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Theatre
Newsletter: September 2004
February Edition
February
7, Edition 5– ’04-'05
518 West Locust St. Davenport, IA 52804
Department Chair: Kristofer Eitrheim – (563)
333-6255, EitrheimKristoferJ@sau.edu
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Corinne Johnson – (563)
333-6427, JohnsonCorinneS@sau.edu
Newsletter Editor: Jenny Stodd, SAU Junior,
SAUTheatreNews@Yahoo.com
Contributing Journalist: Daniel Sheridan, SAU
Senior / Jamie Booher, SAU Junior
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In This Issue:
1. ACTF Success Story
2. Tribute to Dr. Rick Koehler
3. Blithe Spirit
Reminder
4. Cast lists of Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Children's Hour
5. Freshman Spotlight--Ben
Calhoon
6. Senior Salute--Sue Brandt
7. Theatre Department is
Ambrosian of the Month
8. Alumni Awareness
9. Players At Dawn
10. How to prepare for a Cattle
Call
11. Theatre Around the QCA this Month
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GATEWAY
TO SUCCESS
Most
often, St. Louis, Missouri is known as the Gateway to the
Midwest. This
year, the St. Ambrose Theatre Department could honestly call
it the "Gateway to Success".
23 students and three professors traveled to St.
Louis this January for the Kennedy Center American College
Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF).
Meeting up with students from Missouri, Illinois,
South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Kansas,
the theatrical Ambrosians were ready for a week of
workshops, play viewings, and of course, the Irene Ryan
Acting Competition.
Irene Ryan was the actor who played
Granny on the television show “Beverley Hillbillies.”
According to KC/ACTF, “The main focus of the Irene
Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions is to celebrate the
nation’s finest student actors and the craft that enables
them to create compelling and truthful characterizations.” This year, SAU took six of its finest actors, who were
nominated by respondents who saw their work in the past
year. Ted Stephens III with partner Trina Gillen, Matt Erkel with
partner Claire Richards (both nominated from Rumors),
Daniel DP Sheridan with partner Brian Golden, Rusty K. Koll
with partner Andrew Harvey (both nominated from Our Town),
Marianna Caldwell with partner Julie Arensdorf and Scott
Peake with partner Sean Pankuch (both nominated for H.M.S.
Pinafore) all competed in the competition and
represented St. Ambrose with talent and poise.
For the 2005 competition, nominees had
to prepare a two-person scene, lasting a maximum of three
minutes in the preliminary round (the scene may or may not
include singing). In
the semi-final round, they would perform the same scene and
an additional two-person scene with the same partner, not
exceeding five minutes (again, either of these scenes can
involve music). In the final round, they added a monologue (or a solo musical
number) to the same two scenes, and had a maximum of six
minutes to present all three.
When the semifinalists were announced,
St. Ambrose was overjoyed to hear Daniel Sheridan’s name
announced. While the group prepared to support him in the semifinal
round, Sheridan and his partner, Brian Golden (a recent
graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and a high
school friend of Sheridan’s) stayed behind to practice
their material. Sheridan
presented his first scene from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the preliminary round, and would add his second
scene from Richard Greenberg’s Three
Days of Rain for the next round.
After watching the semifinal round, the
students and faculty from St. Ambrose had a good feeling
about Sheridan moving on to the final round.
The evening after the semifinals took place, students
and faculty from District Five piled into a banquet room in
the festival hotel for the announcement of the finalists.
Sheridan was one of them.
When asked if he was anxious before the
announcement, Sheridan wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“It was an odd feeling,” he explained.
“I actually felt really focused.
It is the anticipation that got me; especially since
I felt we had a shot.”
The next day, Sheridan and Golden
prepared for their performance in that evening’s final
round of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition.
Sheridan’s immediate family was able to drive down
to St. Louis to watch him perform, and his fellow students
from St. Ambrose waited with anticipation. They couldn’t help but think about the time two years
before, when their friend Dan Hale had won the competition. A good friend of Hale’s, Sheridan says there was never any
pressure because of him.
“I have learned so much just from being around
him.”
Sheridan and Golden took the stage that
night in front of over 1,000 students and faculty.
