ACT wins WNC Parent Award

Exciting news! The 2010 WNC Parent Family Choice Awards were just announced, and ACT has been named "Most Family-Friendly Stage Theatre." We're thrilled to earn this award and would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote.

LaNita is Diva!

Congratulations to ACT Diva - 2010, LaNita Cloninger. LaNita was crowned Diva Saturday night after raising the most money for Asheville Community Theatre in its annual fundraiser, Diva*licious.

(Watch LaNita discuss her Diva experience.)

A huge "THANK YOU!" to all the Diva contestants who raised money this year. Along with LaNita, the divas included:

Scott Thompson
Waylon Wood
Honor Moor
Jerry Crouch
Delina Hensley
Ruth Planey
Frank Salvo

Bravo to all!

"Noises Off" on the Mainstage

ACT is preparing for its final Mainstage production of the season. It's Noises Off, a show that has been called "The funniest farce ever written."

Noises Off depicts the onstage and backstage antics of a fifth-rate acting troupe touring in an awful sex farce called Nothing On. The curtain opens on the dress rehearsal of the first act of Nothing On the night before it's set to open and things not going well. The second act shows us what's happening backstage during the first act of Nothing On after the show has been running for a month. The third act takes us back to the first act of Nothing On yet again, after two months of touring. It is, deliciously so, a disaster!


What: Noises Off
Where: ACT Mainstage
When: July 2-18; Fridays-Saturdays, 7:30pm; Sundays, 2:30pm
(no show July 4)

Written by Michael Frayn
Directed by Josh Batenhorst

Special Opening Weekend Promotion!

Buy 2 tickets, get 2 tickets FREE for either the Friday, July 2 or the Saturday, July 3 performance. Minimum of two tickets purchased. Call in only, and please use the following Promo Code: "Farce." Season subscribers are eligible for the free tickets with use of vouchers.

Tickets: 828-254-1320

ACT's Plant Sale

It's the final weekend of Little Shop of Horrors. Yes, man-eating plant Audrey II is the star, but she will have a supporting cast Saturday as the "annuals" take over the ACT lobby. Marigolds, impatiens, petunias, salvia, and more.

What: ACT's Plant Sale
When: Saturday, May 15, noon-9pm
Cost: $2.00 - $30.00
How: ACT volunteer extraordinaire Jeff Neese, head grower at Costa Farms, organized the sale. Thanks Jeff!



Tickets to the final weekend of Little Shop of Horrors are on sale now at the box office: 828-254-1320.

Or:

"Ruth for Diva" @ Fiore's

Just nine days until Diva*licious 2010, and all the Divas are busy raising money and preparing for the big event.

Ruth Planey, who passed up a 60th birthday celebration (in Europe!) to compete this year, will be hosting a wine and food pairing at Fiore's Ristorante Toscana. Spend this Sunday afternoon sampling five different wines chosen to complement the gourmet fare prepared by one of Asheville's finest chefs, Anthony Cerrato.

Space is limited for this event so call early to make your reservation. 828-281-0710.

$35 all inclusive.

Featured items: Antipasta and Bella Costa Presecco, Portobello Crap Napoleon with Will Hill Chardonnay, Gnocchi della Cassa, Chicken Saltimboca, and signature Tiramisu.

Sunday, May 16, 4pm, Fiore's.

(Watch Ruth's Diva promo video.)


Diva*licious 2010, the annual musical theatre gala and fundraiser of ACT, will be held on May 21 - 22.


Diva concert on May 21, 8:00pm


Diva concert + catered reception on May 22, 6:45pm

Diva fundraising in full swing

Gift baskets, raffles, and wine tastings .... oh my.

ACT's 2010 Diva*licious is just around the corner, and the fundraising efforts of our eight Diva contestants are in full swing. Never have there been so many ways to have fun, win prizes, and support ACT and the theatre we produce.

This week we highlight an event by Diva contestant LaNita Cloninger.





What: Wine tasting
Where: The Wine Studio of Asheville
When: Thursday, May 6, 5-8pm

$20 - includes 5 wines

Benefiting ACT and LaNita's bid for ACT Diva 2010.

See you there!


Diva*licious, the annual musical theatre gala and fundraiser of Asheville Community Theatre, takes place Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22.

Friday: Concert at 8:00pm
Saturday: Concert + Gala starting at 6:45pm

The Autumn Players return with.....

The Trip to Bountiful

A Readers’ Theatre Production by The Autumn Players of Asheville Community Theatre

Written by Horton Foote; directed by Anita Chapman

May 7-8 at Asheville Community Theatre – 35below; May 9 at the Reuter Center. All shows, 2:30pm

Story: The Trip To Bountiful is the tale of the spiritual and physical journey of Carrie Watts as set in the South in the early 1950’s. Carrie, an aging widow, lives with her son and his wife in a small apartment in Houston. But she longs to return to the source and inspiration of her life: her birthplace, the land she farmed as a young woman, the place where she raised her child. With her health failing and her anxious son and self-centered daughter-in-law opposing her, and the exigencies of an arduous bus trip, the path before her is uncertain. Imbued with a sense of urgency which comes from knowing that the boundaries of life are closing around her, Carrie courageously confronts her obstacles. With dignity, determination and a resilient spirit, she sets out to do the one thing in the world she most needs to do for herself. Go home.

