Hovey Players

A NIGHT WITH LOCAL AUTHORS PROMISES ROMANCE AT HOVEY PLAYERS

Celebrate the Spirit of Valentine’s Day with Local Romance Novelists

Hovey Players is sponsoring a very special author event, welcoming two local romance authors to its stage. Authors Jessie Olson of Worcester and Stephanie Haddad of Burlington will read selections from their novels, answer questions, and sign copies. The event will be held at the theater on Friday, February 17, beginning at 8:00 PM. Avid readers, lovers of romance, and aspiring writers are encouraged to attend.

 Jessie Olson, author of An Ever Fixéd Mark, lives in Worcester, MA. She has worked at various museums and historic sites, giving tours and exploring the neglected corners of the past. She enjoys theater, running, and themed dinner parties. An Ever Fixéd Mark is her first novel. For more information on Olson’s career and novels, visit Jessie Olson, Author (http://jessieolsonauthor.blogspot.com/).

 Stephanie Haddad, author of the novels A Previous Engagement and Love Unlisted, lives in Burlington, MA, where she is a busy work-from-home mother. She has been writing all her life but didn’t complete her first novel until 2008. From then on, she was hooked on happy endings and stories about love. Learn more about Haddad and her writing by visiting Stephanie Haddad Fiction (http://www.stephaniehaddad.com/fiction/).

The cost of tickets for this event is $5 per person, payable at the door. Hovey Players is located at 9 Spring Street in Waltham, MA. Please reserve tickets for this event in advance, as space is limited. Contact Nicole Sparks at Nicole@hoveyplayers.com with your name and the desired number of tickets.

Directed by Tatiana Ivan
Produced by Nicole Sparks

Professor John Oldman is packing up his home and moving elsewhere. During an impromptu farewell party at his remote cabin, his most trusted colleagues demand answers to his sudden departure. As night falls, Oldman makes an extraordinary announcement. Is it all a thought experiment? Or is he telling the truth? As his friends confront their own notions of history, religion and humanity, a final revelation may shatter their beliefs forever.

Performance Dates:
March 9, 10, 16, 17, 22, 23 & 24, at 8pm, March 18 at 2pm.

Tickets are $18 General Admission and $15 Seniors and Students.

The Cast includes Evin Anderson, Will Dalley, Ginny Carpenter, Kate Forrestall, Robin Gabrielli, Mark Jenkins, David Mularski, and Libby Schap.

Performances will be at the Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street, Joel’s Way, Waltham, MA, next to the Waltham Public Library.  Reservations can be made by calling (781) 893-9171 or you may email reservations@hoveyplayers.com.

Join us on Opening Night where we will be serving dishes donated by Waltham’s Baan Thai Restaurant immediately following the performance.  Wine and snacks will also be served. 

Hovey Players is proud to continue its successful Hovey Gives Back program, whereby audiences are encouraged to donate their spare change to support a worthy charitable organization. Hovey Players will then provide a matching contribution. For the 2011-2012 Season, Hovey is supporting the Waltham Boys & Girls Club (www.walthambgc.org/).

Hovey Players Present Auditions for LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR by Neil Simon

Directed by David Fisher
Produced by Kristin Hughes

Audition Dates:
Sunday, March 11 at 7 PM
Monday, March 12 at 7 PM
Callbacks (if needed) Tuesday, March 13 at 7 PM

Synopsis:
From America’s favorite playwright comes the Broadway hit about a staff of insane but genius 1950’s comedy writers as they produce television’s #1 weekly variety program, The Max Prince Show. Based upon his own time as a staff writer for Sid Caesar’s Your Show Of Shows, Neil Simon recreates the mayhem, neuroses, nonstop gags, and constant one-upmanship of a team of brilliantly funny social misfits trying to create comedy in the era of the Red Scare and network interference.  It’s 30 Rock meets the Golden Age of television!

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

Performance Dates:
May 11-12, 18-19, 24, 25 & 26 at 8 PM
May 20 at 2 PM

Character descriptions:

Lucas – (M) 20s– early 30s, the newest writer to the staff, shy, hopeful, eager to find his comedy voice.  Narrator of the play.

Milt – (M) late 20s – 40s, quick-witted insult artist, fast with a one-liner, proponent of the ‘quantity over quality’ school of comedy writing.

Val – (M) 30s – 50s, Russian emigrant and head writer, serious about the work, and most politically-aware on staff (character has Russian accent).

