Audition for MVLCT's summer show this weekend

Lisbon - Mount Vernon Lisbon Community Theatre announces their summer production of You Can't Take It With You by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart. Auditions will be Sunday, June 5 & Monday, June 6 at 7pm at Lisbon Library's Heritage Hall. The show will run July 21, 22 & 23 in the Lisbon gym/auditorium. There are large & small roles for all ages and abilities.

Click here for details on the cast list and the plot summary. MVLCT's website is here.

Cast for Guys and Dolls chosen

Cedar Rapids - Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight “mission doll”; Sky Masterson, the slick, high‑rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer who’s been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancé, desperate as always to find a spot for a game. The final show of Theatre Cedar Rapids' 2010-11 season opens July 8.

Cast (in alphabetical order):

Heather Akers – Miss Adelaide
Jennifer Anderson – Hot Box Girls
Angela Billman – Hot Box Girls
Matt Brandt – Mission Band
Stephen Brandt – Benny
Cameron Byrd – Crapshooters
Aaron Canterbury – Crapshooters
Brian Cohen – Guys
Barney Conroy – Guys
Trevor Debth – Sky Masterson
Pat Deignan – Guys
Lesa Dencklau – Hot Box Girls
Emma Drtina – Mission Band
Kaleb Forseen – Mission Band
Nick George – Harry the Horse
Lovar Davis Kidd – Crapshooters
Justin Mangrich – Guys
Stephanie Shaffer Martinez – Gen. Cartwright
Nicole Matejka – Hot Box Girls
Emily Nelson – Mission Band
Nathan Nelson – Lt. Brannigan
Zach Parker – Nicely Nicely
Jeff Parry – Guys
Madelyn Pilcher – Hot Box Girls
Sam Pritchard – Guys
Katy Richter – Hot Box Girls
Mary Rinderspacher – Sarah Brown
Matt Russell – Crapshooters
John Ryal – Big Jule
Conor Schulz – Crapshooters
Courtney Smith – Hot Box Girls
Nikki Stewart – Hot Box Girls
Jonathan Swenson – Nathan Detroit
Billy Vogl – Crapshooters
Gene Whiteman – Arvide

G.I. Jukebox opens June 2

Amana – The Red, White & Blue takes center stage as The Old Creamery Theatre presents G.I. Jukebox, a musical tribute to our troops, past and present. The show opens on the Main Stage Thursday, June 2 at 3 p.m.

Come and enjoy an evening or afternoon of entertainment done delightfully in WW II USO tour style with songs from the 1940s like “Moonlight Serenade,” “In The Mood,” “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and of course “God Bless America.”

Written and arranged by Rick Lewis, G.I. Jukebox is directed by Tom Milligan of East Amana and features Sean McCall of Marengo, T.J. Besler of Manchester, Deborah Kennedy of East Amana and Kamille Zbanek of Ely.

G. I. Jukebox runs through July 3 and is rated Theatre G. Tickets are $27 for adults and $17.50 for students. Show times are Wednesday, Thursdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Call the box office at 800-35-AMANA or visit the website at www.oldcreamery.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

In conjunction with the show, a letter writing station will be set up in the lobby of the theatre. Everything needed will be available for patrons to write a note expressing appreciation to our troops. The letter writing station is also open to the general public during our regular business hours. Letters and cards collected will be sent to members of the Iowa National Guard 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry “ Red Bull” Division, serving since August of 2010 in Afghanistan. They are part of the largest deployment of Iowa National Guard since World War II and are scheduled to return home in late summer.

“Our audience will see a wonderfully patriotic production and they can then send a letter to a service man or woman,” Milligan said. “It’ s a real win-win that will brighten everyone’s day.”

Cast chosen for Dreamwell's Soldier's Daughter

Iowa City - Dreamwell's final 'War and Consequences' show has been cast. Soldier's Daughter, written by members of the Black Doggers playwriting group, will be presented at Country Camp, a farm a short ways outside of Iowa City in July. The play will be performed promenade-style, moving from location-to-location around the delightful spaces on the farm. Dreamwell founder Matthew Falduto directs.

