Naples Players announce "Gypsy" in summer 2014, "Oklahoma!" in spring 2015

The Naples Players released their 2014-15 series to subscribers Tuesday.

Season ticket holders received an early renewal form along with a letter from new Naples Players executive director John F. Sorey, III.

Musical "Gypsy" will headline summer 2014, with perennial Rodgers & Hammerstein favorite "Oklahoma!" taking the spring 2015 musical spot. Stage 2 Improv will again perform in June in the Tobye Studio.

Here's the 2014-15 Naples Players season.

Summer 2014:
"Gypsy" - June 27 - July 27, 2014
Stage 2 Improv - June 5-21, 2014

2014-15 (Blackburn Hall)
"Noises Off" - Sept. 21 - Oct. 18, 2014
"The Spitfire Grill" - Nov. 12 - Dec. 6, 2014
"God of Carnage" - Jan. 14 - Feb. 7, 2015
"Oklahoma!" - March 4 - April 4, 2014 2015

"The Last Romance" - April 22 - May 16, 2015

2014-15 (Tobye Studio)
"Time Stands Still" - Oct. 22 - Nov. 15, 2014
"Red" - Feb. 4-28, 2015
"Love, Loss & What I Wore" - April 1-15, 2015

Subscriptions are available by mail, fax and at the box office. A five-show subscription to the main stage is $160, with a three-show subscription to the Tobye Studio costing $90 $75. Subscriber prices for "Gypsy" are $35. Call (239) 263-7990 or online at naplesplayers.org.

Opening: BLACK TIE at the Naples Players

"Black Tie" runs Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 2014.
Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

"Black Tie," the A.R. Gurney comedy, opens Jan. 15 at the Naples Players. Asia Johnson has replaced Jenna Canfield in the role of Elsie. John McKerrow directs.


Here's the cast, which we released a while ago.

Curtis: Jim Heffernan
Father: Val Kuffel
Mimi: Ellen Coper
Elsie: Asia Johnson
Teddy: Klinton Blair

"Black Tie," about one father's struggle to produce the perfect wedding toast, takes a torch to a lot old High WASP traditions like oyster stuffing and cuff links. Florida Rep produced the show in April 2012. Of the many works in the Gurney canon, "Black Tie" isn't a superb show, but it does offer an interesting culture clash. Read my review of the "Florida Rep" show here.

"Black Tie" runs Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 2014. Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

Auditions: DISTRACTED at Naples Players

The Naples Players will host auditions for drama "Distracted" at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. Charles Kolmann will direct. Multiple roles are available, including one young boy age 8-12 and one female teen. Rehearsals begin Feb. 10. "Distracted" runs March 26 -  April 19. For more information, call (239) 434-7340, ext. 10.

Kolmann directed "Lend Me A Tenor" for the Naples Players in 2009 and "Twelve Angry Jurors" for the Marco Players in 2012. He also performed in the January 2013 Naples Players production of "Ghost-Writer."

Naples Players casting for February ETC play readings

The Naples Players are currently casting for the next ETC Readers' Theatre production, a series of one-act plays.

No experience (on-stage or off) is necessary; no memorization is required. The plays will be performed as a series of one-act staged readings in the smaller Tobye Studio. Performances require limited rehearsal time, no costumes and no blocking.

Interested? Email Patti Caroli at copychic@aol.com to "bring out the actor in you!"

Here's what you need to know:
- Volunteers should have  a Naples Players "Volunteer Application Form" on file with Becky Troop. Call 239-434-7340 x14 for more information.
- Roles are available for 7 men and 11 women.
- Performance will be Sunday, Feb. 16; arrive by 6:30 p.m.
- There will be one mandatory rehearsal on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 1-4 p.m.
- Directors may schedule additional rehearsals for individual shows as needed.

Casting: Naples Players announce cast for THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

Here's the cast for the Naples Players production of "The Drowsy Chaperone." Debi Guthery told us back in October that she wanted to play the title role - and she got it.

