left this month
By Tom Woods
With the dog days upon us, it might profit you to keep in mind that the vast majority of area theater venues provide a nice, air-conditioned space in which to enjoy a couple of hours of relief from the heat. Not to mention the fact that there are few more rewarding ways to spend those hours.
€ The Seneca Community Players are staging Andrew Lippa's critically acclaimed “The Wild Party” this weekend at the Delevan Theater on the New York State Chiropractic College campus in Seneca Falls. My review is in tomorrow's Go insert.
€ Merry-Go-Round Playhouse opens its production of Lerner and Loewe's “Gigi” tonight. The play features Daryl Getman in the title role. Miss Getman has been a standout all season in the MGR chorus and supporting cast, and with this production she gets her chance to shine.
€ Cortland Repertory Theatre has a brilliant production of the comedy “Moonlight and Magnolias,” notable for superb performances by Benjamin Bauman and CRT producing director Kerby Thompson. This is one of the best shows, and two of the finest performances of the summer.
€ Ithaca's Hangar Theatre has “Hello Dolly!” on its boards through Sept. 3, while the Kitchen Theatre opens Tennessee William's “The Glass Menagerie” Aug. 23.
€ The Theatre Association of New York State is hosting an Audition Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, at the Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St. in Rochester. Call Michael Arve at (585) 234-1254.
€ Geneva Theatre Guild is holding open auditions for its production of Paul Zindel's “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds,” at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 28 and 29, at the Presbyterian Church on Park Place in Geneva. There are roles for five women. Anyone auditioning is encouraged to have a prepared monologue. For more information, contact director Ed Scutt at ed@tastylime.net.
€ Tony Award-winning actor Elizabeth Franz will return to Syracuse Stage to star in the title role of “Driving Miss Daisy,” which opens Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 12.
Here's a fundraising idea for The Schine Theater. Why not institute a “Walk of Fame” in front of the theater? Local donors and businesses could sponsor a star to be set into the sidewalk. It isn't as though there's a dearth of local talent to nominate for an initial slate: Thommie Walsh, Todd Lattimore, Marc and Joe Petrosino, Louis Marullo and Joey DeMaio, Kelly Conners, Ed Sayles, Dan Labeille, Joe DeForrest, Bob Frame, Sam Kennedy and the late Dick Mahlstedt. And that's just the names I can come up with without really thinking about it. I know there was a dancer/choreographer back in the '40s who wound up working a lot in Vegas. The name John Nervina sticks in my head (so much is stuck in that dark place) but I'm not sure. Perhaps someone can let me know if they remember him.
If the Schine sidewalk is too small a space, maybe the mall outside of the Auburn Public Theater entrance is a possibility. Send me your nominations and maybe we can get the ball rolling.
Tom Woods writes monthly on local and regional theater news. E-mail him at twoods@dramaimp.com
With the dog days upon us, it might profit you to keep in mind that the vast majority of area theater venues provide a nice, air-conditioned space in which to enjoy a couple of hours of relief from the heat. Not to mention the fact that there are few more rewarding ways to spend those hours.
€ The Seneca Community Players are staging Andrew Lippa's critically acclaimed “The Wild Party” this weekend at the Delevan Theater on the New York State Chiropractic College campus in Seneca Falls. My review is in tomorrow's Go insert.
€ Merry-Go-Round Playhouse opens its production of Lerner and Loewe's “Gigi” tonight. The play features Daryl Getman in the title role. Miss Getman has been a standout all season in the MGR chorus and supporting cast, and with this production she gets her chance to shine.
€ Cortland Repertory Theatre has a brilliant production of the comedy “Moonlight and Magnolias,” notable for superb performances by Benjamin Bauman and CRT producing director Kerby Thompson. This is one of the best shows, and two of the finest performances of the summer.
€ Ithaca's Hangar Theatre has “Hello Dolly!” on its boards through Sept. 3, while the Kitchen Theatre opens Tennessee William's “The Glass Menagerie” Aug. 23.
€ The Theatre Association of New York State is hosting an Audition Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, at the Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St. in Rochester. Call Michael Arve at (585) 234-1254.
€ Geneva Theatre Guild is holding open auditions for its production of Paul Zindel's “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds,” at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 28 and 29, at the Presbyterian Church on Park Place in Geneva. There are roles for five women. Anyone auditioning is encouraged to have a prepared monologue. For more information, contact director Ed Scutt at ed@tastylime.net.
€ Tony Award-winning actor Elizabeth Franz will return to Syracuse Stage to star in the title role of “Driving Miss Daisy,” which opens Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 12.
Here's a fundraising idea for The Schine Theater. Why not institute a “Walk of Fame” in front of the theater? Local donors and businesses could sponsor a star to be set into the sidewalk. It isn't as though there's a dearth of local talent to nominate for an initial slate: Thommie Walsh, Todd Lattimore, Marc and Joe Petrosino, Louis Marullo and Joey DeMaio, Kelly Conners, Ed Sayles, Dan Labeille, Joe DeForrest, Bob Frame, Sam Kennedy and the late Dick Mahlstedt. And that's just the names I can come up with without really thinking about it. I know there was a dancer/choreographer back in the '40s who wound up working a lot in Vegas. The name John Nervina sticks in my head (so much is stuck in that dark place) but I'm not sure. Perhaps someone can let me know if they remember him.
If the Schine sidewalk is too small a space, maybe the mall outside of the Auburn Public Theater entrance is a possibility. Send me your nominations and maybe we can get the ball rolling.
Tom Woods writes monthly on local and regional theater news. E-mail him at twoods@dramaimp.com