A STORY ABOUT AMERICA, WITH A WHOLE WORLD OF MUSIC

(Press Release from Human Race Theatre)

It’s 1963. Martin Luther King has just told the world of his dream. John F. Kennedy is about to be assassinated. And in the basement of a Jewish family’s home in Louisiana, their African-American maid spends her days doing laundry and being the only friend of a boy who has lost his mother.

That’s the setting for Caroline, or Change, a musical with its roots in the life of Tony Kushner (Angels in America), who wrote the book and lyrics, and a cornucopia of music styles used by composer Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie). When it played on Broadway. Time Out New York called Caroline “daring, beautiful and profoundly moving.”

In the production at The Loft Theatre by The Human Race, Dayton’s own professional theatre company, Caroline is played by Tanesha Gary, who was in the Broadway cast as part of a singing radio, one of the show’s many whimsical anthropomorphic characters. She’s often visited in the basement laundry room by Noah, her employers’ young son, played by 11-year old Brendan Plate of Washington Township.

“The role of Noah is substantial,” says director Scott Stoney. “Brendan is really good about taking direction. It’s been interesting to watch the relationship of Caroline and Noah build.”

Brendan isn’t the only youngster in the show. Caroline has four children of her own, including two young boys played by 14-year old Malachi-Phree J. Pate of Dayton, a Stivers student, and 9-year old J. Miguel Conrado Rojas, a 4th grader at Cox Elementary in Xenia. “We’re really thrilled that we found these very talented local youngsters,” says Stoney.

Caroline’s oldest son is serving in Vietnam. Her only daughter is played by Julian’s real-life older sister, Yvette Williams, who was recently Homecoming Queen at Wright State. Her best friend, Dotty, is played by Taprena Augustine, a resident of Blacklick, outside Columbus.

Noah’s father is played by Bruce Sabath, who was in the Best Revival Tony-winning production of Company; his stepmother by Adrienne Gibbons Oehlers, who was Kitty in The Human Race production of The Drowsy Chaperone; his grandparents by Resident Artist Kay Bosse and Dayton-area stalwarts Saul Caplan and K.L. Storer.

The anthropomorphic characters include Brittany Campbell (who’s used to non-human parts, since she was once part of a Sesame Street bug choir) as The Washing Machine; Chicago-based Dwelvan David as both The Dryer and The Bus; New Yorker Tonya Thompson as The Moon; and Ashanti J’Aria and Kimberly Shay Hamby of New York and Shawn Storms (Trix in Drowsy Chaperone) as The Radio.

Behind the scenes, Scot Woolley and Resident Artist Sean Michael Flowers are Music Director and Assistant Music Director/pianist, and Heather Jackson is Stage Manage., Choreographer Teressa Wylie and Scenic Designer Dan Gray are from the Ohio State theatre faculty. Lighting is by Resident Artist John Rensel, costumes by Kristine Kearney, and sound by Nathan D. Dean, with Heather Powell handling props.

Caroline, or Change is the second presentation of The Human Race’s 25th Anniversary Season. It will have a preview performance Thursday, November 3, and officially open November 4, with performances through November 20. Tickets are available via www.humanracetheatre.org, by calling Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630, or at the Schuster Center box office.

Production sponsors for Caroline, or Change are the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, The Harry A. Toulmin, Jr., and Virginia B. Toulmin Fund of the Dayton Foundation, Muse Machine, Tim and Char Scroggins, DP&L Foundation, and Emerson Climate Technologies, with additional support from Mrs. Wallace E. Johnson, Richard and Marni Flagel, The Roberts Foundation, the National Conference of Community & Justice of Greater Dayton, Burhill Leasing, One Lincoln Park, and Bob Ross Buick-GMC & Mercedes-Benz.

