“SHE LOVES ME” CAST ANNOUNCED!!!

Director Shelly McFadden has announced her cast for the season opener She Loves Me. “Thanks to everyone who auditioned,” said Shelly. “I appreciate your time and effort!”  

Onstage will be:

Arpad Laszlo – Jason Lafever
Ladislov Sipos – Jay Prewitt
Ilona Ritter – Meghan Armitage
Steven Kodaly – Joshua Saul Bain
Georg Nowack – Dustin Bond
Amalia Balash – Lisa McCoy
Mr. Maraczek – Ric McFadden
Keller – Anna Harris
Busboy – Noah Pettit
Waiter – Andrew Ranck

Customers/Couples/Carolers – Hannah Lefever, Hannah Newlin, Kayla Norman, Robin Schneider, Matt Schneider, Mason Allen, Cameron Wunderlich, Andrew Ranck.


She Loves Me will be produced June 6-8 and June 12-15.

The show is sponsored by:

To read more about our sponsor click HERE.

THEATRE IS ON FOR THE WEEKEND!

Picture
The beginning of the season for Putnam County Playhouse is still a few weeks away.  If you can’t wait to see a show, there are two offerings in the area this weekend you might consider.

PCPH Vice-President Dustin is directing Suessical the Musical at North Putnam High School.  It will be presented April 12 & 13 at 7 p.m. and April 14 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at the door! PCPH participant Grace Elmore is a featured player.

PCPH  Board Member Caroline Good is directing the classic play Trojan Women at DePauw University in the Moore Theatre. It will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on April 11, 12, 13, and April 14 at 1 p.m.   Featured in the production is PCPH actor/director Andrew Ranck (Rooster Hannigan from last season’s Annie). Also featured are Sarah Ryan and daughter Catherine who were also in Annie. Go HERE for ticket and show information!






“SHE LOVES ME” IF YOU AUDITION!

Love Conquers All!


That’s the theme of the Putnam County Playhouse season for 2019. It all starts with auditions for our opening musical She Loves Me.

It will be presented on the Mainstage June 6-8 and June 12-15. It is being sponsored by First National Bank.

To read more about our sponsor click HERE.

The Tony-Award-winning show has a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock. The original material it is based on was also used for “The Shop Around the Corner”, a 1940 film; another film, “In the Good Old Summertime” (1949), and most recently as the basis for “You’ve Got Mail” (1998). 
The plot revolves around Budapest shop employees Georg Nowack and Amalia Balash who, despite being consistently at odds with each other at work in a small perfume shop, are unaware that each is the other’s secret pen pal because they met through lonely-hearts ads.

The auditions will be Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. and Monday, April 8 at 7 p.m. Both sessions will be in the Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre in Greencastle.

Director Shelly Green McFadden
Director Shelly Green McFadden is looking for a group of strong singers to complete her cast.  Shelly has directed many shows at PCPH including 1776 and The Drowsy Chaperone. She has also appeared in shows including her Hammy nominated role as Miss Hannigan in last season’s Annie.

In addition to the leads, Georg and Amalia – other roles include Ilona Ritter and Steven Kodaly, co-workers in the shop and the owner of the shop Zoltan Maraczek. 

Other employees Ladislav Sipos and Arpad Laslo, teenage delivery boy will be cast.  There are no roles for children.

A ensemble of 3 men and 3 women and a singing waiter are also sought. For more information about the requirements for the parts, stage age, and other vital facts go to the “Current Season” tab at the top of the page, choose She Loves Me and click on the Director’s Notes tab to find out what you should know! You can also download an audition form and read the script there.

Shelly’s production team includes Music Director, Marilyn  Rush; Vocal Director, Lori Miller; and choreographers Deb Grammel and Lori Briones. Production Stage Manager is Anna Harris and Assistant Director is Caroline Good.

Please prepare a song and bring your music. An accompanist will be provided. All those auditioning will sing, read from the script, and dance with the choreographer.

Original Board Member….Leaves the Stage

A member of the Original Board of Directors of the Greencastle Summer Theatre – which became Putnam County Playhouse, Mr. John Franklin passed away on March 15, 2019, in Florida at the age of 90.

Other members of the board at that time include: 
Pat Aikman
Fred Bergman
Ray Brush
James Burnnell
Ernest Collins
James Elrod
Robert Hamontre
Raymond Mizer
Bessie Rector
Virginia Robbins
Gertrude Slack

Mr. Franklin is pictured above during a 1964 play selection committee meeting.

