Theatre--Performance

Cité des Arts presents Greezy Spoon and Head And Tales, two originalone-act comedies, written by local playwright, historian and musician,Austin Sonnier, Jr. and directed by Maureen Brennan.

Greezy Spoon is a comedy set at the Greezy Spoon, a combination local diner and funeral parlor based in New Orleans. The story introduces us to the charactersthat pass through those doors.

Head And Tales tells the tale of a historic home in Uptown New Orleans. The young girls now renting this once palatial home are eager to leave before another Friday the thirteenth unleashes its furies. Little do they know how
close they are to main players in this century old tale…

WHEN: September 4 -20, 2008 at 7:30pm
WHERE: Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St., downtown Lafayette between Jefferson
St. and Third St.
COST: $15 Adults, $10 Senior Citizens and Students

Theatre--Presentations

Cité des Arts continues with our community arts and education program, ARTISTIC VOICES, each Wednesday during the month of September. This program is sponsored in part by the State of Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Acadiana Arts Council. Four artists from contrasting artistic disciplines are brought together in a panel discussion to discuss the creative process.

•Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:00pm:
THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND HUMOR featuring A.D. Dugar (Film/Theatre), Shane Guilbeau (Theatre), Annie Hendrix (Hand-Sculpted Clay), and Jim Phillips
(Children’s Education/Music). Facilitated by Jack Reedy.
COST: $7.00 for Adults; $5.00 for Members of Cité des Arts, Senior Citizens and
Students.

•Wednesday, September 10th at 7:00pm:
THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND SOLITUDE featuring Dr. Keith Dorwick(The Written Word), Philip Gould (Photography), Bria Hobgood (Theatre), and Michael Juan
Nunez (Musician/Songwriter). Facilitated by Jack Reedy.
COST: $7.00 for Adults; $5.00 for Members of Cité des Arts, Senior Citizens and
Students.

•Wednesday, September 17th at 7:00pm:
THE CREATIVE PROCESS AND INSPIRATION featuring
Don Brasseaux (Sophisticated Furniture and Art from salvaged material),David Egan (Musician/Songwriter), Trish Ransom (jewelry, fish and other creatures from found objects and recycled material, and Cedric Watson (Musician/Songwriter).
Facilitated by Herman Fuselier.
COST: $7.00 for Adults; $5.00 for Members of Cité des Arts, Senior Citizens and
Students.

•Wednesday, September 24th at 7:00pm:
THE CREATIVE PROCESS: ON THE EDGE featuring Darrel Bourque(The Written Word/Poetry), Kelly Guidry (Wood Sculpture), Dege Lege(Musician/Songwriter/Author) and Austin Sonnier, Jr. (Playwright/Musician/Author). Facilitated by Jack Reedy.
COST: $7.00 for Adults; $5.00 for Members of Cité des Arts, Senior Citizens and
Students.

Theatre--Announcement

The Acadia Players have a new website, and are now listed in the "Links" section of the blog.

Theatre--Audition

Shawn Roy from the University of Louisiana--Lafayette will be conducting auditions for his fall show, Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know, on August 29th from 4-9 pm in the auditorium of Angelle Hall (please come in through the back stagedoor). It is a comic musical revue which gives us a glimpse at the topsy-turvy world of travel. There are parts for men and women. Age does not matter. There is some adult subject matter, so it is not recommended that anyone under the age of 16 audition.

Please bring a musical theatre song, uptempo and comic preferred. No monologue needed. The show runs from October 9 - 12 in Fletcher Hall on the UL-Lafayette campus. For more information, call Shawn Roy at 482-5939.

Theatre--Review

This is the first blog review for Gabe Ortego. Gabe has been performing on stage for the last 12 years. He is a board member at the Opelousas Little Theatre where he has performed in and directed over 15 productions. He is also active in the Eunice Players' Theatre, where he has performed in Fiddler on the Roof, Never Get Smart with an Angel , and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. He also directed The Last Night of Ballyhoo, which performed and won the Audience Favorite award at the Hub City Theatre Festival.