Nominated in 2005 for fourteen Tony Awards and winner of three (including Best Musical), Monty Python’s Spamalot is coming to Dayton for a one-night show this Sunday at the Schuster Performing Arts Center.  The popular musical was “lovingly ripped off from” the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail and follows King Arthur who travels England in search of Knights for his round table who go on a search for the Holy Grail.  While popular with hardcore Monty Python fans, this musical version doesn’t require you to be a “pythonite” to enjoy this crazy brand of British humor that often takes jabs at Broadway itself.

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MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT

October 30, 2011

Location: Schuster Center

Showtime: Sunday – 7 p.m.

Click here for tickets

Win Tickets

We have FOUR PAIRS of tickets to give away for Sunday’s show!  Simply fill out the form below – we’ll draw winners this Friday morning.  GOOD LUCK!

Contest Closed

And congratulations to our winners – enjoy the show!

Tricia Reynolds

Jamie Werling

Daniel Pfister

Eli Alban

“Slasher: A Horrifying Comedy” (presented by University of Dayton Theatre Program at UD’s Boll Theatre) began with a young woman delivering the usual request to silence our electronic devices and refrain from eating in the theater, with an added warning for those in the front seat: they had unwittingly chosen the “splash zone,” and were advised to move back to avoid the spattering of stage blood.

Despite this, the blood kept very nicely on the stage for the preview (maybe a little too nicely, based on the introduction).  A play about the makings of a horror film, or rather the familial controversy behind it, “Slasher” certainly has its moments reminiscent of typical horror movies (most notably the meat hook). However, unlike most horror films, these people can actually act. The character portrayal is what really made this play, and there were some phenomenal scenes that showcased the talent of the students. An easy example is Kiersten Manifold, who plays no less than nine different characters throughout the show, ranging from the Mormon at the door to the skating waitress at Sonic. Another notable example is the interaction between the director of the film, Marc Hunter, and the lead, Sheena McKinney (played by Patrick Lillis and Julia Puscas), is nothing short of astounding. The sexual tension that develops from them is both awkward and chilling as we move throughout the play, especially during the last scene. Hannah Blosser made a stellar debut as an actress, playing the role of Frances McKinney (Sheena’s lazy, feminist, and deranged mother). The supporting roles of Jody and Hildy, played by Jonathan Golab and Jenna Gomes, gave the play a certain charm and realism. Director of the production, Linda Dunlevy, said that this show required intelligent acting, and that she was grateful to have such people to work with. Linda has been with the University of Dayton for the past 18 years, and is also involved with the Human Race Theater Company and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, which are both local organizations.

I was privileged to be a part of the set construction team. Remember when I said the play began with “turn off your cell phones”? I lied. In reality, the play began with auditions on Monday, August 29^th. From there, hundreds of hours were spent not only practicing lines, but also designing and building the set, selecting costumes and props, and organizing lighting and sound. The special effects proved to be most difficult. That blood I mentioned? Donna Beran and her team tried about every recipe they could find to figure out which ones to use. Not to mention Kiersten’s constant costume changes. Due to the cinematic nature of the play, the scene changes themselves needed to be quick and fluid. This ruled out a number of set designs, according to Darrell Anderson. Ed Larkin, stage manager, noted that he was pleased with how the lighting turned out, despite all the issues with organization. Because I was completely unfamiliar with the play until I saw it, I have to say seeing how the different sets were used for each scene was rewarding.

The play itself is short, clever, funny, and very well done. However, due to the adult nature of the play, I would suggest a babysitter.

Show times are the 21^st and 22^nd at 8pm, the 23^rd at 7pm, and the 27^th, 28^th, and 29^th at 8pm. Location is the University of Dayton’s Boll Theater in J.F. Kennedy Union. For tickets and information, call the KU box office at 229-2545.

DPO’s Halloween Weekend focuses on family and the sheer horror of marital bliss

(see ticket contest details below the article)

Blind dates. Most of us have either been the one fixing someone up or the one being fixed up. Either way, it’s always a scary proposition. Women worry that the guy might turn out to be a nerdy dweeb or a totally insensitive caveman. Guys worry that the woman might look like their old Aunt Brunhilda and have the moral character of Mother Teresa.

As I said, scary.

