Who are they now?
Lance Motta-Vilensky
They’ve been tenors and tap dancers, detectives and doctors, swimmers and swingers, rabbis and rabbits, cross-dressers and carousers, maidens and murderers, duck hunters and dead people and who are they now? Well, who they ain’t is your average later life a/k/a active adult PebbleCreeker looking for a good game of golf or a walk around Robson Circle followed by a healthy late afternoon nap. No, healthy is not a state of being I would use to describe them. They are, they are; let me think. What is it called when a person has two or more distinct or split identities or personalities and psychotic like symptoms including auditory and visual hallucinations? Oh, I remember now. They are actors and, in this case, they are all members of PebbleCreek Players Community Theatre.
Who are they now? Perhaps a better question; who do they want you to be now? That’s right, this transcendent troupe, already great in number, would like you to audition for a role in their spring production of The Hallelujah Girls, penned by playful and prolific playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten; and don’t be fooled by the title, this will not be a religious experience.
Director Lee Vilensky and assistant director Shirley Robinson are seeking six female and two male cast members. No previous acting experience is necessary. Additionally they are seeking others for support roles such as stage crew, costumes, makeup and more. Auditions will be held in the ballroom at the Tuscany Falls Clubhouse on Wednesday, October 29 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Thursday, October 30 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
So find out who they want you to be now! Additional information, such as a copy of the script, may be obtained by contacting Lee Vilensky at 480-244-5560.
“The Drowsy Chaperone” auditions coming soon
Laurie Farquhar
Holy cats! It’s almost time for auditions for ShowTime’s spring 2015 production of The Drowsy Chaperone.
The play is filled with fun and quirky characters such as a dotty dowager, dancing monkeys and a ditzy chorus girl. There is also a dashing leading man, a debonair Latin silent film star and an impressive Asian emperor.
For those not familiar with The Drowsy Chaperone, it is the story of an eccentric man who sits in his dingy apartment telling the audience about his favorite musical from 1928. As he reveals the musical’s plot and plays the old vinyl record, the characters come to life in his living room. It is a lighthearted show with lots of singing, dancing and laughter.
The ShowTime production will run from Monday, April 13 to Saturday, April 18, 2015. Karyn Horst, who is directing the show, will hold auditions in the Renaissance Theatre on Sunday, October 26 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and again on Tuesday, October 28 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Auditions are open to everyone who lives in PebbleCreek and copies of the script and music are available from Patti Wegehaupt at 623-536-7233. If you have ever thought of getting involved in PebbleCreek’s wonderful theater community, this would be the perfect time as work begins on another fabulous ShowTime production.
Save The Date
For those who like to plan ahead, here is the Performing Arts schedule for meetings, auditions and productions for fall 2014 and production dates for spring 2015.
Fall 2014
PC Players:
October 22 to 25 (Wednesday to Saturday): PC Players fall production Mama Won’t Fly at 7:00 p.m. in the Renaissance Theatre
October 28 (Tuesday): PC Players monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Sienna Room
October 29 and 30 (Wednesday and Thursday): Auditions for The Hallelujah Girls; 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Tuscany Ballroom. Scripts are available from Patti Wegehaupt at 623-536-7233 or Lee Vilensky at 480-244-5560.
November 25 (Tuesday): PC Players monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Sienna Room
ShowTime:
October 15 (Wednesday): ShowTime general membership meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the theatre
October 25 (Saturday): Opening day of ticket sales for Celebrating Ed Sullivan; 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. in the Renaissance Theatre. After that tickets will be available at Eagle’s Nest Kiosk Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
October 26 (Sunday): Auditions for The Drowsy Chaperone from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Renaissance Theatre
October 28 (Tuesday): Auditions for The Drowsy Chaperone from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Renaissance Theatre. Scripts and music available from Patti Wegehaupt at 623-536-7233.
November 17 to 22 (Monday to Saturday): ShowTime Fall Production Celebrating Ed Sullivan at 7:00 p.m. in the Renaissance Theatre
PC Singers:
November 1 (Saturday): Opening day of ticket sales for We Need a Little Christmas concert in the Renaissance Theatre from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. After that tickets are available at the Eagle’s Nest Kiosk on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
December 2 to 7 (Tuesday to Sunday): PC Singers Holiday Concert We Need a Little Christmas
SPRING 2015:
March 10 to 14: PC Players Spring Production The Hallelujah Girls
March 26 to 28: PC Musicians Big Band Concert
April 13 to 18: ShowTime Spring Production The Drowsy Chaperone
April 29 to May 2: PC Singers Spring Concert
Left to right: Ron Glynn, Debby Dennington, Larry Eidt, Ken Johannson, Bernie Dant and Donna Swagger prepare for ticket sales.
