Zombies, Werewolves & Aliens Oh My!

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Ghouls just want to have fun! Who doesn’t enjoy a few belly laughs now and again, even if you are the living dead? We have selected three hilarious fantasy/science fiction/monster one acts for your entertainment!

The Players are just itching to perform their next project – the third annual Springtime One Acts at the Kent. This year it’s a trio of one-act plays featuring fiendish monsters and bone-chilling characters who will be performing on the Kent Theatre stage March 24-26.

The Rot features the perils of living in the suburbs and attempting to have a nice dinner with your future in-laws and a pesky zombie who won’t leave the yard!
Then it’s action in the old West as Zombie Gunslingers head into town to stir up trouble at the local saloon! There are no customers at the Wet Yer Whistle Saloon because the Temperance Ladies done smashed all the bottles of Red Eye whiskey, confiscated all the bullets and burned up all the Poker cards. While waiting for the next stage coach to arrive, the saloon girls hear of zombie gunslingers heading their way. Quick thinking and fast action have the girls concocting their own brew of Red Eye to keep the zombies satisfied.

Set in the future, Country Folk, Lycanthropes and Extraterrestrial Entities features alien visitors to our Moon’s dark side are prepared to take a pack of werewolves off to their planet, but, alas! The ship crash lands in the southeastern US and the locals are ready to do some shootin’ to rid the countryside of the Tourist Dogs in Clothes!

Auditions for Zombies, Werewolves and Aliens, Oh My! February 13th and 14th

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Audition Announcement

Auditions for “Zombies, Werewolves and Aliens, Oh My!” are on February 13th and 14th between 6:30 and 8:00 at the Cedar Springs United Methodist Church.

The Cedar Springs Community Players will be presenting three Sci-Fi Fantasy one act plays on March 24, 25, and 26th at the Kent Theatre.  “Zombies, Werewolves and Aliens, Oh My!” kicks off the 2017 Fantasy themed season.  The three short comedies are set in the old west, modern day suburbia, and outer space in the future and feature hilarious encounters with an assortment of monsters and aliens. 

People have always loved stories about monsters.  Our literature is full of entities with mysterious origins with great strength or different abilities that we must somehow overcome.  Traditionally, this is done with fierce battles and intestinal fortitude on the part of the hero.   And since conflict is a great plot device, these stories about monsters have long been a part of our film and theater history, too.  Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus” was published in 1818 and she is known to have seen a play based on it in 1823.  And this popularity endures – in 2016 there was even a Frankenstein ballet. 

 And, of course, vampires, zombies, and aliens are everywhere these days, too.  Over time, these scary monster stories started to take on a more humorous side.  Low movie budgets led to cheesy looking special effects and a proliferation of odd titles like “Bride of the Monster,” “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians,” and the modern classic “Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies.” 

And you can expect to see a fair amount of “cheesiness” and comedy on stage in March.  We have a lot of roles to fill – both actors and monsters – in these three plays and would love to see you at auditions.  And if you enjoy monster makeup, exotic costumes, know how to make a convincing looking ray gun or other things out of tin foil, please let us know! 

Auditions for the show are on February 13th and 14th between 6:30 and 8:00 at the United Methodist church.  If you are interesting in helping out behind the scenes, please feel free to come to the auditions and introduce yourself or send us an email at contact@cedarspringscommunityplayers.org.  This is going to be a fun show and we want you to be a part of it!

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Improv comedy performance at the Kent

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By Terri Riggle

The Cedar Springs Community Players is pleased to announce its first annual comedy “Improv Night” debuting at the Kent Theatre on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Doors will open at 6:30 and the show begins at 7 pm. Local talent will take to the stage to entertain their audience for 90 minutes. Cost is only $5 at the door. It’s not The Second City, but in the same fashion, it should be an evening of grins and giggles as performers quickly create characters and dialog in the spur of a moment!

Improvisational theater is a form of live theater in which the plot, characters and dialogue of a game, scene or story are made up in the moment. The most direct ancestor of modern improv is probably the Commedia Dell’Arte, which was popular throughout Europe starting in the mid-1500. Troupes of performers would travel from village to village, presenting shows in the public squares and on makeshift stages. They would improvise the dialog, within a framework provided by a set called a “scenario.”

During the 1920’s and ‘30’s, a woman named Viola Spolin developed a new approach to teach acting. It was based on a simple yet powerful idea that children would enjoy learning the craft if it were presented as a series of games.

Spolin’s son, Paul Sills, built on his mother’s work and was one of the driving forces of improvisational theatre centered at the University of Chicago in the mid-1950. Along with people like Del Close and David Shepherd, Sills created an ensemble of actors who developed a kind of modern “Commedia” which would appeal to the average man in the street. The goal was to create theatre that was accessible to everyone.

