Theatre--Performance

Cité des Arts opens its 2009 theatre season on Thursday, March 5th with Educating Rita, the award-winning stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. Directed by Maureen Brennan and starring Acadiana favorites Vincent P. Barras and Erin Segura, the story follows the relationship during the course of a University semester, between Susan White, a working class hairdresser from Liverpool, and Dr Frank Bryant, a middle-aged University lecturer. The play deals with England's class system, the shortcomings of institutional education, and the nature of self-development.

This show runs for three weekends opening on Thursday, March 5th and closing on Saturday, March 21st. Performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., at Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St., downtown Lafayette, between Jefferson St. and Third St. Ticket prices are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for Senior Citizens, 65+ and Students of any age.

For additional information and reservations, please call Cité des Arts at 337-291-1122.

Theatre--Performance

Gnostic Coincidence, a new play by local actor and playwright Steven Cooper, will be performed live March 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 20th, and 26th at Acadiana Open Channel in downtown Lafayette. Gnostic Coincidence is a tale of an unlikely friendship between two strangers, their independent dreams and their shared desire to reach enlightenment. The production, which is directed by the Ensemble cast, features Andrew Hunter II, Yvonne Olivier, Blaine Peltier, Jessica Quinn, Jessica LeBlanc, and April Peltier, as well as original music composed and recorded by seven local musicians. The show will be performed live at 7:30 and tickets are $10. Reservations can be made by calling (337) 849-8627.

There will also be a benefit for Stonewood Foundation at the Whirlybird in Opelousas on March 14th. Tickets are still available. Space is limited, so advance reservations are suggested. Contact Christy Leichty at 337-290-1549 for more information on the benefit.

Theatre--Article (IPAL)

The Times of Acadiana has an article (written by Cody Daigle) about the IPAL production of Oklahoma! and the growing IPAL reputation for producing full-blown musicals. There is an associated gallery of photographs (by Denny Culbert) of rehearsal of the show at the Daily Advertiser website.

Theatre--Auditions

Auditions for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? are set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25th and Thursday, February 26th at the Eunice Players' Theatre (121 S. Second St. in Eunice). Men and women are needed to fill roles for characters ages 30-50. People to help backstage are also needed. For more information, call Jody L. Powell at 580-1787.

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players (St. Martinville) are announcing open auditions for actors and vocalists for The American Heritage Show--God and Country. The script is still under review, but most of the roles are male. The show will require at least two vocalists (one male and one female), but again, script review is still ongoing. Auditions are by appointment only.

Performances will be June 26th, 27th and 28th and July 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th and 12th.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment for an audition, please call Kirk Borel (337-394-9332), Joni Borel (337-394-5262) or Stephanie Comeaux (337-394-5194).

Theatre--Performance

Andrew Carnes (Will Grubbs) and Jud Fry (Mike Parich)
Cord Elam (Mike Boroto) and the Preacher (Charlie Robertson)

The IPAL production of Oklahoma! prepares for opening on March 13th. For more information, call IPAL at (337) 364-6114.

Theatre--Performance

The young men of Oklahoma!
The Gentlemen's Chorus

IPAL's Oklahoma! will feature an on-stage cast of over 50 performers, an orchestra of 15 talented musicians and the Dream Sequence Ballet with 15 dancers. Performance dates are March 13th through the 29th (performances are on Fridays through Sundays with an additional performance on Thursday, March 26th and a school performance on Thursday, March 19th ). All performances are at the Essanee Theater at 126 Iberia Street in New Iberia.

For more information about the show or tickets, call (337) 364-6114.

Theatre--Performance

Move Over, Mrs. Markham, by Ray Cooney and John Chapman, the latest Abbey Players production, opened on February 14. Performances will continue Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, February 20- March 28, with 2 PM Sunday matinees on March 1 and 22. Tickets can be reserved online at www.abbeyplayers.com .