I just finished working on a show about a college professor with ovarian cancer. Throughout rehearsal, the director kept saying “Cancer is universal”. While I believe that is true, it made me think about what else is universal. I instantly thought of love. Love is universal. This is why I cannot recommend strongly enough to get to Cite Des Arts and catch Committed before it ends its run Saturday (August 30th) night.

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares Plaguing Middle America (Woo! That is a title to write) is one of the most honest pieces of theatre that I have seen in this area. Committed is a solo performance written and performed by Cody Daigle (Cara Hayden directs while Duncan Thistlethwaite provides the scenic design). And there is no topic of gay lifestyle that Daigle doesn’t address. I promise you will laugh at the hilarity of his early years which were spent obsessed with a certain Karate Kid. I also promise you will feel the load of his struggles as he explains his desire to be married. It is in these moments where, without the audience realizing it, Committed works its magic. Imagine living in a world where the thing you want more than anything is deemed wrong by the people who are supposed to fight for everyone’s freedom. Can you? This sadly is the world we live in. Daigle acknowledges all this throughout the course of the show and makes one of the strongest arguments for gay marriage this side of the Mississippi.

I was in the audience when the show was first performed as part of the Hub City Theatre festival this past summer. I have since seen it a total of three times (I know but I really like this show). One thing that has struck me each time is the audience reaction to the piece. On Saturday when I attended the show, the audience definitely a wide array of people. The heterosexual couple sitting in front of me caught my attention. I could tell from the boyfriend’s body language that he was dragged there by his girlfriend. Throughout the first act he was slouched in his chair with an air of disdain. Then during the second act something happened. He sat up and zoned in on the man with a dream on stage. By curtain call, he was on his feet. That ladies and gentlemen is no small feat for anyone in theatre. Kudos, Cody!

Your religion, nationality, or sexual orientation doesn't matter; get yourself to Cite des Arts and see Committed before you miss out on a show that proves the power of theatre.
--Gabe Ortego

Theatre--Audition

The Evangeline Players are producing It's a Wonderful Life, a play based on the movie classic with Jimmy Stewart. At present, director Vincent P. Barras needs a cast of AT LEAST 25 people: 14-17 males and 7-8 females. Some parts are not gender specific so that allows some flexibility. The following are the characters:
George Bailey (20-40)
Mary Hatch Bailey (20-40)
Mrs. Rose Bailey (50+)
Uncle Billy (50+)
Mr. Potter (50+)
Clarence (20-60)
Jo & Frankie (20-60)
Annie the Maid (any age)
Harry Bailey(20-40)
Bert(20-40)
Pop Bailey (50+)
Mr. Gower (50+)
Martini (any age)
Cousin Eustace (any age)
Five other Townspeople (random ages)
Four Bailey children (Janie,Pete, Tommy, Zuzu) Ages ranging from 13-14 for oldest to Zuzu being youngest (6-10)
Five young versions of main characters (kids to early teenagers)

Tryouts are Monday, August 25th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the DuChamp Opera House in Saint Martinville(200 West Main Street) Further tryouts during the week can be scheduled by contacting Vincent P. Barras at 337-519-0865 if Monday night is not convenient. Rehearsals will be Monday through Thursday evenings 6:00 pm until 8:30 pm, but the rehearsal schedule will be staggered so that most actors will not be needed for more than two nights a week, and some even less. The performance dates are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm from November 7th through November 23rd. For further information, contact Vincent P. Barras at the phone number above or at his email address
vpbarras@aisp.net.

Theatre--Performance

Van Reed, Kevin Miller, and Kevin Courville hit the stage to present "All the Great Books (abridged)by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor at the Eunice Players' Theatre. Directed by Debi L. Crawford, this is the second show of the theatre's 39th season.