Almost as if to underscore the validity of my remarks, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra will be going out its way to prove the point. It has devoted the entire day, Saturday, October 29, to what frightens us most, both as children and as adults, especially adults of marriageable age.

First, the kids.

The DPO opens its 2011-2012 DP&L Family Series with its annual PhilharMonster concert at 3 pm featuring a musical depiction of the dangers of the wild in Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, a piece Prokofiev wrote (words and music) just for kids. It’s a story, told by a narrator with orchestral accompaniment, about a young boy named Peter (string instruments), who defiantly tells his grandfather (a bassoon) that – simply because he lives in his grandfather’s cottage in a forest full of wild animals – does not mean he is afraid of any old wolf. To scold him, his grandfather takes him back into the cottage and locks the gate.

Soon after, a big wolf (French horns) does come, and Peter enlists a cat (a clarinet), a bird (a flute), and a duck (an oboe) to help him as he ropes the wolf and holds him for local hunters (a woodwind theme, with gunshots on timpani and bass drum) to take to the zoo. Full of himself, Peter leads the entourage in a victory parade. At the end, the narrator tells the audience, “If you listen very carefully, you’d hear the duck quacking inside the wolf’s belly, because the wolf in his hurry had swallowed her alive.”

And the narrator?

Niki Dakota, WYSO’s Music Director and Host of the program Excursions. Not afraid of much herself, Niki spent much of her young life moving around the United States with her archeologist mother. By the time the family settled in Cincinnati, Ms. Dakota found herself in pursuit of professional music-making as she headed-up the Alterna-Folk band, Plow On Boy. In the course of her first live radio interview to promote the band, Niki’s keen excitedness manifested itself in extreme chattiness. At the conclusion of the segment, the DJ closed the mic and said, “You need to be in radio.”  She took his advice. That was in 1990. And since 2002 we in the Miami Valley have been the grateful beneficiaries of that advice.

As usual, Neal Gittleman and the DPO orchestra members will all be in Halloween costume.

Next, the adults.

To tell the story of the blind date from hell, Saturday night at 8 pm, the DPO presents its first Special Event of the season, providing live music to accompany the showing of the 1935 film The Bride of Frankenstein. This timeless horror classic features a score composed by iconic Hollywood composer Franz Waxman. And the story? You think you’ve seen some bad blind dates?

You ain’t seen nothing yet.

The film, the first of three sequels to Frankenstein (1931), starts out as a buddy flick. Henry Frankenstein has given up his plans to make living creatures out of bits and pieces of dead ones. But, you see, if he does that, then his horny old buddy, the Monster, will have to do without.

Always.

So Henry, egged on by Henry’s old adviser Dr. Pretorius and the fact that Pretorius has had the Monster kidnap Henry’s missus to give Henry the proper incentive, starts to build his buddy a mate.

It was a dark and stormy night…

Well, it actually was, when Henry completed the last few steps needed to bring the Bride of Frankenstein to life. What happens next is right out of Ben Franklin’s bio. Her body, wrapped in bandages, rises through the roof where lightning strikes a kite and shoots electricity through her. “She’s alive! Alive!” Henry cries, removing her bandages and helping her to stand.

Now this is the part of this blind date where it gets particularly spooky and way out of hand.

Turned on more than any time since Henry originally brought him to life with similar electro-shock therapy, the excited Monster sees his bride, reaches out to her, and uses the lamest of all pickup lines: “Friend?” Well, what else could any self-respecting Monster-Bride-To-Be do but reject him? Twice. And screaming through it all, no less.

PhilharMonster Halloween Concert
DP&L Family Series
Saturday, Octo­ber 29 ~ 2011 ­
Schuster Center, 3 pm
Click for Tickets

Well, the monster’s not all that dumb. He gets it. “She hate me! Like others.” he says, his erector-set heart broken. As Henry’s wife runs to his side, the Monster starts to demolish the lab. Henry tells Elizabeth that he can’t leave. But the Monster, firmly resolved never to let anyone ever set him up again tells Henry and Elizabeth, “Yes! Go! You live!” To Pretorius and his bride, he says, “You stay. We belong dead.”