This British bedroom farce, directed by Deborah Atchetee and Mickey Atchetee, moves at warp speed with scantily clad characters in compromising situations. (No need to worry- just suggestive!) They appear and disappear through various entrances and most change identities during the second act. Since you must be alert to get the full effect you may reprint this review and bring it with you to the theater. You may help anyone in the audience who may be befuddled without actually citing this handout.

Anyway, a publisher of children’s books, Phillip Markham (Scott Meddows) and his wife Joanna (Kayla Smith) are leaving their apartment empty when they go out for the evening. Remember, the rule of thumb in such a play is that “an empty apartment (ie. bed room) is the devil’s workshop”.

Phillip gives his business partner Henry Lodge (Jerrod Arabie) the apartment for the evening for an assignation with Mrs. Wilkinson (Kayla Martin), someone with whom he has flirted, but never met. However, independently Joanna has promised the apartment to Henry’s wife Linda (Beth Stephenson) for her tryst with Walter Pangborn (Milton Resweber). Uh! Oh! But wait a minute- the Markhams’ decorator Alistair Spenlow (Jaimie Allemand) plans to “work late” so that he can use the apartment to seduce the maid Sylvie (Samantha Royer). Remember also that such farces can violate a cardinal rule of physics. Several people can occupy the same space at the same time.

Then real catastrophe enters in the form of Olive Harriet Smythe (Gloria Breaux), the grand doyenne of children’s books, the J.K. Rowling of this play’s universe. She has fired her previous publisher for bad taste and wants to hire Philip and Henry.

What’s going to happen? Reserve a seat and see! I’m not telling.
---Robert D. Sidman, Ph.D.

Theatre--Performance

Acting Up (in Acadiana) is proud to present Play. Music. Heal.--an original work in progress. The community is invited to attend excerpts from the performance which showcase Louisiana-inspired characters living life with all of its complexities, such as poverty and wealth, love and marriage, illness and death, a new generation challenging and questioning family obligation and tradition and music’s ability to lift them up as individuals and as a community.

Performances will be held at the Outreach Center’s Downtown Lafayette campus on Friday, February 13th and Friday, March 6th at 7 PM. Play. Music. Heal., directed by Amy Waguespack, features performances by Hannah Briggs, Ricky Briggs, Brian Cruthfield, Lian Cheramie, David Guarisco, Kara Guarisco, Katie Lahey, Megan LeBleu, George Saucier and Cissy Whipp. Music contributors include Chris Courville, Carol Fran, Henry Gray, Bernard Pearce, and Chris Stafford. Earlier in the process, the actors and musicians worked with collaborators from The Actors' Gang (a Los Angeles based theatre company founded and directed by Tim Robbins), Kaili Hollister and Justin Zsebe.

The Outreach Center is located at 125 S. Buchanan St., on the corner of Second and Buchanan. For directions or more information, please contact Amy Waguespack at (337) 739-4273.>

Acting Up (in Acadiana) is the professional, multi-disciplined performing arts company in residence at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Now in its sixth year, the company is committed to producing quality works with integrity, intelligence, and relevance, whether a premiere production or the reinterpretation of a classic.

Theatre--Performance

Brittany Monaghan as Laurey and Brett LeBlanc as Curley in the IPAL production of Oklahoma!

Oklahoma!, the Broadway and movie hit, will be presented by the Iberia Performing Arts League opening Friday, March 13 and running Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays thru March 29. Evening performances are at 7:30 and Sunday Matinees are at 3:00. Performances will be at the Essanee Theater, IPAL’s Art Deco home. Ticket or other information can be obtained by calling the theater at 364-6114 or by e-mailing ipaloklahoma@cox.net . All seats are reserved and are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Theatre--Performance

The Lafayette High School Performing Arts Academy Theatre Arts Department proudly presents Steve Martin's whimsical comedy, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, at the N.P. Moss Annex Auditorium on February 19th, 20th and 21st.

At the cusp of the 20th century, there's something in the air on the night that Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstien wander into the Lapin Agile tavern in Paris. The situation is hypothetical. The characters have timeless debares on the science of art and the art of science. It's a night when anything that can happen does. Don't miss this "historic" meeting of the minds.

