Theatre--Workshop Presentation

Caroline McGee is in the process of completing the third in a series of Master Classes in the Strasberg Method.  She will present her students in A Night of Chekhov on Sunday, January 3rd at 5 pm at Cite Des Arts in downtown Lafayette.  For reservations, contact Ms. McGee at mcgeec50@yahoo.com.

Caroline McGee and the students of her Master Class, held this week (December 28th through January 3rd) at Cite Des Arts.

Rehearsing

Observing and offering suggestions to fellow students

Rehearsing

Theatre--Auditions (Musical Theatre)

The UL Lafayette Opera Theater is presenting The Mystery of Edwin Drood as its spring production. The musical is a murder mystery type show based on Charles Dicken's last and unfinished novel. The audience ends up solving the mystery each night with a possible different ending. The show is set in Victorian England. The show will be accompanied by the UL Lafayette Symphony conducted by Michael Blaney. The production is being directed by Shawn Roy with choreography by Melinda Caubarreaux.

Rehearsals for the show are set for Mondays from 5 to 8 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:30 pm. The show runs from March 25th through the 29th with 4 performances in Angelle Hall on the UL Lafayette campus. Auditions will be held at Angelle Hall on Thursday, January 14th from 3:30 to 6:30 pm and Friday, January 15th from 5 to 7 pm. Special auditions for trained dancers will be Friday, January 15th from 7 to 9PM. Everyone must sing an entire musical theater song and have a short monologue or be prepared to cold read from the script.

Roles include:
     Edwin Drood (mezzo sop or belter)
     John Jasper (high baritone or tenor)
     Chairman (character tenor)
     Princess Puffer (contralto)
     Rosa Bud (legit soprano)
     Neville (high baritone or tenor)
     Helena (mezzo soprano or contralto)
     Crisparkle (baritone)
     Bazzard (tenor)
     Durdles (baritone)
     Deputy (tenor)

There is also a chorus of 8 to 16 people, many of whom double as small speaking and singing roles.

For more information, email Shawn Roy at srr3023@louisiana.edu or call the office at 482-5939.

Theatre--Performance

Caroline McGee's Master Class will present The Cajun Chekhov, a collection of monologues taken from the works of Anton Chekhov, on Sunday, January 3rd, at 5 pm at Cite Des Arts.  The production will last approximately one hour and admission is free of charge.

The students, many of whom who began their work on these monologues during the November session of the Master Class, have been studying "Method" acting, originally developed by Lee Strasberg.  Ms. McGee, currently director of the Moscow Art Actor Training Program at The Baryshnikov Center in New York City, has also served as the director of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and the MFA Acting Program at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC.

 Her training includes a Master’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley in Directing, Theatre History, Literature & Criticism, actor training with Robert Lewis at The Yale School of Drama, and a 2-year acting certificate at the Conservatoire Nationale in Strasbourg, France.  She has studied professionally in New York City with master teachers William Esper, Michael Howard, Stella Adler, Wynn Handman and Elaine Aiken/Lee Strasberg .

For more information about the show or the class, contact Caroline McGee at mcgeec50@yahoo.com.

Theatre--Review (Evangeline Players)

The Friday, December 25th edition of the Daily Advertiser features Ray Blum's review of the Evangeline Players' production of A Christmas Story.

Theatre--Auditions

IPAL will hold auditions for The New Kid on the Block by Pat Cook (directed by Donna Berard) on Monday and Tuesday, March 22nd and 23rd, at 6:00 pm. There are roles for three males ( men of an older maturity age) and four females (ages ranging from 30's to the 50's).

Carl, Lloyd and Parker, three older gentlemen who share a large home, need to rent out their fourth bedroom to help with the rent. Their problem seems answered by Will, except that Will turns out to be a lady. While Lloyd and Parker like her and want to vote her in, Carl refuses and barks back, "We're not voting on prom queen!" Carl's reaction is all part of a plan with Will, his sister, to let her live with them for a while. Before the brother and sister can reveal their plotting, however, the "fun" begins. It's all over the area that Carl and Will are sweethearts; Lloyd has put on his army fatigues and is running night maneuvers; and Parker is sneaking around the neighborhood with his walkie-talkie. Then the woman in black enters, telling Will she better leave. On top of this, Will's daughter, Jolene, arrives--having just left her husband. And the story isn't close to over yet.
 
For more information, please call 337-364-6114 and leave a message or call 337-229-6919. The director will return calls.

Theatre--Auditions

Omni Artiste, Inc will hold auditions for Indigo Blues on Saturday, January 9th (2010), from 2 to 4 pm, Sunday, January 10th from 4 to 6 pm and Monday, January 11th from 6 to 8 pm at Cite Des Arts in downtown Lafayette.

