^[1]The Davidson College theater department present its major spring production next week, the comedy “Leading Ladies.” Meanwhile, “Violet” continues at Davidson Community Players’ Armour Street Theater. Also below: Spotlight on a Woodlawn School actor in Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s “Treasure Island,” and news about spring break and summer theater camps for kids, and auditions for a summer production of “Noises Off.” 

LEADING LADIES

Davidson College’s big spring theatrical production “Leading Ladies” runs next Thursday to Sunday, March 25-28, in Duke Family Performance Hall.

Assistant Professor of Theatre Mark Sutch directs this tale of two struggling British Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, who find themselves penniless in rural Pennsylvania. To escape their fate, they scheme to collect an inheritance by posing as the long-lost relatives of a dying local dowager. As the plot develops, role reversals, complications and romantic entanglements abound.

Performances are March 24-25 at 7:30 p.m.; March 26 -27 at 8 p.m.; and March 28 at 2 p.m. All performances will be in Duke Family Performance Hall. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $11 for seniors, and $6 for students. For tickets call 704-894-2135 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, or reserve online at www.davidson.edu/tickets ^[2]. The play is recommended for ages 12 and up.

After directing three darker plays at Davidson, director Sutch was eager to take on a comedy. He was already familiar with playwright Ken Ludwig’s award-winning works, Lend Me a Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo. Ludwig’s comedic genius in Leading Ladies, which premiered in 2004, impressed Mr. Sutch even more. He recalled, “It was the only play I read that just had me laughing out loud from the first page, which is a rare thing.”

Three senior class veteran student actors play the lead roles in Davidson’s production of Leading Ladies. Maret Seitz ’10 plays Meg, Matt Baum ’10 is Leo and Josh Tobin ’10 is Jack. Both men will spend the majority of the play in drag. Mr. Sutch explained, “The only things their characters have with them are costumes from Shakespearean plays, so not only are they in drag, but they’re in period drag!”

Despite the complicated plots to deceive, Mr. Sutch said higher powers of love and theatre lead the three main characters to self-realization.

“The play really is about earnest love for the arts and for the theatre,” said Mr. Sutch. “It explores how theatre can change people’s lives and bring them out of less than happy circumstances. These two characters eventually learn that not everything in our lives should revolve around ambition, wealth and fame.”

The cast also includes Ian Bond ’10 as Duncan, Audrey Gyurgyik ’12 as Audrey, Will Ames ’11 as Doc, Brandon Smalls ’12 as Butch, Stephen Pierce ’10 as the Conductor, and outside actress Jamie Anne Sharpe as Florence.

WOODLAWN STUDENT STARS IN “TREASURE ISLAND”

The current production by Children’s Theatre of Charlotte features a student from Woodlawn in the lead role.

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Jim Hawkins (Isaac Josephthal) is defended by Long John Silver in the Children's Theatre of Charlotte production of "Treasure Island." (Photo by the Charlotte Observer)

Woodlawn junior Isaac Josephthal plays 14-year-old Jim Hawkins in “Treasure Island,” which runs March 12-28.

Isaac has been acting since he was six years old and attributes his interest in theater to his family having season tickets to the CTC. After seeing a CTC performance of “Miracle On 34th Street” when he was a boy, Isaac reportedly turned to his mom and asked, “Mommy, do you think I will ever be able to do something like that?”

Some of his previous performances include Baby John in “West Side Story” and Pete in “Almost, Maine” with the Davidson Community Players. Isaac also played John Darling in CTC’s “Peter Pan” and Charlie Brown in “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” with Playing For Others.

The Charlotte Observer theater critic Julie Reed Bell reports in her March 17 review ^[4] that “Josephthal turns in a vivacious performance as young Jim. He is propelled by youthful gusto, steely resolve, naïve optimism, and – when he discovers the truth about a beguiling father figure he thought was his friend – enraged disillusionment.

