^[1]

"Four Sheep Three Windows," by John Borden Evans. The painting promotes "Retrieving the Lamb" and is being raffled to support Davidson Community Players. Click for info on DavidsonCommunityPlayers.org

^[2]Davidson Community Players will celebrate the 2011 holiday season with a production of Travis Whitten’s “Retrieving the Lamb”  Dec. 1-18 at Armour Street Theatre.

Christmas comes but once a year, and for the folks in Whitten’s nativity play, that’s way too often. Mary, Joseph, and the angel are sick; winters’ chill is offset by the heat of a temperamental furnace; the music director rearranges the carols; and a powerful storm leaves the cast in darkness while the Christmas lamb is lost in the night. As a local farmer braves the elements to search for the lamb, the rest are left to search for love, compassion, understanding, and the spirit of the season that they have lost.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for senoirs and $12 for students and are available by calling 704-892-7953 or at www.davidsoncommunityplayers.org ^[1].

Performances over the three weekends are:

• Thursday, December 1 at 8pm
• Friday, December 2 at 8pm
• Saturday, December 3 at 4pm
• Saturday, December 3 at 8pm
• Sunday, December 4 at 2pm
• Thursday, December 8 at 8pm
• Friday, December 9 at 8pm
• Saturday, December 10 at 2pm and at 8pm
• Sunday, December 11 at 2pm and 7pm
• Thursday, December 15 at 8pm
• Friday, December 16 at 8pm
• Saturday, December 17 at 8pm
• Sunday, December 18 at 2pm

The Armour Street Theatre is at 307 Armour St., at Watson Street.

AUDITIONS: CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD

Davidson Community Playerswill host auditions for its February production of Mark Medoff’s “Children of a Lesser God” on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 4-5, at the Armour Street Theatre in Davidson. The production will be directed by Sam Parker, an accomplished director, actor, and author and a child of deaf parents. Parker is also associate clinical professor at UNC Greensboro.

Auditions for adult actors and actresses will be Sunday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. at the theater, 307 Armour St., Davidson.

Consulting on the production will be Julianne Gold Brunson who originated the role of Lydia in “Children of a Lesser God” on Broadway and went on to play the role of Sarah. Brunson received her doctorate in clinical psychology from UNCG and has worked as an advocate for the hearing impaired through numerous organizations in the Charlotte area as well as in the Northeast.

Actors need attend only one session, but should plan to arrive as close to the audition start time as possible and stay for about two hours. The audition will consist of group theater exercises and readings from the script. A one-minute monologue is welcome but not required. Auditionees should bring a recent picture, list of experience (if any) and list of conflicts for January to March 2012

The production will open on Feb. 23 and run through March 11.

Medoff’s deeply moving, beautifully written play details the romance and marriage of a sensitive but spirited deaf girl and the devoted (and hearing) young teacher whom she meets at a school for the deaf. Roles are available for at least two deaf or hearing impaired actresses and one deaf or hearing impaired actor, plus two hearing actresses and two hearing actors. Davidson Community Players is committed to casting a deaf actress in the role of Sarah. All roles are available and will be cast color-blind.

These are the characters:

• James Leeds: 30s, hearing, signs fluently, teacher in a deaf school
• Sarah: late 20s-early 30s, deaf, does not speak, signs fluently, works at the school
• Orin: 20s, hard of hearing, speaks and signs fluently – a student activist
• Lydia: late teens-early 20s, hard of hearing, speaks and signs fluently- a student
• Mr. Franklin: 40s-50s, hearing, some signing – the head of the deaf school
• Mrs. Norman: 50s, hearing, no signing – Sarah’s mother
• Edna Klein: late 20s-early 30s, hearing, no signing – a lawyer, she should be attractive enough to make Sarah feel competitive

Davidson Community Players is committed to engaging the Deaf Community in all facets of this production. Additional opportunities are available for back stage work (costumes, set painting, props), rehearsal support, and as ushers for the production. For further information, contact Melissa Ohlman-Roberge, Artistic Director for Davidson Community Players at Melissa@davidsoncommunityplayers.org ^[3] or 704-892-7953.