High Praise Indeed

Last night my old drama and stage production teacher, Charlie Brown, was in the audience for Guys and Dolls. For those of you who don't know Charlie, he taught at Cyprus for about 30 years, and was the drama teacher there for about 25 of those thirty years.

Charlie grew up in the area, and we had talked before about how he used to watch movies in the Empress as a kid. After the show, he'd have to walk home; almost five miles.

Before going into teaching, he was an on-air radio personality for KKID radio in, I believe, Pendleton, Oregon. Before he retired 14 years ago, Charlie was known in theatrical circles throughout the Salt Lake Valley. After he retired, he served a senior mission at the Bountiful Regional Center (formerly Valley Music Hall) for the LDS Church. His son, Spencer, is a professional lighting designer who has worked in New York, and now does most of the shows at Hale Centre Theatre. Spencer is but one of Charlie's students to go into a professional career. And Charlie taught me most of what I know about theatre.

So I was anxious to hear what Charlie would have to say about the Empress and our production of Guys and Dolls. Here are some of the highlights of our telephone conversation this afternoon (we talked for more than an hour).

• He was extremely impressed with our Adelaide, and mentioned that she would make a wonderful Annie should we decide to do Annie Get Your Gun.
• He found Porter William's choreography to be extremely effective. He especially liked the way that Porter used the choreography to advance the story rather than making it a showcase of dance. His comment about the crap game ballet was interesting, he said, "I wouldn't have done it that way, but after watching it, I think it worked better [the way Porter did it].
• He loved Thomas Gasu's performance as Nathan Detroit.
• He thought Nate Unck did a wonderful job as 'Big Julie" but thought the character should have been named "mean Julie" because of Nate's smaller stature.
  
• He had tremendous praise for Rachael Dugan's sound mix. He said she did it better than the guy at Hale Centre.
• He thought Glen's portrayal of Nicely-Nicely was a hoot.
• And the list could go on. These are just the things I remember.

The comment that most struck me however, was when he said that our show was better than some things he's seen at Hale or Pioneer! Kudos to the entire cast and crew!

I asked him if he had any suggestions for us, and his biggest suggestion was that we needed to get the word out so we could fill the house for each performance. He told me that once people know about us, we'll be full for every show.

But we already knew that.

Auditions for See How They Run

Join in madness, mayhem and mischief in the classic British farce, See How They Run. This delightful play has everything... snooping neighbors, escaped convicts, priests and ex-actors! The action doesn't stop! The play is sure to thrill all audiences and be the highlight of any actor's resume. All roles are open. We're looking for women ages 18-40 and men ages 25-65. Cold reading auditions on March 14 2009, 11-1 at the Empress Theatre 9104 West 2700 South Directed by Sherry Smith.

Guys and Dolls opens next Friday

If you're looking for a sure bet for family entertainment, you can't lose with the Empress Theatre's production of Guys and Dolls. The show opens Friday, February 27, and runs every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday through March 30.

Come watch as Nathan Detroit, host of the longest continously running floating crap game in New York, finds himself in a bet he just can't afford to lose, and a situation where he can't possibly win. See the indomitable Miss Sarah Brown try to reform the gamblers on Broadway. Based on the short story "The Idylls of Miss Sarah Brown" by Damon Runyon, with book by Jo Swerling and Abe Bellows, with music by Frank Loesser, this classic musical can't lose.

Directed by Shawn Maxfield, with musical direction by Trent Oliphant, and staring many of your favorite Empress stars, you'll want to reserve your seats early, and come back more than once. And you'll want to bring all of your friends. Call the box office now, (801)347-7373) to reserve your seats. Or click on the link on the left.

Hurry while there are still seats left!

Last Chance for 2nd Anniversary Gala Dinner Reservations!

If you haven't made your reservation for the 2nd Anniversary Gala yet,... do it now!

The caterer needs a guest count no later than Wednesday, October 15th, so we need to have all reservations by that time.