The two-act comedy re-educates the audience on their literary knowledge of the world's greatest classics. Who needs The Illiad and The Odyssey when there's The Idiodyssey? The classic, Little Women, is boring until the coach explains it as a play-by-play football diagram. Why should anyone read Charles Dickens' novels when it's presented as a soap opera? No need to read the 1500 page War and Peace when it can be reduced to a 10 minute dramatic presentation. This fast-paced comedy will leave you laughing in the aisles.

Show dates are:
Saturday, September 13 at 7:00
Sunday, September 14 at 2:00 (matinee)
Monday, September 15 at 6:00 - Dinner Theatre*
Tuesday, September 16 at 7:00
Wednesday, September 17 at 7:00
Thursday, September 18 at 7:00
Friday, September 19 - NO SHOW
Saturday, September 20 at 7:00

All seats are $10. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling Louis Wright's Store at 337-457-3330 (Monday through Friday 9:00 to 5:00) or 337-457-2156 Monday through Saturday. All tickets must be paid in advance by check only; no credit cards accepted. The theatre is located at 121 S. Second St. in Eunice.

*Dinner is served at 6:00 at Nick's Restaurant next door to the theatre. The show starts in the theatre at 7:00. The menu is steak with appropriate side dishes; dessert is served at intermission. Ticket price is $15 in addition to the $10 for the price of the show.

Theatre--Performance

Gris-Gris Productions is bringing back The Exile Of Joe Gagliano, a bittersweet play about the trials of living with family after Hurricane Katrina, for a one-night performance at Cite Des Arts Back Stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29. The play debuted at Cité's recent Hub City Theatre Festival in July. The play will be preceded by an open mic from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., where writers will have the opportunity to read their works dealing with the hurricanes of 2005.

"We wanted to bring back the play because it received such a wonderful response at the festival and Aug. 29 is the third-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina," said playwright Cheré Coen. "The play looks at family life during disasters so it has an uplifting ending and reminds us that no matter what comes at us, we still have each other. So even though we are acknowledging the anniversary, it will be a positive event."

The open mic was added to give local writers a chance to read work they have written about both storms. "There are so many wonderful writers in Acadiana and this is just another chance to show them off," Coen said. "I encourage everyone to come out and read and celebrate that after three years, we are still alive and kicking."

All profits generated by the event will be donated to the Resurrection Project, a recovery organization rebuilding homes in the Lower 9th Ward.

WHAT: The Exile Of Joe Gagliano by Cheré Coen, directed by Bruce Coen
WHEN: 7-8 p.m. open mic for writers, 8 p.m. performance
WHERE: Cité des Arts Back Stage
COST: $10, with profits going to the Resurrection Project, a recovery organization rebuilding homes in the Lower 9th Ward
Lagniappe: Coffee and chicory and New Orleans refreshments will be available

Theatre--Classes

The teen class to be taught by Walter Brown at Cite Des Arts beginning on September 8th will begin at 3 pm and run until 4:30 p. The class for younger children will be held immediately before the teen class, but the starting time has not been set.

The adult class, also to be held at Cite Des Arts, will begin at 6:30 pm and end at 8:00 pm.

For more information, or to register for the classes, contact Walter Brown by phone at 235-6284 or by e-mail at wfj5552@cs.com.

Theatre--Review

In the August 22nd edition of the Daily Advertiser, Ray Blum reviews an unnamed play (Seriously, the play is not named in the review).

Theatre--Audition (corrections)

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Performing Arts will be holding auditions for the The Living by Anthony Clarvoe, to open its fall production season. The play will be directed by Department Chair Nyalls Hartman. Performance dates are October 22-25 at 7:30 p.m. and 26 at 2 p.m. in Fletcher Hall, room 134 on the UL Lafayette campus.

Auditions for PFAR majors as well as community actors will be held Tuesday, August 26th and Wednesday, August 27th in McLaurin Hall at 7 p.m. A reserved time is required to audition and auditioners are required to present a 90-second contemporary monologue and be prepared to read from the script. Auditioners are also asked to provide a resume and headshot if available.