Sheridan told us, “It was an amazing chance to
share three stories I love in front of the largest group of
peers I may ever perform for.”
Although he was nearly cut off by the
timer, Sheridan was able to finish his two scenes and added
monologue from Arthur Miller’s Death
of a Salesman in under six minutes and 15 seconds.
Sheridan, his partner, his family and professors
waited patiently for the results of the competition.
In addition to the award of winning the
competition and advancing to Washington, other awards are
given to finalists and semifinalists.
These include a Musical Theatre Award for the best
musical scene or solo in both the semifinal and final
rounds; the Classical Acting Award for the best classical
scene or monologue in both the semifinal and final rounds;
and the TVI (Talent Ventures Incorporated) Scholarship,
allowing a nominee or partner from the final round to attend
an all expenses paid workshop in film over the summer in
either New York or Los Angeles.
As the TVI representative stood to give
the TVI Scholarship, she read the words “St. Ambrose
University”…and the students and faculty gasped, ready
to cheer. The
name “Brian Golden” followed, and there was a lull as
everyone tried to figure why Sheridan’s name wasn’t
read. They then
realized it was Sheridan’s partner, and equally proud of
him, stood and cheered.
“When they said ‘from St. Ambrose University’
we all thought it was me,” Sheridan laughed.
“But Brian winning it was amazing.
He’s guided me in the past and present and I’m
proud he won the TVI Scholarship.”
Sheridan and his partner were not
through yet. They
were also awarded the Classical Acting Award for their
excellent portrayals in Julius
Caesar.
By this time, St. Ambrose was already
in awe of the pair’s accomplishments.
It was finally time for the winners to be announced,
and the first was Elise Link, a student from the University
of Missouri-Columbia. After
a drawn out pause, the second winner was announced: Daniel
Sheridan from St. Ambrose University.
The students and faculty of the St. Ambrose Theatre
Department don’t remember much after Sheridan’s name was
called; they were cheering and up on their feet, showing the
other schools in the region just how great a small
institution like St. Ambrose really is.
Dr. Cory Johnson, Professor of Theatre
at St. Ambrose, nearly collapses in her chair when she
thinks of her students' success.
“I am bowled over,” she announced.
“Proud beyond words to have two students win within
three years.” Johnson
and Sheridan will work together for his upcoming trip to
Washington, DC in April.
“Sheridan will have the opportunity to meet
distinguished teachers, actors, directors, and be considered
for internships and professional positions in acting,”
Johnson explained.
Not only is Johnson attending the
National Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in
DC as Sheridan’s coach, but she herself has received an
award. “I
received a nomination that is a vote of confidence by the
KC/ACTF Region Five Advisory Board,” she revealed.
“I am invited to attend the National Festival in DC
and then one of eight KC/ACTF nominees will attend a
two-week summer acting workshop.
Kris Eitrheim was given a Certificate of Merit at the
festival this year in honor of his excellent scenic design
for last spring’s production of Rumors.
The St. Ambrose University Theatre
Department is still trying to catch their breath from the
excitement of the week, and is proud beyond words of
Sheridan and Golden, Dr. Johnson, Eitrheim, and all the SAU
Irene Ryan nominees who competed with excellence at the
festival. Cheers
to a job well done!
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Remembering
Our Dear Friend
On January 14, the SAU Theatre
Department lost a dear friend and a great man with the
passing of Dr. Rick Koehler. Koehler, an SAU biology professor by day and a fellow actor
by night was well-known and admired by the students and
faculty of the theatre department.
Koehler was involved with numerous
shows at SAU, both on the main stage and in the studio
theatre. Just a
few of these shows include, My
Favorite Year, “The Lesson,” Gypsy,
A Man For All Seasons,
Sylvan Slough, A View From the Bridge, Macbeth,
and Oleanna.
Every year at the Galvins Award
Ceremony an award is given to an outstanding senior who has
greatly contributed to the department, displayed a
commitment to bettering the department and who exemplifies a
person with drive, discipline and a good attitude.
This outstanding senior award has been renamed the
“Rick Koehler Outstanding Senior Award.”
