G.L.U.T. News - Greater Lansing Ubiquitous Theatre

THE TELLING PROJECT - Are You Ready To Tell Your Story? It's time to speak.

4/30/2015

Peppermint Creek Theatre Company is proud to partner with The Telling Project and the Bob Woodruff Foundation to bring The Telling Project to the mid-Michigan community. We are seeking veterans and military family members who wish to tell their stories in ‘Telling: Lansing'. Performances will take place in Lansing in early November of 2015.

The Telling Project works with veterans and military family members across to country to create 'Telling', a unique performance in which these vets and vets' family members, after interview, performance training and rehearsal, stage the 'telling' of their stories of life and the military for their communities.

The Telling Project has put more than 150 veterans and military family members on stage in fifteen states, raising awareness of military experience on a person-to-person, community level since 2008.

Participants in “Telling: Lansing” need no experience in performance - just willingness and enthusiasm. The Telling Project staff will work with you to shape your story, then transition it from a story to a performance.

Interviews will take place in Lansing, June 11-14, 2015. If you are interested in being involved in this performance opportunity, send an email to info@thetellingproject.org. We look forward to working with you.

Learn more about The Telling Project at their website: www.thetellingproject.org.

PCTC Announces 2015-2016 Season

4/30/2015

Past Present
Peppermint Creek Theatre Company is proud to announce our line up for the 2015-2016 season! Our theme 'Past Present' explores the hidden meanings in all of our shows, as well as represents us well as the only theatre in Mid-Michigan producing theatre that addresses vital issues in our society, raises awareness, and encourages dialogue. Stay tuned for your brochure in the mail, and announcements about getting your season tickets!

"Elegies" by William Finn
Directed by Matt Eldred (for the Renegade Theatre Festival)
August 13 - 15, and 20, 21, 2015

This intimate and moving remembrance of departed friends is by the Tony award-winning composer of Falsettos and A New Brain. It pays tribute to a disparate group that includes impresario Joe Papp, actors Peggy Hewitt and Jack Eric Williams, a teacher, the Korean family who ran a deli frequented by Finn, relatives in New Jersey, friends, long-lost pets, and, in a moving sequence, Finn's mother. A three-song conclusion offers a tribute to the victims of 9/11. Each number captures poignant, often funny glimpses of life and death that sparkle with the narrative sophistication always apparent in Finn's work.

"The Whale" by Samuel Hunter
Directed by Jordan Climie
Sept 24 - 27 & Oct 1 - 4, 2015

On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a six hundred pound recluse hides away in his apartment, and slowly eats himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, The Whale tells the story of a man's last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places. "Riveting...An impassioned and arresting clash of minds and emotions. I was glued to the stage...Equally dynamic and horrifying." - New York Observer

"Telling: Lansing" an original production
Directed by Blake Bowen, in partnership with national veteran organization The Telling Project (SEE BELOW; Veterans wanted…)
Nov 5 - 8 & 12 - 15, 2015

The Telling Project works to deepen our understanding of the military and veterans’ experience. Greater understanding fosters receptivity, easing veterans’ transitions back to civil society, and allowing communities to benefit from the skills and experience they bring with them. Through this understanding, a community deepens its connection to its veterans, itself, and its place in the nation and the world. Peppermint Creek is thrilled to be the first Michigan company to partner with national organization The Telling Project to bring Lansing area veterans stories to the stage.

"The Secret Garden" by Marsha Norman and
Lucy Simon
Directed by Chad Badgero
March 3 - 6 & 10 - 13, 2016

This enchanting classic of children's literature is reimagined in brilliant musical style by composer Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of 'Night Mother. In the early years of the 20th century, Mary Lennox, a young English girl born and raised in India, is orphaned by a cholera outbreak and is sent away from India to Yorkshire, England, to live with relatives whom she has never met. Her own personality blossoms as she and a young gardener bring new life to a neglected garden, as well as to her sickly cousin and uncle. Winner of three Tony awards, The Secret Garden boasts a sparkling score and a story for all ages.

"Water by the Spoonful" by Quiara Alegria Hudes
Directed by Tommy Gomez
April 28 - May 1 & 5 - 7, 2016

Somewhere in Philadelphia, Elliot has returned from Iraq and is struggling to find his place in the world. Somewhere in a chat room, recovering addicts keep each other alive, hour by hour, day by day. The boundaries of family and community are stretched across continents and cyberspace as birth families splinter and online families collide. Water by the Spoonful is a heartfelt meditation on lives on the brink of redemption. Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize. "A complete and satisfying work…A quartet of wounded yet fiercely bright characters who are trying to stay sober communicate over the internet. Those who feel the web is a cold connection may change their opinion after they see the very hot limbo in which these characters live and interact…” – New York Times

"title of show" by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen
Directed by Ben Cassidy (part of a three year Launching Pad New Directors Initiative)
July 7 - 10 & 14 - 17, 2016

[title of show]—taken from the space on a festival’s application form which asks for the [title of show]—follows Hunter and Jeff and their friends on their journey through the gauntlet of creative self-expression. In the span of 90 minutes they write and perform their show at the festival and learn lessons about themselves as people, friends and artists. [title of show] is, above all, a love letter to the musical theatre—a uniquely American art form—and to the joy of collaboration. Hilarious and irreverent, “title of show” is both poignant and a side-splitting love letter to the theatre.