Taking place in London during the Plague of 1665, The Living has commentary on our current times; not only with the plague of today (AIDS), but with the response of government to issues of significant relevance to the lives of its people.

As it is written, the play has roles (ages 20 – 40) for 5 men and 2 women with 3 additional actors who play a total of 12 characters. Hartman will work an open casting option with cross gender casting as a possibility.

For further information, please call: (337) 482-6537.

Theatre--Classes

Company class auditions for Acting Up (in Acadiana)take place on Aug. 25th or by appointment (feel free to contact Amy Waguespack for details). Classes are available for students ages 7-adult. All students, regardless of future work, can build confidence in public speaking, practice collaborative and group working skills, nurture the imagination and creativity, and just have fun!

All classes meet at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Classes begin the week of September 8th and run through the first week of June (holidays are taken according to Lafayette Parish School Calendar). Students perform a public showcase in mid-January and host a classroom invitational in May. Waguespack and former students have worked in theatre, film, television, and commercials in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and more.


Elementary School Class (Wednesdays 4:30-5:30 PM)
This class develops the young actors focus and concentration skills as well as collaboration and ensemble building. Improvisation is used as a tool to discover character.

Jr. High and Beginner High School Classes (Mondays 4:30-6 PM)
This class begins more complex character development through the theories and practices of Stanislavski and Stanislavski inspired techniques.

Intermediate High School and Beginner Adults (Tuesdays 6-7:30 PM)
This class explores multiple acting theories and practices, helping the growing actor to discover a method or combination of methods that works best for him/her.

Company Class (Mondays 6:15-7:45)
Participation by audition or invitation. The professional company continues training in voice, movement, dance, theory and practice.

If you are unsure which class is best for you or your child, feel free to contact me (Amy Waguespack of Acting Up (in Acadiana)) at (337) 739-4273.

Theatre--Classes

Walter Brown will be offering acting classes at Cite Des Arts. He will offer a class for younger students (ages 8-12, although he will meet and "audition" younger students at the parents' request), and a class for older students (ages 13+).

The younger class will focus on building confidence in speaking and interacting with and in front of others, as well as the foundations of techniques in acting. Emphasis will be given to theatre games which promote these goals.

The older class will focus on the techniques of acting, as well as the technical aspects of a stage production (lighting, set design, make-up). Depending on the expressed interests of the group, the class may also focus in part on what is more technically "speech", such as dramatic interpretation.

Both classes will work toward productions at the end of the year.

Walter also plans to offer an adult class, the details of which will be realeased later.

Classes are tentatively scheduled for Mondays at Cite Des Arts (in downtown Lafayette). For more information, answers to specific questions or to register for the classes, please contact Walter Brown at 235-6284 or by e-mail at
wfj5552@cs.com

Theatre--Audition

The Department of Performing Arts of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will hold auditions for its fall production of The Living on Tuesday, August 26th at 7 pm at McLaurin Hall. The play has roles for five men and 2 women (ages 20-40) with three additional actors who play a total of 12 characters. Reservations of times are required for auditions and auditioners are required to present a 90 second contemporary monologue and be prepared to "cold read" from the script. Auditioners are also asked to provide a resume and headshot (if available). For more information, call the Department of Performing Arts at 482-6537.

Theatre--Performance

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares of Middle America (A solo performance by Cody Daigle)opens at Cite Des Arts on Thursday, August 21st.

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares of Middle America is the latest solo show by local playwright and actor, Cody Daigle. The piece is a seriocomic look at one man’s journey to meet his boyfriend at the altar.

From fake “marriages” during kindergarten playtime to a six-year committed relationship as an adult, the show looks at the challenges of growing up in a world without the possibility of marriage , and it makes a case for marriage’s ability to change everyone, regardless of who you fall in love with.

Committed is a funny, revealing, and very personal look at the gay marriage issue.

Local director and producer, Cara Hayden, directs the production with a scenic design by Duncan Thistlethwaite. The piece received two awards at the 2008 Hub City Theatre Festival-–Best Original Play and Best Actor.

