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September,
2011
Hello, Town & Gown
Theater members and patrons.
I am honored and humbled to serve as
Board President of Town & Gown Theater
for the 2011-2012 season – our 61st!
We have a fantastic lineup on tap
this year, and you can view information
about all of our shows at http://www.townandgown.org/season.html.
We kicked off the
season with our annual potluck party on
August 2nd.
There was plenty of delicious food on
hand, and we gave out several T-shirts
commemorating our 60th
anniversary season. Past directors,
cast and crew members shared stories of
their experience during the 60th
season, and this season’s directors had a
chance to talk about their upcoming
productions. Recognition was given to
our outgoing and incoming board members and
we held a special tribute to our outgoing
treasurer, Susan Weber, thanking her for 8
years of service in that role.
Our Volunteer of the
Year and recipient of the “Golden Toilet
Brush” trophy was Kyle Shifflett, for the
countless hours of labor and love he gave in
support of several shows last season. Congratulations
and another big thanks to Kyle for his
continued service to Town & Gown.
Town & Gown also
participated in Lights on Stillwater on
August 24th.
T&G members Tim Prchal and Sue
Moore helped set up the booth, and Tim and
I, along with help from Shannon DeYong,
offered information to a large crowd of
students on the OSU Library lawn throughout
the evening.
The response was fantastic, with many
visitors expressing an interest in seeing
shows and becoming involved at the theater.
Nearly 200 people signed up to
receive our newsletter, and we gave away one
pair of tickets to the first show of the
season, Neil Simon’s “Rumors.”
September looks to be a
busy month for Town & Gown members, as
there are several events coming up soon.
Opening Friday Sept. 9th
at 7:30 p.m. and playing Saturday evening
and Sunday afternoon at the Sheerar Theater
in Stillwater is a local production of
“The Guys.”
Written by Stillwater’s own Anne
Nelson, “The Guys” stars Town & Gown
members Ann Houston and Billy McCollom and
is directed by Billy’s daughter Virginia
(Ginny) McCollom.
T&G members Vance Black and Lisa
Francis also lend their talents backstage.
The play tells the story of a NYC
fire captain dealing with the loss of
several crew members after their unit was
involved with the rescue efforts on 9/11.
Tickets are only $20 and may be
purchased by phone at 377-0359 or by
visiting the Sheerar museum during business
hours (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through
Friday).
Proceeds will benefit the Stillwater
Fire Dept. and the Sheerar Museum.
Town & Gown’s improv comedy troupe, “Cueless,”
is performing as part of the Old Settler’s
Day festivities in downtown Perkins on
Saturday 9/10 at 2 p.m.
Their hilarious brand of off-the-cuff
comedy is sure to entertain the crowd.
Come on out for some free laughs and
a good time at the festival.
Our first show of the
season, “Rumors,” opens on Sept. 15th
and runs through the next weekend, Sept. 25th.
This hilarious comedy, written by
Neil Simon and directed by Susan Weber,
centers around an anniversary party that
gets off to an inauspicious start and goes
downhill from there.
Paul Weber has once again designed a
phenomenal set that blends with the talents
of a wonderful cast and crew to create a
show you simply won’t want to miss.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $10
for students and go on sale Monday Sept. 12th
at the Town & Gown Box office (377-9122)
and at www.myticketscene.com.
You can find additional information
on this production at http://www.townandgown.org/production.html.
On Sept. 24th,
several Town & Gown members will perform
an audio drama (like the radio plays of
yesteryear) as part of the St. Patty’s in
September / Celtic Block party festivities
at the historic Ritz Theater in Shawnee.
“Frozen Words Thawed,” written by
T&G member Tim Prchal, also stars fellow
members Vance Black, Jack Hodgson, Nick
Sumpter, Shannon DeYong, Diane Keenom, Ryan
Winters, and Jason Watts. The Irreplaceable
Tube Theater, as they’re collectively
known, goes on stage at noon.
I highly recommend the short drive
down to Shawnee – it will definitely be
worth the trip!
Lastly, as you all
know, we rely entirely on volunteer efforts
to bring you the award-winning live theater
you’ve come to love at Town & Gown. Committee chairs have been selected for the Fundraising and
Costume committees for this season (thank
you, Dawn Wilson and Kyle Shifflett,
respectively), but we still need
chairpersons for our other committees
(especially Publicity and Play Selection)
and volunteers for all (including the
above-mentioned committees as well as Box
Office and Buildings and Grounds). We can
always use extra hands to help park cars for
each show as well.
If you are interested
in serving on a committee or lending your
efforts to Town & Gown in any other
capacity this season, please feel free to
contact me or the designated committee
chair. Again, we offer up a huge
thanks to all our volunteers.
Without you, none of this is
possible!
I look forward to
seeing you at the theater this season!
Sincerely,
Jacob Boyd,
President, Town & Gown Theatre
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