Posted by Lydia on Mar 20, 2011 in
Theatre 
Kitchen Witches at the Landmark Studio March 18, 19, 25, 26, 2011
I’m getting this up a little late, but there have been just too many funerals in my family this past week or so and nothing has been normal. So, back to more pleasant things.
Here’s details:
“THE LANDMARK Studio will be cooking up a storm at the Landmark Theater in Sutton, WV with the opening of The Kitchen Witches on Friday and Saturday, March 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8:00 p.m. The location is the Landmark Studio for the Arts located on Main Street, Sutton, WV.
Mothers
Isobel Lomax (Tommye Geil) and Dolly Biddle (Debbie Hamric) are two “mature” cable-
access cooking show hostesses who have hated each other for 30 years, ever since Larry Biddle dated one and married the other. When circumstances put them together on a TV show called The Kitchen Witches, the insults are flung harder than the food! Dolly’s long-suffering TV-producer son Stephen tries to keep them on track, but as long as Dolly’s dressing room is one inch closer to the set than Isobel’s, it’s a losing battle, and the show becomes a ratings smash as Dolly and Isobel top both Martha Stewart and Jerry Springer! Rounding out the cast are Braxton County High School students Steven Chapman as Dolly’s son Stephen and Shane Wine as Rob the “Goth” camera guy.
The award winning play was written by Caroline Smith and is co-directed by Chris Allen and
Jim Konkel. Stage manager is Marian Koller. Technical assistants are Carey Duchaine and Kyle
Allen. This show is produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
The Kitchen Witches is a recipe for an evening of entertainment. Plan now to have an early
dinner at one of Braxton’s local restaurants and enjoy the show! Price of admission is $10.00
adults, $8.00 seniors and $5.00 for students. For reservations and information, call 304-
644-3166. Reservations are recommended. Although the show does not contain strong language,
it is not recommended for children.
Posted by Lydia on Jun 20, 2010 in
Theatre 
Me, Susanna Wayt, Jacque Dooley, Jane Lightfoot, Cindy Bess, Angela Kauffman, Racquel Netken
I should have posted these weeks ago, but here they are. HATS was a fun show! And what a great group of women to perform with! Not to mention our director Catharin Thieme and musical director Robert Thieme. It’s a joy to work with these people.
Those of you who missed Lady, Dame, Baroness, Duchess, Princess, and Contessa help Maryanne celebrate her 50th birthday really missed a good time. As the song says, “Life is a party you don’t want to miss!”
Princess (me) finally finds her keys.
We hope we can do it again. There’s talk, anyway, so stay tuned!
Till then, I do have a show lined up for the fall. KINDERTRANSPORT will be September 24, 25, 26, 30, October 1, 2, 2010 at Fairmont State College. More on that later.
Posted by Lydia on Jun 20, 2010 in
Theatre Just saw 2 shows this weekend at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre. THE 39 STEPS is a fast-paced show that moves, moves, moves! Two actors play well over 100 roles (someone said 150) and the single female in the cast plays 4 or 5 characters. Only one player is a constant character throughout the play.
If you’ve ever seen the old Hitchcock film, this is the same story, but not taken so seriously. The actors said it was a hard show to do mainly because of the physicality of it. They never stop moving, running, climbing, etc.
The other show was THE SEAFARER by Connor McPherson. Greg Mach played the title role — the devil come to collect his due via a poker game. It’s a dark (and talky) piece, but I really enjoyed it. Very well-written script, and the actors made it real.
Tags: theatre
Been a busy week. Didn’t have time to post until now, but Tuesday was truly awe inspiring. I love technology! I was able to watch the all inauguration coverage via CNN/Facebook in one window while doing work in another. (Actually several others.) I think everyone in our office was doing the same thing. The people I work with are both foreign and domestic. Represented in our group are Kenya, Ghana, India, Pennsylvania, and the WV counties of Grant, Harrison, Marion, Mingo and Preston. (I’ll leave it to you to determine which of those places is the most foreign.) From all appearances, everyone in the group was happy on Tuesday.
Among the projects I’m working on right now are some cool online courses—most recently, an companion animal science course. What a fun project for an animal lover like me! (One of those talented graphic designers I work with has created the cutest graphics for it!) Another cool course is an intro to film which also has stellar graphics thanks to another of our wonderful graphic designers. The historical geology course has been going on for a while. It’s a little different that most—the course content is the textbook for the course. The illustrations that are included were all drawn by the author and are outstanding! Interesting and diverse subject each with their own design challenges. This is why i love my work!
Outside of that, I managed to design a poster for our upcoming ACT 2 Theatre Co. show, SYLVIA by A.R. Gurney. Director Rex Kelch will let me know today whether it’s a go or not. We have auditions today at 2:00 and again tomorrow at the same time. Information about all that is at the ACT 2 website. (Yes. I’m auditioning.)
The Landmark Studio has in interesting show scheduled early in February—THIEF RIVER by Lee Blessing. More information about that is at the Landmark website.
