"LEGALLY BLONDE" HAS A GREAT STORY TO TELL

Amy Ward, seated, is Elle Woods and Niki Boyer Swatski is Paulette in the Ephrata Performing Arts Center's production of "Legally Blonde: The Musical," opening Thursday at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.  

On his public radio show, “This American Life,” Ira Glass recently remarked that he learned a lot about storytelling by going to musical theater a lot as a kid.

If you want a great example of what Glass is talking about, then check out “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” opening Thursday (7/24 – tomorrow!) at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

A lawyer’s daughter, Amanda Brown wrote the novel “Legally Blonde,” based on her own experiences at Stanford Law School. It told a great story about a young woman who, because of personal heartbreak, works hard to get into law school – a place decidedly outside her comfort zone. Once there, she must defy other people’s stereotypical view of her as a dumb-blonde sorority alumna. And she learns that, once she stops trying to conform and decides to be true to herself and the gifts she recognizes in herself, she can triumph and be useful in ways beyond anything she’d previously imagined.

The 2001 film, “Legally Blonde,” changed some of the details, but kept true to that wonderful story about Elle Woods, a protagonist the audience can’t help falling in love with and rooting for.

The musical takes that great story and layers on songs, dance numbers and extra complexity to some of the other characters we all loved from the movie.

You’ll love the story of Elle Woods; her dog, Bruiser (played at EPAC by an adorable, rescued Chihuahua who’s available for adoption at the end of the run of the show!); her college BFFs; her manicurist buddy, Paulette; the men in her life, and her Harvard Law School frenemies. Director/choreographer Cody Smith, an EPAC veteran (as performer, director and choreographer), has assembled a young, talented cast that fills the stage with energy, great dance moves and clever, catchy songs.

It’s a fun show with a lot of heart and a great message about self-confidence, defying other’s expectations, not judging a book by its cover and being true to oneself.

And, at its core, “Legally Blonde: The Musical” has a great story to tell. Call 733-7966 or visit our website, and get your ticket today (the show runs till Aug. 9). Oh-my-God-you-guys! Let this great cast tell you a wonderful story!

--Merv Wright

  

'Sunday in the Park' connects with audiences

Have you ever had a bright, bold new idea that no one else at the office understood or embraced? Have you ever had to make a difficult choice between two important things – or people – in your life?

Have you ever felt like your creative energy was at a low ebb, or that you can’t find a new voice or vision in your work? Have you ever felt like you don’t live up to the standards of your ancestors who went before you? 

If you’ve experienced at least one of these feelings – and who among us hasn’t? – you’ll find something to connect deeply with in EPAC’s production of “Sunday in the Park with George,” playing now through Saturday at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

The musical presents a version of what composer Stephen Sondheim and writer (and Franklin & Marshall College alumnus) James Lapine imagined artist Georges Seurat’s life might have been like – along with the lives of the characters in his paintings, and those of Seurat’s descendants, if he’d had any.

The show also explores how Seurat rebelled against the French art establishment by using pointillist techniques – replacing the Impressionists’ brush strokes with dots of pure color arranged in such a way that the human eye would “combine” the dots to see blended colors and shimmering light in his painting. The show is also about the heart-rending sacrifices an artist must sometimes make in his personal life.

And the musical is about Seurat’s (fictional) artist great-grandson in America, also named George, who has lost his unique vision amid his mad scramble to woo patrons and attract commissions. 

Sondheim’s music is glorious, and Lapine’s book is emotional and thought-provoking. Many audience members have regretted leaving their Kleenex at home!

And EPAC has pulled out all the stops to make this a memorable production of a wonderful musical. You’ll be delighted with the show’s creative vision, the acting, the singing, the musicianship, the set and the costumes. Kudos to the cast, crew, creative team and musicians who have been “Putting it Together” for weeks, to the delight of audiences and critics.