PLACES PLEASE……

An actor standing backstage in the wings
Our 2019 season has the theme “Love Will Find A Way.”  All four of our mainstage productions present variations on the theme.  If you are interested in being onstage, your first step will be attending auditions!

Image result for she loves me auditions

Director Shelly McFadden will hold two sets of auditions for our first production, the musical She Loves Me. The auditions will be Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. and Monday, April 8 at 7 p.m. 

The musical will be produced June 6-8 and June 12-15. To read about the show and the characters click HERE.
Image result for send me no flowers samuel french
Next up, director T.J. Tincher will be directing the comedy Send Me No Flowers. His auditions will be Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m. and Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m.

This show will be produced July 11-13 and July 17-20. You can read about the show and the characters HERE.
Related image
Our third mainstage show is the musical SHREK! Its director Lee Reberger has scheduled his auditions for Sunday, June 16 at 3 p.m. and Monday, June 17 at 7 p.m.

The show will be produced August 15-17 and August 21-24. You can read about the show and its characters HERE.  

Related image

The final show of the season is the Pulitzer Prize winning play Picnic directed by Jack Randall Earles. The auditions for this production will be Sunday, July 21 at 3 p.m. and Monday, July 22 at 7 p.m.

Picnic will be produced September 12-14 and September 21-24. To read about the play and the characters click HERE.
We hope that you are planning to join us onstage or in the audience for our season!  See you at the barn!


YTW & CTW REGISTRATION OPEN!

Related image




Details for our annual SHAKESPEARED! Youth Theatre Workshop and Children’s Theatre Workshop are printed below.

Registration is now open – the workshops fill up fast, so if you are interested sign up now!

See you onstage.

To register for the YTW, click HERE.

To register for the CTW click HERE.


Thanks to our sponsor:


Shuee's Great Buys Plus
To read more about our sponsor click HERE.

….The Envelope Please!!!

Image result for winner is
The Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner on Saturday, January 26, 2019.  At that time the Putnam County Playhouse was named Non-Profit of the Year 2018!

L-R: Kathryn Dory, Linda Gjesvold, Beau Battin, Dustin Bond

On hand to accept the award from GGCC President Beau Battin were PCPH board officers Kathryn Dory, Linda Gjesvold, and Dustin Bond.


Others honored that evening by the Chamber included Ken Eitel as 2018 Citizen of the Year and Endeavor and Cloverdale Drugs as Businesses of the Year 2018.

President of PCPH, Michael McClaine said, “It’s nice to be noticed by our community and thanks to all of our board members, volunteers, and contributors for their hard work and support.”

Treasurer Mark Hammer said, “Congrats all around to the board and all of our volunteers that make the Playhouse such a quality organization and to the GGCC for this recognition!”



Our 2019 Directors!

Empty GOP Chair? She's Everywhere And Nowhere, Baby!
The directors for our four main stage shows have been chosen.  

Audition dates for each show and further details will be posted soon.  

First up is the musical She Loves Me

It will be directed by Shelly McFadden.  It will be produced 
June 6-8 and June 12-15.

Shelly McFadden

Shelly began at PCPH in 1991 when she played Florence in our first production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple (female version). She has appeared in many productions including a Upstage Award nominated turn as Miss Hannigan in last season’s Annie. Shelly has also directed many shows here including The Music Man, Never Too Late, and 1776.

Next up is the comedy Send Me No Flowers.

It will be directed by TJ Tincher. It will be presented July 11-13 and
July 17-20.

TJ Tincher

TJ directed his first PCPH show last season when he did the Agatha Christie mystery The Mousetrap.  He has appeared in many plays and musicals on our stage. TJ won the Upstage Award for his performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie. His other performances include roles in The Foreigner, Once Upon a Mattress, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Man Who Came to Dinner.

Our August show is musical SHREK!

It will be directed by Lee Reberger.  It will be produced 
August 15-18 and August 21-24.

Lee Reberger

Lee directed last season’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He has worked worked with Community Theatre of Clay County since 1986. For the past 13 seasons he has worked as the Principal and Artistic Director there. He also directed Into the Woods here at PCPH. Lee appeared onstage here in The Drowsy Chaperone.

The season will end with a production of the comedy-drama Picnic.

It will be directed by Jack Randall Earles.  It will be produced September 12-14 and September 18-19.

