19 May Newsletter — May 2015

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Artistic Director’s Corner

As I face the last weekend of Glengarry Glen Ross, I have been struck by the feedback we have received on this show, perhaps more than ever before. It means so much when the audience loves a show, but on this one I have been blown away by the feedback of various theatre artists who have seen the production. I had three director friends at opening specifically to give me notes and feedback on the show. Two of them each had a minor comment about a specific moment in the play and those both turned out to be opening night glitches, of which there were few. That was it. I couldn’t believe it. I asked them both again and nothing. Now this happens certainly, but never with a play that is so difficult to produce and direct. The nature of Mamet’s writing causes a lot of issues for any production and as I have mentioned before you need a phenomenal cast and a lot of hard work. But I can see as I talk to other theatre artists that we have done such a wonderful job even they are not aware of the difficulties and how much work we have put in. The ease with which this show is presented each night is a testament to the work these amazing artists have put in because the degree of difficulty on this one is high. That may be why so few professional companies take it on. But it is such a great show and we have had such a wonderful time putting it on for theatre goers that I will be sorry to see it go. But now it is on to Free Shakespeare in the Park, which is always a blast and a half!

Michael

Last Weekend of Glengarry Glen Ross

Four more shows, Thursday through Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 5pm. Don’t miss the show everyone is raving about. Mention “FirstThingsFirst” and pay only $15 for a regular ticket at the door.

“It’s a fabulous cast…This is Mamet at its best–I really can’t rave about it enough.  I haven’t laughed that much at a play in a long time.  Storm (the Director) has honed both the comedy and the tragedy of this story.”

Sharmon Hilfinger, Audience member

Company Members Announced

TheatreFIRST has some new company members and we are so proud. You may have seen some of them already in TheatreFIRST shows or working concessions for Glengarry Glen Ross, but if not, you will see all except for one, in our summer production of Much Ado About Nothing. They are Stephanie DeMott, Marlene Yarosh, Soren Santos, Rogelio Landaverde, Josh Schell, and Shannon Kase. Look for their bios on the new website, hopefully soon and in upcoming newsletters.

Much Ado About Nothing Casting Almost Complete

Jon Tracy, Director and Caitlin McGarty, our casting director, have done a bang up job on casting for our Free Shakespeare in the Park production. In addition to the company members listed above, we have Tim Redmond, currently appearing as Williamson in Glengarry Glen Ross, cast as Benedick and a new comer to TheatreFIRST, but no stranger to Bay Area audiences, Sarah Mitchell as Beatrice. Jon has put together an amazing team.

Season Subscription Forms Available Online

Season subscription forms are available for download now at theatrefirst.com. We will not be mailing this form out this year, unfortunately. We hope you are able to download, fill out the form and send it back in to us via the mail. Subscribers get reserved seating at all events including the Free Shakespeare in the Park show AND The Hawkmoon Theatre Company bonus show (read more below). If you need further assistance or you would like to pick up a hard copy at the theatre, please call us at 510-981-8150.

You can also click the image above to subscribe online.

Bonus Show For Subscribers

Another of our “sister companies” is bringing a show to the Live Oak Theatre and they have offered free tickets to any and all of our subscribers. The play is The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, Ireland’s most recent superstar playwright. It is set on Christmas Eve in Baldoyle a coastal suburb north of Dublin City where James “Sharky” Harkin attempts to stay off the bottle during the holidays as he contends with his irascible brother Richard and his own haunted conscience. But Richard is committed to celebrating the season with a cast of quirky and endearing characters. One by one the party grows and the ensuing card game has life or death ramifications due to the addition of a mysterious stranger from Sharky’s past.

Nominated for multiple Tony Awards as well as the Laurence Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Play, The Seafarer promises to be the high point of your holiday season entertainment. It stars Artistic Associate Kevin Karrick (Stones in his Pockets, Escanaba in da Moonlight and this season’s Glengarry Glen Ross (R-Below)) and his partner in crime from Stones in his Pockets, TheatreFIRST Artistic Associate Clive Worsley (L-Below).

Subscribe to TheatreFIRST’s 2015/2016 today and get in on all of the fun!

We will prorate your subscription since Glengarry Glen Ross is closing this weekend.

Up Next At The Live Oak Theatre

Remember Reuben Soady from last season’s Escanaba in da Moonlight? Well, he has written a very funny play called Demetrius Unbound which is a sequel to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Those of you that go back with TheatreFIRST may remember a staged reading of this play which appeared as part of our FIRSTRead series a few years back at the Berkeley City Club. Soren Oliver, the playwright, and his company Bare Flag bring this delightful tale to the Live Oak Theatre in July of this summer. Learn more about Bare Flag Theatre here.