The show only runs through this Saturday, May 17^th. You do NOT want to miss your chance to see this show that EPAC audiences will be talking about for years.

Thanks to EPAC’s season sponsor, BlueRidge Communications, and “Sunday’s” show co-sponsors, Lily’s on Main and SugarArts at Donecker's. When you patronize these sponsors, or run into their employees, please give them a huge "THANK YOU!!" for supporting “theater that matters” at Ephrata Performing Arts Center.

Order your tickets to “Sunday in the Park …” online, or call the box office at (717) 733-7966.

-       -- Merv Wright 

2012 brings variety, mirth, music and drama at EPAC

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT EPAC IN 2012!

Wow. Just … wow!

The Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s marvelous 2011 season is still in full swing, and yet there’s already a whole new slate of fabulous shows to look forward to at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre in 2012!

You’ll be hearing a lot more about all these shows soon. But, for now, here’s the varied and exciting rundown:

Feb. 3-12, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast, Jr.”

The lovely and bookish Belle wants to escape her provincial life. The Beast wants to break a curse and return to his former self. Each has something to teach the other. All that … and the teapot and the candlesticks come to singing, dancing life for your entertainment. The whole family will love this heartwarming Family-Series musical at EPAC.

March 8-24, “Next to Normal”

I’ve heard wonderful things about this musical, which concerns how a family copes with a woman’s mental illness in the aftermath of tragedy. Friends who saw it on Broadway couldn’t stop talking about this show; they said it was amazing, intense, overwhelming … the effusive adjectives went on and on. I can’t wait to see what they’ve been talking about. This show won both the 2010 Pulitizer Prize for drama – only the eighth musical ever to get the honor – and Tony Awards including Best Score, so you know it’s firing on all cylinders!

April 25-May 12, “Xanadu”

You know you’re hearing Olivia Newton-John sing “Xanadu” in your mind right now, amid visions of leg warmers, roller skates and disco glory. This big, beautiful, campy show, about a Mount Olympus muse who inspires an artist to create a roller disco – with the muse’s jealous sisters causing trouble along the way – is filled with happy music and disco delights. And, bonus!: Its book is by Pennsylvania native Douglas Carter Beane, who wrote that EPAC on the Edge sensation, “The Little Dog Laughed.”

June 7-23, “Blithe Spirit”

I saw this classic comedy play by Noel Coward years ago in my hometown, and was completely captivated by the story of a married novelist; the eccentric medium he hires to perform a séance, and the vexing ghost of the novelist’s annoying late first wife, who suddenly begins appearing only to him. Marital mayhem and general zaniness ensue in this ghostly romp. Once you’ve met the medium, Madame Arcati (played in the recent Broadway revival by Angela Lansbury), you’ll never forget her!

July 19-August 4, “The Who’s Tommy”

Rock out with EPAC as The Who’s famed fable of the traumatized Tommy and his “Pinball Wizard” arcade superstardom comes to life on the Sharadin Bigler stage. You’ve seen how well EPAC handles such rock fare as “Rent,” so you won’t want to miss the chance to see what the troupe does with “Tommy.” This show will take Boomers like me back to their youth, and grab a whole new generation of theatergoers – taking us all on a thrilling, theatrical ride.

Sept. 6-22, “The Night of the Iguana”

Tennessee Williams wrote masterful plays that demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, his deep understanding of all aspects of human nature. In this work, set in a seedy Mexican hotel, an agitated defrocked minister tries to function as a tour guide while dealing with the attentions of three very different women. Ed Fernandez has been longing to sink his directorial teeth into this drama for a long time; we can’t wait to see the results.

Oct. 25-Nov. 10, To Be Announced: A Tony Award-winning, contemporary pop/rock musical

The folks at EPAC can’t yet tell you the title of this show yet. But you’ll be thrilled when they ARE able to announce it. More on this show later!!

