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August 2008 Newsletter

The Barn P layers Community Theatre

The Barn Players Theatre

E-Newsletter -- August 7, 2008

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
(Use the links below to access the following article s)

In the Spotlight:

Wonder Of The World

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Pl ay Service, Inc.

Opening this weekend, the Barn Players Theatre is proud to bring you Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abai re. When the production debuted in the aftermath of the September 11th terr orist attacks, Variety magazine noted that the show was "a most assu redly fresh and hilarious tragi-comedy of marital discord run amok" and wen t on to rave that Wonder of the World was "absolutely hysterical." T he Barn's production kicks-off this Friday evening, August 8, at 7:30 p.m.< /div>
The story centers on a dirty little secret discovered by our her oine, Cass, in her husband's sweater drawer. It's so shocking, in fact, tha t Cass flees to the world's honeymoon capital-Niagara Falls-in a frantic se arch for the life she thinks she missed. Along the way, her journey of self -discovery that has Cass crossing paths with a blithely suicidal alcoholic, a lonely tour-boat captain, a pair of bickering private detectives, and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter. It's a wild and zany ride that will have audiences laughing out loud.
Thanks to our own in-house dramaturg, Ross Harmon, you can learn all about the glorio us history of this family favorite as well as the real people upon whom Kau fman and Hart based their cast of zany characters. Go to: http://www.thebarnplayers.org/currents how/
The production is directed by Darren Sextro, and features Gayle Hutchens-Grooms as the beleaguered heroine Cass, Erik Finch as Kip, Shelly Stewart as Lois, Heather Austin as the Multi-Tasker, Pam Haskin as Karla, David Belz as Glen , and Bill Case as Captain Mike.
The production runs Frid ays and Saturdays August 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinee performances on August 10 and 17 starting at 2:00 p.m. All performances are at The Barn Players Theatre, located at 6219 Martway, Mission, Kansas.
Tickets are $12 for regular admission; $10 for seniors (age 65 and older); $5 for students with valid student ID; and $8 for groups of 10 or m ore. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, which opens one hour befor e curtain time; cash or check only. No credit cards are accepted. The box o ffice opens one hour prior to curtain time. For reservations call (913) 432 -9100 or visit our website at www.thebarnplayers.org.

Be sure to reserve your seat now for Wonder Of The World!!

For showtimes and ticket prices, call (913) 432-9100 , or see the website at www.thebarnplayers.o rg.

The Barn Unveils the M argaret Godfrey Stage

In a special, by-invitation ceremony held on Thursday, J uly 17, the Barn Players Theatre Board of Directors joined with friends and alumni to dedicate the stage in honor of Margaret Godfrey, a past member o f the Board of Directors who led the group for ten years, from 1989-99. Thr ough sheer perseverance and leadership, Margaret provided the drive, passio n, and determination to keep the Barn Players alive during its homeless yea rs. She was, according to all sources, the inspiration and the motivating f orce that kept the organization active in the community.
On July 17, the performance area in the Barn's home in Mission, Kansas, was rename d in her honor as The Margaret Godfrey Stage.
Congrats Margaret, and many, many thanks for all your hard work, commitment, and leadership t hrough the years!!

A New Se ason, A New Artistic Director for The Barn Players

The Barn Players are plea sed to announce the appointment of Eric Magnus as the their new Artistic Di rector for the 53-year old community theatre, effective January 1, 2009. Ma gnus succeeds Beate Pettigrew, who has held the position since 2005. Pettig rew's services to the Barn Players will continue in an advisory capacity. H er increased involvement with Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center American Col lege Theater Festival has necessitated the move. Magnus will also be assist ed by Lynn Reddick, who will step into the role of Associate Artistic Direc tor for the theatre.
"I look forward to carrying on Beate's visi on of meeting and exceeding expectations as to affordable, quality Communit y Theatre here in the K.C. metro," states Magnus. "It's a daunting responsi bility, but I'm confident that with Beate, Lynn and our Board of Director's help, we will succeed."

For all the "latest and greatest" at The Barn Players Theatre, check our website regularly for info rmation about upcoming productions, auditions, and a calendar of future eve nts--or to join our email subscription list-- at www.thebarnplayers.org.

