Editor's Note

Happy Mardi Gras!!

Theatre--Performance (Musical Theatre)

South Pacific, the legendary Broadway and movie hit, will be presented by the Iberia Performing Arts League opening Friday, March 25 and running Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday afternoons thru April 10.  Evening performances are at 7:30 and Sunday Matinees are at 3:00 at the Essanee Theater, IPAL’s Art Deco home.  

 Helen Allain Richthofen (Bloody Mary)

 Anne Catherine LeBlanc (Liat) and Phillip Smith (Lt. Joe Cable)

Thomas Owens (Luther Billis),  James Wyche (Stewpot) and Matthew Dugan (Professor)

Kim Monroe (Nellie Forbush) 

Kim Monroe (Nellie Forbush) and Michael Parich, Sr. (Emile de Becque)

Ticket or other information can be obtained by calling the theater at 364-6114, e-mailing ipal@cox.net, or by visiting the IPAL website. Tickets can also be obtained in New Iberia at Paul’s Flower Shop, Delaune’s Pharmacy, or Accentrics. All seats are reserved and are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Theatre--Auditions

Two roles remain to be cast in the Acadia Players' production of Noises Off (Garry and Selsdon).  If interested, contact the director (Russell Faulconer) at (337) 783-1512 or (337) 581-9876 or Jody Powell at (337) 580-1787.

Theatre--Performance

The Opelousas Little Theatre at The Delta Grand presents William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Do with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage...

Directors Travis Fontenot and Walter Duncan McBride bring to life this timeless comedy/tragedy.  That's right!  Everyone knows the story: Boy meets girl. Girl belongs to a rival family. Rival family hates boy. They get married anyway. Rival families fight. People die. She pretends to kill herself. Boy buys poison and kills himself while she wakes up from fake-killing herself. Kills herself... Got all that? Of course there's more than that, it is a two hour play filled with comedy, swordfights, and a world of intrigue. Join the fine actors of Opelousas Little Theatre as they retell this story of the people of Verona, Italy in one of The Bard's best told stories.

ROMEO- Andrew Markel
BENVOLIO- Cody Richard
BALTHASAR- Nick Blumrich
ABRAM- Nick Blumrich
LORD MONTAGUE- Travis Fontenot
LADY MONTAGUE - Tara Sibille
JULIET- Austin Guidroz
TYBALT- Jersten Seraile
SAMPSON- Cody Sibley
GREGORY- Dustin Clark
LORD CAPULET- Duncan McBride
LADY CAPULET- Cindy Pitre
NURSE- Sarah Bourgeoius
MERCUTIO- Andy Doucet
PARIS- Dalton Guiterriz
PRINCE- Eugene Dupre'
FRIAR LAWRENCE- Casey Harmon
JOHN- Cody Sibley
APOTHECARY- Jada Doucet
CITIZEN'S OF VERONA- Alix Trombley and  Hillary Ziegler.

STAGE MANAGER- Erica Stanford
BACKSTAGE- Chelsey LeBleau
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR- Nick Blumrich

 The cast of Romeo and Juliet will preform at the Delta Grand Theatre in downtown Opelousas from April 6th through the 9th and April 13th through the 16th at 7 pm. Matinee performances on April 10th and April 17th at 2 pm


Tickets are available over the phone at Sebastion-Dupre Fine Jewelery at 337-948-4367 or can be purchaed at the door on the day of show.

Look OLT up at www.opelousaslittletheatre.com or become a fan on Facebook.

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--Company Website

Acting Unlimited, Inc and Acting Unlimited Repertory Academy are announcing their new website.  Take a look and leave comments for the companies.

Theatre--Review (Abbey Players)

Ray Blum reviews the Abby Players' production of Blithe Spirit in the Friday, February 25th issue of the Daily Advertiser.

Theatre--Performance (Musical Theatre)

Back by popular demand, Chez Gisèle, a drag musical comedy noire stage play by Dennis Ward, directed by Christy Leichty, opens March 17th for a two week revival at the Cité Des Arts theater.