WHEN: August 21-30, 2008, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cité des Arts, 109 Vine Street, Downtown, Lafayette
COST: $12.00

For more information and reservations, please call 291-1122.

The show contains adult language and subject matter. Parental guidance is recommended.

Theatre--Announcement

Firelight Children's Theatre, directed by Laura Blum, will be presenting two one-act plays in New York City in June, 2009. Students ages 9 and up will be a part of the Off-Broadway performance. For more information on how to become a part of this exciting theatrical opportunity contact Laura at 857-6991 or email her at laura@firelightenterprises.com.

Dance--Audition

Local “angels” share the stage with the Sugar Plum Fairy — portrayed by Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer Louise Nadeau — during a previous Lafayette Ballet Theatre performance of The Nutcracker.

Lafayette Ballet Theatre invites area dancers to audition Sunday, September 7th, for its December full-length ballet production of The Nutcracker. Auditions will take place at Angelle Hall, located at the corner of St. Mary Blvd. and McKinley Street on the UL Lafayette campus.

To qualify for audition, a dancer must be at least 8 years old; have completed at least one year of ballet study; and be studying ballet currently in an established dance program. Audition times vary according to the dancer’s age and skill level, as follows:
▪ Beginner and Intermediate Levels, ages 8-10: 1-3 p.m.
▪ Intermediate and Advanced Levels, ages 11-14: 3-5 p.m.
▪ Advanced (no pointe work), ages 15-adult: 5-5:30 p.m.
▪ Advanced Pointe (pre-professionals/professionals): 5:30-7 p.m.

Beginning/Intermediate level dancers should arrive one half hour prior to the start of the audition period listed. Advanced level dancers should arrive at least one hour in advance. All dancers should wear ballet attire and be prepared to stay for the duration of the audition period as listed on the schedule. A $20 registration fee is required of all dancers ages 8 to 17 at the time of audition. Please make checks payable to Lafayette Ballet Theatre or bring exact change.

The Lafayette Ballet Theatre — along with internationally acclaimed guest artists — will present performances of the holiday classic The Nutcracker Saturday, December 6th, and Sunday, December 7th, at the Heymann Performing Arts Center.

Want more information? Visit www.lafayetteballettheatre.org or call 337-262-0444

Theatre--Auditions

Evangeline Players is proud to announce its winter show It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Show Play. Though the play is designed for only five people to play all the various parts of the traditional classic, director Vincent P. Barras wants to cast all the various parts as individual persons and perform the show in a traditional, not radio, format. There are parts for ALL people of ALL ages and all parts are open. It is likely that some people will play more than one character, as there are more than twenty individual people in this play. Tryout dates are SATURDAY, AUGUST 23th from 2:00 pm to4:00 pm and MONDAY AUGUST 25th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the DuChamp Opera House. Rehearsal schedule will likely be Monday through Thursday nights from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm and performances will be Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees from November 7th through the 23rd.

Theatre--Review

In the August 15th edition of the Daily Advertiser, Ray Blum reviews The Evangeline Players' production of Felix and Oscar.

Theatre--Performance

The Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts has announced its upcoming production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The show will run October 25th, 27th and 28th at 7:30 pm and October 26th at 3 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door. Advance tickets go on sale October 13th.

Theatre--Performance

Gris-Gris Productions is bringing back The Exile Of Joe Gagliano, a bittersweet play about the trials of living with family after Hurricane Katrina, for a one-night performance at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29. The play debuted at Cité's recent Hub City Theatre Festival in July.

The play will be preceded by an open mic from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., where writers will have the opportunity to read their works dealing with the hurricanes of 2005.

"We wanted to bring back the play because it received such a wonderful response at the festival and Aug. 29 is the third-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina," said playwright Cheré Coen. "The play looks at family life during disasters so it has an uplifting ending and reminds us that no matter what comes at us, we still have each other. So even though we are acknowledging the anniversary, it will be a positive event.

