Curtain Up
A Newsletter for Patrons and Friends of Bay City Players
Volume 96; Issue 4
Summer 2014
OFFICERS
President
Greg Burke
1st Vice President
Trevor Keyes
2nd Vice President
John Tanner
Secretary
Kurt Miller
Treasurer
Tracy Teich
Honorary
Presidents
Leeds Bird
Marty Kovacsi
CURTAIN RISES ON RENOVATIONS !
A
fter many planning meetings and
design discussions, not to
mention continuing fund-raising,
Bay City Players is very pleased to
announce that auditorium and lobby
renovations are underway. Final
preparations for the construction crew
began as soon as “Sherlock Holmes: The
Final Adventure” closed May 4. Players
volunteers sorted, cleaned, organized,
moved, and trashed props, old set
pieces, unusable wood, and lights to
make room for stage left expansion,
orchestra pit expansion, front of stage
extension, acoustical walls, control
booths for sound and lights, and most
important, 293 new theatre seats to
replace the current 367 seats installed in
the 1970s. (New seating chart, page 2)
Office Manager
Julie Kosinski
Custodian
Mike Prohaska
Business Manager
Tracy Teich
BOARD MEETINGS
Second Monday, 7 PM
May 12
June 9
July 14
ANNUAL MEETING at
Lincoln Center, 820 S.
Lincoln. Members
encouraged to attend.
IN THIS ISSUE
Renovation Update
CTAM Conference
New Seating Chart
Season 97 Preview
More...
Caitlin Berry and Cindy Moelter organizing and
moving set pieces in advance of summer
construction.
The nearly $700,000 project is funded
largely through donations from granting
organizations in the Great Lakes Bay
Area, individual donors, and Players
members. If you haven’t had a chance to
make your contribution, see the “Take A
Seat” information below.
Steve Moelter and Dale Bills making room for the
renovation crew.
If you choose to be a major donor,
contact Treasurer Tracy Teich at
[email protected].
Giving
categories
and
naming
opportunities are available, as are
planned gifts of property and other
acquired assets. Be a part of Bay City
Players’ rich history as the oldest
community theatre in Michigan. Great
theatre lives here, and you can play a
major role!
BCP
Take a Seat, Won’t You?
You could be one of the nearly 300 people whose names adorn the new
auditorium seats Bay City Players will be installing as part of our multi-year
renovation project. We expect that they'll go quickly, so you’ll want to get
your reservation in fast. The $350 price covers the cost of the seat with a
bit left over for engraving name plaques. You may want to purchase one in
honor or memory of friends or family members, yourself, or all of the
above. To enshrine your name on a Bay City Players seat, just call (989) 8935555 or go to baycityplayers.com. Take a seat, why don’t you?
PAGE 2
C U R T A I N U P — B A Y C I T Y P L A Y ER S
VOLUME 96; ISSUE 4
NEW SEATING CHART
EARLY AUDITIONS FOR COMPANY!!
Beginning with “Company” in October, patrons will be
relaxing in one of our 297 new theatre chairs being
installed this summer. The new seating configuration
(below) will feature wider, taller, more comfortable, and
more attractive chairs. Find your new favorite seat! Our
new auditorium will have just two sections (right and left)
with center and side aisles. The rows will be curved (not
shown in drawing below) and the floor will be angled to
provide clear sight lines to the stage from anywhere in
the theatre. We have also planned for more flexible
handicap access. Review the chart below and choose the
best seats for your viewing needs. Handicap seating is
available by calling the box office (cannot be reserved
online). Our seating chart is now available online and we
are booking seats now for Season 97 members. Give us a
call at (989) 893-5555 if you have questions about your
seats. Make sure to note your preference when you call
or drop in to order tickets. Better yet, order on line at
baycityplayers.com and choose your seats directly. We
look forward to seeing you in the fall!
Bay City Players announces auditions for the musical
comedy “Company”, Book by George Furth, Music and
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Audition dates are: June
23rd and 24th at 7 PM with call-backs if needed June
25th at 7 PM. Due to renovations, auditions will be
held at Bay City Academy, 400 N. Madison.
“Company” requires eight women and six men to act
ages 24-64. Those auditioning will be asked to read
from the script, sing from the score, and learn and
perform a simple dance routine. Performance dates are
October 9-12 and 16-19.
