Chester Theatre Group

Chester Theatre Group is proud to present an evening of one-acts, September 24-26, 2010 at the Black River Playhouse.

CHECK, PLEASE by Jonathan Rand – directed by Jeff Jackson

Dating can be hard. Especially when your date happens to be a schizophrenic, a bigamist, or a mime. CHECK, PLEASE follows a series of blind dinner dates that couldn’t get any worse—until they do. Could there possibly be a light at the end of the tunnel?

THE ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE by Christopher Durang – directed by Steve Catron

Anyone who’s involved in theatre knows the dream:  you find yourself on-stage, ready to perform, only you don’t know what the play is – you’ve never rehearsed  - you don’t know the plot, let alone the lines!   George finds himself on stage, uncertain of where he is or how he got there – suddenly he’s thrust on stage, it’s HAMLET?!?– a glamorous actress appears to be doing PRIVATE LIVES by Noel Coward?!?  Shakespeare??  WAITING FOR GODOT??  A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS??   This hilarious spoof is a classic!

The Chester Theatre Group of the Black River Playhouse will be holding auditions for their late fall production of SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS by Richard Alfieri. This warm and endearing show is to be directed by Roseann Ruggiero and produced by Penny Hoadley.

Auditions will be held on Sunday, 9/26/10, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, 9/28/10, from 7:00-9:30 p.m. at the theater which is located on the corners of Grove Street and Maple Avenue in Chester, NJ.  All readings will be from the script.  Since the show does involve light ballroom dancing, there will be a dance portion of the audition, so please be prepared to move.

Performances will begin on Friday, 11/19/10 and run Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. through Sunday, 12/5/10

Character Breakdown

Lilly Harrison – (range/late 50s to early 70s) – Conservative, attractive, minister’s wife, intelligent and cultured, retiree now living in St. Petersberg Beach, Florida.

Michael Minetti – (range/late 30s – late 50s) – Acerbic, attractive, rapier-witted, excitable, ex-broadway chorus boy now teaching ballroom dancing in Florida.

About The Play

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks is a touching and human comedy about  happens when an antagonistic relationship blossoms into an intimate friendship as the two characters from very different backgrounds reveal their secrets, fears, and joys while dancing the Swing, Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha-Cha, and Contemporary Dance. A comedy with music and dance, the play also addresses the serious issues of ageism and intolerance.

Since its Los Angeles premiere and Broadway opening, Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks has been translated into 12 languages and has traversed the globe with productions in over 20 countries. With over 50 productions and two national tours in Germany alone, the play has established itself as an international hit and one of the most produced plays in the world.

CTG is proud to present, for one night only, a reading of The Ten Commandments, a comedy by Gary Hill and Perry Kroeger, based loosely on the Cecil B. DeMille movie of the same name.

In the cast (playing over 40 parts among them) are Barbara Haag, Steve Graham, Maggie Graham, Lori Lawrence, Stephen L. Fredericks, Danny Campos, Mark Happel, Steve Nitka, Perry Kroeger and Bob Jacobson as Moses.

The fun starts at 8:00, and reservations are recommended by calling 908.879.7304.

The play was originally done in New York at LaMama in 1995.

Hot on the heels of the auditions for Fiction (thanks to everyone who came out!) we have auditions for an evening of one acts to be performed September 24-26, 2010.

On August 15 and 17 at 7 PM, Stephen Catron and Jeff Jackson will be holding auditions for the one acts, “Check, Please” and “The Actor’s Nightmare”, at the Black River Playhouse.  Auditioners will be asked to read from the provided scripts.

The plays:

CHECK, PLEASE by Jonathan Rand – directed by Jeff Jackson

Cast Breakdown: 4-8 men, 4-8 women, all mid-20s to mid-40s

Synopsis: Dating can be hard. Especially when your date happens to be a schizophrenic, a bigamist, or a mime. CHECK, PLEASE follows a series of blind dinner dates that couldn’t get any worse—until they do. Could there possibly be a light at the end of the tunnel?

 An extremely funny collection of short, SNL-style skits that present a fantastic—and rare—opportunity for actors to really explore their comic chops with fun, smart, hip material. Each is only 2-3 minutes long, so for actors who only want to tackle one character in one vignette, it’s a very easy, manageable undertaking that still offers a great payoff. But we may also cast actors as multiple characters, so if you want to take on more, there’s an opportunity for that, too!

 THE ACTOR’S NIGHTMARE by Christopher Durang – directed by Steve Catron

 Cast Breakdown:  2 men, 3 women (ages mid-20s to 50s)

 Synopsis: Anyone who’s involved in theatre knows the dream:  you find yourself on-stage, ready to perform, only you don’t know what the play is – you’ve never rehearsed  - you don’t know the plot, let alone the lines!   George finds himself on stage, uncertain of where he is or how he got there – suddenly he’s thrust on stage, it’s HAMLET?!? – a glamorous actress appears to be doing PRIVATE LIVES by Noel Coward?!?  Shakespeare??WAITING FOR GODOT??  A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS??   This hilarious spoof is a classic!

The 2010 Perry Award Nominations were announced today, and CTG was honored with 11 nominations for our productions of Nine, Hound of the Baskervilles and Shirley Valentine.  The awards dinner will be held on September 19, 2010 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Somerset.

The full list of nominees can be found at the NJACT site.

Our honors:

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN FOR A PLAY

Ellen Fraker-Glasscock, Hound of the Baskervilles

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

Jeff Fiorello/Cliff Parish, NINE
Steve Gale,THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

OUTSTANDING PROPERTIES

Peg Hill, SHIRLEY VALENTINE

OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY

Jeff Jackson,  SHIRLEY VALENTINE

Nanette Ratti,  THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

OUTSTANDING SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

Mark Happel, NINE

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY

Cindy Alexander, SHIRLEY VALENTINE

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF  A PLAY

Ellen Fraker-Glasscock, Producer / Chris Mortenson Director,  THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Gloria Lamoureux, SHIRLEY VALENTINE

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Tina Kaye, NINE