Study Guide: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Busloads of students are joining us on Tuesday, December 16 for our student matinees of A Charlie Brown Christmas. We love giving students and teachers a little more information before they come - and also things to do after the show! Feel free to download our study guide!

Getting into the "Charlie Brown Christmas" Spirit!

Yes, I could literally look at this all afternoon!

We open A Charlie Brown Christmas on Friday, December 5 and the preparations for the show are spinning us all into the holiday spirit. From life-sized paper-mache' snowmen to the iconic colorful Christmas trees, and from Snoopy's decorated doghouse to Lucy's booth, perfect pieces from A Charlie Brown Christmas are in every room in the building!

And it's not just the inside ... check out what we've done to the windows!

We'll have more pictures coming throughout the week; Schroeder's piano is especially cute! It's going to be a great show!

This Weekend: "Charlotte's Web"

This weekend, our Youth Production Class presents Charlotte's Web, a play based on the book that the Children’s Literature Association named “the best American children’s book of the past two hundred years."

One of our favorite parts of presenting shows that star 6-9 year olds is reading the actor bios. We are positively swept away by the amazing-ness of these young actors - and just in case you're not able to make it to one of the shows (and thus receive a playbill), we thought we'd share a few examples.

Elizabeth (Edith Zuckerman/Spider #1) is 7 years old and in the 2nd grade at Evergreen. Last summer, Liz drew on her dad’s face and thought it was really funny until he woke up. She also went to Soak City and rode H2O. Her favorite color is purple and her favorite animal is a zebra.

Elijah (Homer Zuckerman) is in the 5th grade at Isaac Dickson. If he had a super power, he would not want to be Aquaman because he would want to have both the ability to breathe underwater and shoot lightning. Once while doing a backflip, he fell in the mud and found a $50 bill. He likes pepperoni pizza.

Cora (Avery Arable/Spider #3) is 7 and is the oldest child in her family. She enjoys watching movies with her family because her baby brother laughs really hard. Once when she was vacationing on Hunting Island, she found a dead baby shark on the beach. Her favorite animal is a horse and she loves mushrooms.

We're so excited to see the whole cast onstage this weekend! Break legs and webs!

Cast List: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Thank you to everyone who auditioned for A Charlie Brown Christmas! We're excited about this show and we're excited about this cast!

Charlie Brown: Craig Justus
Linus: Kyle Fitzsimmons*
Lucy: Tara Theodossis
Snoopy: Candice Owen
Sally: Karen Covington
Schroeder: Daniel Hensley
Pigpen: Zachary Ryan*
Freida: Cary Nichols
Violet: Katie Turner
Patty: Susan Lawrence*
Shermy: Zac Ball*

*Asterisk denotes actor's first time performing in an ACT Mainstage production.

Study Guide: The Addams Family

We have busloads of middle and high school students joining us for our student matinees of The Addams Family. We thought it would be great to share some behind-the-scenes information before they see the show and as well as some fun activities to do after seeing the show, so we created a new study guide just for this show!

Costume Sale! Costume Sale!

ACT's Awesome Costume Sale! 

Saturday, August 30 

9:00 am - 12:00 pm 

It's back! The rummage event that's starred on every vintage dress-lovin', thrift store treasure huntin', crazy funky hat wearin' person's calendar!

The pieces featured at the sale are not necessarily full blown costumes - for instance, you will probably not find a complete 1920s three piece suit with watch fob and spats, but you will find an eclectic assortment of pieces with which to build an ensemble like none other seen in Asheville - and you know THAT'S saying something!

We'll be downstairs in 35below for the sale. That's around the back of the Asheville Community Theatre building. See you then - and don't be late!

"Business Sings Broadway" Takes the Spotlight

Friday, August 22 & Saturday, August 23, 2014 * 7:30 pm

We've asked 32 local journalists, teachers, bankers, realtors, restaurateurs, and more to hang up their suits and ties for a few nights and perform onstage for a fundraiser like no other! These local business moguls are ready to prove that “there’s no business like show business” for Business Sings Broadway, a fundraiser that will be held on the Mainstage at Asheville Community Theatre on Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 and are available at the ACT Box Office, by phone at 828-254-1320, or online at ashevilletheatre.org.

Business Sings Broadway is a musical revue that features the big numbers you love from the biggest musicals around! We've lined up songs from Gypsy, Cats, Anything Goes, Damn Yankees, and West Side Story alongside reprises of numbers from recent favorites like Spamalot, Cabaret, Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls, and Kiss Me, Kate.

