[Theatre Announcements] Theatre Happenings: 11 December, 2007

Tue Dec 11 11:28:22 CST 2007

Welcome to this week’s edition of Theatre Happenings, a compendium of imminent productions in the North Alabama area (for all the theatre-goers), as well as a head’s up about upcoming auditions (for all the actors, most of whom are also theatre-goers ).
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Theatre Happenings
in Huntsville, Decatur and Thereabouts

Summary of This Week's Events
Click on a link to find out more about a specific event.

"Face 2 Face Improv" (F2F) 
"The Eight: Reindeer Monologues" & "Seven Santas" (RT/AST) 
"Sanders Family Christmas" (RT) 
"School House Rock LIVE!" (Sparkman) 
"Christmas Carol: the Musical" (FP) 
"Best Christmas Pageant Ever" (GH) 
"Little Miss Moonshine" (BT) 
"Hansel and Gretel" (AN) 

"Space Rangers and the Viper Menace" (RT/MMO) 
Renaissance Theatre - Open Auditions (RT) 

Play Writing Competition (POA) 

Upcoming Productions

These are the shows either currently in production, or else coming up within the next two weeks.

Face 2 Face 
F2F Improv
Face 2 Face Improve presents Cool Laughter.
Date & Times: 

December 14th @7PM, Daily Brew Coffee, 2941 Point Mallard Parkway (hwy67), Decatur AL, (256.355-0330) 
December 15th (LAST SHOW OF 2007) @ 7PM, Kenny Mango's Coffee, Madison Market, 97 Hughes Road, Madison AL, 256.461.6388 
Synopsis: Cool laughter - Chill with us! Don't be left out in the cold! Original! Unscripted! Skatin' on thin ice Comedy Improv.
Tickets: $6 ($10 at the door)
Contact:  Call  256.654.CITY (2489)
www.face2faceimprov.com

Renaissance Theatre/Alpha Stage
The Eight: Reindeer Monologues
Seven Santas
Renaissance TheatreAlpha Stage presents "The Eight: Reindeer Monologues and Seven Santas by Jeff Goode".
Date & Times: 

December 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. 
All performances on the Alpha Stage at Renaissance Theatre, 1214 Meridian Street in Huntsville.
Synopsis: The Eight: Reindeer Monologues sets the holidays off kilter with a cynical, twisted and drop dead funny look at the holidays. Eight very articulate, anthropomorphized reindeer take the stage to discuss the terrible scandal that has so polarized opinions at the North Pole. Scandal erupts at the North Pole and as mass media descends upon the event, the other members of the sleigh team demand to share their perspectives, and a horrific tale of corruption and perversion emerges, which seems to implicate everyone from the littlest elf to the tainted Saint himself. With each deer's confession, the truth behind the shocking allegations becomes clearer and clearer. ...and murkier and murkier.  If you’re tired of the sugary sweet holidays, this play is the antidote!  It’s NOT for children under 16! Seven Santas is a look at who Santa is, was, will be. Sentenced to rehab for a not-so-minor traffic violation, Santa finds himself in a detox program run by the estranged Mrs. Claus. Santa's desperate struggle to conceal the truth about his arrest uncovers another sordid secret that could mean the end of Christmas-as-we-know-it. This time, it's Santa's turn to speak, and Christmas will never ever be the same. 
Directed by: Gary Lee Knight
Tickets: All tickets $14 general admission.
Contact:  Call 256-536-3117.
Other Info: Not for under 16
www.renaissancetheatre.net

Renaissance Theatre/Burritt on the Mountain
Sanders Family Christmas
Renaissance Theatre in cooperation with Burritt on the Mountain presents "Sanders Family Christmas".
Date & Times: 

December 13-16 and 20-22 at 7:30 with 2:30 matinees on December 22 and 23. 
All performances on the Burritt on the Mountain in Huntsville.
Synopsis: The the Sanders Family Singers: Vera, Burl, Dennis, Denise, June & Uncle Stanley, back for a second visit to Reverend Ogalthorp's mountain top church for a rousing holiday caravan of holiday spirit, stories and singing!
Directed by: Bob Baker, assisted by Joanna Broad.
Tickets: All tickets $20 general admission.
Contact:  Call 256-536-2882..
Other Info: Featuring Kelly Sims, Kelly Lynn, Emily Lynn, Mit Merritt, Dennis Joanna Broad & Jeff White.  Musical Direction by David Giambrone, Costumes by Gay Broad/Bob Baker and produced by Renaissance Theatre's Community Outreach Program to effectively support other non-profit organizations as we support ourselves!
www.renaissancetheatre.net

Sparkman High School Theatre
School House Rock LIVE!
Sparkman High School Theatre Company presents "School House Rock LIVE! (Jr.)".
Date & Times: 

