Posts Tagged ‘2012 – 2013 Season to Inspire’

White Christmas in depth – Susan Waverly

Friday, November 9th, 2012

Get to know the cast of Spokane Civic Theatre’s White Christmas

Meet Susan Waverly

Marlena Mizzoni as Susan Waverly in White Christmas at Spokane Civic Theatre

Well, on stage in White Christmas she’s Susan Waverly….in life, she’s Marlena Mizzoni. Susan Waverly, the grand-daughter of General Waverly (to find out who he is, you need to see the show…opening this Friday on Spokane Civic Theatre’s Main Stage), is supposed to be visiting her grand pappy over the holiday season. She’s supposed to be witty, wise beyond her years, and totally into showbiz.

Enter Marlena

Marlena who had never had a singing lesson or an acting lesson before performing in Annie at Spokane Civic Theatre last Spring.  Annie was life changing for little Marlena and by definition, her mother, Joy Mizzoni. According to her mom: and she digs showbiz.

All I know, is that, given the opportunity to discover both her singing and acting talent…she exploded! She had to get up every morning early for school with rehearsals 5 days a week, and perform in 20 something shows at Spokane Civic Theatre. It was hard for her. She was tired and the youngest on set. It was a blessing for Marlena . These Annie girls and women were just everything I could ask for female influencers on my daughter. Honestly, Marlena’s participation in Annie was life changing for me and both my daughters also.

And then the call from Yvonne AK Johnson came:

I was ecstatic when I received a voice mail from Yvonne AK Johnson, the executive artistic director of Civic, personally requesting Marlena playSusan Waverly. (! I am still so excited! She stepped into the role like it was her 10th play…not her second, and definitely not her first major role.

And it looks like Marlena and her time at Spokane Civic Theatre are changing more lives than one.

As a mother, I want nothing more than for both my girls to live their passions fearlessly. Marlena is setting that example for not only her younger sister….but for other little girls with big dreams and big hopes. Marlena has demonstrated the amazing things you can accomplish if you set fear aside and follow your heart.

To find out more about Spokane Civic Theatre, check out Civic News, stay up to date with cast and crew on our Facebook Page and keep an eye on Pinterest for some pinnable images of all things theatre! Don’t forget, we’re active on Twitter as well: SpoCivicTheatre. Upcoming productions for the Season to Inspire include White Christmas, Escanaba in Love, Next to Normal, On Golden Pond, Treasure Island, Grease and more.

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Why is White Christmas a big deal to Spokane?

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

White Christmas: twinkles, tinsel and more

Countdown to White Christmas at Spokane Civic Theatre. Beginning Friday, November 16, the Civic  stage will twinkle with tinsel and lights and snow and all things Christmas as we open White Christmas directed by Yvonne AK Johnson. This show only runs through December 21, and tickets are only $33 for adults, $31 for seniors and military and $26 for students.

Cast and Crew t-shirts White Christmas Spokane Civic Theatre

Why is White Christmas a big deal to Spokane?

Yvonne AK Johnson:  This is Bing Crosby’s hometown! Plus, Who doesn’t watch White Christmas on television every year?

 Why is White Christmas big to the holidays?

Yvonne AK Johnson: It’s a part of holiday tradition for most families.

How is the musical different than the movie?

Yvonne AK Johnson: As much as the musical script takes us to various locations from The Western Front in 1944 to the The Ed Sullivan show, New York night clubs, an Inn in Vermont and a train in 1954 you still will need to use your imagination! Hollywood is able to film on location and will take months or even years to do so. We create all of this theatre magic in two hours on one stage.

Do you think people should see the movie and the musical (as in watch the movie before or after?)?

Yvonne AK Johnson: The script is different than the movie. I think audiences will enjoy both and will have fun comparing the differences.

 Does the movie inspire you in your directing?

Yvonne AK Johnson: To a degree but we need to stay true to the script and embrace its differences.

 What can the audience expect? What will wow us?

