The Gallery Players

Taught by theater professionals, at The Peanut Gallery students grades 1-6 will create and perform an original show with songs from Broadway musicals – ALL IN ONE WEEK! An official Peanut Gallery T-Shirt is included, plus a Pizza Party following the performance for all cast members, family and friends.

2010 Camp Sessions

Five Classes 9AM-2PM

July 5-9 (grades 1-3)
July 12-16 (grades 4-6)
July 19-23 (grades 1-3)
July 26-30 (grades 4-6)

Schedule:
Monday-Friday, 9AM-2PM
Please drop off your child no earlier than 8:45AM and pick up no later than 2:15PM.

Performance begins around 1:30PM on the last day of class.

Please inquire about after-care.

Bring your own lunch. Water will be provided.

Sign Up Today! Pay the Peanut Gallery registration fee by credit card on-line by clicking here. Then click the image below to see the sign-up form. Print out the form, complete it (please note on the form that you paid on-line), and send to: The Gallery Players, ATT: The Peanut Gallery, 199 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

June 4-28, 2009

Producer: Dominic Cuskern/The Gallery Players
Lighting designer: Sarah Watson
Sound designer: Jacob Subotnick
Production Stage Manager: Kristine A. Ayers
Assoc. Producers: Sidney Fortner/Graham Mills
Assistant Stage Manager: Fahim Hamid

Through the month of June, The Gallery Players celebrates playwrights and new works in The 12th Annual Black Box New Play Festival. Each weekend is a new experience as The Gallery Players introduces new crops of talent and celebrates its alumni.

Pictured (l to r): John William Schiffbauer and Kiran Malhotra in The Gallery Players’ production of Father Mike. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Performances take place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8pm, and Sunday afternoons at 3pm.

Box 1

June 4-7
Father Mike by T.J. Edwards
Directed by Mark Harborth

The Cast:
Alice Francis – Christine Barclay
Regina Francis – Leslie Boles
Mike Francis – Michael Edmund
Agnes Francis – Sue Glausen Smith
Teresa Miller – Kiran Mulhotra
Angela Francis – Lauren Meley
Michael Francis Jr – John William Schiffbauer

Workshopped at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in 2008, Father Mike is a nostalgic comedy that takes place in 1955 in the home of a proud Catholic family.

Box 2

June 11-14

Nobody Does Carpet Like Bill by Edward Versailles, directed by Barrie Gelles
Bill King – Hank Sbrocco
Richard King – Joey Davis
Tricia – Kristin Wahrheit

Given Our Current Fiscal Crisis by Daniel Damiano, directed by Amanda White
Sharon – Alison Blair
Tom – Mathew Minor
Peter – George Stavropolis
Bill – D.H. Johnson

Unfinished Debasement by Michael Kevin Baldwin, directed by Andrew Firda
Man – Richard Flight
Woman – Sharon Thompson

Bugs by Rich Espey, directed by Barrie Gelles
Mr. Wagner – Andy Stokan
Maddy – Erika Helen Smith
Mrs. Fox – Kristin Wahrheit

Philosophy 101 by Allan B. Lefcowitz, directed by Chad Yarborough
Socrates – Robert Kiernan
Asst. Dean – D.L. Sams
June – Kristin Dausch
Malcolm X Davies – Joe Sonnenblick
Billy – Nelson Felix
Tippy – Alla Bronskaya
Father/Coach – John Levine
Phil – John Rosania

Box 3

June 18-21
Honey & Candy by Lauren Cavanaugh, directed by Justine Campbell-Elliott
Candy – Nikki Gold
Honey – Elyse Brandau
Monitor – David Montgomery

Distastefully Yours by Denis Meadows, directed by Robin Leslie Brown
Gil – Michael Edmund
Mo – John Rosania
Tiffany – Valerie Best

Beautiful World by Kevin Christopher Snipes, directed by Seth Soloway
Hester – Rachel Wright
Ryder – Jeff Campanella
Swan – Andrew Davies
Demme – Jared Rinaldi
Gertrude – Patricia McNamara
Finch – Hank Sbrocco

Inhale by Victoria T. Joseph, directed by Taibi Magar
Rose – Kirsty Meares
Lorraine – Kelly Jackson Garcia
Max – Jesse Wilson

Box 4

June 25-28
In the Shadow of the Lighthouse by Carolina Aguilera
Directed by Dev Bondarin

The Cast:
Alex – Daniela Thome
Antonia – Kate Dulcich
Max – Victoria Garwood
Ryan – David Marshall
David – Lucas Dixon
Judge – TBA

In the Shadow of the Lighthouse opens in 1999 with three friends spending a week at the beach before one of them gets married and moves away. A decade later as the group convenes in the same beach house, the friends realize the cost of the choices they’ve made and find betrayal and loyalty in unexpected places.

