Timothe Bittle (Coalhouse), Lisa Smith Bradley (center, Mother) and Zachary Halsey (Little Boy) star in "Ragtime" at Davidson Community Players.

Davidson Community Players have cast a big collection of familiar faces and newcomers in their upcoming production of Terrence McNally’s musical “Ragtime,” running June 16-25 at Duke Family Performance Hall at Davidson College. Also on the local theater schedule: Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius will stage a series of short plays called “Grave Comedies,” June 2-12. Plus news about youth auditions ahead at Davidson Community Players’ Connie Co. children’s theater.

GET READY FOR ‘RAGTIME’

Davidson Community Players will take the road less traveled when it stages the critically acclaimed musical “Ragtime” next month at Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall.

The company says this will be one of the biggest productions in its 46-year history. Since premiering on Broadway and winning Tony Awards 13 years ago, “Ragtime” has toured nationally several times, played London’s West End, and recently has enjoyed a Broadway revival. The show is big in every respect: a cast of 50 men, women and children; an elaborate set; quickly changing scenes; an intriguing storyline; a monumental musical score; and a subject that embraces the indomitable nature of human will.

E.L. Doctorow’s novel comes to life in this song-and-dance show that looks at three New York families just after the turn of the 20th century: a wealthy white couple; a Jewish immigrant father and his motherless daughter; and an African American piano player who teaches them about the interconnections of the human heart, the limitations of justice, and the consequences of letting go of a dream. Historical figures like Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan and Emma Goldman inhabit the moving epic, but it is the stirring musical score that carries the show, including gospel, marches, cakewalks and — of course — ragtime.

DCP Artistic Director Melissa Ohlman-Roberge directs, with choreography by Felicia Davis, musical direction by John Smith, sets by Anna Sartin, with props by Lisa Altieri. Jamey Varnador has designed the costumes, lighting is by Bruce Auerbach, and sound design is by Ryan Clark.

The cast includes new and old faces. Guest Artist and full-time actor Timothe Bittle plays Coalhouse Walker Jr. Also in the cast: Kevin Roberge (Tateh) and Lisa Smith-Bradley (Mother); Amanda Roberge (Evelyn Nesbitt) and Issac Josephthal (Harry Houdini), along with Kimberly Butler (Sarah), Brianna Smith (Emma Goldman), Erik D’Esterre (Younger Brother), Carranza Pryor (Booker T. Washington); Robert Watson (J.P. Morgan), B.J. Facemire (Henry Ford), Stuart Spencer (Willy Conklin), Robert Nipper (Harry K Thaw), Gino Pietrantoni (Grandfather), Steven Martin (Father) Eliza Robinson (Little Girl), and Zachary Halsey (Little Boy).

Performances are June 16-18, 8pm; June 23-25, 8pm; Sun Jun 19 and Sat Jun 25 at 2pm. Tickets are $22 adults, $20 for seniors (65+) and $12 for students. The show is recommended for ages 13 and over. For tickets, call the box office (704-892-7953) between 9am and 4pm (M-F), or purchase tickets online anytime at www.DavidsonCommunityPlayers.org. Discounted tickets with reserved seats are available for groups of 10 or more.

NEW PLAYS AT WAREHOUSE

In 2010, Warehouse PAC in Cornelius announced its first playwriting competition for North Carolina and South Carolina playwrights. They asked writers to submit short 10-minute comedies set in a graveyard or funeral parlor with four characters or less. Forty playwrights from all over the Carolinas submitted scripts. A committee picked seven short comedies to produce, and they’ll open as “Grave Comedies” on Thursday, June 2.

“Grave Comedies” is part of a two-week festival that also features staged readings of three new, full-length plays by N.C. playwrights as well as playwriting workshops by Judy Simpson Cook (whose works have appeared at DCP and Charlotte Repertory) and David Radavich (vice-president of Charlotte Writers Club).

The Festival runs from June 2-12. Tickets to Grave Comedies are $20 for general admission, $15 for students, seniors and groups of 8+. Reservations may be made via email at tickets@warehousepac.com or by calling the box office at 704-619-0429

Workshops are planned:

Saturday, June 4th 10 a.m. – noon – Judy Simpson Cook – “What Happens After ‘The End?’ A Guide To Producing, Publishing and Promoting Your Play” – $20

Saturday, June 11th – 10 a.m. – noon – David Radavich – “Building the Body of the Play” – $20

New Full-Length Staged Readings (free events): “The Movie Notebook,” by Ann Marie Oliva, Saturday, June 4th at 8:00 PM & Saturday, June 11th at 2:00 PM; “Masquerade,” by Mark Havlik, Wednesday, June 8th at 7:00 PM; “Of Marital Bliss” by Todd Ford – Saturday, June 4th at 2:00 PM & Tuesday, June 7th at 7:00 PM;

Featured Event – Short Play Fest Grave Comedies – Selected Plays Include: “Just Hear Me Out” by Don Darnell, Greensboro; “The Plot Thickens” by Carol Butler, Lake Wylie, SC; “The Boxes” by Paul FX Kane, Cary; “In The Graveyard of Naughty Children” by Chris Hamilton & Rachel Jeffreys, Cornelius; “The Co-Mingling” by Eileen Marie Davis, Rock Hill; “Prix Fixe” by Vito Abate; Charlotte; “Graveside Manners” by Scott Icenhower, Greensboro.

Performances are Thursdays, June 2nd and 9th – 8:00 PM; Fridays, June 3rd and 10th – 8:00 PM; Saturday, June 11th – 8:00 PM; Sundays, June 5th and 12th – 2:00 PM

AUDITIONS FOR YOUTH

Davidson Community Players’ Connie Company is making plans for a fall performance workshop for young people titled “MACBETH – Shakespeare Unplugged.” This chilling tale of greed and corruption follow Macbeth’s transformation from a battlefield hero to a bloody tyrant. The madness of Lady Macbeth, ghostly apparitions, and wild witches provide a sinister backdrop to this timeless thriller that is full of temptation and treachery.

The Connie Company’s “unplugged” version of Macbeth will be developed out of a study of the original Shakespearean language under the direction of Wrenn Goodrum. The process will begin with a week long intensive workshop August 1-5 from 4pm-7pm. Actors will then meet three days each week through September 22 to develop the production. Performances will be Sept. 23, 24, 25 at the Armour Street Theatre. Students will have an opportunity to explore the language and world of Shakespeare in a modern day version of the classic tragedy, and develop and perform an original interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

AUDITION DETAILS
Who: Actors & Actresses, grades 6-12
When: Monday, June 6 from 3-5 pm or 5-7pm (only one time slot necessary)
Where: Armour Street Theatre, 307 Armour Street, Davidson, NC
Note: Interested actors should choose one session to attend and should plan to stay for the entire session. Students with early dismissal times are asked to attend the earlier session. Auditions will consist of theatre games and readings from the script.
Macbeth – Unplugged Workshop Series: Aug 1 – Sep 25.
Cost: $145 for 8-week course, including week-long intensive Aug 1-5. Note: scholarships are available. For info., call 704-892-7953.

There is no cost for June 6 audition. If selected, the Shakespeare Unplugged Workshop Fee is $145. Scholarships Available. For additional information call 704-892-7953.