Auditions and a benefit event

CASTING CALL!

We all know that The Ephrata Performing Arts Center at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre has an extremely talented group of theater veterans performing in its shows. But the theater is always looking for new talent! Whether you're a long-time performer, or you've always had a hankering to try out but have never quite made it to auditions, EPAC wants to see you a couple of weeks from now.

EPAC will hold its general auditions for the second half of its 2011 season at the following times:

· 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.

· Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27.

· 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28

· 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1.

Volunteers are needed to help run the registration table and assist in other ways during the auditions; if you can help out, please e-mail your availability (days and times) to epac@ptd.net

Those interested in auditioning can get more information about the monologue/song they should prepare by visiting EPAC’s audition web page.

These are the summer, fall and holiday-season shows being cast:

· Two boys are left in the care of their grandmother and aunt in 1940s Yonkers, NY, in Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama “Lost in Yonkers.” The coming-of-age play, which opened on Broadway 20 years ago this month, runs June 2-11.

· EPAC reprises the razzle-dazzle of the popular Kander & Ebb musical “Chicago” from July 7-23. This Jazz Age tale of murder, fame and showbiz introduces us to merry murderesses Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, and their slick and clever lawyer, Billy Flynn.

· Four gay young men from a Baptist church in Dallas, Texas, search for acceptance in different ways in EPAC’s Monday, Aug. 8, staged reading of “Southern Baptist Sissies.” This play, part of the “EPAC On the Edge” series of staged readings (for adults only) was written by Del Shores (author of “Sordid Lives,” which EPAC presented during its 2006 season).

· A psychiatrist must discover why a teenage stable hand has attacked and blinded several horses in Peter Shaffer’s dark and complex Tony Award-winning play, “Equus,” being presented Sept. 8-17.

· EPAC’s Halloween gift to its audience this year is the campy, over-the-top “Evil Dead: The Musical,” set for Oct. 20-Nov. 5. A spoof of/homage to Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” movie franchise, the show concerns a group of students in a remote cabin, fighting off (and being possessed by) “Candarian demons.”

· The EPAC audience will go down “Memory” lane with the perennial feline favorite “Cats,” which is slated to run from Dec. 7-18). Which singing, dancing Jellicle Cat will be chosen to go up to the Heaviside Layer? Try out to find out!

To register for an audition time, fill out an EPAC audition form online.

EPAC Artistic Director Edward R. Fernandez notes that the age requirements for the casts of these shows are as follows:

· “Lost in Yonkers”: Two male teen actors, ages 13-15; other roles, adults ages 20 and up.

· “Chicago,” “Evil Dead: The Musical” and “Equus”: Ages 18 and up.

· “Cats”: Ages 13 and up.

· “The Evil Dead: The Musical”: Ages 18 and up.

BENEFIT FOR A VERY SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

All of the proceeds from the Women’s Club of Ephrata’s 60th Annual Dinner Dance and Auction will benefit EPAC’s Family Series production of the musical “13,” for those with hearing or sight impairments and those who are physically disabled. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12, in the Main Ballroom of the American Legion Home in Ephrata, with a cocktail hour (cash bar), followed by the dinner, dancing and an auction. Tickets are $60 per person; call Jean Brodt at 733-0318, or buy them in person from the EPAC Box Office or the Historic Smithton Inn Bed and Breakfast, 900 W. Main St., Ephrata. You can order tickets to the event by downloading an RSVP order form.

# -- Merv Wright

ANOTHER OP’NIN’, ANOTHER SHOW!

(Above: It's time to buy tickets to EPAC's 2011 season! Below: EPAC Board President Terry Bigler accepts the recent Subscriber Party audience's thanks for his financial support of the theater (which now bears his name, along with that of the late Michael Sharadin).

Welcome to the Ephrata Performing Arts Center’s exciting and varied 2011 season, filled with new shows and old favorites, with edgy staged readings and family fare. And all of these marvelous productions will be presented under the banner of a brand-new name for this storied performing space.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? A PAIR OF THEATER ANGELS!