Brian – (M) 30s – 40s, burly and balding Irishman, strong in will and who does not suffer fools gladly.  Believes himself ready to move onwards and upwards in comedy writing.
Carol – (F) late 20s – 40s, Canny, chipper with a sharp and fast comedic defense system.  Willing and able to get “down and dirty” with the boys.  Only female writer on the staff.

Kenny – (M) late 20s – 40s, sophisticated, intellectual, the “comedy whiz kid” who started his writing career at fifteen.  Max’s voice in the Writer’s Room.

Ira – (M) 30s – 40s, senior writer, all energy with a touch of brilliant madness, a comedic whirlwind and hypochondriac who draws all focus to himself.

Helen – (F) 20s – early 30s, department secretary, naive and oblivious to the insanity in the office.  Wants to be a comedy writer herself someday.
Max – (M) 30s – 40s, Comedic genius and star of The Max Prince Show, dominates a room with his personality. Quixotic, changing from warm and infectious laughter to sullen anger.  Tyrannical paranoiac with a heart of gold, in a constant battle with the network, the staff, and most importantly himself.  

Contact the director with any questions at davidefisher@email.com.

Announcing the Cast of ”Closer” by Patrick Marber:

Closer focuses on the complex relationships and sexual politics, and morality of four people trading partners in search of love, intimacy, and being closer. By turns funny, scabrous, and tragic, this winner of the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Play and the 1999 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play offers a brutal and honest look at the pitfalls of modern romance.

Directed by Kristin Hughes

Produced by Nicole Sparks

Performances are January 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27 & 28, at 8pm, and January 22 at 2pm.

Join us for this brilliant exploration of modern romance 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.

Directed by J. Mark Baumhardt

Produced by Michelle Aguillon & Tatiana Ivan

Poster:  Gordon Ellis as “President Charles Smith.” Photo by Reid Gilman. Poster by Kimmerie Jones

Presenting the stage comedy “November” by Newton native and world-renowned film director and screenwriter, David Mamet, nominated for an Academy Award for “The Verdict” and wrote the screenplay for “The Untouchables”.  Mamet was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his well known stage play “Glengarry Glen Ross”, also adapted to film.

“November” brings us President Charles Smith, who is nearing the end of his term in office – a second term is unlikely.  He has no money, an abysmal approval rating, and an AWOL campaign manager.  His wife is plotting her exit strategy, and his concession speech is already in the can.  What is a broke, lame duck President to do?  Pardon all the Thanksgiving day turkeys, of course!  This leads to an even bolder move in front of a national television audience.  Oh, and watch out for the irate Native American who wants to turn Nantucket into a casino!

Performances will be at the Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street, next to the Waltham Public Library. 

Performances are:
Friday, Nov 4 at 8pm (Opening Night!)
Saturday, Nov 5 at 8pm

Friday, Nov 11 at 8pm
Saturday, Nov 12 at 8pm
Sunday, Nov 13 at 2pm (Matinee) 

Thursday, Nov 17 at 8pm
Friday, Nov 18 at 8pm
Saturday, Nov 19 at 8pm

Tickets:  $18, General Admission and $15 Seniors ad Students

Call:   (781) 893-9171 

Email:   reservations@hoveyplayers.com. 

The Cast includes Gordon Ellis, Bill Stambaugh, Anne Damon, Nick Bennett-Zendzian, and Brad Walters.

Set Design by Todd Radford, built by Paul Zakwerski, lighting design by Kristine Mackin, sound design by Robin Gabrielli, costumes by Sharon Kivnik, properties by Shannon Gymrek, scenic painting by Jay Pendexter and Kristin Hughes, and stage managed by Victoria Taylor. 

Join us Opening Night (Friday, Nov 4th) when we will be serving dishes prepared by Waltham’s own Baan Thai Restaurant immediately following the performance.  Wine and snacks will also be served.

Hovey Players is proud to continue its successful Hovey Gives Back program, whereby its audience is encouraged to donate its spare change to support a worthy charitable organization.  Hovey Players will then provide a matching contribution.  For the 2011-2012 Season, Hovey’s charity is the Waltham Boys and Girls Club.

Photos by Reid Gilman. 

