Hovey Players

Hovey Players will be take part in the thirteenth annual Boston Theater Marathon presented by the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre for a weekend long event on Saturday and Sunday, May 21 & 22, 2011.  This award-winning charity festival produces 50 ten-minute plays by 50 New England playwrights presented by 50 New England theatre companies in 10 hours on Sunday, May 22^nd. 

Hovey Players will produce Uncommon Ground by John R. Sarrouf.  The piece will be directed by Hovey Trustee, Mike Haddad, who is also gearing up to produce the Annual Hovey Summer Shorts this July.  Produced by Michelle Aguillon.  The Cast of Uncommon Ground stars recent IRNE winner for Best Actress, Tracy Nygard and Robin Gabrielli. 

Hovey Players will perform in the 2:00-3:00pm slot on Sunday, May 22.  The line-up for that slot is as follows:

The Resurrections, Catherine M. O’Neill, Actors’ Shakespeare Project

Slugger, Terrence Kidd, New Urban Theatre Laboratory

Uncommon Ground, John R. Sarrouf, Hovey Players

Birdbaths, “Twilight”, and Other Sundry Topics, Rick Park, Phoenix Theatre

A Handy Man, March Schrader, Village Theatre Project         

To view the complete schedule, please visit Boston Theater Marathon XIII Line Up Announced!.

The Boston Theater Marathon will be presented in the Wimberly Theatre at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston.  Seating is General Admission. Tickets are $25.00 each if purchased by midnight, Saturday May 21 at www.bostontheatrescene.com.   Tickets purchased on the day of performance, Sunday, May 22, will be $35.00 each.

The Boston Theater Marathon will include The Warm Up Laps on Saturday, May 21 featuring three staged readings. These readings are free and open to the public.

All net proceeds benefit the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, a non-profit organization that provides financial relief for theatre artists and organizations who face dire need and require financial assistance.  Supported by the Boston University Humanities Foundation.

Final performances of  “Bent” are sold out for this weekend, March 24, 25, and 26.   

A waiting list has been generated for all nights, first-come, first-served with the no-show reservations being released at 5-minutes before the curtain time of 8pm.   

Tickets prices are $16 General Admission, $14 for Seniors and Students.

The production is directed by Mark Usher, produced by Michelle Aguillon and Kristin Hughes.  Pictured below is Evan Bernstein, Kurt Lusas, and Ian Schleifer.  Photo by Reid Gilman.

(Photos by Reid Gilman)

Hovey continues its 75th Season with “Bent”, directed by Mark Usher, produced by Kristin Hughes and Michelle Aguillon.

Martin Sherman’s powerful play,first performed in 1979, is about the lives of Berlin’s gay community, and their treatment at the hands of the Nazi regime. The focus of the play is Max, a hedonist who is estranged from his wealthy, button factory owning family because he openly pursues his sexual desires, rather than following advice of others and remaining discreet. Max earns his living by ‘making deals’ or scrounging, and frolics his way through cocaine-sniffing nights at gay clubs in the liberated Berlin of the 1930′s. When we meet him, it’s the ‘morning after’, and seems like any other, until the SS storm into his flat.  This starts the journey of Max and boyfriend Rudy fleeing from Berlin.  As the story unfolds we see how their lives change, the struggle to hide from the Nazi’s, and the ultimate test of human will, survival instinct and deep self discovery.

The Cast:

Evan Bernstien as Max

Ian Schleifer as Horst

Kevin Morin as Rudy

Will Todisco as Greta

Ed Siegal as Freddie

Stephen DeMarco as the Guard

Kurt Lusas as Captain/Officer

Sean McDonald as Wolf

Performances:

• March 11, 12, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 at 8pm
• March 20 at 2pm

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Mark Usher  – Director

Heather Daley – Stage Manager

Doug Cooper – Set Design

Doug Gordon – Lighting Design

Tom McCartney – Sound Design

Sharon Kivnik – Costumes

Katie Moore – Hair/Make-up

Kimmerie Jones – Properties

Join us on opening night, Friday, March 11, when we will serve complimentary refreshments and food generously donated by Waltham’s own Baan Thai Restaurant immediately following the performance.  

Tickets are $16 general admission, $14 seniors & students.  For reservations call (781) 893-9171 or write to Reservations@hoveyplayers.com.

Hovey Players’ “Doubt: A Parable” has been nominated by the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) committee for Best Supporting Actress for Jenn Shea and Best Production.  Hovey thanks the IRNE committee for this year’s nominations and congratulates all nominees.   “Doubt:  A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley was produced for our 2009-2010 Season.  Performances were at the Abbott Memorial Theater May 14 – May 29, 2010.