Free Readings on Saturdays

Please join us on the following Saturday afternoons at 3pm for free play readings of up-and-coming scripts:
June 13th: The Dog Show by David Ian Lee
June 20th: Dream Wedding by Ellen Orchid
June 27th: Candide by T.J. Edwards

Pictured (l to r): Leslie Boles, Michael Edmund and Christine Barclay in The Gallery Players’ production of Father Mike. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Where can a playwright find an outlet? Where can an audience see new works? The Gallery Players provides both of these in this Festival. Over the years of producing the Festival, we have developed works by countless playwrights, many of whom continue to work with The Gallery Players each year to incubate their new ideas. More than 300 plays have appeared in the Black Box New Play Festival since its inception and this year will bring even more writing and acting talent to the stage. Who knows what you’ll discover in the Box?

Music and Lyrics by Pete Townshend
Book by Des McAnuff and Pete Townshend
Additional Music and Lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon

May 2-24, 2009

“The Gallery Players does such a bang-up job with The Who’s Tommy that you’ll be asking, Tommy, can I see you — again?’”
-Mike McLaughlin, The Brooklyn Paper

“A smashing production. Tom Wojtunik’s production manages to combine the technical wonder of the Broadway show with a newfound sense of intimacy.”
-Matt Windman, AMNY

Producer: Katie Adams/The Gallery Players
Associate Producer: Katharine Vandergriff
Director: Tom Wojtunik
Assistant Director: Molly A. Marinik
Choreographer: Christine O’Grady
Associate Choreographer: Sidney Erik Wright
Music Director: Paul Seiz
Production Stage Manager: Lara Terrell*
Assistant Stage Manager: DaVonne Bacchus
Set Designer: Michael Kramer
Lighting Designer: Chris Walsh
Costume Designer: Hunter Kaczorowski
Sound Designer: Kate Foretek
Projection Designer: Ron Amato

Pictured (l to r): Brett Travis, Anna Lise Jensen, and Daniel Henri Luttway in The Gallery Players’ production of The Who’s Tommy. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

The Cast

Uncle Ernie – Nathan Brisby
Lover/1st Pinball Lad/Ensemble – John Ashley Brown*
2nd Pinball Lad/Ensemble – Kennen Butler*
Mrs. Simpson/Ensemble – Alexis DeDonato
Specialist Assistant/Ensemble – Hayley Driscoll
Captain Walker – Tommy Foster*
The Gypsy/Ensemble – Marcie Henderson*
1st Officer/Hawker/Ensemble – Tyson Jennette*
Mrs. Walker – Anna Lise Jensen*
Tommy (Age 10) – Daniel Henri Luttway
Sally Simpson/Ensemble – Blair Moore
2nd Officer/Hawker’s Assistant/Ensemble – Alex Pearlman
Minister/Judge/Ensemble – Jan-Peter Pedross*
Cousin Kevin – David Perlman*
Tommy (Age 4) – Anthony Pierini
1st Nurse/Kevin’s Mother – Mia Romero
Minister’s Wife/Ensemble – Chloe Sabin
Kevin’s Father/Mr. Simpson/Ensemble – Mitchell Scott Shapiro
Specialist/Ensemble – Ryan Stone
Tommy – Brett Travis

*appearing through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

Pete Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph is the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in a theatre. The classic ’60s rock opera by The Who was translated to the stage by theatrical wizard Des McAnuff into a high-energy, one-of-a-kind theatrical event. The exhilarating score is timeless in its youthful appeal, giving the show a cross-generational appeal that has made it a smash-hit around the world. The Who’s Tommy’s 1993 Broadway debut garnered five Tony Awards, including Best Original Score.