All performances are at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. The N.P. Moss Annex is located at 801 Mudd Avenue.

Due to occasional instances of suggestive dialogue, this play may not be suitable for all ages.

The LHSPAA Theatre Arts Department is a college-preparatory program dedicated to preparting students for university and/or professional stages.
For tickets or additional information, please call 337-212-4471 or e-mail:
lhspaatheatre@yahoo.com.

Theatre--Review

Talking Bones, by Shay Youngblood, the latest production of Omni Artiste, opened Friday, February 6th, at Cite des Arts. It will continue the nights of February 7th, 13th and 14th at 7:30, with 3 PM matinees on February 8th and 15th. Seats can be reserved by calling the theater at 291-1122.

The play has an interesting pedigree. Ms. Youngblood won the 1993 Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award while a student at Brown University. This award, supported by the Kennedy Center Education Department, is presented for the best student-written plays of the African-American experience. In addition to a stipend, Youngblood also served an internship at the National Playwrights Conference at the O’Neill Theater Center. Incidentally, Hansberry herself was the youngest playwright ever to win the New York Drama Critics Award for A Raisin in the Sun.

Briefly, in Youngblood’s words: “I grew up in a house where the elders heard voices and it was understood that these voices were the voices of the ancestors…..So I started writing this play about women who hear voices, how these three women respond to their inner voices and how they respond to the ancestors.”

Director Andrew D. Hunter II, together with his co-director Jimmy Hodgrinson, have erected a fancifully interesting set in record time, and put together the sort of cast that is a trademark of Omni Artiste, consisting of talented regulars and promising apprentices.

Ruth ( Gethsemane “Gos” Campbell) is the matriarch, with a booming voice who talks to the dead. You don’t want to anger her. Her daughter Bay Bay (Gale Whiting) wants to get away from this house with all its ghosts and jumps at the chance to be lured by Mr. Fine (an unctuous Brian E. Taylor), who may be up to no good. Elia ( the ever charming Bria Hobgood) , Ruth’s granddaughter, communes with the ancestors. Rounding out the cast is Oz, a homeless young man played by Nicholas Marchan, who also hears the “talking bones”. Wait a minute! Wasn’t Nicholas a senile octogenarian in Spirit North? Now there’s an actor who will never be out of work.
---Robert D. Sidman, Ph.D

Theatre--Performance

Spend Valentines Day weekend taking in the romantic production, Love Letters,written by A.R. Gurney and presented and performed by Acadiana favorites (and longtime castmates) Shane Guilbeau and Sandra Broussard at the Second Stage at Cité des Arts.

The story follows the relationship over a lifetime between Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, from second grade through their 50s through the love letters they write each other.

WHEN: Friday, February 13th and Saturday, February 14th at 7:30 pm and Sunday, February 15th at 3:00 pm
WHERE: Cité des Arts Second Stage, 109 Vine St. downtown Lafayette between Jefferson St. and Third St.
TICKET PRICE: $15 for Adults, $10 for Senior Citizens and Students

For additional information and Reservations please contact Cité at337-291-1122.

Theatre--Performance

Omni Artiste presents Talking Bones, written by Shay Youngblood and directed by Andrew Hunter II at Cite Des Arts. The show focuses on the story of three women who hear the inner voices of their Ancestors and the way each of the women chooses to respond to the voices. It provides a nice combination of drama and humor.

WHEN: February 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th (Fridays and Saturdays) at 7:30 pm and February 8th and 15th (Sundays) at 3:00 pm
WHERE: The Cité des Arts Main Theatre, 109 Vine St. downtown Lafayette between Jefferson St. and Third St.
TICKET PRICE: $15 for Adults, $10 for Senior Citizens and Students

For additional information, or for reservations, please contact Cité at337-291-1122.

Theatre--Article

Cody Daigle has an article in the February 6th issue of the Daily Advertiser about the upcoming Theatre League of Louisiana production of The Rat Pack is Back.