Dec. 6-22, “Anything Goes”

Cole Porter’s classic musical about the shipboard antics of a wide variety of characters – from stowaway Billy Crocker to heiress Hope Harcourt to nightclub singer Reno Sweeney – is as popular today as it ever was. It’s no accident that this musical has had so many recent revivals; it’s a real crowd-pleaser, filled with Porter standards (and meaty roles for the actors!).

For information about subscribing to the new season, visit the EPAC website. Current subscribers can renew here.

"Beauty and the Beast, Jr." auditions, for those ages 5-16, are Saturday, Nov. 12; see the website for details, and click here to register.

Auditions for the rest of the new season will be held Jan. 7-11. Check the website for details soon.

The annual party for subscribers will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28.

And, don’t forget … it’s still 2011, and there’s plenty of entertainment yet in store on the Sharadin Bigler stage! “Evil Dead: The Musical” runs through Nov. 6. If you missed EPAC’s fantastic production of “The Vagina Monologues” last year, you won’t want to miss your chance again. Sharon Mellinger is again directing this funny, heartwarming play, with new monologues and a new cast. It runs Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12.

And you can celebrate the holidays in style with those singing, dancing felines of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats,” running Dec. 8-23.

And, P.S., don't forget to check the website for information on EPAC's online auction. There are some great prizes to bid on, including a stay at a resort in Rehoboth Beach and golf and fitness packages.

-- Mary Ellen ("Merv") Wright

BE A "DEAD"-HEAD, AT EPAC!

The cast of "Evil Dead: The Musical" provides an evening of gory-good fun at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

TRY TO DISMEMBER ...

The chainsaw, the blood and the laughs will be flying around the stage of the Sharadin Bigler Theatre beginning Thursday night, as the Ephrata Performing Arts Center presents “Evil Dead: The Musical” as its Halloween offering for the 2011 season.

The musical embraces – and winks at – the classic-horror tropes of those campy, gore-filled, Sam Raimi-directed “Evil Dead” movies of the 1980s.

Five teenagers travel to a cabin in the woods – if you’ve ever seen a slasher film in your life, you know THAT scenario isn’t going to end well – where most of them wind up being possessed by demons.

And, as everyone, no doubt, knows, the only way a housewares employee like Ash (played at EPAC by Brian Virea) can deal with flesh-possessing demons is to dismember his zombified friends.

If all that isn’t in-your-face enough, you might want to purchase special $30 tickets in the “Splatter Zone” – front-row, on-stage seating that's closest to the mock-macabre action! You’ll be given a plastic poncho – and you’ll need it, when the gore starts flying.

With songs like “I’m Not a Killer,” “It Won’t Let Us Leave” and “What the F@#% Was That?”, “Evil Dead” will fill your evening with crazy, over-the-top Halloween fun.

Edward R. Fernandez directs. Here’s the rest of the cast list for the show.

NOTE: THIS SHOW IS BEST ENJOYED BY THOSE AGES 17 AND UP; it contains ADULT language and situations.

The show runs through Saturday, Nov. 5., with a midnight show on Saturday, Oct. 29, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Nov. 5. Other showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Prices for the midnight show only are $35 for regular seating and $40 for the “Splatter Zone.” Those tickets include light refreshments and adult beverages before the show.

Visit the EPAC website to order tickets online, or call 733-7966, Ext. 1, for the box office.

We’d like to salute Bob and Doreen Hershey and all the scaremasters at Jason’s Woods, that granddaddy of Lancaster County haunted attractions, for consulting on the special effects and for helping EPAC promote the show.

EPAC board vice president Jim Ruth and I recently braved the dark halls, trails and hayride of Jason’s Woods, and had a marvelous time having frightening creatures jump out at us in the dark. One of those creatures, it turned out, was Jim’s nephew!

After you check out “Evil Dead: The Musical,” go check out Jason’s Woods. It, too, is for grownups who like a good scare!

