Theatre--Auditions

The St. Martinville Evangeline Players will hold open auditions for their fall production of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park at the Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville on July 28th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM and July 30th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The show will be directed by St. Martinville native Steven “Smitty” Smith and will be dedicated to the memory of Dylon L. Boudreaux.

ALL ROLES ARE OPEN.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS:
CORIE BRATTER: (20-30) A carefree young newlywed, busily trying to set up and decorate the new home she shares with her husband, Paul.
PAUL BRATTER: (20-30) Corie’s husband, a young lawyer with a dry wit who likes to stay in his comfort zone.
MS. ETHEL BANKS: (40-50) Corie’s cautious mother who is willing to endure anything for her daughter, even a strange escapade around New York City.
MR. VICTOR VELASCO: (30-50) The Bratters’ eccentric, bohemian neighbor who lives in the attic of the brownstone, just above their apartment.
TELEPHONE MAN: (any age) A good-humored man who makes observations on everyday life and relationships as he installs and fixes telephones.
DELIVERY MAN: (any age) An older man who brings wedding gifts sent to the Bratters—and is exhausted by all the flights of stairs leading up to the apartment.

Theatre--Auditions

Auditions for You the Jury, the upcoming show with Evangeline Players of St. Martinville, will be at the theater (200 S. Main St., St. Martinville) on Monday, May 14th at 6:30. Parts to be cast are:

Barbara Scott mid-late 30's
Det. McPherson 30's-40's
Capt. Rennie 30's-40's ( could cast either a male or female for this part)
Sheila Vincent mid 20's-early 30's
Jimmy mid-late 20's

Barbara Scott is accused of murder and is on stage the entire play. The other characters are witnesses and have one scene each. Performances are June 15th- July 1. Contact director Bruce Coen at bcoen@lusfiber.net or call 984-0754 home or 989-4142 work

Theatre--Auditions

Auditions for You the Jury, the upcoming show with Evangeline Players of St. Martinville, will be at the theater (200 S. Main St., St. Martinville) on Friday May 11th at 6:30. Parts to be cast are:

Barbara Scott mid-late 30's
Det. McPherson 30's-40's
Capt. Rennie 30's-40's ( could cast either a male or female for this part)
Sheila Vincent mid 20's-early 30's
Jimmy mid-late 20's

Barbara Scott is accused of murder and is on stage the entire play. The other characters are witnesses and have one scene each. Rehearsals start Monday May 14th @ 6:30. Performances are June 15th- July 1. Contact director Bruce Coen at bcoen@lusfiber.net or call 984-0754 home or 989-4142 work

Theatre--Performance

Theatre--Review (Evangeline Players)

It’s always amazing when we are searching desperately for something, how we often find other things for which we weren’t looking, but which often warm our heart.  I recently was looking for a certificate but instead found a framed picture of Lafayette Community Theatre’s last play, The Diaries of Adam and Eve, in which I played Adam.  In 1991, I had first joined LCT in their production of Our Town and found the company delightful, but it always danced on a financial precipice that finally collapsed in 1998.  It was a bittersweet experience watching LCT lose its theatre space, and I’ve seen enough theatre companies open and close to recognize that it’s not only disheartening but extremely bittersweet. I, for one, don’t wish to see any more local theatre companies fold.


How heartening to see that the Evangeline Players in St. Martinville are alive and well with their recent production of The Bishop’s Wife, adapted for the stage by Dave McGrath. After a tempestuous season with questionable play selections, I feared for the company in which I had been involved for over ten plays in the last nine years, but director Walter Brown allayed my concerns. The Bishop’s Wife is an infectious little tale that works in spite of its jagged design by Dave McGrath, who obviously took the 1947 movie and translated it scene for scene for the stage. Despite the numerous scene changes, the Evangeline Players and Walter Brown have managed a small miracle.