Bride of Frankenstein with Orchestra
Saturday, October 29 ~ 2011
Schuster Center, 8pm
Click for Tickets

While Henry and Elizabeth flee, the Monster sheds a tear, and his bride hisses (yes, hisses) at him and pulls a lever that destroys the lab and tower.

And should you happen to take a blind date to the concert, don’t worry. Compared to the bride of Frankenstein, he or she will seem heaven-sent.

As opposed to having come from the other place.

TICKET CONTEST

We have FIVE PAIRS of tickets to see the Bride of Frankenstein with Orchestra (courtesy of The Dayton Philharmonic)! Simply fill out the form below and “like” both the On Stage Dayton and Dayton Philharmonic Facebook pages (make sure you’re logged into Facebook first).  We’ll randomly draw five ticket-pair-voucher winners on Tuesday October 25th at 4pm – check back here to see if you’ve won.  GOOD LUCK!

Contest closed…. And the winners are:

Cher Collins (Dayton)

Jennifer Krohn (Yellow Springs)

Julie Westwood (Centerville)

Christa VanHoesen (Beavercreek)

Liz Hudson (Dayton)

Victoria Theatre Association presents the first show of the 2011-2012 PNC Family Series, BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show, November 5 & 6 at 1pm and 3:30pm in the historic Victoria Theatre.

BAM Percussion features three zany characters that will have you and your family rolling – and dancing – in the aisles. Fabulous drumming is mixed with side-splitting humor, and the results are contagious. With audience participation, quick-witted humor and impeccable timing, BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show is an electrifying and deliriously funny show thathas toured Canada, the United States, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, New Zealand and no less than eleven European countries, making everybody laugh in their own language!

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Tickets for BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show are priced at a family-friendly $18 for adults and $16 for children (ages 12 and under). Tickets are on sale now through Ticket Center Stage, and may be purchased at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton or by phone, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

WIN FREE TICKETS

We have TWO sets of Family Four Packs to give away to see BAM Percussion: The Blue Barrel Show, courtesy of Victoria Theatre Association!  Simply fill out the form below and we’ll announce the two winners here on Friday October 28 at 5pm.  GOOD LUCK!

Contest Closed

And congratulations to our winners – enjoy the show!

Patti Celek

Karri O’Reilly

“Evil Dead The Musical” is based on Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” films, the series of classic horror B-movies that became a cult sensation in the 1980s.  The play — which sounds like a horror show but really isn’t –, follows the adventures of five college kids who visit an abandoned cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them all into demons. It’s all up to Ash (a housewares employee, turned demon killing hero), and his trusty chainsaw to save the day. Blood flies. Limbs are dismembered. Demons are telling bad jokes… and all to music.  The play made its debut in 2003 in Toronto, opened in 2004 in Montreal as a featured attraction at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and, in 2006, made its Off-Broadway debut.

Beavercreek Community Theatre’s Edge of the Creek Productions will present the horror comedy at 8 p.m. on Oct. 21, 22, 28 and 29 and at 3 p.m. on Oct. 23 and 30.  Edge of the Creek is the production arm of BCT that specializes in shows for adult audiences and “Evil Dead The Musical” fits into that genre.

The Beavercreek Community Theatre cast, under the direction of Chris Harmon and choreographed by Annette Looper, includes Dean Swann, Lindsay Sherman, Angele Price, Bethany Locklear, Jonathan Berry, Michael Shannon, Lynn Kesson and Darren Brown.

Tickets are $13 for adults and $11 for students, BCT members and seniors, ages 55 and older. A group discount of $1 per ticket is available to groups of 10 or more when the tickets are purchased at the same time for the same performance.

Tickets can be reserved by calling 429-4737 and leaving a message or by emailing [email protected]. For more information, visit the theater’s Web site at www.bctheatre.org, where the tickets can be purchased online with a credit card. Credit cards are not accepted at the theater.