And we've also lined up some of our town's top talent! In the spotlight will be ACT familiars (all the guys from "Lancelot" in Spamalot, Andre Ellerby of Chicago fame, Jacob Walas, Alan Malpass and Kevin Moxley from Cabaret) along with Asheville stars (including Sheriff Van Duncan, Ashvegas' Jason Sandford, PR powerhouse Blake Butler). Jerry Crouch and Lenora Thom are shaping these performances that range from the silly to the sublime.

And what's an ACT fundraiser without a signature cocktail? For Business Sings Broadway, we're doubling down and unveiling two: “The Spreadsheet” and "The CEO." Cash bar will be open prior to and throughout the performance.

All in all, it will be a great evening of local business supporting local theatre - don't miss it!


AT A GLANCE
What: Business Sings Broadway, a fundraiser for Asheville Community Theatre

Who: Directed by Jerry Crouch with musical direction by Lenora Thom; Starring: Brian Biro, Charles Burchill, Mike Burk, Blake Butler, Dwight Butner, Bradshaw Call, Keith Challenger, Van Duncan, Andre Ellerby, James Fisher, Jaymes Fowler, Isaac Fulk, David Gantt, Skylar Goff, Blaine Greenfield, Doug Hauschild, Luke Haynes, Mark Jones, Mark Knollman, McRae Hilliard, Craig Justus, Pat LaCorte, Jill Lieberman, Corey Link, Alan Malpass, Kevin Moxley, Ben Puckett, Marvin Sadovsy, Frank Salvo, Jason Sandford, Jacob Walas and Waylon Wood; Emcee: Buncombe County Commissioner Holly Jones

When: Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23 at 7:30 pm

Where: Asheville Community Theatre
35 East Walnut Street
Asheville, NC 28801

Tickets: $20.00
Asheville Community Theatre Box Office
35 East Walnut Street
Downtown Asheville
828-254-1320 or www.ashevilletheatre.org

Cast List Announced for THE ADDAMS FAMILY

The Addams Family Creative Team wishes to thank the 71 actors who shared their wonderful talents with ACT at these auditions!

GOMEZ ADDAMS ... Bradshaw Call
MORTICIA ADDAMS ... Rachelle Roberts
WEDNESDAY ADDAMS ... Mary Chamberlain Harlan
FESTER ADDAMS ... Drew Emanuele
PUGSLEY ADDAMS ... Henry Casson*
GRANDMA ADDAMS ... Dianne Chapman
LURCH ... Mark Jones
LUCAS BEINEKE ... David Fine*
ALICE BEINEKE ... Karen Covington*
MAL BEINEKE ... Mike Yow*

THE ANCESTOR CHORUS
Kyle Smith, Lauren Hewer, Wolfe Lanier, Caroline Ryan*, Zachary Landolt, Karyn Panek, Jacob Walas, Rachel Gordon, Leslie Lang, Kelsey Sewell*, Jaymes Fowler, Ben Falcon, Emma Lenderman, Jan Dixon

THE HALLOWEEN KIDS
Ana Roberts, Hogan McLamb, Jia Hind*, Reid Atherton*

*Asterisk denotes actor's first time “performing” in an ACT Mainstage production

Rave Reviews for "Spamalot"

Skyler Goff as Tim the Enchanter | Photo by Tommy Propest

We opened Spamalot last weekend, and this photo kind of hits the nail on the head of how we all felt about it. This is among the biggest shows we've ever tackled. Scenic pieces are huge and move constantly (a real feat for a theatre with no fly space and very limited wing space), costumes number well into the triple digits, and cast members are jumping over the orchestra pit, jumping out of windows, and jumping off of tables. Production wise, this was a real challenge! Plus, Spamalot is the type of show that absolutely needs an audience, so to even get to the moment where the show has opened, and then to have the overwhelmingly wonderful feedback from those opening weekend audiences ... well, we it felt like it was an arms-outstretched-during-a-gargantuan-roar type of weekend.

Two reviews came out almost immediately, and in case you didn't see them earlier, they're posted here for you!

Asheville Citizen-Times: "Spamalot" superb at ACT

Mountain Xpress: Asheville Community Theatre’s “Spamalot” is a laugh-a-lot hit

Spamalot runs through June 29, 2014 with performances Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm. Call us at 828-254-1320 for tickets or get them here!

Cast Announced for Driving Miss Daisy

We're thrilled to announce the cast for Driving Miss Daisy, Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize winning drama. We had an astounding number of extremely talented actors audition for this piece - and congratulations are due to all who auditioned. Congratulations also to the three who were cast:

Miss Daisy - Pamela Gilmer
Hoke - Ronnie Pepper
Boolie - Michael Boulos

We'll begin rehearsals for the show next week! Driving Miss Daisy opens August 1 and runs for three weekends with performances on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm.

