The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical, tells the story two meddling fathers who stage a feud in order to trick their children into forbidden love. The plot backfires and the story unfolds around how these lovers find their true destiny.

Austin Larkin at Cannon School in Concord gave as a little more detail about how the production came together.

It all started when Marla Brown, executive director and owner of the Warehouse, came to see a Cannon Theater Company production last winter. She mentioned that she would be interested in helping some of us produce something at the Warehouse. I got in touch with her about The Fantasticks, as it is an inherently intimate musical, and the theater lends itself to that sort of production. I had a few meetings with her, and we began building a production team consisting of Cannon School students and alumni.

The first to be involved were director Jacob Dailey (of Charlotte, 2011 Cannon graduate, currently studies theatre performance at App State), musical director Kate Sherrill (of Davidson, 2010 Cannon graduate, currently studies music therapy at App State), and actor Madeline Hurley (of Huntersville, 2011 Cannon graduate, currently studies theatre arts and journalism at UNC Chapel Hill).

As the process continued, we obtained the rights to do the show, held auditions, and began rehearsals, and before long, our production team had grown from a small group of Cannon students, to a diverse cast and crew consisting of Charlotte-based actors, technicians, and musicians.

It will run just one weekend at the Warehouse Performing Arts Center (9216-A Westmoreland Rd. Cornelius, NC 28031). The dates and times are August 9th-11th at 8PM and August 12th at 2PM. Tickets are $15. $10 for seniors, students, and groups. Reservations can be made by emailing tickets@warehousepac.com or calling 704.619.0429.

RELATED LINKS

http://warehousepac.com/productions

Direct link to this video on YouTube

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER IN DAVIDSON

Davidson Parks & Recreation and Armin’s Catering are teaming up to present “Death Ahoy,” their first mystery dinner theater presentation, at Historic Beaver Dam in September.

The production is scheduled Friday, Sept. 14, 6:30-9:30 p.m., at Historic Beaver Dam house, 19600 Davidson-Concord Road, Davidson.

Enjoy appetizers, dinner buffet and dessert during the show. Tickets: $80 for residents, $85 for nonresidents. 30 registrants needed by Aug. 31. Sign up online at townofdavidson.recdesk.org or call 704-892-3349.

LAST WEEKEND FOR “RUMORS”

Davidson Community Players will present the final shows this weekend for Neil Simon’s hilarious farce, “Rumors,” through Sunday, Aug. 5, at Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall.

The cast includes long time Players’ actors Jim Esposito, Cat Rutledge, Phil Robertson and, in his return to the stage, Matt Merrell, who now also is the executive director at Davidson Community Players. Mr. Merrell is a well-known veteran of the Davidson community stage and most recently in the 2010 DCP production of Noises Off.

“Rumors” is being directed by Mark Sutch, an actor and assistant professor of theater at Davidson College. Mr. Sutch previously has directed productions of “Rounding Third” and “How I Learned to Drive” for the Players. He also has directed numerous productions at Davidson College, including “Romeo and Juliet,” “Leading Ladies” and “Hamlet.”

Shows are Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., matinee Sunday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. Tickets for adults, students and seniors can be reserved by calling at 704-892-7953 or online at www.DavidsonCommunityPlayers.org. Limited reserved seating is also available.

DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net are pleased to be media partners with Davidson Community Players.

REVIEWS

July 31, 2012, DavidsonNews.net, “Hilarious ‘Rumors’ abound in Davidson”

Aug. 2, 2012, Creative Loafing, “Theater Review: Rumors” – a nice review from Perry Tannenbaum

AUDITION FOR DCP FALL & HOLIDAY SHOWS

Davidson Community Player’s is seeking energetic and imaginative actors and singers for its fall production of “Baby, the Musical” and its holiday production of “The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of ‘A Christmas Carol.’”

Auditions for “Baby” will Aug. 20 and 21 at 7:00pm. The musical will open Oct. 4 and run thru Oct. 21. Auditions for the Farndale Avenue Christmas Carol will be held Sept. 16 and 17. The holiday comedy will open Nov. 29 and run through Dec. 16. Auditions will be held at Armour Street Theatre, 307 Armour Street, Davidson, NC 28036, where both productions will be performed.

“Baby” is a musical, with book by Sybille Pearson, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.

Three couples, each newly expecting a child, have different but familiar reactions. Lizzie and Danny are college students who have just moved in together. Athletic Pam and her husband, Nick, a sports instructor, have had some trouble conceiving. Arlene, already the mother of three grown daughters, is unsure of what to do, while her husband Alan is thrilled with the thought of a new baby. With the help of the friends and colleagues they encounter in their small college town, these characters experience the emotional stresses and triumphs, the desperate lows and the comic highs, that accompany the anticipation and arrival of a baby.

Roles are available for 14-18 strong singer/actors ages 17 and over who move well. Those interested should plan to attend either the Aug. 20 or Aug. 21 session and should prepare 16 bars of a song that shows off their voice as well as their ability to act through a song. An accompanist will be provided. Callbacks will be held by invitation on Thursday, Aug. 23. Auditionees should also bring a recent picture and resume as well as a list of conflicts for the August thru October time period. The production will be directed by Melissa Ohlman-Roberge, with musical direction by Vicki Harvell.