Don't miss out on this great party for all of our Empress Theatre friends. Call the box office at (801)347-7373 right now, or make your reservation on line at the Empress Theatre's website.
Tell your friends to get their reservations in now too!

In addition to the dinner, there will be an awards ceromony, a preview of the 2009 season, and afterwards an evening of dancing the night away.

Auditions for Taming of the Shrew

UPDATED
Taming of the Shrew Auditions
December 15th 9-noon
Empress Theatre
Sixteen and older
Cold readings
Bring conflicts, resume and headshot (if possible)
Rehearsal schedule: some in December, Mon-Sat in Jan
Show runs Jan 22 through Feb 9 Mon, Thur, Fri, Sat with Sat matinees also.

Other Stages

OK, this post is only for those of you that have already seen Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. If you haven't seen our show on the Empress Theatre stage, then go reserve you tickets now...

Go ahead, I'll wait.

Got 'em reserved. Good!

Laura Bedore was kind enough to invite my family to the dress rehearsal of Twelve Dancing Princesses which opens tomorrow night at the Off-Broadway Theatre and runs through August 18. It was the most fun I've had at a non-Empress Theatre show this season!

Laura directed, and also stars as the Fairy Godmother/Narrator/Wicked Witch, and features more than a dozen actors who have graced the Empress Theatre Stage in recent months. Brady Flannagan, Nate Unck, Aldo Gomez from The Jesters Royale (with Nate playing a Jester... When he's not pretty in pink); Scott Ferrin and Aubrey Vickers from It's a Wonderful Life; Patrick Aldeman, Brinana & Brooke Bedore from Midsummer Night's Dream and Chris Aldeman and Drew Keddington from Much Ado About Nothing; Jourdan Dixon from "Work in Progress." There weren't any printed programs, so I'm sure I missed a couple of folks.

I'm not going to spoil the show for you, but there are some wonderful surprises. There is something for everyone: Opera, French cuisine, buff jocks, ledherhosen, hot latin lovers, aristocrats in powdered wigs and frogs in need of kisses.

If you only get to see one show this month... Well, I gotta tell you to go see Seven Brides, because that's my job. But if you can see two shows this month, go see Twelve Dancing Princesses. You won't be disappointed.

Oh, and what a wonderful way to take a ride on 'Max.' We caught Max at Smiths (8000 W & 3500 S) at 5:59 PM and arrived about 6:40 at OBT, which is just across Main Street from the 3rd South Trax station.

Strongest Opening Night Ever!

I only need four words to describe Seven Brides for Seven Brothers opening tonight: Sold Out! Standing Ovation!

Steve Harmon (Adam) and Liz Oates (Milly), and all the rest of the cast were in top form tonight and wowed the sell out crowd in the Empress. This was the strongest opening night I've seen at the Empress.

If you weren't there tonight, you'd better get your tickets quick, cuz the word is gonna get out!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Rehearsal

I finally had a chance to go to a Seven Brides rehearsal last night! (I'm designing the lights, and it's usually a good idea to find out where the director is putting the actors. They always find some new place to put somebody where it's a bit challenging to get light! Seven Brides is no exception!) Douglas and I will be setting lights tonight after the rehearsal, and probably tomorrow after the parade, which could be interesting for anyone taking a tour of the theatre.

Liz Oates managed to get a hold of some rehearsal pictures Erica Jones and her mother took of one of the rehearsals and posted them on her blog.

Things are coming along wonderfully on the production. Porter is an extremely talented director-choreographer, and he's put together a great cast for this show. Get your tickets early, and tell your friends!

Poll Results: Favorite Male Lead

The poll results are in: Jerry Dunn, who played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof has been voted the favorite male lead. Out of 85 votes cast, Jerry got 47, or 55% of the vote. Nate Unck's performance as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat got 30 votes (35%) to come in second.

