Chester Theatre Group

Someone will be right with you…

Adam Bock’s office comedy, The Receptionist opens at the Black River Playhouse on Friday, November 20, 2009.

To let Samuel French summarize: “At the start of a typical day in the Northeast Office, Beverly deals effortlessly with ringing phones and her colleague’s romantic troubles. But the appearance of a charming rep from the Central Office disrupts the friendly routine. And as the true nature of the company’s business becomes apparent, The Receptionist raises disquieting, provocative questions about the consequences of complicity with evil.”

The show is directed by Jeff Knapp and features Carla Kendall as Beverly, The Receptionist; Rachel Dunwoody as Lorraine; Stephen Catron as Mr. Raymond and Don Pflaster as Mr. Dart.

The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm through December 5th with a Sunday matinee performance on November 29 at 2pm. Opening night, November 20, is sold out. Tickets are available for all other performances. The show runs approx 80 minutes and is presented without intermission.

Tickets are $18 at the door (cash or check only) and may be reserved by calling the box office at 908.879.7304.

About the play:

“A deceptively complex work that intends to reinvent the concept of the office comedy, The Receptionist plays with the idea of who knows how much and how good a thing that ultimately is.” – Tom Avila, Metro Weekly

“The genially mundane goings-on in this blandly average workplace are throw into macabre relief when … a single, jarring line of dialogue sets the calm surface of the play rippling with creepy currents.” – Charles Isherwood, New York Times

On Sunday, November 8th at 3pm, Chester Theatre Group in residence at Black River Playhouse in Chester, New Jersey, concludes it’s 2009 “Unheard Ayckbourn” reading series with MAN OF THE MOMENT, Alan Ayckbourn’s 1988 comedy about the price of fame in a media driven society.   The reading is presented by the 4A’s (Alan Ayckbourn Aficionados of America) as part of their year-long celebration of Ayckbourn’s 50th year of playwriting.  Previous readings in the series included SUGAR DADDIES, WILDEST DREAMS and GAMEPLAN as well as a “50/50: Ayckbourn & CTG” – a special retrospective of the dozen Ayckbourn plays presented by the Chester Theatre Group, which also marked its 50th anniversary this season.  

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The Chester Theatre Group of the Black River Playhouse will be holding auditions for Shirley Valentine, by Willy Russell, the author of Educating Rita and Blood Brothers.  The show will be directed by Cindy Alexander and will be presented weekends in March 2010. Shirley Valentine is a full-length one-woman comedy.

Auditions will be held on Sunday, 10/25/09 at 6:00 PM and Tuesday, 10/27/09 at 7:00 PM. Auditions will be held at the theatre which is located at the corner of Maple and Grove Streets in Chester, NJ. 

UPDATE: Auditioners are asked to familiarize themselves with these two excerpts: “Shirley Valentine – Side One“ and “Shirley Valentine – Side Two.”

Audition Requirements

One Actress to play 40-50 year-old working-class English mother of two grown children.

Actresses auditioning for the role must be adept at comedy, working class English accent (preferably Liverpudlian) and memorization. Readings will be from the script. 

About the Piece

Inside Mrs. Joe Bradshaw is the former Shirley Valentine longing to get out. Her self- confidence badly shattered by school, marriage and life, she is reduced to talking to the kitchen wall whilst preparing her husband’s evening meal – to be on the table as he opens the front door every night.  As she sips a glass of wine, she dreams of drinking in a country where the grape is grown.  Her feminist friend offers her a holiday in Greece and, with great trepidation and a lot of forward planning; Shirley seizes the opportunity.  In Greece she encounters a totally different lifestyle, breaking out of the mold cast for her by society. 

For more information, contact Cindy Alexander (908) 713-6207

Trace the remarkable 50 year writing career of Sir Alan Ayckbourn while re-living scenes from the dozen Ayckbourn plays that have been produced by Chester Theatre Group (also celebrating their 50th year), including four American premieres! Members of the CTG original casts reassemble for a memorable evening, including a piece of Ayckbourn writing never heard on any American stage!

Scenes from THE NORMAN CONQUESTS, ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR, BEDROOM FARCE, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, WOMAN IN MIND, FAMILY CIRCLES, TIME OF MY LIFE, BODY LANGUAGE, SNAKE IN THE GRASS, and IMPROBALE FICTION!

Starring:

• Mary Claire Cardoni (Bedroom Farce, Absurd Person Singular)
• Patrick Carpenter (The Norman Conquests)
• Dawn Fantasia (Family Circles, Time of My Life)
• Ellen Fraker Glasscock (Ayckbourn debut)
• Hannah Hendry (Woman in Mind, The Norman Conquests)
• Carol Holland (The Norman Conquests)
• Valerie Stack Dodge (Body Language)
• Rich Maloy (Time of My Life)
• Ruth Morley (The Norman Conquests)
• Chris Mortenson (The Norman Conquests)
• Thomas Moynahan (Woman in Mind)
• Julianne DiPietro Renshaw (Snake in the Grass, Improbable Fiction)
• Eric Rolland (Improbable Fiction)
• Bob Sackstein (Bedroom Farce, Absurd Person Singular, Time of My Life, Body Language, Improbable Fiction, Woman in Mind, The Norman Conquests, Table Manners)
• Dixon Stearns (Bedroom Farce)
• Judy Stone (Body Language)
• Elizabeth Urcinoli (Improbable Fiction)
• Dave Villepique (Body Language)
• Eileen Waite (Absurd Person Singular, Table Manners, Time of My Life)

Directed & Written by Michael T. Mooney

Two Performances Only! $10 admission

Presented on September 25 & 26, 2009 at 8 PM.  This event is sponsored by the 4A’s.

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