Pictured: The company of The Gallery Players’ production of The Who’s Tommy. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Director Tom Wojtunik may be a veteran of The Gallery Players, but this production of the classic rock musical is all new: “It’s very different from the material I’ve worked on at The Gallery Players in the past. At its heart, The Who’s Tommy is a coming of age story, and rock music from its inception has always been about that defining moment in our lives when we break away from our parents and face the world on our own—the elation and fear of this moment has always thrilled me about this story. Our production of The Who’s Tommy will employ a number of technical elements to help tell the story and do justice to Townshend’s terrific rock score—most importantly an elaborate sound and projection design. The Who’s music still retains such invigorating power, it’s hard to believe the original album was released forty years ago. We’re looking forward to blowing the roof off the theatre with a cast of talented signers and a rocking band led by musical director Paul Seiz.”

Read the Seeing Stars interview with Tom Wojtunik on UnitedStages.com.

Pictured: Brett Travis as Tommy in The Gallery Players’ production of The Who’s Tommy. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Performance Schedule
SOLD OUT: Saturday, May 2nd at 8 pm – opening night
Sunday, May 3rd at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, May 7th at 8 pm
SOLD OUT: Friday, May 8th at 8 pm
SOLD OUT: Saturday, May 9th at 8 pm
Sunday, May 10th at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, May 14th at 8 pm
SOLD OUT: Friday, May 15th at 8 pm
Saturday, May 16th at 2 pm – matinee
SOLD OUT: Saturday, May 16th at 8 pm
SOLD OUT: Sunday, May 17th at 3 pm – matinee
SOLD OUT: Thursday, May 21st at 8 pm
SOLD OUT: Friday, May 22nd at 8 pm
SOLD OUT: Saturday, May 23rd at 2 pm – matinee
SOLD OUT: Saturday, May 23rd at 8 pm
SOLD OUT: Sunday, May 24th at 3 pm- final performance

by William Inge

March 14-29, 2008

Producer: Amanda White/The Gallery Players
Director: Heather Siobhan Curran
Production Stage Manager: Trevor Regars
Associate Producer: Brian Michael Flanagan
Set Design: Edward T. Morris
Costume Design: Meredith Neal
Props Design: Nicole Gaignat
Lighting Design: Mike Billings
Sound Design: Neal J. Freeman
Assistant Stage Manager: Rebekah Hughston

The Cast

Elma Duckworth – Rebecca Dealy
Grace Hoylard – Annie Paul*
Will Masters – Brad Thomason*
Cherie – Alisha Spielmann
Dr. Gerald Lyman – John Blaylock*
Carl – Justin Herfel*
Virgil Blessing – Shawn Parsons
Bo Decker – Brad Lewandowski*

*appears courtesy Actors’ Equity Association

Pictured (l to r): Brad Lewandowski, Shawn Parsons, and Alisha Spielmann in The Gallery Players’ production of Bus Stop by William Inge. Photo by Bella Muccari.

“Bus Stop is a good stop-off to get a slice of classic Americana and reflect on the difficulty of letting oneself love and be loved. The predicaments and hard-learned love lessons remain relevant and universal. Under Heather Siobhan Curran’s direction, we smoothly pop in and out of the different conversations. Bus Stop is an engaging look at romantic love in various and some slightly nefarious forms.” -Lucile Scott, nytheatre.com

“The Gallery Players’ production does everything right…Do yourself a favor, pull off to the side of the road and take a break at this Bus Stop.” -The Neighborbee Blog

“Director Heather Siobhan Curran has crafted a strong production which humorously reveals the folly and the loneliness of being human. Despite its age, Inge’s Bus Stop can still speak to us all.” -Shari Perkins, theateronline.com

For the first time in over a decade, William Inge returns to Brooklyn with The Gallery Players’ revival of his classic drama, Bus Stop.

