty Theatre. "They'll have time to research and explore their characters and create more nuanced performances. And by making it a main stage [production], we hope to connect our production with student achievement.i
The 20-person cast will include the 12-13 students who enroll in the studio theater class. But it is a large play, so open auditions will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 17 in Dart Auditorium from 8-11p.m. The play has roles for 10 men and 10 women. Actors who audition will be asked to do cold readings from the script. Scripts are available for overnight check-out at LCC's Humanities and Performing Arts office, Room 255 of the Arts & Sciences Building.
For more information on, please contact LCC's Performing Arts Production Office at 517-483-1488 or visit News & Events at http://www.lcc.edu .

Community Theater Corner:
Avon Players announce auditions for "Chapter Two"

ROCHESTER – Avon Players will hold auditions for its fourth show of the 2006-2007 season, Neil Simon's "Chapter Two" on Monday, Jan. 15 and Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m., with registration beginning at 6:30. The play deals with a recently widowed writer dealing with the sometimes painful yet often hilarious process of re-entering the dating scene later in one's life.
Auditions will consist of readings from the script. A copy of the script will be available at Rochester Hills Public Library. An audition flyer is posted at http://www.avonplayers.org.
Show dates for "Chapter Two" are March 2-4, 9-11 and 16-17. Friday and Saturday performances start at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m.
The show will be directed by Chuck Thompson.
Avon Players is located at 1185 Washington Road, one mile east of the intersection of Tienken and Rochester Roads in Rochester Hills.
For more information, access the web site at .

"King and I" auditions at Marshall Civic

MARSHALL – Marshall Civic Players announces auditions for Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "The King and I" one of the most popular collaborations between music composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. "The King and I" is a classic story of an English schoolteacher in the court of the King of Siam and has enchanted audiences for the last 50 years. This exotically romantic musical has enjoyed three Broadway revivals, including the 1996 production featuring Lou Diamond Phillips as the King and Donna Murphy as Anna which garnered four Tony Awards. The popular 1956 film version of "The King and I" starred Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr and earned five Oscars.
"We are casting a very large production crew including children," states Kathie Boyer. "We are looking for three women, four men and two boys for the principal roles, 16 to 30 men and women for the singing-dancing ensemble and eight to 12 royal children. We are also looking to cast dancers from area dance schools for Uncle Tom's scene."
Auditions are held in the third floor rehearsal hall on the east side of the building.
Audition dates are as follows: Children 14 and under – Wednesday and Thursday, January 3 & 4, 2007 from 7 to 8 p.m.; Adults and children over 14 – Wednesday and Thursday, January 3 & 4, 2007 from 8 to 10 p.m.; Dancers for Uncle Tom's Cabin – Wednesday and Thursday, January 3 & 4, 2007 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Callbacks by invitation only will be held on Friday, January 5 at 7 p.m.
For complete audition requirements, please call Producer Kathie Boyer at 269-789-9677 or 269-789-8765.

Advertisement
Advertisement

From the Pride Source Marketplace

Go to the Marketplace
Directory default
Attention Couples: Resolve to stop Fighting now. Get the intimacy, joy and understanding YOU…
Learn More
Directory default
Our mission is to provide the population access to one of the most seasoned & well-trained…
Learn More
Directory default
Adults, adolescents, individuals, couples. Relationship, work and family issues, anxiety,…
Learn More
Advertisement