“This is a great way to ensure that
ten and fifteen years from now people will still know who
Rick was. Rick
exemplified the characteristics that are required for the
award. It is
only fitting that it should be named in honor of him,”
said Dr. Corinne Johnson.
Koehler will be remembered in many ways
by many people and it is certain that the department will
never forget his kind spirit and giving ways.
Some of these thoughts and memories include:
“I
always think of Koehler as a gentleman.
He was a gentle man.
I never heard him name a person he was upset with.
Everything was done with a sense of humor.
He brought the same conscientious attitude that he
had towards his professional life to the theatre.” –
Michael Kennedy, SAU faculty
“Rick
Koehler is one of the nicest people I have ever met.
He was always nice to everyone, no matter who you are
or how old you are. He
was a great listener and always gave excellent advice.
I will always remember Rick and treasure my memories
with him.” – Sue Brandt, SAU senior
“More
than anything, he just cared, genuinely cared about people.
I worked with him on four different projects and he was
always that person that I could talk to. Many times I would
see him on campus and he would take the time to stop and
talk about anything. Talking to Rick was like talking to
your favorite uncle, he wanted to talk to you as much as you
wanted to talk to him.” – Scott Peake, SAU junior
“He
gave his all to everything.
He was fun to work with in plays. He
loved his family. I
am going to miss him very, very, very much.
He used to come visit me all the time in the costume
shop. And he
looks great in a sweater.
His wife could never get him in one but he had to
wear one in Oleanna.” – Dianne Dye, SAU staff.
“I
remember rehearsing with Rick for “The Lesson” (Spring
’04) and how worried he was that he was hurting me or that
I would tell his students he threatened me with a knife.
Since I would be taking his classes it was a good
joke between us. Rick
was a wonderful man that brought his all to rehearsal.
I will miss him very much.” – Julie Arensdorf,
SAU sophomore.
“Rick
was the kind of person who always wanted to know what you
were up to and sincerely cared. He was one of the
hardest working, creative and most reliable people I
have ever known and he admired those qualities in others.
His dedication and talent in the theatre department will
never be forgotten. I know Rick will forever be there
in spirit to help those who knew him.” – Daniel
Sheridan, SAU senior
The shows will go on in the SAU Theatre
Department, as Rick would have wanted them to; And we know
there is always a special seat in the audience reserved for
him.
********************************************************************
GHOSTS
TAKE SAU STAGE THIS MONTH
Blithe Spirit, the upcoming SAU
production written by Noel Coward, is the story of Charles
and his second wife Ruth who are haunted by the ghost of his
first wife, Elvira. Medium
Madame Arcati tries to help the situation by communicating
with Elvira, but does little more than bringing more
hilarity to the situation.
The cast is as follows:
Charles
Condomine – Andrew Harvey
Ruth – Marianna Caldwell
Elvira – Julie Arensdorf
Madame Arcati – Allison Costello
Mr. Bradman – Rusty K. Koll
Mrs. Bradman – Colleen Winters
Edith – Jessica Stratton
“Blithe Spirit is a bit of an
experiment and different for us,” said director Michael
Kennedy, “it contains numerous challenges including heavy
dialects and surprising technical occurrences.
By the end of the show the set becomes a character
itself.
The show is difficult technically as
tables are required to dance and books fly off shelves.
Junior Sam Michael, who is working on developing the
technical elements of the show, said that, "it will be
a fun experience working with pneumatics. It has been
interesting trying to make the set do fun things without
cords and other devices being shown to the audience.
Freshman Jessica Stratton is playing Edith the maid
and is extremely excited about this project.
“The cast is extremely talented and everyone’s
characterization is well done.
People should definitely come see the show because
the acting is awesome and it is a really fun play…lots of
surprises,” said Stratton.
With all of the technical wizardry,
interesting dialects, sophisticated humor and other worldly
happenings, Blithe Spirit will prove to be unlike
anything else on the Allaert stage this year.
Dates
Friday Feb. 18 @ 7:30pm
Saturday Feb. 19 @ 7:30pm
Sunday Feb. 20 @ 3:00pm
Tickets
*Reserve tickets at the Galvin Box
Office (563) 333-6251
*$10 for adults, $8 for
Seniors/Faculty/Staff/Non-SAU students, Free for
current SAU students with a valid student ID
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Dual
Perspectives from Student Directors
Student directors Sue Brandt (Senior) and Daniel
Sheridan (Senior) wrapped up this season casting The
Children’s Hour and Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead, respectively.