From Blood to Beer

Your ticket to opening night of “Evil Dead: The Musical” entitles you to attend the opening-night party at the Olde Lincoln House, 1398 W. Main St., Ephrata. The EPAC family would like to thank the proprietors there, along with party sponsor Green Mountain Cyclery, for giving the cast and patrons a place to chillax after a bloody-good evening at the theater.

Be our guest … and audition!

Calling all kids and teens, ages 5-16, who’d like to be involved in the theater!

Come out and audition for “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” from 1-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12. Click here to fill out an audition form.

Callbacks are at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14. Performances are Feb. 2-12, with a school-day performance on Feb. 9.

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

AMISH GRACE ON THE EPAC STAGE

"The Amish Project" ... this weekend only!

Remember how shocking the news of the Nickel Mines shootings of Amish children was five years ago – Oct. 2, 2006? And, afterward, remember the amazing stories of how the Amish both forgave the gunman and offered condolences to his family?

A fictional exploration of the aftermath of the shootings, “The Amish Project,” will be presented this weekend ONLY at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. Friday night’s performance is a benefit, with a reception preceding.

Sharon “Sharona” Mellinger, who has lit up the Ephrata Performing Arts Center stage for years as a director and actor, is directing this profound piece of theater Friday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 2.

Sharona recently described the play to EPAC board Vice President Jim Ruth: “This is not a re-enactment. It focuses mainly on the aftermath of the horrible crime. There is nothing graphic, but there are some uncomfortable ideas expressed. All of the characters are fictional, although representative of both the Amish and the English communities.”

While playwright Jessica Dickey’s “The Amish Project” was originally performed as a one-woman show in New York, EPAC’s production assigns an actor to each role.

Kayla Hall and Lauren Elledge will portray Anna and Velda, two of the young Amish victims.

Matt Good appears as Eddie Stuckey, the gunman, and Matt’s real-life wife, Kathy Robb, is Carol Stuckey, the gunman’s widow.

Paola Gonzalez will play America, a young Hispanic grocery clerk; Robyn Payne appears as Sherry, a non-Amish neighbor, and Larry Gessler will play Bill North, a scholar on Amish culture.

Friday night’s 7:30 p.m. performance is a benefit for the Children’s Miracle Network. Tickets for that performance are $24 per person, and include a wine-and-cheese reception from 6-7 p.m. Thanks to Hershey Medical Center for sponsoring the evening!

Tickets for the other two performances – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, and 2 p.m. Oct. 2 – are $15 for adults and $8 for students with a current ID.

For tickets and information, visit the website or call the box office at (717) 733-7966, Ext. 1.

-- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

'EQUUS': EPAC'S MANE EVENT!

Photo by Andy Babin, for the Sharadin Bigler Theatre

EPAC's 'EQUUS' OPENS THURSDAY

Alan Strang, a 17-year-old boy in Britain, keeps a picture of a horse in his room. He likes horses so much that he has taken a job mucking out stalls at a local stable.

And, for reasons unknown, this boy who likes horses has blinded six of the animals with a metal spike.

A magistrate who has been dealing with Alan’s case sends him to a psychiatric hospital, where Dr. Martin Dysart must try to find out the reasons behind the boy’s heinous act – and try to help him heal. Alan’s condition sets Dysart on a voyage of self-discovery, as well.

So begins “Equus,” Peter Shaffer’s marvelous, challenging play, which the creative team at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center is unbridling and allowing to gallop upon the Sharadin Bigler Theatre stage beginning Thursday night.

OK. The horse puns stop right here. This play is too deep, too layered, too thought-provoking for that.

This is definitely a play for grownups, and not just because of the famous nude scene involving two of its characters. The late New York Times theater critic Walter Kerr said it well when he called the play “… a psychiatric detective story of infinite skill.” I’d definitely recommend this play for mature audiences only; it is psychologically complex (though eminently accessible); has full male and female nudity in one scene, and employs some curse words throughout.