The open mic was added to give local writers a chance to read work they have written about both storms. "There are so many wonderful writers in Acadiana and this is just another chance to show them off," Coen said. "I encourage everyone to come out and read and celebrate that after three years, we are still alive and kicking."

All profits generated by the event will be donated to the Resurrection Project, a recovery organization rebuilding homes in the Lower 9th Ward.

WHAT: The Exile Of Joe Gagliano by Cheré Coen, directed by Bruce Coen
WHEN: 7-8 p.m. open mic for writers, 8 p.m. performance
WHERE: Cité des Arts
COST: $10, with profits going to the Resurrection Project, a recovery organization rebuilding homes in the Lower 9th Ward.

Lagniappe: Coffee and chicory and New Orleans refreshments will be available.

Theatre--Performance

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares of Middle America (a solo performance by Cody Daigle)opens Thursday, August 21st at Cite Des Arts.

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares of Middle America is the latest solo show by local playwright and actor, Cody Daigle. The piece is a seriocomic look at one man’s journey to meet his boyfriend at the altar. From fake “marriages” during kindergarten playtime to a six-year committed relationship as an adult, the show looks at the challenges of growing up in a world without the possibility of marriage , and it makes a case for marriage’s ability to change everyone, regardless of whom you fall in love with. Committed is a funny, revealing, and very personal look at the gay marriage issue.

Local director and producer, Cara Hayden, directs the production with a scenic design by Duncan Thistlethwaite. The piece received two awards at the 2008 Hub City Theatre Festival-–Best Original Play and Best Actor.

WHEN: August 21-30, 2008, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cité des Arts, 109 Vine Street, Downtown, Lafayette
COST: $12.00

For more information and reservations, please call 291-1122.

The show contains adult language and subject matter. Parental guidance is recommended.

Theatre--Auditions

The director is looking for a few brave souls to potentially fill some slots in October's production of The Rocky Horror Show. Due to a couple of conflicts and circumstances, we are still looking for the following roles:

Rocky:
Can be any age (not like 90, you know what I mean), but should be in fairly decent physical shape. He must also possess a good rock and roll singing voice.

Corsettes (one male and one female): These roles are the backbone of our vision of this show. These characters provide the background vocals all while devising clever ways to dress the set and provide props with themselves. They basically never leave the stage. You will get an aerobic workout every night. They may also be any age as long as they can handle the physical demands of the role.

If you or anyone you know are interested in helping us fill these roles and want to have a LOT of fun, please call me soon. Remember, if you are under 18, we need to meet your parents. Please pass this information on if you do not mind.

Blaine Peltier
212.4471

Dance

Nicole Foreman


Blaike Musso

Two new dancers have achieved professional status with Lafayette Ballet Theatre. Nicole Foreman and Blaike Musso have joined the local nonprofit’s professional ballet company as apprentices. Foreman, 17, of Carencro, is entering her third year of study with LBT Dance Conservatory. Musso, 13, of Lafayette is entering her fifth year of study with the LBT Dance Conservatory.

Theatre--Performance

The Bridge to Terabithia, a production of The Acadia Players of Crowley featuring children from Acadia Parish and surrounding areas, announces its schedule. School performances will be Thursday, September 25 & Friday, Sept. 26 at 9 a.m. Student rates are $1.00 per student with teachers, chaperones, and bus drivers free. Schools interested in attending Thursday's or Friday's performance need to contact acadiaplayers@ yahoo.com attn: School Performance with name of school, teacher name, grade level, number of students and chaperones, any handicap needs, and date preference. Every teacher that attends
will receive a free teacher's guide with Internet activities and GLE's. Schools are responsible for their own transportation. Public performances are set for Sept. 26 & 27th at 7 p.m. and 28th at 2 p.m. at the Crowley Rice Theater. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 18 and under. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Theatre--Audition

The IPAL Christmas show this year will be If It’s Monday, This Must Be Christmas!-–a comedy by Pat Cook, directed by Mac Stearns. In order to produce the show during the Christmas season without conflicting with Christmas itself, there will be eight performances in the first two weeks of December. Performance dates and times are: Thursday, Friday & Saturday – December 4,5,6,11,12, & 13 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, December 7 & 14 at 3PM.

