Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Theatre--Audition

Auditions for The Lamp, a one act drama/comedy, will take place at Cite des Arts June 2nd and June 4th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. This play will be performed as part of the Hub City Theater Festival, July 10th-12th at Cité des Arts. The Lamp is an original piece by Cindy Brown.

The play includes 3 female characters and 2 male characters....
Charlene- A widow 45-55 years old
Ruby- Charlene's best friend, 45-55 years old
Loretta- another of Charlene's friends, 45-55 years old, attractive and vain,
speaks her mind
Genie- A male character probably over 40
Shawn- A male character quite a bit younger than Charlene

WHEN: Monday, June 2nd and Wednesday, June 4th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm
WHERE: Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St., downtown Lafayette between Jefferson St. and Third St.

For additional information please contact Cindy Brown at 839-9291 or
322-5166, or e-mail her at jasmine276@aol.com.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Theatre--Auditions

Auditions will be held for the one act comedy, The Lawyer Who Stopped Talking, an original piece by Jim Phillips. The performance of this play will take place during the Hub City Theatre Festival, July 10-12th at Cité des Arts. Some characters will play multiple roles and some roles are non-speaking.

WHEN:Saturday, May 24: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Sunday, May 25: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Monday, May 26: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

WHERE: Cité des Arts, 109 Vine St., downtown Lafayette, between Jefferson St. and Third St.

For additional information, please contact Jim Phillips at 337-290-1601.

Cast of Characters, The Lawyer Who Stopped Talking:

Tom Harris, Esquire: A man in his 30s-50s;
Scenes 1-4 The main character, a lawyer

Denise Harris: A woman in her late 20s-30s;
Scenes 1&4 Tom’s soon to be ex-wife

Maha Baba: A man in his late 40s-50s.
Scenes 1-4 Denise’s guru

Alice Barkley: A woman in her late 70s;
Scenes 2-4 Tom’s first devotee.

Director / Stage Manager: A man/woman in 20s-60s
Prologue

Bob: A man in his 20s-60s;
Scenes 1&4 Denise’s divorce lawyer.

Mr. Gunn: A man in his late 30s-40s;
Scenes 3&4 Detective

Sonia: A woman in her early 20s;
Scenes 1-4 Assistant detective

Lawyer No. 1: A man in his 30s-50s;
Scene 3 From Tom’s law firm

Lawyer No. 2: A man/woman in 30s-50s;
Scene 3 From Tom’s law firm

Television reporter: A man/woman in 20s-30s;
Scene 3

TV camera operator: A man/woman in 20s-30s;
Scene 3

Group of devotees: 6-10 men/women in their teens-50s
Scene 3

The Breather
Cloth Over Head
Tie-dyed Stretcher
Arrow Meditator

Monday, May 19, 2008

Theatre--Auditions

The Evangeline Players will produce the Neil Simon comedy The Odd Couple as part of their 2008-2009 season. Performances of this classic will be the first three weekends in August 2008. Vincent P. Barras will be directing and the parts of Felix and Oscar are pre-cast. They are searching for six supporting characters. There are four poker-playing buddies (males from 20s to 60s) who have small scenes in all three acts. There are two females needed to play the Pidgeon sisters from England, so British accents are important. The two females can be any age from 20s-40s.

Tryout dates are Monday, May 19th and Tuesday, May 20th from 6-8 pm. People do not need to be at both audition dates. If you cannot make those dates, please contact Vincent P. Barras at 519-0865 to make other arrangements.

Those cast will be notified and given scripts by May 23rd. Rehearsals will begin on Monday, June 9th, but the poker scenes as well as the Pidgeon sister scenes will rehearse one day a week for the first five weeks with more frequent rehearsals as we near opening night.

Theatre--Performances

Set aside July 10 – 12, 2008 for the Second Annual Hub City Theater Festival.

After a successful 2007 premiere year, the Hub City Theatre Festival returns this summer with something for every theatre lover out there. Cité des Arts will again produce the event and HCTF director, Cara Hayden, is very excited about the number of submissions that have been received this year. According to Hayden, one of the main missions of this Festival was to create a sense of community among the theatres throughout the Acadiana area and also to provide the opportunity for the number of talented individuals in the area to submit original works.

Besides one-act theatre pieces, the Festival will also feature theatre workshops and presentations as well as showcase improv works. Information will be updated as the schedule comes together. Come celebrate a weekend of theater!
________________________________________________________________

Theatre--Performance

Cité des Arts theatre season continues with The Pulitzer Prize winning play, Proof.