When I posted that poll, I didn't realize that there were only three musical among the seven shows represented. It doesn't surprise me that the musical actors out scored the non-musical performers, but its like comparing apples to oranges. Maybe we'll run this as two polls, one for musicals and one for non-musicals.

Check back soon. I'll have another poll up soon.

Homeschool and the Theatre

One of the cool things about homeschooling my children and being involved with the Empress Theatre is that we can build our curriculum around the shows we're working on. It can be pretty amazing where this process can take you. For example...

• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is obviously set in 1850 Oregon, so there's that whole slice of Amercian History to cover.


• Seven Brides is based on a short story by Stephen Vincent Binet called "The Sobbin' Women" which is a wonderful way to get into the writings of Binet. "By the Waters of Babylon" and "The Devil and Daniel Webster" are a couple of my personal favorites.


• "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is cited as an "unofficial" legal case in The United States ex rel Gerald Mayo v. Satan and His Staff (54 F.R. D. 282 - 1971), which opens up discussions about legal jurisdiction and procedure. Can a man actually sue Satan?


• Binet's story, in turn, is based on The Rape of the Sabine Women, from Plutarch. This opens up the history and mythology of the founding of Rome.


• The notion of bride kidnapping has been practiced in many parts of the world, and still is in some parts of the lower steppes of Asia and parts of Africa. This is a stepping off point for discussions of different marriage customs, morals, and scruples. Did you know that the tradition of carrying the bride across the threshold dates from the custom of kidnapping her first?


• The "rape" in The Rape of the Sabine Women means to abduct or kidnap, and has nothing to do with the modern meaning of sexual violation, which leads to discussions of how our language changes over time. Since it comes from the same Latin root (Raptio) that is the source for "rapture," "rapine," "rapacious," "ravish," and "raptor," we can expand vocabulary.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

So here's this week's trivia question, just for Leisa: Be the first to tell me who painted the picture accompanying this post, and where it hangs and you'll get two tickets to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

A Lesson Learned

Yesterday evening, Mara, Peter, Neeva, Meyrick and I jumped in the van and drove over to the Empress for closing night of Big Bad Musical. When we got there, the lobby was packed, there were two lines at the will call desk, and Joline had jumped in to help behind the concession counter.

I slipped over to the will call desk and told Kathy that, in the off chance that she got everyone seated and still had a some seats left over, that the five of us were there. She laughed at me, then showed me the waiting list. And that was after the ushers had deployed all of the temporary seating.

When we left to come back home, Douglas Nelson was giving up his seats to another patron. The kids were a bit disappointed that they didn't get to see the show again, but I was elated that our young performers' theatre had gone "solid with a waiting list."

There will come a time, and I don't think it's too far off, when this is the norm. I guess I'll just have to get used to reserving my seats on line.

Big Bad Acquitted Nicely

The opening night jury voted overwhelmingly to acquit Mr. Big B. Wolf in last night's premier of The Big Bad Musical, undoubtedly a result of the talent displayed by Justin Kofoed, who nailed the character on stage; playing the Big Bad Wolf somewhere between James Dean's Rebel Without a Cause and Henry Winkler's Fonz. The rest of the cast and crew acquitted themselves nicely as well.

Ordinarily I won't review an Empress Theatre production on this blog. I'm usually too close to present an unbiased opinion, and I normally have to look at a production through so many different viewpoints that a review would either be a fractured mess, longer than Gone with the Wind, or would otherwise get me into trouble. But since all I did was make sure the program got to the printer, I'm not quite so close to this one...

It is important to remember that this is a "young performers" production. The whole point of the production is to help young actors, singers and dancers develop their talents. With that in mind, and noting that there were only a handful of adults involved beyond a little advising here and there, the performance I saw last night was remarkable.

Here are some of the highlights:

Madison Ford's portrayal of the Evil Stepmother, from costuming to posture and gesture was so good her parents should either be worried, or they should be preparing to send her to a real law school. My only complaint about her performance was that her blocking kept her back to the stage right audience for most of the performance.

