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2928 West 13th St. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004
phone: 440-964-3396 |
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STRAW HAT THEATRE 2004 SEASON ANNOUNCED:
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Posted: Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Even though the weather outside does not remind us of summer yet, the Ashtabula Arts Center is thinking ahead to warm evenings under the tent at Straw Hat Theatre with the announcement of the 2004 summer season.
On tap this summer are four shows which offer a little bit of something for everyone. Four musicals are planned to take us through the summer - including a lighthearted comedy about a bloodthirsty plant, a retrospective on the life of an aspiring Broadway actress, a drama about the values of tradition, and a colorful musical rendition of a well known biblical story. It�s going to be a hot summer under the lights this season at Straw Hat!
 The season opens June 11, with the stage version of everyone�s favorite �boy-meets-girl, plant-eats-world� phenomenon, �Little Shop of Horrors.� Set in 1960, this comedic tale is the story of a meek and mild-mannered flower shop employee named Seymour Krelbourn. Seymour is in love with his co-worker, Audrey, although he never has a chance to tell her his true feelings. Then Seymour discovers Audrey II, a plant from outer space which makes Seymour a national celebrity. But what the public does not realize is that the plant requires a diet of fresh blood to stay alive ... and the drops from Seymour�s fingers soon become unsatisfying for the ever-growing, man-eating Audrey II. Will Seymour be able to stop the plant before it eats everyone he knows and loves, or will Seymour himself become victim to this horrible overgrown weed?
�Little Shop of Horrors� will be directed by Steven Rhodes, and will run two weekends, June 11-13 and 18-20.
 Our second show of the season takes us from plants who want to take over the world to a young woman who wants to take the stage by storm. �Funny Girl� follows the life of Fanny Brice, an aspiring Broadway actress. She starts off the show as the �ugly duckling� who nobody thinks can ever be successful in theater, just based on her looks.
But with the help of her dance instructor, Eddie, she lands a leading role. Soon, a Broadway producer discovers her and she is well on her way to becoming a huge star.
Meanwhile, Fanny falls in love with a handsome gambler named Nick Arnstein. After a long courting process, in which Nick would leave for months at a time, Fanny and Nick are finally married. Not wanting to be apart from her husband and true love, Fanny gives up her Broadway career to follow Nick.
But Nick�s gambling and misuse of money forces her to re-evaluate her situation and contemplate returning to the stage. As Fanny reflects on her career and her personal life, the audience is treated to a touching look inside the reality of being a star.
Directed by Doug Anderson, �Funny Girl� will take the stage for three weekends, June 25-27, July 2-4 and 8-10.
 "Tradition� - that�s the theme of our third show this summer. Set in 1905, �Fiddler on the Roof� takes place in Anatevka, a small Jewish village in Russia. The story revolves around the dairyman Tevye, and his attempts to preserve his family�s traditions in the face of a changing world.
Tevye�s eldest daughter, Tzeitel, begs him to let her marry a poor tailer rather than the middle-aged butcher that he has already chosen for her. His other two daughters - Hodel and Chava - also want to disobey the matchmaker and instead marry men that they love.
Tevye is forced to choose between his daughter�s happiness and those beloved traditions that keep the outside world at bay. But the outside world is moving into Anatevka, as dangerous forces at are work in the tiny town, threatening to destroy the very life that Tevye is trying to preserve.
�Fiddler on the Roof� deals with such difficult issues as persecution, poverty, and the struggle to hold onto one�s beliefs in the midst of a hostile and chaotic environment.
Directed by Linda Fundis, �Fiddler on the Roof� will run July 16-18, 23-25 and 29-31.
 The final show of the summer is a colorful and musical retelling of a familiar Biblical story. �Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat� is the story of Joseph, a handsome young man and his father�s favorite child. He is also blessed with a gift of interpreting dreams, and is the bearer of an amazing coat. These facts lead Joseph�s eleven brothers to become extremely jealous of him, to the point that they sell Joseph into slavery.
After refusing the advances of his owner�s wife, Joseph is sent to jail. Once there, he quickly becomes popular due to his ability to interpret dreams. The Pharoah soon hears of Joseph�s abilities and appoints him to the post of Number Two man in Egypt.
Years later, Joseph�s now starving brothers arrive in Egypt and ask Joseph, whom they don�t recognize, for assistance. It is then up to Joseph to decide if he should treat them as they have treated him in the past, or forgive them and give them the help they desire.
�Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat� will be directed by Darrell Lowe, and will close out the season with performances August 6-8, 13-15 and 19-21.
Tickets for all Straw Hat shows will be on sale later this spring. Information about Straw Hat
subscriptions will be available by mid-April.
Information on auditions for all four Straw Hat shows is available under the "Auditions" page of this website.
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Posted: Tuesday, March 02, 2004
The Theatre Musical Revue "Spread a Little Sunshine," featuring music by Stephen Schwartz, has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for February 6 - 8.
Theatre Coordinator Darrell Lowe has decided to postpone the revue in order to allow more time for technical crews to transform the stage into 19th Century France for the upcoming musical "Les Miserables School Edition."
"Spread a Little Sunshine" will instead be combined with the Disney musical revue in April. The show will feature songs made famous by songwriter/composer Stephen Schwartz, as well as many popular songs from Disney stage musicals which have since been made into movies.
Best known for the musical "Godspell," which won him two Grammys, Schwartz has also written the music and lyrics for "Pippin," "The Magic Show," "The Baker's Wife," and "The Children of Eden." He has also collaborated to write songs for Studs Terkel's "Working" and the musical revue "Personals."
Many of the performers in this Theatre Musical Revue will be faces familiar to the Arts Center stage, including many who also appeared in the Arts Center's 50th Anniversary celebration last October.
The Theatre Musical Revue will be held April 2 and 3 at 8:00 p.m., and April 4 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale.
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Posted: Tuesday, March 02, 2004
If you often go out to dinner before coming to the theater, why not avoid the hassle of making reservations across town or hoping that your favorite restaurant isn�t too busy when you can have dinner here at the Arts Center?
G.B. Community Theatre will again be offering dinners prior to select shows in the 2003-2004 season. These dinners are held on Saturdays, and begin one and a half hours before curtain - plenty of time for food, drink and conversation with friends before going into the theater for the show. Dinners are served in the gallery, and usually include salad or soup, an appetizer, main course and dessert. Assorted beverages, as well as rolls and butter, are also included in the cost of the dinner.
Tickets: $21 Adults / $18 Children
(price includes dinner and theater ticket for that evening)
Complete menus, as well as chefs, vary by show, with the information usually available at the Arts Center approximately two weeks prior to the dinner date. Reservations for the dinner are required, and should be made no later than noon on the Thursday prior to the event.
UPCOMING DINNER DATES
�Father of the Bride� - March 27
Menu and chef to be announced at a later date
Theatre Musical Review - April 3
Menu and chef to be announced at a later date
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