Winter 2013
In this issue
next to normal Opens to Critical Praise
Calendar
Auditions for Rumors
MCP’s 2013-14 Season Centers on Theme of Marriage
MCP Earns Eight WATCH Award Nominations
Legally Blonde Wins Broadway World Award for Best Musical
A Thank You to Our Patrons
Technical Training at the Alden
next to normal Opens to Critical Praise
next to normal, the ground-breaking rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt opened Friday, February 1, to high praise from critics. This show tells the story of one family’s struggle to cope with the bipolar disorder of the mother. In a series of interviews on DC Metro Theater Arts, director Lisa Anne Bailey says “The excitement of telling the story of next to normal is that it is a multi-level story almost completely sung through.” (See additional interviews with cast members, Nicky McDonnell, Brent Stone, Nick DuPré, Catherine Callahan, Alex Stone, and Quinn McCord at DC MetroTheater Arts) Critic Bob Ashby on ShowBiz Radio says that “In an era where the death of the musical is often proclaimed and lamented, it is good news indeed to encounter a show…that features intelligent writing, psychologically real characters, and a willingness to look squarely at the pain and losses of everyday life.” In a review on DC Metro Theater Arts, Kim Moeller says that “the entire cast is superb” and Nicky McDonnell as Diana, the mother, is “mesmerizing.”
Only two more weekends—don’t miss this show! Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, students, and McLean district residents, and $15 for groups of ten or more. Tickets are available from the Alden Box Office, from Ovation Tix (1-866-811-4111) or on line: www.McLeanPlayers.org
Calendar of Upcoming Events: February—May 2013
Auditions for Rumors
MCP will hold auditions for Neil Simon’s comedy Rumors on February 10 at 1:30 p.m. and February 11 at 7:30 p.m. Rumors tells the story of a stylish dinner party to celebrate the tenth wedding anniversary of the Vice Mayor of New York and his wife. From the first scene it is clear that plans have gone hilariously awry, and that the dinner guests are left to cope with the ensuing chaos as best they can.
Rumors is directed by Rosemary Hartman and produced by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins. Roles are for five women and five men:
  • Ken Gorman: Male, 40’s – 50’s A well-spoken, handsome attorney. A bit high strung.
  • Chris Gorman: Female, 40’s. Ken’s elegant and attractive wife. A bit high strung. She has recently quit smoking and this makes her even more nervous and high strung.
  • Lenny Ganz: Male, 40’s – 50’s. An accountant who has just wrecked his brand new BMW. Irascible, sarcastic, and very likeable. Has a long monologue.
  • Claire Ganz: Female, 40’s-50’s. Lenny’s gossip-mongering, attractive wife. A Westchester, New York housewife type.
  • Ernie Cusak: Male, 40’s-50’s. A smug psychiatrist.
  • Cookie Cusak: Female, 40’s-50’s. Ernie’s wife and a cooking show host with a bad back. She has a very dramatic, physical personality.
  • Glenn Cooper: Male, 30’s -50’s. An ambitious, polished man preparing for a run for the state senate.
  • Cassie Cooper: Female, 30’s-40’s. A jealous type. Glenn's trophy wife. Insecure, sexy, shrewish.
  • Officer Pudney: Female, 23-31. A rookie cop.
  • Officer Welch: Male: 35-50. A vigorous, straight-talking, veteran police officer
Auditions will be held at the McLean Community Center and will be cold readings from the script.


MCP’s 2013-14 Season Centered on Theme of Marriage
To aid the Artistic Committee in choosing shows for next season, MCP Vice President Chris Hardy came up with the concept of selecting “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.” The resulting choices reflect the theme of marriage and the hard work of the committee.

Fall 2013—Something New
Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies follows a wounded photojournalist and her foreign correspondent husband who are searching for happiness after being scarred physically and emotionally while covering Middle East conflicts. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 2010.

Winter 2014—Something Borrowed
La Cage aux Folles, by Harvey Fierstein, Jean Poiret, and Jerry Herman is borrowed from the play of the same name. This musical remains one of Broadway’s biggest hits and won multiple Tony awards. It was later made into a movie. It tells the story of a young man and woman who are about to get married and the hilarious, yet poignant, consequences of their parents meeting for the first time. The father of the bridegroom-to-be owns a South Beach drag club, and the father of the bride-to-be is a conservative Republican Senator.

Spring 2014—Something Blue
Perfect Wedding by Robin Hawdon nicely fills the season’s “blue” category. Titillating without being dirty, this comedy "tour-de-farce" opens with an awkward wedding situation that rapidly spins into chaos.

Summer 2014—Something Old
Guys and Dolls, one of the most enduring works of musical theater, closes our season. With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, Guys and Dolls is based on two stories by Damon Runyon. This musical features a full complement of Runyonesque characters and two love stories.

Please visit MCP’s website for ticket information.


MCP Earns Eight WATCH Award Nominations
MCP earned the following nominations from the adjudicators in the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors Awards Program:
For Deathtrap
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play - Lois A. Stanziani as "Helga ten Dorp"
Outstanding Light Design in a Play - Bob Zeigler
Outstanding Properties in a Play - Emily Besuden, Jerry Gideon, Dick La Porte
Outstanding Set Construction in a Play - Bernie Gmiter, Bob Schroth, Bill Glikbarg
Outstanding Set Decoration in a Play - Dinnie Whitson, Christine Whitson, Cathy Farnsworth
Outstanding Stage Combat Choreography - Carl Brandt Long

For Man of La Mancha
Outstanding Stage Combat Choreography - Carl Brandt Long

Deathtrap set
The final awards will be announced on March 17, 2013, at an awards dinner at the Birchmere. This is the first year that MCP has received multiple nominations. Thirty-three community theater groups participated in WATCH adjudication. A total of 86 plays and 43 musicals were adjudicated. Major kudos to all MCP cast and crew members who were nominated and thanks to all of our volunteers for helping to make our productions possible!

Kate Merryman
Legally Blonde Wins Best Musical Award from Broadway World
MCP’s summer 2012 production of Legally Blonde, the Musical, was the only community theater production to win an award in the Broadway World competition. This is a regional competition in which theatergoers vote online. Congratulations to the cast, crew, and volunteers for this show.

A Thank You to Our Patrons
MCP's patrons program began in 2009 with an appeal for donations to help secure storage space for furniture, props, building materials and set pieces for our shows. As a result of the generous support of our patrons, we recently were able to lease a small warehouse that functions as our scene shop. Patrons' donations are used for many things—not only to defray the costs of the scene shop but also to bridge the gap between what we charge for tickets to our performances and the actual costs we incur in bringing high-quality theatrical productions to the community. For more information on the patrons program and an application to become a patron, please see our website.
Again, on behalf of the board of directors, the members, volunteers, and artists of the McLean Community Players, thanks to our patrons for their generous support.

Technical Training at the Alden February—June 2013
Volunteers who work in the Alden Theatre in a technical capacity are required to complete this training course. Technical Certification introduces students to all aspects of technical production, including safety issues, and is designed to assist local arts organizations with their productions. Volunteers may sign up for one or all of the sessions. Please wear comfortable clothes that do not restrict movement and closed-toe shoes with laces or Velcro, or loafers. Theater staff members are the instructors, and all courses are offered free of charge. To register online on the MCC website, go to the home page (www.mcleancenter.org) and look for the green rectangle-shaped button that says "register". It is located in the upper right-hand corner next to the black "go" button. The schedule, beginning with Section III in January is shown below:

* Important Prerequisite: Shop I must be completed before attending Shop II
Photography by Tracy Brooks