This will be the first time since 2000 that
productions, both on the mainstage and in the Studio
Theatre, are being headed up by student directors.
After successfully completing the
directing course last year, which concluded with her
direction of Richard Greenberg’s “Life Under Water,”
Brandt looks forward to the challenges of directing a
full-length production in the studio.
“It was a great learning experience the first time
and I can’t wait to try again.”
The
Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman, written in 1934,
is a story about a young girl, Mary Tillford, who is always
getting into trouble at her boarding school.
Mary runs away to her grandmother’s house and
proceeds to tell her about her teacher’s “unnatural”
feelings for her. Mary
reveals other stories happening at the school that children
should neither see nor hear. This new knowledge causes a spiral of events and unfortunate
circumstances. Whether
Mary told the truth and if her intent was malicious or
self-protective is open to interpretation.
“I think this play’s moral lesson is one that we
teach our children, but do not always follow ourselves,”
added Brandt.
Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard is a tale that
follows two of Hamlet’s minor characters on their journey
for an understanding of mistakes they have made.
Can inaction be considered action?
It is a show predicated on its quick wit and awkward
encounters, as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern journey through
the world of the metaphysical to understand their untimely
demise. “With
a playwright like Stoppard it is easy to get bogged down in
the text and overanalyze,” commented Sheridan.
“But at the heart of this show is an amazing
comedy, and hopefully what it teaches will be surrounded by
an enjoyable evening at the theatre.”
Information on the times, dates, and casts of these
productions are listed below.
The Children’s Hour
WHERE:
Galvin Fine Arts Center, Studio Theatre
WHEN:
Friday, April 1st @ 7:30pm
Satuday, April 2nd @ 7:30pm
Sunday, April 3rd @ 3:00pm
TICKETS:
*Reserve Tickets at the Galvin Box
Office (563) 333 – 6251.
*The studio is a limited seating venue,
50 seats. Reserve
your seat today.
*$6 for all tickets.
CAST
Peggy………..................Ashley
Allen
Catherine…….................Jenny
Stodd
Mrs. Mortar……............Caciona
Reece
Martha Dobie…………..Claire
Richards
Karen Wright……………Sarah Ade
Helen…………................Jessica
Stratten
Evelyn…………..............Kristin
Raabe
Mary Tilford…................Colleen
Winters
Dr. Cardin……...............Jake
Kendall
Rosalie Wells……...........Christine
Goodall
Agatha…………............Amanda
Bourn
Amelia Tilford….............Kayla
Tramp
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
WHERE:
Galvin Fine Arts Center, Allaert
Auditorium
DATES:
Friday, April 15th @ 7:30pm
Saturday, April 16th @
7:30pm
Sunday, April 17th @ 3:00pm
TICKETS:
*Reserve tickets at the Galvin Box
Office (563) 333 – 6251.
*$10 for adults, $9 for faculty, staff,
alumni and senior citizens, $8 for students and children, $7
for groups, SAU students with current valid student ID are
free.
CAST
Rosencrantz……….........Jeremy
Pack
Guildenstern………........Andrew
Harvey
The Player………….......Rusty Koll
Tragedians………….......Sean
Bachman/Sean Pankuch/Jeff DeLeon/Kyle Ware
Alfred……………..........Sean
Tweedale
Hamlet…………….........Jack
Kloppenborg
Gertrude……………......Allison
Costello
Polonius…………….......Pat
Flaherty
Ophelia…………….......Christine
Goodall
Claudius……………......Chris
White
Horatio……………........Joe
Feldman
Soldier/Ambassador……Jake Kendall
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Freshman Spotlight
Name: Ben Calhoon
Hometown: Aurora, IL
Major(s) & Minor(s):
Theatre
Previous Productions: Death of a Salesman (waiter), The
Shape of Things (assistant stage manager), Blithe Spirit (Asst. stage manager), Carousel (light designer), Cheaper
By the Dozen (stage manager)
Why
did you come to SAU? “The people were very nice
and the Theatre Department sounded very fun and very
good.”
