By Wendy MacLeod

Directed by Mark Sickler

The House of Yes was this year’s offering at the annual EMACT Drama Festival. The festival took place at The Groton School, June 13-17. Hovey participated along with 12 other Eastern Massachusetts community Theaters.

Produced by Michelle Aguillon and Stage Managed by Nicole Sparks, with lighting by Michael Clark Wonson, set design by John Mackenzie, and sound by Robin Gabrielli. The show was assisted by a dedicated run crew, which included Gabrielle Aguillon-Hatcher, Sara Jones, Mario Salinas, Michelle Aguillon, and Kristin Hughes.

Hovey received nominations for Best Actress (Gnatowski), Best Supporting Actress (Marshak), Lighting Design, and Sound Design. Hovey was honored with two awards this year, one for Sound Design and a special Adjudicators’ Award for Notable Theatrical Risk Taking. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for an oustanding showing!

About the festival:

One of the highlights of the EMACT theatre season is the Annual Community Theatre Drama Festival, held in the late spring of each year. The popular long weekend event, which can accommodate a maximum of 18 participating member companies, entertains as well as educates. It’s an opportunity to witness a wide range of theatre and learn from professionals who adjudicate each production presented.

More information about EMACT can be found on their web-site: www.emact.org.

Cast (In Order of Appearance):

Jackie-O – Philana Gnatowski
Anthony – Angus Merry
Mrs. Pascal – Ronni Marshak
Marty – Judson Pierce Lesly – Jessie Olson

By Christopher Lockheardt

Directed by Michelle M. Aguillon

Hovey Players is proud to again be part of the Boston Theater Marathon, taking place at the Calderwood Pavilion, Sunday, May 11, 2008. This Marathon performs 50 plays by 50 companies in 10 hours! Michelle M. Aguillon will direct “Helluva Poker Face” by Christopher Lockheardt. The Cast includes J. Mark Baumhardt, Michael Sean Corbett, Claude Del, and Mark Sickler.

About the Boston Theater Marathon:
Funded in part by the Humanities Foundation of Boston University, founded and produced by the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, the Boston Theater Marathon, now in its tenth year, is a one-day ten-hour event each Spring. Fifty 10-minute plays are selected from a pool of 300 greater Boston playwrights and are produced by a different New England theatre company between 12 noon and 10 pm on Sunday May 11th. All net profits from the tickets, merchandise and door prizes are given to the Theater Community Benevolent Fund. Come for any show or stay all day with your all-day pass.

The Boston Theater Marathon is the largest gathering of theatre professionals in New England.  Since the birth of our festival in April of 1999, we have seen 412 ten-minute plays in nine annual Sundays by playwrights including David Mamet, Robert Brustein, Theresa Rebeck, Ernest Thompson, Ed Bullins, Israel Horovitz, Melinda Lopez, Ronan Noone, John Kuntz, Sinan Ünel and hundreds of locally known playwrights.  Over 100 producers, directors, and actors volunteer their time each year.  But names and numbers do not tell the whole story.  The past nine Boston Theater Marathons have also raised over $100,000 for charities including the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, a StageSource-managed charity that assists area theatre artists who have suffered a catastrophic event.

The Boston Theatre Marathon will be presented at the Wimberly Theatre, located at 527 Tremont Street.

For more information about the Theater Marathon, please visit the Boston Theater Marathon site.

By Barbara Lebow

Directed by Frank Moffett

“A Shayna Maidel” (a beautiful girl), by Barbara Lebow, is a story (late 1940s) about a young polish girl, Rose, in her twenties, who came to the United States with her father, Mordechai, at the age of four and is now completely “Americanized.”  The plan had been for Rose’s mother and sister to join the others, but her sister fell ill with scarlet fever, the mother stayed on to care for her, and soon the rise of the Nazis cut off their escape.  Their ordeal in the concentration camps, which only the sister survived, has brought a burden of guilt to the aging Mordechai and deeply mixed feelings as he awaits the arrival of his elder daughter, Lusia, who has, at last, found her way to America.  With her halting English and old world ways, Luisa is a striking contrast to Rose, who is somewhat embarrassed by her rediscovered sister’s presence, and fearful that it will threaten her own hard-won independence.  Distraught, and concerned that she may never be reunited with Duvid, her young husband, Lusia embraces a series of memories and fantasies which make real the joys and horrors of her life before the war.  But when Mordechai gives Rose a letter from her mother, a “proof” of family is somehow restored, and old barriers give way to a renewed sense of hope and mutual dependence, and the conviction that a better future may yet arise from their troubled past.

Performances: May 2-17, 2008

May 2, 3, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 at 8pm, and May 11 at 2pm

Tickets $15.00 general admission, $13.00 for students/seniors. For reservations, please call (781) 893-9171 or email reservations@hoveyplayers.com.

Almost Fully Reserved!