Starring: Janell McLeod as Carrie Watts

Tickets: $5 at the door or by calling the ACT Box Office at 828-254-1320

(Photo courtesy of Roger Bargainnier)

Lovable Hero, Sweet Girl, Murderous Plant

Yes, you guessed it. It's Little Shop of Horrors, playing at ACT April 30 - May 16.

Seymour, a down-and-out Skid Row floral assistant, becomes and overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon "Audrey II" grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B singing carnivore who offers Seymour fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination!

At a glance

Little Shop of Horrors

Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken

Directed by Mark Jones
Musical Direction by Gary Mitchell

Featuring Michael Sheldon and Kelly Christianson

Asheville Community Theatre, Mainstage

April 30 - May 16, 2010. Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Sundays: 2:30pm

Tickets: $22 adults; 19 seniors and students; $12 children.

Box office: 828-254-1320; 10am – 4pm, Tuesday – Friday

Help LaNita become Diva!

If you've been around ACT for awhile you probably know LaNita Cloninger. She's starred in many performances (most recently The Hallelujah Girls) and is a volunteer extraordinaire. This May she'll be vying for the title of ACT Diva at our annual fundraising Gala, Diva*licious.

To help her Diva cause LaNita has put together a series of fabulous pre-Diva fundraising events. First up: Dinner at Fiore's Ristorante Toscano (across the street from ACT) this Tuesday evening, April 13. From 5:00pm to closing 20% of all food purchased will be donated to ACT in support of LaNita's bid to become ACT's Diva 2010.

See you at Fiore's for a night of great food and fun.

Diva*licious

The musical theatre gala and annual fundraiser of Asheville Community Theatre

Diva*licious Concert – Friday, May 21, 8:08pm at ACT

Diva*licious Concert + Gala – Saturday, May 22. Reception starts at 6:45pm; concert at 8:08pm

Tickets: 828-254-1320

Sale of the Century........

Well, we'll settle for the sale of the month....and it's going to be a big one. Macy's and Target will have nothing on ACT next weekend as we host our Theatrical Rummage Sale. Help us clear out our stores of stuff by picking up choice items including:

- men's and women's clothing (dresses, accessories, hats, vests, shirts, and skirts)
- adult and children's costumes
- jewelry
- fun accessories
- books and scripts
- oriental style rugs

All of this and more will be on display and for sale in the ACT Lobby from 10am-4pm Saturday, March 27. Cash, check, and charge accepted. Happy shopping from ACT!

Party with The Affiliates

The "Asheville Affiliates" know how to throw a good party, which is exactly what they'll do on April 8 to benefit ACT. Excellent!

With a tagline of "Parties with a Purpose Since 1999" - The Affiliates is a group of young professionals who partner with non-profits annually to host fund raising events. On Thursday, April 8 from 6:30 - 9:30pm, The Affiliates will host "Spruce Street Speakeasy" -- a throwback-to-the-1930s-event at Pack's Tavern in Asheville. Join us for food, drinks, gangsters, cigarette girls, and music by the Goodies .... plus a raffle and a silent auction.

Tickets are now on sale: $25 in advance and $30 at the door. A super-fun evening that helps support ACT. Hope to see you there!

A Shayna Maidel by The Autumn Players

The Autumn Players return in March with a new Readers Theatre Showcase production.

Since its opening in 1985 A Shayna Maidel, written by Barbara Lebow, has impressed audiences around the country. The story centers on two sisters, Rose and Lusia Weiss, who are reunited in the aftermath of the holocaust.

As the play opens we are introduced to Rose (played by Mara Breindal), who has spent nearly her whole life in New York and remembers little about her sister or her family's native Poland. Rose wears makeup, jewelry, and attractive clothes, has her own apartment, dates, and by all accounts is "Americanized."

One day her father Mordechai (played by Arnold Sgan) surprises Rose with the news he has found her long-lost sister Lusia (played by Thelma Cousins) and that she will be visiting America.

At first uncomfortable with each other, Rose and Lusia grow close as they share their stories and memories.

Now A Shayna Maidel comes to ACT with RoseLynn Katz directing a talented cast featuring Mara Breindel, Ben Oliver, Thelma Cousins, Kermit Brown, Eileen Walkenstein, Arnold Sgan, and Beth Ely.


Performance dates are Friday and Saturday, March 5-6 at ACT's 35below and Sunday, March 7 at The Reuter Center. All show times are 2:30pm.

Tickets at 828-254-1320 or at the door. $5.

Come in from the cold with ACT's Diva Cabaret

We don't know about you, but ACT is sick of the snow. Our remedy: a smokin' hot night at the cabaret - Diva style.

ACT's 2010 Diva Cabaret, featuring some of the top performers in Asheville, is set for March 12 at 8:00pm at "Olive or Twist" (formerly Decades Restaurant and Bar) on 81 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.



The performers? For starters, we've got two past ACT Diva*licious winners: Michael Cheek, "2007-Diva" and star of last summer's smash hit Miss Gulch Returns!; and "2009-Diva" Craig Justus. Rounding out the Divas are Kelly Christianson, Jeff Neese, and Lori Hilliard. Lori is directing ACT's next Mainstage production, The Boxcar Children, and was last seen on stage in ACT's fall 2009 production of Peter Pan.

Diva Cabaret will be directed by Eric Mills, with Musical Direction and outstanding piano playing by Ruth Sieber Johnson.

Tickets: $15. Online at www.ashevilletheatre.org or by calling the box office at 828-254-1320.