Favorite
SAU experience? “Death
of a Salesman, being able to be a part of it as a
Freshman; And ACTF in St. Louis.”
Latest project? “The Children’s
Hour (Grocery Boy) and Blithe
Spirit (asst. stage manager).”
Dream job?
“A job with Cirque du Soleil or Walt Disney
Company.”
Favorite Actor/Actress?
“Johnny Depp.”
Favorite phrase/word?
“Boy Howdy.”
Least favorite phrase/word?
“Impossible.”
What do you hope to accomplish
at SAU? “To
get a good education, meet lots of people, and most of all,
have fun.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Senior
Salute
Name:
Sue Brandt
Hometown:
Iowa City, IA
Majors/Minors:
Elementary Education and Theatre
Previous
Productions at SAU:
Macbeth, Anton in Show Business, “Winnie the Pooh”, Gypsy,
A Man for All Seasons, “Pippi Longstocking”, “The
Jungle Book”, H.M.S.
Pinafore, Our Town, “Raised In Captivity”, Private Eyes, “Art”, Rhythm
Ranch.
Favorite
SAU experience? “The children’s shows—acting in
them and talking to the children after the show.”
Favorite
role? “Scene
shifter for Anton In Show Business, because it was a great cast and a great
experience taking the show to ACTF!”
Latest
project? “Director
of The Children’s Hour”
Dream
job? “To
be on the Federal Board of Education and act as an advisor
to the President on educational issues.”
Favorite
Actor/Actress? “Robin
Williams.”
Favorite
quote? “Success
is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing
your enthusiasm.” –Sir Winston Churchill
Favorite
word/phrase? “Cool
beans.”
Least
favorite word/phrase?
“Can’t.”
What
will you miss the most about SAU?
“The great people I have had a chance to
work with and get to know.
I will also miss the opportunities I have had here in
working both behind and on stage.”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Theatre
Department Recognized
SAU’s President, Dr. Edward Rogalski,
honored the Theatre Department’s faculty, staff and
students by declaring them February’s “Ambrosians of the
Month”; An honor that is historically given to a faculty
member, this time encompasses the entire department due to
their Galvin successes and consecutive successful years at
the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival.
“Just as it takes combined talents to put up a
production, it takes an ensemble to maintain a successful
department,” added Ted Stephens, theatre graduate (’04).
In 2002, SAU took the production of Anton
in Show Business that was held for, but not selected, to
attend the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre National
Festival. Also, student Megan O’Connell (’03) advanced to the
semi-final round in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship and
Jill Schmits (’05) advanced to the finals.
In 2003, Daniel Sheridan (’05) and O’Connell made
it to the semis and Beth Curley (’03) and Dan Hale (’04)
competed in the final round, where Hale won the Irene Ryan
scholarship. In
2004, Sheridan was first alternate to the Kennedy Center in
directing and in 2005 won the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship,
which will advance him to the Kennedy Center to compete
against 15 other Irene Ryan finalists from universities
around the country this April.
“I’m humbled by the whole experience,” said
Sheridan. “I
look forward for the opportunity represent SAU and my fellow
students.”
“Having been at different colleges and in other
departments, there is something about this department that
makes an impact,” added Marianna Caldwell, junior.
“It is a place that makes people want to be
involved and share in a creative process.”
The St. Ambrose University Theatre
Department is humbled at this exciting award, and thanks the
University for all their support.
The only thing to worry about now is deciding on who
gets the parking spot!
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ALUMNI
AWARENESS
The St. Ambrose University Theatre
Department is always wondering how their alumni are handling
the “real world”, and this month we’ve caught up with
a couple of them
Kim Kurtenbach-Furness, a ’95
graduate, has been living in Los Angeles, California for the
past six years. She recently got in touch with us to share an exciting job
opportunity that has flown her way.
“I am the cast member of the workshop musical Greenbriar
Ghost. It
is the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and
Publishers) Disney Musical Theatre Workshop,” she
revealed. Stephen
Schwartz, composer of musicals such as Children
of Eden and Wicked
is the artistic director of the program.