Yvonne AK Johnson: Kathie Doyle-Lipe and Ashley Cooper have done a beautiful job on the various dance forms represented in the choreography. We’re also using all of the drops that set designer Peter Hardie created two years ago. The finale drop is so beautiful that it looks like a Thomas Kincaid painting. The set design works very well with our space and every fly line is in full use and then some! This cast is extremely lovable and dynamic. Their performances are heartwarming beyond words. Have I mentioned the costumes …Jan, Jen and Dee have knocked it out of the park yet again!

 

To find out more about Spokane Civic Theatre, check out Civic News, stay up to date with cast and crew on our Facebook Page and keep an eye on Pinterest for some pinnable images of all things theatre! Upcoming productions for the Season to Inspire include White Christmas, Escanaba in Love, Next to Normal, On Golden Pond, Treasure Island, Grease and more.

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The White Office

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

Set Design

The White Office and the Not So White Office

Shot of Leos Office Spokane Civic Theatre

As you sit in the audience, marveling at all the singing, tapping, and general goings on on stage, do you ever wonder, just a wee bit, about the scenery and set design? Do you think, “How’d they do that?” If you’ve seen Spokane Civic Theatre’s The Producers, did you notice the pigeons cooing in their cages, Leo’s not so tidy office, Roger De Bris’ um, sparkling apartment? Ok, we admit it, Mark Pleasant and Jerry Sciarrio as Leo and Max are so entertaining, it’s easy to get drawn in to the story and forget about the Main Stage set design. But you had to noticed the office shift from “normal” to, well, white-washed, didn’t you? How could you miss Ulla’s infamous “tidy oop”…you did, didn’t you? So what’s the deal with the white office and the not so white office?

Leo's office The Producers Spokane Civic Theatre ”Tidy Oop”

During Act II of The Producers, Ulla (Angela Pierson) does her best to “tidy oop” as Leo and Max requested. The office suddenly goes from being a nice normal, bachelor, sleazy Broadway producer office to sanitarium white in one scene.  Did you wonder how David Baker, Technical Director Spokane Civic Theatre, made that switch in record time?

It’s Boring

Or so David tells us.

 ”…the white office on The Producers’ set is SEEN second so folks think it’s PUT there second.  A little psychological trick, I suppose. The white walls are the permanent part of the set and the first act has the colored panels  hung in front of (and from) the white walls.  All of  the office doors flip, though.  That was a trickier job to pull off, technically. Hinges and door hardware that work from both directions in the same frame…”

And there you have it

Now you know the secret of the white office. Now, if you’ve not experienced this for yourself, perhaps this weekend is the perfect time to see The Producers. Spokane Civic Theatre is accepting donations of non-perishable food items for Second Harvest Food Bank. With your donation, your ticket will be only $11 (versus the normal $29, such a deal!) for shows that run Thursday, October 11 through Saturday, October 13. Call the Box Office a nab your seat now! 509.325.2507.

The white office and the normal office Spokane Civic Theatre
For more information about other productions this season, please visit Spokane Civic Theatre’s Website and check out twitter! We’re constantly updating the Spokane Civic Theatre Facebook Page with the latest and greatest. And reserve your seats now for the rest of  Season to Inspire with shows like A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, White Christmas, Escanaba in Love, Next to Normal, On Golden Pond, Treasure Island, Grease and more.

 

 

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Civic’s The Producers gets a little press action

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

Looks like Spokane likes The Producers

The Producers at Spokane Civic Theatre taken by Chris Wooley

Photo credit to Chris Wooley

Civic’s production of The Producers is getting it’s fair share of press action. It’s always a bit of a gamble to open a season with a show that pokes fun at well, exactly what we do. And to take on something as taboo as Hitler, well, you see where that might be an issue. And of course, Mel Brooks is Mel Brooks. But it looks like Spokane is enjoying Spokane Civic Theatre’s production of The Producers and we thank our community for embracing this cast and crew with open arms.

The Producers run from September 21st through October 21st. Tickets are $29 for adults, $27 for Military & Seniors and $22 for students. Call 509.325.2507 for details.