Theatre--Master Class/Workshop

The Third Method Acting Workshop, to be held in Lafayette from December 28th, 2009 to January 4th, 2010, will be taught by Master Teacher Caroline McGee. The focus will be on Anton Chekhov monologues for a public presentation January 3 or 4, 2010. Class members will work individually and in groups around the actors' schedules. For more information and specifics about schedule and cost, e-mail mcgeec50@yahoo.com.


In November, Professor McGee's students Martha Diaz, Christy Leichty and Carmen Nicholson performed in a Thanksgiving presentation at Cite des Arts of Ladies of the Cajun Prairie, which also included Grammy nominee Jane Vidrine on the Cajun fiddle, and guitarist Jane "Scooter" Yerow.

Ms. McGee currently serves as Director of the Moscow Art Actor Training Program at The Baryshnikov Center in New York City; she also served at New York University’s Stonestreet Professional Studio, The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and the MFA Acting Program at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC.

Her training includes a Master’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley in Directing, Theatre History, Literature & Criticism; actor training with Robert Lewis at The Yale School of Drama; a 2-year acting certificate at the Conservatoire Nationale in Strasbourg, France, and professionally in New York City with master teachers William Esper , Michael Howard, Stella Adler, Wynn Handman and Elaine Aiken/Lee Strasberg .

She has performed at Yale Repertory Theater, NY Shakespeare Festival and in films by Woody Allen and Norman Jewison, with Gregory Peck, Gina Rowland and Gregory Peck, among many others. She is a member of all three actor unions: Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, and AFTRA.

Theatre--Review (Evangeline Players)

The Evangeline Players' production of A Christmas Story, entering the second weekend of its run tonight (Friday, December 11th at 7:30 pm), was reviewed by Ray Blum in the Friday edition of the Daily Advertiser.

Theatre--Competition Results

Following outstanding recognition at the Louisiana State Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF) held in New Orleans, the UL-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts is very proud to announce that its production of Noises Off was selected as an example of high excellence in theatre production and will go on to represent the University in competition at the 42nd annual KC/ACTF Region VI Festival.


Highly competitive, and adjudicated by national and regional respondents, productions held for regional presentation are adjudicated and than ranked for excellence in overall theatre production by the 17 member Regional Committee. Of the 112 productions put on this past year by participating Universities and Colleges in the five-state KC/ACTF Region, UL-Lafayette’s Noises Off was chosen as one of only six productions to earn this highly coveted recognition and to be awarded the opportunity to perform at the 2010 Regional Festival held in Amarillo, Texas.

In choosing UL Lafayette for excellence in moving forward to Regionals, one respondent sited Noises Off as, “an excellent example of style and ensemble discipline.  What the UL-Lafayette folks have accomplished with this production serves both to show off the quality of their training/production program and offer up a genuinely entertaining few hours of theater.”

Designed to promote and celebrate the work of educational theatre programs and to identify and promote quality in college–level theatre production, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is a national organization containing eight regions. UL-Lafayette participates as part of Region VI, which is comprised of five states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

In addition to Noises Off competing for national recognition and an opportunity to represent excellence in theatre production and perform at Nationals, held late spring 2010 in Washington, DC, seven UL-Lafayette students will also be competing for national recognition and prestigious scholarship awards. Bobby Bender, Sarah Hitchcock, Madison Ali Hubbard, Rachel Mauti, and Greta Trosclair will be competing in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition; technical theatre student Jenna Fontenot will be competing for Regional Commendations for Excellence in Properties- design and execution; and graduating senior Katie Lamson will be competing in the 2010 Stage Directors & Choreographers (SDC) Student Directing Competition.

Dance--Performance

Tickets are available to two performances of  The Nutcracker by Lafayette Ballet Theatre at 7 pm Saturday, December 12th, and 2 pm on Sunday, December 13th, in the Heymann Performing Arts Center.


Tickets may be purchased through the Heymann Center Box Office or any Ticketmaster outlet. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets may call the Heymann Center box office at 337-291-5555 between 9 am and 4 pm Monday through Friday and on weekends during scheduled events, or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/ anytime. Tickets are priced according to seat location, as follows: front orchestra, $40; back orchestra, $35; first balcony, $30, second balcony, $20. Prices listed do not include Ticketmaster fees.

This full-length classical ballet in two acts features Lafayette Ballet Theatre professional company dancers, principal guests artists from Pacific Northwest Ballet of Seattle and more than 140 children studying ballet in local academies. Audiences will enjoy a magical experience as talented artists, dazzling stage sets, spectacular special effects and Peter Tchaikovsky’s delightful musical score bring this engaging E. T. A. Hoffmann tale to life before their eyes. An Acadiana tradition, this ballet presented this year by Lafayette Ballet Theatre only has sold out in the past, so organizers are advising patrons to purchase tickets early to ensure availability.