This Friday’s show is sold out, but click here ^[5] to find tickets for the remaining five shows for “Treasure Island,” which ends Sunday, March 28, at the McColl Family Theatre inside ImaginOn, 300 E. Seventh St. Tickets cost $18 for general admission and $24 for front orchestra seating.

AUDITIONS FOR ‘NOISES OFF’

Actors and actresses 18 and over are invited to audition for Davidson Community Players summer production of “Noises Off” at 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, March 29-30. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Callbacks March 31

“Noises Off” is a hilarious comedy about putting on a comedy. It follows the onstage – and offstage – antics of an ailing acting company staging a production of a fictitious play called Nothing On. Noises Off will be directed by Jim Yost, whose production of “Lend Me a Tenor” for DCP played to record houses in July 2008.

“Noises Off” will run for eight performances in the state-of-the-art Duke Family Performance Hall, on the campus of Davidson College. For information about the Davidson Community Players, contact Diane Benson at 704-892-7953 or visit www.davidsoncommunityplayers.org ^[6].

SPRING BREAK & SUMMER CAMPS

Davidson Community Players’ youth theater group The Connie Co. will host a School’s Out Drama Camp for young actors to have fun and learn about basic acting and production techniques during Spring Break, April 5-9.

The camp’s theme will be “Theatre Play and Improvisation.” A morning session from 9-noon each day will be offered for children ages 5-7; an afternoon session from 1-4 p.m. will accommodate actors ages 8-10.

The camp will offer 15 hours of instruction in an authentic theatre environment at the Armour Street Theatre, 307 Armour St. The week will culminate in a sharing for family and friends.

Camp fee is $80 per student; campers should bring a snack and a water bottle each day. Scholarships are available.

DCP is also currently registering for summer camps for children ages 4 thru 12, grouped by age. This year’s summer theme is The Connie Company: Wild Wooly & Wonderful. Each camp includes 15 hours of instruction in an authentic theater environment with snack included. Each camp culminates in a sharing for family and friends.

Register online at Davidson Parks & Rec, www.d-recs.org ^[7]. For scholarship information, contact Davidson Community Players at 704-892-7953.

“VIOLET” AT ARMOUR STREET

Davidson Community Players continues performances of the award-winning musical “Violet,” which continues through March 28.

With a score of bluegrass, gospel, Memphis blues, and other familiar styles, this powerful musical swells with a truly Southern spirit and soul. Both heart-breaking and hopeful in its message, “Violet” boldly shows us the need to look beneath the surface to find the true beauty within us all.

Based on the short story, “The Ugliest Pilgrim,” by well known Statesville author, Doris Betts, the musical follows the journey of Violet, a 25-year-old whose face has been horribly scarred by a childhood accident. She journeys from Spruce Pine, N.C., to Tulsa, Okla., seeking the aid of a televangelist faith-healer to remove the scar that has caused her so much anguish. Along the way, she befriends two soldiers, Flick and Monty, who have their own experiences with prejudice and unfair judgment based on appearance.

Violet also also communicates with her late father, the man responsible for the scar, as she begins to understand the difference between love and beauty. By the time she reaches Tulsa, Violet has gained far more than the outward beauty she so desperately sought.

Dennis Delamar joins the cast in a reprisal of his highly-praised performance as the Father at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte a few years ago. Cassandra Wood of Mooresville will portray Violet, while Timothy Thomas of Charlotte and Jack Stevenson of Rock Hill play the two young soldiers Flick and Monty, respectively.

Young Violet will be played by Hannah Roberge. A large ensemble and choir of local favorites and new faces fill out the cast. Director Melissa Ohlman-Roberge and Musical Director John Smith team up again after their award-winning collaboration on “West Side Story” this past summer.

Violet will be performed at the Armour Street Theatre  Thursdays to Saturdays, March 18-20, and 25-27 at 8 p.m., Sunday, March 21, at 7 p.m. and matinees  March  21st, 27th, and 28th at 2pm. Ticket prices are $15-$18. For reservations, call 704-892-7918 or go online to www.carolinatix.org ^[8]. Recommended for ages 12 and up.