Cast

Kris Reynolds as Rose Weiss
Sonia Maslovskaya as Lusia Weiss Perchenik
Joel Hersh as Mordecai Weiss
Evan Bernstein as Duvid Perchenik
Kimberly McClure as Mama
Kate Lovell as Hanna

Production staff

Assistant – Bruce Kantor
Stage Manager – Jessie Olson
Asst. Stage Manager – Gabrielle Aguillon-Hatcher
Production Assistant – Mark Sickler
Costume Designer – Kimmerie H.O. Jones
Light Designer – Jeremy Medicus
Sound Designer – Ed Council
Set Designer & Dress – Michelle M. Aguillon, Gabrielle Aguillon-Hatcher, & John MacKenzie
Props – Susan Aliber & Nancy Zagami
Publicity – Leigh Berry & Susan Harrington
Photography – Michelle M. Aguillon & Gabrielle Aguillon-Hatcher
House Manager – Kristin Hughes
Box Office Mngr & Reservations – Ronni Marshak
Webmaster – Eric Houghton Producer – Michelle M. Aguillon

IRNE Nomination!

The IRNE Awards for productions January 1 through December 31, 2008 were held April 6, 2009. Congratulations to Sonia Maslovskaya for her Best Supporting Actress award! She won for her performance as Lusia Weiss Perchenik in Hovey’s A Shayna Maidel.

The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards were founded by Beverly Creasey of the Journal Newspapers and Larry Stark of TheaterMirror in 1997. The IRNE Awards recognize the extraordinary wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community. IRNE Reviewers include among others David Brooks Andrews, Sheila Barth, Jules Becker, Kay Bourne, Beverly Creasey, Joe Crowley, Shirley Esthimer, Richard Fahey, Guy Giampapa, Norm Gross, Rudy Kikel, Beatrice Lee, Kilian Malloy and Larry Stark.

By Jane Martin

Directed by Bill Doscher

“For your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too…”

Pro-life. Pro-choice. Who is accountable, God or man? What man or woman can be accountable for a human life?

What is the extent of individual freedom?

What is a rape victim’s right? What is a Christian’s duty?

These are among the infinitely troubling questions provoked by Jane Martin’s drama Keely and Du.

Keely, a young woman, is kidnapped by a right-to-life organization on her way to an abortion clinic. While being held captive, Keely forms a relationship with Du, the pro-life nurse who looks after her.

In this close encounter with two opposing sides, how far does a friendship go? Here is a story that evenly explores both sides of this volatile debate, where irresistible forces meet unwavering convictions.

Performances: February 29 – March 15, 2008

February 29, March 1, 7, 8, 13, 14 & 15 at 8 pm
Sunday March 9 at 2 pm

Opening night party at Baan Thai follows February 29 performance.

Tickets $15.00 general admission, $13.00 for students/seniors.

Cast List
Keely: Philana Gnatowski
Du: Ann Carpenter
Walter: Larry Lickteig
Cole: Robin Gabrielli

By Marie Jones

Directed by Leigh Berry

Stones in His Pockets is set in a tiny rural town in County Kerry during the economic depression in the 1980s – Jake and Charlie, each of whom has had both financial struggles and a dream to tap into the fortune and fame of Hollywood. When a huge Hollywood film studio descends upon their tiny village as the backdrop to create “The Quiet Valley”, both men are hired as extras. The actors each portray these main male characters, plus each performs a multitude of other characters against the other’s Jake or Charlie – a production assistant in the film crew, a security guard, the main actress in the Hollywood film, an Irish Catholic priest. Though the portrayal of these characters is genuinely funny, the predicament of these two men and the rest of the inhabitants of their village is placed in contrast to the glamour and greed of Hollywood. When one of the villagers dies of a drug overdose, the others are left to choose between attending his funeral or being forced to continue filming so that the studio does not go overbudget. The play’s deeper meaning lies in exposing the dashed hopes, dreams and desires of these impoverished, struggling people as they reveal their hardy Irish resilience and perseverance.

Performances: January 11-26, 2008

Fridays and Saturdays, January 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, & 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm with a matinee on January 20 at 2:00pm.

Tickets $15.00 general admission, $13.00 for students/seniors. For reservations, please call 781-893-9171 or email reservations@hoveyplayers.com. Seating is limited so reserve early!

Saturday, January 26, is sold out. Tickets are still available for Friday’s performance. If you would like to be added to the waiting list for Saturday’s performance, please call or email your name, phone number, and number of tickets you want. Wait list requests will be honored in the order they are received. You should be at the theater at 7:30 to wait and see if tickets become available. If you are not there when seats open up, the next person on the waiting list will get the tickets.

