Village Playhouse presents Directed by By Ken Ludwig VPW Cast & Crew Michael Pocaro Jaime and Patrina Hurtado, Owners —Break legs! Inspiration Studios 7:30pm 1500 S. 73rd Street April 17-April 18 West Allis, WI 53214 April 23-April 24 414 587-3474 May 1-May 2 2:00pm May 3 Matinee Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. From the director... Opportunity Knocks! A Nun, a Lawyer and a Gorilla walk into a bar. The bartender Join us for the says, “Hey, what is this? Some kind of joke?”. Yeah, this is some remaining shows of our kind of joke! And I like a good joke, don’t you? You know Director’s Notes are usually intended to be somehow 2014-2015 Season socially relevant, whetting the appetite for provocation, insight and thoughtful entertainment. That’s a pretty high order for “Moon Over Buffalo”. Now that’s not to say that good comedy can’t be provoca- tive. There are at least as many types of comedy as there are Shades of Grey. Consider the socially relevant comedy of April 17-May 3 “MASH”, or the stigma-busting, in your face comedy of “All in the Family” and all its spin-offs. But this is …vaudeville. This is slapstick. This production has been brazenly plagiarized from all my personal favorites; Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello, The Three Stooges and The Marx Brothers. The beauty of comedies like “Moon Over Buffalo” is they’re built June 5-21 upon the human weakness we all know and celebrate in our own lives. They’re the shifty cousin, the overbearing uncle, the feisty nephew, the bumbling suitor, and most of all – the Self and all its adorable shortcomings! It has been my intention to bring this comedy of mistaken iden- tity, drunkenness, infidelity, and slamming doors to its knees August 7-23 with deftly performed double takes, slow burns, and pratfalls. I personally enjoy self-effacing, physical comedy over nearly all others. The beauty of self-effacing comedy is, even if you get it wrong you just laugh and say, “See?” I hope you get a belly laugh or two from tonight’s produc- tion. Laughing is, after all, a sign of social healing and holistic Traveling Children’s Show wellness. It’s known to be common to all races, all ages, and all June 28—Summerfest genders. How’s that for social relevancy!!?? Michael (Paco) Pocaro Village Playhouse Inspiration Studios 1500 S. 73rd Street, West Allis Production Crew About the playwright…. KEN LUDWIG has had 6 shows on Producer Rosie Peterson Broadway and 7 in London’s West Director Michael “Paco” Pocaro End, and his plays and musicals Assistant Director Jamee Stefanski have been performed in more than Stage Manager Michelle Miller 30 countries in over 20 languages. Technical Director Larry Beckley His first play on Broadway, Lend Set Design Sandra Wyss Me A Tenor, which the Washington Set Construction Larry Beckley Post called "one of the classic Art Carter comedies of the 20th century,” won Manny Cotto two Tony Awards and was nomi- Erico Ortiz nated for seven. He has also won Casey Paszciewicz two Laurence Olivier Awards Rosie Peterson (England’s highest theater honor), the Charles MacArthur Award, two Sandra Wyss Helen Hayes Awards, the Edgar Light Design Casey Pasciewicz Award for Best Mystery from The Lights Victoria Diaz Mystery Writers of America, the SETC Distinguished Career Sound Casey Pasciewicz Award, and the Edwin Forrest Award for Services to the Ameri- Set Crew Morgan Cotto can Theatre. His plays have been commissioned by the Royal Jarid Cotto Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic. He has written 22 Christine Altenbach plays and musicals, including Crazy For You (5 years on Broad- Props Marilou Davido way and the West End, Tony and Olivier Award Winner for Best Fight Choreography Gene Schuldt Musical), Moon Over Buffalo (Broadway and West End), The Ad- Costumes Michelle Miller ventures of Tom Sawyer (Broadway), Treasure Island(West Rosie Peterson End), Twentieth Century (Broadway), Leading Ladies, Shake- speare in Hollywood, The Game’s Afoot, The Fox on the Fair- Hair Victoria Diaz way, The Three Musketeers and The Beaux’ Stratagem. His most House Manager Rita Bates recent plays includeBaskerville, A Comedy of Tenors, and Tiny Publicity Erico Ortiz Tim’s Christmas Carol (2015 Helen Hayes Award nominee for Rosie Peterson Outstanding Play). His newest book, How To Teach Your Chil- Photography Audwin Short dren Shakespeare, (winner of the Falstaff Award for Best Shake- Graphics/Flyer Design Derek Jacobs speare Book of 2014) is published by Random House. Over the Banner/Program Design Erico Ortiz years, his plays and musicals have starred Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Lynn Redgrave, Mickey Rooney, John Astin, Hal