– 1 –

Footlights The Players of Utica Newsletter

1108 State St, Utica, NY 13502 • www.playersofutica.org • 315-724-7624

JULY 2017 Our 105th Year

Like Sitting Ducks opens Summer Showcase

F or the past few years, July and August have been the months when Players offers its Sum-mer Showcase featuring original plays by local playwrights. This summer the showcase

starts off with Like Sitting Ducks, a madcap farce written and directed by Stephen Wagner, a Players board member and historian.

With the tagline, “The war between the sexes just got crazy,” Like Sitting Ducks takes a peek at four couples who, after several years of marriage, aren’t exactly getting along. In fact, they grate on each others’ nerves to the point of high annoyance. The play’s unusual structure puts two apartments side-by-side on stage. On one side, the wives have gathered for their weekly book club, while in the other apartment the husbands have got together for their weekly poker game. As they complain to each other about their respective spouses, the talk turns to thoughts—even plans—for murder! But then paranoia sets in and each apartment believes the other apartment is planning to kill them! Confusion, chaos, and lunacy results!

“The play actually began as a one-act,” says author Wagner, “when I originally wrote it back in college, and it only concerned the men’s side of the story. But then I thought it would be fun to expand the plot into a full-length play and include the women’s side of the story as well. The result is, essentially, two plays taking place on stage at the same time, but in a way, we hope, that mesh the stories together in an interesting and funny way.”

Like Sitting Ducks stars several actors familiar to the Players’ stage, plus a few new ones, includ-ing Rachel Hasenauer, Mike D. Burke, Nicholas Priore, Michaela Kennedy, Danielle Piazza, Keith Pomeroy, Deborah Martin, Andy Metz, Eric Almleaf, and Chelsea Burt.

Show dates are July 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and July 16 at 2:00 p.m. All seats have the special Summer Showcase price of just $10.

Next in the Summer Showcase will be evenings of two one-act dramas written by Robert Bar-one, a veteran of Players’ productions and board member emeritus. In Full Circle, directed by Josh Beckinsale, while looking through a trunk of theater memorabilia for a former teacher/director, women discover and reveal secrets of the past. Then in Lepers, directed by Phylicia Gordon, a small group of women living on the fringes of society, wrapped in bandages and lone-liness, deal with denial and acceptance of being the unwanted. Show dates for these plays are August 11 and 12 at 7:30 and August 13 at 2:00 p.m. All seats are $10.

OUR 2017–2018 SEASON

– 2 –

Shout! a success (and great fun)!

C ongratulations to the cast and production crew of Shout! The Mod Musical, which was a huge hit with audiences in June.

Kudos go out to director Dan Fusillo and the talent-ed cast: Jessica Kaczor (also the choreographer),

Hana Meyers, Sarah Crill, Ally Priore, and Danielle Piazza, who had the audiences on their feet cheering, laughing, clapping, and singing along. Congrats also to music director Karen Corigliano, musicians John Krause and Jeff Corigliano, and to Melissa Loiacano and Hailey Emmett in the lighting booth.

PLAYERS OF UTICA

Board Officers, 2017–2018 Season

James Gifford President

JoAnn Mammone-Mox Vice President of PR & Development

Daniel Fusillo Vice President of Programs

Art Felshaw Vice President of Operations

Carl Austin Treasurer

Sarah Crill Recording Secretary

Kathy Leers Correspondence Secretary

Stephen Wagner Historian

Board Members: 2017–2018 Season

Larry Beasley

Sim Covington, Jr.

Robert Dellacese

Joni DePerno-Zahas

Benjamin Hirshfield

Judy Jones

John Kolczynski

Adam J. Lawless

Jo-Ann Longo

Cathy Mosher

Jan Rumbutis

Rayna Schneider

Past President Vince Scalise

Board Members Emeriti

Jane Metzger

Carl Austin

Robert Barone

Don Daniels

Richard Enders, Esq.

Michele O’Neil

Linda Yost

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

Players’ Pavers: Hot Property!