December 13th, 14th, and 15th at 7:00 pm and a 2:00 pm matinee on the 15th. 
All performances at Sparkman High School.
Synopsis: A fun and exciting musical based on the cartoons we grew up with.
Directed by: Sherri Ryan and Shelli Rimes.
Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for students.
Contact:  TommyQRST at aol.com

Fantasy Playhouse
A Christmas Carol: The Musical
Fantasy Playhouse presents "A Christmas Carol: the Musical".Date & Times: 

December 13,14,15,16 @ 8 PM, 
December 15,16 @ 2 PM 
All performances in the VBC Playhouse.
Synopsis: For the 18th year, a Huntsville tradition continues! Come see Fantasy Playhouse’s production of “A Christmas Carol, the Musical” at the VBC Playhouse. Enjoy Dickens’ classic tale of redemption live on stage.  See Scrooge follow the three ghosts of Past, Present and Future to his salvation. This traditional Christmas tale comes to life with outstanding performances and wonderful music so start your holiday season with a trip to the theater.
Directed by: Michelle Allen
Tickets: Tickets $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for children (17 and under).
Contact:  Call 256-539-6829.
Other Info: Kevin O-Brien as Mr. Scrooge, Jessica Threet as Xmas Past, Linda Meigs as Xmas Present, PJ Slighting as Middle Ebeneezer/Xmas Future, Kaitlin Rich as Belle, David Meigs as Bob Cratchit, Dave Schulte as Mr. Fezziwig and Rankin Sneed as The Ghost of Jacob Marley.www.letthemagicbegin.org

Grissom High School
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Grissom Theatre presents “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by Barbara Robinson.
Date & Time:

Dec. 13th at 7:00 p.m. 
Dec. 14th at 7:00 p.m. 
All performances in the Grissom auditorium, 7901 Bailey Cove Road.
Synopsis: In this hilarious Christmas tale, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids—probably the most inventively awful kids in history. The Herdmans lie, cheat, steal, and smoke cigars, hit little kids and cuss their teachers. There are six of them—and they go through the Woodrow Wilson school like those South American fish that strip your bones clean. You won’t believe the mayhem—and the fun—when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head-on! The result is a hilarious yet touching play that teaches the town a lesson in the true meaning of Christmas. This play is appropriate for all ages.
Directed by: Lydia Marsh
Tickets: Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. Seating is general admission. Group rates are available. Tickets are also available at the door and at Blossoms and Blooms on Bailey Cove Road.
Contact: 539-1534.

Backstage Theatre

Little Miss Moonshine
Backstage Theatre presents "Little Miss Moonshine".
Date & Times: 

Dec. 14,15 at 6:30 pm; Dec. 16 at 2:00 pm 
All performances at Studio One Playhouse.
Synopsis: When a beauty pageant reality show goes haywire, the director and his team are forced to find everyday girls to replace the real beauties. This Politically incorrect show will leave you laughing so hard you'll be crying!
Directed by: Darren Butler
Tickets: Theatre- $25, General Admission- $12.
Contact:  256-340-0041 or andrewsybert at yahoo.com
www.studioonedecatur.com

Ars Nova
Hansel and Gretel
Ars Nova presents "Hansel and Gretel".
Date & Times: 

December 15th at 2 p.m. Special Free Preview Performance! 
Dec. 21, 22, and 23 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day 
All performances at Ars Nova Performance Hall.
Synopsis: After Hansel and Gretel break the last bottle of milk, the children are sent out to the forest to collect strawberries, even though night is near.  The children get lost and fall asleep in the forest. The next day, they happen upon a house made of cake and sugar. They cannot resist and start eating the house. Suddenly an evil witch appears and kidnaps the children! Starring Ron Roberts as the witch, Rosina!
Directed by: Lea Hoppe.
Tickets: $12 general admission.
Contact:  256-883-1105 or arsnovaschool81 at bellsouth.net
Other Info: After the 2pm matinees, children ages 6-12 are welcome to join in a workshop making Gingerbread Houses! This production is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Huntsville Arts Council, Target, and the Boeing Company.
www.arsnovahsv.com

Auditions

Okay, thespians and thespian wannabees! Here's your chance to tread the boards. Audition opportunities are herein listed.