I saw one of the final rehearsals of EPAC’s production, directed by Elizabethtown College theater professor Michael Swanson, and found it fascinating and moving. I saw the play years ago in Lancaster, but had forgotten so much about how beautifully Shaffer makes his plot unfold. With each piece of information, we tread farther into the psyches of Dysart, played by EPAC artistic director Ed Fernandez, and Alan, portrayed by Jeremy Ebert.

The play is about so many things: self-awareness, religion, parenting, pathology, envy, the things that influence a child’s psychological development, the Big-Question thoughts that can plague people at mid-life, and so much more.

Who is the patient here, and who is the counselor? Is Dysart practicing the healing, or harming, arts?

And then, there are those cool horses! They’ll come to life, right before your eyes, with headpieces and hooves -- and equine movement choreographed by Cody Smith.

The interesting, multi-functional set is by E-town College’s Richard Wolf-Spencer, and the lovely, effective lighting is by New York designer Josh Starr (who happens to be the nephew of EPAC regular Bob Checchia). More on the creative team in future posts.

You can see the rest of the cast listed here.

If you love to open your mind to Tony Award-winning, challenging and interesting material, “Equus” will be a great night at the theater for you. It opens this Thursday (Sept. 8) and ends Saturday, Sept. 17.

Call the EPAC box office, 733-7966, Ext. 1, or visit the Website to order tickets.

Stay tuned in the next few days for more blog posts about all the great fall events at EPAC.

-- by Mary Ellen ("Merv") Wright

MEET THE "LOST IN YONKERS" FAMILY!

From left, Lynn Demers-Hunt, Barbara Strong Ellis, Brian Soutner and Bret Sassaman star in EPAC’s “Lost in Yonkers” June 2-11 at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

GET “LOST IN YONKERS,” AND BRING YOUR KLEENEX

If you or your family members have ever pondered why you’re all the way you are – and how your family dynamic, your upbringing and your past experiences have formed you – you’ll warmly embrace Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Lost in Yonkers.” The show, which opens tonight (Thursday, June 2), is both funny and heart-warming, and it will make you think empathetically about the pain some people experience just underneath their rough exteriors.

Simon also won the Tony and the Drama Desk awards for his 1991 play, which concerns the dysfunctional Kurnitz family of Yonkers, NY, in the 1940s. As the play unfolds, some of the reasons for the family’s interpersonal problems and quirky personalities reveal themselves as this group is thrown together under difficult circumstances. Eddie Kurnitz’s wife has died, and Eddie work out of town for several months to make money and satisfy a shady loan that paid for her treatment. He needs to entrust the temporary care of his two adolescent sons, Jay and Arty, to his tough-as-nails, immigrant mother, Grandma Kurnitz, and to his sweet but childlike sister, Bella. The action of the play takes place in tight living quarters above the Kurnitz family’s candy shop.

We also meet Eddie’s brother, Uncle Louie, a shady, small-time criminal who teaches his nephews plenty of life lessons despite himself, and Aunt Gert, who suffers from a breathing ailment that seems more psychological than physical.

You’ll love watching this Kurnitz family tapestry unravel through the eyes of its youngest members, Jay (played by Bret Sassaman) and Arty (Brain Soutner). These two young actors will delight you with their humorous take on the lessons they learn amid the crazy situation into which they’ve been thrown.

Barbara Strong Ellis thoroughly inhabits the role of Grandma Kurnitz. Her stern, Germanic presence may frighten you the way it chills her children and grandchildren. But look beneath the unlikeable exterior and listen to a bit of her life story as the play progresses; you’ll come to a kinder understanding of this formidable woman. Lynn Demers-Hunt plays Bella beautifully, revealing a childlike confusion and a deep need to give and receive love. Watching these two women gradually try to come to a mutual understanding in their complicated relationship will absolutely break your heart.