In the middle of a howling snowstorm, a bus out of Kansas City pulls up at a cheerful roadside diner. All roads are blocked, and four or five weary travelers are going to have to hole up until morning. Cherie, a nightclub chanteuse in a sparkling gown and a seedy fur-trimmed jacket, is the passenger with most to worry about. She’s been pursued, made love to and finally kidnapped by a twenty-one-year-old cowboy with a ranch of his own and the romantic methods of an unusually headstrong bull. The belligerent cowhand is right behind her, ready to sling her over his shoulder and carry her, alive and kicking, all the way to Montana. Even as she’s ducking out from under his clumsy but confident embraces, and screeching at him fiercely to shut him up, she pauses to furrow her forehead and muse, “Somehow deep inside of me I got a funny feeling I’m gonna end up in Montana …”

Pictured (l to r): Alisha Spielmann, John Blaylock, and Rebecca Dealy in The Gallery Players’ production of Bus Stop by William Inge. Photo by Bella Muccari.

The Gallery Players’ Artistic Director Heather Siobhan Curran teams up with Producer Amanda White (Standing Theatre, teacher and performer; William Inge Theater Festival) to bring this archetypal American drama to The Gallery Players’ stage. Says Curran, “What a thrill it has been to bring one of our great American plays to Gallery’s stage with this wonderful ensemble cast. And having the dramaturgical assistance of Amanda White and the Inge Center has proved invaluable. Although there is a current of loneliness and loss that runs throughout William Inge’s plays, he has great affection for the people in this small town. All of the characters in Bus Stop are searching for love; some find the accepting their loneliness to be the choice they make. Even though Inge’s characters in Bus Stop are very much a product of the 1950′s America; he allows them to transcend the cultural politics of the time and we find ourselves drawn into their world, nose pressed against that window, as we search and reassess our choices.”

Pictured (l to r): Brad Lewandowski, Shawn Parsons, and Alisha Spielmann in The Gallery Players’ production of Bus Stop by William Inge. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Performance Schedule

Sat. March 14th 8 pm – opening night!
Sun. March 15th 3 pm – matinee
Thu. March 19th 8 pm
Fri. March 20th 8 pm – alumni night
Sat. March 21st 2 pm – matinee
Sat. March 21st 8 pm
Sun March 22nd 3 pm – matinee
Thu. March 26th 8 pm
Fri. March 27th 8 pm
Sat. March 28th 2 pm – matinee
Sat. March 28th 8 pm
Sun. March 29th 3 pm – matinee/ final performance, panel discussion** to follow

Pictured (l to r): Panel discussion leader Michael Pressman with director Heather Siobhan Curran. Mr. Pressman was the director of the recent Broadway revival of Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba at Manhattan Theatre Club featuring S. Epatha Merkerson.

January 31-February 22, 2009

Book by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan
New Music by Jeanine Tesori
New Lyrics by Dick Scanlan

Producer: Brian Michael Flanagan/The Gallery Players
Director: Neal J. Freeman
Associate Producer: Amanda White
Music Director: David Fletcher
Assistant Music Director: Lilli Wosk
Choreographer: Katharine Pettit
Set Design: Ann Bartek
Costume Design: Megan Q. Dudley
Lighting Design: Ryan Bauer
PSM: Emily Rea
ASMs: DaVonne Bacchus, Becca Oursler

Illustration by Hunter Kaczorowski

Pictured (l to r): Katie Kester (Miss Flannery) and Alison Luff (Millie) in The Gallery Players production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Cast:

Millie Dillmount – Alison Luff
Miss Dorothy Brown – Amy Grass*
Jimmy Smith – David Rossetti*
Trevor Graydon – Andy Planck*
Mrs. Meers – Justine Campbell-Elliott
Ching Ho – Roy Flores
Bun Foo – Jay Paranada
Muzzy van Hossmere – Debra Thais Evans
Alice – Megan Kane
Gloria – Lorinne Lampert*
Ruth – Jill Sesso
Miss Flannery – Katie Kester
Male ensemble: Ryan Finley, George Papas, Drew Pournelle, Frank Sansone
Female ensemble: Rebecca Dealy, Kristin Donnelly, Angelyn Faust, Lauren Kay

*appears courtesy Actors’ Equity Association

The Band: David Fletcher (drums, keyboards), Lilli Wosk (piano), John Kramer (trumpet), Rose Imperato (clarinet, sax), Jessica Egan (flute), Haran Barak (banjo/guitar), Dennis Michael Keefe (acoustic bass).