Announcing our 2014-15 Directors!

We're thrilled to announce our slate of directors for our 2014-15 Mainstage season! Thank you to all who applied and congratulations to those who have been selected!

The Addams Family - Jerry Crouch
A Charlie Brown Christmas - Eric Mills
A Chorus Line - Chanda Calentine
A Streetcar Named Desire - Jerry Crouch
The Great American Trailer Park Musical - Mark Jones
Not Now, Darling - Ralph Redpath

We'll be posting information on audition dates and more very soon!

Spamalot: Pics from Rehearsal!

We've been in rehearsals for about a month now on Spamalot, and we don't know if we've ever had this much fun learning "routines and chorus scenes." Our stage manager, Rodney Smith, is also an excellent photographer, and he's been posting pictures from the first day of auditions all the way through. It's an authentic look behind the scenes of the production process - and it's also a lot of fun to see new pictures every few days!

Spamalot has everything - killer rabbits, flying cows, taunting Frenchmen - but is there another production of Spamalot in the world that has a rehearsal photo of a Julia Child impersonator reading her lines? We think not (and we're so glad Rodney captured that very funny moment).

Dearly Departed Cast List

We are THRILLED to announce the cast for Dearly Departed, the drop dead funny Southern comedy that will open April 11, 2014! Director Lauren Fortuna has assembled a cast that mixes returning friends and first-time ACTers. Congratulations to all who auditioned - if your name isn't on this list, we hope it will be on the next one! 

Raynelle - Judi Pratt

RayBud - Adam Arthur 

Lucille - Amy LaDeroute 

Junior - Craig Justus

Suzanne - Susie Davis

Marguerite - Diane Chapman 

Royce - Waylon Wood

Delightful - Stephanie O'Rear 

Rev. Hooker - Frank Salvo

Veda - Annette Hobbs

Norval - Terry Ward 

Nadine - Cary Nichols

Clyde - Eric Mills

Juanita - Honor Moor

Bud - TBA 

Joy of Life Singers: 

Andriette Kinesella

Tracy Munn

Peter Johnson

Gary Gaines

Susan Mengel

Cabaret: Creating the Set

Jill Summers (bottom left) is the Technical Director here at Asheville Community Theatre. She's also designed many of the sets over the past few years, and has been working hard on the concept and build for Cabaret.

Jill shared her scenic model for Cabaret with the staff, cast, and crew a few weeks ago (top right). It's a two level set with a space between the grand staircases so that the orchestra can be seated onstage. It's grounded by a metal centerpiece (hence, the welding, top left) with wooden platforming, the beginnings of which are show on the bottom right. Of course, by the time Jill and her talented crew of carpenters and painters are through, the metal and the bare wood will be transformed into the Kit Kat Klub.

Cabaret: The Inside Scoop

That's me on the right! Lyle Laney is on the left,
Jessica Pisano (Sally Bowles) is center, and
Alan Malpass is on the floor!

Hi everyone, my name is Van Raynor and I am a marketing intern for ACT. I am also in this years production of Cabaret. Jenny Bunn and I thought that we would give you an inside scoop on what is happening behind the scenes of Cabaret.

If you have never seen the show, Cabaret is set in Berlin in the 1920s during the rise of Nazi Germany. The show takes place in the debaucherous Kit Kat Klub with a wide variety of interesting (and very flexible, I might add) club dancers. Cliff Bradshaw, an American writer, comes to the city in the search of inspiration for his book. He goes to the "Klub" where he meets Sally Bowles, a British singer. The characters face many new challenges and decisions that will change their lives maybe for the better, maybe for the worse as they move into the new political climate.

This sizzling show directed by Jerry Crouch will be sure to keep you warm in the month of February. The cast of 15 who have various backgrounds in acting, dancing and singing, have been rehearsing since December in preparation of opening night on the 7th of February 2014. We are all excited to get this show up on its feet! Our almost nightly rehearsals have left some of us - and I can testify to this - sore and out of breath because of the tough dance steps our choreographer Kathy Myers has given us. Just wait for some of the lifts and routines we have waiting for you at the "Klub!" And if that isn't enough we have Lenora Thom as our Music Director which as anyone who's worked with her before knows that she will get you singing to a German efficiency. Director Jerry Crouch has been taking candid pictures of the rehearsals for the past few weeks and we thought we would show you a few to get you in that Cabaret spirit!

Scenes from a musical - or at least the rehearsals!