Tag Archives: Westport Community Theatre

Auditions for “Mixed Couples” February 13 and 14 at 7:00 PM

WESTPORT COMMUNITY THEATRE

Announces AUDITIONS for

 

“Mixed Couples”

By James Prideaux

 

 

Directed by Jessica Denes

Auditions will be held on:

Sun., February 13 & Monday, February 14th at 7:00 PM

Westport Community Theatre
Westport Town Hall – 110 Myrtle Avenue
Westport, CT

Auditions at WCT February 13 and 14 for "Mixed CouplesThe time is 1927, the place an airplane hangar in New Jersey where two couples wait for the fog to lift so their chartered plane can fly them to Washington. Their meeting is quite by chance, but also ironic, as it develops that the four had switched partners twenty-five years earlier, and haven’t seen each other since. One couple has settled into suburban bliss, he a professor, she a housewife and mother; the other couple are Park Avenue types, he a rich, hard-driving businessman, and his wife (after all these years) still an aspiring actress. Cautious and civil at first, their conversation turns gradually bitchier (and funnier) as time hangs heavy, bootleg liquor flows, and old enmities are revived. As their veneers crumble, it is clear that neither couple has benefited as much as they had expected from their marital switch, and that beneath their pretense lies aridity, although tempered by the witty hijinks they go through to convince themselves (and us) that all’s well in their reordered worlds. Performance Dates are April 8 – April 24, 2011 at 8:00 PM.

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Familiarity with the play is suggested. “There are two (no let’s be totally fair to the men, four) razzle dazzle performances in James Prideaux’s new play MIXED COUPLES…” —NY Post.

Characters:

Alden: (40s) A bit bookish and seemingly unemotional. Alden’s discontent with life speaks volumes in what he does not say or outwardly expresses. Married to Elberta.

Elberta: (40s) A dutiful, charming wife and mother. She is kind and proper and much too smart to see this as a failing or to etch this final image in stone. Elberta is full of emotions but is always in control of them. Married to Alden.

Don: (40s) A well heeled business type. Self confident and slick. Does have his moments of anger and annoyance, but remains loyal to his marriage and lifestyle. Married to Clarice.

Clarice: (40s)  A shallow, half-baked starlet whose contrived, dramatic antics are her only real claims to fame. Still a sexpot and can lay on the flirtatious allure with ease. Clarice enjoys stirring up trouble. Married to Don.

Pilot: (Any age) He is a bit nervous about having people, especially women, in the pilots’ room. As the night and the antics go on he is more than ready to get the passengers in the air.

Perusal Scripts available upon request; contact the director at jessicadenes1@yahoo.com

For further information, please call Westport Community Theatre at (203) 226-1983 or contact the director at jessicadenes1@yahoo.com

“Mauritius” rehearsals get underway – Lower Fairfield County premiere!

"Mauritius" at Westport Community Theatre

"Mauritius" at Westport Community Theatre runs February 11 – 27

Here’s a first look at WCT’s upcoming play “Mauritius” – lots more to come in the weeks ahead:

Clever, taut, entertaining, intriguing, disturbing… “Mauritius” is a finely crafted evening of puzzling intrigues, simmering vendettas, duplicitous lies, lying deceits, unexpected twists, family complexities, information and disinformation – all revolving around half-sisters, philatelists, and con artists vying for possession of a rare stamp. Drama, comedy and thriller in one, “Mauritius” is a tightly woven tale, “caper-style.” What you need to know is that the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar, is famous for two of the rarest stamps in the world – “Post Office’ Penny Orange and Twopence Blue” – and that money, love and family can ultimately be the catalyst to people behaving very badly. Who knew stamp collecting could be a deadly hobby… The play was a smash hit when it opened on Broadway in 2007, and Westport Community Theatre is very pleased to present the first full production in lower Fairfield county.

Directed by Lynne Bolton, “Mauritius” features memorable performances by a stellar cast that includes Ammie Brown, Will Jeffries, Robyn Maitland, Bobby Pavia and Tom Petrone. Tickets are $14 – $20; for reservations and information contact the Box Office at (203) 226-1983.