“The Farndale…Christmas Carol” is one of a delightful series of plays penned by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jr. revolving around a fictitious women’s acting troupe. Mr. Zerlin’s mother was the inspiration for the Farndale concept: “My mother had been in her drama group for years,” he has said. “I always remember seeing her in shows with women playing men’s parts. But through it all was the fun and drive they had, no matter what problem beset them.”

When the ladies of the Farndale Dramatic Society get their hands on A Christmas Carol, anything can happen – and does. Missing actors, an appearance by Santa and audience participation make it a night audience members will not forget! This hilarious play-within-a-play brings a comedic twist to the beloved Dickens classic. Roles are available for four women and 1 man ages 21+.

Auditions will be held Sunday and Monday, Sept. 16, 17, at 7 p.m. with callbacks by invitation on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m.. The production will be directed by Matt Cosper.

Those interested need attend only one session and should bring a recent picture, resume or list of theatre experience, and a list of conflicts for the October through December time frame. Sides for cold reads will be provided, British accent a plus, and you may be asked to sing a simple song such as “Happy Birthday.”

After a string of first-place finishes, local youth performance ensemble Revelation Percussion took third place in a southeast regional competition March 3 and on Saturday won the Carolina Winter Ensemble Association championships. Now, the nonprofit group is raising money for travel to the World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, later this month.

The Revelation Percussion ensemble performs. (Center of Attention Photography photo)

Founded by director Jamey LaFevers, the ensemble includes 32 high school students from Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Rowan, Iredell and Lincoln counties, including 14 members from W.A. Hough High School. Mr. LaFevers, who has taught high school percussion for 23 years, also is on the marching band staff at Hough.

“I always wanted to start a larger ensemble and include kids from other groups, or kids who wanted to be part of a group,” he said.

The nonprofit, independent percussion ensemble season started in November, and the percussionists have been practicing twice a week in between Carolina Winter Ensemble Association competitions.

“I like working with this age group,” Mr. LaFevers said. “They’re energetic, enthusiastic – something just clicks.”

While the students hone their percussion and performance skills, they also learn important life skills, Mr. LaFevers said.

“The biggest thing they probably learn is commitment,” he said. “They learn they are part of a unit – it’s learning to be independent and dependent at the same time.”

HELP SEND THE GROUP TO DAYTON

The members of the ensemble pay membership dues/fees and do fundraisers to cover the cost of staff, show design, equipment and travel, but in order to afford the trip to Dayton April 19-21, the group must raise an additional $3,000 or so, Mr. LaFevers said.

If you would like to make a donation to help offset the travel costs for the group’s Dayton trip, contact Jamey LaFevers at 980-521-6049 or JameyL@dynastybi.net. All donations are tax-deductible.

RELATED LINK: Sept. 3, 2011, “356 paddleballers set a world record on the Green.”

Can’t see the video? Watch it directly on YouTube.

“Moon Over Buffalo
” by Ken Ludwig
, Directed by Anne Lambert
WHERE: Duke Family Performance Hall, Davidson College
WHEN: July 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 & 30 at 8pm, July 24 & 31 at 2pm
WHO: For ages 12+
TICKETS: Adult $22, Senior (65+) $20, Student (-21) $12
BOX OFFICE: 704-892-7953, www.DavidsonCommunityPlayers.org

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

Bonita Jones Knott

Bonita Jones Knott, “The Bare Foot Poet,” kicks off her shoes this week for her second performance at the Warehouse Performing Arts Center. Following a successful one-woman show in April, “This is not a one night stand: Journeying with a God who is not on the run,” Ms. Knott this week explores the themes of rejection and healing.

She performs a series of eleven poems in her show, entitled, “From the thorn of rejection to the rose of restoration.”

“In life, love and pain can often feel the same,” Ms Knott said. “My hope is that people come away from the show uplifted, and hopeful, knowing that they are not the only ones who have experienced these things.”

Ms. Knott divided the Warehouse’s black box theater into three small and simple sets, representing the mind, body and soul, and she gives voice to each through poetry and monologue.

“I call it poetry in 3-D,” Ms. Knott said.

Supporting her behind the scenes is her son, Darius, 18, and daughter, Jaél, 14, who are in charge of the technical aspects of the show, and her husband, Ray, who has also helped with the production.

All of her poetry is based on her own life experiences, including the loss of her mother when she was a child, her struggles growing up and her faith in God. In the poem, “The Thorn & the Rose,” she says: “From the thorn of rejection to the rose of restoration has been the journey that invites my story.”

WANT TO GO?
Click here to purchase tickets to the performance at the Warehouse, 9216-A Westmoreland Rd., July 15 and 16 at 7 p.m.

Bonita Jones Knott lives in Mooresville with her husband, Ray, and three teenagers. In addition to her poetry, she is working on her first book, I am just too much for you – a deeper look into insecurity.