Archive for category Performances

Burlesque Night Live Presents a SantaMental Christmas

BNL Cast Members Nerrishia and Rick

A SantaMental Christmas December 8th at Pitman’s

Laconia NH-
Saturday December 8th at 7:30pm Pitman’s Freight Room is proud to present A SantaMental Christmas featuring the same crazy characters that brought you the hit 2012 series “Burlesque Night Live” at Pitman’s. Come enjoy a night of holiday festivities with the colorful personalities of the Burlesque Night Live cast as they sing, dance, and laugh you into submission as only they can.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong on Christmas?

The zany cast of Burlesque Night Live of Laconia NH asks the time-honored question, “It’s Christmas, so what could possibly go wrong?” As many of you know all too well, there are plenty of things that can go wrong at Christmas. We all know the drill of “getting into the holiday spirit,” don’t we? Well now is YOUR chance to watch the cast of Laconia’s beloved Burlesque Night Live crew as they stumble, bumble, plot, kick and scream their way into that special holiday cheer that makes Christmas so special.

While the boys of BNL will have you in stitches you can also expect to see a lot from the ladies of BNL as well. The show will also once again feature the passionate singing of favorite artists Saphaedra Renee and Steve Gonzalez. Come by Pitman’s Saturday December 8th at 7:30pm for fun hijinks in adult themed comedy atmosphere. Call (603) 494-3334 for ticket details.

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No Comments updated December 2, 2012

Burlesque Night Live in Laconia Opens to Amused Audience

Burlesque Night Live Laconia NH

The rowdy cast of Burlesque Night Live poses under the lights at Pitman's Freight Room. The show opened Wednesday April 25th, 2012 (photo credit: Maureen Bieniarz-Pond)

Laconia NH – A lively audience was entertained by the zany antics of the cast of Burlesque Night Live – a new music, dance, and comedy production of local NH talent. A collaborative effort of two local performing arts companies, acts ranged from the sultry and seductive to the absurd. The audience had something to look at, listen to, and laugh about all night – and guests continued to chuckle even as they said goodnight after the performance.

Special Guest Performance by Steve Gonzalez

Joining the regular cast members was local baritone Steve Gonzalez – whose vocal performances of selections from Opera and Broadway were nothing short of stunning. Steve is originally from Laconia currently attending college in state.

Upcoming Show Wednesday May 2nd

Tickets are on sale at Pitman’s Freight Room for the upcoming show dates – Wedsnesdays 4/25 through 6/13 with no show scheduled for May 16th.

Burlesque Night Live is a collaborative show featuring the artists of the ARTSFEST Performing Arts Company, Tabula Rasa Theatre Company, and is produced by Pointless Forest Productions. (photo: Maureen Bieniarz-Pond)

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1 Comment updated August 5, 2012

The Streetcar Company Presents The Miracle Worker

Nerrishia Bodwell as Annie Sullivan and Sophia Joyal as Helen Keller rehearse a scene from The Miracle Worker being presented by The Streetcar Company December 2nd-4th at Laconia High School

Laconia, NH-
The Streetcar Company will present William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker at Laconia High School on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th. With two months of rehearsals behind them, cast and crew will spend the last few days before opening night fine tuning their roles and acclimating themselves to the newly constructed set. Director J Alward and assistant director Carolyn Desrosiers are quite pleased with the progress made by the cast, especially as a number of them have had little or no previous stage experience. One thing Streetcar tries to encourage is for new members to come and be a part of the live theater experience. While lead actress, Nerrishia Bodwell as Annie Sullivan has a number of shows under her belt with Streetcar and other surrounding companies, this is the first show Heidi Erhard, as Kate Keller, has performed in since high school. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of this presentation.” said Erhard. “It’s been a really positive experience; I feel I have joined a whole new family and I hope the audience appreciates all the work everyone has put into this production.”

Sophia Joyal, a sixth grader at Laconia Middle School, has been seen in a number of Streetcar productions and shows a capacity beyond her years as she portrays the deaf and blind Helen. New to Streetcar, but not to the stage, are Suzanne Banister as Aunt Ev and Eric L. March as Capt. Keller. Others performing in the production are Braeden Alward as James, Dawn Thompson as Viney, Doug Embree as Mr. Anagnos, Riley Alward as Percy, Sharleigh Thomson as Martha, Peter Ayer as Ezekiel, Johan Andersen as the doctor, Rebekah Roy, Hannah Watson, Alexa Dembiec, Cecilia and Kayla Zarella as the blind girls, Alec Thomson as Jimmy and Marcia Haven and Melissa Bigler as the crones.

Based on Gibson’s 1957 teleplay, The Miracle Worker was first presented on Broadway in 1959 starring Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan and Patty Duke as Helen Keller. Gibson’s adaptation of Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life, garnered rave reviews for the production and lead to the Academy Award winning movie also starring Bancroft and Duke in 1962. The struggle by Sullivan to teach a deaf and blind Keller to communicate with the outside world is a powerful story of compassion and strength of character. Battling her own demons as well as the frustrations presented by the Keller family having coddled Helen for so long, Sullivan’s progress is slow but eventually all parties grow and adapt to the challenges in the end.