Renaissance Theatre/Mad Men Only Theatre
Renaissance Theatre, in conjunction with Mad Men Only Theatre, will hold auditions for the original musical, "Space Rangers and the Viper Menace", by Chuck Puckett.
Location and Times: 
Auditions will be held at Renaissance Theatre, 1214 Meridian Street in Huntsville. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 5 (2008) at 10:00 AM 
Sunday, Jan. 6 (2008) at 3:00 PM 
Possible call-backs will be on Sunday, Jan. 13 at 3:00PM 
Director: Chuck Puckett
Cast Requirements: There are roles for 6 Men, 4 Women, and a Chorus. 2 of the men and 3 of the women must be in their 20's-early 30's. 1 of the men and 1 of the women are older (middle aged or older).
Synopsis: Strat Lancaster has saved the galaxy annually, ever since he graduated from the Academy. So a grateful galaxy plans to honor him at his class reunion. But things are not always what they seem. Cosmo Biggs, the most powerful tycoon in the Galactic Federation wants more than money, he wants EVERYTHING. The beautiful, yet sinister Queen Urana seems to have less than honorable intentions as well. And when Strat is grounded on a technicality, there seems to be nothing stopping the triumph of evil and greed. Add a mutating monster lurking in the background, a set of heroic Space Rangers, and lots of great tunes, and you have Space Rangers and the Viper Menace: Look out, Universe, here they come!
Be Prepared: Auditions will consist of cold readings from the play. You should also be prepared to sing a short vocal selection to display your voice. A keyboard will be available, but you'll need your own accompanist, or else bring a karaoke CD (a capella is also okay). Perusal copies of the script are available by emailing puckett_chuck at hotmail.com. You may listen to sample scores at www.puckettpublishing.com/songs/scores.htm (scroll down to find Viper Menace scores).
Show Schedule: Performance dates are April 11, 12, 17-19, 2008 at Renaissance Theatre.
Contact: Call 256-682-0783 or puckett_chuck at hotmail.com.
www.renaissancetheatre.netwww.puckettpublishing.comwww.madmenonlytheatre.com

Renaissance Theatre
Renaissance Theatre will hold open auditions for 2008 shows.
Location and Times: 
Auditions will be held at Renaissance Theatre, 1214 Meridian Street in Huntsville on Saturday, Jan. 12 (2008) at 10:00 AM.
Be Prepared: Bring a prepared monologue and/or a few bars from a musical piece to sing a capella. Even if you’ve auditioned for Renaissance Theatre before, come to express your interest in working with the 2008 lineup of shows including such productions as: Murder on the Nile (production dates in May) (callbacks by February 3rd/4th), La Cage Aux Folles (production dates in August), The Rocky Horror Show (production dates in October)
Contact: Call 256-536-3117.
www.renaissancetheatre.net

Other Events

Other events related to local theatre are listed here.

Panoply
10 Minute Play-Writing Competition
Panoply Arts Festival is accepting submissions to its 10-Minute Playwright Competition. 10-Minute Plays are a relatively new dramatic structure where the playwright develops a full plot with a beginning, middle and end within a production running time of seven to ten minutes. In our fast food society of short attention spans and commitment phobias, the Ten-Minute Playwright competition is the perfect literary-theatric combo meal to educate and expose the general public to bite size portions of the arts. 
Panoply invites playwrights from across the United States to submit original scripts pertaining to the theme outlined below. These scripts will be judged by a panel of judges who will also produce the winning plays. The five selected playwrights will receive a $50.00 stipend for their work, and they will also be invited to attend Panoply and watch as their play is produced for the first time. Panoply will take the responsibility of working with area schools and drama troupes to produce each play five times in the park during the festival.  
Panoply is one of the premiere arts festivals in the southeast. The festival is annually held in Huntsville, Alabama, the last full weekend of April. This celebration of the arts attracted over 140,000 people to downtown Huntsville’s Big Spring Park for Panoply 2007.  The festival was conceived as a fine arts festival geared to children and their families. Panoply strives to offer the community a wide array of the arts including 5 performing stages that showcase the best in theater, music and dance, the Panoply Choreography Competition, a juried Art Marketplace with artists from across the US, many make-n-take activities for children and families, the Global Village, and the 10-Minute Playwright Competition.
Guidelines for Play Submissions:

Run time must be between 7-10 minutes 
Maximum of 4 characters 
For a general audience base; no “mature audience only” material 
Will be produced in a covered tent at an outdoor arts festival 
Furniture and props that can be set up and struck within 5 minutes 
No more than 6 sound cues 
General lighting wash only 
One level 16’x 20’ playing area 
Timeline:

Applications available by October 20, 2007.  Click here to download the Playwright Application 
Submissions must be postmarked by December 31, 2007 
Winners will be notified by February 15, 2008 
Production crew receives script by February 22, 2008 
Dress rehearsal on Thursday, April 24, 2008 
Plays performed at festival on April 25, 26, and 27, 2008 
Theme:
Southern Comfort: Submissions must pertain to the four ways Southerners find comfort: food, family, sports or music.
Click here to see a printable entry form.
Submit Entries to:
10-Minute Playwright Competition
Panoply Arts Festival
700 Monroe St., Suite 2
Huntsville, AL  35801
www.panoply.org
Chuck Puckett, Esq., BS, ~MS, ThD www.puckettpublishing.com "The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates) "The unexamined faith is not worth believing." (Chuck) "Anger is a wind that blows out the lamp of the mind." (Arabian proverb) "I don't want to steal the show... I only want to borrow it for a while." (Chuck) 
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