The second production is dedicated to the memory of Clarence Aucoin, who died forty years ago, March 7, 1971. The premier run of Chez Gisèle was a three week run in May and June of 2010 and sold out almost every performance. .


Chez Gisèle will be performed March 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th. All performances start at 7:30pm except Sunday matinees, which will begin at 2:30pm. It’s recommended that tickets be reserved in advance by calling Cité Des Arts at 337-291-1122 or online by paypal at the Cite website.

Theatre--Auditions (Musical Theatre)

Auditions will be held February 27th (5 pm to 7 pm) and 28th  (5:30-7pm) at Cité Des Arts for the original Brenrose production of Exile, a gospel musical about the final exile of Napoleon at St. Helen’s.  One child and seven adults are being sought for this production which will run May 5th through the 21st at Cité.  The producers are seeking a 8-12 year old boy, four males and three females, ages 30-70.  Be prepared to do a cold reading and to audition with one song of the auditioner's choice.  All members of the cast will be a part of a chorus, many will have solo numbers.  This show will be directed by Maureen Brennan.   The production team is also seeking musicians, technicians and a stage manager. 

Call 337-298-7321 for more info.

The UL Department of Performing Arts presents Picnic by William Inge from March 16th through the 20th.  The show will take place in the theatre at Burke-Hawthorne Hall on the UL campus.  Shows times are 7:30 pm, with the exception of a 2 pm matinee on Sunday.


The play takes place on Labor Day weekend in the joint backyards of two middle- aged widows. One house belongs to Flo Owens, who lives there with her two awakening young daughters, Madge and Millie, and a boarder who is a spinster school teacher, Rosemary Sidney. The other house belongs to Helen Potts, who lives with her elderly and invalid mother. Into this atmosphere comes a young man named Hal Carter, whose animal vitality upsets the entire group. Hal is a most-interesting character, a child of parents who ignored him, self-conscious of his failings and his hard luck. Flo is sensitively wary of the temptations Hal poses for her daughters. But Madge, bored with being merely a beauty, sacrifices her chances for a wealthy marriage for the excitement that Hal promises."

Directed by: Sara Birk
Stage Manager: Kelsey LaCoste
Assistant Stage Managers: Gilbert Moore

Flo Owens- Rachel Chambers
Madge Owens- Kristen DuBois
Millie Owens-Amber Izdepski
Helen Potts- Ana-Alicia Scott
Rosemary Sidney- Elizabeth Satterly
Irma Kronkite-Megan Laque
Christine Schoenwalder-Amanda Caldwell
Hal Carter- David Huynh
Alan Seymour-Jeremy Drewery
Howard Bevans- Martin Smith
Bomber Gutzel- Andre Trahan



$10.00 General Admission, Free w/ Valid ID, UL Lafayette Students, Faculty, and Staff
$5.00 UL Lafayette Alumni, Senior Citizens, Students, and Children
Tickets available only at door.

For more information call: 337.482.635 

Theatre--Auditions

IPAL presents Agatha Christie’s The Unexpected Guest directed by Travis Guillory! Auditions will be held Monday, March 28th and Tuesday, March 29th at 5:30 pm.. Performances will be June 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th, 2011.

On a foggy night in South Wales, Michael Starkwedder crashes his car in a ditch and enters the darkened study of Richard Warwick to find Warwick dead and Warwick 's wife, Laura, standing near with a smoking gun. Despite the murder being obvious and overwhelming evidence pointing towards it, Starkwedder does not believe she killed him. The two decide to place the blame on an enemy from the past, Mac Gregor, a man whose son was run over by Richard while he was driving drunk. As the story progresses, the two fake the fact that they were just finding out about the murder and others in the house are introduced. The police suspect everyone in the house, but are especially puzzled by a set of unidentified fingerprints. Are they Mac Gregor’s? Or do they belong to Laura’s lover whom Laura has lied to protect? Murder, jealousy, craftiness, and witty humor add up to equal another one of Agatha Christie’s surprise endings.

For more information, email ipal@cox.net or call the director at (337) 789-9362.

Dramatiks Productions stages For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozoke Shange.