Written by David Auburn and directed by Christy Leichty, Proof opens May 22nd for a three week run, closing on Saturday June 7th.

On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman,
has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathe-matician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire; and the attentions of Hal (a former student of her father’s), who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father’s madness – or genius will she inherit?

WHEN: May 22 – 31, June 5 –7 (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays)
WHERE: Cite Des Arts, 109 Vine Street, downtown Lafayette between
Jefferson St. and Third St.
ADMISSION: $15 for Adults; $10 for Senior Citizens and Students
For information and reservations, please call 291-1122

Notice

This is just an announcement to let you all know that the next couple of weeks are going to be really busy for me (birthdays, graduations, etc.). I will do my best to keep the blog current, but I may be late updating. I'll be back as soon as I can.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Theatre--Review

Ray Blum has a review of the Abbey Players' production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile in the May 16th edition of the Daily Advertiser.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Theatre--Performance

The Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts has released the cast list for their production of Steel Magnolias, which will open on May 22nd. The cast will be:
Truvy: Faye Coots
Annelle: Julia Franks
Clariee: Allison Jones
Shelby: Erin Segura
M'Lynn: Mary Ann Fournier
Quiser: Denise Hodge

Theatre--Article

The May 15 edition of the Daily Advertiser includes an article by Cody Daigle on the possibility of professional theatre in Lafayette. The article includes comments by Amy Waguespack (Acting Up in Acadiana)and Nyalls Hartmann (UL-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts), as well as Duncan Thistlethwaite and Cheryl Castille (Cite Des Arts) and others.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Theatre--Article

The May 12th edition of the Daily Advertiser has an article by Cody Daigle about the Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy and the proposed changes to it.

There is also an article (also by Cody Daigle) about the new black box theatre which the Arts Academy students and teacher constructed from an old classroom.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn opens on May 22 for its three week run at Cite Des Arts.

On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathmatician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire; and the attentions of Hal a former student of her father's, who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all:How much of her father's madness or genius will she inherit?

Directed by Christy Leichty.

WHEN: May 22-31, June 5-7 (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays)

For information and reservations, please call Cite at 291-1122

Theatre--Performance

Dramatiks Productions presents A Dragon In The Mix, written by Sue Ann Gunn and directed by Jennifer Miller-Frank. In one large palace, combine a queen, her mother, ladies-in-waiting and assorted princesses. That's the recipe four mischievous fairies are cooking up in this witty fairy tale spoof. It is a one act comedy andfamily fun at its finest.

WHEN: May 16 &17, 2008 at 7:30 PM
WHERE: Cite Des Arts, 109 Vine Street, downtown Lafayette between
Jefferson St. and Third St.
ADMISSION: Adults, $10.00 ; Students and Senior Citizens $8.00

For additional information and reservations, please contact Cité at
337-291-1122

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Theatre--Audition

Bruce Coen is still looking for one male in his 20's and 2 males 40-60 for Multiplicity at Cite Des Arts. For information, call Bruce at 739-4389 or Cite at 291-112.

Theatre--Audition

Tryouts for The Odd Couple have Changed.

Tryout dates are Monday, May 19th and Tuesday, May 20th from 6-8 pm. People do not need to be at both rehearsal dates. If you cannot make those dates, or if you need more information about where the tryouts will be held, please contact Vincent P. Barras at 519-0865 to make other arrangements.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Theatre--Review

Patrick Marber’s Closer, produced by the University of Louisiana—Lafayette’s Department of Performing Arts at Fletcher Hall Auditorium is not a theatrical version on the well-known television program. It is a witty and biting dissection of what passes for romance in the modern era. It is for mature audiences. It succeeds as piece of art because it allows one to look to the lives of others and perhaps realize something meaningful to one’s own life. As Marber himself notes, he is “not concerned with the “good” or “bad” here, nor in passing judgment on the characters. This is what they said. This is what they did. How they behaved is really none of my business. The audience will see them as they like, and may well disagree with each other, but hopefully they’ll recognize something true.” Marber’s play won much recognition: the Olivier Award in London, The New York Critics Award, and two Tony nominations. UL-L’s presentation was up to that proud lineage.

