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).