Guthery will re-team with several members of the completely sold-out 2012 spring musical "Hello, Dolly!"  Elizabeth Marcantonio will play Janet, along with semi-professional actor Jim Heffernan as the "Man in Chair." Other faces from "Dolly" returning as part of the ensemble include Jake Hanson, Joyce Austin, Gaston Edmond, Jacob Hartman, Joe Loiacono, Megan Ruhl and Paula Mercer.

The same creative team from "Dolly!" "Producers" and "Les Miserables" returns. Dallas Dunnagan will direct, with choreography by Dawn Lebrecht Fornara and musical direction by Charles Fornara.

"The Drowsy Chaperone" runs March 5 - April 5, 2014 at the Naples Players. Tickets are $40. Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

Naples Players Video Spotlight: Volunteer Danna Paglino

Here's the Naples Players latest "Volunteer Spotlight" video, on Danna Paglino. Paglino has worked behind the scenes, although she was a finalist in the "Sylvia" essay contest in 2010.

updated | Reviews: OUR TOWN at the Naples Players (2)

The Naples Players offer up an intriguing - if inconsistent - take on Thornton Wilder classic "Our Town" for the holiday season. Director Michael Scanlan takes his cast into the crowd in a bid to embrace everyone into "our town." I wish the experiment had taken flight.

The three-act play meanders through simple scenes in the everyday life of a tiny New Hampshire hamlet. Each exchange of dialogue contains an appreciation for life.

The audience participation element just doesn't work, nor do design and staging elements that seem completely out of character with the play. Warm performances from amateurs that rarely get a chance to shine offer the touching heart at the center of the play, of Grover's Corners and of "our town" this holiday season.

"Our Town"  plays 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 21 at the Naples Players. Tickets are $35. Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org. "Our Town" runs three acts with two ten-minute intermissions.

Read the complete review:
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/nov/29/review-naples-players-thornton-wilder-our-town/

Other reviews:
Nancy Stetson (Florida Weekly)
Not our kind of town: Too many gimmicks, not enough heart
“Our Town” has so much more to it than what this production gives us. If you read the play, it is powerful and nuanced and moving. Mr. Scanlan tries to make it special, but at times I felt the same way I do while watching some science fiction movies: that all the attention has been given to the special effects rather than to the development of the characters. I wish this director had spent less time adding things to the script and more time rehearsing the actors so that everyone, down to the smallest towns-person, was a fully developed person. (read the full review)

Naples Players announce cast for BLACK TIE

"Black Tie" runs Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 2014. Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

The Naples Players have announced the cast for "Black Tie." This came out a while ago - I just didn't get to post it.

Curtis: Jim Heffernan
Father: Val Kuffel
Mimi: Ellen Coper
Elsie: Jenna Canfield
Teddy: Klinton Blair

"Black Tie," about one father's struggle to produce the perfect wedding toast, takes a torch to a lot old High WASP traditions like oyster stuffing and cuff links. Florida Rep produced the show in April 2012. Of the many works in the Gurney canon, "Black Tie" isn't a superb show, but it does offer an interesting culture clash. Read my review of the "Florida Rep" show here.

"Black Tie" runs Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 2014. Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

GOOD PEOPLE at Naples Players announces cast

The Naples Players announced the cast for "Good People."

Margie: Bonnie Knapp
Jean: Victoria Diebler
Dottie: Janina Birtolo
Mike: Paul Graffy
Kate: Sonya McCarter
Steve: Matthew Striegel

"Good People" will be directed by Christopher Goutman. Goutman, a New Yorker known primarily for his work on daytime soap operas, directed "Barefoot in the Park" in January 2013.

"Good People" runs Feb. 5 - March 1 in the Tobye Studio. For tickets ($25), call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

Complete press release below.

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Find out what happens when "The Nutcracker Goes Pop!" with KidzAct

More than 100 students will sing and dance their way
through a modern song and dance version of beloved
classic "The Nutcracker Goes Pop!"

Here's the press release and a couple photos for the Naples Players KidzAct show "The Nutcracker Goes Pop!"  Performances are at 5 p.m. Thursdays through Fridays, 2 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Call 239-263-7990 or naplesplayers.org for tickets.

Complete press release below.

