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:

TCR Announces Two Casts

Cedar Rapids - Theatre Cedar Rapids has announced the casts of A Chorus Line and Burnt Part Boys. One notable change with A Chorus Line is the character of Larry, Broadway director Zach's no-nonsense and authoritative assistant, has been changed to Laura. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theatre during an audition for a musical, the show tells the story of several dancers who aspire to be on Broadway. All the performers come from different backgrounds and have varying abilities. In between learning audition steps, they each reveal their most personal stories in interviews with the director, Zach. A Chorus Line will be performed in the Main Auditorium. Directed by Angie Toomsen, with musical direction by Benjamin Schmidt and choreography by Aaron Canterbury. The show opens June 26.

Black Hawk's Cast for Cat in the Hat Announced

Waterloo - The Black Hawk Children’s Theatre has cast 9 local young artists in their upcoming production of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat. Production dates are April 17 & 24 at 7 pm and April 18 & 25 at 2 pm.

Julia Corbett is cast in the title role of THE CAT. She is a 9th grader at Peet Junior High. She is making her debut here at Black Hawk Children’s Theatre although she has acted previously with the Parabola Youth Theatre Group. Julia enjoys studying language and music.

Cast for The Tempest Announced

Iowa City - For the past two years, Fourth Room Theatre has produced a free outdoor Shakespeare show. Hopefully, you had the chance to catch Cymbeline in 2013 and Much Ado About Nothing in 2014. The annual event has quickly become one of the go-to theatre events of the summer. This year, they will present The Tempest. The cast is listed below. Most notably, director Rachel Howell has cast the male role of Prospero with a female, Theatre Cedar Rapids' artistic director, Leslie Charipar.

TCR Announces Mary Poppins Cast

Cedar Rapids - Theatre Cedar Rapids has announced the cast of Mary Poppins, directed by Leslie Chariper, with musical direction by Janelle Lauer. The show opens May 1, 2015. Here's a quick synopsis from the TCR website:

"The musical is based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film, and is a fusion of various elements from the two. The jack-of-all trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family how to value each other again."

Tickets are available here.

Dreamwell Announces Cast of Death of a Salesman

Iowa City - Dreamwell Theatre has announced the cast of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, directed by David Pierce.

Willy - Rip Russell
Linda - Krista Neumann
Biff - Matthew Falduto
Happy - Brad Quinn
Charley - Duane Larson
Bernard - Ryan Morrow
Ben - Brian Tanner
The Woman - Mary Haaf-Wedemeyer
Howard - Zachary Begley
Jenny - Valerie Davine Bills
Stanley - Derek Johnson
Miss Forsythe - Erin Mills
Letta - Heather Johnson

Performances will be May 1st and 2nd at the First Street Community Center in Mt. Vernon and May 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th at the Iowa Children's Museum in the Coral Ridge Mall. Order your tickets here.

Pinocchio has been cast!

Coralville - The Young Footliters have announced the cast for their next show, Pinocchio. This show consists of a cast of children in Kindergarten through fourth grade.The show will be presented April 17th and 18th at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Director Jean Grewe has also recruited older children to handle a number of the backstage tasks.

Cast:
Pinocchio- Dillon Croco
Hickory Cricket- Jack Furlong
Lorenzo- A J Murdah
Geppetto- Massimo Biggers

Cast for Snow White

Waterloo - "The Black Hawk Children’s Theatre has cast 29 local, talented actors in roles for its upcoming production of Snow White.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? The evil Queen seeks to rid herself of her rival in beauty. Snow White escapes to find seven dwarfs whose personalities run the gamut from obstinate to generous, mean to kind. They are all, however, totally appealing. The Prince is a true prince, sometimes foolish, but always brave and Snow White is as lovely and loveable as legend says.

Why Torture Is Wrong and the People Who Love Them Cast

Iowa City - Dreamwell is proud to announce the cast of Why Torture Is Wrong and the People Who Love Them by Christopher Durang, directed by Adeara Jean Maurice:

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

TCR's Doubt Cast

Cedar Rapids - The cast for TCR's Doubt has been announced.

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.

Camo! The Musical Cast

Iowa City - ICCT has announced the cast for its upcoming production of Camo! The Musical.

A group of hunters prepares for the fall season. Women gather to drink coffee and discuss men, marriage, their own camouflage, and a thing called Lamaze. The woods become magical as army-buddies reunite; brothers discover what they need most and for two outsiders, love blossoms. A comedy set in the early 1980’s, the themes and characters will be familiar to anyone who knows what a prune Kolache is.

James and the Giant Peach Cast

Waterloo - "The Black Hawk Children’s Theatre has cast 20 local, talented actors in roles for its upcoming production of James and the Giant Peach. James is miserable. His aunts are cruel, he has few friends, and very little to do. All this changes when he receives a mysterious bag of glowing green crocodile tongues from a little man who promises fabulous, marvelous things. Join us as James and the creatures in the giant peach escape the ordinary and journey into the extraordinary.

The cast for the show is:

Shrek Cast

Cedar Rapids - After almost 100 amazing performers auditioned for TCR's upcoming holiday family production, Director Casey Prince, Musical Director Ben Schmidt, and Choreographer LD Kidd are proud to announce the cast of Shrek the Musical. Expect a production that is hilarious, fun for all ages, and above all, magical in a way only TCR can deliver.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Cast

Iowa City - ICCT is thrilled to announce the casting of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the second show in our exciting 59th Season! Thank you so very much to all who auditioned and a special congratulations to the cast of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof:

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.

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.

The Sound of Music Cast

Cedar Falls - Oster Regent Theatre has announced the cast for its upcoming production of The Sound of Music

Lend Me a Tenor Cast

Washington - Director Mike Kramme has announced the cast of the upcoming Washington Community Theater and Harp Players Theater Group show Lend Me a Tenor, by Ken Ludwig, on March 7, 8, 14 & 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington Community Center, 2227 250th Street, Washington, Iowa, 52353. The cast includes: Greg Wiley, Teresa Swift, Mike Tschantz, Tom Dawson, Jean Macenski, Ed Colby, Rebeka Trotter, and Barb Chebuhar.

Winner of three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards, Lend Me a Tenor is set in 1934. Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company is ready to welcome world famous, Tito Merelli, the greatest tenor of his generation to appear for one night only as Otello. The star arrives late and through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. Saunders and his assistant Max, believe he’d dead, and plan a substitution. It’s a funny romp, guaranteed to leave the audience teary-eyed with laughter.

The play is not recommended for children.

Proceeds will benefit the Washington Enrichment Foundation.

Tickets are available by calling the box office at 319.653.5175 after February 27th.


Source: Washington Community Theater press release