Directed by Kristin Hughes
Produced by Nicole Sparks

Audition Dates:
Sunday, November 6 at 7PM
Monday, November 7 at 7PM
Callbacks (if needed) Wednesday, November 9

Location: 
Hovey Players
9 Spring Street, Waltham, MA
next to the Library

Synopsis:
Closer focuses on a quartet of strangers who meet, fall in love, and become caught in a web of sexual desires and betrayal.. Alice loves Dan – who wants Anna, who isn’t quite sure if she loves Larry. In Closer, Patrick Marber has created a brilliant exploration into the brutal anatomy of modern romance, where a quartet of strangers meet, fall in love, and become caught up in a web of sexual desire and betrayal. Closer was hailed as one of the best plays of the late 90s. The London Observer noted, it “has wired itself into the cultural vocabulary in a way that few plays have ever done.”

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. English accents will be used.  
 
The script contains explicit language and sexual situations; actors should be comfortable with both.

For more information, please contact the director, Kristin Hughes, at hughes@hoveyplayers.com.

Performance Dates:
January 13-14, 20-21, 26, 27 & 28, at 8pm, and Sunday, January 22 at 2pm.

Character descriptions: 
All age ranges are approximate and relative. Alice needs to be younger than Anna, Patrick, and Larry.

Alice (20s) – a stripper. A ‘lost soul’ with surprising strength and an unflinching view of relationships. 
Dan (30s) – a writer.  A romantic who thinks all is lost for love.  Always searching for ‘truth’, but not always happy with how that turns out for him.
Anna (30s) – a photographer.  Successful in her career, but far less successful in relationships.
Larry (30s) – a doctor.  Crude, forceful, and a little bit crass – with some traditional views on fidelity and commitment.

Have you had aspirations to work backstage of a theatrical production taking part in its success designing set or lights, providing props, making or putting together costumes, running lights or sound, helping to construct its set, or stage management?  These kinds of roles plus others are available to volunteers who have alot, or little or no experience.  We are willing to teach theatre production skills to anyone willing to learn. 

Celebrating over 75 years producing quality plays and musicals, Hovey Players seeks volunteers from all walks of experience for all productions. 

If you would like to be part of a future production, you may contact theater@hoveyplayers.com.  A volunteer will respond to your message. 

More information about our current season and Hovey’s history can be found at www.hoveyplayers.com.  Or you may stop by at Hovey Players, the Abbott Memorial Theater at Joel’s Way, 9 Spring Street in Waltham next to the Waltham Public Library.  We would love to meet you!

Thank you to everyone who submitted plays for next year’s season.  We had a great selection to choose from, making the decision challenging as always.  We have finalized our selections and we are proud to announce our season for 2011-2012:

The Tempest by William Shakespeare, directed by Mike Haddad, September 9-24, 2011

A storm brews in the heart of Prospero, the wronged Duke of Milan, as the revenge he has longed for finally comes within his grasp.  Prospero’s bitterness toward his enemies is a counterpoint to his love for his daughter.  Though The Tempest is a tale full of magic, spirits, and monsters, its themes of love, revenge, and forgiveness are all too human. 

November by David Mamet, directed by Mark Baumhardt, November 4-19, 2011

It’s November in a Presidential election year, and incumbent Charles Smith’s chances for re-election are looking grim.  Approval ratings are down, his money’s running out, and nuclear war might be imminent.  With David Mamet’s characteristic no-holds-barred style, November is a scathingly hilarious take on the state of America today and the lengths to which people will go to win. 

Closer by Patrick Marber, directed by Kristin Hughes, January 13-28, 2012

Closer focuses on the complex relationships, sexual politics, and morality of four people trading partners in search of love, intimacy, and being closer.  By turns funny, scabrous, and tragic, this winner of the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Play and the 1999 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play offers a brutal and honest look at the pitfalls of modern romance. 

Jerome Bixby’s The Man From Earth by Richard Schenkman, directed by Tatiana Ivan, March 9-24, 2012

Professor John Oldman is packing up his home and moving elsewhere.  During an impromptu farewell party at his remote cabin, his most trusted colleagues demand answers to his sudden departure and Oldman makes an extraordinary announcement.  As his friends confront their own notions of history, religion and humanity, a final revelation may shatter their beliefs forever. 

Laughter on the 23rd Floor by Neil Simon, directed by David Fisher, May 11-26, 2012

From America’s favorite playwright comes the Broadway hit about a team of 1950′s comedy writers as they produce a weekly variety program called “The Max Prince Show.”  Neil Simon recreates the mayhem, neuroses, nonstop gags, and constant one-upmanship of a team of brilliantly funny social misfits trying to create comedy in an era of the Red Scare and network interference. 