Cast:

DAD – Brian Tanner
TIGERLILY – Makayla Phillips
3 BIRDS – Thalia Heinrich, Grace Heller, Lizzie Carrell
GOATSINGER – Mike Moran
ARIA – Lindsay Eaves
CORAL – Nika Tipsword
EROS – Brad Quinn
PYSCHE – Elizabeth Breed
MOOSE 1 – Mark Nidey
MOOSE 2 – James Anderson
SARAH – Jessica Murillo
HOPE – Mary Vander Weg
COUSIN – Chad Keitel
GYPSY– Ellen Stevenson
GRANDPA – Mark Nidey
TIGER – John Crosheck
BOY – Jakob McLaughlin
2 PIRATES – Brad Quinn, Chad Keitel
3 SAILORS – Mark Nidey, James Anderson, Nika Tipsword
MOTHER – Lindsay Eaves

Combined Efforts Needs Actors/Singers/Musicians

Iowa City - Combined Efforts Theatre is looking for actors, singers and musicians for their summer show. Following in the tradition of last years' successful show, Love at the County Fair, Combined Efforts will present Mystery at the County Fair August 4-6. We had high praise for last year's show, so may want to consider checking this out if you're looking for a unique theatre experience.

Rehearsals begin June 20 and will have flexible scheduling for busy actors. If you're interested, contact Janet Schlapkohl at 319-321-7926.

Dreamwell seeks directors

Iowa City - Dreamwell Theatre is seeking directors for two of its 2011-12 season shows: Sans Merci by Johnna Adams and Bent by Martin Sherman. The artistic committee will meet with potential directors on June 20 and June 25. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss your vision for the show. Interested directors should sign up for a slot through the Dreamwell website.

Dreamwell’s shows tend to focus more on character than setting. Directors should come prepared to explain how they will bring out these stories without relying on large sets or special effects and the like. Sans Merci is tentatively scheduled for February 10-18, 2012 and Bent is tentatively scheduled for June 1-9, 2012. The exact dates may change, but they should be in that general time period. Definite dates will be determined as soon as we can arrange that with the space. The shows are tentatively scheduled to be performed at the Unitarian space at 10 S. Gilbert.

Sans Merci is about a conservative woman who reaches out to the lover of her daughter, Tracy, who died in a vicious attack. The meeting between these two very strong and different woman is intense, as they dance through their mutual grief. Each learns more about Tracy, and about her violent death. Sans Merci is about the effect one person’s definition of self can have on another human being, and what we can teach each other.

Bent is the story of a man faced with the decision to live in his truth, even if it means sacrificing his own life. Max is a gay man in Nazi Germany who is sent to a concentration camp, where he finds a companion and lover, Horst. Horst demonstrates the dignity of a man who embraces who he is, even at the risk of his life. Through his example, Max must the strength to embrace his identity no matter the consequences.

Rage Seeks Plays for Combat Show

Iowa City - Local action theatre company Rage Theatrics is now accepting submissions for their next showcase of action theatre scenes. Playwrights and directors are invited to submit scripts and/or scene proposals by July 15, 2011 for consideration. Scenes should be no longer than 20 minutes in length, and feature stage combat/action. Submissions should be emailed (preferred) to jkbeadle@gmail.com or mailed to Submissions, 1310 Yewell Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.

Directors who are interested in this production but who do not have a proposal may request to be paired with an existing project. This is an excellent opportunity for directors to work closely with experienced fight choreographers. Contact Producer Josh Beadle at 319-621-0024 or jkbeadle@gmail.com for more information.

This production will be similar in format to past Rage Theatrics shows - including Love and Rage in 2007 and Hero Stories in 2008 - featuring scenes coordinated by several directors from throughout the Iowa City/Coralville area. The show will be presented October, 2011.