 Hear the Sound of Color! 

Dramatiks Productions  is proud to announce the opening of  Ntozoke Shange’s For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, a choreopoem, or series of poems choreographed to music. For Colored Girls expresses the many struggles and obstacles that African-American women have faced throughout their lives. While the play focuses on women of color, the poems are about women, love, family, abuse, relationships, identity, sexuality, choice and friendship, and are embodied by each woman's story, providing a sense of the interrelationships among the performers and of their gestures and dance movements.
The play begins and ends with the lady in brown. The other six performers represent the colors of the rainbow: the ladies in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The various repercussions of "bein alive & bein a woman & bein colored is a metaphysical dilemma" are explored through the words, gestures, dance, and music of the seven ladies, who improvise as they shift in and out of different roles.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf is directed/produced  by Jennifer Miller under the umbrella of Dramatiks Productions.   The members of this extremely talented cast are Bria Hobgood, (Orange). Tametria Smith, (Yellow),  Kisha Guillory, (Purple), Kristana Marshall, (Red), Nyokia Mckeith (Green), NeeKee Mcdonald (Blue) and Gale Whitting, (brown).

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf opens Thursday, February 24-28th, and runs for one weekend only. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm.  Tickets are $15 and $10 with senior, student and group discounts available. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (337) 291-1122, by going to the box office or by visiting Cite’s website.

Theatre--Auditions

After the HUGE successes of Grease and A Christmas Story, the Acadia Players takes on one of the biggest endeavors in its history.

 

Noises Off is a hiliarious spoof of community theater life and the sometimes happenings before, during and after a performance of a play. In it's "adult humor" style way, the players of "Nothing On" must deal with all the aspects of Murphy's Law (what can go wrong usually will) as they seek to prepae (only hours before opening curtain) and then perform their rendition.

 

Unrequited love, mixed up emotions, jealousy (and let's not forget sardines) all combine to make a rollical time which will have adult audiences rolling in the aisles. Add to that a cactus and an axe, and audiences will be "splitting their sides" as they watch this play evolve at lightning speed.

 

The Acadia Players will be holding auditions for Noises Off from Monday, March 1st, through Wednesday, March 3rd at the Historic Rice Theater in downtown Crowley. Auditions will begin at 6 pm each evening. 

 

They are looking for 5 males and 4 females (with two roles that could be played by either) 18 years of age or older. The play is not for the faint at heart, as characters will play "dual roles" - meaning that they will play the character they are cast as AND the character that their character plays in the spoof play.

 

Performances are scheduled for July 14th through the 17th at the Historic Rice Theater in Crowley, with a Media Night performance on July 9th.

 

Those interested may show up one of the nights of audition, or contact the Crowley Flower Shop at 783-1512 or Jimmy Broussard, President, at 783-5532.

 

Noises Off is written by Michael Frayn and is being produced by special permission of Samuel French, Inc.

Theatre--Reading

AUI/AURA presented the first developmental reading of Cody Daigle's Why We Fall on February 12th and 13th.  Below are pictures taken at the Friday, February 12th reading.

Kayla Lemaire

Erik Scheider (Lee Fielding)

 Martha Diaz (Nela Moore) and Kayla Lemaire

 Erik Schneider (Lee Fielding), Robert J. Wilson (Matt Strayer) and Martha Diaz (Nela Moore)

Erik Schneider (Lee Fielding), Robert J. Wilson (Matt Strayer), Martha Diaz (Nela Moore) and Kayla Lemaire 

Eric Schneider (Lee Fielding),  Robert J. Wilson (Matt Strayer) and Martha Diaz (Nela Moore)

Robert J. Wilson (Matt Strayer) and Cindy Hebert (Maura Fielding) 

Erik Schneider (Lee Fielding) and Duncan Thistlethwaite (Dan Fielding) 

Erik Schneider (Lee Fielding), Robert J. Wilson (Matt Strayer) and Martha Diaz (Nela Moore) 

Erik Schneider (Lee Fielding) and Cindy Hebert (Maura Fielding) 

 Audience talkback after the reading

Playwright Cody Daigle

Theatre--Performance

AUI/AURA is announcing the cast list of its summer production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  The show will run in rep with its musical production of Brigadoon at Cite Des Arts the last week of July and the first two weeks of August.


