Salem State College Presents Pulitzer-Winning Comedy

Have you seen a play in Salem State's Callan Studio Theatre? It's a wonderful venue - tiny... if you are in the front row, your feet may touch the stage, and if you're in the back row, watch your head on the ceiling - and intimate and wonderfully personal. If you have not yet experienced theater at Salem State or the Callan Studio Theatre, your chance is here! Crimes of the Heart opens this Thursday.

Here's the skinny...

The award-winning theatre department of Salem State College presents Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy, Crimes of the Heart, also winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Prize.

Written by a female playwright, Crimes is directed from a female perspective, by Professor Celena Sky April, with lead roles performed by three female students, Katelyn Collins, last scene as Sophia in the fall production of Neil Simon’s Fools, with Priscilla Swain, and Lauren Bambera.

Says April: “Bring your sisters. This is a show about sisterhood, returning home, healing wounds with laughter.”

What: Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley
When: February 25, 27, 7:30 pm, March 4-6, 7:30 pm, March 7, 2 pm.
Where: Callan Studio Theatre, Salem State College
Tickets: $15 general/$10 students and seniors/Free with Salem State student ID 978-542-6290 or salemstate.edu/arts

Make it a weekend by pairing Crimes with the Girls' Getaway at The Salem Inn!

Dearest Dove, the Romance of Nathaniel and Sophia

Celebrate romance, literature, and the centennial anniversary of The House of the Seven Gables at two special performances of Dearest Dove: The Courtship of Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne. After you immerse yourself in the great love story of Sophia and Nathanial, immerse yourself in a delicious meal prepared by the new on-site restaurant, Hepzibah's Waterfront Bistro.

Saturday dinner will feature a choice of filet mignon, statler chicken, or grilled vegetables and sticky rice. Sunday brunch will feature omelets, waffles, pastries, roast turkey, and top round. A cappella group The Noteworthies will perform a Valentine's Day medley on Sunday.

Saturday February 13, 2010

Dinner -7:00pm, Dearest Dove Performance – 8:30pm.

Sunday February 14, 2010

Brunch – 11:00am, Dearest Dove Performance – 12:30pm.

Tickets

$49 for non-members, $44 for members. Alcohol is available for purchase on Saturday.

For reservations, please call 978-744-0991 ext. 104.

Salem Theatre Company's New Space Showcase

I'm so excited the the Salem Theatre Company has found a new home on Lafayette Street! They are pretty happy about it, too, and you are invited to celebrate the new space.

Weekends in February will showcase comedy, theatre, and music as the STC New Space Showcase. Get all the details at salemtheatre.com.

Fools by Neil Simon

The buzz about Fools by Neil Simon, which opens on Thursday, November 19th in the Mainstage Theatre at Salem State College, is very good. I have been assured this play is going to make you laugh. And laugh.

The story is this: A young teacher comes to the village of Kulyenchikov, Ukraine only to discover it has been cursed with stupidity. He has one day to undo the spell, or be cursed to become a fool himself.

Professor David Allen George, who directs the show, says this production "is full of silliness, vaudeville, a lot of mayhem and just the right amount of love."

Fools by Neil Simon runs Nov 19- 21, Dec 3 – 6. Evening performances at 7:30, December 6 at 2 pm. Tickets are $15 general and $10 students and seniors. To order tickets call: 978-542-6290 or visit: salemstate.edu/arts, where you can buy tickets online.

What a great night out!

"The Weir" will be performed at Salem State College

The award-winning theatre department of Salem State College presents the modern Irish classic, The Weir, opening in the Callan Studio Theatre, October 15 and directed by department chairperson Bill Cunningham.

The lyrical and poignant drama showcases five characters who take to storytelling in an Irish pub, revealing through laughter and truths a shared loneliness, a touch of the supernatural and a fair share of ghost stories, with belief in redemption and immortality. Says Director Bill Cunningham: “This play has reality, faith, and humor. Ultimately, it’s about the triumph over the fear of isolation.” The Weir won the 1999 Olivier Award for "Best New Play"; The Outer Critics Circle Award for "Best Play" on Broadway, and McPherson won the 1997 Evening Standard Drama Award for "Most Promising Playwright" for writing the play.

The Weir, by Conor McPherson, runs October 15-17, 22-24 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, October 25, 2 pm. Advance ticket sales strongly recommended. $15 general/$10 students and seniors, free with Salem State student ID. 978-542-7890 or www.salemstate.edu/arts

Pirates Take Salem State College by Storm In Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance!

Arrrgggh, Matey! Save some gold when you purchase tickets to Pirates of Penzance by getting the coupon code from Salem.org/deals (bottom of the page under "theater & entertainment"!)!!

Everybody loves a good pirate story – especially when it is filled with silliness, adventure and a lively song or two. Salem State College’s award-winning theatre department adds its own unique ingredients to this formula with its production of “The Pirates of Penzance”, running April 16-26 in the College’s Mainstage Theatre.

“ Pirates is one of the most popular comic operas ever written,” according to Celena Sky April who shares directing duties with colleague David Allen George. “When people hear the word opera they might think boring. Pirates is anything but that! Gilbert and Sullivan made some outrageous comments about Victorian society hidden behind wild antics and terrific music.”

Audiences will be led through a rollicking adventure as the hero and heroine of the story try to find true love. The adventure includes a Major General who knows nothing about military strategy, bumbling police, a chorus of beautiful sisters and two surprises that lead everyone to a happy ending. And did we mention the pirates are always lost?