More information to come!

The Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters (EMACT) announced the 2011 DASH Award Nominees via a webcast this year.  The webcast took place on Wednesday, July 20th at 8PM. 

The EMACT Distinguished Achievements and Special Honors (DASH) Gala and EMACT’s 25th Anniversary Celebration will be held on  Saturday, August 27, 2011.  The reception starts at 6:00 PM.  The awards presentation ceremony begins at 7:30 PM.  The Gala will take place at Carey Hall 1605 Mass Ave., Lexington, MA 02420. 

Hovey Players received the following DASH Nominations (25 in all!):

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (PLAY)

Kurt Lusas in Bent

Ian Schleifer in Bent

BEST SET DRESSING (PLAY)

 Heather Daley for Bent 

BEST SET DESIGN (PLAY)

Douglas Cooper for Bent

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN (PLAY)

Doug Gordon for Bent 

Dan Jentzen for Alarms & Excursions 

BEST SOUND DESIGN (PLAY)

Tom McCartney for Bent 

Nicole Sparks & Robin Gabrielli for Alarms & Excursions 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN (PLAY)

Sharon Kivnik for Bent

Liz Smith for Private Lives 

BEST MAKE-UP & HAIR DESIGN (PLAY)

Katie Moore for Bent 

BEST STAGE MANAGEMENT (PLAY)

Heather Daley for Bent 

Shannon Gmyrek for Alarms & Excursions 

 BEST PROP COORDINATION (PLAY)

Kimmerie Jones for Bent  

BEST SPECIALTY ENSEMBLE (PLAY)

Jewish Peasants & Nazi Soldiers from Bent 

BEST LEAD ACTRESS (PLAY)

Kate Forrestall in Private Lives 

Dana Ozik in Jerry Finnegan’s Sister 

BEST LEAD ACTOR (PLAY)

Evan Bernstein in Bent 

Jason Fenton in Jerry Finnegan’s Sister

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE (PLAY)

The Cast of Bent

The Cast of Private Lives

BEST DIRECTION (PLAY)

Kristin Hughes for Jerry Finnegan’s Sister

Mark Usher for Bent

BEST PRODUCTION (PLAY)

Bent

Jerry Finnegan’s Sister

A special “Consultants’ Choice Award” was given to Chris Cardoni in recognition for his Fight Choreography for “Private Lives”.

Congratulations to all!

(Photo by Reid Gilman.  Featured are Kate Forrestall as Amanda and Ian Dowell as Elyot.  Poster by Tatiana Rutledge)

Update on this weekend’s performances:

Tonight’s performance is completely reserved.  A wait list has been generated for walk-in’s at a first come, first served basis.  Sign up when the box office opens at 7pm.  No-show tickets are released at 10 minutes before show time of 8pm.  For more information call 781-893-9171 or email Reservations@hoveyplayers.com. 

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Hovey Players completes its 75^th Season with Private Lives, Noel Coward’s classic comedy, directed by Ronni Marshak and produced by Sara Jones. Performances are May 13 to 28, 2011 at the Abbott Memorial Theater, 9 Spring Street at Joel’s Way in Waltham, Mass., located next to the Waltham Public Library.

The Story:  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 and resume their romance in Amanda’s secluded Paris flat, only to be discovered several days later by their jilted lovers.

The Cast includes Ian Dowell as Elyot Chase, Deanna McLean as Sybil Chase, Edmund Golaski as Victor Prynne, Kate Forrestall as Amanda Prynne, and Rosanna Pacitti as Louise. 

Join us on opening night on Friday, May 13, when we will provide complimentary refreshments and dishes donated by Baan Thai Restaurant immediately following the performance.

Hovey Players offers quality theatre, affordable ticket prices, and free parking at the intimate, 52-seat Abbott Memorial Theater. Performances are May 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 8pm with one matinee on Sunday, May 15 at 2pm.   (Please note that this matinee normally occurs the middle weekend of performances, but with this production, the matinee has been scheduled opening weekend instead).

Tickets are $16, general admission, and $14 for seniors and students. For reservations, email reservations@hoveyplayers.com or call 781-893-9171.

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 Private Lives is the American Red Cross.  Audience donations will go towards relief efforts for the victims of the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami.  Visit them at www.redcross.com.