It is characters and how they are brought to live by first-time director Sarah Gauthier that brings the show to life (and to what passes for love). The four-character ensemble plays their roles superbly both as individuals and in various pairing. No individual ever dominates. Allison Barron (Anna) and Sarah Hitchcock (Alice) play the female half of the relationships wonderfully, while Hunter Burke (Dan) and Blaine Peltier (Larry) play the male half strongly. As Anna, Barron is artistic, sophisticated, and yet vulnerable. She evokes sympathy throughout. Hitchcock’s Alice is common, dependent, wounded and simply “disarming.” Burke’s Dan, an “obit writer” comes full circle in the story. At first reserved, then dynamic, later wounded, and then reserved again, he evokes the fantasies (real and unreal) of many a man. His is the opening and the closing. Peltier’s Larry (a doctor in the story) is loud, bombastic, selfish, and yet sympathetic. He plays the part with bravado!

The emotions this group evokes are diverse. What are they so sad about? Love--or what passes for it. What happens in the course of the story? At the end, the characters are not so innocent anymore. Everyone says loving things to everyone. But they find that falling in love, not being in love, is what is addictive. After all of the humor, the arguments, the electricity, the excitement, the sad comment is “What do you have to do to get intimacy?” The greatness of this particular show, and the staging at UL-L, is that the characters--all of them—hurt, and make the audience hurt for and with them. By the end, it is not cartoon characters on stage; it is the real people for whom the audience can care. Little more can be asked from a night’s entertainment.

Production values are high. Jenna Fontenot’s set is minimalist, but invokes a strong sense of place. The set focuses attention on the characters rather than on itself. Meagan Mod’s choreography of the opening of Act II develops Alice’s character as much as her words do. And, again, Sarah Gauthier’s direction was right-on. The accents were consistently British, but not intrusive. Silence, touches and the lack thereof carried the real meanings as much as the words. Even the typing on a computer was done in character. The lighting, the music, the costumes focused attention on the characters and their development.

A word of warning: The language, the situations, the discussions are for mature adult audiences with strong adult content. Much would be “bleeped” on the airwaves! However nothing untoward “goes on” onstage. A thank you: In all of the publicity I saw concerning the play that was perfectly clear, and appropriate warnings (wisely) restricted the show to 17 years old and over! This show only plays two more night, May 9 and 10. If you are interested in a moving, thoughtful experience, by all means see it.

--Donald "Doc" Voorhies

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Theatre--Performance

The hilariously funny comic duo of Shane Guilbeau and Sandra LaBorde Broussard are returning to the Cité des Arts' stage with their productions of Grosbecs and Eulalie. This is a fundraiser for Comeaux and Lafayette High Schools Speech and Drama Clubs. The students receive all the funds brought in from these shows.

WHEN: Friday, May 9th at 7:30pm and Saturday, May 10th at 2:00pm and 7:30pm.
WHERE: Cite Des Arts, 109 Vine St., downtown Lafayette between Jefferson St. and Third St.
TICKET PRICES: $10.00

For reservations please call 337-291-1122.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Theatre--Performance

Imagine if you will ... Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein, both in their early twenties, before either became well-known, just happen to meet by chance in a bar in Paris circa 1904. Picasso at the Lapin Agile, the long running Off-Broadway absurdist comedy, places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian cafe in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism. In his first comedy for the stage, Steve Martin (the popular actor and screenwriter) plays fast and loose with fact, fame and fortune as these two geniuses muse on the century's achievements and prospects as well as other fanciful topics with infectious dizziness. Bystanders, including Picasso's agent, the bartender and his mistress, Picasso's date, an elderly philosopher, Charles Dabernow Schmendimen and an idiot inventor introduce additional flourishes of humor. The final surprise patron to join the merriment at the Lapin Agile is a charismatic dark haired singer time warped in from a later era.

May 9th, 2008, 8pm is Patron's Premiere night! This event is open to the public. For $35.00, you get dinner served at 7 pm by a prominent Acadiana restaurant, two complimentary drinks from our antique bar, dessert and a ticket to the show. Regular performance tickets are $12.00 and run every Friday and Saturday from May 10th - June 14th at 8 pm.

Purchase tickets online or by calling 337 893 2442.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Theatre--Auditions

The Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts is holding auditions for its production of Annie Warbucks on May 26, 27, 28 and 29 at 7 pm. For more information, call 337-828-2787.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Theatre--Performance

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Performing Arts presents Closer. Written by Patrick Marber and directed by Sarah Gauthier, the play follows a brilliant exploration into the brutal anatomy of modern romance, where a quartet of strangers meet, fall in love, and become caught up in a web of sexual desire and betrayal.

The play runs May 8, 9, and 10 in Fletcher Hall Auditorium at 7:30pm. It is free admission for all, but because of the strong Adult content, no one under the age of 17 will be admitted to the show.