The tale itself is rather old-fashioned and comes from the same era as It’s a Wonderful Life. In The Bishop’s Wife, an angel Dudley (Steven “Smitty” Smith, Jr.) has been sent to solve the problems of Bishop Henry Brougham (Dylon L. Boudreaux) and his wife Julia Brougham (Adel Catherine Comeaux). In the Bishop’s desire to build a new cathedral, he not only neglects his wife and daughter Debby (Mary Gomez), but he also compromises his principles at the demands of a wealthy, petty widow Mrs. Agnes Hamilton (Carmen deMahy Nicholson). Through the interventions of Dudley, all is set right by the play’s end, as usually happened in such Hollywood movies.

The casting is somewhat uneven, but the leads acquit themselves nicely. Both Smitty Smith and Adel Comeaux make welcome returns to the Evangeline stage in roles that suit them. Though her scenes are few, Carmen Nicholson makes the most of her plumy role as the rich widow Mrs. Hamilton, especially in one heart-wrenching scene where she reveals the true love of her life. Even more delightful was Milton Resweber, who enriches Professor Wutheridge with a warmth reminiscent of Monty Woolley. But I’d be most interested to see the future work of Dylon L. Boudreaux, who at seventeen brought a maturity level to his work not usually seen in someone so young. Though he has much to learn—his frustration seemed a tad forced at times and his timing needs further development—he has the potential to be a talented actor in local theatre.

Though thirteen years have passed since LCT shuttered its doors, I can still recall my final lines as Adam in Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam and Eve. While standing above a grave, I placed a single rose at Eve’s tombstone, and said, “Wheresoever she was, there was Eden.” Well, the Evangeline Players created a small slice of heaven on the stage, proving that the rumors of its death are largely exaggerated.
---Vincent P. Barras

Theatre--Performance

The Evangeline Players' production of The Bishop's Wife continues through this weekend, running Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Theatre--Performance

The Evangeline Players will present Dave McGrath's stage adaptation of the 1947 MGM classic film THE BISHOP'S WIFE for six performances.  The show was first performed December 2008 by the Performance with Passion Players at the Eatontown Playhouse in Eatontown, New Jersey.  The play runs November 11-20 with 7:30 PM performances on November 11, 12, 18 and 19 and 2:00 PM performances on November 13 and 20.  Tickets are $10.00 and reservations can be made through Shamrock Office Supply (394-5574) or the Duchamp Opera House (394-6604) or purchased at the door.  The Opera House is located at 200 S. Main St. in St. Martinville at the intersection of Hwy. 31 and 96.

The story concerns an angel named Dudley (Steven "Smitty" Smith) who is sent from Heaven to help an Anglican Bishop named Henry Brougham (Dylon Boudreaux) in a moment of personal crisis.  Dudley finds himself drawn to the possibility of human life and love by his attraction to the bishop's wife, Julia (Adel Comeaux) and his fondness for Debby, Julia and Henry's daughter (Mary Gomez).

Henry's life is being complicated by the interference of a wealthy widow, Agnes Hamilton (Carmen Nicholson).  Eventually, he turns to Prof. Wutheridge (Milton Resweber), an old family friend, for some much needed advice.

The cast also includes Patricia Sibley Fournet as Matilda, the housekeeper, Sierra Ann Bourque as Mildred Cassaway, the bishop's secretary and Dr. Kenneth Fournet as Mr. Perry, the Cathedral architect and as Stevens, Mrs. Hamilton's butler.

Theatre--Performance

The Evangeline Players of St. Martinville will present a play in which the entire cast is comprised of residents of St. Martin parish and/or natives of St. Martinville. The play, The Bishop's Wife, is based on the 1947 Samuel Goldwyn movie and has been adapted for stage by Dave McGrath. The play will be directed by Water Brown. Appearing in the production are Steven "Smitty" Smith as Dudley, Dylon L. Boudreaux as Bishop Henry Brougham, Adel-Catherine Comeaux as Julia Brougham, Mary Gomez as Debby Brougham, Milton Resweber as Professor Wutheridge, Carmen deMahy Nicholson as Mrs. Hamilton, Sierra Bourque as Miss Mildred Cassaway, Patricia Sibley Fournet as the housekeeper, Matilda and Dr. Kenneth L. Fournet in the roles of Mr. Perry and Stevens, the Butler. The play will be performed at the Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville on November 11 through November 20.