Shannon Jones did a wonderful job on her big song, despite having a touch of a cold. Her characterization of the Fairy God Mother/Prosecuting Attorney was consistent, with enough sweetness that we could believe she was FGM, enough grit that we could believe she was a lawyer, and enough histrionics to keep us laughing.

Skyler Blumel was hilarious as Judge Wise Old Man; this young man has an incredible amount of talent. Keep your eye on him. In fact, keep one eye on Skyler throughout the performance and watch his reactions to the action on stage.

Was it a flawless performance? No. Young performers tend to be quieter than more experienced actors, so the singing, especially on chorus numbers, was a bit unbalanced. (Although the "Wolfettes" rocked!) The choreography wasn't as polished as it could have been. There were a few other things that I noticed that didn't quite work.

But comparing this to high school and junior high school productions I've seen, it was significantly above the average; excellent, even outstanding in places. Definitely a good show for children and the family; my younger children loved it.

Unlike the real legal system, which prohibits being tried twice for the same offense, Mr. Wolf will have to face a jury four more times: tonight at 7:00 PM, tomorrow at 2:00 and again at 7:00, and then Monday at 7:00.

You are hereby called to jury duty!

The "Leo Awards"

Last Sunday, the American Theatre Wing handed out the 2008 Tony awards. In the Heights took the award for best musical, best original score written for the theatre, best choreography, and best orchestrations, and was nominated in nine other categories. If you want to know more about the Tonys or the winners, visit the official website

The Tony awards get their name from Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer and the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing, who passed away just before the awards program started in 1947.

Well, I'm thinking we need to have a "Leo." We should have a black-tie (very optional) gala every year around Tony time and give awards to the best of the Empress Theatre's talent, both on and off of the stage. And at the same time we can honor and thank our patrons and benefactors for their support through the year.

And what a great way to honor Leo Ware's memory.

Tell me what you think!

In the meantime, here are the poll results from our "What was your favorite show" poll. Only 25 folks voted, so there's a very wide margin of error, but...

The first runner up is ... Pirates of Penzance with 21% of the vote
The second runner up is (and this surprised me given the smaller crowds we had)... The Mystery of Edwin Drood with 32% of the vote.

And the winner is ... (Ralph, could I have a drum roll please)...
Fiddler on the Roof. (BTW, Fiddler won Tony awards in 1965 for best musical and 8 other categories. In 1972, it won a special Tony for becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history.)

Be sure to vote for your favorite male lead in our current poll.

Cast for Seussical

Man, remind me not to invite you guys to an Easter Egg hunt. This has been on the website for a while but you have to look for it. Quick, before Horton hatches it!

Cast for Seussical:
Cat in the Hat . . . . . . . .Thomas Gasu
JO-Jo . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jasmine Dean
Horton the Elephant . . . Shawn Maxfield
Getsrude McFuzz . . . . .Aubrey Vance
Maysie LaBird . . . . . . . Samanta Pace
Sour Kangaroo . . . . . . .Cynthia Johnson
Young Kangaroo . . . . . Jaden Johnson
General Schmitz . . . . . .Nolan Mitchell
Mr. Mayor . . . . . . . . . .TBA
Mrs. Mayor . . . . . . . . .Amanda Heywood

The Wickersham Brothers
Austin Wrathall
Skyler Bluemel
.Jordan Wanberg
Brandon Case.
Dallon Thorup
Adam McKinlay
Troy Larsen

Bird Girl Chorus
Macall Herpich.
Maegan Herpich
Madison Ford
Shannon Jones
Annalyn Ruth
Hannah Ruth
Cheryl Cripps
Connie Cripps
Kimberly Pettit
Krystin Christopherson

Whos
Doug Green
Jim Schroeder
Emily Herpich
Ann Herpich
Lila Cripps
Spencer Lawson
Nicole Mitchell
Alyvia Wrathall
Tianna Wrathall
Stacie Brown
Starly Bluemel
Kenichi Nakashima
Akemi Nakashima