Cast

Bill Stambaugh as Jake (and others)
Michael Corbett as Charlie (and others)

Production staff

Jessie Olson – Assistant Director
Susan Harrington and Michelle M. Aguillon – co-producers
Tracy Sullivan – stage manager
Kristina Perry – costume design
Jeremy Medicus – lighting design, tech crew coordinator
Ed Council and Tom Berry – sound design
Jessie Olson, Kristin Hughes, Mark Sickler, Michelle Aguillon, and Tom, Devyn, & Leigh Berry – Set Design & Construction
Mark Usher, Dialect Coach & Dramaturg
Kristin Hughes – house manager
Ronni Marshak – reservations, opening night coordinator
Key Design – programs Eric Houghton – webmaster

A satirical, black comedy by David Lindsay-Abaire

Directed by Michelle M. Aguillon

We’ve all been there, confused, neglected, unloved, unnoticed, right?  Kimberly Levaco feels those things from the people around her: from her pregnant, self-centered, foul-mouthed hypochondriac mother, to her passive, oblivious alcoholic father. Kim’s only solace is her Aunt Debra, a homeless, ex-convict with a heart of gold and her new geek-friend, Jeffrey.  The twist is that Kim suffers from Progeria, a disease that’s aged her at a rate that’s four times her age.  So at 16, Kim is at the end of her “average” life span, and only wants the best out of her wacky life.   But who has time with the new baby coming? After escaping mysterious circumstances in Secaucus, Kim’s family has resettled in Bogota, New Jersey.  Fresh outta prison, Aunt Debra arrives and comes up with a scheme that may help them all get out of their pitiful lives. Will Kim finally find happiness then?

Author of highly successful comedies Wonder of the World and Fuddy Meers, Lindsay-Abaire recently won the Pulitzer Prize for The Rabbit Hole. Kimberly Akimbo earned him the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for best playwright. With his customary skill and quirky wit, Lindsay-Abaire uses Kimberly’s disease to explore issues of mortality and denial. Kimberly learns that she must live life to the fullest despite being surrounded by a dysfunctional family and knowing that the lives of her peers are just beginning.

Please be advised that the play contains strong adult language and may not be suitable for children.

Performances: November 2-17, 2007

November 2, 3, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 at 8pm, and November 11 at 2pm.  Join the cast and crew for the opening night party at Baan Thai Restaurant immediately following the show with cash bar and complimentary food and refreshments.

CAST
In order of appearance

Mary O’Donnell as Kimberly Levaco
Andrew Moore as Buddy Levaco
Sara Jones as Pattie Levaco
Christine Connor as Debra Watts
Harley Yanoff as Jeffrey McKracken

PRODUCTION STAFF
Director & Producer: Michelle M. Aguillon
Stage Manager: John Murtagh
Asst Stage Manager & Light Op: Paul Zak
Set Design: Michelle M. Aguillon & Kristin Hughes
Lighting Design: Matthew Silverstein
Sound Design and Engineering: Ed Council and David Sheppard
Costumes: Kristina Perry
Make-up Consult: Kimmerie H.O. Jones
Props: Michelle Fisher, Karen Dervin
Set Crew: Gabrielle Aguillon-Hatcher, Leigh & Devyn Berry, Michael Corbett, John Murtagh, Paul Zak
Sound Op: Mario Salinas

By Cynthia Heimel

Directed by Kristin Hughes

Los Angeles, 2000. “These are the times that try a girl’s soul,” says Cynthia. And she’s right.  Dating, breaking up, learning to be single, risking being a couple… what’s a girl to do? And what’s the best way to maintain your sanity while you do it? Join Cynthia and her pals Cleo and Rita on their adventures as they search for true love  -  or at least a guy to hold their hands at the movies.  Because being in a relationship is tough, but being alone isn’t a picnic either.

Cynthia Heimel is the author of seven books on romance, feminism and single life, including “Sex Tips for Girls,” “If You Can’t Live Without Me, Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?” and “When Your Phone Doesn’t Ring, It’ll Be Me.” Her long-running columns in Playboy and the Village Voice cemented her place as the smart, sarcastic and sassy voice of single women in the eighties and early nineties. USA Today describes her as “your best friend, Jewish mother and analyst, with a better sense of humor than the three combined,” and The New York Times says “Cynthia Heimel is an urban romantic with a scathing X-ray vision that penetrates her most deeply cherished fantasies.”

Warning: This show contains adult language and is intended for mature audiences.

Performances: September 14-29, 2007

September 14, 15, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 at 8 pm
Sunday September 23 at 2 pm

Opening night party at Baan Thai follows September 14 performance.

Tickets $15.00 general admission, $13.00 for students/seniors. Or save money and subscribe to the whole season! For reservations, please call 781-893-9171. Seating is limited so call and reserve early.

Cast
Cynthia……….Kimberly Schaeffer
Cleo……………Allison McCann
Rita…………….Karen Dervin
Lurene……….Tracey Seier
Man……………Will McGregor

Staff
Producer…………Ronni Marshak
Director……………Kristin Hughes
Stage Manager…..Paul Zak
Set & Light Design…. Mark Sickler
Sound Design………….J. Mark Baumhardt
House Manager………Kristin Hughes
Reservations/Opening Night……..Ronni Marshak