Hol- Please pardon any omissions due to printing deadlines brook, Dixie Carter, Otto Schenck,Tony Shalhoub, Anne Heche, Joan Collins, and Kristin Bell. His work is published by the Yale Review, and he is a Sallie B. Goodman Fellow of the McCarter Special Thanks Theatre, Princeton. He holds degrees from Harvard, where he Sunset Playhouse studied music with Leonard Bernstein, Haverford College and Tom Zuehlke Cambridge University. For more information, please visit www.kenludwig.com. Inspiration Studios www.inspirationstudiosgallery.com Jamee Stefanski (Assistant Director) This is Jamee’s first show as an assistant director. Her directorial debut was Time Doesn’t Calendar of Events Heal All Wounds in VPW’s One Act Festival last June. Prior to that she could be found on stage having done shows at Sunset Mar 7-Apr 28 “Angst” Playhouse, Lake Country Playhouse, Waukesha Civic and Kevin Batcher art exhibit here at VPW. Her favorite roles are in the Ensemble in Miss Sai- gon at Waukesha Civic and Roz in Moon Over Buffalo at LCP. Apr 17-18 Moon Over Buffalo She is currently a Domestic Engineer and lives in West Allis with —a Village Playhouse production her husband Tracy and her 3 beautiful girls, Samantha, Paige and Apr 20-21 Auditions: VPW 30th Annual One Act Festival Lexi. 7pm @ Inspiration Studios —an Inspiration Studios production Sandra Wyss (Set Design) enjoys being involved in all aspects of theater, backstage and acting onstage. She was the set designer Apr 22 Sound Check Studio Recital and artistic director for All in the Timing, The Mouse That 7pm @ Inspiration Studios Roared, Return of the Pink Panther, School House Rock Live. Apr 24-25 Moon Over Buffalo Sandy has enjoyed scenic painting for many main stage and chil- —Village Playhouse production dren’s shows for Village Playhouse and Brookfield Players. She has been Props Designer, Assistant Stage Manager and actress Apr 26-27-28 A Play About Parker with Over Our Head Players, Racine. When not involved in the —Off Book Players production theater, Sandy displays paintings in art fairs and galleries in the April 30-May 30 “Through the Mirrors of Time” Milwaukee area. She has had opportunities in indie films, movies Maria Dolores Parks (Ecuador) art exhibit and tv shows in Chicago and Milwaukee area. Opening Reception—April 30, 5-9pm Robert A. Zimmerman (George Hay) is making his Village Play- May 1-2-3 Moon Over Buffalo house debut, and is very grateful to be here. His love for local —Village Playhouse production theatre extends over 40* years, including writing, directing, set design, performing and sweeping the stage. Some favorite acting May 8-9 The Recovering Pessimist roles include Max Bialystock in The Producers, Tevye in Fiddler —Inspiration Studios production on the Roof, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Peron in Evita, May 15-16-17 The Recovering Pessimist Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Noah in Two by Two, —Inspiration Studios production Fagin in Oliver!, Applegate in Damn Yankees, Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Selsdon in Noises Off, Albert June 1-30 “WA-a-la-Art” exhibit from WAWM school staff Opening Reception—June 7 Soady, Jr. in Escanaba In Da Moonlight, Michael in I Do, I Do, during West Allis a la Carte and Harold Hill in “The Music Man.” Bob is not only couched in mortified disbelief of that number, but in unabashed, vehement denial. Visit our website for more information regarding upcoming events www.inspirationstudiosgallery.com by Ken Ludwig Moon Over Buffalo centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950's. At the moment, they’re playing Private Lives and Cyrano De Bergerac in rep in Buf- falo, New York with 5 actors. On the brink of a disastrous split -up caused by George’s dalliance with a young ingénue, they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee, and if likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong, abetted by a Meet The Players (continued) visit from their daughter’s clueless fiancé and hilarious uncer- tainty about which play they’re actually performing, caused by Charlotte’s deaf old stage-manager mother who hates every began performing in 1979. He has since appeared in or directed bone in George’s body. hundreds of productions, workshops, videos and (gasp) commer- cials. Directed by Michael Pocaro Melissa Pol (Eileen) is delighted to be in her first production at Cast of Characters the Village Playhouse. An expert at running on and off stage, she thought that this would be the perfect character for her! Other George Hay Bob Zimmerman credits include Abby in Stuck (Theatre Unchained), Meg in Lit- Charlotte Hay Donna Daniels tle Women (Old World Wisconsin), Mrs.