Bob Checcia is clearly having a great time sinking his teeth into the role of the hilarious, swaggering Louie – who is a real character, and who has some of the funniest lines in the play. You’ll swear he and Bruce Weaver, who plays Eddie, are really brothers! Weaver brings out a more sentimental side of the Kurnitz family – cultivated, no doubt, through the outside ministrations of Eddie’s late wife. And though Sharon Mellinger’s role is relatively small, she makes a big impression as the stylish but damaged Gert – who tries to help everyone in the family get along.

Kudos to everyone involved in the production, from director Rich Repkoe and stage manager Terry Kreider to costume designer Veronica Craig, propmistress Fran Hill, set designer Matt McCormick and lighting designer Richard Wolf-Spencer. And thanks to light-board operator Kate Morgan, technical director/master electrician Stephanie Witman and master carpenter Steve Schelling.

Open your heart to the Kurnitz family, now through June 11 at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. And bring your Kleenex.

WATCH THE VIDEO, THANK OUR SPONSORS

You can see Blue Ridge Communication’s wonderful video preview of “Lost in Yonkers,” which features scenes from the show and interviews with the actors and the director, here.

Thanks to Blue Ridge Communications, as always, for the great video promos, and for being EPAC's season media sponsor. Thanks, also, to Terry Bigler, Terry Kurtz and Zeller Travel, the 2011 season sponsors, and to H&R Block and the Ray H. Good Business Center, 114 E. Main St., Suite B, Ephrata, for sponsoring "Lost in Yonkers."

The theater also extends its appreciation to the Olde Lincoln House for being the venue for the opening-night celebration on June 2, and to Green Mountain Cyclery for sponsoring the shindig. That post-show celebration is included in the price of your opening-night ticket.

When you see representatives of these businesses at the theater or around town, PLEASE thank them for all they do for EPAC. We owe them so much!

And, when you're at the theater seeing "Lost in Yonkers," please come say hi to your humble EPAC blogger; I'll be wearing a different hat during the run of this show, that of temporary house manager (filling in for Terry Kreider, who is house-managing "Yonkers.") I love to meet members of the EPAC family!

# Mary Ellen (“Merv”) Wright

New beginnings & a night on the town

Laura McClune, Jordan Lausch are among the young performers who will present the "New Beginnings" cabaret at 2 p.m. Sunday at EPAC.

A cabaret, old chum

If you’re interested in supporting EPAC and in hearing some wonderful, contemporary musical theater/cabaret tunes you may have never heard before – performed by young, talented singers from the EPAC family – you’ll be in luck Sunday afternoon.

Check out the “New Beginnings” cabaret at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.

You’ll recognize the talented young EPAC performers who are presenting this program of new music; they’ve starred in EPAC productions from “High School Musical” to “Rent,” and from “Altar Boyz” to “Into the Woods.” Performing will be: Laura McClune, Jordan Lausch, Devin Lewis, Nando Lucena, Jil Wiley, Donovan Hoffer, Katelyn Candiello, Emily Addis and James Wolpert.

Their set list will include songs by hot young composers on the musical theater/cabaret scene: Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk (the team behind such original musicals as “The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown”); Ryan Scott Oliver (composer-lyricist of the musical “Mrs. Sharp”), and selections from Jon Hartmere Jr. and Damon Intrabartolo's pop opera, "Bare."

General-admission tickets are $5, with proceeds benefiting EPAC. Visit the website or call (717) 733-7966 for tickets.

On the town with an EPAC alum

This weekend, EPAC's New Year's Eve gala raffle winner Alixe Ingoglia will claim her prize. Alixe, who just finished doing props for EPAC's "Into the Woods," will be dining with EPAC alum, area native and Broadway/film/TV star Jonathan Groff.

Alixe and her mother will be picked up by Expressions Limousine of Lancaster and will be taken to Lily's on Main for dinner with Jonathan. They will also spend an evening at the Historic Smithton Inn. The event will be photographed by I ♥ PhotOlé.

