A Review of Tons of Money

by Toni Wilson Wood

Waterloo - Alan Ayckbourn's Tons of Money is a hilarious farcical romp about indebtedness, inheritance, and imposters. This is the first show directed by Brian McCarty at Waterloo Community Playhouse and he has done a fine job with this show. What I love about McCarty’s approach to this show is that he’s really gathered together wonderful actors who meld together as an ensemble--each actor, no matter how big or small his or her part is, gives everything he or she can to the role--and you can see that in the performance.

Tons of Money Opens Friday

Waterloo – The Waterloo Community Playhouse has cast ten local, talented actors in roles for its upcoming production of Tons of Money. What happens when a down on his luck inventor finds out he’s about to receive an inheritance? He fakes his own death and attempts to come back as his long lost (presumably dead) cousin to collect the inheritance. Hilarity ensues in typical farce fashion.

The cast for the show is:

WCP Artistic Director Resigns

Waterloo - Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre Board President, John Mardis, has announced that he has accepted the resignation of Matthew R. Kerns, WCP Artistic Director. Matt has been with the Playhouse since last summer directing, Seussical, Frost/Nixon and most recently, A Murder is Announced.

Matt’s decision to leave the Playhouse came due to purely personal and family reasons, following the untimely passing of his father last fall. It has become necessary for him to move back to St. Louis to be with his family at this time. He has delayed the move to make sure that plans for the 2015-2016 season would not be impacted and he leaves WCP in good standing and with appreciation for his efforts.

Matt said, “This decision was not made lightly and I will miss all of my friends here at the Playhouse. I appreciate the opportunity I had to help the Playhouse turn the page to its next chapter.”

Musical Murdery Myster event at Landmark Commons

Waterloo - The Drama-To-Go players of the Waterloo Community Playhouse are teaming up with Friendship Village to hold a “Musical Murder Mystery” audience participation event at Landmark Commons, 1400 Maxhelen Blvd in Waterloo. The action of the play occurs at the engagement party for a judge’s daughter, and her fiancé, a wealthy toilet paper salesman. The action becomes even more hilarious when the bride-to-be’s brother, due to a brain injury, believes he is cast in a Broadway show and sings all of his dialogue.

The show will have performances on Saturday, April 18 at 6 pm and Sunday, April 19th at 2 pm. Saturday’s performance includes a four course meal prepared by Landmark Commons Executive Chef and staff; Sunday’s performance includes an exquisite dessert bar and gourmet coffees.

Ticket for Saturday’s dinner and performance are $45.00 and tickets for Sunday’s desserts and performance are $30.00. Proceeds from the shows benefit the Waterloo Community Playhouse and the Alzheimers Association. Tickets can be ordered by calling Landmark Commons, 319-296-7100 or the Waterloo Community Playhouse box office 319-291-4494, or online.

A Review of A Murder is Announced

by Toni Wood


Waterloo - A Murder is Announced, running at the Waterloo Community Playhouse, is an adaptation of the fourth Miss Marple book, written by Agatha Christie. This intriguing and surprisingly funny adaptation will keep you guessing 'til the very end.

The basics of the story are classic Agatha Christie; an ad appears in the local newspaper's personal ads stating that a murder will occur at the home of Letitia Blacklock on the night of Friday, October 13th at 6:30 p.m., which, as luck would have it, is the night that the play begins. The characters become more and more nervous as the time ticks toward 6:30, and after the murder, secrets, lies and cover-ups of nearly every character come out.

Frost/Nixon Features Passionate Performances

By Toni Wilson Wood
Photos by Matthew R. Kerns

Thomas Carlisle as Nixon

Waterloo - Frost/Nixon, performed by Waterloo Community Playhouse, is an epic juggernaut that covers three years, various locations, and the verbal boxing match between David Frost, the British talk show host who was better known for his handling of models, not presidents, and President Richard Nixon, who was seeking a way to redeem himself without apologizing for something he felt was not something to apologize for.

Sound boring? You would be wrong. While this material could be considered dry, Peter Morgan, author of Frost/Nixon, took a huge amount of information and condensed it into something digestible. He created a text that clocks in at 2 hours (sans intermission) that feels much shorter than it actually is. There isn’t anything extraneous here. Every word, every actor has his place.

