JTGR Presents: “One Night with Fanny Brice”

Written by Chip Deffaa
Directed by: Jean Reed Bahle
Musical Direction by: Alex Hammel
Show Dates: January 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 2015

Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids opens their 2014-15 season January 7-18, 2015 with a production of One Night with Fannie Brice by Chip Deffaa. This production is directed by Jean Reed Bahle, Music Direction by Alex Hammel and starring Sarah LaCroix.
Performances will be on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m in the intimate Black Box Theatre at Spectrum Theater, 160 Fountain ST NE in downtown Grand Rapids on the GRCC campus.

Tickets go on sale beginning December 8, 2014 for season subscribers and December 15 for all others. Be aware, however, that the Box Office (616-234-3946) will be closed from December 24-January 4. Seating is limited so make your reservations early! Online reservations are always available and can be made while the Box Office is closed at www.jtgr.org

One Night with Fannie Brice is a one-woman show about the life of the famed comical singer of vaudeville and radio. Brice was the highest paid American singing comedienne of her day, made famous when she joined Zeigfeld’s Follies. This production is a musical revue, where you will experience the life and times of Fanny Brice through the songs that made her famous, including numbers such as “Second Hand Rose,” “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey,” and, of course, “My Man.”

Dec. 1 – World AIDS Day Memorial and Celebration

Actors’ Theatre is very proud to be a part of the World AIDS Day event being held at Fountain Street Church, presented by the Red Project, on Monday, December 1st at 7pm.

Actors’ family members, Ellie Frances, Jolene Frankey, Gary Gramer, Jane DeYoung, Rob Karel, Dylan Harris, Jennifer Jelsema and Todd Wilki, will be performing a few brief scenes from The Normal Heart and The Destiny of Me – both written by Larry Kramer and singing some great musical pieces such as: Hear My Song (Songs for a New World), No One Is Alone (Into The Woods) and True Colors (Cyndi Lauper).

Click here for the Red Project’s Facebook event page for more information on the World AIDS Day event.

We hope you can make it!

Sneak Peak Behind the Scenes of “Chess”

Curious about Actors’ upcoming production of Chess? Check out the great rehearsal photos shot by Dave Kagan of Sensitography and posted in our Facebook albums. (That’s right – there are several albums Chess of photos for your enjoyment!)

Chess open December 4 and runs 4-6, 11-13 &18-20
All shows begin at 8PM.

Tickets are ON-SALE Now! Call (616) 234-3946 or go to www.atgr.org and purchase your tickets today!!

The Sideshow Freak Film Fest at Ambrosia Theater This Weekend!

From Ambrosia Theater’s website:

Grand Rapids are you ready for a film festival like no other, imagine a film festival happening in the circus! Showcasing independent films from West Michigan and abroad, Live performances, Question and Answer panels with all of the film-makers. A great way to see whats being made, get involved with local film making… or, who knows, you may get “discovered”. Join us for an exciting local film event! Doors at 5:30pm both nights. $7 single day or $10 for both nights.

Go to www.ambrosiatheater.com for more information and to order your tickets.

Meet The Creative Team Behind “Chess”!

Scott Mellema (Director) is a native of Grand Rapids who has been an active member of its Theatre community for over 20 years.  This work began with a performance in Chess, during the early 90’s, and has continued up to Les Miserables, which he directed for Civic Theatre last season.  He earns a living as a teacher of Theatre and English at East Kentwood High School.  Scott is married to a beautiful woman named Cinnamon and has been blessed with two amazing children, Reilly and Johnnie.

Scott Patrick Bell (Music Director) returns to Actors’ Theatre after music directing last year’s production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. He is excited to be working on his fourth project for Actors’ Theatre and his first project with Scott Mellema at Actors’. He began his performance career at the age of 10, and has studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy, EGRHS, GRCC & GVSU.  Scott has performed before presidents Bush, Reagan & Ford, for PM Margaret Thatcher, Queen Beatrix (NDL), and has opened for Taylor Dayne, Black Box, and Tony Randall.  He has traveled and performed in venues throughout Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, New York, and continues to provide public and corporate entertainment.  Scott has produced work for Heritage Theatre Group & GVSU, Circle Theatre, Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids as well as summer concerts for Jazz At The Zoo with the West Michigan Jazz Society.  Scott’s repertoire of work includes: Ain’t Misbehavin’; Smokey Joe’s Café (Grand Award); Love, Perfect, Change (GA nomination); Back to Bacharach & David, Pippin, Altar Boyz, Little Shop of Horrors(Grand Award) and Circle Celebrates: Songs You’ll Remember, Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert, and The Music of Queen Concert for Circle Theatre.  He appeared onstage in the Magic Circle production ofAndrocles & the Lion and Circle’s production of Company.  He directedOnce On This Island, Shout Somebody, and conducted They’re Playin’ Our Song for longtime mentor and friend, Cedric Ward, at Robeson Players. Scott has been a returning guest artist at Fountain Street Church and St. Thomas the Apostle, as well as several other charitable organizations.