The Bishop's Wife, an uplifting tale for everyone, will surely get you into the Christmas spirit. An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on plans for a new cathedral which will, hopefully, be primarily paid for by a wealthy, stubborn widow. But as Bishop Henry focuses so intently on procuring this money, he is losing sight of his family and of why he became a clergyman in the first place.  Christmas is fast approaching and Dudley, an angel, is sent to help Henry! Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the manner they would prefer. Everyone loves Dudley except Henry, since Henry wonders if Dudley is there to replace him in the church and in his family's affections. Can Dudley get Bishop Henry to see what is truly important in life before it is too late?

Tickets for the performances are available at the Duchamp Opera House (394-6604) or Shamrock Office Supply (394-5574) which are both in St. Martinville, or at the door unless a performance is sold out. Tickets are $10.00. Performances are Friday and Saturday, November 11,12,18, and 19 at 7:30 PM and on Sunday, November 13 and 20 at 2:00 PM.

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players will hold open auditions for The Bishop's Wife, based on the 1947 Samuel Goldwyn movie and adapted for the stage by Dave McGrath.

An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place. Enter Dudley, an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family's affections, as Christmas approaches.

Audition Dates: Saturday, September 10th (2-4 PM) and Monday, September 12th (6:30-8:30 PM)

Auditions are open to everyone. The cast consists of a wide range of ages, so there is something for everyone.

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players will hold open auditions for The Bishop's Wife, based on the 1947 Samuel Goldwyn movie and adapted for the stage by Dave McGrath.

An Episcopal Bishop, Henry Brougham, has been working for months on the plans for an elaborate new cathedral which he hopes will be paid for primarily by a wealthy, stubborn widow. He is losing sight of his family and of why he became a churchman in the first place. Enter Dudley, an angel sent to help him. Dudley does help everyone he meets, but not necessarily in the way they would have preferred. With the exception of Henry, everyone loves him, but Henry begins to believe that Dudley is there to replace him, both at work and in his family's affections, as Christmas approaches.

Audition Dates: Saturday, September 10th (2-4 PM) and Monday, September 12th (6:30-8:30 PM)

Auditions are open to everyone. The cast consists of a wide range of ages, so there is something for everyone.

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players are holding open auditions for The Bishop's Wife, based on the 1947 Samuel Goldwyn movie and adapted for the stage by Dave McGrath, on Saturday, September 10th (from 2 to 4 pm) and Monday, September 12th (from 6:30 to 8:30 pm) at the Duchamp Opera House.

Auditions are open to everyone.  The cast consists of a wide range of ages.

Theatre--Upcoming

This weekend, Acadiana theatre is having a ladies’ night.

Evangeline Players opens their produciton of Wendy Wasserstein’s Uncommon Women and Others, an early play from the Pulitzer and Tony-winning playwright of The Heidi Chronicles.

The show focuses on five old friends meeting for lunch seven years after graduationg from a prestigious women’s college. The reunion sets the scene for a series of flashbacks to their senior year when they were a part of the “uncommon group” who were going to be pretty amazing by the time they were thirty. Uncommon Women and Others is a play about choices.  It is also about struggles- the struggle to achieve and the struggle to remain an individual.

 

The cast includes Elizabeth Hunt, Katie Lamson, Sarah Hitchcock, Amanda Lyon, Kyla Cormier, Amanda Newbury, Taylor Dought, Adel-Catherine Comeaux, and Stacy  Broussard. Uncommon Women and Others contains mature subject matter and language and is intended for mature audiences .Show times are May 13, 14, 15 and  May 20, 21, 21 .  Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 PM and the Sunday matinees are at 2:00 PM. All performances are at The Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville.  Tickets are available at Shamrock Office Supply (394-5574) or The Duchamp Opera House (394-6604) or at the door.

AUI/AURA is also presenting a staged reading of William and Judith, my new play. The reading will take place at 810 Jefferson St. (under the Juliet Hotel, near The Filling Station) at 8 p.m. on May 14.

In A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf posits that if Shakespeare had an equally talented, equally ambitious sister who dreamed of being a playwright, she would have been lost to history simply because she was a woman. The play imagines that sister — Judith — who arrives in London after being disowned by the family. She finds her brother struggling to write something worthwhile after two decades of success as a playwright. In this crucible, The Tempest is created, and that play’s creation could tear brother and sister apart.

