The World Goes R

ound

WINTER 2015

The grand finale to Season 2015, The World Goes Round, opened on November 13 for a 5-week run. Directed by Peter Budinger and DC Scarpelli, this revue of the songs of Kander & Ebb is chock-full of tunes you’ll find both familiar and refreshingly new. The cast includes Masquers Mark Enea, Coley Grunman, Laura Morgan, returning actors Chris Macomber and Alicia von Kugelgen, and newbies Christina Boothman and Susan Tonkin. All have terrific voices, and all get to display their terpsichorean abilities as well. It’s a show about show business and the collaboration that goes into mounting a production. As the directors put it, “Musical theatre may be the most collaborative of art forms. Collaboration is a key not only in the writing, but in the production of a musical.” Certainly the collaborations of both the song writing team of John Kander and Fred Ebb and the directing team of Budinger and Scarpelli are on view here. The group effort extends not only to the cast, but to the production and design team: Maria Calderazzo as music director and conductor, Jetta Martin as choreographer, set design by DC, technical direction/lighting design by Rob Bradshaw and costumes by Jo Lusk and Julie Nelson.

The World Goes Round and Round And It Comes Out Here

Backing up the singers are Pat King, Barb Kohler and Kevin Williams in the pit. Robert Love runs the show as stage manager, and Anne Collins serves behind the scenes as production manager. Nancy Benson and Judy Zimola reprise their semi-regular roles as lighting and sound technicians. If you like shows like Chicago, Cabaret, Kiss of the Spider Woman, or ever enjoyed a Liza Minelli special, you’ll love this show. Make your reservations early by ordering tickets online at www.masquers.org or calling the reservation number at 510-232-4031. The show closes December 13, so make your plans for a pre-holiday theatre fix with maybe a bite beforehand or a cocktail afterwards.

We’ll see you at the Masquers!

We bid a fond farewell to The Real Thing, directed by Robert Estes. A talented cast and crew allowed Masquers audiences to delight in the words and situations of one of the English language’s leading playwrights, Tom Stoppard. Thanks to all for a lovely evening of theatre.

The Real Thing: Life and Love, Love And Time

Charlotte's Web, Envision’s final production of 2015 was a big hit with kids and adults alike. Adroitly directed by Ginger Buckner, Charlotte’s Web had a dream production team. Scenic Designer, John Hull created a charming and flexible farmyard set with an ingenious web for Charlotte’s messages; Michael O’Brien gave us lighting that made everyone and everything look great; Joe Ponder delivered wonderful barnyard sounds and magical music to set the tone of the farm and fair. And Tammara Plankers created and acquired a collection of colorful and playful costumes. Our stage managers, Xandy Buckner, Pam Barlesi, and Heinz Lankford, supported by production manager Margaret Paradis, masterfully ran the show which included a cast of 10 children and 13 adults. The Envision committee and other Masquers pitched in to help including Linda Bradshaw, Addy Medernach, and set builders Heinz Lankford and Bob Westman. Marti Baer tackled the ticket management with aplomb coordinating the regular Envision reservations along with the special reservations for Washington School Elementary. The show was a sell-out, with many walk-ups for each performance and nobody turned away. Our hope is that the children, parents and community members supporting this Masquers production will become regular patrons of the Masquers Playhouse.

Lisa Walker, third grade teacher at Washington Elementary School said it best. “I am so excited that many of my students have been given the opportunity to experience a live performance of Charlottes' Web. This is a book we read every year, but this year is special because we get to see it performed at our local theater, Masquers Playhouse. One of my students and one of my former students (sisters) are even in the production! Many of my students have never been to a real theater to see a play. I know they are in for a treat. Please continue to provide funding for this wonderful opportunity; students and parents alike will greatly benefit from exposure to the theater!"

In other news, Envision is delighted to report that the Education Committee of the Board of Directors has applied to the Red Oak Opportunity Fund (ROOF) for a $1500 grant to bring even more students and their families to The Giver which Envision has scheduled for Spring 2016. Auditions for The Giver are January 24 and 25. Contact director Carl Smith (smith.carljr@gmail.com or 415.760.8333) for more information. No appointment needed.

