Boston Marriage By David Mamet

We’ve started blocking rehearsals for Boston Marriage. Blocking can be tedious but we are managing quite well. In the next couple of weeks things should start to flow quickly. Rehearsal time is cut short now because of the holidays, so the first of the year we will be back to the routine. We constantly find new things to laugh at and question.

I have read that Mamet wrote this play in response to his critics that said he could not write good roles for women. They say that Mamet is known for his macho man dialogue and situations. Well- this show is certainly not “macho”, in the sense that there are no male roles. However- the dialogue and situations are simply a variation on his manly themes; the macho lines and situations are presented by "women of fashion" instead of men. There is very little question to the relationship of the women and they lay it all on the line. However, with the double entendres and Victorian era dialogue, sometimes, you just aren’t quite sure if they really said what you think they said. And when you realize that they did just say that, it is both shocking and hilarious to hear such things from Victorian upper-class society women! The Victorian setting, language and societal expectations of women of the time, combined with the expected Mamet wit and grit make for a racy, saucy good time!

Lisa

Ravenscroft has been selected to represent the NW Region at the State OCTA fest in September.
The cast and crew won 11 awards!

Awards won were:

Cast - Excellence in Ensemble

Lisa Wiley - Excellence in Directing
Excellence in Set
Excellence in Stage Combat

Jennifer Wertz - Excellence in Costumes

Ellie Stuck - Merit in Acting

Rob Albach - Merit in Acting

Deb Presser - Merit in Acting

Kelli Market - Merit in Acting

Dawnis Edge - Merit in Acting

Ellen Larsen - Outstanding in Acting


The cast and crew had a very fun weekend and look forward to planning for State in September! Thank you to everyone involved for their help and support.

Lights, Camera and Action!
Farndale opens tonight.
I hope all goes well. It is a cute slap shtick farcical show and the audience is sure to have a good time. Lets see what the reviewers think!

More to come on this:
Have a video audition tonight.....for a TV show....let's see what happens!

Farndale

Currently I am designing and running lights for the Harlequins Production:

Farndale Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of Macbeth

By David McGillvray and Walter Zerlin Jnr.

April 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, May 1, 2, 3, 2009

When you delve into performing live theatre, as the ladies of The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society will attest, things can go wrong. However, the show must go on as everyone knows…and it does…whether or not it should is another question. However, the ladies have spent nine months rehearsing and hope to take their production of Macbeth to the national final. Luckily (or not), a well-respected adjudicator is present who will judge their performance worthy. Sets facing the wrong way, actresses who don't show up, props, costumes...if it can go awry...well, hilarity and mayhem ensue.

Harlequins Community Theatre
414 Wayne Street, Rear, Sandusky, OH 44870-1582
http://www.harlequinstheatre.org/

Finnegan

Well, the weekend run is over and I have to say that it was awesome. I have never been involved in an interactive production before and it is something quite challenging and also very rewarding! The audiences seemed to love the show and we had many, many great comments on the show as well as individual performances.

As an actor the challenge for me came in having to be “on” for 3 or so hours. No intermission, no walking “off stage”. Maintaining the energy for that long was exhausting and at the end of the show it felt like I had been run over! Now- I have to say that if I didn’t have a ”day job”, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so tiring, but- I think that anything that you concentrate on for that long that hard is draining.

We have two more shows scheduled at this time and I understand that more will be booked as the year continues. The show will eventually have a couple of different “casts” so that the “show can go on” with or without the original cast.

I have met some wonderful folks during this show and I will miss them and I do hope to be fortunate enough to work with several of them in the future. Till the next adventure----Farewell to Finnegan.

Lisa

Finnegan

Well rehearsals are almost at an end! Tonight is our Final Dress!
I am sportin' a new hair and new hair color! It is such a fun show and it really has been a learning experience! I do hope the audience enjoys it!

Finnegan

Wow- Rehearsals have been great! It is quite a riot at rehearsals. It will be a fun show. I am so very tired right now. Long days at work an then long nights at rehearsal. One more week of rehearsal and then the show begins. We are getting many other bookings for the show from what they tell me. It will be good to have this on the back burner for slow times. We will work in another cast so that we can be more flexible with scheduling. Off for now.....

Finnegan

I had rehearsal last night for the show. We are rehearsing two - four times a week now. It is going pretty good. I am trying to get a handle on the whole "improv" thing. It is different and I think I am getting better and more clever. I have my costume and we are doing more pictures tonight. Oh aside from a song to learn I also have another song and a dance.....YIKES! Good times!

My Next Adventure FINNEGAN'S FAREWELL

"FINNEGAN'S FAREWELL"

In the spirit of 'Riverdance', 'Finnegan's Farewell' features the best of Irish dancing, music and singing! Come to an authentic Irish wake and pay your last respects to the dearly departed and beloved U.S. Postal worker, Patrick James Finnegan. You'll be treated to eulogies, sing alongs and a missing corpse.

March 13 & 14, 2009 - 7:00 p.m.
March 15, 2009 - 2:00 p.m.
March 17 & 22, 2009 - 7:00 p.m.