Tryouts for the play will be held at the ESSANEE at 6 PM on Sunday and Monday, September 14th & 15th. No special preparation is required. The cast is large at 13, so there are great opportunities for both experienced and first time actors. There are parts for children, teens, middle age and the just plain old. Basically we need 5adult males; 6 adult females; one male child and one female child. An outline of the parts is as follows:

Harry Monday – a wise-cracking private eye.
Titus Harrigan – an over-excitable store owner.
Loretta Mondello – a level-headed store manager.
Scarlet Kloontz – a very friendly gift wrapper.
Trixie O’Brien – a stressed-out Santa’s helper.
Louie Grandville – a gentlemanly con artist.
Carson Page – a naïve young clerk.
Penny Harrigan – a naïve young lady, in love with Carson.
Mildred Wolensky – a pompous rival store owner.
Harold – Harry at around age 9
Opaline Lampbert – Titus’s mousey secretary
Polly Brogan – a talkative girl – around age 9
Lieutenant Brogan – a cynical police inspector

The play takes place just before Christmas in Harrigan’s Department store. Both the employees’ Christmas bonuses and the store Santa are missing and they call in private detective, Harry Monday, to sort things out. This decision may very well not be a good one.

All who saw IPAL’s production of Murder Is Bad But Monday Can Kill You! will remember the hilarious antics of Harry Monday and his rival, Lieutenant Brogan. They are back in an equally funny romp celebrating the Christmas season in the center of Christmas activity – a department store.

Theatre--Performance

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares of Middle America (A solo performance by Cody Daigle)

Committed: Gay Marriage and Other Nightmares of Middle America is the latest solo show by local playwright and actor, Cody Daigle. The piece is a seriocomic look at one man’s journey to meet his boyfriend at the altar.

From fake “marriages” during kindergarten playtime to a six-year committed relationship as an adult, the show looks at the challenges of growing up in a world without the possibility of marriage, and it makes a case for marriage’s ability to change everyone, regardless of who you fall in love with.

Committed is a funny, revealing, and very personal look at the gay marriage issue.

Local director and producer, Cara Hayden, directs the production with a scenic design by Duncan Thistlethwaite. The piece received two awards at the 2008Hub City Theatre Festival–-Best Original Play and Best Actor.

The show contains adult language and subject matter. Parental guidance is recommended.


WHEN: August 21-30, 2008, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cité des Arts, 109 Vine Street, Downtown, Lafayette
COST: $12.00

For more information and reservations, please call 291-1122.

Theatre--Review

In the August 8th edition of the Daily Advertiser, Ray Blum reviews productions by The Eunice Players and The Foundry Stage Company.

Theatre--Auditions

The director is still looking for male actors to fill roles in the play, Night of the Pink Flamingo. The performances are Saturday, September 13th (a dinner theater performance which will be a fundraiser for the Garden Club) and then the last 2 weekends of September the show will be performed Friday and Saturday nights with 2 Sunday matinees in St. Martinville. Rehearsals start tomorrow morning at 10:00 in St. Martinville at the Duchamp Opera House.
The director's phone numbers are 839-9291 (home) and 322-5166 (cell).

Theatre--Review

The production of Wit is number two in an ambitious series of three heavy duty dramas at Opelousas Little Theatre. The first was Proof and the third will be Of Mice and Men.

Briefly, Vivian Bearing, Ph.D. (Cheryl Patin), a John Donne scholar, is in the hospital suffering from Stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer with a very grim prognosis. The play is essentially her lecture to the audience about her experiences in the hospital - and added reminiscences from childhood when she fell in love with words, to being the protégé of mentor E.M.Ashford (Sheryl Ned), to winding up a cold-blooded academic. Although the ending was inevitable, I hasten to add that the play (lecture?) was entertaining, frequently humorous, and always witty! As my acting professor would say, it was a dramedy.