Save the Date! Announcing Our Special Events:
• June 26 & 27, 2015 – Chad & Amanda DeKatch, a farewell concert
• July 19, 2015 – Donor Thank You Party, hosted by the Mattson’s
• Summer 2015: Stage to Screen – movie shows at PCTC of plays that have been made into films
• August 2 & 3, 2015 – PCTC Season Auditions
• December 2015 – Holiday Cabaret

5/7-17 - PEPPERMINT CREEK THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES OPENING OF “Venus in Fur”

4/30/2015

Peppermint Creek Theatre produces Mid-Michigan premiere of sexy new play

Lansing, MI – Peppermint Creek Theatre Company, with license from Dramatists Play Service, is proud to announce the two week run of the sexy comedy, Venus in Fur, in its Mid-Michigan premiere.

Thomas, a beleaguered playwright/director, (Joseph Mull) is desperate to find an actress to play Vanda, the female lead in his adaptation of the classic sadomasochistic tale Venus in Fur. Into his empty audition room walks a vulgar and equally desperate actress—oddly enough, named Vanda (Mary Dilworth). Though utterly wrong for the sophisticated part, Vanda exhibits a strange command of the material, piquing Thomas' interest with her seductive talents and secretive manner. As the two work through the script, they blur the line between play and reality, entering into an increasingly serious game of submission and domination that only one of them can win. A mysterious, funny, erotic drama that represents yet another departure for the multifaceted David Ives.

This is what critics have to say about Venus in Fur: "The teeter-tottering test of wills that takes place in VENUS IN FUR makes even the most fraught encounter between a domineering director and a sensitive performer seem like a play date in the sandbox. Audiences may be pleased to hear that in this ninety minutes of good, kinky fun, the upper hand does not necessarily belong to the usual suspect." —NY Times. "VENUS IN FUR invites both carnal and cerebral excitement…" —Village Voice. "Ives has crafted a modern take on a classic tale, skillfully twisting his plot and characters in a fast-paced journey into one man's entrapment by a clever, vengeful female." —Associated Press. "You want funny? You want sexy? Then you'll want to see VENUS IN FUR." —New Jersey Newsroom.

Peppermint Creek Guest Director, Rob Roznowski, had this to say about the show, “Venus in Fur works on various levels. The juggling of these various levels as director with these actors has been such an exciting part of the process. Audiences can latch into the play as a theatrical sparring match, character study, or exciting exploration of gender roles.”

The production will take place at Peppermint Creek’s performance venue, the Miller Performing Arts Center, 6025 Curry Lane, Lansing MI 48911. The show will run Thursday, May 7 – Sunday, May 10, and Thursday, May 14 – Sunday, May 17, 2015. Show times are Thursday – Saturday at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets can be ordered online at www.peppermintcreek.org, and are $15 general admission, and $10 for students/seniors 65+.

This production of Venus in Fur is being directed by PCTC Guest Director and head of the Michigan State University Department of Theatre, Rob Roznowski.

To purchase tickets, visit www.peppermintcreek.org. Follow “PCTC” on Twitter: @PeppermintCreek or on Facebook. Press photos are available on request.
Venus in Fur Peppermint Creek Theatre Company

The Studio Performing Arts Center will present "Stories of The Fantastic"

4/29/2015

Saturday & Sunday, May 2 and 3 @ 2pm The Studio Performing Arts Center will present "Stories of The Fantastic", an afternoon of one-act plays directed by P.K. Van Voorhees at the Bath Schools Auditorium, 13675 Webster Rd, Bath, MI 48808 (turn in the Bath Middle School driveway and its the middle door on the rectangular building). Featuring a cast of 18, ages 11-19, come spend an afternoon of laughs and light-hearted humor!