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Photos from OUR TOWN at the Naples Players

Michael Frank as George Gibbs along with his on-stage wife,
Emily Webb, played by Brigid Wallace, in "Our Town."

Here are a few photos from the Naples Players production of "Our Town."

The show, an American classic, runs Nov. 27 - Dec. 21. Tickets are available at the box office, by calling  (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

Complete press release below.

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AUDITION: "The Drowsy Chaperone" at the Naples Players

The Naples Players will hold auditions for spring musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10.

Auditions, at Sugden Community Theatre, are by appointment only. This show calls for seven principal men, ages 25-60, one principal man, (speaking role) age 30-60, and five principal women, ages 25-60. Rehearsal begins January 13. Performance dates are March 5 through April 5, 2014.  The show will be directed by Dallas Dunnagan, with choreography by Dawn Lebrecht Fornara and musical direction by Charles Fornara.

For an audition appointment or additional information, call 434-7340, ext. 10.

Cast lists, directors announced for ETC "Evening of New Plays" on Dec. 6 & 7

Here's the cast lists and directors for the Naples Players’ ETC…Readers’ Theatre "Evening of New Plays."

Public readings of the four finalists' plays will be 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7 at Sugden Community Theatre. A reception follows the Friday show. For tickets ($10), call 239-263-7990 or contact the box office.

Complete press release below.

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PHOTOS: "The Mystery of Irma Vep" at the Naples Players

Mike Santos and Mark Vanagas play 7 different roles
in the Naples Players production of horror story
spoof "The Mystery of Irma Vep."
"Irma Vep" runs Oct. 30 - Nov. 23.

Here's your first look at the Naples Players production of "The Mystery of Irma Vep." Mike Santos and Mark Vanagas play 7 different roles in the horror story spoof.

"Irma Vep" runs Oct. 30 - Nov. 23 in the black box Tobye Studio. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 18 and under. Call 239-263-7990 or online at naplesplayers.org/tickets.

Read my review of the Florida Rep production from May 2012 (spoilers) for another look at the show.

Five Questions With: Debi Guthery, Betty in "The Great American Trailer Park Musical"

Corey Perrine / Copyright Naples Daily News

Debi Guthery and Randy Jones in Debi Guthery in the Naples
Players production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical."

Put on your hard hats folks. And take note. Debi Guthery allows us a peek inside the mind of a musical theatre sorceress. The actress was the first to share her questionnaire with me, but I liked her answers so much that I wanted to save it for the final part of the "Trailer Park" series.

Find out Debi's favorite role, the one part she dreams of playing (keep your eyes out) and find out why she refuses to dish about her most embarrassing moment. And maybe even book the songstress for a party.

Meanwhile, check out Debi's YouTube page here: http://www.youtube.com/user/DebiGuthery

Read our previous Q&A with "Trailer Park" director Dawn Fornara.
Read our previous Q&A with "Trailer Park" actor Randy Jones.
Reviews: Chris Silk ($$) | Bill O'Neill

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" runs through Nov. 2, 2013 at the Naples Players. Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for children 18 and under. Call 239-263-7990 or naplesplayers.org/tickets.

Reviews: "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" (2)

Photo by Corey Perrine / Naples Daily News

Alyssa Lee, Debi Guthery & Lisa Federico
in "The Great American Trailer Park Musical."

Here's the reviews for the Naples Players production of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical."

Review: Naples Players laugh all the way to the 'Trailer Park'
Chris Silk (Naples Daily News)

Debi Guthery carries the show as Armadillo Acres wiseacre Betty. Pert, sassy and elegant atop towering straw wedges, her brassy personality sparkles. Guthery stars in her own YouTube show, "The Housewives of Sweet Bush Trailer Park;" she brings that comedic charm to the stage. Like her den mother character, she finds the correct mix of hard-edged gruff and lovable charm. Look for the daytime talk show-inspired number, director and choreographer Dawn Lebrecht Fornara's best, boldest creation, with Guthery playing a spot-on version of Sally Jesse Raphael. The scene, featuring most of the cast, sends up every stereotype in a brilliant fashion. Jessica Walck, cooing and purring and "WORKING IT" for the "cameras," practically steals the scene as sex-obsessed Pippi, even though Guthery's glam hostess keeps throwing choreographed elbows at her head. Read the complete review ($$)