As a retired math professor who had a smattering of jerks in my classes, I bristled at one of Vivian’s students ( Natalie Lacomb). That’s a compliment, Natalie! As a medical researcher (brains, not cancer), I certainly recognized the impersonal medical- grant chasing technocrats, Harvey Kelekian (Bruce Coen) and Jason Posner (Tyler Devillier). As the father of a nurse who did much of her training in an oncology ward, I especially loved the one truly empathetic character in the play, Susie Monahan, R.N. (Ashley Brown).

I was particularly impressed by Cheryl’s performance and Travis’s direction. If the program notes are complete, Cheryl never acted at this level before and this is Travis’s first solo directing project. Extraordinary! Anyway, it was certainly worth $4/gallon to drive here from Lafayette.

Opelousas Little Theatre’s production of Wit, Margaret Edson’s 1999 Pulitzer and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award play, directed by Travis Fontenot, will continue tonight (August 8), August 9, 14, 15, 16, at 7 PM, with one matinee performance this Sunday, August 10, at 2 PM. Tickets can be obtained by calling (337) 948-4367 or at the door.


--Robert D. Sidman, Ph.D.

Theatre--Audition

Two male roles in Night of the Pink Flamingo to be performed the last 3 weekends in September remain to be filled. This comedy takes place in a small Texas town in the late 60's. All but one performance will be at the Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville. For more info, call Cindy at (337) 839-9291 or
(337) 322-5166.

Theatre--Performance

Shane Guilbeau and Sandra LaBorde Broussard conclude this weekend with their production of the two Cajun comedies, Eulalie and Grosbec. Shows run August 7, 8, and 9th (Thursday–Saturday) at 7:30pm at Cite Des Arts.

Theatre--Audition

Omni Artiste', Inc announces auditions for The Story by Tracy Scott Wilson (directed by Brian E. Taylor).

Synopsis:
A black reporter goes against her editor, as she investigates a murder, at what cost? Ambition, reality, fantasy, truth becomes a blur in this riveting tale.

Auditions will be held at the Robicheaux Recreation Center, 1919 Eraste Landry Road, Multipurpose Room, Lafayette, La 70506, Friday, August 8, 2008, 5:30PM – 7:30PM.

Monologues preferred: Cold reading available.

Please send a copy of your resume and or headshot/single snapshot. If you do not have a resume, you may fill out an application. You may also email a first copy before the audition and your requests for sides to Omniartiste @ cox.net. In the subject header type: Attention: Casting

For more information or schedule an appointment call: 504-4224 or 692-2429.

CAST BREAKDOWN

YVONNE……………………..Ambitious black newspaper reporter. Defiant, mid-twenties.
ASSISTANT/ENSEMBLE…..Various actors, ages, ethnicities
LATISHA……………………...Black, late twenties, speaks German, Italian, Ebonics and English, a Robber and member of a street gang.
NEIL……………………………Black, mid-twenties, sharp
DETECTIVE/ENSEMBLE…..Twenties-Thirties, male
JEFF/TIM DUNN…………….Caucasian, mid twenties, School Teacher
PAT……………………………News paper Editor, black, mid-forties, Firm.
REPORTER/ENSEMBLE…..Male, female, mid-forties, mid-sixties
JESSICA DUNN……………..Caucasian, mid twenties, School Teacher, wife to Tim
BLACK WOMAN……………..Black women, thirties-forties
ASSISTANT…………………..Young woman, college age, sorority member- not a Delta

The show opens Friday Oct 3, 2008 and runs Oct. 4, 5 & 10, 11, 12, @ The Clifton Chenier Center, 220 West Willow , Building D & West of Evangeline Thruway, Auditorium, parking in Rear. Friday and Saturdays 7:00pm, Sunday 3:00pm

Theatre--Company Phone Number Changing

The phone number for Firelight Enterprises (Firelight Theatre and Firelight Children's Theatre) is changing as of August 6th. The new number is 857-6991.