The ridiculously fun LAW AND ORDER: FAIRY TALE UNIT by Jonathan Rand, is based on the original television show, but with a quirky twist: “In the fairy tale criminal justice system, the characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes are represented by two separate yet equally ridiculous groups: the fairy tale police who investigate fairy tale crime, and the fairy tale district attorneys who prosecute the fairy tale offenders. These are their stories.” The cast includes Alaina Humphrey as “Cindy/Merm”, Callie Reichel as “H.D.”, Reyna Estrada as “Zelle/Gold/Happy”, Danielle Holloway as “Jiliian/Ugly D/Dopey”, Korinne Salisbury as “Jack/Grumpy/Queenan/Judge F. Godmother”, Brandon Townsend as “Hansel/Captain/Wolf/Pig 3”, Porsha as “Gretel/Sleepy/Peep”, Kaleel Van Voorhees as “Pinocchio/Doc/Pig 1”, Joni Rognon as “Bashful/Stiltskin”, Calixthe Onwere as “Sneezy/Pig 2”,

EFFIGY IN THE OUTHOUSE, by Newberry-award winning author Richard Peck is the story of schoolchildren set in 1901 doing their best to trick a spooky substitute but are taken aback when the trick turns on them! Nate Bilbey as “Willard”, Laura Stanton as “Cecil”, Lauren Kreuer as “Justin”, Emma McIlhagga as “Edna Wilberforce”, Lottie-Brooke Mims as “Mae”, Danielle Pollak as “Faye”, Linda Webster as “Cecilia Soper”, Erin Ruster as “Small Boy”, Reyna Estrada as “Miss Delilah Dollop”, Alaina Humphrey as “Miss Naomi Starbody” and Anne Stanton as “Mrs. Wilberforce”.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the theatre doors 30 minutes prior to show. For more information, please call 517-336-4088 or emailstudio@dancesingact.com.

STARLIGHT DINNER THEATRE BRINGS ‘CAMELOT’ TO LANSING

4/25/2015

5/8-17 - Camelot brings the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table to life with an extraordinary score and a story that poignantly dramatizes the human conflict at the heart of this classic tale. Camelot tells the story of Arthur (Martin Underhill), a young squire who becomes King after extracting the sword Excalibur from its legendary rock. The musical follows Arthur from a young, ambitious, idealistic King who dreams of creating a just society to the despairing king bearing witness to his dream’s demise. Arthur’s dream is inspired by his vivacious Queen Guenevere (Paula Sheynerman). But when Guenevere falls in love with Arthur’s most celebrated, beloved, and loyal knight, Lancelot (Joe Baumann), they begin a romance as doomed as it is passionate. This great Lerner and Lowe score includes such hits as “If Ever I Would Leave You”, “How To Handle A Woman”, and the title song “Camelot”.

Award winning director Linda Granger has assembled a cast of both veterans and new comers to the stage, totaling more than 20 performers. Ed Baker, Dan Pappas, Josh Martin, Charlotte Ruppert, and Abbie Matthews round out the lead roles.

Dates: May 8-9, 15-17, 2015 Times: Friday-Saturday dinner at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday Dessert Matinee at 1:30 p.m., and show at 2 p.m.  Ticket Prices: $39 show & dinner, $36 for seniors & students. $18-17 show only. May 17 performance is $25 for show and dessert.  Location: Waverly East Intermediate School, 3131 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48917

For additional information on Starlight Dinner Theatre productions and ticket information, please call 243-6040 or visit the website at www.starlightdinnertheatre.com

4/24 - 5/3 - Okemos High School Theatre presents: LOSERVILLE, A New Musical

4/23/2015

4/24 - 5/3 - Okemos High School Theatre presents:
LOSERVILLE, A New Musical
Music, book and lyrics by Elliot Davis and James Bourne
April 24, 25 - 7:30 pm
May 1, 2 - 7:30 pm
May 3 - 2:30 pm
Okemos High School Theater, 2800 Jolly Rd, Okemos, MI 48864
Tickets available at http://www.okemostheatre.net/
$10 for students and seniors; $15 for adults

Join us for the Michigan premiere of "Loserville", the smash-hit new musical from London's West End takes geek to a whole new rock-pop level. Nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2013 and many more accolades, Loserville is based on the groundbreaking album "Welcome to Loserville" from the band Son of Dork.

It's 1972. Misfit computer geek Michael Dork and his friends are about to change the whole world. It's just that no one knows it yet. Michael's also discovered a girl, Holly, a prospective (almost) as exciting as his love of binary. If only he had the courage to talk to her! Perhaps things haven't changed that much after all!

You would never expect that geeks would have inherited the world. But they did! Loserville gives us the seventies with a cast of characters that are totally recognizable and a score that is entirely contemporary. Featuring an electric pop-rock score and a hysterical book, this is a high octane, no-holds-barred feel-great musical.

4/26 - Sunday local film showing

4/23/2015

4/26 - Sunday local film showing - From Michael McCallum:Hello! I hope things are going well with you. I wanted to contact you with a film showing at the end of this month that I'm in.
It's for a comedic web series called, Lucky Jay, which was made through the Grand Valley State University summer film program. Lucky Jay is their 20th Anniversary Film!