Clay Zambo, a friend of Kim’s, wrote the musical
and it has been selected to be produced in workshop form at
Disney Studios and performed in front of Schwartz and
a panel of other members.
“They will critique it and potentially produce it
for ‘real’ performance in New York.”
Joan Zamiska-McClive, a ‘94 graduate
from SAU recently opened a show in Chicago, IL.
The
Conversation, written by Frances Ford Coppola (author of
The Godfather
series), opened in late January at the Pyewacket Theatre.
The story tells of a man named Harry, who makes a
career of bugging people and places and selling the
information. Joan
plays the role of Amy, Harry’s lover.
Joan Zamiska-McClive is no stranger to the Chicago
stage. This is
her second production with the Pyewacket, and she also
received a nomination for her role as Sylvia in Sylvia
for the Joseph Jefferson Citation Award for Actors in a
principal role.
St. Ambrose University extends their
highest congratulations to these two successful alumni!
**If you are an SAU Theatre Alum, or
know of one who is making a career in the theatre or have
news about your life post SAU you'd like to share, we
want to know about it!
Please e-mail SAUTheatreNews@yahoo.com and let us
know what you’ve been up to!
============================================================
GIDDY-UP
TO A CATTLE CALL
You don’t often hear the phrase
“cattle call” around the St. Ambrose Theatre Department,
but traditionally, that is what you will hear most actors
call mass auditions. A
mass audition, or cattle call, is an audition where hundreds
of actors sign up for an audition slot and earn the chance
to “strut their stuff” in front of numerous producers,
artistic directors, directors, and choreographers around the
nation. The
South Eastern Theatre Conference (SETCs) held twice a year,
the National Dinner Theatre Association Auditions held in
various locations once every spring, the Unified
Professional Theatre Auditions (UPTAs) held in Tennessee
each winter are some examples of cattle call auditions.
A few of our students have braved these nerve-racking
auditions.
Sophomore Marianna Caldwell and recent
theatre graduate and staff member Ted Stephens III have both
attended the summer stock auditions at the American College
Theatre Festival; Stephens having auditioned in 1998 and
Caldwell this past January.
Both prepared a monologue and 16 bars of a song.
When Stephens auditioned, he received four callbacks
and landed a job with the Minnesota Rep. Theatre.
Caldwell also received a callback this year at her
audition.
In addition to ACTF, Caldwell,
Stephens, and Junior Scott Peake have all attended the
National Dinner Theatre Association (or NDTAs) auditions,
since they have been conveniently located in Rock Island, IL
the past two years. They
prepared the same, a monologue and 16 bars of music.
They each explained that actors were less friendly at
NDTAs, but they still had a good experience.
Each landed a callback with Blatt’s Dinner Theatre
in Pennsylvania and Peake ended up performing there last
summer as an ensemble member in Annie.
Stephens and Peake have the same advice
to students wishing to attend cattle calls in the future:
prepare more than just one song, and more than just one
monologue. Directors
and producers may want to see contrast, and having a variety
of material can help with that.
Caldwell advises students to be friendly to fellow
actors, as you may learn something from them.
There are many ways to find dates and
places of cattle call auditions.
There are combined audition listings in Theatre
Directory Books, online listings, word of mouth, and many
other sources not named here.
Remember that all auditions are worth going to, even
if you’re just there to experience a large audition, so
make the effort!
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
DAWN
: IT’S NOT JUST FOR FARMERS ANYMORE
Shortly before 7am on Mondays and
Wednesdays, five alarms simultaneously give their high
pitched imitation rooster calls.
After suffering through a few “snoozes”, the
alarms are silenced and their owners slide out of bed.
No, they haven’t misprogrammed their
alarms—they’re getting ready for Players At Dawn (P@D).
P@D is an extracurricular organization
dedicated to expanding its members’ knowledge of the Fine
Arts through the study of a different topic each semester.
Founded by SAU Senior Daniel Sheridan in January of
2004, it is now in its third semester and is run by
Sophomore Andrew Harvey. “I love participating in Players @ Dawn because it allows
others and myself to further explore what we learn in our
classes,” says an enthusiastic Harvey.