Get Your Season Tickets for 2009

The Barn Pl ayers Theatre is now offering season tickets for 2009...so take advantage o f this great deal. If you've reviewed the list of productions in the 2009 S eason, you'll want to guarantee you have seats reserved for you and your gu ests for all of the upcoming shows.
How does the season pass wor k? You pick any five shows you would like to see during our 2009 Season (at http://www.thebarnplayers.or g/upcoming ), and you pay only $50 for all five shows. Just send a chec k or stop by the box office to purchase your tickets.
This is a great way to save some money, enjoy great entertainment, and benefit your f avorite local community theatre...all at the same time! How clever of you!< /div>

Interested in volunteering? We have lots of oppo rtunities for you! You can volunteer as an usher or assist with the box off ice, or even work the concessions booth for one of our upcoming performance s. Bonus: you get to see the show for free!!! If you're interested, please email your name and contact information to Mandy Lagoski at theatremandy@yahoo.com for information about volunteer opportunities at the Barn.

Meet Tamara Kingston

If you've attended a show at The Barn, chances are good that you've met Tamara Kingston, our Administrative Coordinator. Originally hailing from London, England (hint, hint...she can give you good coaching for British dialects!!), Tamara is one of the first people many new-comers...and old friends...meet when they come to the Barn. So we thought we'd give you some background.
Tamara is completi ng her associates degree in stage management at Johnson County Community Co llege, where she is also employed in the theater department.
In addition to a dizzying array of administrative tasks, Tamara is responsible for keeping the Barn Players organized and maintaining our "master schedul e." She also attends to the general comings and goings at the theatre, serv es as a resource for one and all, and is generally the Barn's combination d en mother/Ms. Fix-It/go-to-gal/cheerleader/know-the-answer/get-the-job-done woman.
Outside her considerable duties as Administrative Coordi nator, Tamara frequently works on a number of Barn productions, and has ser ved as stage manager, house manager, props mistress, among many other gigs. She's even graced the boards as an actress.
Thanks Tamara=C2=85 for everything (literally!).

News & Tidbits:

  • Congratulations to th e Director, Cast & Crew of our most recent production, The Man Who Came to Dinner. It was a fun production with a zany cast of characters fea turing Bill Pelletier as Sheridan Whiteside, Courtney Stephens as his secre tary Maggie, and Matt Griggs as her boyfriend, Bert, all under the directio n of Jessica Franz. Cheers to everyone whose efforts contributed to the suc cess of this Kaufman and Hart production!!
  • A special thanks to all those who have supported the Barn's electrical upgrades with a donation. O ur goal is to raise $25,000, and we still have a long way to go in order to achieve our dream of being able to increase the power to the facility, whi ch will allow us to improve stage lighting. We would be happy to identify y ou as a Barn supporter in exchange for your tax deductible donation. Won't you make a donation today to support the Barn Players Theatre?
  • Rem ember, you can show some style and support the Barn Players at the same tim e by purchasing a BARN PLAYERS T-SHIRT--the shirts are on sale now!! All pr oceeds from the sale of these t-shirts go toward electrical upgrades for ou r theatre, so don't be shy. Get shirts as gifts for your friends and family , too! (They need them.) Shirts are $20 each and feature the Barn's logo ag ainst a vivid red background. Our fundraising goal is to reach $25,000. T-s hirts have been donated by Custom Casuals Embroidery--thanks Eric!!
    • If a picture's worth a thousand words, we've got more words than the dict ionary!!! Here's another fabulous opportunity to show your support for the Barn Players...and enjoy memories of your favorite Barn productions. Thanks to our own Vida Bikales, you can now purchase a compact disc full of produ ction photos from our past shows, including head shots, publicity photos, a nd production stills. Each CD is just $10, and all proceeds from the sales will go to benefit the Barn Players Theatre. To order your CD, please conta ct Vida through theboard@thebarnplayers.org .
  • Get the best of earl y fall shopping with your friends at Prior Attire, located at 4024 W. 95th Street. Come by and see the best selection of all items and check out the S unny Summer Savings on their remaining summer stock, all at steep discounts ! And remember, when you shop at Prior Attire, you're supporting the Barn P layers, too. (So shop today...and often!)
  • ADVERTISE WITH THE BARN! !! Need to reach out to some arts savvy folks? Why not advertise with the B arn Players? It's a win-win proposition. You can advertise a quarter page a d for as little as $40 for the run of an entire production or $160 for a to tal of five shows. We'd be happy to help you design your ad, too. Just cont act (913) 432-9100 for information about how to place your ad with the Barn Players Theatre.

See you at the Barn!!!

For showtimes, dates, and ticket pr ices, see the Barn's website, or call (913) 432-9100.

To spons or, donate to, or volunteer with The Barn Players, please contact us at www.thebarnplayers.org.