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, Doubt is set in a Catholic school in the Bronx in 1964. This thrilling drama follows the suspicions of the schools strong-minded principal, Sister Aloysius; the defense of Father Flynn, a priest with more liberal ideas; and a young teacher, Sister James, who is caught between the two.

Cast:
Sister Aloysius – Christine Connor
Sister James – Jenn Shea
Father Flynn – Kendall Hodder
Mrs. Muller – Dyan Madrey

Production Staff:
Director – Nancy Curran Willis
Producer – Tracy Sullivan
Stage Manager – Mark Sickler
Set Design – Matt Silverstein
Lighting Design – Mike Finke
Sound Design – Gordon Ellis
Costume Design – Kimmerie H.O. Jones
Props Design and Set Dressing – Tracy Sullivan
Props Assistant – Michelle Fisher
Set Construction Chief – Brian Zifcak
Scenic Artist – John Murtagh
Publicity – Tracy Sullivan
Logo and Poster Design – MaryEllen Skulski

A full list of 2011 nominations can be found at:  http://www.stagesource.com/news-advice-and-links/news/2011-irne-nominations/. 

The IRNE Awards will take place at the Boston Center for the Arts on Tremont Street in Boston on Monday, April 25, 2011 at 7:30pm. 

Announcing the Cast of  “Private Lives” by Noel Coward:

Kate Forrestall as Amanda Prynne  

Deanna McLean as Sibyl Chase

Ian Dowell as Elyot Chase 

Edmund Golaski as Victor Prynne

Rosanna Pacitti as Louise

Divorcees Elyot and Amanda unwittingly book adjoining rooms while honeymooning with their new spouses – Sybil and Victor. Realizing a pair of mistaken marriages, Elyot and Amanda attempt to escape their mismatched partners together. They flee their honeymoon accommodations and unsuspecting spouses in resume their romance in Amanda’s secluded Paris flat, only to be discovered several days later by their jilted lovers.

Directed by Ronni Marshak

Produced by Sara Jones

Performances are May 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 2011 at 8 PM.

We have a slight schedule change.  Our traditional Sunday matinee will not be May 22nd.  It has been rescheduled to Saturday, Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 2PM.

Join us for Noel Coward’s classic comedy at the Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street, Joel’s Way, Waltham, MA.  Reservations can be made by calling (781) 893-9171 or you may email at reservations@hoveyplayers.com. 

The House of Yes. 

Directed by Mark Sickler with Angus Merry, Ronni Marshak, Jessie Olsen, Susan Rice, and Jud Pierce 

Three performances left!  Thursday, Friday, Saturday, January 27, 28, 29 at 8pm.   Performances will be at the Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street, Joel’s Way, Waltham, MA next to the Waltham Public Library.  Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students.  Group ticket pricing available.  Reserve your tickets now by calling (781) 893-9171 or at Reservations@HoveyPlayers.com. 

Hovey Players is pleased to to present ALARMS AND EXCURSIONS, a comedy by Michael Frayn.  The Ensemble includes:

Anne Damon

Barbara Douglass 

Kristen Fischer

Kate Forestall

Robin Gabrielli

Michael Haddad

Allison McCann

David Schrag

Directed by Mark Sickler 

Produced by Susan Harrington

(Photos by Reid Gilman)

What do faulty smoke alarms, in-flight safety announcements, pushy politicians, generic hotel rooms, answering machines, and one state of the art corkscrew all have in common? …Together they equal a very funny evening of marital discord and technological disruption with seven cautionary and riotous tales about gizmos, gadgets and humans on the blink!

Hovey Players is also proud to continue its successful Hovey Gives Back program, which allows each director the opportunity to help raise awareness for a charitable organization of their choice. The designated organization for this production is Community Servings based in Jamaica Plain, MA.

Community Servings is dedicated to providing free, home-delivered meals to people homebound with acute life-threatening illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, breast and other cancers, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, liver and kidney disease, hepatitis, and lupus. Each day we provide 725 clients, their dependent families, and their caregivers with nutritious meals, reaching out to those in greatest need in 16 cities and towns throughout eastern Massachusetts. Our goals are to help our clients maintain their health and dignity, provide nutritionally and culturally appropriate meals, preserve the integrity of their family, and send the message that someone cares.  For more information visit their website at www.servings.org

Our 75th season of providing community theater!

Stop Kiss
by Diana Son
Directed by Tatiana Rutledge
September 17 – October 2, 2010

Seamlessly alternating between past and present, Stop Kiss reveals the
journey of how love’s first kiss can irrevocably change our lives.
Winner of the 1999 Obie Award and GLAAD Media Award, this refreshing
contemporary tale will continue to inspire you long after curtain
call.