SCENE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

1. Proposals should be submitted by July 15 and include the proposed script, or a detailed proposal of an action-based theatrical piece.

2. Scenes should last no more than twenty minutes in performance.

3. Scenes should contain elements of ACTION THEATRE. (This can be defined as fighting or violence, chase scenes, stunt work, slapstick, or any combination of similar elements.)

4. Proposed projects should be original OR fall within the public domain.

5. Preference will be given to projects with few or minimal technical requirements (set pieces, props, costumes, lighting, etc.)

6. Submissions should be appropriate for a show taking place near Halloween. Themes may include horror, suspense, monsters, etc. Both humorous and dramatic submissions are welcome.

Although submissions that diverge from these guidelines will be considered, preference will be given to projects that meet these requirements.

Rage Theatrics will provide a fight choreographer and training for approved projects.

Selections will be announced in early August. Auditions will take place later that month. Rehearsals will take place throughout September and October.

TCR accepting submissions for Underground Festival

Cedar Rapids - This year, TCR will be hosting its first annual New Play Festival in November. Playwrights may submit plays of any length — 10-minute, one act, full length, epic — for consideration, but they must be previously unproduced and unpublished. The deadline for submission is June 30 at 5 pm.

The festival will be held in Theatre Cedar Rapids’ Grandon Studio, their new 80-seat black box theatre. They're looking for scripts for staged readings and minimally produced productions. While no ‘winner’ will be selected, some scripts may be considered for further development after the festival closes.

Additionally, they will need directors for each script selected. The deadline for directors to submit an application is June 30 at 5 pm. Playwrights may choose their own director, but her or his name must be included with the play submission. Otherwise, a director from the pool of applicants will be assigned to each selected play.

As a part of the play festival, TCR wants to encourage young writers and will be including a youth playwrighting segment, for which playwrights in grades 6 through 12 can submit ten-minute plays. Young playwrights may submit longer plays but they will be considered with the rest of the festival submissions, regardless of age.

Selected plays and their directors will be announced on August 13 at Ovations.

Questions about the festival may be submitted to erica at theatrecr.org. The applications are located here.

Wooing Wed Widinghood Auditions for Grades K-6

Iowa City - The Young Footliters will hold auditions for Wooing Wed Widinghood on Saturday, May 21st from 10 to 11:30 and Sunday, May 22nd from 2 to 3:30 at the Robert A. Lee Rec Center (located at the corner of Gilbert and Burlington Streets.) The auditions will be held in Meeting room A.

This show, aimed at Kindergarten through 6th graders, will be performed at the Riverside Shakespeare Theatre in Lower City Park in Iowa City. Show dates are July 29th through July 31st.

A Merry May at ITAC

Amana - Even as Iowa Theatre Artists Company wraps up their production of Sister Robert Anne's Cabaret Class this weekend, they have two more productions in the pipe for the month of May.

Remain True is a "memory play of communal Amana" that invites theatergoers to experience some fascinating local history onstage. Adapted by Thomas P. Johnson, Meg Merckens, and the ITAC Acting Ensemble, it features Meg Merckens, Marshall Neilsen, Eddie Skaggs and Kaitlyn Davids. It takes its name from the word "Amana" itself which means "remain true." The show runs May 18th - July 2nd, 1:30 on Wednesdays, 1:30 and 5:30 on Thursdays, and 1:30 on Saturdays. Tickets are $10; there is also a special package that combines the show with a historical tour; call the Amana Heritage Society Museum at 319.622.3567 for information.

On Memorial Day weekend, ITAC welcomes the touring company Dairy-Aire Theatrics to the ITAC stage to perform Heroes, a Tom Stoppard translation of a Gerald Sibleyras play about three aging WWI veterans. Heroes will be performed May 27-29, Friday at 1:30 and 7:30, Saturday at 7:30, and Sunday at 1:30. Tickets are $20 ($10 for students).

For more information on any of these shows, call 319.622.322 or visit ITAC's website.