P ast president Vince Scalise has opened my eyes in a number of ways, but none more so than when he said something about our engraved pavers at the theater entrance.

He said that we were sitting on $86,000 worth of donations to the theater that we haven’t sold yet.

Have you looked down as you enter? Lots of Players history is beneath your foot. Good wishes from patrons past and present, hellos from theater lovers of the past decade, re-

membrances of casts that wanted to immortalize their directors, the gift of association with the arts—all of these wishes (some comical) make me feel glad when I go into the theater. And I confess I look down at them all the time.

Those beautiful hexagonal bricks aren’t tombstones. Instead they keep happy memories and regards fresh and relevant. And talk about support. The money you spend is one thing; it is entirely another to think that

the support is literal! As I write, the news tells me of new nominees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I think we have our own Walk of Fame right here on State Street.

Order one

Pretty easy to order one for yourself. There is a form available at every play, and on our website, playersofutica.org. The cost is $150, which is pretty decent for such a continuous, up-front visual reminder of your generosity and interest in the arts. You contribute in a real and practical way when you buy a paver in your own or someone’s memory.

Yes, we have spaces left to cover sidewalk worth $86,000. If we could sell them all, we’d make an outrageous dent in our bill for the main theater. Won’t you help?

Auditions for The 25th Annual Putnam County

Spelling Bee Auditions will be held on August 6 and 7 at 6:00 p.m. at the theater. Performers should come prepared with a song from the show. Song selections are: Chip - “My Unfortunate Erection”; Barfee - “Magic Foot”; Leaf - “I'm Not That Smart”; Marcy - “I Speak Six Lan-guages”; Olive - “The I Love You Song”; Logainne - “Woe Is Me”; Mitch - “Prayer of the Comfort Counselor”; Rona - the final reprise of “My Favorite Moment of the Bee.”

We will be asking anyone auditioning for Panch to do readings but the character does not sing so no vocal audition will be required.

– 3 –

5 Ways You Can Support Players of Utica Besides attending our performances throughout the year, there are several other ways you can help support Players of Utica year-round. Here are five of them:

1. Buy a paver or a star. Your name, or the name of anyone you care to honor, could be engraved on one of those pavers. And in the lobby, you’ll see a wall of Stars, another place where can add your name or that of a friend or loved. Paver: $150; Paver and Star: $500.

2. Sponsor a seat in our new theater. Sponsor a seat that will be installed in our main stage theater. It will feature a plaque engraved with your name, name of choice, or message. Seat: $75.

3. Join Amazon Smile. Amazon allows shoppers to have 0.5 percent of their purchase amount given to a chosen organization—like Players! To sign up, go to smile.amazon.com and choose Players of Utica. To ensure you’re always supporting Players with your purchases, make sure you log on to smile.amazon.com (instead of just amazon.com) before you shop. Bookmark it!

4. Make a tax-deductible donation. Every donation you make to the theater is tax-deductible. Make a monetary donation and declare it when you do your taxes!

5. Take out an ad. You’ve seen all the ads in our production playbills. Buying an ad provides great visibility for your business with our audiences, or is just a terrific way to show that you support Players.

GETTING STARTED AT PLAYERS

In this new feature of our newsletter, we will interview people who are new to Players of Utica, either as volunteers, performers, or behind-the-scenes crew members. In this issue, we speak with Diaka Kaba-Hill.

Players: How did you hear about Players of Utica?

Diaka: I heard about Players online. I was searching for local theater companies in Utica and Players was listed along with the Stanley, etc.

Players: How did you contact them?

Diaka: On their website, I joined their email list on 7/27/15. I started getting email notifications about upcoming shows and auditions.

Players: Did they offer something right away? What was it?

Diaka: They did offer some things right away, like the Cabaret and auditions for upcoming plays, as well as vol-unteer opportunities. But I couldn't participate in any of it at the time because I was living in another country.

Then I moved to Utica in February 2016 and made a decision to finally get involved with Players. So when I checked the website and saw Summer Showcase auditions (First Date and Teenie), I decided to put myself out there. I had two goals when I went. First, see the space and meet the people involved with Players. Second, get involved with the company either through an acting role or volunteer work.