Jerry Finnegan’s Sister
by Jack Neary
Directed by Kristin Hughes
November 5 – November 20, 2010

Brian Dowd has spent the last 10 years of his life wrestling with an
unrequited “something” for his best friend’s sister, who happens to
live next door. But every time he’s spoken with Beth Finnegan for more
than 30 seconds, he’s ended up with his foot planted firmly in his
mouth. Now, Brian’s time is about to run out because Jerry Finnegan’s
sister is getting married! So the time has come for Brian to put up or
shut up. What’s he got to lose — except the love of his life!

Alarms and Excursions
by Michael Frayn
Directed by Mark Sickler
January 14 – January 29, 2011

A very funny evening of marital discord and technological disruption
with seven cautionary and riotous tales about gizmos, gadgets, and
humans on the blink!

Bent
by Martin Sherman
Directed by Mark Usher
March 11 – March 26, 2011

Bent is a powerful story of survival, love and self discovery set in
1930′s Germany during the Nazi regime.

Private Lives
by Noel Coward
Directed by Ronni Marshak
May 13 – May 28, 2011

Elyot and Amanda are divorced, but they meet again across an adjoining
balcony while on their honeymoons with their new spouses. Passions
flair, and together they run off to Paris to renew an affair of the
heart that leads to dangerous and comic consequences. One of Coward’s
most performed works, the play is Noel Coward at his sparkling best.

Thank you to everyone who auditioned for Doubt: A Parable.

Callbacks will be held on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. for the following actors:

• Evan Bernstein
• Tom Berry
• Christine Connor
• Dee Crawford
• Julie Dapper
• Kendall Hodder
• Sharon Mason
• Margaret McCarty
• Mary O’Donnell
• Liz Robbins
• Ellen Robinson
• Tatiana Rutledge
• Deanna Swan
• Kenneth Vining
• Leeta White

Hovey Players of Waltham continues its 74th theatrical season with performances of The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane. Directed by Cambridge resident Mark Sickler, The Little Dog Laughed takes an acerbic and sharply funny jab at the entertainment industry and human nature in a tabloid obsessed society. Performances run from March 12 to 27 at the Abbott Memorial Theater on Spring St, located next to the Waltham Public Library.

A Tony Award nominee for Best Play, The Little Dog Laughed tells the story of Mitchell, a Hollywood star on the rise, and his full-time agent and part-time beard, Diane, who is doing all she can to keep his “slightly recurring case of homosexuality” from de-railing his fame. The cast of includes local actors Brooke Casanova (Dorchester), Jason Fenton (Arlington), Kevin Morin (Winthrop), and Gail Bishop Nessman (Maynard).

“One would think after all the social advancements we’ve made as a society, that America would be okay with just a part of mainstream Hollywood being gay, but those in Hollywood who attempt to keep their private lives private are constantly under attack by the media, tabloids, and bloggers,” said director Mark Sickler. “Some say this play is Beane’s retaliation for being kept at arm’s length from mainstream Hollywood and enduring the same treatment that Truman Capote received 50 years ago.”

He continued, “We have to wonder if the tabloid obsessions and ‘outings’ of Hollywood stars do more to hinder the social advancement in Hollywood, rather than tear down the barriers and reform it. I hope the audience of this show will ask themselves why, as a society, are we so obsessed to know the intimate details of people that will never personally enter our lives?”

Hovey Players offers quality theater, affordable ticket prices, and free parking at the intimate, 52 seat Abbott Memorial Theater on 9 Spring Street in Waltham, Mass. (next to the Waltham Public Library). Performances of The Little Dog Laughed are at 8 p.m. on March 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27, and at 2 p.m. on March 21. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. For reservations, email reservations@hoveyplayers.com or call 781-893-9171.

Note: This show contains nudity and mature subject matter.

Hovey Players is also proud to continue its successful Hovey Gives Back program, which allows each director the opportunity to help raise awareness for a charitable organization of his or her choice. The designated organization for The Little Dog Laughed is Community Servings, which is dedicated to providing free, home-delivered meals to people homebound with acute life-threatening illnesses.

About Hovey Players

Hovey Players has been Waltham’s community theater since 1936, featuring regional talent both onstage and behind the scenes. An inexpensive alternative to theater hosted in Boston with five full productions each year, Hovey Player’s 2009 – 2010 season includes Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camoletti, The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard, Joined at the Head by Catherine Butterfield, The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane, and Doubt by John Patrick Shanley.