Lunch/Dinner & Show $38.00

BOX OFFICE
The Sandusky State Theatre
107 Columbus Avenue
Sandusky, Ohio, 44870
Purchase Tickets: 419-626-1950 or toll free 1-877-626-1950
Box Office/Production Fax: 419-626-9835

Ravenscroft Run Ends

Ravenscroft, a show that hardly anyone at our little theatre had head of, hit the Boards running on February 5th and never looked back!

Back in November auditions were held for the comedy and we were fortunate to have many audition for the 5 female roles and 1 male role. There were several new faces as well as familiar Harlequin theatre members that auditioned. It was a difficult casting task with so many great choices. But the cast was found and rehearsals began. Jim, Rob, Ellie, Dawnis, Deb, Ellen, Kelli and I laughed, played and rehearsed 3 nights a week, in between Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, work schedules and the scholastic extracurriculars of the 2 high schoolers! Whew! Costumes were researched and obtained, music researched and recorded, set designed and built, lights hung, props acquired, vases cast and before we knew it, opening night was upon us!

The cast and crew as well the audiences all had a great time and we received numerous compliments for the performance. Our first reviewer said nothing but good and the second reviewer was so far left field that he was as funny as our show! We had audience members from out of town, out of state, and those who had never been to the Coach House! We had sold out houses and even had to put up a few extra chairs on the final performance. It was wonderful to sit back and watch the actors perform and show off their talents. They grew with each performance. The audiences reacted with smiles, laughter, and gasps! Laughter is the best medicine! The show was successful in every way!

I want to thank all of the ushers, ticket desk workers, and ticket reservation line volunteers for pitching in. A big Thank you goes out to the cast and crew for all of the hard work and long hours. A GIANT Thank you to Jim, my assistant director, who put in even harder work and longer hours working on most every aspect of the show. I would also like to thank all of the Harlequin members who were able to come out and watch the show.

Ravenscroft might have started out as a show that hardly anyone at our theatre had heard of, but I think now it’s a show that many of us won't soon forget!

Last week of Ravenscroft

Well tonight is the start of the last weekend of performances for Ravenscroft. I hope that ticket sales are up, the review is good and the cast went over lines!
I am excited and anxious to see it again. I love the progression and growth that I see from night to night and I hope this evening is no exception!
Hours and counting.

Ravenscroft, First Week Down One to Go

Well- The first week of performances is over and I have to say that I don't think I could be more pleased! We had a "press dress" on the 3rd and opened on the 5th. The review came out on Friday and it was all positive! We had 2 sold out shows and another close one for Sunday! I hope the reservation line is burning up this week! Another reviewer saw the show on Sunday, so we will see what his take was.
The cast has worked so hard and the audience seems to LOVE them!I am amazed at the progress they made in the last week of rehearsals. I did have a couple of reservations about the show and have been able to put those away! This week should be great!
I also went to an audition last Wednesday and got a part in an interactive dinner theatre production! More on that at another time!
Life is good!

A thriller with a bit of a message

A thriller with a bit of a message

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Ravenscroft Show Times

Harlequins Theatre

Sandusky Ohio
presents

Ravenscroft
a mystery-comedy
by Don Nigro

Feb. 5-8, 12-15

Thu., Fri., Sat. - 8:15 pm
Sun. matinee - 2:00 pm

England, 1905. Patrick Roarke is dead. He fell down the staircase... or was he pushed? Laughter ensues and truths revealed as Inspector Ruffing disentangles the ever-changing, contradictory stories of the five quirky women living in the old manor house.

Tickets $10 each. Call 419-621-1311 to reserve seats.

Ravenscroft Set Design

Ravenscroft Set Designed by

Lisa L. Wiley

Harlequins Theatre, Sandusky, Ohio

Show Time Ravenscroft

Ravenscroft. By Don Nigro

This is the show that I am directing. The show is a community theatre production at Harlequins Theatre, Sandusky Ohio.

Rehearsals have gone well. We had auditions at the end of November and have been meeting about 3 times a week since then. Everyone has worked very hard. Characters have evolved and come to life. I love the set and the lights, as they came to be exactly what I had envisioned. That is always nice to have happen!
Last night was our last "official" rehearsal as tonight is "press dress" and the press will be there to review the show.
The show itself is very funny, with it's British humor and the playwright's commentary on social manners. It is a comedy, mystery set in 1905 complete with set, costumes and a breakaway vase!
Of course there are always things that you think about at this stage of the game. Things you wonder if you should've changed, or worked on a bit more etc. But at this point it is out of my hands and into the hands of the cast. A very anxious place to be. But not so much because I worry about what will or won't be remembered when it comes to lines, blocking etc., although that does play a bit part, but the anxiety that comes when you work so hard and want it to be so good, and you can do no more! I know that the cast and crew will put on a very good show. And they have come such a long way.
The end is near and that makes it hard. Hard to say goodbye to the laughs, the new friends made, the old friendships solidified and the time spent doing something you love.
But I believe that Art is a journey and by creating one piece of art it will allow you to venture and be prepared for the next.
So- It's "Break a Leg" as they say! And I'll enjoy every moment of the artistic ride!