The group that sprang from the work of Sills, Shepherd and Close, called The Compass, was extremely successful. It brought people to the theatre who, in many cases, had never gone before. Eventually, it led to the development of a company called The Second City in Chicago, which opened its doors in December of 1959 and has since grown to become the world’s premier comedy club, theatre and school of improvisation. The main focus of the theater was to provide a place where scenes and story were created improvisationally, using the same innovative techniques that Viola Spolin had developed and taught.

The Second City has been a launching pad for comedians, actors, directors and others working in show business. Notable alumni include Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, John Belushi, John Candy, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Bonnie Hunt, Richard Kind, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, Joan Rivers, Amy Sedaris, Martin Short, George Wendt and Fred Willard, among many others.

The Players hope to form a permanent Improv troupe which would be able to perform in area locales all throughout the year. They encourage any persons interested in being a part of the troupe to attend the performance and leave your name at the box office or leave a comment on their website cedarspringscommunityplayers.org.

 

Rehearsal continues for It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Show

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All the actors are learning their blocking, and we have started working on character development. For most all the participants, it’s the first time they’ve been in this style of live performance format. We are excited about bringing this cherished holiday movie to life on the Kent Theatre stage. A huge part of that effort will be all the “homemade” sound effects. Just as in old radio shows of yesteryear, we will be using all sorts of objects to create the sounds needed to enhance the audience’s enjoyment of the show.

Terri Riggle

Director

 

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The Foreigner Opens Tonight at the Kent Theatre

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See The Foreigner this week!

The Foreigner will be presented by the Cedar Springs Community Players at the Kent Theatre on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, October 13, 14, and 15, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door. Character and prop sponsorships will be available in the theater lobby for $5.

We also have a great display of stories and pictures of Jack Clark and his history with the CSCP. The Foreigner was his favorite play and this production is dedicated to him. Please come out and enjoy the show.

Thank you for supporting the Cedar Springs Community Players!

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The Foreigner comes to Cedar Springs!

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The Foreigner Comes To Cear Springs!
The Foreigner Comes To Cedar Springs!

The Cedar Springs Community Players proudly present The Foreigner at the Kent Theatre on October 13, 14, and 15.

The comedy takes place in Betty Meek’s Fishing Lodge Resort in Tilghman County, Georgia. Mostly middle-income people come to this laid back, off-the-beaten-track resort to fish, swim, play a little cards and fill up on Betty’s down-home cooking. Now insert into the mix, Charlie, a foreigner and shy proofreader who is brought to the resort from England by his friend, “Froggy”. Charlie wants nothing more than to be left alone and is fearful of making conversation with strangers. So “Froggy” tells the others that Charlie is a foreigner and speaks no English. The fun really begins when Charlie overhears more than he should and things get complicated. The show has one comic surprise after another and the “good guys” emerge triumphant! Even though The Foreigner takes place in the recent past, the Golden Rule in dealing with people, even though they are “foreigners” is as relevant as it always has been.

This is the 76th show by the Cedar Springs Community Players in the 45 years of producing plays and musicals in the community. The Foreigner, by Larry Shue, is directed by Sue Harrison, with Nancy Noreen as Production Coordinator, Charlene Sommer as Stage Manager, and Deb Irwin working with props.

Many of the cast members have worked with the Players before or with other community theatre groups. The cast includes: Doug Christensen as “Froggy” LeSueur, a British officer; R.J.Moore as Charlie Baker, a pathologically shy British proof-reader; Laura Johnson as Betty Meeks, widow and owner of the resort; Mark Stoll as Rev David M. Lee; Anna Ambrose is Catherine Simms, a former debutante engaged to Rev. Lee; Rod Zamarron as Owen Musser, a backwoods scoundrel with tattoos; and Tom Johnson as Ellard Simms, a backward boy who is Catherine’s brother.

The Foreigner will be presented at the Kent Theatre on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, October 13, 14, and 15, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 pre-sale and $12 at the door. Character and prop sponsorships will be available in the theater lobby for $5.

Thank you for supporting the Cedar Springs Community Players!

It’s a Wonderful Life — A Live Radio Play!!

Bob Clifford

In just a little less than a month, the Players will be holding auditions for their next production, It’s a Wonderful Life-A Live Radio Play!! Plan on attending them on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 24 and
25 from 6:30 to 8 pm at the CS United Methodist Church. We need kids 12 and up; men and women of any age. Performances will be at the Kent Theatre on Dec. 8, 9 and 10. It’s a holiday classic recreated live and onstage.

Terri Riggle – Director

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