the victoria theatre association

Among the offerings in this installment I get to tell you about four different pieces of literature being brought to the stage by 5 area theatres. What is it about novels that make such good theatrical fodder? Our tour of books-on-stages begins with:

Closing This Weekend!

The Never Ending Story

Kettering Children’s Theatre

The Skinny: Lovers of the classic 1984 fantasy movie of the same name are probably already aware that it was first a book by Michael Ende. KCT’s production of this tale of adventure and self-discovery uses charming puppets (made by local artisan Ayn Wood) to bring to life  the Gnomics and fan favorite Falkor (the Luckdragon) among others. KCT is theatre for children and by children.

Dates: One weekend left, Friday and Saturday (11/16 and 17) performances are at a family-friendly 7 pm and Sunday (11/18) is at 2.

Tickets: Tickets are available for purchase at the door (cash only). For any information further, please call the Rosewood Arts Center office at (937) 296-0294

Legally Blonde

Playhouse South

The Skinny: A musical retelling of the story of Elle Woods’ journey through Harvard Law. Most people are familiar, at least passingly, with the 2001 Reese Witherspoon movie of the same name, but Did You Know: That movie was based on a novel by the same name.
Dates:  Two performances left, Friday and Saturday (11/16 and 17).

Tickets: For ticketing information, please visit the Playhouse South website, here.

You Better Watch Out

Brookville Community Theatre

The Skinny:A heartwarming holiday comedy about family, love and the spirit of Christmas

Dates: One weekend left! Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets: Reservations are highly recommended and may be made by calling the Brookville Flower Shop at 937-833-3531

Opening Next Weekend!

Scrooge!

The Dayton Playhouse

The Skinny: Based on Charles Dickens’ classic tale, this musical closely follows the classic story with the miserly Ebenezer undergoing a profound experience of redemption over the course of a Christmas Eve night, after being visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas past, present and future.

Dates: Weekends, opening Friday Nov 30 and closing Sunday Dec 16.

Tickets: For all reservation and purchase information, please visit the Dayton Playhouse Website, here.

Speaking of Dickens…

A Christmas Carol

The Zoot Theatre Company

The Skinny: Like Scrooge!, but with less singing. This is a more straight-forward retelling of the ghostly holiday favorite, using Zoot’s signature beautiful puppetry.

Dates: Weekends, November 30th through December 15th.

Tickets:  Online ticketing for this event doesn’t seem to be working just now, but a wealth of event information can be found on the ZTC event page on Facebook, here.

Speaking of Dickens (wait, that sounds familiar…)

Oliver!

The Human Race Theatre Company

The Skinny: Christmas Eve in London, 1838. A small group of working-class, wayward souls gather in a tavern to celebrate when a small, unexpected guest prompts a spontaneous telling of the popular Oliver Twist. With traditional music-hall flair, they delve into Charles Dickens’ haunting moral tale as the lines between story and reality blur. Sized perfectly for The Loft Theatre, this reimagining of the classic Tony Award®-winning musical will touch your heart and challenge your spirit. It’s Oliver with a twist, indeed!

Dates: The original dates of the run have been extended, and now the show will open 11/29 and run through 12/22, making tickets a perfect Hanukkah or early-Christmas present!

Tickets: All ticketing information can be found online, here.

A Tuna Christmas

The Dayton Theatre Guild

The Skinny: It’s Christmas time and local radio personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie tell us all about the annual Christmas lawn display contest that Viola Carp keeps winning (14 times), the troubled local production of A Christmas Carol and along the way introduce us to a host of colorful characters, each one funnier than the last, in this little mythical Texas town.  Two actors portray more than twenty roles in this hilarious production.

Dates: November 23rd – December 9th. Remember, in the 2nd and 3rd weekends, Saturday performances are at 5:00 pm.

Tickets: Tickets are available at the Dayton Theatre Guild website, here.

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

The Victoria Theatre Association

The Skinny: The beloved musical movie of the same name stars Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen and features some of Berlin’s best-known songs including “Sisters,” “Blue Skies,” and the title song that you may have heard once or twice before.

Dates: November 27th through December 2nd.

Tickets: For ticketing information, please visit the Victoria Theatre Association website, here.

Audition Notice!

Ghosts

Directed by Matthew Smith

Dayton Theatre Guild

The Guild is bringing to life Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama. The ‘‘ghosts’’ in this play are taboo topics that cannot be openly discussed.  This drama is one of Ibsen’s most powerful works, but also one of his most controversial.  Family sins are revisited when a son returns home to dedicate an orphanage in his father’s name and becomes involved in a tryst that ends in the painful knowledge of long suppressed family truths.