Jungle Creatures
Jennifer Pearce
Sara Barlocker
Samantha Christensen
Kylee Clark
Amanda Shinall
TraQuell Gasu
Tyanna Gasu
Alissa Christensen
Brittney De St. Jeor
Mary Alice Nelson
The Grinch . . . . . . . .Doug Green
Vlad Vladikoff . . . . . Emily Herpich

Hunters
Ann Herpich
Lila Cripps
Nicole MitchellCadets
Spencer Lawson
Kenichi Nakashima
TraQuell Gasu
Tyanna Gasu
Alissa Christensen
Brittney De St. Jeor
Mary Alice Nelson
Amanda Shinall

Please remember that the Chorus is used throughout the show, there are a lot of group numbers and numbers where people will be playing other characters. If you decide you cannot do the show, please email Glen Carpenter at glenorcarp@msn.com..Thank you for sharing your talents with us. FIRST REHEARSAL SATURDAY JUNE 21ST FROM 10AM TO 1:30PM

Big Break for a Lucky Actor!

We have an opening in the cast of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. We need to replace Caleb, the third brother, or we will have to change the show to Seven Brides for Six Brothers, and the whole alphabetical brother thing (not to mention the color scheme for the costumes) will go right out the window....

So, all you male actor types out there, here is what we need:

We are looking for one male to play the part of Caleb in theEmpress
Theatre's Production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Must have singing, dancing and acting experience. Show runs Mon, Fri, and Sat nights July 11th through August 11th. Must be able to attend all performances. Rehearsals are Tuesday through Thursday evening 7-10 and Saturday mornings 10-2 with full week rehearsals during tech week. Part needs to be filled ASAP! Please contact Porter Williams if interested at(801) 856-9534 or vorpalblade@gmail.com

Programs for Big Bad Musical

Okay, so here's what happened...

We had a smash hit with Joseph, that covered our expenses and allowed us to reimburse some long outstanding purchases and cover some other deferred expenses.

"An Evening of One Act Plays" was an educational program, not a major production. It was artisticly and educationally successfull, but it didn't make us any money. We may have even lost a bit on the deal. But that's why we're a non-profit organization.

We hoped that The Foreigner would ride on Joseph's coattails and be successful at the box office. Based on this expectation, we committed cash to secure the rights to Big Bad Musical and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. And we started putting money into Seven Brides.

Well, Foreigner didn't do as well as we'd planned. It was a risky show for us to do. It's not well known outside of theatre circles, and it has some language and situations that some find objectionable. It just wasn't what our audience wanted. It's a wonderful show, and Porter and the cast have done a marvelous job with it. But we just didn't draw the paying audience we expected for it. Hopefully, when all the beans are counted, it will have covered its expenses.

But Foreigner hasn't put any cash back into the till.

Meanwhile...

For our big productions, we have a contract with Theatre Publications to actually publish the book. They have the right to sell some of the advertising, so they underwrite a large portion of the printing bill. So those big 32-36 page full color programs don't cost us very much. And we are able to sell advertising to help defray some more of the costs.

But our smaller shows and educational programs are not covered in the contract. One-Acts and Young Performers' Theatre isn't expected to draw large audiences, and we'd never recoup the cost of the big programs without selling a lot more advertising than we've been able to do so far. We've only had a couple of volunteers step up to sell ads, and they've had marginal success. (though they've been more successful than I was when I tried doing it for a living in Las Vegas!)

We were able to have the programs for One-Acts printed for $200. When I asked about doing the Big Bad programs, and I was ordering only half as many, the quote was $250. That was a pretty steep increase. And we're cash tight.

So, here is a specific need for donations or sponsorships. We need to raise enough cash to cover printing the program for Big Bad, and we need some additional cash to cover the cost of printing flyers and postcards and doing our other marketing things. If we can raise $500, we can do 500 black and white, 8 page programs and have color postcards and flyers printed. If we can raise $750, we can have the programs in color. For $1,000 we can do 16 pages in color.