Frost/Nixon Opens January 23

Waterloo - The Waterloo Community Playhouse has cast 8 local, talented actors in roles for its upcoming production of Frost/Nixon. The show is a fictionalization of the famous interviews David Frost conducted with disgraced former President Richard Nixon in 1977, as a part of Nixon’s efforts to improve his image. Nixon, living in San Clemente in Orange County, California, agreed to the interviews when prompted to do so by his literary agent, Irving Lazar. “Structured as a prize fight between two starkly ambitious men in professional crisis, Frost/Nixon makes it clear that the competitor who controls the camera reaps the spoil.”-New York Times

The cast for the show is:

• Mike Anderson (FROST) is making his debut at WCP. He is a reporter with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. He is originally from the Evanston, Illinois area. He was very active in theatre during high school and lept at the chance to perform in this production.
  
• Thomas Carlisle (NIXON) is a retired professor from UNI. Tom and his wife Jean own the lla lla lland Llama Ranch near Janesville. He has appeared onstage in over 100 roles for various theatres. This will be his debut for the Waterloo Community Playhouse.
  
• Gary Baumgartner (JIM RESTON) is thrilled to return to WCP after a long absence. “Bum”, as he is frequently hailed, and his wife Donna are owners/operators of Viewpoint Adventures Safaris. They are also the chairpeople of the Positive Outlook Association Foundation which raises funds to support a school in Africa.
  
• Joel Zummak (JOHN BIRT) likes to travel frequently to both the Minneapolis and St. Louis areas. He is the youngest of five children. Joel is a data entry clerk at Ocwen Loan Processing in Waterloo.
• Scott Schuster (IRVING LAZAR/MIKE WALLACE) is the new Technical Director/Production Manager at Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre. His favorite role of all time was as Ichabod Crane in a National touring production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. He previously worked as Designer with the Edge Theatre in Denver, Colorado.
  
• Andrea Morris (CAROLINE CUSHING/EVONNE GOOLAGONG) works as a facilitator with the local Girl Scout office. She received her BA in Theatre Performance from UNI. She interned at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York during the summer of 2012.
  
• Chris Hansen (BOB ZELNICK) is beginning his 34th season with the Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre. Chris is a former CNA and currently works at Kohl’s. Some of his previous roles at WCP include Ruckley in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Ellard in The Foreigner.
  
• Anthony Covington(JAMES BRENNAN) has appeared in 5 other productions at WCP/BHCT. He has also served as an Assistant Stage Manager on 7 other shows. Tony serves on the Hope Haven Consumer Advisory Board.

The Waterloo Community Playhouse is working with representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties to have a voter registration site during the production.

Performance dates and times are January 23, 24, 29 & 30 at 7 pm; January 25 at 2 pm. Tickets for the performance are available online at www.wcpbhct.org or by calling 319.235.0367. The box office will open for public sales on January 15th. Box office hours are Tuesday-Friday from 1-6 pm. The box office is located inside the Waterloo Center for the Arts and can be reach at 319.291.4494. #EngageWithWCP


Source: WCP Press Release

Auditions for WCP's A Murder Is Announced

Waterloo - Waterloo Community Playhouse is casting A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie
Translated for the Stage by Leslie Darbon
Directed by Matthew R. Kerns
Costuming by Guest Artist Carol J. Blanchard
Scenic Designer: Scott Schuster | Production Stage Manager: S.K. Buie

Audition Date: Monday, February 2 at 6 pm
Production Dates: March 20-27

Meet the Crew for WCP'S Seussical

Waterloo – "The Waterloo Community Playhouse has secured several local citizens as crew members to work behind the scenes during its upcoming production of Seussical™.

Red Opens November 13

Waterloo/Cedar Rapids - Fourth Room Theatre, in collaboration with Waterloo Community Playhouse, Theatre UNI and UNI Department of Art, presents Red, John Logan’s Tony Award-winning drama about the legendary painter, Mark Rothko.

