"community"

On July 18th at 7:30 PM the curtain will open on "ANNIE". We have been working on this show since January.

The stage is dark.

Coordinating the directors-
"I heard from Becky- she's in!" (this means we have a pit orchestra instead of canned music!)
"Jake said he will be choral director" ( he shows up to ALL practices so the actors can rehearse to a live piano instead of a soundtrack)
"Gene and I will direct the show if you will direct the orphans"
"Ok I can do that"
"Diane will do hair"
"Colleen has volunteered to help with choreography" which is a good thing because I don't dance and am clueless about it all
"contact Mike and see if he will be technical director- he's amazing"

Comparing schedules -
"what's going on the weekend of.....?"
"no that's the Relay"
"Bud Open"
"county fair" ....  "Ok- how about...."

Ordering the scripts and musical scores plus applying for the license to perform "ANNIE" (THEY SAID YES!) Ok we got  the show now onto the next phase.....

Meeting with the Recreation Center staff  and hammering out details about using the theater from the end of May until the middle of July.

Designing the sets- drawing several pictures and then figuring out the best way to get those ideas to work on the stage and consulting with the stage manager during set construction and modifying the ideas so it's easier for him and his crew to manage the set pieces for scene changes.

Going through the stage lights and replacing burned out bulbs and repairing broken fixtures so we aren't dancing in the dark. Setting the lights - meaning pointing them in the right direction. Setting light cues- lighting adds so much to a show- from signaling when a scene opens to setting the mood to creating a dramatic effect like lightning.

Auditions.
Casting meeting- so many talented people auditioned it took several nights to figure it all out.
Notify the people who auditioned about parts.
First read through .....
Rehearsals.....week after week
Blocking, choreography, memorize lines, "no wait that won't work you need to come in from stage right....."
"don't stand with your back to audience!"
"you are going to have to be much louder on stage"
"the orphans are AMAZING!"
" I just want to put you in my pocket and take you home!"

Sets are done- TWO WEEKS ahead of schedule!
Costumes are ready! "here let me sew that back on for you"

Publicity- if you don't tell anyone about the show then you can't expect them to buy tickets.
Printing posters and tickets. Assembling all the information for the program and getting that to the printer in time for opening night. How many should we print? How many tickets can we sell?

I used to think it was called community theater because it happened in our town - you know like city or town .
 Now I know different.

Now I know that it is truly a community of people who have come together to do something wonderful. All of us working on "ANNIE" are volunteers. We all have jobs, families responsibilities and obligations that demand so much of our time. Yet we found the time to work on this wonderful project. We have doctors, a nurse, teachers, self employed business owners, recent high school graduates and grade school students, an IRS agent and the best employee Hy-Vee has ever had all on our stage. Some of the people have never been on a stage before. Our youngest performer is almost 8 (her birthday is this week) and our oldest performer is .... well we aren't going to compare ages on that end ok?  We have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries. We have worked around vacations and camps and conferences. We have put in long hours. We have been frustrated with each other and at times short tempered. We have cheered each other when the scene/dance/song finally came together.
We are a community.

House lights dim.
Overture
Stage lights slowly come up
Curtain opens.....the show begins.

ANNIE AUDITIONS!

The Carroll Arts Council, Carroll Community Theatre, All Strings Attached Orchestra and Carroll Recreation Center announces auditions for the upcoming theater production of “ANNIE”

 

Auditions are open to anyone in the Carroll area and will take place in the Recreation center Auditorium! This musical features a large cast (approximately 40-60 people) as well as a live pit orchestra. This is a community wide event for kids and adults! We not only need people to act but also people behind the scenes building and decorating sets, costumes, make-up, hair as well as technical and stage hands.

Potential actors will taught a simple dance number and a song at the audition. We will work in groups of 8-10 at a time so no one is up there dancing alone. Auditions may range from 5 to 15 minutes. Everyone who wants to audition will get a chance and we won’t leave until everyone auditions.

CHILDREN’S AUDITIONS:  Tuesday May 28^th from 7-9PM for females interested in being an orphan between the ages of 8 and 15. You must be able to sing! We will be casting 20 young ladies as orphans.

ADULT AUDITIONS:  Wednesday May 29^th and Thursday May 30^th 7-9PM – for anyone else who wants to audition. (If you are a child and are unable to make the Tuesday auditions you may come to either of these audition dates)

Production Dates:
Thursday July 18 7:00 pm
Friday July 19 7:00 pm
Saturday July 20th 7:00 pm
Sunday July 21 2:00 PM

Tickets: $10.00 for adults and $6.50 for students

Directors: Susan Glass, Gene Glass
Orphan Director: Laura Comito
 Orphan Assistant Director: Aly Boes
Orchestra Director: Becky Windschitl
Choral Director: Jake Gute
Technical Director: Michael Woodhouse
Choreography: Susan Glass, Colleen Dermody
For more information please contact Laura Comito at 775-2035

A Nightmare on Main Street

It's gonna be big!