Pictured: The company of The Gallery Players production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

“A shining example of verve and ingenuity. Every performance is heartfelt. Director Neal J. Freeman orchestrates the scene transitions with a seamless fluidity that puts the original overproduced Broadway production to shame.” -Heather J. Violanti, nytheatre.com

“Catching a performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie is quite possibly the most fun thing you can do with your clothes on in Park Slope this month. From start to finish, this musical does not disappoint.” -Mike McLaughlin, The Brooklyn Paper

The Gallery Players continues its rich ‘Broadway in Brooklyn’ tradition this January with Thoroughly Modern Millie! Just named one of The Brooklyn Papers’ 90 to watch in 09, The Gallery Players will be dancing the Charleston into 2009 with the zany 1920′s musical that won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Musical – January 31-February 22, 2009.

Taking place in New York City in 1922, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of young Millie Dillmount, who has just moved to the city in search of a new life for herself. It’s a New York full of intrigue and jazz – a time when women were entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever. Based on the popular movie, the stage version of Thoroughly Modern Millie includes a full score of new songs and bright dance numbers. Filled with frisky flappers, dashing leading men and a dragon-lady of a villainess audiences will love to hate, Thoroughly Modern Millie is a perfectly constructed evening of madcap merriment. Thoroughly Modern Millie features a Book by Richard Henry Morris and Dick Scanlan, New Music by Jeanine Tesori and New Lyrics by Dick Scanlan, not to mention signature tap numbers reminiscent of the Golden Age of Broadway: “The Speed Test,” and “Forget About the Boy.”

Neal J. Freeman, last season’s acclaimed director of The Wild Party, eagerly returns to The Jazz Age to direct this ‘love song’ to New York City: “Set in the 1920′s, Thoroughly Modern Millie reminds us that New York is and has always been the place you go to make your dreams come true. Millie’s journey to find herself and hit it big in the big city is one that will be familiar to many of our audience members, and it is one shared by many of the cast and crew members working on the show. Listening to Muzzy van Hossmere sing her love for the city in “Only in New York” reminds me why I came here, and why I’ve stayed around. It’s a special privilege to bring this wonderful show back to the city that inspired it.”

Pictured (l to r): Andy Planck (Trevor Graydon) and Alison Luff (Millie) in The Gallery Players production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Read Alison Luff’s “Seeing Stars” interview on UnitedStages.com.

NOTE: All remaining performances are SOLD OUT

Performance Schedule
Saturday, January 31st at 8 pm – opening night
Sunday, February 1st at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, February 5th at 8 pm
Friday, February 6th at 8 pm
Saturday, February 7th at 8 pm
Sunday, February 8th at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, February 12th at 8 pm
Friday, February 13th at 8 pm
Saturday, February 14th at 2 pm – matinee
Saturday, February 14th at 8 pm
Sunday, February 15th at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, February 19th at 8 pm
Friday, February 20th at 8 pm
Saturday, February 21st at 2 pm – matinee
Saturday, February 21st at 8 pm
Sunday, February 22nd at 3 pm- final performance

December 6-21, 2008
by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams

“Justin Barnette and Brian Letchworth, the show’s only actors, run frantically between scenes and expertly jostle between costume changes without any glitches…A Tuna Christmas is well worth a visit. I left with that fantastic feeling in my stomach after I’d been laughing for two hours, and I am still chuckling at the sight of that purple tracksuit. I fear I will be giggling at that for days to come.”
-Sarah Portlock, The Brooklyn Paper

“The funniest aspect of this very, very enjoyable production is the copious drag. The two men do women so well it’s downright scary…A Tuna Christmas is like the perfect holiday gift: not expensive, not overblown, but well thought out and presented with a great deal of affection.”
-Steve Weinstein, EDGE New York

Producer: Robin Mishik-Jett/The Gallery Players
Director: Andrew K. Russell
Production Stage Manager: Erika Omundson
Assoc. Producer: Graham Mills
Set Designer: Edward Morris
Lighting Designer: Maureen Hanratty
Props Master: Nicole Gaignat
Costume Designer: Dawn Luna
Sound Designer: David Roy
ASM/Props Assistant: DaVonne Bacchus

Pictured (l to r): Brian Letchworth and Justin Barnette* in A Tuna Christmas. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Starring:

Justin Barnette*
Brian Letchworth

*courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

The Gallery Players ring in the holidays with the affectionate satire of small-town southern life, A Tuna Christmas. Bring the whole family down to The Gallery Players for this limited holiday engagement December 6-21, 2008!