PC Singers Holiday Concert tickets go on sale in November!
Donna Swagger
Saturday, November 1, 2014. Mark that date on your calendar right now because that is the first day of public ticket sales for the PC Singers winter concert, We Need a Little Christmas. The doors open at 7:00 a.m.; sales begin promptly at 8:00 and continue until 10:00 a.m. in the Renaissance Theatre. Because this holiday concert usually sells out very quickly and you don’t want to miss the chance to purchase these coveted tickets, plan to arrive early to get your place in line. This promises to be the biggest and best concert ever.
Under the direction of Gail Kennedy, the chorus will present Christmas carols, sacred and secular numbers, some novelty pieces, a beautiful acappella selection and a Hanukkah number. Various soloists, small ensembles and harp accompaniment on several numbers will also be featured in the program. The concert will open with a lively arrangement of We Need a Little Christmas from the Broadway musical Mame. The closing number will be Joy to the World! Hallelujah!, a majestic piece that brilliantly combines two popular choruses by George Frederic Handel. Audiences are certain to feel in the holiday mood after experiencing all nineteen songs in this phenomenal repertoire!
To accommodate the high demand from PebbleCreek residents, six concerts have been scheduled this year. Dates are Tuesday, December 2 through Sunday, December 7 with performances beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Renaissance Theatre. The price of each ticket is $15 and individuals may purchase up to four tickets.
Usher in your yuletide season by attending our program one of the six nights.
PebbleCreek Big Band in the Renaissance Theatre setting the stage for Burst of Music VII performed in April 2014.
PebbleCreek Big Band resumes rehearsals
Bruce Birnel
The PebbleCreek Big Band has resumed rehearsals in preparation for its March 26, 27 and 28 show dates. If you’ll notice, our show dates are earlier this year in response to the requests by many of our snowbirds who have in previous years been unable to attend our shows because of our mid-April performance dates.
The PebbleCreek Big Band rehearses every Tuesday afternoon from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. in the Renaissance Theatre. If you play an instrument and can read music, the band has openings in its trumpet, saxophone and percussion sections. The band is made up of professional, semi-professional and amateur musicians. We even have band members who have not played their instrument since their high school or college days. So if you fall into any of these categories and want to relive the fun and personal satisfaction that music brings you or just want more information, email Bruce Birnel at [email protected] or call 623-536-6660.
If you are not interested in the positions mentioned above, but have other musical ideas that you’d like to pursue, if you would like to contact other musicians in PebbleCreek, or you want to join the registry of musicians maintained by the PebbleCreek Musicians club, reply or call as noted above.
Watch this publication as well as the PebbleCreek eGroup for the start of ticket sales.
Cast and crew of Celebrating Ed Sullivan take a break.
Celebrating Ed Sullivan tickets on sale this month
Laurie Farquhar
It is going to be “a really big shew” on the Renaissance Theatre stage this November when ShowTime presents Celebrating Ed Sullivan. This unique trip down memory lane will feature more than 60 singers, dancers and comedians performing everything from the classic harmonies of the McGuire Sisters to the “I get no respect” comedy of Rodney Dangerfield to the soft rock and roll of the Everly Brothers. There will also be a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Conceived by Dave Silverstein and written and directed by Chanca Morrell, the ShowTime production will be a tribute to the legacy created by Ed Sullivan rather than a reproduction of one of his famous Sunday evening shows. There will be an Emcee who will talk about Ed Sullivan’s many accomplishments, plus he will reveal a few behind the scenes stories that will likely surprise a lot of people. Some of PebbleCreek’s most talented performers will present songs and comedy acts from a few of the thousands of artists who appeared on the weekly show during its 23 year run on television. Many of these artists saw their careers really take off after appearing with Sullivan because during the 1950’s and 60’s if Ed Sullivan liked a performer, so did the rest of the country.
Celebrating Ed Sullivan runs six nights from Monday, November 17 to Saturday, November 22. Tickets are $15 and will go on sale Saturday, October 25 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. in the Renaissance Theatre. After that tickets will be available at the Eagle’s Nest kiosk every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
Everyone has their favorite memory of The Ed Sullivan Show, whether it was the Beatles’ first American television appearance or one of the comedy routines with Topo Gigio, the little Italian mouse. No matter which was your favorite, Celebrating Ed Sullivan is guaranteed to take you back to an era when families gathered around the old black and white television on Sunday evening for a magical hour of entertainment hosted by the Master of Variety.