(No. We're not in danger of closing up shop. We have a temporary cash shortage. But we do still have a long way to go before we'll be financially comfortable and able to reach our goals. I always look at these little situations as opportunites. Lets see if we can raise some cash to meet this need! As an educational program, this is one of those things that has value beyond the price of admission.)

So, I'm going to ask you to either make a donation, become a sponsor, or help us find some sponsors for Big Bad Musical. (BTW, I already have one $50 pledge... From one of our friends in Holladay!) The deadline to submit the program to the printer is Monday, so don't procrastinate.

UPDATE: As of 11:40 this morning, I have received a committment from one Friend of the Empress for a $50 - $100 donation, but she won't be able to make it until June 25 when she returns from Brazil. Another of our friends has agreed to put a full page ad in the program. And finally, we've received a $200 donation through Google Checkout. That's $325 we've raised so far. Lets keep going!

UPDATE: Got an email from Joline a few minutes ago. Kathy Wilcox just made another donation for $100. Kathy you Rock!

UPDATE 6/9/2008: Jan Lowder just donated $100 via Google Checkout! This is awesome!

Family Friendly Standards

One of the things OHPAA prides itself on is production of "family friendly" live entertainment. So I was a bit surprised when someone commented that they thought our current show, The Foreigner, "violated OHPAA's standards." I've never seen The Foreigner any where else, so I don't know if other productions of it have included offensive content, but I have no problem taking my children to see the Empress Theatre's production. In fact, my five under-twelve children have seen it three times. I suspect the comment was made based more on reputation than on the actual production on the Empress Theatre's stage.

The Foreigner does present the Klu Klux Klan and a scheming minister as the bad guys. And it uses deception as a major plot device. And there is the matter of a pregnant debutant...

Okay, so...

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat presents attempted fratricide, slavery, the deception of Jacob, and the summary execution of the baker; not to mention a half naked Joseph cavorting about on the stage. And what about that whole scene with Potiphar's wife?

Shakespeare's classic Much Ado About Nothing is all about deception and, oh yeah, eveasdropping on other people's conversations, though sometimes the conversations were designed to be overheard. The false accusation that Hero is "a committed stale" who knows the comfort of "a luxurious bed" is equally a depiction of a moral question. (Don't even get me started on Midsummer Night's Dream and the whole sleeping with the donkey thing!)

What makes the character of Owen Musser different than the character of Borachio? How is the Reverned David Marshall Lee different than Prince John the bastard. How do we find the scheming of Joseph's brothers to be acceptible on the stage while rejecting the scheming of Owen and David as improper content?

Guys and Dolls is all about gambling and depicts a crap game in a sewer. My Fair Lady uses the deception of passing 'Liza off as nobility and Alfred's panhandling of Higgins. In Oklahoma Curly suggests that Judd suicide and Judd has his "glass," presumably pornographic, in the smoke house; and don't overlook the knife fight and the "trial" Curly goes through after he kills Judd; or anything at all about Ado Annie...

Arranged marriages, Tevye's dream and a pogrom in Fiddler on the Roof; Sound of Music deals directly with the German takeover of Austria, and the von Trapp's flight from the very racist and brutal Gestapo. (As racists working under Hitler, the Nazi's did more damage than the Klan ever imagined. The KKK is ugly, the Gestapo was ugly, efficient, and had state sanction.) Polygamy and sexism are central to the plot of The King and I.

Yet each of these shows is considered a "classic" of American Musical Theatre.

Where and how then do we draw the line? What content is objectionable? What content is acceptable?

OHPAA is actually in the process of developing a formal set of standards, and we'd like your input as to what they should be.