Theatre--Playwright's Review/Note

This is a rare treat for everyone who reads this blog: Cody Daigle, whose show Providence was performed last weekend at Cite Des Arts, has agreed to "review" his own show. What we get in the following is a glimpse of what the playwright sees when he watches his own work produced. I welcome all of those involved in local theatre to offer their own insight into the work that they do. It will be clearly marked, so that readers understand that it is not the typical review written by an objective critic.

I've had the privilege of seeing my play, Providence, produced twice –once in New York and once here in Acadiana. The two productions couldn't be more different, and in thinking about these two productions of the same play, I was reminded how much I love (and hate) being a playwright.

Providence asks a lot of the company producing it. It demands a scenic design that will allow the present and the past to merge seamlessly together. It demands actors to shift from one reality to the next in mere moments. It demands direction that keeps the play from becoming too maudlin or downbeat. And it demands a company that can find humor in even the play's bleakest moments.

The Eunice Players Theatre production, which played last weekend at Cite des Arts after a run in Eunice last November, took on the challenges of the play, and in many ways, succeeded in meeting them. Did it conquer everything? Not quite. There were still some pacing glitches (for me, most notable in the play's overlapping sections). There were some transitions that, if quicker, would have made some structural ideas clearer. And some performances missed the mark tonally at times, either going too far for the emotional moment or not going far enough.

Were all those problems solved by the New York production? No. While the New York production had a pace I liked (the NYC production was almost 30 minutes shorter than the production here,) there were tonal oddities and missed moments that weren't what I envisioned when I sat down to write.

But I don't level all the blame on the companies that produced the show. There are still things I want to fix – speeches in Act Two that can use some pruning, jokes that can be refined to work better, moments that can be tweaked to work better and, when I'm ready to really spend some time on it, writing in some new ideas about Marc and Sara's storyline that surfaced while watching the show here at Cite.

Any playwright worth his salt knows that the work is never done. Plays can always be improved and every night an audience experiences your work is an opportunity to learn more about your play and discover ways to make it better.

I think it's terrific that Acadiana audiences were able to see two very different locally-written plays in the matter of a few weeks. It speaks volumes about our cultural community and about the people who work hard to make theatre here.

To value every contribution – not just the ones that make us feel comfortable or make us laugh or make us feel "edgier" -- and honor what is good in it and speak honestly and fairly about what could be improved isn't always an easy thing. But it's how good theatre gets made. It's why I can love every single person who made this production of Providence possible and admire how hard they worked to make the show happen and still be able to say, "Next time, I hope we can do this, instead."


I'm proud of them. And I'm proud of the play. I'm grateful to thepeople who went to see the show.

And I'm eager to get back to work on it.

Theatre--Reviews

Theater is alive in Acadiana. To wit …to be at an opening night of a production is an exciting experience. To be at a new playwright’s production is even more exciting. To see that production directed, designed, and starred in by that selfsame playwright is almost unimaginable. Well, I accomplished four out of the five, having missed opening night of Danny Povinelli’s Before You at Cite des Arts. Congratulations to Daniel Povinelli, his cast, and Cite des Arts for an outstanding theatrical experience.

Povinelli’s first play, largely autobiographical, tells the story of life and love in the modern era. In humor, serious conversation, and effective special effects it held the audience’s attention. The set was realistic, and I suspect was a mirror image of Povinelli’s own “digs.” The various characters were entertaining, well drawn, and mirror people whom all of us have met in our daily lives. The ensemble cast did an admirable job at bringing to life characters they had never seen in “another production” of the show. After all, the movie isn’t out yet! If this is Povinelli’s first effort, I can’t wait to see his second! And there’s no monkeying around in that statement.

As soon as Povinelli’s Before You closed, the set was struck to prepare the Cite space for another local playwright’s production. This was Cody Daigle’s Providence. Actually a transplant of the Eunice Player’s Theatre presentation of Daigle’s play, its brief run was successful and attracted good audiences. From the instant the lights came on and the “couples” came into the airport waiting area, I was enthralled. There were interesting people, there was tension, there was conflict – there was theater!