Jack Randall Earles

Jack Randall has been working at PCPH since 1979 (when he was one year old).  He is a 4-time Upstage Award Winner. His directing credits here include Barefoot in the Park, On Golden Pond, Guys & Dolls, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (twice), and Death By Chocolate. He appeared last season onstage in Annie (Lt. Ward & FDR) and The Mousetrap (Major Metcalfe).  Jack Randall played the Man in the Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone and has also been seen in The Music Man, Never Too Late, and The Man Who Came to Dinner.


We look forward to working with each of our directors as they contribute to our season with the theme Love Conquers All.

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) Jumps Back Into the Spotlight



WELCOME TO OUR THREE NEW BOARD MEMBERS!

L-R: Anna Harris, Peggy McClaine, Kim Brattain

After being elected at our Annual Meeting in October, three newly minted board members enjoyed their first official meeting on December 9.  Our newest member is Anna Harris. The other two ladies have previously served on our board of directors. Peggy McClaine also served as President of the Board. Kim Brattain is happy to return to her duties.


They join President Michael McClaine; vice-presidents Dustin Bond and Linda Gjesvold; secretary Kathryn Dory; recording secretary Jack Randall Earles; and treasurer Mark Hammer on the Board of Directors for the non-profit.

Other members are Brad Sandy, Jim Rambo, Drew Brattain, Ric McFadden, Shelly McFadden, Caroline Good, Sandi Rossok, Bethany Bax, and Meghan Armitage.

We sat down recently with Anna, Kim, and Peggy to talk with them about their PCPH histories and plans for the coming season.

PCPH: Thanks for talking with us today.  Let’s start out with how you each first became involved with PCPH.

Peggy: I started as a cast member of a musical revue [research has not revealed its title]. My first full show was Guys & Dolls in 1964! I was Mimi, one of the Hot Box Girls and one of the Cuban Dancers. The show was directed by Jim Elrod and it was presented at Speech Hall. It was great fun.

Kim: I first became involved in 1985 as one of the orphans in Annie, directed by Vickie Parker. 

Anna: I have been attending shows since I was old enough to sit through a performance! I also participated in the Children’s Workshop when I was nine or ten years old. The first show I was in was The Game’s Afoot in 2015, directed by Dustin Bond.

PCPH: Do you have a favorite show you’ve done at the barn?

Anna: It’s so hard to pick a favorite. I have to say though that The Game’s Afoot will always be special to me. Besides being my first show, it was such a fun play, and the cast and crew were a wonderful group of people to work with.

Anna Harris & Tim Good in The Game’s Afoot

Kim: My favorite show was Seven Bride For Seven Brothers [1994] because it was an ensemble piece. It was directed by Jack Randall Earles. The music and dancing was fun and audiences loved the show.


Kim third bride from right in the front row 7 Brides for 7 Brothers.

Peggy: It’s so hard to choose, every show has a favorite moment or two, but high on my list is Don’t Drink the Water [1989] directed by Sandi Robles. The strait-jacket scene will be forever burned into my memory. [It’s burned in our memory as well, Peggy!]


Don’t Drink the Water screen capture. L-R: Scott Armitage, Jack Randall Earles, Peggy McClaine

PCPH: Would you encourage others to become involved in PCPH?


Kim: Definitely. There is something for everyone to do, whether it be onstage or behind the scenes. It’s a great way to spend your summer!

Peggy: Whenever I talked with anyone about the Playhouse, I always ask them to come to a show, audition, or volunteer. It’s almost always a hoot and amazingly rewarding.

Anna: Absolutely! The Playhouse is a special place, and there are always fun things to do in each show – be it onstage or backstage!

PCPH: What prompted you to be interested in becoming a board member – or rejoining the board?

Anna: My friend and acting board member at the time, Jim Green asked if I would be potentially interested in being on the board. I was delighted with the idea. Working ‘behind the scenes’ to make a show succeed is something I enjoy very much, and I am excited to have this opportunity.

Peggy: As with any volunteer organization, more hands help the most people. If it weren’t for board members, Putnam County might be without community theatre at all. And it’s a great group of people! 

Kim: I think live theatre is an important community resource. PCPH is pretty unique in that it brings the opportunity to participate in and see performances right here in our small community. I think serving on the board is a way to be involved in this endeavor, and a way to “give back.”

PCPH: Peggy and Kim, you have both served previous terms on the board, what do you think you bring as you rejoin us?

