Hovey Players

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.

Doubt: A Parable

by John Patrick Shanley
Directed by Nancy Curran Willis

Monday, March 22, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Callbacks (if necessary) will be held on Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Auditions will take place at Hovey Players’ Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street in Waltham, MA (next to the Waltham Public Library, in the D’Angio Law Office building).

Auditions will consist of a prepared monologue from the play provided in advance by the director. These monologues do not have to be memorized, however, the more familiar you are with the material, the better your audition will be. Contact producer Tracy Sullivan at tsullivan@hoveyplayers.com prior to audition dates to obtain the appropriate monologue for the character you intend to audition for. Monologues will be heard on a first come, first served basis. In addition you may be asked to do a cold reading from the script.

Performance dates are May 14, 15, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 at 8:00 p.m., and May 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Rehearsals will begin with a read thru on Monday, March 29. Thereafter rehearsals will be held on Sundays, Monday evenings, and Thursday evenings.

Synopsis:

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, that new priest Father Flynn might be making improper advances toward its first African-American male student. She enlists the aid of a young teacher, Sister James, in her efforts to validate her concerns and confront Father Flynn. Flynn is as adamant in his denial of any wrongdoing as Sister Aloysius is certain that he is guilty. With Sister James and the student’s mother, Mrs. Muller, caught in the middle, the priest and principal face off in a battle of wills.

Character Descriptions:

Sister Aloysius – The head nun and principal of St Nicholas School. In her fifties or sixties, she is watchful, reserved and unsentimental. She’s a no-nonsense, hardened administrator, determined to maintain order and tradition.

Father Flynn – A new priest at St. Nicholas. His background is working class. In his thirties or forties, he is well-liked and particularly popular with the boys that he coaches in basketball. He’s rather liberal and “modern” in his religious views.

Sister James – A young nun in her twenties who is an enthusiastic but inexperienced eighth grade teacher at St. Nicholas. She is reserved, but cares about her students and wants to think the best of everyone.

Mrs. Muller – The mother of St. Nicholas student Donald Muller. She is an African-American woman, late thirties to forties, working class, weary and wary of the world. She has learned to accept what she has to accept and work with it.

Auditioning actors don’t necessarily have to be in the age ranges listed for the characters, but should be able to play in that age range.

Hovey Players of Waltham continues its 74^th theatrical season with performances of Joined at the Head by Catherine Butterfield. Directed by Burlington resident Karen Dervin, Joined at the Head follows a famous writer who returns to her hometown on a book tour and reconnects with her past. The play is a colorful reflection on the process of art and the discovery of friendship. Performances run from January 15 to 30 at the Abbott Memorial Theater on Spring St, located next to the Waltham Public Library.

The cast of Joined at the Head includes local actors Kate Blair (Concord), Stephanie Garris and Allison McCann (Dorchester), Cliff Blake (Lexington), William McGregor (Lowell), Brian Zifcak (Maynard), Vivian Liu-Somers (Newton), Jennifer Hopkins (Swampscott), and Ellen Robinson (Waltham).

“When I read this play, I was immediately caught by the ease of the dialogue and the real situations that the characters were dealing with – nothing stagey or presentational about them,” said director Karen Dervin. “I wanted to show that while something like cancer has a huge effect on people’s lives, it’s not really about the disease itself, but how relationships are affected by it. Extreme situations can bring people together or drive them apart, and I really love the humanity of these characters.”

She continued, “The fact that these people have a 20 year history means that they are bringing baggage to the table when they meet again and that impacts how they view and relate to each other. An interesting aspect of this show is that it examines how we measure personal growth and what we value most in our lives, and questions the definition of a successful life. There is an important message in this play that life should be lived to the fullest no matter how much time you’re given.”

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 Joined at the Head are at 8 p.m. on January 15, 16, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30; and at 2 p.m. on January 24. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. For reservations, email reservations@hoveyplayers.com or call 781-893-9171.

Hovey Players is also proud to announce the second year of 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 Joined at the Head is Planet Cancer (www.planetcancer.org), a community of young adults with cancer.

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.

The Little Dog Laughed

by Douglas Carter Beane
Directed by Mark Sickler

Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Monday, January 18, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Call backs (if necessary) will be held on January 21 at 7:00 pm

Auditions will take place at Hovey Players’ Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street in Waltham, MA (next to the Waltham Public Library in the D’Angio Law Office building).

A 2-minute comedic monologue will be required for everyone auditioning. If you do not have one prepared, one will be assigned to you from the script. Additionally, cold readings will be taken from the script. Familiarity with the script is strongly suggested. Please note that nudity will be required for the roles of Alex and Mitchell for all performances. Nudity will not be required for the audition. If you have any questions, please email the director at sickler@hoveyplayers.com.

Performance dates will be March 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 at 8:00 pm, and March 21 at 2:00 pm.

Synopsis:

Mitchell is a Hollywood star on the rise, and his full-time agent and part-time beard, Dianne, is doing all she can to keep his “slightly recurring case of homosexuality” from de-railing his fame. The Little Dog Laughed takes an acerbic and sharply funny jab at the entertainment industry and human nature in a tabloid obsessed society.

Character Descriptions:

Mitchell – Hollywood star on the rise. Closeted homosexual torn between what he truly wants and what other people want from him. Male – late 20’s to early 30’s.

Diane – Acerbic , cynical, driven, and very, VERY Hollywood. The only person more important than her client Mitchell is herself. Female – mid-30’s to mid 40’s.

Alex – NYC rent boy. Alex is very naïve for someone who has experienced so much. He is jaded, yet remarkably idealistic. Love interest for Mitchell. He is also boyfriend/best friend/only friend to Ellen. Male – early 20’s.

