Antelope Valley Thespians

AVT will be holding auditions for WITTENBERG, by David Davalos, on Saturday January 14 from 9:30am – 12:30pm and Sunday January 15 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm.

Please contact productions@avthespians.org if you intend to audition, have any questions, and/or to receive directions to AVT’s garage blackbox.

All roles will be cast by an open audition reading. Sides will be provided at the audition, and no formal preparation or monologue is required. Scripts will be provided to those cast, but those wishing to purchase their own copies for perusal can do so via Dramatists.

There will be 8 performances at the AV Winery: April 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28. Rehearsals of 2-3 hours duration will be held twice weekly, with additional rehearsals possibly added as needed. Technical rehearsals will be April 9, 10, 11.

Produced and directed by Nalin A. Ratnayake. Stage managed by Karen Gruca.

Setting: University of Wittenberg, Germany, October 1517.

Roles (open audition):
JOHN FAUSTUS, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Th.D, a doctor – 30′s to 50′s male
HAMLET, prince of Denmark, a senior, major undecided – 20′s male
Rev.Fr. MARTIN LUTHER, D.D., a professor and confessor, 30′s male

The ETERNAL FEMININE, all played by one actress, early 20′s to early 30′s:
GRETCHEN, a tavern girl
HELEN, a lady of pleasure
MARY, Mother of God
LADY VOLTEMAND, an ambassador

Plot summary: It is October 1517 in northern Germany. The beginning of another fall semester at the University of Wittenberg finds certain members of the faculty and student body at personal and professional crossroads. Hamlet (senior, class of 1518) is returning from a summer in Poland spent studying astronomy, where he has come in contact with a revolutionary scientific theory that threatens the very order of the universe, resulting in psychic trauma and a crisis of faith for him. His teacher and mentor John Faustus (professor, philosophy) has decided at long last to make an honest woman of his paramour, Helen, a former nun who is now one of the Continent’s most sought-after courtesans. And Faustus’ colleague and Hamlet’s instructor and priest, Martin Luther (professor, theology), is dealing with the spiritual and medical consequences of his long-simmering outrage at certain abusive practices of the Church—the same Church to which he has sworn undying obedience. How these three men’s sagas overlap and intertwine and how they end up irrevocably affecting the course of each other’s lives is the substance of WITTENBERG, a comedy that reveals the story behind the stories of Hamlet, Doctor Faustus and the Protestant Reformation.

“A cocktail of brainy allusions, absurdist plot twists, sly wordplay and disarming anachronisms, fortified with serious ideas, WITTENBERG should delight Tom Stoppard fans, recovering English majors, disillusioned academics and anyone who has ever wondered what Helen of Troy was like in the sack…” — Washington Post

Following adoption of a new Operational Plan, the AVT membership has elected Jonathan Janssen as Artistic Director, Claudia Herrera as Technical Materials Director, and Nikki L. Martin as Operations Director for the 2012 Season. Nalin Ratnayake has stepped down as Producing Director, and the position formally dissolved. Nalin will remain CEO of the company until the new directors elect an incoming CEO for the 2012 Season. Congratulations to those elected!

At a company meeting December 1st, AVT members unanimously approved a new charter for the company. The Op Plan was was formulated from scratch at a meeting November 18th, where the members present defined a new company structure from the ground up as they would wish it to be. The result is a very member-driven model, in which members themselves assume direct, shared responsibility for company governance and operation, in exchange for member control over almost the entire artistic character of the company, including selection of a season and the roles of producer.

[Link to AVT Operational Plan v5.1]

The new Op Plan is in keeping with our founding principles, most notably that we are a community-driven community theatre company – of, by, and for our local neighborhoods.

AVT will use the month of December to internally effect a transition between membership definitions. Those on the list below are either presently members or eligible for membership under the old rules, and may opt-in to the new membership rules immediately if desired. Candidates for new membership, under the new rules only, will be considered starting January 1st, 2012. Membership will lapse for all current members who have not opted in to the new rules by Jan 1.