The play features an impressive cast of local actors including Duncan Thistlethwaite, John Snyder, Kayla Lemaire, David Huyhn and Martha Diaz.  The show also features an appearance by Courtneay Sanders, an associate director of Playhouse Theatre Tulsa, which will produce the show in February 2012.

For more information, click here.
---Cody Daigle
http://codydaiglewrites.com/weekend-theatre-roundup-uncommon-women-william-and-judith/
http://codydaiglewrites.com/

Theatre--Performance

The Evangeline Players of St. Martinville will present Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon Women and Others May 13th through May 22nd. It is directed by Charlee Halphen Swain.

 

The show focuses on five old friends meeting for lunch seven years after graduationg from a prestigious women's college. The reunion sets the scene for a series of flashbacks to their senior year when they were a part of the "uncommon group" who were going to be pretty amazing by the time they were thirty. Uncommon Women and Others is a play about choices.  It is also about struggles- the struggle to achieve and the struggle to remain an individual.

 

The cast includes Elizabeth Hunt, Katie Lamson, Sarah Hitchcock, Amanda Lyon, Kyla Cormier, Amanda Newbury, Taylor Dought, Adel-Catherine Comeaux, and Stacy  Broussard. Uncommon Women and Others contains mature subject matter and language and is intended for mature audiences .Show times are May 13, 14, 15 and  May 20, 21, 21 .  Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 PM and the Sunday matinees are at 2:00 PM. All performances are at The Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville.  Tickets are available at Shamrock Office Supply (394-5574) or The Duchamp Opera House (394-6604) or at the door.

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players have cancelled the Sunday, March 6th auditions for The Glass Menagerie.  The auditions will take place as scheduled on Saturday, March 5th.

Theatre--Company Website

The Evangeline Players have launched their new website.  Check it out.

Theatre--Auditions

The Acadiana Center For The Arts (ACA) and the Evangeline Players announce open auditions for a co-production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie and a future production to be named (TBN). Both experienced and novice actors are encouraged to audition.

Lafayette auditions will be held at the ACA Moncus Theatre Tuesday, March 1st and Wednesday, March 2nd from 5-8 pm. No reservations are necessary.  Additional auditions will be held at 200 S. Main St. at the historic Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinville on Saturday and Sunday, March 5th and 6th from 2-5 pm.

The Glass Menagerie will be performed at the ACA Moncus Theatre May 26th through the 29th. Additional dates and venues will be scheduled and will be announced at a future date.

Monologues are not required. Auditions will be cold reading from the script of The Glass Menagerie and the script of the TBN production. For actors with a prepared monologue, it should be a contemporary modern piece no longer than 3 minutes in length.

For The Glass Menagerie, the producers are seeking the following roles:

TOM: Male to play 22-30 years
LAURA: Female to play 22-30 years
JIM: Male to play 22-30 years
AMANDA: Female to play 40-60 years

For the TBN production:

Several male roles to play 30-45 years
Several female roles to play 30-45 years
Male to play 55-70 years

Callbacks will be scheduled as necessary.

Send all inquiries to danielpovinelli@gmail.com

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players of St. Martinville will hold open auditions for Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein on Saturday and Sunday, February 19th and 20th from 1-3 pm at the Duchamp Opera House located at 200 S. Main Street in St. Martinville (corner of Hwy. 96 and Hwy. 32, across from the church square).

The play will be under the direction of Charlee Halphen who teaches theatre in Iberia Parish and who directed Ghosts for the Evangeline Players last Fall. 

The play takes place in 1978 with flashbacks to 1972-3 as the main characters recall their college lives and contrast them with their present lives.

The director is looking for 9 women and one man (who is the narrator).  Most of the women are in their twenties but there is a part for a middle-aged or older woman.

Performances are scheduled for May 13th through the 22nd.

Theatre--Review (Evangeline Players)

Ray Blum's review of the Evangeline Players' production of Ghosts, which appeared in the Friday, October 15th edition of the Daily Advertiser, can be found online here.

