The Prompter 92nd season, Issue 4 December 2014 PREZ SAYS That Certain Time of the Year Tis the season...everywhere you look, people are busy getting ready to celebrate-- putting up decorations, shopping for gifts, hosting or attending parties. It's that certain time of the year! We're busy at the playhouse, too. The Village Youth Theater is in rehearsal for The Sound of Music and Brighton Beach Memoirs is in rehearsal, and Sing in the Season is coming back. Our calendar is full! We are working on creating workshops for directors, sound techs, lighting techs, and stage managers. I've been in touch with the President of Stagecrafters, and we are looking to create a community theater coalition with the area theaters. We're hoping to share best practices, workshops and hopefully work toward a real community spirit, sharing ideas, talents, and more. Our 2015-2016 season has been set, and rights are being acquired; we're very excited about our slate! If you notice a show you'd love to work on, please, contact the show’s director or someone on the board and we'll be sure to involve you. I'm so proud to be involved with Village Players. We have such a great reputation for finding and keeping wonderful talent. It was such a heartwarming feeling to hear the audiences’ reactions to our first two shows! If only we had more people in the seats! Have you thought about having an appetizer and cocktail at your home for some friends before the show and then going to The Stand for late night fare after? What a great evening that would be. And if you haven't been to The Stand lately you're in for a real treat. The food is great, the service terrific, and the prices are just right! Be sure to mention that you're a Village Players Dining Club member. Let the holiday season commence! See you at the playhouse! This edition of The Prompter was created and compiled by your new newsletter team Randy Gilchrist, Michael A. Gravame & Tania L. Velinsky. Please send all newsworthy articles, pictures and items to anyone in the new team. Randy—[email protected] ◊ Michael— [email protected] ◊ Tania—[email protected] 1 Brighton Beach Memoirs Coming to Birmingham Brighton Beach Memoirs, Neil Simon’s funny, yet touching, semi- autobiographical portrait of a Jewish-American family as seen through the eyes of 15-year-old Eugene Morris Jerome, opens at Village Players on January 16, 2015. In post-depression, pre-war era Brooklyn, the most pressing thoughts on the mind of Neil Simon’s protagonist are baseball and girls. Living with six other family members under one roof doesn’t afford young Eugene much privacy, but it does provide him with plenty of ammunition for his nascent career as a writer. In excerpts from his journal, he introduces his overworked father, his under-appreciated mother, his comparatively worldly older brother, Stanley, his cousins Nora (the beautiful star in-training) and Laurie (the pampered bookworm), and his widowed, asthmatic Aunt Blanche. The resulting coming-of-age story is an affectionate and thoroughly entertaining lesson in overcoming hard times with warmth, tears, laughter and humor. Brighton Beach Memoirs is the first chapter in what is known as Simon’s Eugene Trilogy. It precedes Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound. Although related, all three plays are stand-alone works. The Village Players production is directed by veteran actor, director, and producer Michael Gravame. Starring in the show are Antonia Cipriano as Eugene, Janie Minchella as Kate, Salvatore Sbrocca as Stanley, Cathie Badalamenti as Blanche, Rick Mason as Jack, Kate Dickinson as Nora, and Noel Stanley as Laurie. Pictured at left (l-r), The Morton Family- Noel Stanley, Cathie Badalamenti and Kate Dickinson. Pictured at right (l-r), The Jacob Jerome Family– Janie Minchella, Rick Mason, Salvatore Sbrocca, and Antonia Cipriano Pictured above – Back row L to R Cathie Badalamenti , Kate Dickinson, Salvatore Sbrocca,, Middle row Janie Minchella, Rick Mason, Front row – Noel Stanley and Antonio Cipriano The Prompter 2 December 2014 Sing in the Season Returns to Village Players The Village Players Board of Trustees decided in 2013, to start a holiday tradition with the very first production of Sing in the Season in December 2013. Jude Purcell worked closely with the Marketing Committee to produce the show. The 2013 version included the singing of the Village Youth Theatre and the Twelfth Night Singers, many of whom are members of VP or have appeared in other VP productions. Long-time VP member, pianist Joan Bowes, entertained those in attendance. A number of crafts people also offered gifts for sale. This new tradition continues on December 21, 2014 at 2:00PM. The focus for 2014 is on performance. The VYT and Twelfth Night Singers