Please leave your comments, but I ask that you follow a few simple rules: first, if you are going to comment on Foreigner, tell us if you've seen the Empress Theatre production of The Foreigner or if your comments are based on some other production. Second, please explain why you think a particular bit of content is objectionable as family entertainment, and whether or not you would consider it objectionable in other contexts. Finally, no dis-ing a show just because you don't like it; keep the comments centered on what type of content you consider appropriate for families and what you consider inappropriate.

I won't promise to post all coments, but I will promise to pass all on-topic comments on to the board and the standards committee. And I will post all comments that further a healthy discussion. And lets all keep in mind that not everyone will agree on every point.

They had a date with fate in ... Magna?

Marketing the Empress Theatre presents two distinct challenges, both of which are summed up in this blog post by Jason Bennion.

Magna doesn't get a lot of respect around here. It began a century or so ago as a company town housing workers for a nearby mine and smelter, and it's never managed to live down its humble roots or its rough-and-tumble reputation. It's certainly not a place you'd think to go in search of an enjoyable night of live theater.

and

I wasn't expecting much. Utah often seems to be the world capitol of community theater -- the impulse to "put on a show" is one of the strongest threads in the tapestry of Mormon culture -- and I've always reflexively dismissed that sort of thing as the worst kind of amateur-grade fromage.

In short, people don't think Magna has anything cultural to offer, are reluctant to make the drive all the way out here, and they have expectations that our "community theatre" will offer only amateur and mediocre fare.

Jason, who learned about our little secret because he came to support a friend in the cast, then found his expectations to be somewhat over met...

And then the play began. And I was very pleasantly surprised. With the exception of one cast member who seemed to keep forgetting his lines, the caliber of the performances was only slightly below the professional theater I've seen in Salt Lake.

Uh huh. Yep, its like that. Happened to me the same way.

Once the secret gets out, everyone will come to Rick's The Empress. Realizing the importance of the case, my men are rounding up twice the usual number of suspects.

Louis Jason, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Here's looking at you, kid.

(With apologies to Casablanca and a hat tip to Bennion Gardner.)

Seussical Auditions!

Auditions will be held on
Saturday, June 7th from 9am to 12:00pm at the theatre.

This family friendly retelling of
Dr. Seuss classic tales will be
directed by Glen Carpenter
with Musical direction by Erik Mourtgos, choreographer will be Shana Davis.

Directors are looking for Auditioners from age
12 to 60. Please bring 32 bars of an upbeat song (an accompanist will be provided), a head shot, resume and a list of conflicts from June 10th to October 6th.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please call 801-347-7373.

2009 Season! New Board Member!

The OHPAA board of directors approved the schedule for the 2009 season last night. We haven't secured the rights to these shows yet, so there's a chance that something might change, but here is the list we approved:

• William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew Jan 22 - Feb 9
• A "Valentines Special" Feb 13-14
• Guys and Dolls, Feb 27 - Mar 30
• One Act Play festival, Apr 10 - 18
• The Big Bad Musical (with an all star grown up cast), May 1-18
• See How They Run, May 29 - Jun 29
• Young Performers Theatre, actual show to be announced
• Once Upon a Mattress, July 31 - August 31
• Arsenic and Old Lace, Sept 11 - Oct 2
• Little Shop of Horrors, Oct 16 - Nov 13.
• A Christmas show to be announced later.

We also approved Babes in Toyland as the replacement for this year's Christmas show.

Other developments from the Board of Directors: Bennion Gardner was unaminously approved as the newest board member, and has accepted the position of Treasurer, replacing Stephen Burton. Bennion brings his experience as a branch manager for Zion's First National Bank to this board postion and will be working to create OHPAA's accounting procedures manual and develop our operating budgets. Bennion also occasionally writes articles for the Magna Times, the Kearns Dispatch, and the West Valley News as "a hobby." Bennion and his wife, Kiera, both residents of Magna.

Steve will remain on the board as an "at large" member, and will continue to be a member of the finance committee. He is stepping down from the role of Treasurer due to increasing time pressures from his other committments.