What? The 20th annual Summer Film Project for Grand Valley State University, Lucky Jay, is having a Lansing preview! This comedic web TV series is told in 7-episodes and stars Lansing's own multi award-winning actor/filmmaker Michael McCallum, Ginneh Jolan, Mark Boyd, Whitney Bunn, and Megan Cochrane along with a talented group of Grand Rapids actors!We will also be having a Q & A after the screening with available cast/crew members.

"Lucky Jay is about one semester in the life of a young film professor going up for tenure."

When? Sunday, April 26th, 7pm!

Where? Midtown Brewing Compan y, 402 S Washington Sq, Lansing, Michigan 48933
$5 at the door, running time 80 min. total!

This is the second time I've worked on a GVSU summer film. A few years ago I starred in Message Sent, both films were directed by Harper Philbin a long time film professor at GVSU. He's directed 10 of the 20 summer films.

WHARTON CENTER’S 2015 - 2016 SEASON : BROADWAY BONANZA , BIG HITS, SUPERSTARS

4/23/2015

WHARTON CENTER’S 2015 - 2016 SEASON : BROADWAY BONANZA , BIG HITS, SUPERSTARS Back By Popular Demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON

Wharton Center ’s 2015 - 2016 season has nine Broadway blockbusters, a handful of superstars making their premiere at the Center and many brand -
new titles. Executive Director Mike Brand says, “It’s a magical season; really a Broadway bonanza that will satisfy the hunger our audiences have for the best shows on tour!”
By popular demand, THE BOOK OF MORMON, which played a record breaking week run in 2014 returns to East Lansing for a limited engagement
June 14 - 16, 2016.
This year’s MSU Federal Credit Union Broadway Series at Wharton Center features :
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA, the Tony Award ® - winning musical that delights audiences with its surprisingly contemporary take on a classic tale; DIRTY DANCING, an unprecedented live experience that explodes with heart - pounding music, passionate romance and sensationally sexy dancing; THE SOUND OF MUSIC, the spirited, romantic and beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony ® , Grammy ®, and Academy Award ® - winning Best Score; MOTOWN THE MUSICAL the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and so many more. ; MATILDA the Musical , winner of 50 international awards, including four Tony Awards ® ; and THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, one of the most romantic novels ever written, now Broadway’s most irresistible love story.
Wharton Center is also proud to announce special presentations of JERSEY BOYS , the behind - the - scenes Broadway musical about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and RIVERDANCE – The 20th Anniversary World Tour of the international Irish dance phenomenon.
The 2015 - 2016 season would not be complete without a lineup of world - renowned performing artists such as KRISTIN CHENOWETH , Emmy ®
and Tony Award ® - winning actress and singer; LANG LANG , the inspirational pianist who captivates audiences with his enthusiasm and passion ;
TWYLA THARP DANCE , celebrating 50 years of performances with their immaculate technique and joy; AN EVENING WITH SAVION GLOVER AND JACK DEJOHNETTE , a tour de force of percussion and rhythm exchanged between two greats; BOBBY MCFERRIN, the vocal virtuoso transcending
categorization; and DR. CLIFTON R. WHARTON, JR. in a special World View Lecture Series with MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.
The best way to take advantage of the season is by becoming a Wharton Center subscriber. Subscribers get the most benefits, including huge discounts and access to the best seats before they go on sale to the general public. The more you choose, the more you save – up to 30% off public ticket prices!
In addition, subscribers receive special offers throughout the season and can take advantage of special incentives, including a patron discount card for great offers at local retailers and restaurants.
MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION BROADWAY AT WHARTON CENTER:
Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella September 22 - 27, 2015
Dirty Dancing November 10 - 15 , 2015
Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music February 9 - 14, 2016
Motown the Musical March 15 - 20 , 2016 Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical April 19 - 24 , 2016
The Bridges of Madison County May 19 - 22 , 2016
SPECIAL EVENTS :
Jersey Boys October 13 - 18, 2015 Riverdance – The 20 th Anniversary World Tour April 1 - 3 , 2016
The Book of Mormon June 14 - 19, 2016
Wharton Center’s Performing Arts Series includes:
CLASSICS AT WHARTON CENTER:
Lang Lang September 28 , 2015
An Evening with Kristin Chenoweth October 25, 2015

RWT Ripples - May 2015

4/23/2015

Don’t miss SINGERS ON THE GRAND this Saturday/Sunday at Riverwalk - and THE LYONS roars into the Black Box next week. More in the attached “RIPPLES” newsletter.

Cuckoo in Plymouth

4/19/2015

5/8-17 - John Roche — former Lansing actor, is playing “Harding” in Barefoot Productiions version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in Plymouth, Michigan — about an hour’s drive… in case you want to see John onstage (and maybe prep to audition for the sure-to-be- exciting version of this show to be done at Lansing’s Riverwalk next February!)May 8-17 - 8 pm (2pm Sundays)
More info at www.justgobarefoot.com