Curtain Up: 'Trailer Park Musical' about as classy as trailer trash
Bill O'Neill (Collier Citizen)
The show includes, as the TV warnings would say, crude language and sexual references — lots of both. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, but here one feels that these elements are intended to be hilarious in and of themselves. Like an actor dropping his pants when the audience is not responding to his shtick, the show goes for cheap laughs. There is no sympathy in the portrayal of the characters. Read the complete review (free)

Read our previous Q&A with "Trailer Park" director Dawn Fornara.
Read our previous Q&A with "Trailer Park" actor Randy Jones.
Up later this week, a Q&A with "Trailer Park" actress Debi Guthery.

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" runs through Nov. 2, 2013 at the Naples Players. Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for children 18 and under. Call 239-263-7990 or online at naplesplayers.org/tickets.

Five Questions With: Dawn Lebrecht Fornara, director of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical"

Alyssa Lee, Debi Guthery, Laura Needle and Lisa Federico in
"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" at the Naples Players.

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" director/choreographer Dawn Lebrecht Fornara took time out of her busy schedule to give us a director questionnaire. Complete with her trademark snark, honed from years on the road as a dancer.

I had to edit a few things, but go behind the scenes to find out Dawn's take on the show, read her breakdown of the cast, thoughts on staging the show and why she absolutely won't reveal the funniest line of "Trailer Park."

PS: Find out why Dawn thinks the viewing public should attend in five words or less!

Read our previous Q&A with "Trailer Park" actor Randy Jones.
Up next week, a Q&A with "Trailer Park" actress Debi Guthery.

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" runs through Nov. 2, 2013 at the Naples Players. Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for children 18 and under. Call 239-263-7990 or online at naplesplayers.org/tickets.

1) Talk about this play. What are audiences going to find out about themselves, life or theatre if they attend?

That it's OK to go to the theatre just to laugh for a while.  Not everything has to be "art."  There is an art to comedy, but not every piece of theatre has to be high-brow.  And even though much of this show is cartoonish caricature, people will recognize themselves in the show.  Also, it's vulgar and raunchy, but also sweet, with a nice story and sentiment.

Naples Players ETC... releases directors, casts for Nov. 3 "You Call This Love???" season premiere

The Naples Players’ ETC…Readers’ Theatre will present staged readings of four short plays with the theme of “You Call This Love???” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, in the Tobye Studio at Sugden Community. Tickets ($10) are available at the box office or by phone (239) 263-7990.

• “Sorry” by Timothy Mason - Claire McKinney directs Dee Betcher and Harvey Choddock.
  
• “The Wedding Story” by Julianne Homokay - Bev Canell directs Ellen Grimes, Mary Haynes and Keith Gahagan.
  
• “Rain” by Garry Williams - Vic Caroli directs Denny Hoover, Carole Greene, Karen Gudknecht, Joanie Nellis and Scott Doucette.
  
• “Present Tense” by John McNamara - Joe Moran directs Todd Irby, Bill Everett, Rose Mary Everett, Stan Kraushaar, Kim Polson and Allayne Barnum. 

Complete press release below.

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ETC…Presents “You Call This Love???” Quartet Sunday Nov. 3

The Naples Players’ ETC…Readers’ Theatre will present staged readings of four short plays theatrically themed “You Call This Love???” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, in Tobye Studio of Sugden Community Theatre in downtown Naples.  Tickets priced at $10 each are on sale at the Box Office; phone 239-263-7990.

The seriocomic quartet will open ETC…’s 12th season and will include:

“Sorry” by Timothy Mason.  NYC can be an unforgiving and lonely place.  But when Pat shoots Wayne mistaking him for an intruder the two are given a chance to make a connection – even when Pat discovers the secret behind Wayne’s identity.  Claire McKinney directs Dee Betcher and Harvey Choddock.