Peggy: I would guess my contributions include my experience in acting [her shows onstage include leading roles in The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1990), My Fair Lady (1996), and most recently See How They Run (2012)], directing [her directing credits include Into The Woods (1997) and The Nerd (1992)], scene painting/construction, and popping (not burning) popcorn. Some might also say I have a terrific sense of humor! [We would agree!]

Kim: My kids are all grown up now so I have been given the gift of time [daughter Hannah appeared most recently in Guys & Dolls and Little Shop of Horrors (2014) and son Elijah was also in that production of Guys & Dolls]. This is the important thing I have to share with PCPH – my time and energy.

PCPH: What is your favorite PCPC memory – onstage or off?

Anna: One of favorites took place this summer during a rehearsal of the murder mystery The Mousetrap. We were running the show, and our light operator Oheneba Quarshie was part of our ‘audience’, seeing the play for the first time. Her excitement and disbelief at the reveal of the murderer was fantastic; one of those electric moments when the audience really connects with the actors and gets lost in what’s happening onstage. For me, that’s one of the things that makes live theatre such an amazing experience.

Cameron Wunderlich & Anna in the closing moments of The Mousetrap.

Peggy: My favorite memory: winning the Hammy Award presented annually to the performer who makes the most of his time onstage. I got the award for playing Yenta in Fiddler on the Roof (1991, directed by Vickie Parker). And of course, hearing applause, and being proud of all of the actors who give their best in every show. There are really dozens of great memories too numerous to mention.

Peggy as Ida in See How They Run (2012)
Kim: My favorite memories are my Hammy Awards. I received one for playing Mama in Bye Bye Birdie [2010], and my first one was for my performance as Little Red in Into the Woods [1997]. I love character roles, and it’s great to have your hard work acknowledged by others.

Kim as Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie!

PCPH: What do you look forward to most in the coming season?


Peggy: I’m just looking forward to being part of PCPH and helping to bring outstanding theatre to the people of Putnam County – helping wherever I can – or am able to at my age HA! So you see, you’re never too old to join the fun!

Kim: I look forward to working behind the scenes to produce the best experience for our participants and our audience members. I can’t wait for summer!

Anna: I am looking forward to my first season as a board member and helping to make the shows a success. All of the upcoming shows are unique, and I think it will be a wonderful season!

Our three new board members!  Welcome!





BOARD ENJOYS FINAL MEETING OF 2018!

Kathryn Dory
Members of the Board of Directors of Putnam County Playhouse joined together for the last time in 2018 at their meeting on December 9, at Almost Home.  

L-R: Santa Claus, Mark Hammer, Michael McClaine

A fine dinner was enjoyed by board members and guests.


L-R: Ann & Jim Rambo

Among those present were Jim & Ann Rambo, Kathryn & Bill Dory [Greencastle’s own Mayor], and Ric and Shelly McFadden.


L-R: Santa [Dustin Bond] & Shelly McFadden

The McFaddens took the opportunity to cozy up to the man of the hour.


L-R: Santa Claus & Ric McFadden

Also in attendance were Sandi and Dean Rossok, Drew and Kim Brattain, Jim and Melissa Green, and Brad and Lita Sandy.


L-R: Lita & Brad Sandy

Soon to be retired Sandi Rossok enjoyed socializing with Mayor Dory.


L-R: Sandi Rossok, Bill Dory

…and sharing a table with husband, Dean.


L-R: Dean & Sandi Rossok

Two newly elected board members shared a table with Linda Gjesvold.  Anna Harris, Peggy McClaine, and Linda shared their theatre experiences with each other. [Third newbie, Kim Brattain, was seated nearby. Watch this space for an interview with these three ladies!]


L-R: Peggy McClaine, Linda Gjesvold, Anna Harris

Also joining the fun were Dustin Bond, Meghan and Craig Armitage, Caroline and Tim Good, Mark and Jeanette Hammer, Michael and Brenda McClaine, Bethany Bax, and Jack Randall Earles.


L-R: Abigail, Meghan, Craig Armitage

The official board meeting was convened in the Swizzle Stick after dinner.

L-R: Drew & Kim Brattain, Brenda McClaine
L-R: Jack Randall Earles, Lita Sandy

Cousins Jack Randall Earles and Lita Sandy have always enjoyed spending the holidays together.

L-R: Brenda McClaine & Jeannette Hammer

Caroline & Tim Good
L-R: Ric McFadden, Bethany Bax