Pictured (l to r): Justin Barnette* and Brian Letchworth in A Tuna Christmas. Photo by Bella Muccari.

In this hilarious sequel to Greater Tuna, it’s Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas. Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including hot competition in the annual lawn display contest. In other news, the voracious Joe Bob Lipsey’s production of “A Christmas Carol” is jeopardized by unpaid electric bills. Many colorful Tuna denizens, some you will recognize from Greater Tuna join in the holiday fun. Audiences who have and who have not seen Greater Tuna will enjoy this laugh filled evening. A Tuna Christmas has been called, “A hoot!” by The New York Times, and the NY Post exclaimed, “So funny it could make a raccoon laugh affectionately at Davy Crockett…. It’s far too good for just Christmas.”

“I remembered our local theater back in Indiana doing all the TUNA plays and thought to myself, ‘why not return to this tiny Texas town for a spell?’” says director Andrew K. Russell. “I forgot how funny the plays were and then re-read this script and couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud. The challenge of directing two actors playing over 20 roles was also appealing.”

Mr. Russell directs performers Justin Barnette* and Brian Letchworth in hilarious fast-paced portrayals of twenty some-odd lively characters from Tuna, Texas.

Pictured (l to r): Justin Barnette* and Brian Letchworth in A Tuna Christmas. Photo by Bella Muccari.

Performance schedule:

Saturday, December 6th at 8:00 pm – opening night
Sunday, December 7th at 3:00 pm
Thursday, December 11th at 8:00 pm
Friday, December 12th at 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 13th at 2:00 pm
Saturday, December 13th at 8:00 pm
Sunday, December 14th at 3:00 pm
Thursday, December 18th at 8:00 pm
Friday, December 19th at 8:00 pm
Saturday, December 20th at 2:00 pm
Saturday, December 20th at 8:00 pm
Sunday, December 21st at 3:00 pm

A New Musical

Book and Lyrics by Sammy Buck
Music by Daniel S. Acquisto
October 18 – November 9, 2008

“Grab your Metrocards, because this season’s best new musical isn’t on the Great White Way — it’s in Brooklyn!”
-Mark Peikert, Backstage

“Like You Like It is a fun filled show and is perfect for when you want something Shakespeare but with an 80′s beat and a teenage vibe. Everything about the show is delightful, from the cast to the music to the source material.”
-Amy Freeman, offoffonline.com

“[This] is one of those productions where you find yourself actually laughing out loud without realizing it. The cast members, singing without microphones, belt out the numbers and put on a performance as grand as if they were in a much bigger theater, both in size and scale. I got so mixed up in their drama that I lost all sense of being anywhere but in Arden Mall.”
-Sarah Portlock, The Brooklyn Paper

Producer: Heather Siobhan Curran/The Gallery Players
Director: Igor Goldin
Choreographer: Keith Andrews
Musical Director: Jeffrey Campos
Set Designer: Carl Tallent
Costume Designer: Hunter Kaczorowski
Lighting Designer: Dan Jobbins
Production Stage Manager: Kayla Shriner-Cahn
Assoc. Producer: Marissa Rosenblum
Assistant Stage Manager: Estie S. Sarvasy

The cast of Like You Like It. Photo by Jennifer Maufrais Kelly.

Cast:

Rosalind Duke: Alison Luff
Orlando Bateman: Nathan Johnson
Celia Duke: Hollis Scarborough*
Jackie West: Jennifer Blood*
Eddie van Beethoven: Lance Olds*
Oliver Bateman: Clint Morris*
Audrey Shepherd: Caitlin Kent
Walter “Touchtone” James: Trey Compton*
Sylvie Feldman: Brynn Curry
Phil Lipschitz: Michael Lowney*

Jock: Richard Connelly
Foreign Exchange Student: Roy Flores
Jock: André Jordan
Freshman: Jeff Barba
Goth Girl: Lena Moy-Borgen
Neckbrace Girl: Elisabeth Ness
Mallory: Rebecca Dealy
Tiffany: Carly Vernon

*denotes member AEA

Pictured (l to r): Hollis Scarborough* as Celia, Trey Compton* as Touchtone and Alison Luff as Rosalind in Like You Like It. Photo by Jennifer Maufrais Kelly.