Players: How much time do you have commit to for each show?

Diaka: I volunteered as tech crew on Teenie. For each show I had to commit at least four hours. I committed more hours than that during rehearsal and tech because my help was needed. Also, I wanted to be around for the cast and learn all I could about the production.

Players: Did you find the people accepting and friendly and willing to show you the ropes?

Diaka: I found the people to be beyond accepting and friendly and willing to show me the ropes. What I learned by volunteering as tech crew and watching the acting process helped me be a better actor when I did my first show at Players called Don't Drink the Water. My ex-perience taught me how to properly behave backstage (thanks bob Kaplan! lol!) like a professional actor. Also, Art and bob let me be on book for the actors and mark the blocking in the script, etc. This meant a lot to me as a newcomer because I felt welcomed and valued. Plus, I got to brush up on my stage knowledge and techniques.

Players: Do you have any suggestions for Players to make new people feel more welcome?

Diaka: They could invite new people to see a show as their guest and have them hangout with the cast or company members after the show. Having more personal contact with the members helped me feel welcomed. Also, they could let new people attend meetings or make suggestions about activities going on at Players.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Jane Metzger in

The Madwoman of Chaillot

JANUARY 1959

– 4 –

Players of Utica 2017–2018 Season Subscription Form

Complete form and mail with payment to: Players of Utica, PO Box 29, New Hartford, NY 13413

Name: ___________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________

City, St, Zip: ______________________________________ Phone: ___________________ E-mail:___________________________

Payment: Check Visa MC / Credit Card Account #: ___________________________________________________________

Expiration Date: ____________ CVV# ____________ Signature:________________________________________________________

Select # of subscriptions at the desired level and include payment. An additional tax-deductible donation is always appreciated!

6/17

#Adult @ $80 ea. = __________

# Senior (62+) @ $60 ea. = __________

# Student @ $35 ea. = __________

# Patron @ $90 ea. = __________ (receive $1 off on additional tickets)

# Angel @ $105 ea. = __________ (receive $2 off on additional tickets)

I would like to make an additional donation of $__________

GRAND TOTAL ENCLOSED $__________

Please do not send cash through the mail.

MAKE CHECKS PAYABALE TO: PLAYERS OF UTICA, INC.

Subscribe now to our 2017–2018 Season!

Season Subscription Prices

Regular – $80.00 Senior – $60.00 Students – $35.00 (valid ID required) Patron – $90.00 Angel – $105.00

To order your season subscription, use the Season Subscription Form below and mail it in with payment to: Players of Utica, PO Box 29, New Hartford, NY 13413. Or call us at 315-724-7624 to order over the phone.

Individual Ticket Prices

For 2017–2018 season performances: $20.00 regular admission $17.00 senior admission $10.00 student admission (valid ID required) ($2.00 from each ticket sale goes directly to the Capital Fund) See our website for group ticket sales.

How to Purchase Your Tickets

Seating is limited. Advance ticket purchase is highly recommended as many of our shows sell out early.

By Internet (preferred): We have partnered with TicketDerby to offer a fast, easy, and affordable way to get your tickets 24/7. Go to: http://players.ticketderby.com

By phone: Tickets and reservations: 315-724-7624 Approximate hours: M-F, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Performance day hours: 10:00 a.m. – 30 minutes prior to curtain time.

At the door: Tickets MAY be available at the door the night of any performance. We accept MasterCard and Visa. Many of our performances have limited seating and are sold out. We will do our best to seat you if you arrive the night of the performance. Our Membership Subscribers will receive priority over non-Members. We recommend that you reserve tickets ahead of time as we cannot guarantee availability at the door for any-one arriving at the theater on the day of a performance.

Please note that a $2.00 Capital Fund Fee was assessed to all individual tickets sold in advance or at the door. This $2.00 fee goes directly to support the Building Fund for the Players of Utica Theater. This fee is added to any tickets sold online, at the door, or over the phone. Mem-bership Subscriptions are not subject to the Capital Fund Fee.