Show times are at 7pm on Friday and Saturday night, December 2nd and 3rd, with a 1pm matinee on Sunday the 4th. Tickets are available at Greenlaw’s Music in downtown Laconia, Danbury General Store 705 US Route 4 (at the junction of Routes 4 and 104), and will also be available at the door. Ticket prices are $10.00 each with an advanced sale price of $8.00 for 4 or more tickets purchased at the same time. All tickets will be $10.00 at the door.

For more information go to the company website at www.streetcarcompany.com

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No Comments updated August 5, 2012

Pippin Comes to PSU Silver Center

This Show Altered My Life

Those of you who know me know that Playing the Role of Pippin Changed My Life. It should come as no surprise to you then that I would highly recommend you visit the PSU Silver Center this week to see the PSU Theatre students perform this amazing show. Incomparable music, dance choreography, and imagery are hallmarks of this Tony Award winning classic. Below is the official press release from the Silver Center with details on ticketing and cast info.

Plymouth, N.H. –The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Plymouth State University will present a modern interpretation of the musical Pippin, October 20-23 in the Hanaway Theatre at the Silver Center for the Arts.

Bob Fosse directed and choreographed the original Broadway show in 1972, starring Ben Vereen as “the Leading Player” and John Rubenstein as Pippin. The production addresses adult themes.

The musical uses the device of a mysterious acting troupe led by a “Leading Player” to follow a young prince, Pippin, eldest son of Charlemagne, through his quest to discover the secret of true significance and fulfillment. Pippin plows through obstacles, seeking that fulfillment in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh, and the intrigues of political power.

Adjunct faculty member Morgan Murphy directs the PSU production. Murphy is a film and theater producer, director, actor and instructor with Whitebridge Farm Productions, Plymouth State University and St. Paul’s School. He says, “If done the way Bob Fosse envisioned it, Pippin is surreal and disturbing. We’ve added today’s technology addiction to the array of obstacles and objectives thrown Pippin’s way in the original script. Facing this gauntlet, Pippin has to navigate his way to his own sense of identity and purpose…what does he want to be when he grows up?”

Murphy challenges the audience to consider trying to grow up today when we don’t have time to keep up with our smart phones, let alone figure out why we invented them, or why we buy them. “Perhaps you don’t have to use your imagination at all to recall this common technopoly we live in,” he says. “It can be worth turning it all off occasionally. That moment has always been in the Pippin script, and it’s my favorite moment in the show. Pippin gets to taste simplicity when everything stops for a few seconds.”

The cast includes theatre arts majors Luke Meierdiercks, a junior from St. Johnsbury, Vt., portraying Pippin; Mervin Marvey a senior from Rustenburg, South Africa, portraying the Leading Player; Samantha St. Onge, a senior from Londonderry, portraying Catherine; Alyssa Dumas, a sophomore from Manchester, in the role of Fastrada; Ben Cesare, a junior from Boxborough, Mass., portraying King Charlemagne and Laura Daigle, a sophomore from Salem, portraying Berthe. DJ Spinelli, a senior psychology major from Chester, portrays Lewis and Sam Ebner, an 8th-grade student from Plymouth, portrays Theo.

PSU alumna Amanda Munton is the music director for Pippin, with Lisa Travis as choreographer and Gary Corcoran as conductor.

Performances are Oct. 20 and 22 at 8 p.m., October 21 at 7 p.m., October 22 at 2 p.m. and October 23 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and $15 for youth at the Silver Center Box Office, (603) 535-2787 or (800) 779-3869.

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1 Comment updated July 26, 2013

ARTSFEST Takes Manhattan

Times Square at Night Can't Be Beat

Amy, Meet Times Square. Times Square, Meet Amy

So here I am with my favorite people on the ARTSFEST party bus heading down to New York City for an on location video shoot in Times Square and other locations throughout this great American city.

ARTSFEST has a lot of great gigs lined up for the next several weeks. We’ll be taking over the Flying Monkey in Plymouth NH on Nov 6th then we have muultiple gigs lined up for the Beacon Inn in Lincoln, Steele Hill Resort in Sanbornton, and the The Middle Arts and Entertainment Ctr in Franklin NH.

Tonight however is all about having a great trip with friends down to NYC, to vogue it up for the camera tomorrow, then rehearse like s.o.b.s for the next couple of weeks for all these amazing shows.

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

This was Amy’s first trip to New York and Times Square… and I think you can see from the photo that the bright lights suit her just fine. She and her boyfriend Ray and I pretty well walked just about everywhere you can possibly walk worth going to and still had time to do some great video shooting with the rest of the gang in Central Park. What a great trip we had.

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No Comments updated August 5, 2012