Fridays and Saturdays February 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8:00 PM

Thursday February 17 at 8:00 PM

Sundays February 13, 20 and 27 at 2:00 PM

“Angel Street” – a.k.a. “Gaslight” – opens Friday, November 26 at 8:00 PM

"Angel Street" at Westport Community Theatre, November 26 – December 12

The Manninghams – Jack (Peter Wood) and Bella (Ann Kinner)

“Angel Street” opens tonight, Friday, November 26 at 8:00 PM. “Angel Street” (also known as “Gaslight”) by Patrick Hamilton is one of the all-time great thrillers, a night of theatrical magic that captivates the audience from start to finish and keeps you guessing right up to the end. If you’ve never seen the play that the famous 1940s movie “Gaslight” was based on, this is the production to see! You may know “who” does it… but what keeps you guessing in this story of unfolding psychological terror are the whys and hows.

A diabolical killer… lost rubies… a charming, insistently persistent detective… mysterious footsteps and light shifts… locked drawers and rooms… secrets… intrigue… all part of an edge-of-your-seat mystery that keeps the audience in suspense until the end. To give away the plot is a crime in itself… Bellla Manningham may be losing her mind… and her husband may be a killer enacting a plot to slowly drive her insane – or is he?

Directed by Alexander Kulcsar, “Angel Street” features sensational performances by Fred Tisch, Ann Kinner, Peter Wood, Ruth Anne Baumgartner and Sarah Smegal, – charming, beguiling, vulnerable, saucy, funny, stoic, villainous, duplicitous… – with cameo appearances by Bob Lasprogato and Al Toth. Jack and Bella Manningham’s world on Angel Street stays with you long after the final glow of the gas light…

Opens Friday, November 26 – December 12, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm, and Thursday, December 2 at 8:00 pm. Westport  Community Theatre at Westport Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Avenue, Westport. Tickets are $14 – $20; for reservations and information go to (203) 226-1983 or go to westportcommunitytheatre.com for directions.

Check back for profiles, behind-the-scenes information and more!

“Trumbo – Red, White & Blacklisted”

Westport Community Theatre’ ETC  presents a staged reading of  Trumbo – Red, White & Blacklisted on Friday, October 22 at 8:00 PM; FREE to members and subscribers, $5 all others at the door.

Peter Wood and Alexander Kulcsar in "Trumbo"

Mark your calendars and join us for a timely, very special evening of theatre on Friday, October 22 at 8:00 PM.

Award-winning local actor Alexander Kulcsar portrays screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, in “Trumbo – Red, White & Blacklisted,” bringing the dark days of the 1940s and 1950s Hollywood blacklisting to life in the first staged-reading production of the 2010 / 2011 ETC season at Westport Community Theatre. Free to members and subscribers, $5 all others at the door (no reservations necessary). This staged reading will also be presented at Bare Bones Theatre, Pequot Library in Southport, on Thursday, October 21 at 7:30 PM.

This is a special guest presentation of Square One Theatre Company’s staged reading in association with the Stratford Library, directed by Square One Theatre’s artistic director, Tom Holehan. Peter Wood, who will be starring in WCT’s next production of “Angel Street,” plays Christopher Trumbo, the narrator of the piece.

When famed screenwriter Dalton Trumbo defiantly stood up against the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, refusing to answer questions about his political affiliations, he was thrown in prison and blacklisted as one of the “Hollywood Ten.” Written by Trumbo’s son, Christopher, the play is derived from a collection of Dalton Trumbo’s brilliant and razor-sharp letters to friends, former friends, and family throughout his lifetime. Trumbo reveals how the author of such legendary films as “Spartacus,” “Roman Holiday,” “Exodus,” “Papillon” and “Johnny Got his Gun” (as well as “The Brave One,” which forced him to write under the pseudonym Robert Rich) took on Congress, Hollywood, and the “Red Scare”— and won.

Trumbo enjoyed a very successful Off-Broadway run with many well-known actors in the title role – Nathan Lane, F. Murray Abraham, Brian Dennehy, Gore Vidal, Richard Dreyfuss, Roger Rees, Robert Loggia, Christopher Lloyd, Michael Richards and Chris Cooper. It was produced by the Westport Country Playhouse in 2004 starring Paul Newman in one of his final roles.

