Video Preview of “Ampersand”

Now playing at Actors’ Theatre, Ampersand by Vincent Delaney:

You don’t want to miss this one!!  All performances start at 8PM.  Reserve your tickets today at www.atgr.org.

Post Performance Discussion with Playwright Vincent Delaney Tonight!

Torrance O'Haire and Amy Groen in "Ampersand." Photo Credit: Moments in Life Photography

Join Us  Tonight, March 23, for a post-performance discussion with playwright Vincent Delaney as he discusses his new play, Ampersand.  Tickets for tonight’s performance are still available at www.atgr.org

Actors’ is proud to host Vincent’s visits through the development of this new work.   Special thanks to Peaches Bed and Breakfast for hosting Vince during his visits and to Rain City Projects of Seattle for assisting with Vince’s travel expenses.

Learn more about Ampersand on rivergrandrapids.com.  Check out this excerpt of an article by Andy Rent:

What in the world is an ampersand?

You mean you didn’t learn that in school?  An ampersand, or, “&”, is a logogram representing the word “and.”

But, it’s also the title of a new play by Seattle playwright Vincent Delaney, opening next Thursday night, March 22snd, on the Actors Theatre stage at Spectrum Theater.
Director Randy Wyatt, and theater program director at Aquinas College, says “it’s about marriage and relationships; it’s me and you. Who am I when I’m with you?”  Having just won a national comedy award for a play, Actors Theater is very excited to do this show.

“Ampersand” revolves around the concept of successful human cloning in a classical farce style.  (…)

Read the rest of the article here on rivergrandrapids.com

Call the Spectrum Theatre Box Office at 234-3946 today after 1PM to order tickets or go to www.atgr.org.

“Ampersand” Opens Tonight!

Directors’ Note: Ampersand by Vincent Delaney

by Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids on Monday, March 19, 2012 at 2:12pm ·

Note:  The following Director’s note was written for the playbill for “Ampersand”, a new play by Vincent Delaney, opening at Actors’ Theatre on March 22, 2012.  More than that, production Director and Actors’ Literary Manager Randy Wyatt does a masterful job of articulating what makes producing new works such an exhilarating and important part of our mission.  Enjoy!

Randy Wyatt - Director, Ampersand | Literary Manager, Actors' Theatre Grand Rapids | Theatre Program Director, Aquinas College

Directing new work is exhilarating.  A new production of published work always has new possibilities, but it’s charted territory—at least one other production team has tackled it already.  There can be “baggage” attached, especially if the play is well known or already produced on Broadway or in regional theatres.  There’s a way it’s been done before, and it can be tempting to think there’s a “right” way to approach it.  With new work, the script is fluid, not fixed.  The playwright, director, actors and designers have to lean on each other for discoveries even harder than usual.  It’s scary but incredible too, like jumping out of a plane.  And the audience gets to experience something no one else has before.

Never fear– you’re in good hands tonight.  Vince’s work leaps off the page when I read it.  It crackles, it’s sardonic and strange, darkly wise, truthful in the way that wanting to clone your spouse to make a better marriage is truthful.  This is my second collaboration with Vince and the rehearsal process has been just as full of discovery and fun as my first go-round with his WRITER 1272 at Aquinas.  He’s a funny guy, but his work isn’t going to let you laugh without gut-punching you.  It’s fun but dangerous.  My kind of theatre.

I often harangue my students about how much I believe in the vitality of theatre.  The evolution and production of new work is what keeps it vital.  Rather than catch plays “on the way down”—that is , after they’ve had major productions and publications, Actor’s Theatre has chosen to be one of those theatres that catch them “on the way up”.  That’s an important distinction.  Just this last week we learned that AMPERSAND has won the prestigious Riva Shiner Comedy Award.  People are starting to notice this play, and Actors’ produced it first.

Geronimo!

– Randy Wyatt

Tickets are still available for opening night!  Go to www.atgr.org to order your tickets.

Seeing Great Theatre – Even on a Tight Budget

Lots of folks are on a tight budget these days.  Did you know there are ways you can see great theatre here in Grand Rapids for little or no cost?  Check it out, here’s what the insiders know:

Final Dress Rehearsals:  The night before Opening Night is a low cost way to see great theatre.  Most community theaters offer a discount on the night before a show opens.  Tickets to Final Dress at Actors’ Theatre are just $5!  You can head on down to Spectrum Theater and catch the Final Dress of Actors’ production of Ampersand tonight!

Student Discounts: Most theaters, including Actors’, offer discount pricing for students.  If you are in school, make sure to bring your ID when when you come!

Volunteering:  Volunteers are always needed!  See shows from the front as an usher or ticket taker, or catch them behind the scenes as you help out backstage.  For more information about volunteering at Actors’, please see the Volunteer section on our website.

 

“Ampersand” on G-Sync at Rapid Growth Media

Tommy Allen of G-Sync at Rapid Growth Media has a few things to say (and not to say) about Ampersand opening this Thursday!

Ampersand: New Play (Just Don’t Call It A W#@*d P^#)%*e)

When Vincent Delaney has been asked in the past if he is a political playwright, he has in the most casual fashion been most direct like his writing to answer “yes,” quickly adding, “but only to the extent that the politics become personal. My other plays are drawn from family history (including my own), or from wonderfully bizarre tidbits in the news.”

His ability to be as fluid, as we are in life with the constant bombarding of news and stimuli that is shaping to be uniquely modern, is one reason why so many connect with his work.

(…)

Read the rest of the article at www.rapidgrowthmedia.  For more information about Ampersand, please visit the Actors’ Theatre website at www.atgr.org.