“The Wedding Story” by Julianne Homokay.  A narrator tells of a high school couple about to be married and start a beautiful life together – only they constantly interrupt and correct him until he can’t stand it anymore and tells them the brutal truth.  Bev Canell is director and cast members are Ellen Grimes, Mary Haynes and Keith Gahagan.

In “Rain” by Garry Williams, a farmer who has fallen from a roof and is confined to a wheelchair ponders his life and seeks the meaning of it.  Director is Vic Caroli with cast members Denny Hoover, Carole Greene, Karen Gudknecht, Joanie Nellis and Scott Doucette.

And in “Present Tense” by John McNamara, a gawky but cute teen-age boy wins back the affection of an attractive girl from the handsome but vain captain of all the school teams and editor of the other lad’s copy in the school paper.  Joe Moran is director; cast members are Todd Irby, Bill Everett, Rose Mary Everett, Stan Kraushaar, Kim Polson and Allayne Barnum.

Friday and Saturday Dec. 6 & 7, ETC …will present “An Evening of New Plays” in its 10th annual contest for original one-act plays by Southwest Florida playwrights.  A reception will follow the Dec. 6 program.

Interested in being a reader, director, producer or ETC… Committee member?  Please call Becky Troop, Director of Volunteers, at 239-434-7340, ext. 14.

Naples Players set auditions for Gurney play "Black Tie" on Oct. 26

The Naples Players will hold auditions for "Black Tie," the A.R. Gurney play, at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 26. Get the complete

The Naples Players (and other regional theaters) have gone back to the Gurney well several times. The playwright is a natural fit, especially with the area's heavy seasonal population, especially from the Northeast. "Sylvia," "Crazy Mary" and "Later Life" have all played in recent years. The playwright distills the experiences of Buffalo's vanishing WASP population in touching fashion; his small, keenly felt plays often wrap big themes inside small moments. The Florida Rep production of "Indian Blood" remains one of my favorite shows ever.

"Black Tie," about one father's struggle to produce the perfect wedding toast, takes a torch to a lot old High WASP traditions like oyster stuffing and cuff links. Florida Rep produced the show in April 2012. Of the many works in the Gurney canon, "Black Tie" isn't a superb show, but it does offer an interesting culture clash. Read my review of the "Florida Rep" show here.

"Black Tie" runs Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 2014. Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

Five Questions With: Randall Kenneth Jones, Norbert in "The Great American Trailer Park Musical"

Randall Kenneth Jones as Roger DeBris
in the Naples Players production
of "The Producers."

Randall Kenneth Jones will be familiar face to Naples audiences when he takes the stage as tollbooth collector Norbert in upcoming "The Great American Trailer Park Musical."

The Washington, D.C. transplant has appeared in shows with the Marco Players ("The Fourth Wall"), Shakespeare in Paradise ("A Midsummer Night's Dream") and both plays and musicals at the Naples Players. He had roles in "Annie," "The Producers" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." He also starred as David O. Selznick in "Gone With the Wind" send-up "Moonlight and Magnolias."

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" visits a wrong-side-of-the-tracks community in Starke, Florida. Jones's character leaves (or does he?) his agoraphobic wife for a stripper named Pippi. Other inhabitants of the Armadillo Acres trailer park are named Linoleum and Pickles. There's a shootout. Someone sniffs Pam (the cooking spray - not the person). And THEN things get strange... (Read my review of the show from its run at the Off-Broadway Palm in April if you want a few spoilers)

Directed by Dawn Lebrecht Fornara, "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" includes Jessica Walck as Pippi, Debi Guthery as Betty, Lisa Frederico as Linoleum, Greg Jensen as Duke, Randall Jones as Norbert, Alyssa Lee as Pickles, and Laura Needle as Jeannie.

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" runs Oct. 9 - Nov. 2 at the Naples Players. Tickets are $40. Call (239) 263-7990 or naplesplayers.org.

We caught up with Jones, but left the rest of the surprises in "Trailer Park," along with the cans of Natty Light and Hamms, in the cooler. You'll have to see the show to find out exactly who takes exactly what off at the Litter Box Show Palace.