Alexander Kulcsar as Dalton Trumbo

Alexander Kulcsar is well known to Westport audiences for his mainstage performances of Orson Welles in “Orson’s Shadow,” physicist Niels Bohr in “Copenhagen,” and The Man in “The Turn of the Screw.” He has performed in or directed ETC readings including “On an Average Day”; “The Reeducation of Horse Johnson”; “Rabbit Hole”; “The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia”; “A Picasso” (playing the infamous Pablo Picasso); and others. He will be directing WCT’s next mainstage production, the classic thriller “Angel Street,” having previously directed critically acclaimed productions of “The Best Man,” “Sherlock’s Last Case,” and “The Turn of the Screw.” Alexander is the recipient of five Square One Theatre Subscribers Awards, including Outstanding Actor (“Moonlight & Magnolias,” “The Shop at Sly Corner,” “Camping with Henry and Tom,” and “The Business of Murder”) as well as Outstanding Featured Actor (“Later Life”). He will be appearing next May in Square One Theatre’s production of “Art.”

Peter Wood as the Narrator

Peter Wood is also well known to Westport audiences; ETC roles include David in one of the most talked-about of our readings, last season’s Orange Flower Water. He was also seen in “Apartment 3A” and in mainstage productions of “The Best Man” and “Death and the Maiden.” Peter has been nominated for a number of Square One Theatre Subscribers Awards, including “The Rainmaker” and “The Best Man.” He has produced and acted in several productions at Putney Gardens in Stratford, including the Prince in “Romeo and Juliet”; other lead roles with Putney include Orlando in “As You Like It,” Oberon in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Orsino in “Twelfth Night,” Don Pedro in “Much Ado About Nothing,” and Alonso in “The Tempest.” He played Elyot in Eastbound Theatre’s (Milford, CT) production of Noel Coward’s “Private Lives” last fall, and Tom in Pound Ridge Theatre Company’s “Dinner with Friends” this past spring. This past summer, Peter drew on his musical talents in a production of “Guys and Dolls” with Musicals at Richter.

We look forward to seeing you for what promises to be an entertaining evening of theatre! Go to www.westportcommunitytheatre.com for directions to the theatre.

Auditions for “Angel Street” September 27 & 28 at 7:00 PM

WESTPORT COMMUNITY THEATRE

Announces AUDITIONS for

ANGEL STREET

A Thriller by Patrick Hamilton

Directed by Alexander Kulcsar

Auditions will be held on:

Monday, September 27 & Tuesday, September 28th at 7:00 PM

Westport Community Theatre

Westport Town Hall – 110 Myrtle Avenue,

Westport, CT   06880

Written in the 1930s, “Angel Street” (originally titled “Gaslight”), is set in Victorian London with all the trappings of a 19th Century melodrama. Young wealthy Mrs. Manningham thinks she is losing her mind until a police detective appears and informs her that her new husband is actually a murderer who is trying to drive her insane so he can take over her estate. Note from the director: The director is looking for skillful actors that can play these melodramatic roles with complete truthfulness and conviction.   Please note that the play was made into a classic movie, “Gaslight,” starring Ingrid Bergman in 1944, which is also widely available.

Performances Dates are November 26 – December 12 at 8:oo PM

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Familiarity with the play is suggested.

Characters:

All characters require English Accents.

MR. MANNINGHAM:  Tall, handsome, charismatic gentleman in his forties.  Suave, intelligent, ruthless. Literally a lady-killer.

MRS. MANNINGHAM: Attractive gentlewoman in her 30s who has been emotionally and psychologically worn down by her husband’s domineering behavior. A sane woman driven to the breaking point, she vacillates at times from childlike timidity to homicidal madness.

DETECTIVE ROUGH: (late 40s to 50s) Supremely confidant, cheerful manner. A somewhat quirky gentleman police-detective who lets nothing get in his way.

ELIZABETH:  Servant woman (40s). Salt of the earth, reliable. Loyal to Mrs. Manningham, mistress of the house. Cockney accent.

NANCY: Servant girl of 19. Pretty, flirtatious, unprincipled. A temptress who has her eye on the master of the house. Cockney accent.

TWO UNIFORMED POLICEMEN: Two big guys who look good in Bobby outfits. Roles with no lines, they wrestle and restrain the physically imposing Mr. Manningham.
Scripts will be available at the theatre by request. For further information please call the Westport Community Theatre  at (203) 226-1983 or contact the director at  akulcsar@earthlink.net For directions please visit www.westportcommunitytheatre.com