Previous topics for P@D include the
Sanford Meisner approach, which is a workshop intended to
improve focus onstage and to open participants up to feeding
off of what is given them by their partners (“living in
the moment”); and Reader’s Theatre, where members sat in
a circle and read aloud and discussed 12 plays from the SAU
Theatre Reading List (ranging from classical to
contemporary). This
semester’s topic is scene work: from 7:30am until 8:30am
on every Monday and Wednesday, participants gather in the
Galvin Studio Theatre to rehearse, memorize, and prepare to
perform scenes (from categories such as contemporary drama,
Shakespearean, Contemporary Comedy, and Classical) before
the faculty, their peers, and anyone else who would like to
attend. Scenes
are performed every third Friday, beginning on February 18th
at 3:00pm in the Studio Theatre.
This semester’s participants include
Harvey, Sheridan, Sophomores Jacob Kendall and Marianna
Caldwell, and Freshman Jack Kloppenborg.
For more information on P@D, please contact Andrew
Harvey at HarveyAndrewR@sau.edu.
You don’t need to be an actor, a Theatre
Major/Minor, or even an SAU student to join.
Have a great semester, Players—we’ll see you once
the day breaks!
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THEATRE
AROUND THE QCA THIS MONTH
Show:
Blithe Spirit
Producer:
St. Ambrose University
Dates:
Friday & Saturday February 18 & 19 @ 7:30pm
Sunday, February 20 @ 3pm
Tickets:
$10 for students, $12 adults, $11 Faculty, staff,
alumni, and senior citizens, and
Free to an SAU student with student ID
For reservations call (563)333-6251 or see
www.sau.edu/galvin
Location:
518 W. Locust St, Davenport, IA in Allaert
Auditorium, located in the
Galvin Fine Arts Building
Show:
Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Producer:
Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates:
Now through April 2
Wednesday matinee @ 11:45am (with show only at
1:00pm), Wednesday-
Saturday evenings @ 5:45pm (with show only at 7:15pm)
and
Sunday evenings @ 3:45pm (with show only at 5:15pm)
Tickets:
Tickets range from $22.36 to $39.00 per ticket
For reservations call (309) 786-7733 or go to
www.circa21.com
Location:
1828 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL
Note:
Producer and owner Denny Hitchcock is on the SAU Theatre Advisory Board
Show:
ComedySportz Quad Cities
Producer:
Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates:
Every
Friday and Saturday night at 7:00pm
Tickets:
$8 prepaid, $10 at the door
Location:
1818 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL.
Downtown in the District, next to Circa ’21.
Note:
SAU students Andrew Harvey, Daniel Sheridan and Don
Abbott are
ComedySportz players.
Check with them to catch them onstage.
Show:
The Drawer Boy
Producer:
Riverside Theatre
Dates:
Now thru Sunday, Feb. 13
Tickets:
Call (319) 335-1160 for tickets and information
Location:
213 N. Gilbert St, Iowa City, IA
Show:
Storm & Stress
Producer:
Augustana College
Dates:
Feb 4-5, 9-12 @ 7:30pm; Feb. 6 and 13 @ 1:30pm
Tickets:
$10 admission
Location:
Centennial Hall at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
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SAU
NEWSLETTER: NEXT
EDITION
The newsletter is intended to be sent out on the first
business day of every month. Next year’s first issue
will be released on Friday, March 4th due to
spring break.
The March issue will take a look at students’ recent
experiences auditioning for graduate schools, uncover
students who have become drama teachers to children, and
give some information of just what it’s like to be a
theatre major at SAU.
To inquire further about St. Ambrose
University and our offered courses, degrees, events, and
staff, visit www.SAU.edu for
information. Come
check out the SAU Theatre Website at www.sau.edu/theatre.
If interested in learning more about the Theatre
Department, please contact theatre chair Kristofer Eitrheim
by phone at (563) 333-6255 or e-mail at EitrheimKristoferJ@sau.edu.
DO
YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE SAU
NEWSLETTER MAILING LIST? If yes,
contact us at SAUTheatreNews@Yahoo.com
and get their names put on our e-mail list. If you
would like to be removed from the mailing list, please
contact us at the same address. Thanks.
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