 

So take a look at what the Spokesman Review says about The Producers:

Leave it to comedy legend Mel Brooks to conceive a musical with material so offensive it becomes downright hysterical…Sciarrio and Pleasant manage their roles well and make an amusing duo; their performances are similar to Nathan Lane’s and Matthew Broderick’s sardonic portrayals on Broadway…An ensemble of elderly ladies dancing with walkers and side-splitting cameo appearances by character actress Kathie Doyle-Lipe served as other highlights of the show, as well as Jan Wanless’ costumes and David Baker’s set design in Act Two.

And The Inlander chimes in with their opinion of Civic’s staging of the producers:

It’s not easy to turn bad taste into good humor, but the Civic pulls it off… Under the direction of Marianne McLaughlin, the Civic pulled off a great show… the excellent supporting cast (Babbit, McKeever, Pierson) enhanced the clear talent and suitability of the leads (Sciarrio, Pleasant)… It’s the spirit of gleeful irreverence that makes The Producers such fun, and this production channels that blithe spirit brilliantly.

Wow, again, just wow. Thank you Spokane for enjoying The Producers as much as we have enjoyed putting on the show. Here’s to a great run and we hope to see you here laughing, chuckling and smiling.

To find out more about Spokane Civic Theatre, check out Civic News, stay up to date with cast and crew on our Facebook Page and keep an eye on Pinterest for some pinnable images of all things theatre! Upcoming productions for the Season to Inspire include A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, White Christmas, Escanaba in Love, Next to Normal, On Golden Pond, Treasure Island, Grease and more.

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Who is Jason Robert Brown?

Thursday, September 6th, 2012

Who is Jason Robert Brown?

That’s right, he is coming to Spokane Civic Theatre!

Jason Robert Brown

Jason Robert Brown, Composer for Songs for a New World

You may have heard that Jason Robert Brown, composer for Songs for a New World, is attending Spokane Civic Theatre’s production of Songs for a New World on October 27 with a talk-back following the show.  We are very excited about it, so with that in mind, we wanted to know a little more about the composer. Here’s are some facts about him:

Early life/career:

Jason Robert Brown started out in the suburbs of New York City. He attended the Eastman School of Music for two years and French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts during the summer. Working as an arranger, conductor and pianist for shows and playing several nightclubs and piano bars started his career in New York City. Two of his biggest influences were Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Sunday in the Park with George. At the age of 23, he was invited to dinner with Stephen Sondheim after seeing one of Sondheim’s musicals.

Songs for a New World was the first major production of 25-year-old Jason Robert Brown’s compositions. It had a limited run and was directed by Daisy Prince at an off-Broadway Revue. “Stars and the Moon,” one of the songs from the show, is one of his best-known compositions. He won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Original Musical Score for his songs written for the Broadway musical Parade, directed by Hal Prince. He wrote the book and songs for The Last Five Years, and contributed several songs to Urban Cowboy. He also wrote the music and lyrics for 13.

Style:

To quote one of the vocalists in Spokane Civic Theatre’s production, “Jason Robert Brown’s music is difficult, but very beautiful when it’s done.” His songs cover a wide vocal range, especially for men, and have complex harmonies. He blends pop/rock with gospel, theatrical, classical and jazz. These and many other things make his music distinct.

So, if you’d like to see Songs for a New World at Spokane Civic Theatre, call 509-325-2507, visit us at 1020 N. Howard or buy tickets online at TicketsWest. This is a special fundraiser showing only two nights: Friday, October 26, 2012 and Saturday, October 27, 2012. Don’t miss out on this great show! For more news and updates, visit our Twitter or Google+ pages.

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Tickets for 2012-2013 Season to Inspire, Please!

Thursday, August 16th, 2012

Tickets for 2012-2013 Season to Inspire, Please!

With Great Change comes Great Adventure!

Box Office Coordinator Rebecca Answers the Phone

Box Office Coordinator Rebecca answers the phone and she really is happy….we promise.

As many of you have probably found out by now, Spokane Civic Theatre is doing things differently for the 2012-2013 Season to Inspire. Mainly, tickets for the whole season go on sale on one date, instead of a month before the opening of each production. Tickets for Season Subscriber and Donor Members have been open for months, but the general public couldn’t get tickets until yesterday, August 15th. What a busy day it was, too!