Ghosts will continue its run until October 24th.  For more information, call (337) 364-6604.

Theatre--Review (Evangeline Players)

Secrets and lies unravel a family in the Evangeline Players' production of Henrik Ibsen's classic drama, Ghosts.
The play centers on Helen Alving, a tough-minded woman who's been holding her family and estate together since her husband's death a decade prior. In his honor, she's opening an orphanage with assistance from lifelong friend (and maybe former romantic interest) Rev. Manders. Her son, Oswald, has returned from living in Paris, and he
has his eye on Regina, the Alving's maid. Also in the mix is Regina's father, Engstrand, who's a drunk of  questionable responsibility.

The dramatic heart of Ghosts is the unearthing of long-held family secrets -- particularly secrets about the dead Captain Alving -- and these secrets, once revealed, threaten to destroy the family forever.  By the play's end, all the family's illusions of propriety and respectability are stripped away, and they're left to deal with the rotted and diseased reality underneath.

The adaptation by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson is a brisk, if sometimes plodding, take on Ibsen's original. His lines are, for the most part, easy on the ears -- there are a few moments, however, of anachronistic slang that stick out like sore thumbs -- and the play's three acts move at a rapid clip. Unfortunately, some stretches of the play feel dramatically inert, and although the play's construction is tight, the brevity sometimes makes the play feel thin and undernourished.

Script quibbles aside, the play's in the very capable hands of director Charlee Halphen-Swain, who does a commendable job navigating Ibsen's murky family drama. The show is fast, smart, concise and thoughtful, and she's done a terrific job keeping the show on its toes. This show is a tough sell, especially in our corner of the
country, but Halphen-Swain delivers a production that's clear and accessible.

Ghosts is also a tough play for actors, but the cast here is more than eager to meet its challenges head-on. As Engstrand, Paul David lends the show some levity, landing a handful of the show's better punch lines. As Regina, Elizabeth Hunt reveals layers of sensuality, vulnerability and steely determination. And as Oswald, Devin Capritto
does a nice job capturing the frustrated spirit of a young man attempting to step into the shoes of adulthood.
Heath Swain delivers some very fine work as Rev. Manders, the play's moralistic center. Manders is a man of unwavering principle, and Swain communicates that nicely. His is a grounded and believable performance.

The show's best asset, however, is Amanda Newberry's Helen Alving. Newberry breathes the most life into the show's dense language, and hers is the most commanding and confident performance. She's in turns
flirty, ferocious and vulnerable, and her final scene with Oswald is the show's most affecting stretch. Newberry owns this role and this show. It's a performance worth seeing.

The show's got a game cast and an able director, but Ghosts doesn't quite pack the emotional punch it should. The wounds that are inflicted on the Alvings and those surrounding them only graze the skin when they should cut to the bone. And while the show fires on all its intellectual cylinders, it doesn't always hit us in the gut the way a good drama should.

The show, however, is still worth seeing, and the Evangeline Players should be commended for tackling this unorthodox choice. Bravery counts for a lot, and this company bravely stands up to the imposing and challenging Ghosts.
---Cody Daigle


Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen, adaptation by Lanford Wilson
Directed by Charlee Halphen-Swain
Produced by Evangeline Players
Through Oct. 24. For info, call 394-6604.

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players will hold auditions for Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen.  Actors will be asked to read from the script.  Auditions will take place at the Duchamp Opera House in St. Martinsville on Saturday, August 21^st from 1-4 pm and call backs will be on Sunday, August 22^nd from 1-4 pm. 

The director is looking for the following roles:

Character Breakdown

Mrs. Helene Alving, late 40’s – 50’s, widow of Caption Alving, late Court Chamberlain

Osvald Alving, mid to late 20’s, her son, a painter

Pastor Manders, late 40’s-50’s

Engstrand, 40’s-50’s, a carpenter

Regina Engstrand, early to mid 20’s, in service with Mrs. Alving

Please bring a head shot and resume if available.  The Duchamp Opera House is located at 201 South Main Street, St. Martinville, LA. For questions, please call the director, Charlee Halphen Swain, at 371-6971.