Daigle’s play involved two couples. One was a thirty-something married couple whose marriage seemed “stressed,” to say the least. The other was a non-coupled couple who were deeply and abidingly in love. Played by stage veterans Bonnie Pitre, Gabe Ortego, Andre Andrepont, and Angelle Ballard, the small cast filled the stage with energy and enthusiasm. Gabe Ortego, especially, handled the challenging role of Mark Langer with aplomb. Pitre and Bellard had the unenviable task of being on stage for long periods of time sitting in airplane seats at stage edges. They never went out of character. Andrepont, as close to a “heavy” as there was in the story, was both likeable and hateful. His role is pivotal in his developing relationship with Mark. The change in it is heartening.

The story of Province is told in flashbacks, interspersed action, quick changes. The sparse, abstract set fits the story admirably. The necessity to move the play quickly from Eunice to Lafayette and short rehearsal time made some of the transitions between scenes slow, but the intimate feeling and dramatic flow of the play did not suffer greatly.

All involved in Providence and Before You should be commended. As said in the Daigle’s play, “You fill your life with whatever you can fill it with.” We in Acadiana are blessed to be able to fill a few hours of our time with the works of these two local playwrights. Their work can only be an inspiration to others to become involved in theater, to try their hand at new things, and to contribute in some way during our very short lives. Long live the theater.
---Donald “Doc” Voorhies

Performing Arts--Scholarship Availability

Guidelines for the L. Hill Bonin, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Award, administered by the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana (PASA), are available for high school and college students pursuing short-time educational and training opportunities in performing arts or arts administration and non-profit organizations or groups that propose performing arts productions or activities which involve and benefit high school or college students.

Completed forms and all attachments must be submitted to the PASA office by 5:00 p.m.March 2, 2009 to qualify for the 2008/2009 scholarships. Scholarship eligibility requirements and application can be found online at www.pasaonline.org. Applicants with questions about the application process and requirements can call the PASA office (337)237-2787.

The L. Hill Bonin, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund was created to award talented and deserving performing arts students with funds to support their pursuit of advanced study or training, beyond their present studies and training. The scholarship has been extended to include groups that provide opportunities to students for enhancing their performing arts talents through professional training.

To be considered for an award, students must be enrolled in any high school or college in the parishes served by PASA, be planning to pursue a career or professional training in performing arts or arts administration, be a citizen of the United States and a Louisiana resident, and have an overall grade point average of B or higher on their high school or college transcript. For a non-profit organization or group to be eligible it must propose a production, performance, or activity that involves high school or college students and ensure that the funds will be used for the enhancement of the talents of the students in the performance.

"The Bonin Scholarship allows recipients a chance to learn from some of the world's best performing arts instructors," says PASA Executive Director Jacqueline Lyle. "As a performing arts presenter, we support the growth and development of young talent and with this scholarship can assist students with the opportunity to develop into the top artists they will become."

Recipients are chosen by the PASA Bonin Scholarship committee, composed of PASA board members and a representative of the Bonin family. Recipients, after meeting eligibility criteria, are chosen on the basis of the artistic merit of the proposed training or project, planning and design of the proposal, and appropriate request and plans for the use of the funds. Last year the Bonin scholarship awarded four recipients, including one ULL student and two high school students.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the L. Hill Bonin Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, you may mail a check to P.O. Box 52979, Lafayette, LA 70505.

Theatre--Performance/Fundraiser

There will be a special presentation of Steven Cooper's original play Gnostic Coincidence on Saturday, March 14th at 3 pm at The Whirlybird in Opelousas. The show will be a fundraiser for The Stonewood Foundation. All proceeds will go to support the Foundation's teachers and volunteers who have been working with them through Americore.

Tickets are $30.oo per person and include both the play and dinner afterwards. Space is limited, so advance tickets are advised. Tickets are on sale through the Whirlybird website (http://thewhirlybird.com). For more information, contact Christy Leichty at 337-290-1549.