You'll notice something different about the Ephrata Performing Arts Center during this 2011 season: The nonprofit community theater's name has been changed to the Ephrata Performing Arts Center at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. The theater’s new name is a tribute to EPAC's Ultra Angel, the The Michael Sharadin & Terry Bigler Foundation – a longtime season sponsor here at EPAC. The foundation, named for EPAC Board President Terry Bigler and the late Michael Sharadin, recently made a 10-year, $400,000 pledge of support toward helping EPAC pay off the mortgage debt from the extensive 2003-04 expansion and renovations to the theater. Sharadin and Bigler’s generosity will be celebrated each time a wonderful production is performed at the theater that now bears their names.

You, too, can help EPAC to retire its debt. The theater needs an additional $100,000 to guarantee the full repayment of the mortgage, and a renewed capital campaign is under way to achieve that goal. For more information on how to contribute to the capital campaign (or to sponsor a show or advertise in the program) call EPAC at 733-7966 or visit the website (under “Support EPAC”).

A SEASON OF CAT AND MOUSE

You might say the 2011 season starts with mice and ends with cats; it opens later this month with the play “Of Mice and Men,” and ends with a holiday-season production of the musical “Cats” in December. The season’s first production, “Of Mice and Men” -- the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck’s tragic novel of two migrant farm workers with a dream -- runs from Feb. 24 to March 5.

Opening night is just around the corner. Tickets are now available for individual productions, all of which are listed under the “Shows” menu on the website. Please consider buying one of the various season subscription packages, listed under the “Tickets” menu on the website. Subscribers enjoy discounts on ticket prices; priority seating in the theater; discounts on extra tickets; an invitation to the free, annual subscriber’s party/performance, and much more.

A LITERARY EVENING

EPAC appreciates the Lancaster Literary Guild’s sponsorship of “Of Mice and Men.” You can 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, which includes the show and a dessert buffet during intermission. Checks should be sent to: The Lancaster Literary Guild, 113 N. Lime St., Lancaster, PA 17602. Please make checks payable to the Lancaster Literary Guild, and write "Of Mice and Men" in the memo line. Those who are friends of the Literary Guild’s Facebook page can find more information on this event at: http://tiny.cc/vpnp4

WHO’S WHO?

EPAC is known for its talented roster of regular performers, and for the yearly addition of new players upon the stage. On the EPAC website, you can find the cast lists for the first three productions of the season:

§ "Of Mice and Men" (Feb. 24-March 5): http://www.ephrataplayhouseinthepark.org/mice_cast.html

§ The Family Series musical "13" (March 24 - April 2): http://www.ephrataplayhouseinthepark.org/13_cast.html

§ The Stephen Sondheim musical "Into the Woods" (April 28-May 14): http://www.ephrataplayhouseinthepark.org/woods_cast.html

You can find audition information for the second half of the season on EPAC’s website (under "Auditions"); there will be a separate blog post within the next couple of days about those auditions, so stay tuned!

WE NEED YOUR TALENT!

Being a non-profit community theater, EPAC survives and thrives on its enthusiastic volunteers – from the actors to the ushers, from the board members to the scene painters, from the stage crew to the folks who put up flyers and publicize the shows. But a lot more help is always needed from those who love this performing arts center and want to help it run more smoothly. Do you have mad computer skills? Are you fabulous at fundraising? Are you event-planning skills beyond compare? Then please consider being a volunteer; EPAC can use all the talents you have to offer. You’ll love being a part of the EPAC family, and knowing you’ve done your part to help this community theater produce the great art you’ve always admired. You can start the process by visiting the link below and filling out a volunteer form. Thank you, in advance!

http://www.formstack.com/forms/ephrataperformingartscenter-epac_participation_form

# -- Merv Wright