the prompter - The Footlight Club

THE PROMPTER
The Footlight Club—America’s Oldest Community Theater
Summer 2005
Please join us on June 13
for the Footlight Club’s
2005 Annual Meeting.
The evening starts with a
reception, followed by the
business meeting at 8:00
p.m. The Board of Directors will report to members
on the activities of the past
year and the members will
vote to fill open positions
on the Board of Directors.
Please check your mail
boxes for more information.
Goodnight Desdemona Plays this June
Member Reception:
Please join us for our final
member reception for the
season on Friday, June
3rd from 7-8 in the Parker
Room.
Don’t Forget!
To renew your membership! The 2005-2006
Season will be here soon!
All My Sons Auditions
June 9th (7-10 pm), June
11th (2-5 pm), callbacks
June 12th (2-5 pm). Open
Call. Prepared monologues are welcome, cold
readings from script will
be available as well.
For more information visit
www.footlight.org or e-mail
[email protected].
by Jennifer Ewing Pierce
It’s easy to forget, in the age of South Park and musicals like Urinetown, that parody
and satire can serve as homage as well as sabotage—but through Good Night Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet, Canadian playwright and novelist Ann-Marie MacDonald
reminds us that sending some one up, like the hair pulling of pre-pubescent boys, can
just be another form of love.
Desdemona/Juliet is MacDonald’s feminist roast in honor of Will Shakespeare, serving
up old-fashioned farce with a double helping of Elizabethan verse in mistaken-identity
sauce. Her heroine--Constance, a mousy, put-upon academic with a taste for Velveeta
and Coors—follows her broken-heart and woefully unfinished doctoral dissertation
through a waste basket that gives Lewis Carroll’s looking glass a run for its money.
Landing in the co-existing worlds of Othello and Romeo and Juliet, Constance discovers she is able to interact and change the worlds she has scrutinized and studied for so
long, finding herself unable to resist the lure of her heart’s call, despite the yammerings
of her usually dictatorial academic’s brain.
MacDonald is better known as a successful novelist; her epic novel Fall On Your
Knees earned the coveted Oprah Book Club sticker in 2002. Those familiar with
the book are often surprised to discover that her playwriting takes a radical swerve
away from domestic drama toward hilarity. From the opening scene in which poor
Constance suffers at the hands of the insufferable, tenured (sorry for the redundancy)
Professor Claude Night, to the Wizard of Oz ending, (which, in this production, features the original music of the multi-talented director Lillie Palmer) MacDonald’s
continued on page 3
2005-2006
Directors Announced
All My Sons
Artie Leger
West Side Story
Carol Gallagher
The Lion in Winter
Ted Eaton
Cold Comfort Farm
Gail Debiak
Hot Mikado
Richard Repetta
If you are interested in
joining these production
teams, please contact us at
[email protected]
Did You Know...
by Gail L. Debiak
The playwright of our most recent production, Goodnight Desdemona (Good
Morning Juliet), is Ann-Marie MacDonald. A Canadian “Air Force brat”, her career started in the early 1980s in Toronto
as an actor where she was nominated for a
number of Canadian film awards.
Her first produced play was co-written at
the age of 26 in 1985 for the Nightwood
Theatre in Toronto. Ann-Marie subsequently collaborated on another play
written for a feminist festival in Torontp
While on tour with this show, MacDonald
began her first solo writing effort, Goodnight Desdomona (Good Morning Juliet).
The show premiered in 1988 at Nightwood Theatre, toured across Canada and
won the 19990 Govenor General’s Award.
It has gone on to become the most-produced Canadian play ever. There have
been more than a hundred productions
nationally and internationally, including
the USA, England and Japan.
MacDonald states “I take inspiration from
my life, my own wealth of memories,
and my direct experience and observations. I have a passion for history and
science, and the philosophy of history”.
In response to the question “Is parody almost an inevitable part of the portrayal of
women on the stage today?” MacDonald
has responded:
It’s like opening up a trunk that used
to be full of instruments of torture and
now everything has turned into toys.
When you reclaim and transform
ideas and methods that have been
used against you as a woman, you
become empowered. Subversion of
this kind is healthy.
Dear Members,
Thank you to Shauna Neuhauser, Artie
Leger and their crew of helpers for a
great membership brunch. A great
time was had by all, the food was
delicious, the Parker Room was in full
“spring” and as always it was great to
mingle with old and new members.