 

Erin Kacos (Choreographer) is thrilled to be working with Actors’ again after choreographing last seasons’ production of Grey Gardens. She has also choreographed locally for Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Circle Theatre, Cornerstone University, Unity Christian High School, Jenison High School, Hudsonville High School, as well as many churches and dance studios. She is a published author, having written and produced a book and instructional DVD on using dance in the church. Erin has also been seen on stage in several productions at both Civic and Circle Theatres.

We sat down with Scott Mellema, Scott Patrick Bell, and Erin Kacos and asked them a few questions about the production:

Actors’ Theatre: What is it about CHESS that made you want to be a part of creating this production?

Scott Mellema: Chess was one of my favorite musicals as a teenager going from high school into college. In college, we had the songbook and would constantly spend nights singing music from it. The show has always intrigued me because the story is so complex and (as we hear in the “Story of Chess” song) has so many variations.  I still remember how excited I was to perform in the chorus of the Circle Theatre production in the early 90s.  The music was fun, but difficult,  and the story was a little jumbled.  As a director, I’ve spent time over the years considering what I might bring to the table and how I might stage the show.  Specifically, how might we clarify some character points to make the story more human and accessible to the audience.  Luckily, we are starting with a much cleaner script, that provides an amazing foundation for the music to shine.

Scott Bell: Chess has always been one of my “Bucket List Shows.”  My first exposure to the music, was dancing in a club and hearing, “One Night In Bangkok.” I had Flock Of Seagulls hair…that should give you an idea of how long ago that was.  I have been fortunate enough to have performed selections from the show with different groups over the years. I am looking forward to finally getting to perform the entire piece.

The creative team at work! Photo credit: Dave Kagan

Erin Kacos: The music is what drew me in. I listened to the soundtrack and didn’t even need to read the script before committing to the show. The music is unique, clever, and moving. I especially love the use of duets, quartets, and the epic ensemble numbers. There are so many interesting components in the score, it gave me a lot to work with movement-wise.

Actors’ Theatre: What can the audience expect to get out of this production of CHESS?

Scott Mellema: The audience can expect many peaks and valleys. They’ll be able to see the characters grow from point a to point B in what, I hope, will be an engaging story. Most importantly, they’re going to hear all the songs that they love from the show sung by a truly outstanding and focused cast.

Scott Bell: There is an edginess to this music, that often seems to get lost. Very real and raw emotions that are able to come forward, when the score isn’t over sung and over orchestrated. The audience can expect to really hear this cast share this story, uncluttered.

Erin Kacos: They can expect to be entertained by the fast moving ensemble and the stunning vocal performances, as well as challenged by the diverse themes explored in the storyline.
  
Actors’ Theatre: How does this show fit into Actors’ mission (…providing West Michigan with the best in Entertaining, Innovative, Challenging, and Thought-Provoking theatre.) 

Scott Mellema: As you can imagine, Chess is a show that is driven by its psychology, which you don’t always see (with a great deal of depth) in Broadway musicals.  With the casting, I tried to imagine what these players in the chess world and the political world would truly be like, and I allowed that to guide me.  Hopefully, the results will be honest and fresh, something that I know Actors’ audiences appreciate.As the story progresses, you’re constantly re-framing your views on who the players truly are in the story and who are the pawns. You think of chess as a very personal game played between two isolated individuals. It is intellectual and small scale.

In our show, we see that refined arena invaded, manipulated, and in many ways violated by the interference of both Cold War governments and the media.  As a result, we see the chess world characters twisted and distorted by those influences. We see Anatoly, Freddie, Svetlana and Florence as square pegs in round holes; they are very much out of their element and continually adjusting just to survive in the emotionally dangerous waters.  The results range from ridiculous to heartbreaking.  I hope that our audiences appreciate the dimension we provide to the piece.

Scott Bell: Growing up in the cold war, we had this fear that somebody was going to push “The Button,” and send us all to hell. I remember the USA, boycotting the Olympic Games, Hostages in Iran, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Decades later, we are still seeing sanctions with foreign countries, subjugation of free speech, acts of senseless terrorism, gender, race, and class discrimination.  Unfortunately a lot of issues in the story of Chess, exist today. Looking back at our history, not only helps us to avoid reliving mistakes of the past, but also illuminates things we don’t readily see in the present.

Erin Kacos: I think some people were surprised to see Chess on the schedule this year, given it’s an older show that has been reworked and revived several times over the years. This actually encouraged us to be innovative with the way we chose to create the Actors’ Theatre version. We explored different motivations, different stories within the songs, and unique usage of blocking and movement. We were also presented with the task of performing the show with a much smaller ensemble than traditionally used, and a 5 piece band instead of a full orchestra. I think all these factors combined will create a unique Chess experience, even for those familiar with the show.

CHESS runs December 4-6, 11-13 & 18-20

All shows begin at 8pm.

* There will be a Talk-back after the December 5th performance.

Tickets are On-Sale NOW!

Call (616)234-3946 or go to www.atgr.org

to purchase your tickets!