BCP
Director: Michael Wisniewski
Assistant Director: Susan Veit Ross
Musical Director: by Kunio Ouellette
Choreographer: by Holly Haga Bills
FOR OUR FULL SEASON,
SEE PAGE 4, OR GO TO
BAYCITYPLAYERS.COM.
BCP
PAGE 3
C U R T A I N U P — B A Y C I T Y P L A Y ER S
VOLUME 96; ISSUE 4
CTAM CONFERENCE OPENS (AND CLOSES) IN BAY CITY
B
ay City Players was pleased to
host the Community Theatre
Association of Michigan’s 2014
spring conference April 25-27. Actors,
directors,
and
technical
theatre
specialists from all over the state
enjoyed a Friday evening reception at
the DoubleTree Resort and Conference
Center, followed by a full day of
workshops at the Players theatre at 1214
Columbus. Presentations on stage
movement, choreography, cardboard
use in set construction and decoration,
costuming, communication, funding, and
playing comedy filled the day’s sessions.
The 80+ conference attendees then
enjoyed
Players’
production
of
“Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure”
before attending a post show party.
CTAM President Mary Lou
Britton (left) is welcomed by Bay
City Players conference
facilitator Joanne Berry.
Jerry Dennis, Technical Director at
Saginaw Valley State University
(left), discusses using cardboard
to create a variety of practical
settings and set pieces.
Holly Bills leads an interactive
session on choreography for nondancers.
County Executive Tom Hickner (standing) and Bay
City Manager Richard Finn (seated left) welcomed
CTAM conference attendees at the April 25
reception.
The Community Theatre
Association of Michigan
was established to foster a
closer relationship among
its
members,
the
community theatres of the
State of Michigan; to
encourage high standards
of theatrical production;
to stimulate interest in theatre in Michigan; to
provide a means for exchange of ideas and
information about theatrical production, acting,
playwriting and theatre arts; and to promote and
provide education in the theatre arts.
BCP
BC Players volunteer Leeds Bird
conducts a session on creating
“stage pictures.”
Ben Zylman of Kalamazoo
Civic Theatre discusses how
“Playing Comedy is Serious
Business.”
Bay City Players
1214 Columbus Ave
Bay City, Michigan 48708
Nonprofit org
U.S. Postage Paid
Bay City, MI
Permit No. 573
Volume 96; Issue 4
Summer 2014
Return Service Requested
YOUNG PEOPLE ON STAGE THIS SUMMER
SEASON 97 BOOKENDS WITH MUSICALS!
B
ay City Players offers two youth oriented programs
for elementary through high school students.
YOUTHEATRE, which is in the middle of its 2014
season, will perform a repertoire of plays ThursdaySaturday, June 12-14 at Bay City Central High School.
STAGES OF DISCOVERY will offer classes and training
Monday - Thursday, July 21 - August 7 from 9:00 AM - 3:00
PM. Students who have completed grades 2 - 11 may
register. Performance or showcase of theatre skills learned
in the program will be presented August 7 - 8. The fee is $80
for two weeks. The third week is free and consists of
preparing the presentation. Partial support is provided by a
grant from the Civic League of Bay County Advisory
Endowment Fund. The first two weeks consist of classes in
improvisation, acting, audition techniques, characterization,
stage movement (blocking), puppetry, story development,
play structure, and introduction to technical theatre skills
(lighting, sound, props, costumes, makeup).
Due to renovation work at Bay City Players, the Stages
summer program will take place at Messiah Lutheran
Church. (Corner of Thomas and Catherine, at the foot of
Vets Bridge.)
Go to Players website (baycityplayers.com) for registration
and information and performance times . Notices will also be
sent to all Bay Area schools.
BCP
Directed by Mike Wisniewski
Directed by
Susan Veit Ross
Directed by Leeds Bird and
Trevor Keyes
Directed by Tina Sills
Directed by
Kurt Miller
Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” opens next October, and
family favorite “The Sound of Music” closes our 97th
season in April and May 2015. In between, playgoers will be
entertained with a unique interpretation of the holiday
favorite “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol”, the classic
American comedy “You Can’t Take It With You”, and the
2013 Tony Award winning comedy “Vanya and Sonia and
Masha and Spike”, written originally for David Hyde Pierce
and Sigourney Weaver. Season tickets are on sale now.
You can purchase online at baycityplayers.com, or call the
office 9 AM to 1 PM M-F at (989) 893-5555.
BCP