With Judy Kelly, Jane Yoffe, Lisa Domenicucci and my mother, Katherine
McIntyre, members dating back to
the early 1970’s, to the left of me and
Jeffrey Gray and Casey Hampton
who were at the Club for the first time
to the right of me, I sat down to enjoy
a wonderful Sunday brunch. When
introduced, they asked how long I have
been involved at the Club and were
quite surprised to hear that I was barely
10 years old when I accompanied my
mother to a rehearsal of Hogan’s Goat
in 1971.
When I finished telling them about the
latest renovations to the building, we
talked about the shows for next season.
Coincidentally, Lisa and Jane were
both in our first production of Lion in
Winter in 1984 and Lisa and Katherine
were also in our first production of All
My Sons in 1986. Soon to be residents of
Jamaica Plain, Jeffrey and Casey were
encouraged to become members and
get involved at the Club. Judy gave
them a brief history of the theater and
the kinds of shows we produce. We
told them about our 7A Series held in
the Parker Room for new directors, writers and actors.
Vicki Crosby who can often be seen
working behind the scenes at the Footlight Club brought Jeffrey and Casey
to the brunch to introduce them to
the Club. Whether it’s at Open Studios,
a Footlight Club performance or a
membership brunch, it’s always exciting to share and hear about Footlight
Club experiences with newcomers. You
never know who will be the next director, set builder, hospitality chairperson,
or President of the Board!
Not a bad way to spend a spring afternoon.
Sincerely,
Carol Gallagher
Trustees on the Move
by Charlotte Dietz
Lots is going on behind the scenes with
your trusty Trustees. Primarily we are
moving forward with the structural issues
that must be addressed before we build a
handicapped ramp to the rear of the building. We will be digging pits to assess
the status of the piers that the back of the
building (addition) lie on. Once we have
a handle on what things look like below
ground, a plan to install a foundation or
shore up the existing piers will be implemented, followed by a ramp and possibly
a lift to the auditorium.
There has also been serious discussion
about digging out a couple of more inches
of the dirt floor in the basement and laying
a concrete floor in order to make that space
more storage friendly. New footings and
columns in the basement would also be a
part of the plan as would the installation of
new stairs which would make the basement more easily accessible and therefore
more useful. If we can afford to do it all at
once, this would happen concurrently with
the shoring up of the addition.
These long term structural corrections will
literally strengthen the building’s weight
flow and create more space and support
for access and usage. It is not exactly the
most glamorous work, but the long term
benefits for the building and for all FLC
members and audiences-to-come are well
worth this investment.
In the meanwhile we will continue to
work jointly with the BOD to identify
and then clear and clean spaces to ready
ourselves for each phase of work ahead.
We are completing the Parker Room
with a new kitchen door and a complete
paint job. We have also dismantled most
of the loft over the rear stairs to relieve
the excess weight and safety concerns it
posed. As always we welcome your input,
ideas and contributions. Please offer your
support when we announce clean ups and
clean outs because many hands make light
work. And remember, Eliot Hall is for all
of us, so please do your part to help keep
it clean and cared for.
DESDEMONA continued from page 1
script demonstrates a clever facility with
language, a thoroughgoing knowledge of
the work of William Shakespeare, and a
whimsical, truth-telling ability to see into
the frailties of the human heart, which,
as MacDonald acknowledges with one
in a series of dramaturgical winks, besets
the wisest of academics and the silliest of
fools alike.
Palmer shapes her excellent cast, featuring a slew of new faces sprinkled with a
smattering of more familiar ones, with
Palmer’s unique breed of soft-spoken
insight and irreverent fun. Jamaica Plain
resident and Footlight member Christine
Power, enchants in the lead role, skillfully leading us through the maze of
half-cocked magic, dramatic verse, and
comedic whodunit that would be sure to
leave a less experienced actress more than
a bit dizzy. An unforgettable, fast-moving
farce, Palmer/MacDonald’s production of
Desdemona/Juliet (not unhindered by the
talents of producer and local community
theatre veteran, Jennifer Condon) will
entertain, enlighten, and challenge anyone fortunate enough to stumble into its
path—from the chronic Bard-a-phobe to
the well-versed connoisseur.