This production is music directed by Mark Morgan, Artistic Director of New England Light Opera (NELO). Morgan and members of NELO have been in residence this academic year, teaching Gilbert and Sullivan’s unique musical style to music and theatre students. Morgan’s take on Pirates: “Think the Monty Python of the 19th century!”

Performances are April 16-18 at 8:00 pm, April 23-25 at 8:00 pm and April 26 at 2:00 pm. Tickets for this production are $20 general and $15 seniors and students. If you come to any performance dressed as a pirate admission is only $10. Sunday, April 26 will include free admission for all Salem children in celebration of Salem’s Youth Week. For tickets or additional information call: 978-542-6290 or visit www.salemstate.edu/arts

Proof at Salem State College

The award-winning Theatre Department at Salem State College opens the 2008-2009 season with Proof, the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Auburn. The title refers to a mathematical proof and, in an ironic twist, to the fact that no can knows who wrote it – the deceased professor who suffered from lifelong mental illness or his brilliant daughter who appears to be unstable herself. Proof is a mystery, but also examines issues of family and relationships, depression and genius and the marvels of the mind. October 16-18, 23-25 at 8:00 pm and October 26 at 2:00 pm. Callan Studio Theatre. Tickets are: $15 general; $10 seniors and non-SSC students. For tickets call: 978-542-6290 or visit www.salemstate.edu/arts

Grease is the Word!

Summer Theatre at Salem State College continues its 14th season with Grease directed by Peter Zachari and choreographed by Joey Mirabile. If you are looking for a little nostalgia, memorable tunes, fabulous dancing – or want to see if you remember how to hand jive – you’ll want to check out this production!

The cast performed Summer Lovin' and You're the One that I Want during intermission on the 4th of July, and they were awesome. If that little taste of Grease, combined with the terrific performances by many of the same actors during A FunnyThing Happened on the Way to the Forum last month, are any indication of how great Grease is going to be... it's a must see! I know I can't wait to revisit Sandy and Danny and all the joys of Rydell High.

Performances are: July 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m., July 13 at 2:00 p.m., and then the same schedule the following week: July 18and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and July 20 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20.00 general admission and $15.00 for seniors and students. Group discounts available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets call 978-542-6290 or visit www.salemstate.edu/arts.

If you need more convincing, you can watch a video of rehearsals and hear from the cast on the Salem State College Center for the Arts Facebook page.

The Salem Theater Scene

There is a lot of great theater coming our way in Salem. This weekend the Salem State College, Mainstage Theatre kicks off its 14^th season of summer theatre when A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum opens on June 20th. This classic musical is directed by David Allen George and stars Peter Zachari (in photo, courtesy SSC). Performances are: June 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 7:30 p.m. and June 22 and 29 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20.00 general admission and $15.00 for seniors and students.

Also this weekend - Dickens will come to life at The Griffen Theatre. Eric Rodenhiser, artistic director of the Griffen Theatre, will present Charles Dickens as he explores the second career of Dickens, which took place in the 1850s and 60s when Dickens became a public reader and actor of his novels in both England and America. Rodenhiser will recreate Dickens' acclaimed evenings, bringing the man to life, reading from his popular works, such as the ever-thrilling "Sikes and Nancy" episode from Oliver Twist, and an excerpt from the beloved A Christmas Carol. Performances are: June 20th and 21st at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and children. The show runs approximately 80 minutes, with an intermission and complimentary beverages between acts.

For more information on both performances, including links visit the calendar of events on Salem.org.

Two Shows at the Griffen Theatre

Salem is so lucky to have the Griffen Theatre - it is a venue for local theater companies, for local productions, for comedy, and for The Witches Cottage, which is a live stage show with thrilling, haunted stories from Salem's past.

The Griffen Theatre is pleased to present two new shows this month. The first one, The Big Show: A Staged Reading of a New Comedy, by Frank Hauser, will run this weekend - May 16 & 17 at 8pm. The Big Show takes place on the set of a late-night talk show hosted by Teddy Leeds. In addition to the challenges of making his mediocre show seem interesting, he’s dealing with the bizarre gambling habits of his driver, the increasingly explosive nature of his investments in South America and his blossoming, albeit ill-advised, romance with a mobster’s niece. And the death threats, one can’t forget about the death threats. Tickets are $12.00, general admission. Doors open at 7:30pm. Reservations: 978-825-0222, More info: frankpresentsthebigshow@gmail.com

The second show looks to be an amazing opportunity for those of us who have read and studied Hawthorne - We will be able to meet Nathaniel Hawthorne in Inspired on May 23rd and 24th at 8pm. which will be an hour-long journey through the famed Salem author’s triumphant and sometimes tragic life. With wit and candor Mr. Hawthorne will discuss his influences and friends, including such notable writers as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Herman Melville. He will also speak of his deep love and extraordinary marriage to Salem’s daughter Sophia Peabody. By turns humorous and deeply touching, this performance promises to capture the heart of one of America’s most important writers.

Starring Norman Jones, who founded History Alive and directed Cry Innocent for seven years. He has been performing the role of Nathaniel Hawthorne for fifteen years. He is an associate professor of theatre at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. Doors for these performances open at 7:15pm. Tickets $15.00. Reservations: 978 825 0222.

Talk back with the Actor following the show."Norm Jones takes you beyond history and into the heart, mind, and soul of Nathaniel Hawthorne himself, a seamless performance, which merges the past into the present, bringing Hawthorne into our own time and space and allowing us to meet him firsthand." -- M. Lynda Robinson, Producing Director, West End Theater, Gloucester

Complimentary beverages will be served for both performances, which is an awfully nice touch!