return along with dancers from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio sharing their talents. Among the dancers is our own Sofia Malynowskyj, who has won numerous awards for her dancing. Those in the audience will be part of the show, too as some sing-along numbers are included in the program. This year’s show is co-produced by Jude Purcell and Gary Mach, with assistance, once again, from the Marketing Committee, composed of Gary Mach, Diane D’Agostino, Susie Gardiner, and Cathie Badalamenti. Tickets for the December 21 performance are available now. General Admission tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for those ages 18 and under. So don your elf hat or antlers and take a break from your last-minute holiday preparations to join the Village Players family for some holiday singing and dancing. (Please see event flyer elsewhere in this edition.) Directors, Readers, and Publicity Sought for One-Act Festival Directors, assistant directors, play readers, and publicity are being sought to take part in the VP/Playwrights@Work 2015 One-Act Festival, scheduled for the weekend of July 24-26, 2015. Each year, members of the One-Act Festival play-reading committee select four original plays for performance from P@W submissions. Plays are evaluated on how well they succeed as theater–based on characterization, dialog, plot development, and staging. Volunteers are also needed to serve as crew members, lighting and sound technicians, ushers, and ticket-takers, and to help with program design, props, and costuming. VP members interested in participating in the 2015 event should contact the producer, Nicole Jones, at [email protected] with area of interest, qualifications, e-mail address, and phone number. Co-producer Joe Gadon, who directed a play in the 2014 event, calls the festival “great fun and a memorable theater experience.” He urges VP members to participate, adding that P@W “is a vital part of the Birmingham Village Players and fulfills one of the key aims of the theater.” The Prompter 3 December 2014 VYT’s The Sound of Music Opens December 11 The cast of The Sound of Music is ready to open their production on December 11. The young performers, ages eight to 18, currently are polishing their harmonies and their dance moves for the Austrian Landler. The show runs December 11, 12, and 13 at 7:00 p.m. and December 13 and 14 at 2:00 p.m. The shows are selling briskly; tickets are currently available for the Thursday and Saturday evening shows only. We hope that you'll join us for this beautiful, heartwarming show. Prior to opening, the cast will be performing some of the show's music at the Birmingham Winter Markt in Shain Park. Winter Markt is a European-inspired festival that features traditional holiday drinks, gift items, holiday greens, crafts, and even a Kinder us children's activity area. The Sound of Music cast joins the Winter Markt enter- tainment line-up from 6:00-6:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5. *Pictured left+ The Nuns from Nonnbery Abbey sing “Dixit Dominus”. Pictured from left to right are: Tess Eschebach, Zoe Phillips, Mae Kennedy, Natalie Siegel, Nina Hansen, Katy Zink, and Jamie Trepeck. *Pictured right+ The Von Trapp Family. Pictured left to right are: Quinn Moran, Pasha Lumelsky, Pelagia Pamel, Mitch Mollison, Noel Stanley, Aaron Warrow, Ryan Balberman, Ellie Haenick, Haley Spencer The Prompter 4 December 2014 Two Eugenes: The Interview Michael Gravame, director of the Village Players production of Brighton Beach Memoirs, recently sat down with Antonio Cipriano, the young actor who is portraying Eugene Morris Jerome, for a short Q & A to discuss Brighton Beach Memoirs and other theatrical endeavors. Michael reflects: “It is a pleasure passing the torch down to this very talented and gifted young man. He reminds me of myself at that age and from the moment he auditioned, I saw glimpses of me in his portrayal of Eugene…” Here are some excerpts from their conversation. Michael Gravame: When did you first get interested in acting? Antonio Cipriano: Eight years ago. I was always entertaining and singing since I was two years old. My Mom said I was doing singing impersonations of Johnny Cash and other famous people. Since I had all this energy, enthusiasm, and performance ability, my Mom made me attend a theatre camp at Grosse Pointe Theatre, where I appeared in High School Musical, playing the role of Zeke. MG: So, did the Theatre bug bite you since then? AC: I did not think I’d like it, but I fell hard. For the next six years, I performed in over 20 productions. MG: Do you have a favorite role you have played? AC: Danny Zuko in Grease. But, I think Eugene might be my new favorite role; it certainly is the biggest part I have played so far.