Box Office Coordinator Rebecca and her assistant, Deanna, prepared by bringing on extra help for the morning, knowing that people had been asking when tickets would go on sale for several of the 2012-2013 Season to Inspire productions. However, no one knew just how many calls to expect. Did enough people know about the date to make a big difference? Big changes always make such things hard to predict, but that’s half the fun and makes it into an adventure!

The 2012-2013 Season to Inspire holds many good and well-known productions as well as some that are new. On the Main Stage, the productions include The Producers, White Christmas, Escanaba in Love, The Drowsy Chaperone, Treasure Island, and Grease. The studio will house A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, Next to Normal, On Golden Pond and Dixie Swim Club. Anyone involved with the theatre two years ago would know that White Christmas was the most popular show in recent years. The show was completely sold out by the opening Saturday of the production.

Will Call Boxes full of tickets

Will Call Boxes full of tickets with others waiting to be filed at Spokane Civic Theatre’s Box Office.

So, the box officers prepared for an onslaught. There were quite a lot of calls throughout the day, including to group sales that were each over $1,000! All in all, the day was a huge success, but not overwhelming. Rebecca remarked that it was busy enough that the two credit card machines couldn’t keep up, but Deanna added that there was enough pause between phone calls to keep organized and file tickets into the will call without scampering around like a crazy person.

Part of the hope when making this change was to help spread phone calls out so that the crazy days would be less crazy and the slow days less slow. It’s too soon to tell, but it looks like it might be working at this point!

For more information about this season and any other news, please visit Spokane Civic Theatre’s Website and twitter page! Tickets are available at 509-325-2507, at 1020 N. Howard St. or online at TicketsWest.com. We hope to hear from you soon and see you at the theatre!

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Civic Gets a New Sound Booth

Friday, July 13th, 2012

When it Comes to Theatre Sound is King

Sound Engineers Rejoice!

 

Chris Wooley, who runs sound on many of Civic’s Main Stage musicals, is overjoyed that Civic gets a new sound booth. We’re certain you have been to a show on the Main Stage at Spokane Civic Theatre where the band is louder than the on stage cast. So is the life of a theatre. Sometimes. But not always. Why? It can be hard for a sound tech to hear what the audience hears when they are literally stuck behind a wall in a booth behind and above the audience. What they hear must pass through a single grouping of windows. It’s not very efficient and the audience can tell, can’t we? Well, that’s about to change!

Spokane Civic Theatre is building a new sound booth!

 

Flegel Building Contractors, Inc. Spokane Civic Theatre

Tim Flegel from Flegel Building Contractors, Inc. as he builds the new addition to Spokane Civic Theatre’s sound booth on the Main Stage.

As you can see from the pictures, the new booth is open and literally sits right above the audience. The sound tech can more accurately hear what the audience hears, therefore sound problems should disappear giving you, the audience, an even more enjoyable experience for all of those wonderful shows coming up in Spokane Civic Theatre’s 2012 – 2013 Season to Inspire.

Who is in charge of the venture?

The design for the new booth was done by Dan Griffith from ALSC Architects with the goal of bringing tech into the space where sound is produced for even more fine tuning. After receiving the plans, we hired Tim Flegel from Flegel Building Contractors, Inc. This isn’t the first job he’s done for us, either. The work in the lobby of the Studio Theatre and the pergola outside of the main entrance was his work as well. Of course, this new space would not be able to function as a sound booth without the electrical work of Merit Electric.

Flegel Building Contractors, Inc new sound booth

Acoustics and location of the new sound booth gives the sound tech a bird’s eye view and allows them to hear what the audience hears.

The 2012 – 2013 season opens at Civic with The Producers on September 21st. We’ll be having a celebratory Gala celebration and we hope you will be on hand to check out the new sound booth.

 

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BOX OFFICE: 509-325-2507  •  1020 N. HOWARD STREET, SPOKANE WA, 99201  •  CURTAIN: TH-SAT 7:30 P.M.  SUN 2:00 P.M.