RENT, school edition, is playing now at Fairmont State University. Performed by the Fairmont Town and Gown Youth Company. Director Charlie Dillon has once again managed to inspire a group of talented kids to give it their all. The cast came from 7 different high schools from 3 counties. A note in the program from Dean of the School of Fine Arts, Peter Lach, says that this program is a part of an initiative called the Center of Arts Engagement. “As a part of that initiative, we will create a Conservatory which will offer instruction in Art, Music and Theatre to area youth and non-college adults.” An insert in the program indicates that Charlie will soon be teaching 2 Intro to Theatre Arts classes for junior high and high school as a part of this initiative.
Posted by Lydia on Dec 5, 2008 in
Theatre I’ve been neglecting this blog for quite a while, but hey, life happens. Just to review the year…
Jesse explains things to Thelma in 'NIGHT, MOTHER
Phyl Charnes and I did
‘NIGHT, MOTHER at the Landmark Studio in fall of 2007 and then revived it for the ACT 2 Theatre Company in February this year.
Lenny and Claire share rumors with Ken in RUMORS
Greg Mach and I did RUMORS at the Landmark Studio last spring. That’s us with Rocky Gettel (right) in the picture.
In August I auditioned for, and got a small role in, a play called SHIRAZ by Don Fidler with M.T. Pockets Theatre Company in Morgantown. Had a great time getting to know the folks in that group. Hope I can do something again with them some time.
Scene from SHIRAZ with Don Fidler and Shea Thompson
Timing on this one turned out to be a bit stressful, though. As soon as rehearsals started, I found out I have diabetes. Managed to have a good time, anyway.
Poster for HANSEL AND GRETEL
Last month I had a blast playing the Wicked Witch in
HANSEL AND GRETEL: An Operetta For Children based on the Humperdinck opera. It was adapted to be done by children. I was the only adult in the show. Don’t have any pictures yet, but as soon as I do I’ll post them. This was the first time ACT 2 has attempted an all-children cast production, but director Kathy Younglove has lots of experience with children’s theatre and pulled it all together wonderfully. We partnered with the
Chanticleer Children’s Chorus who lended their beautiful voices to all the choral music. And the dancing angels who protected Hansel and Gretel in the woods were
Premier Studio of Dance students. The music was lovely and the set was really gorgeous.
I designed the poster for this one. That’s our Hansel (Bailey Jackson) and Gretel (Sierra Frosch) in the poster.
Tags: ACT 2, Add new tag, Landmark Studio, MT Pockets
Posted by Lydia on Nov 23, 2007 in
Theatre Haven’t been keeping up very well, but ACT 2 did have that fall show. It was CLUE: THE MUSICAL and it was great. The venue was the YWCA of Harrison County. Here’s the poster (my design).
And Phyl Charnes and I finished a run of Marsha Norman’s ‘NIGHT, MOTHER at the Landmark Studio for the Arts in Sutton, WV. Here’s the poster, designed by Tommye Geil.
Also, still with one more weekend performance to go, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is playing at Fairmont State University on November 29-30 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. in the Wallman Hall Theatre
I’ll try to keep up better as we go along. ACT 2 has a business meeting Wed. Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. to discuss the next show, probably in February or thereabouts. I’ll let you know what we decide.
In March, the Landmark Studio for the Arts will be doing RUMORS. I’ll be in that one. So will Greg Mach of WV Wesleyan. AND he’s directing his students in the same show around the same time.
Posted by Lydia on Jul 21, 2007 in
Theatre ACT2 Theatre Company is planning a fall show, probably in October. Jason Young will direct and the details aren’t worked out yet, but something will be announced soon. So keep and eye out! And if you’re interested in working on the show, just leave a comment here!
Posted by Lydia on Jun 30, 2007 in
Theatre Gregory Mach, chair of the Theatre Arts program at WV Wesleyan College is playing a role in THE ODD COUPLE next week with WV Public Theatre in Morgantown.
The play takes place in 1965 and Greg had to cut his hair and shave his beard. You may not recognize him!
Show dates are:
July 3 – 8, 2007
at the WVU Creative Arts Center
Morgantown, WV
Tickets
Posted by Lydia on May 12, 2007 in
Theatre Looks pretty funny, folks!
May 11, 12, 18, 19
OPAL’S BABY
presented by the Landmark Players
COMEDY. By John Patrick.
The setting is Opal’s tumbledown home on the edge of the city dump, where Opal has a visitor looking for a tire to fit his 1927 REO truck. Misguided into thinking that Opal is a rich eccentric, the shifty visitor, Norman, announces (fallaciously) that he too is a Kronkie—and Opal’s long-lost kin. The upshot is that the warmhearted Opal takes him, and his whole family, in – whereupon they scheme to do her out of her supposed fortune. When Norman confides that his daughter-in-law, Verna, is pregnant (abetted by a well-placed pillow) Opal decides to leave all her worldly goods to the “baby,†and the others have to settle for petty thievery while they figure out how to get around their lie. Needless to say the “plot thickens†hilariously as they do so, but happily all ends well, at least for Opal, who emerges safe, sound and ready for whatever may come next.