All the world’s a mall in this popular musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Sammy Buck and Daniel S. Acquisto’s 1980s-style Like You Like It. A totally awesome mix of Shakespeare and John Hughes, this romantic musical comedy enjoys its second chance at a first full New York production after being an audience favorite at NYMF in 2004. With all the excitement of High School Musical, Like You Like It is filled with memorable tunes, a hip sense of humor, pure joy and a huge heart. The show is directed by Igor Goldin, who directed a recent production of Like You Like It at Theater Under The Stars and last year’s heralded production of Yank! at The Gallery Players.

Theatremania’s Peter Filichia stated, “Like You Like It deserves great success, too, and will wind up being produced extensively in high schools – but not for years, for a boffo Broadway run will undoubtedly come first.”

Like You Like It is set in 1985, and the brand new Arden Mall is hosting a high school dance. Bookworm babe Rosalind wants to go with varsity wrestler Orlando, but she’s never had the guts to talk to him. Rosalind disguises herself as a frat dude named Corey and learns Orlando’s true feelings for her. But things get tricky when “Corey” complicates the lives of three other couples at Arden. Rosalind will do anything to get Orlando, even if it means showing up at the dance as both herself and Corey. With twists and turns to the very end, it all works out Like You Like It!

Pictured: Alison Luff as Rosalind (disguised as Corey) with cast members of Like You Like It. Photo by Jennifer Maufrais Kelly.

Performance Schedule Extended by popular demand!
Saturday, October 18th at 8 pm – opening night- sold out!
Sunday, October 19th at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, October 23rd at 8 pm
Friday, October 24th at 8 pm
Saturday, October 25th at 8 pm
Sunday, October 26th at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, October 30th at 8 pm
Friday, October 31st at 8 pm – Halloween- wear a costume!
Saturday, November 1st at 2 pm – matinee w/author talkback
Saturday, November 1st at 8 pm
Sunday, November 2nd at 3 pm – matinee
Thursday, November 6th at 8 pm
Friday, November 7th at 8 pm
Saturday, November 8th at 2 pm – matinee
Saturday, November 8th at 8 pm
Sunday, November 9th at 3 pm- final performance!

Jennifer Blood* as Jackie West (center) and the cast of Like You Like It. Photo by Jennifer Maufrais Kelly.

Click below to hear the podcast from Broadway Bullet featuring the authors, the director and a special podcast performance by cast members Alison Luff and Nathan Johnson!
Listen to the Broadway Bullet podcast featuring Like You Like It.

Sammy Buck (bookwriter & lyricist) and Daniel S. Acquisto (composer) are the 2007 winners of a Talking Broadway Summer Theatre Festival citation for Outstanding New Musical for their show The Seven-Year B*tch and the 2004 winners of The National Music Theater Network and The Theater for the American Musicals’ inaugural New Voices Prize for Like You Like It.

Like You Like It was most recently produced at Theatre Under The Stars in Houston, TX, in collaboration with Sam Houston State University. The show was also an official selection of the 2006 Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theatre and an audience favorite at the 2004 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Sammy and Daniel have developed Like You Like It at the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop and the Dramatists Guild’s Jonathan Larson Musical Theatre Fellowship Program, working under the invaluable tutelage of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and mentors David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr. Like You Like It has been workshopped at NYU and the McCadden Theatre in LA, and has had readings at the York Theatre, the Village Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals in Issaquah, WA, and Musical Mondays at the Century Center in New York. “Bucquisto” songs have been performed at the N.E.O. Benefit at the York Theatre, Broadway Bound at Merkin Hall, NAMT/ASCAP’s “In The Wings” at the NAMT Festival, and Any Minute Now’s “A Beat Ahead” series. Their song “Be With Me” is featured on the N.E.O. at the York Theatre CD, performed by Matt Cavenaugh, and was recently sung by Anthony Rapp in the New Globe Theater’s Variations on Shakespeare: An Evening of Songs Inspired by the Bard benefit.