If the play that the legendary Village
Voice called “Stratford-Upon-Acid,” and
The Globe and the Mail described as
“pointed, and entertaining,” doesn’t wake
audiences from mediocrity induced slumbers, nothing will.
Parker Room Becomes
Artist Studio!
by Ted Cormier
Artist Barry Zaslove, picture
courtesy of Ellen Gower
For the second year in a row,
members of the Jamaica
Plain Artist Association held
a 6 week still life painting
course in the Parker Room at
the Footlight Club. Members
of the group got together
from 9 am to about 12 noon
each Saturday morning and
shared in the still life set up
responsibilities. Everyone
worked in different media,
including watercolor, oil,
pastels, and even photography. The group will take to
the outdoors this spring and
summer, painting at the pond,
the Arboretum, and beyond!
Look for much of the finished
work from these sessions on
display this summer at JP Licks,
Emack n’ Bolios and Sweet
Finnish Bakery. The Footlight
Club and the JPAA have a
long history together. Much
of the artwork shown during
FLC productions is from JPAA
members and the annual
group show in November is always a highlight. In addition,
JPAA members exhibit at the
FLC for JP Open Studios every
September. The members of
JPAA would like to thank the
FLC Board of Directors once
again for allowing this group
to have a place to meet and
be creative. Your continued
support of the arts community
is much appreciated.
Prompter Submissions
If you have submissions or
questions, please email them
to [email protected]
Your New Prompter Committee
Committee Chair:
Shauna Neuhauser
Design:
Georg Pedersen
Production:
Catherine Hetmansky
Other Committee Members:
Susan Harrington
Contributing Writer:
Gail DeBiak
Candidates for Board of Director Positions
Secretary: Susanna Crampton
Susanna Crampton has been a member
of the Footlight Club since 1997. She is
Secretary on the Board of Directors and
a member of the Board of Trustees. She
has worked for more than twenty years
in the non-profit field and is currently
Director of Public Relations at Historic
New England.
Treasurer: Ted Cormier
Maybe he sold you a ticket from behind
the box office counter? Maybe he talked
you into buying a soda and piece of
cheesecake during intermission? Maybe
you have purchased some of his artwork
from the Parker Room gallery? Maybe
you saw him on stage in his FLC debut
during Ragtime? Maybe you just stopped
to pet his dog Charlie? If you have been
to a show at the Footlight Club within the
last 3 years, chances are you have seen
Ted Cormier. He is passionate and committed to theatre and to the FLC and takes
his commitments very seriously. He has
many years of non-profit fundraising and
record keeping experience and would like
your vote for Treasurer.
House Director: Judy Kelly
Judy Kelly took on the responsibilities of
House Manager in a moment of absolute
insanity. She has no one to blame but
herself because she’s been around the
Club for long enough to know better. She
would like nothing more than for someone else to be elected to this position.
Publicity Director: Susan A. Aliber
After many years enjoying theater from
the audience, Susan has decided to jump
right back into the back stage world as
the Producer of Fuddy Meers. A former
television marketing Producer/Director
in Boston & Rhode Island TV markets,
Susan’s now the Executive Assistant supporting three offices that make up Bank of
America’s Home Builder Division/Northeast Region. During her prior theater
experience, Susan wore many hats…from
Props Mistress at the Lakes Region Theater in Gilford, NH … to Stage Manager
for the New Ehrlich Theater in Boston…
and Assistant Director for the Boston
Playwrights’ Platform Festival. While
living in Rhode Island, she handled the
publicity for one production at the Sandra
Feinstein Gamm Theater - even getting a
mention on WJAR’s morning newscast’s
“Coffee Cup Salute”. Susan is very interested in helping with publicity & promotions for the Footlight Club.
Program Director: Christine Powers
Christine is resident of JP and has been
working with the Footlight Club since
2003. She has been working in human
services since getting her Master’s in
Media and Philanthropy from Suffolk
University, and has been consistently
working in the broader nonprofit sector
well before that. In her day job and
on stage, she functions under the belief
that real teamwork is the most effective
way to get things done. She hopes that
a position on the Board of Directors
will allow her to continue and expand
upon that philosophy.