UNI Acting Professor Richard Glockner portrays Rothko
Matthew James is his assistant, Ken
Angie Toomsen directs with scenic design by Scott Olinger

Romeo and Juliet Cast

Waterloo -The Black Hawk Children’s Theatre has cast 13 local, talented actors in roles for its upcoming production of Romeo & Juliet. William Shakespeare’s classic tale of star-crossed lovers is brought to life in this adaptation by BHCT Artistic Director, Anita Ross.

Romeo and his crew are up to no good when they crash the party of their rivals, the Capulets. One escapade leads to love with Juliet as this meeting sets up a series of events leading to a tragic ending for this star-crossed pair. With passion and poetry, share Shakespeare’s timeless tale of young love that brings unity to fighting factions.

Halloween Costume Rentals at WCP

Waterloo – Find the perfect costume to go haunting in from your local costuming experts. The Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre makes costumes used in local productions available for rental, not only during the Halloween season, but throughout the year. Imagine the vast variety of costumes available from a community theatre in its’ 98th Season. The Costume Rental Shop at the Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre will be open extended hours to meet your Halloween costuming needs. Extended hours include: Saturday, October 25 at 1-5 pm, Tuesday-Friday, October 28-31 at 1-7pm and Saturday, November 1 at 1-5pm. The shop is located on the upper level of the Walker Building at 224 Commercial Street in Waterloo.

Auditions for Seussical

Waterloo - "WCP announces auditions for its upcoming production of Seussical

Waterloo Community Playhouse Seeks Technical Director

Waterloo - WCP has announced its search for a new technical director.

WCP's "Pitch a Play" Workshop

Waterloo – Have you ever wanted to tell a theatre group what plays they should be doing? Well, here’s your chance. The Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre is inviting community members to come pitch a play to artistic directors, Matthew R. Kerns and Anita Ross and executive director Constance Grimm. This is an additional part of the revised program planning using a more transparent and dynamic process. Come share your voice!

WCP Announces Change of Season

Waterloo -Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Children’s Theatre is excited to announce two programming changes approved by the Board of Directors this week. First, the Playhouse will present the premiere of Frost/Nixon by playwright Peter Morgan as a substitute in the planned WCP 2014-15 season. Second, the revised process for planning the upcoming season provides an open invitation for community participation. The 2015-16 WCP/BHCT season will be created utilizing the active involvement of community members during a series of three workshops in August.

Cast for WCP's Les Miserables

Waterloo - The Waterloo Community Playhouse has cast over 40 local, talented actors in roles for its upcoming production of Les Misérables!

Come discover a nation in the grip of revolution, where convict JEAN VALJEAN is on the run. Hunted relentlessly by the policeman JAVERT for breaking his parole, he must leave his past behind and keep his vow to raise the young orphaned COSETTE. But with revolution in the air and JAVERT closing in, VALJEAN has no choice but to fight for his life and sacrifice everything to protect the people he loves.

Auditions for WCP's Steel Magnolias

Waterloo - The Waterloo Community Playhouse will hold auditions for its’ production of Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias on Saturday, July 12th at 1:00 pm and Sunday, July 13th at 2:00 pm. Auditions will be held at WCP’s Walker Building, 224 Commercial Street in Waterloo.

WCP Announces Les Miserables Cast

Waterloo – "The Waterloo Community Playhouse has cast over 40 local, talented actors in roles for its upcoming production of Les Miserables!

Discover a nation in the grip of revolution, where convict Jean Valjean is on the run. Hunted relentlessly by the policeman Javert for breaking his parole, he must leave his past behind and keep his vow to raise the young orphaned Cosette. But with revolution in the air and Javert closing in, Jean Valjean has no choice but to fight for his life and sacrifice everything to protect the people he loves.

Waterloo Community Playhouse Announces New Artistic Director

Matthew R. Kerns

WATERLOO, IA –- After Chuck Stilwill announced his planned retirement last fall, the WCP/BHCT board of directors immediately began searching for the right candidate to fill the director’s chair. Search committee members were tasked with reviewing applications that came from across the country and moving candidates through the interview process until the top two candidates were presented to the board of directors for a final decision. Monday night the board completed that process and selected Matthew R. Kerns as the new WCP artistic director.