EPAC thanks all of these companies for their services, sponsorship and support of the theater, and for helping make this a memorable weekend for our lucky raffle winner!

*** Also, check out Jonathan Groff's appearance on the MTV show "The Seven" at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 17. For more information on the show, visit the website.

--- Mary Ellen "Merv" Wright

IT'S ALL ABOUT "OF MICE AND MEN"!

Above: Rehearsing for EPAC's "Of Mice and Men" are, from left, Timothy Scott Riggs, Matt Rush and Megan Baum.A first-edition book cover of "Of Mice and Men," and a poster for the 1939 film version.

IT’S OPEN SEASON!

EPAC at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre ushers in its 2011 season with John Steinbeck’s dramatic Depression-era masterpiece “Of Mice and Men,” which runs from Feb. 24 to March 5. The show stars Tim Riggs as George and Matt Rush as Lennie – two characters who dream of finding a refuge from their lives as migrant workers. If you’re coming to the show on opening night, Thursday, Feb. 24, your ticket price includes the post-show Opening Night Celebration at Lily’s on Main, 124 E. Main St., Ephrata.

A WORD FOR OUR SPONSORS

EPAC extends its grateful thanks to the 2011 season sponsors, Terry Bigler and Terry Kurtz; to the "Of Mice and Men" show sponsors, The Anne Brossman Sweigart Charitable Foundation and the Lancaster Literary Guild, and to the sponsors of the Feb. 24 Opening Night Celebration, Jenn Farringon and everyone at Green Mountain Cyclery! If you see any of these people (or members of these organizations), please tell them how much you appreciate their support of live, community theater!

Speaking of the Lancaster Literary Guild: There's still time to join the Guild for its Sponsor Night Preview of the show, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23. The event is a fundraiser for the Guild, and also helps support EPAC. Tickets are $30 each. See the EPAC website for more information.

FOOD DRIVE FOR THOSE IN NEED

EPAC’s upcoming production, “Of Mice and Men,” is set during the Depression – a time of economic crisis and personal struggle similar to that being experienced by so many in our community today. To help those in the community who may be struggling to put food on the table, EPAC is holding a food drive for the Ephrata Area Social Services Food Bank throughout the run of “Of Mice and Men.”

All EPAC patrons who donate two or more nonperishable food items will be eligible to enter a drawing to win dinner at The Olde Lincoln House, Ephrata, and two tickets to any 2011 EPAC show. If you’re not attending “Of Mice and Men” but still want to donate, visit the EPAC website or call the box office, (717) 733-7966, extension 1, to find out when you can bring food donations to the theater.

STUDENT TICKETS FOR $10!

Student tickets for all performances of “Of Mice and Men” are just $10; a current student ID is required. Contact the EPAC box office, (717) 733-7966, extension 1, to reserve your seats. Seats are also still available for the school-day performance of the show, on Friday, March 4. Contact Stephanie Harley at sharley@dejazzd.com for more information.

“OF MICE AND MEN”: DID YOU KNOW …?

Ø John Steinbeck originally intended to call his 1937 novella “Something That Happened." He changed the name to “Of Mice and Men” after reading Robert Burns’ 1785 poem “To A Mouse …” That poem, in which the speaker expresses remorse that a mouse’s nest has been disturbed by a plough, contains the lines:
“The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men / Gang aft agley …” (which became the common saying, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”)

Ø John Steinbeck originally intended “Of Mice and Men” to be sort of a play in novella form. The structure of the book can be seen as three “acts” of two chapters apiece. Famed Broadway playwright and director George S. Kaufman contacted Steinbeck, soon after the publication of “Of Mice and Men,” about adapting the work to the stage.

Ø The first stage production of the work was written by Steinbeck and staged by Kaufman. Starring Wallace Ford as George and Broderick Crawford as Lennie, it opened on Broadway in November 1937 and ran for 207 performances.The play was revived on Broadway in 1974, with Kevin Conway as George and James Earl Jones as Lennie.