Sad News: Long-time Member Passes Away
by Paul Campbell
We were saddened to learn, as reported in
the last Prompter, of the passing of Miss
Mildred Adelson last January. Mildred,
who was 87, joined the Footlight Club
in the early 1950’s and was active with
the Club for nearly 30 years. During the
1960’s and 70’s Mildred served on the
Board of directors in a number of capacities and chaired most committees of the
Club, including a time as editor of the
then newly introduced newsletter, the
Prompter. In retrospect, Mildred was a
part of an influx of young women in the
1950’s who would stay with the Club
and have growing and more significant
influence during this difficult transition
period for both society and the organization. If memory serves, Mildred and
Ruth ‘Brooksie’ Heath were made active
the same year, and the same time period
introduced Marie Knuttenen, our first
woman president. Mildred acted in many
Club productions during the 60’s and
was the Make-up expert of her day. She
was doing the stage make-up on shows
through the early 1980’s. In her professional life, she was a lifelong children’s
librarian in Jamaica Plain. Generations of
J.P. children learned to love to read with
the help and guidance of Miss Adelson
and her outstanding storytelling. She was
also a member of the Tuesday Club and
always maintained membership in Social
service clubs. Mildred was not a regular
at the Club her last years, but she always
came to our large events and loved to see
the Club thrive and continue in the great
tradition. She made a point to tell me
several times we met, that her years spent
at the Footlight Club were the happiest in
her life and left to the Club a large bag of
photos of productions of her time which
are priceless witness to the values of the
day. Many of us last saw Mildred at a
going-away party for Kit Seidenberg last
summer. She was spry and happy to share
another wonderful time with old and new
friends, all members of the Footlight Club.
Awards All Around
Congratulations to Ragtime Director Bill
Dosher who recently won an IRNE Award
for Best Director for a Musical Production.
The awards, presented at the Lenox Hotel
on March 21st, were awarded by the
Independent Reviewers of New England’s
Awards for Excellence. Ragtime also
received nominations for: BEST ENSEMBLE
PLAYING; BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION,
and BEST ACTOR (JUSTIN A. I. WAITHE).
Congrats also go out to Bad Seed, The
Rocky Horror Show and Ragtime for receiving Honorable Mentions in the 2004
Addisson Awards. Rebecca Stevens
(Bad Seed) and Justin Waithe (Ragtime)
also received individual Honorable Mentions for their performances.
As the 2004-2005 Season
comes to an end, we would
like to take a moment to
thank all of our volunteers
for this year. We couldn’t
operate on a daily basis
without the hours and hours
of dedication (and sometimes sweat) that each of
our volunteers give us. The
Footlight Club’s Board of
Directors would like to invite
each and every one of our
members and volunteers to
a Volunteer Roundup and
Thank You BBQ on Sunday,
June 26th. More details will
follow in the next few weeks,
so watch your mailbox for
your invitation. For questions
about the event, please email
[email protected]
The Footlight Club
7A Eliot Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
2004-2005 Season
2005-2006 Season
Contact Information
Bad Seed
All My Sons
Box Office:
By Maxwell Anderson
Based on the novel by William March
Produced by Kristin MacDougall
& Amy Stahl
September 17, 18, 24, 25
October 1 & 2
By Arthur Miller
September 16, 17, 23, 24, 30
October 1
Eliot Hall
7A Eliot Street
Jamaica Plain MA 02130
617-524-3200
www.footlight.org
The Rocky Horror Show
Book, Music & Lyrics By Richard O’Brien
Produced by Bogusia Wojciechowska
October 29, 30, 31
November 5, 6, 12 & 13
Fuddy Meers
By David Lindsay-Abaire
February 4, 5, 11, 12, 18 & 19
Violet
Book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Based on The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts
April 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 15 & 16
Goodnight Desdemona
(Good Morning Juliet)
By Ann-Marie MacDonald
June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 & 18
West Side Story
Book by: Arthur Laurents
Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim
Music by: Leonard Bernstein
November 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19
The Lion in Winter
By: James Goldman
February 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18
Cold Comfort Farm
By Paul Doust
April 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29
Hot Mikado
Book and Lyrics Adapted
by David H. Bell
Musical Concepts and
Arrangements by Rob Bowman
Based on The Mikado by W.S. Gilbert
and Arthur Sullivan
June 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 16 & 17
Prompter:
Eliot Hall
7A Eliot Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-524-6506
E-Mail: [email protected]
Other Questions:
Eliot Hall
7A Eliot Street
Jamaica Plain MA 02130
617-524-6506
www.footlight.org