Theseus--Michael Munzing
Hippolyta--Kate Schneider
Titania--Ruth Diaz
Oberon--Mychael Zulauf
Egeus--Robert Sidman
Philostrate--Kay Manuel
Lysander--Phillip Spear
Demetrius--Nick Dooley
Hermia--Morgan James
Helena--Martha Diaz
Puck--Erik Schneider
Bottom--Gerard Ducharme
Snout--Jacolby Glaude
Flute--Phillip Smith
Starveling--Marianna Piazza
Snug--Michael Mouton
Peter Quince--Joseph Diaz
Mustard Seed--Zoe Francez
Peaseblossom--Annette Diaz
Cobweb--Naomi Roberts
Moth--Hannah Corkern
Titania's Fairies--Cindy Hebert, Hunter Osborn, Kelly Griffin, Megan Connor, Elizabeth Hunt, Annie Dronet, Erin Segura, Shannon Kenast, Ali Roberts
Oberon's Faeries--Zachary Mishlove, Kaan Dere, Cody Dunstan, Thaquan Priestley, Anthony Priestley, Emily Kennison Sandoz, Danielle Sowle Champagne, Alyssa Simoneaux

Stage Crew--Thomas Owens, Ashley Simoneaux

Theatre--Performance (Musical Theatre)

AUI/AURA is announcing the cast list for its summer musical, Brigadoon.  The show will run the last weekend of July and the first two weekends in August at Cite Des Arts.


Tommy Albright--Joseph Diaz
Jeff Douglas--Nick Dooley
Charlie Dalrymple--Phillip Smith
Harry Beaton--Phillip Spear
Mr. Lundie--Vincent P. Barras
Stuart Dalrymple--Thomas Owens
Angus McGuffie--Michael Mouton
Fiona MacLaren--Kelly Griffin
Jean MacLaren--Elizabeth Hunt
Meg Brockie--Erin Segura
Jane Ashton--Shannon Kenast
Maggie Anderson--Megan Connor
Mrs. MacLaren--Cindy Hebert
Sandy Dean--Alicia Roberts
Mrs. Beaton--Kate Schneider
Frank--Michael Munzing
Fishmonger--Danielle Sowle Champagne
MacGregor--Gerard Ducharme
Chorus--Chris Trahan, Naomi Roberts, Bob Sidman, Hunter Osborn, Kaan Dere, Cooper Helm, Edie Guidry, Thaquan Priestley, Anthony Priestley, Cody Dunstan, Zach Mishlove, Annette Diaz, Zoe Francez, Martha Diaz, Morgan James, Jacolby Glaude, Erik Schneider, Kay Manuel, Emily Kennison Sandoz, Annie Dronet 


Stage Crew:  Mychael Zulauf, Marianna Piazza, Ashley Simoneaux

Opera--Performance

The UL-Lafayette Opera Theater is in rehearsal for its next production, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado.  Director Shawn Roy has released the cast list:

The Mikado of Japan       Brian Taylor (Director of Marching 
                                                 Bands at UL Lafayette)

Nanki Poo                           Holden Greene

Yum Yum                           Jenee Luquette and Meghin Taylor

Ko Ko                                   Jonah Slason

Katisha                                Lindsay LeBlanc

Poo Bah                               Miguel Ochoa

Pitti Sing                             Alex Hollerman

Peep Bo                              Jennifer Andrews and Tessa Espinosa

Pish Tush                           Jared Price and Cordario Webb

The Mikado will run April 14th through the 16th.  There will be a free morning show for students on Friday, April 15th.  For more information, contact Shawn Roy at shawnroy@hotmail.com.

Theatre--Technical Training

Cite Des Arts is offering a training session in the use of their new light/sound system.  Only those who have been through the training will be able to run the system.  The session will be held on Thursday, February 17th at 6 pm.

For more information, call Cite at (337) 291-1122.

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