Ø The first film adaptation of “Of Mice and Men” (1939) starred Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie and Burgess Meredith as George, and earned four Oscar nominations (including Best Original Score for Aaron Copland, and Best Picture).

Ø In 1969, Carlisle Floyd wrote an opera based on the book; it is still produced around the country.

Ø February is a great month for EPAC to present this production. John Steinbeck was born Feb. 27, 1902, and the book was published Feb. 6, 1937.

# -- Merv Wright

EPAC veterans shine!

Above: EPAC veteran Eliseo Roman, portraying “Buddy Garcia,” rehearses with Georgi James (as “Olive”) for La Jolla Playhouse's world-premiere musical "Little Miss Sunshine." Photo from the North Country Times.

Below: Jonathan Groff in a scene from the film “Twelve Thirty.” Photo from the film’s official website.

WHAT’S NEW WITH A COUPLE OF EPAC ALUMNI …

Nonprofit community theater is many things … including a training ground for professional actors and Broadway stars. EPAC is no exception. Here’s what’s new with a couple of stellar EPAC veterans:

ELISEO ROMAN: Beginning tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 15), former EPAC actor (and Lancaster native) Eliseo Roman will be appearing in the world-premiere musical “Little Miss Sunshine” (based on the popular indie film) at the prestigious La Jolla Playhouse in California. You might remember Eliseo from such 1990s EPAC roles as Dr. Neville Craven in "The Secret Garden"; El Gallo in “The Fantasticks,” and Judas in “Jesus Christ, Superstar.” Now a New York City resident, Eliseo made his Broadway debut as Piragua Guy in the Tony-winning musical “In the Heights.” He also sings with Broadway Inspirational Voices.

“Little Miss Sunshine” was written by William Finn and James Lapine and is directed by Lapine (a Franklin & Marshall College graduate). Lapine wrote the book for the Stephen Sondheim musical, “Into the Woods,” being presented at EPAC April 28-May 14. The Finn/Lapine team also collaborated on “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a 2010 offering at EPAC.

You can see some rehearsal footage from "Little Miss Sunshine" on the website of the The San Diego Union-Tribune. Look for Eliseo at about the 2:20 mark.

JONATHAN GROFF: Fresh from his London West End debut, portraying Clifford Anderson in the play “Deathtrap,” Jonathan Groff can be seen in two upcoming films: “Twelve-Thirty” and “The Conspirator.”

Jonathan, who starred in “Batboy” and “Honk!” at EPAC, earned a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Melchior Gabor in “Spring Awakening” on Broadway, and has appeared as “Jesse St. James” on the TV show “Glee.” Jonathan also appeared in a benefit cabaret for the theater, and was a “prize” (well, a dinner with him) at the theater’s New Year’s Eve benefit raffle. EPAC appreciates Jonathan’s generosity in helping raise funds in order to put on future productions.

Jonathan received great reviews for his portrayal of Michael Lang in Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock." Starting this month, Jonathan can be seen as Jeff (a young man who affects all of the members of a broken family in the course of one week) in the Jeff Lipsky film “Twelve Thirty.” More information about the film (including a trailer featuring Jonathan) is available at the movie’s official website.

In “The Conspirator,” Jonathan portrays Louis Weichmann, one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution in the conspiracy trial surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. “The Conspirator,” a Robert Redford-directed film featuring Robin Wright and James McAvoy, is scheduled to open in April. More information about the film is available at the official website. You can see Jonathan briefly at about the 1:40 mark in the trailer for the film.

In addition, Jonathan recently came home to Lancaster County to visit his old middle school (where he first began acting). His visit was covered by the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era . Jonathan recently gave an interview to Playbill.com, in which he talked about “Deathtrap,” “Glee,” “Twelve-Thirty” and “The Conspirator.” You can read it here.

# -- Merv Wright