The video below is from the off-Broadway production:

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This is an Edge of the Creek Production containing violence, strong language, sexual references, strobe lighting and fog effects.  Parental discretion is strongly advised.

WE’RE GIVING AWAY FREE TICKETS!

We have six pairs of tickets to give away for this show!  Simply fill out the form below to be entered to win – we’ll announce the winners here on Thursday October 20th at 5pm… GOOD LUCK!

CONTEST CLOSED

Congratulations to our winners!

• Eric Brockman
• Janna Ross
• Steve Strawser
• Rebecca Monce
• Shannon Fent
• Alicia Marshall

The New Mel Brooks Musical

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Victoria Theatre Association

Win Tickets to this hilarious new musical!  Keep reading for details!

The ‘VTA’ will kick-off it’s 2011-12 Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Broadway Series with The New Mel Brooks Musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, October 4-9 at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, in downtown Dayton.

The classic Mel Brooks movie is ALIVE and making an appearance in Dayton!  Based on the Oscar-nominated smash hit 1974 film, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, is the wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic from the comic genius of Mel Brooks.  The movie, which Brooks co-wrote with star Gene Wilder, earned various awards and recognition throughout the years.  Most recently the film was selected as #13 on the AFI’s 100 Funniest American Moves of All Time (2000) and, in 2003, was chosen to be preserved in the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

When Frederick Frankenstein (that’s ‘Fronkensteen’), an esteemed New York brain surgeon and professor, inherits a castle and laboratory in Transylvania from his grandfather, deranged genius Victor Von Frankenstein, he faces a dilemma.  Does he continue to run from his family’s tortured past or does he stay in Transylvania to carry on his grandfather’s mad experiments reanimating the dead and, in the process, fall in love with his sexy lab assistant Inga?  Unfolding in the forbidding Castle Frankenstein and the foggy moors of Transylvania Heights, the show’s raucous score includes “The Transylvania Mania,” “He Vas My Boyfriend,” and the unforgettable treatment of Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ On the Ritz.”

The brains behind the laughter is mad genius and three-time Tony winner Mel Brooks himself – who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the book along with his record-breaking, award-winning team from The Producers (12 Tony Awards). Brooks’ collaborators on the show included Thomas Meehan (book), Susan Stroman (director & choreographer), Glen Kelly (musical supervision), Robin Wagner (set design), William Ivey Long (costume design) and Doug Besterman (orchestrations).

The show opened on Broadway in November of 2007, starring the incomparable Broadway starlet, Ms. Sutton Foster.  It was named the Best Broadway Musical 2008 by the Outer Critics Circle Award and won 5 Broadway.com Audience Awards, including Favorite New Musical.  A national tour launched in September of 2009.

-VTA Press Release

We encourage local theatre companies to submit calendar items HERE, and official press releases to [email protected].

Tickets & Performance Information:

The New Mel Brooks Musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Tuesday, Oct. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 at The Schuster Center’s Mead Theatre – Performance Times Vary

Tickets range from $37 – $92

Please note:  Mel Brooks’ YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN includes adult situations and language, parents use caution when purchasing tickets.

Tickets are ONLY available through Ticket Center Stage.

Visit the  Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton or order by phone, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance.

Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

For more information about Victoria Theatre Association visit www.victoriatheatre.com.

For more information about the show, visit www.YoungFrankensteinTheMusical.com

WE’RE GIVING AWAY FREE TICKETS!!!

On Sunday October 2nd we’ll be drawing THREE winners to win a pair of ticket to see Young Frankenstein The Musical next week!  Just fill out the form below and make sure you select which night you’d like to see the show.  We’ll give away one pair for each of the three nights.  Also, be sure to share this story with your friends on Facebook and Twitter so that they can also enter to win.  Good luck!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS:

Ray Zupp (Vandalia) – Tuesday Show

Ben Douglas (Beavercreek) – Wednesday Show

Brian Anzek (Huber Heights) – Thursday Show