Ellen – NYC party girl. Ellen has made a living being kept by much older men, while still sleeping with Alex. Tough yet innocent, and just damaged enough to make her interesting. Female – early 20’s.

Hovey Players of Waltham continues its 74th theatrical season with performances of the heartfelt comedy The Real Thing by playwright Tom Stoppard. Directed by Belmont resident Kristin Hughes, The Real Thing examines the difficulties and rewards of finding and sustaining love and commitment, as well as challenging our very notions about what is real. Performances run from November 6 to 21 at the Abbott Memorial Theater, located next to the Waltham Public Library.

A Tony Award winner for Best Play, The Real Thing tells the story of a clever, extremely intellectual playwright’s romantic relationships, making extensive use of play-within-a-play as he pursues the universal truth, or “real thing,” at the core of his experiences. The cast includes local actors Stephen Peters, Ted Batch, and Todd Radford (Cambridge), Melissa Sine (Burlington), Brooke Casanova (Dorchester), Brian Moyer (Jamaica Plain), and Tatiana Rutledge (Watertown).

“This play talks a lot about what love can bear in a sense – how far it can bend before it breaks and how much care you have to take to maintain it,” said director Kristin Hughes. “Compared to a lot of other Stoppard plays, this one focuses on something that everyone in the audience can key into, namely where the lines are in your relationships, and how you should take care with people and not take them for granted. The next message is to follow that up with actions and not just words.”

Hughes continued, “The end of the first Act of this play is where a lot of plays stop, but Act two starts after the happy ending and when the hard work is just starting. It’s closer to representing the real life of relationships. I hope the audience will emotionally connect with this piece and walk away thinking about how they feel about the situations presented and how they would cope with them.”

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 Real thing will be at 8 p.m. on November 6, 7, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21; and at 2 p.m. on November 15. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. For reservations, email reservations@hoveyplayers.com or call 781-893-9171.

Hovey Players is also proud to announce the second year of 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 Real Thing is The MSPCA-Angell, a national and international leader in animal protection and veterinary medicine that provides direct hands-on care for thousands of animals each year.

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.

Joined at the Head

by Catherine Butterfield
Directed by Karen Dervin

Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Call backs (if necessary) will be held on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Auditions will take place at the Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street in Waltham, MA (next to the Waltham Public Library, in the D’Angio Law Office building).

Director Karen Dervin and Assistant Director Nicole Sparks seek a diverse cast of nine for this Boston area premiere production. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script and monologues to be handed out at auditions. Familiarity with the script is strongly suggested. The script is available through Dramatists or in the anthology “Women Playwrights: The Best Plays of 1992.” Any questions, please contact the production staff at joinedatthehead@gmail.com

Performance dates will be January 15, 16, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 at 8:00 pm, and January 24 at 2:00 pm.

Synopsis:

Best-selling author Maggie Mulroney has returned to the Boston area to promote her latest novel when she receives a call from her high school sweetheart. She hasn’t seen Jim in 20 years and their reunion leads to an unexpected result – Maggie’s budding friendship with Jim’s wife, Maggy. Though Maggy is terminally ill, the story of the intersection of her life with Maggie’s provides what the New York Times calls “a jaunt into the writer’s mind, a vibrant reflection on life, art and friendship.” This is a play about living- with many laughs, a few tears, and a wonderful collection of characters.

Character Descriptions:

Maggie Mulroney – The narrator and “sometime protagonist” of the story. She is a woman who lives life by her own rules. Her connection to Jim and especially Maggy is a catalyst to make some real changes in her life. Note: This role runs the gamut of emotions in the play and requires an actress who is adept in communicating both with the audience and with her fellow actors.

Jim Burroughs – High school English teacher who dreamed of being a musician. He lives the small-town existence he swore he would never live, yet has managed to be truly happy in his life with Maggy.

Maggy Burroughs – Not your typical former cheerleader, she is a no-nonsense woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. Though her life has been irrevocably altered by disease, she still maintains her wonderful sense of humor.

The above characters are preparing for their 20-year high school reunion. They are certainly not 29, nor are they 55. Anywhere in between should be workable – the important aspect is the relationship between them.

The remaining six actors form the “Chorus” and they play all of the other characters in the story. We are particularly interested in finding a diverse group of actors, ranging in ages from 20s to 80s, to portray these characters. A variety of sizes, shapes, ages, colors, and genders is desired. Since each actor will play multiple roles, versatility and a sense of fun and adventure are highly recommended. Some of the roles to be filled are:

Nora – The maternal innkeeper where Maggie hangs her hat for a time

Mr. and Mrs. Mulroney – Maggie’s parents

Raymond Terwilliger – A very PBS television host

Doctor and Nurse – Atypical medical professionals

Salesclerk – Clerk in a New Age shop

On September 19th, the 7th Annual EMACT Gala and DASH Awards were held at Carey Hall in Lexington. A number of participants in our 2008-2009 Season were nominated for EMACT’s annual Distinguished Awards and Special Honors (DASH), and some took home awards!

• Kevin Peterson in second. (Supporting Actor in a Play)
• Robin Gabrielli for second. (Sound Design in a Play)
• Robin Gabrielli for Zombies from the Beyond (Sound Design in a Musical)
• Kimberly McClure in second. (Supporting Actress in a Play)
• second. (Ensemble in a Play)
• Gordon Ellis for second. (Director in a Play)

Each year groups that are EMACT members may submit an application for any or all shows in their season that they wish to have considered for awards. Members of an award nominating committee view shows submitted to the program, and score each element of the show based on standard criteria. Hovey invited DASH reviewers to attend both second. and Zombies from the Beyond.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!