Sarah Allen
Sarah Arnac
Dean Berg
Sarah Bialobroda
Nicelle Davis
Anna Delrosario
M. Steven Felty
Jeremy Gruca
Joe Gruca
Karen Gruca
Mathew Gruca
Jessie Hassan
Claudia Y. Herrera
Kevin J. Hogan
Jessica Katzman
Juliana Katzman
Pavlina Janssen
Juan Juarez
Melissa Martin
Nikki Martin
Kara McCollum
Marcus McCollum
Phillip E. McKaughan
Stevelon Mims
Derric Neal
Lucas Nemeth
Will Nicolai
Nalin A. Ratnayake
Kelly Lynn Regan
Missy Schaapman

View photos from tech rehearsal!

Note that there is no performance on Sunday, November 13th.

NOVEMBER 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20
THREE DAYS OF RAIN
by Richard Greenberg

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, New York.

A year after he disappeared on the day of his father’s funeral, Walker Janeway returns to New York. Here he finds a clue to his troubled past: “April 3-5: Three days of rain.” So begins the curious journal of Ned Janeway, the father that Walker thought he knew. In Act II, we travel back in time to the mid-1960’s, where we are offered an alternative, unexpectedly romantic perspective of the family story. A many-layered drama peppered with witty moments that make us smile, Three Days of Rain ultimately questions every one of those little stories that we tell ourselves—the ones we need in order to make sense out of life.

Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 4pm. There is no performance on Sunday, November 13th.

This play contains strong language. We do not recommend it for young children.

Remaining tickets not sold in advance online will be available at the door, 30 minutes prior to curtain, via cash or check only. 

The Friday Nov. 5th performance (opening night) is our PATRON PREVIEW NIGHT. Patrons of AVT get in free, and all other tickets are just $5.

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View photos from rehearsal.

Directed by Nicelle Davis
Stage Manager: Claudia Y. Herrera
Scenic Design: Nicelle Davis, Phillip E. McKaughan
Costume Design: Pavlina Janssen
Lighting Design: Sarah Bialobroda, Nalin A. Ratnayake
Sound Design: Claudia Y. Herrera
Properties Design: Nicelle Davis, Pavlina Janssen
Technical Crew: Sarah Bialobroda, Mathew Gruca, Jessica Katzman, Nikki Martin, Will Nicolai
Produced by Nalin A. Ratnayake on behalf of Antelope Valley Thespians.

Missy Schaapman, Nalin Ratnayake, and Phil McKaughan rehearse for Three Days of Rain.

AVT’s production of Three Days of Rain, by Richard Greenberg and set to open November 4th, is well underway with the rehearsal and technical design process. Director Nicelle Davis is moving forward with a beautiful and ambitious vision for the production, including a blend of solid and ephemeral elements to to bring out the play’s many-layered themes.

Working on an aggressive rehearsal schedule, actors Phil McKaughan, Missy Schaapman, and Nalin Ratnayake are beginning to mesh as a cast as we close to within one week of an Act I full run-through. Each actor is playing two roles, one in the modern day Act I, as well as a parent of each character in the 1960′s in Act II.

Starting from a staging plan designed by Nicelle and Nalin, member Sarah Bialobroda is observing rehearsals and starting the sketches for her first production as a lighting designer. Sarah has operated the lighting for the shows of many AVT productions to date.

Staging plan for Three Days of Rain (click image for larger view). This is the AV Winery's warehouse area, with north pointing down on the page.

Three Days of Rain was commissioned by South Coast Repertory in 1997. It received its New York premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club in that same year, and went on to enjoy many subsequent productions, including in London’s West End. The script was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in drama.

AVT’s production will run for eight performances at the Antelope Valley Winery – Nov 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 18, 19, and 20. It is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, New York.