A Nightmare on Main Street

Things are coming together very well for our first ever attempt at a haunted house. We have been kicking around making a haunted house for a few years and this year I met a couple of amazing people who were a huge help during Harry Potter this summer. So now I am cob-web deep in making a haunted house.

The response from the community has been wonderful. We have collected over $800 in sponsorships from area businesses so we could afford to purchase things we need to make this haunted house the best ever. We also have a couple of businesses who have donated materials and in-kind items for the haunted house.

So far we have 7 rooms designed, built and almost finished. My favorite thing to do is to "decorate" scenes when we do shows. So I am in my element decorating these haunted rooms. We are still looking for some more actors and safety people to be in the haunted house during its four night run. If this is successful I am pretty positive that this will become an annual event.

For more information please check out carrollarts.org

Collective Dating

The first in our Summer Theatre Series is this week at the Black Box Studio located at 311 N Main St (South of Rancho Grande) Friday July13th and Saturday July 14th at 7:00 PM

Collective Dating is a wacky collection of romantic comedies based on the world of dating. From cavemen to the Internet, from an uptight, upright dating service to one that knows no bounds, Collective Dating is a wild ride of fun.

All seats are $5.

Murder at Mardi Gras

February 24th and 25th the Community Theatre will be presenting an audience interactive murder mystery at the Santa Maria Winery. We are still looking for two men and one woman to be in the show. If you are interested or need more information please contact me.

blackbox@carrollarts.org

The Scene: The Grand Ballroom of the DuPre Chateau on the evening of the Krewe of Midas Masquerade Ball

There is a mystery afoot in the Big Easy- The Krewe of Midas King, Pierre DuPre, has been murdered, strangled with a set of Mardi Gras beads.  Pierre was always suspicious of those looking to sink their claws into his fortune. Was it the greed of those around him that put old Pierre in the grave? His beloved family members, friends and neighbors have now become suspects in this Garden District murder.

Mathew Gator” Crovitz: A boy from the Bayou who worked his way through law school; He is madly in love with Alexis DuPre. (Costume: A preppy college outfit mixed with a fisherman/outdoors man outfit. Props: a net, fishing pole and some law books.)

Alexis DuPre: Pierre’s socialite daughter; a southern belle and reigning “Magnolia Queen” at Dixie University. (Costume: a ball gown, tiara and sash)

Bourbon DuPre: A jazz musician from the French Quarter. (Costume: A tuxedo or simply slacks and a flashy vest over a button down shirt and a bowler hat trumpet or a saxophone. Or you can go all out and wear an outrageous Mardi Gras costume with gold, green and purple.)

Melissa F. DuPre:  Pierre DuPre’s new wife from Las Vegas. (Costume: A flashy outfit that is as trampy as it is tacky. A feathered boa is a must)

Connika Gothika:  An eccentric novelist and Pierre DuPre’s next door neighbor. (Costume: all dressed in black with long black wig and dark makeup and jewelry)

J. Stephen Peek: The DuPre family attorney and Pierre DuPre’s closest friend and confidant. (Costume: A simple suit and tie and a briefcase)

Cayenne Pepper: The DuPre family chef and aspiring TV star. (Costume: White coat, apron and a chef’s hat. Cooking utensils and a cookbook)

Elise St. Gresch: The young and attractive live in maid at the DuPre Chateau. (Costume: French maid or a little black dress with a white apron and a feather duster)

MURDER AT MARDI GRAS

Oh the times they are a changing.....

I have been involved in the arts in my rural Iowa community for over 30 years. I started out playing  Mrs Rook- a bird- in The Great Cross Country Race.
It was my first taste of theatre and it left me craving more....

...and here I am president of the Carroll Arts Council/Community Theatre.

What a journey it has been.

Started out performing shows in the old Carroll High School Auditorium or at the Elk's Club. Then the Recreation Center Theatre was built and we performed there. Nice facility but it's getting harder to fill 400 seats and scheduling can be very frustrating.

 Now we have the Black Box Studio. It's not glamorous nor is it top of the line state of the art -BUT- it is intimate and all ours to use whenever we want. We rehearse there and perform there. We also let other groups use it for small performances.

The times have indeed changed- it's getting harder to find people who are willing to volunteer their time to put on a BIG MUSICAL!  I understand that- two parents working, kids involved in more activities than were available 30 years ago and musicals are very time consuming.

So things are changing some more- here are two of the changes we have to make the arts accessible to more people-

• Once Upon a Time - this is an opportunity for kids in grades 4th-8th to work with one of our seasoned players to learn all about acting and producing a play with hands on experiences in all aspects of the production form auditioning, character development, costumes, make-up and set design.
• Acting Out! - a group of performers available for corporate entertainments with several options from murder mystery dinner theatre to small musical revues.

Come play with us!