Envision’s Double Weekend

Charlotte’s Web Was Radiant

Going into auditions for The Gamester, director Steve Hill looks forward to a lot of fun during rehearsals. His vision for this play is broad, bawdy, and brash. The look that John Hull (set and costumes) has developed is a terrific match for that vision. “I hope that the cast will add a spirited enthusiasm for the physical comedy in this classically-styled farce.” We’re all looking forward to a great romp opening season 2016!

The Gamester Is Afoot!

It was 1965, the Masquers eleventh season and the play was Gore Vidal’s Visit to a Small Planet. Originally a teleplay by Vidal later adapted into a film vehicle for Jerry Lewis (just five years previous to our production), the Masquers rendition was directed by Roland Scrivner, an early Masquer and later Deputy Chief of the Berkeley Fire Department (he later acted in TV and film; his wife Inez assisted him here as stage manager). The cast included long time Masquer members Jerry Larue, Charles Tisher, Bert Miller, Marilyn Willey and Jim Bradeson. Founding director Jo Camp took a back seat from directing, choosing to handle make-up duties instead. The most unusual member of the cast might have been a calico cat named Ginger (from El Sobrante, she even had an understudy, ”Tiger” from Richmond).

Ginger went through the same casting woes that all Masquers endure, having to travel to the playhouse for auditions on a rainy Thursday. She ended up garnering the part of Rosemary, a gifted creature who communicates via telepathy with aliens from

Ginger Makes A Visit To A Small Planet

Reviews from the time praised the Masquers for their high level of performance and attention to special effects. Visit to a Small Planet would be followed by the Masquers’ first ever attempt at a musical, the Bock/Harnick penned Tenderloin which we will cover in a future edition. Stay tuned!

Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat.

This year has seen some significant changes in the Board. Nancy Webb stepped down as a board director after many years of dedicated service. She deserves a hearty round of thanks, especially for her artful management of the progressive dinner, which is the grand prize in our raffle ticket fundraiser. Not only did she herd the cats gracefully, but she built a reservoir of good will within the close-knit Pt. Richmond community that hosted the event and the Masquers who volunteered their time cooking, serving, and chauffeuring. During the course of the year, two new members have joined the Board, June Costa and Mary Lee Cole. Both bring with them impressive professional credentials and the ability to benefit the theatre in distinct ways. June Costa has spent the bulk of her career as a fundraiser and development officer for such prestigious institutions as Harvard Divinity School, the Graduate Theological Union, Stanford University, and Catholic Charities. She also provided fundraising services to the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, so she has already been exposed to the challenges of working with actors and directors. Very quickly after joining the board, June volunteered to start and lead a new Development Committee. Under her leadership, the committee is considering the feasibility of a major capital campaign to make the kind of significant upgrades considered years ago but rejected as beyond our capacities. With a Ph.D. in education and systems design, Mary Lee Cole has been designing and creating educational programs since the 1970s. She founded the WriterCoach Connection, and it’s non-profit umbrella, Community Alliance for Learning, which is now in its fifteenth year. This innovative program, which recruits and trains volunteers to work with students one-on-one with their writing assignments has been enthusiastically adopted by schools in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, and Richmond. The program now has more than 600 volunteer coaches who are working in nine schools with over 2,000 students. Mary Lee is now chairing an Education Committee for the Masquers Board and has been tirelessly exploring potential partnerships with local schools, City of Richmond youth programs, and the YMCA of the East Bay. She sees these programs as a way to promote awareness of the theatre to an entirely new and younger audience and raise awareness of the Masquers Playhouse in a community where the name is hardly known despite its 60-year history.

Taken together, the initiatives of our two new board members have the potential to position the theatre as a cultural force in Richmond—and a role in which it could flourish for another 60 years.

FROM THE BOARD

Masquer's friend Bruce Coughran has written and is

directing a new play, The Secret Of Life Dec. 22—Jan 17 at The Berkeley City Club. Our own Tura Franzen is helping with the props. Tura says this is

MEMBERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT - DEC. 9 MEETING!

Don’t forget the last quarterly membership meeting for 2015 at the theatre on Wednesday, December 9 at 8:00 PM. Remember, it’s part of your duty as a Masquer to attend quarterly meetings – and anyway, it’s a great way to kick off the holidays with your Masquers family.