A year after he disappeared on the day of his father’s funeral, Walker Janeway returns to New York. He takes up temporary residence in the unused space where, thirty-five years earlier, his architect father lived and designed the great house that would make him and his partner famous. Here he finds a clue to his troubled past: “April 3-5: Three days of rain.” So begins the curious journal of Ned Janeway, the father that Walker thought he knew. Long-overdue confrontations with his sister and best friend slowly force new meaning as they reinterpret their relationships to each other and their respective pasts. In Act II, we travel back in time to the mid-1960’s, where we are offered an alternative, unexpectedly romantic perspective of the family story. A many-layered drama peppered with witty moments that make us smile, Three Days of Rain ultimately questions every one of those little stories that we tell ourselves—the ones we need in order to make sense out of life.  AVT’s production of Three Days of Rain is directed by Nicelle Davis in her debut production with the company.

Claudia Y. Herrera, Stage Manager
Kevin J. Hogan, Technical Director
Nalin A. Ratnayake, Producer
Starring Phillip E. McKaughan, Nalin A. Ratnayake, and Missy Schaapman.

Kara McCollum as Pulcheria Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment.

AVT member Kara McCollum has tendered her resignation today as AVT’s Artistic Director in preparation for her family’s move to Washington state at the end of the month. Kara has been an integral part of every AVT production since the first play in our first season as a company. Whether it was on the stage (in Crime and Punishment and Crossings), behind the scenes for every other production as AVT’s aesthetic designer-in-chief, or spearheading our community outreach and fundraising, Kara has given so much to help make AVT into the growing company it is today.

AVT member Marcus McCollum appeared as Captain John Montresor of HRM Expeditionary Forces in AVT’s September 2010 production of The Interrogation of Nathan Hale. Marcus’ performance as the brooding, darkly inquisitive British officer helped to earn AVT stellar reviews for the production.

From the review “Thespians Spite Skeptics with Stunning ‘Interrogation’ “ by Lisa Wolf in the September 24th, 2010 issue of Showcase in the Antelope Valley Press:

Marcus McCollum as Captain John Montresor in The Interrogation of Nathan Hale.

[Marcus] McCollum is an excellent actor, portraying Montresor’s wide range of erratic emotions without faltering. Each word and movement, from his British accent to his posture, engulfs the audience’s attention, completely transforming the theater into an 18th century war zone. McCollum creates tension and then relieves it instantly with a subtle change in his expression and tone.

The McCollums’ eldest daughter, Olivia, also has ties to our company. In 2010, AVT was Olivia’s sponsor in the Little Miss Leona Valley Gymkhana Queen pageant… which she won!

The McCollums will be sorely missed, and we all wish them the very best on this new stage of their lives!

AUGUST 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28
HUNGER FOR PARADISE
by Eric M. Martin

Winner of the 2010 AVT New American West Play Competition. Produced by arrangement with Eric M. Martin, Quartz Hill, CA.

AVT is pleased to bring to the stage the premiere of this new, character-driven drama by local playwright Eric M. Martin.  Set in the modern day, this play explores the hunger for something new that often drives us to break for greener pastures… only to discover that, sometimes, the emptiness inside from which we run cannot be filled so easily. Rather, it pursues us despite all superficial remedies — and instead of looking forward in the way we hoped, life sometimes leaves us to wonder might have been.

STARRING: Kevin J. Hogan, Melissa Martin, Will Nicolai, Stevelon Mims, and Juan Juarez.

AUG 19-28, 2011
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 4pm at the Antelope Valley Winery (20th W at Avenue M in Lancaster).

General seating, $9.
Students, $6 cash only at the door.

Fri, Aug 19 is a preview performance. All tickets are $5, and Patrons of AVT get in free! Join us afterward at Sagebrush Cafe (50th W at Avenue L-14 in Quartz Hill) for a reception with cast, crew, and the playwright.

This play contains strong language. We do not recommend it for young children.

Select Performance

Fri, Aug 19, 8pm – [Preview] $5.00 Sat, Aug 20, 8pm – [General] $9.00 Sun, Aug 21, 4pm – [General] $9.00 Fri, Aug 26, 8pm – [General] $9.00 Sat, Aug 27, 8pm – [General] $9.00 Sun, Aug 28, 4pm – [General] $9.00

Contact Email

Jessie Ann Hassan, Director
Juliana Katzman, Stage Manager
Kevin J. Hogan, Technical Director
Kara McCollum, Artistic Director
Nalin A. Ratnayake, Producer

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