Theatre (Musical)--Auditions

The UL Lafayette Opera Theater will be presenting Rupert Holmes' musical entitled The Mystery of Edwin Drood in March 2010. It is based on Charles Dicken's last and unfinished novel. The show will run from March 25th--March 29th with 4 performances in Ducrest-Gilfry Auditorium in Angelle Hall on the UL Lafayette campus. Rehearsals will be Mondays from 5 to 8 pm, and Tuesday and Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:30 pm. Cast members must also be available every evening for the final week before the show starting on March 20th.

Open auditions will be held on Thursday, January 14th from 3:30 to 6:30 pm and Friday, January 15th from 5 to 7 pm. These are for singers/actors. Please bring a musical theatre selection (auditioners will sing the whole song) and a monologue. There will also be cold readings from the musical. There will be a separate dance audition for trained dancers on Friday, January 15th from 7 to 9 pm.

The shows cast consists of 4 female leads, 6 male leads and a chorus of 12 to 16. For more information, contact Shawn Roy, the director of the production, at 482-5939 or by e-mail at shawnrroy@hotmail.com. The show will be accompanied by the UL Lafayette Orchestra with Michael Blaney conducting. Choreographer is Melinda Caubarreaux and set design is by Duncan Thistlethwaite.

Theatre--Performance

The Evangeline Players open the second weekend of their production of A Christmas Story this Friday at 7:30 at the Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville.

Esther Jane and Ralphie

The consequences of soap

The Lamp

Ralphie and the Indiana pythons

Old and Young Ralphies and the gun

Ralphie and Black Bart

Theatre--Performance

Ovation TheatreWorks is proud to present Unwrap Your Candy, an anthology of short plays from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright.

Unwrap Your Candy is a macabre collection of one-act plays that reveal the dark and chilling underbelly of contemporary life. Written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of I Am My Own Wife, Doug Wright, the
evening finds dark thrills and suspenseful comedy in modern parenting, real estate showings, the miracle of pregnancy and going to the theatre.

One part Alfred Hitchcock, one part Roald Dahl, one part Stephen King, Unwrap Your Candy is the perfect show for anyone looking for a few laughs, a few chills, and a little something to talk about over
dinner after the show.

Unwrap Your Candy also marks the first production from Ovation TheatreWorks since 2002. The company, which was formed in 2000 with the mission of bringing the local theatre audience productions of
smart, compelling works of the contemporary theatre, ceased operations at the end of their second season in 2002. This production marks the company's return to the local theatre scene, with two of the company's original founders at the helm.

The production's cast includes local theatre veterans Duncan Thistlethwaite, Mattie Hartman, Cody Daigle and Cara Hayden. The show is designed by Thistlethwaite with a costume design by Gina Baronne.

Unwrap Your Candy by Doug Wright plays a three-performance run January 7th-9th (Thursday through Saturday), 2010 at the Acadiana Center for Film and Media, located at the corner of Lee Street and Main downtown. Performances are at 8 p.m.  Tickets are $10. For more information, call 330-2048.

Unwrap Your Candy contains adult subject matter and language, and younger audience members should be accompanied by an adult.

Theatre--Auditions

The Opelousas Little Theatre is hosting a rare event, a casting call for 2 shows:  Showcase 2010 and Jekyll and Hyde the Musical.

The auditions will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (December 7th, 8th and 9th) from 6 to 8 pm and on Saturday, December 12th from 2 to 4 pm.  

Singers, actors, accompaniment (piano, violin, etc. and others), and crew are all being sought for both shows.  Community theatre is made up of more that just stage performance. So, even for those with stage fright or those who don't want to be onstage, there are opportunities to be involved.

For those interested in Jekyll and Hyde, please come prepared with a song (with music or accapella) and a monologue. Some may also be asked to do a cold read; scripts will be avaliable.  It is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story about a brilliant doctor whose experiments with human personality create a murderous counterpart. It's a great story set to even greater music. Jekyll and Hyde, the Musical will be running during the last three weekends in March. Ages 15 and up are urged to audition, depending on vocal maturity.


For those interested in the Showcase, please come with an idea of what you would like to perform for showcase.  Showcase 2010 is the OLT's annual talent/variety show. Not only is it a chance for local performance artists to show off their stuff, it's a chance for the theatre to scout for new local talent for future productions.Skits and group songs may also be avaliable.  Showcase 2010 will run the last 2 weekends in January. 
 
Auditioners can audition for both shows.
 
One very exciting note is that the Opelousas Little Theatre has obtained a performance space at the newly renovated Delta Grand in downtown Opelousas. Jekyll and Hyde, the Musical will be the first of many productions performed in this amazingly restored and modern facility.


Any questions? For more infomation, contact Duncan McBride at 337-543-8762.  The OLT is also online and on Facebook and Twitter.

Theatre--Articles (IPAL, Evangeline Players)

The Daily Iberian has run stories about both the IPAL production of The Importance of Being Uncle Roscoe (here) and the Evangeline Players' production of A Christmas Story (here).

Both productions open on Friday, December 3rd.