by Carl Sternheim, adapted by Steve Martin
September 13-28, 2008

Producers: Lara Terrell & Tom Wojtunik for The Gallery Players
Director: Seth Soloway
Production Stage Manager: Jodi Witherell
Assistant Director: Stefanie Horowitz
Assistant Stage Manager: DaVonne Bacchus
Set Designer: Stephen K. Dobay
Costume Designer: Danielle Schembre
Lighting Designer: Tony Galaska
Sound Designer: Ned Thorne

Pictured (l to r): Nat Cassidy and Amy L. Smith in The Gallery Players production of The Underpants. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

The Cast

Louise Maske: Catia Ojeda*
Theo Maske: Justin Herfel*
Gertrude Deuter: Amy L. Smith
Frank Versati: Nat Cassidy*
Benjamin Cohen: Jason Schuchman*
Klinglehoff: Peter Levine*
Visitor #1: Dennis Michael Keefe
Visitor #2: DaVonne Bacchus

*Appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association

Pictured: Catia Ojeda in The Gallery Players production of The Underpants. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Steve Martin, the renowned comic actor and author provides a wild satire adapted from the classic German play about Louise and Theo Maske, a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louise’s bloomers fall down in public. Though she pulls them up quickly, he thinks the incident will cost him his job as a government clerk. Louise’s momentary display does not result in the feared scandal but it does attract two infatuated men, each of whom wants to rent the spare room in the Maskes’ home. Oblivious of their amorous objectives, Theo splits the room between them, happy to collect rent from both the foppish poet and the whiny hypochondriac.

Pictured (l to r): Jason Schuchman and Justin Herfel in The Gallery Players production of The Underpants. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Seth Soloway, artistic director at The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, directs. Additional directing credits include: Two Rooms, Twelfth Night, Antigone and the New York premiere of Survival by Jeremy Basescu. On directing The Underpants for The Gallery Players, Mr. Soloway says: “During an election season in which we are inundated with issues ranging from health care and foreign policy strategy, versus someone’s age and what their pastor said, I cannot think of a more fitting and fun farce to take Gallery’s stage than The Underpants. Steve Martin creates a world where a new King has just been crowned, yet all the characters have one chief concern: underwear. This hilarious play will not only provide audiences with the Steve Martin that they expect, but it will also serve as a mirror to the world we live in today.”

“Sometimes, all you’re really in the mood for is a good, hearty laugh…The Gallery Players’ new production of The Underpants is just that kind of fun…The Underpants [is] a delight, a great value, and, most of all, the perfect respite from the seriousness of real life.”
-Sarah Portlock, The Brooklyn Paper

Pictured (l to r): Catia Ojeda and Nat Cassidy in The Gallery Players production of The Underpants. Photo by Jen Maufrais Kelly.

Performance schedule:

Saturday, September 13th at 8:00 pm – opening night
Sunday, September 14th at 3:00 pm
Thursday, September 18th at 8:00 pm
Friday, September 19th at 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 20th at 2:00 pm
Saturday, September 20th at 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 21st at 3:00 pm
Thursday, September 25th at 8:00 pm
Friday, September 26th at 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 27th at 2:00 pm
Saturday, September 27th at 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 28th at 3:00 pm

Freestyle Repertory Theatre returns to The Gallery Players with their popular family show, TheatreSports™! The completely improvised show is presented as a good-natured competition between two teams of quick-witted actors who challenge each other to create scenes on the spot. Individual scenes are based on audience suggestions, and often willing audience members actually come up on stage to help out.

TheatreSports™ remaining 2009-2010 performance dates. All are Sundays at noon.

Jan. 31
Feb. 21
March 21
April 11
May 2
May 23

Ticket are $8 and are available at the door (cash only). Parents get in free!

“Kooks on the loose” The New York Times
“A favorite with young audiences” New York Post
“It’s great family entertainment.” New York Newsday
“An innovative approach to children’s theater” Big Apple Parents’ Paper