Thanks Altrusa International! Yours, SLT

The fine ladies from Altrusa International came by the Seussical set today to pick up the almost 2,000 children’s books the Spartanburg Little Theatre is donating as part of our Seuss Literacy project.

(Pictured are the members of Altrusa International Spartanburg, Jay E. Coffman, Executive Artistic Director of SLT and the Cat in the Hat, aka Matt Giles, Artistic Director of SYT)

For those of you who don’t know the good things Altrusa does, here’s a blurb from their website www.altrusaspartanburg.org:

Altrusa International, Inc. of Spartanburg, established in 1961, is an organization for professional women and men with a common goal to provide service to our local and global community with emphasis on the family, education, and the environment.

The organization also promotes personal and professional growth for its members.

Thanks to Altrusa and their members for the willingness to collaborate.  Can’t wait to hear where these books are donated.  Bravo!

Come see Seussical this weekend.  Shows are selling fast! www.chapmanculturalcenter.org or 542-ARTS.

Spartanburg Little Theatre announces Seussical contest winners!

In conjunction with our mammoth production of the hit Broadway musical Seussical, we held two contests promoting literacy in Spartanburg County.

Our first contest encouraged school classes to donate new or gently loved children’s books, with the winning class promised a visit and story hour by the Cat in the Hat from Seussical. 

All in all, almost 2,000 books were donated to The Spartanburg Little Theatre.  We in turn will donate these books to Altrusa International, a service club for women, who will donate them to area nonprofits and needy children.

Congratulations to Giada Parris’ class at Woodruff Primary School! (pictured above with the Cat in the Hat).  Thank you so much for your generous gift.  And many thanks to all the other schools in Spartanburg County who contributed.

Our second venture was a poetry contest.  Children were asked to submit poems in the style of Dr. Seuss with the winners receiving two free tickets to Seussical and the opportunity to read their poem to the audience at intermission.

The poems were awesome and the readings have been a lot of fun.  We’ll have three more readings at this upcoming weekend’s productions.

Congratulations to:

Shane Rice—Monarch Elementary School

Rebekah Nelson—Abner Creek Elementary School

Braeden Mull—Boiling Springs Elementary School

Iman Qatawi and Maggie Wrinkle---Berry Shoals Intermediate School

Kyle Henderson—Berry Shoals Intermediate School.

The spirit of Seuss lives on!!!!

Come see Seussical this weekend.  Tickets are going fast!  www.chapmanculturalcenter.org or 542-ARTS

2200+: Well that’s a whole lot of kids…

Almost everyone who has lived in Spartanburg for any length of time knows someone who has been to one of The Spartanburg Youth Theatre’s productions.  Always an hour long, always cast with area youth and always entertaining, these shows have been a staple field trip destination for many of Spartanburg’s school children and teachers for over 30 years.

This week it’s no different.  Wednesday and Thursday at 9:30, 11:00 and 12:30, the Chapman Cultural Center will see a steady stream of school busses dropping off and picking up eager and excited children, all anticipating SYT’s latest production:  a modern adaption of the classic fairy tale The Princess and the Pea.

Here’s how it works:

1.  The production schedule is sent out to all districts in Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties, as well as latchkey programs and Homeschoolers at the beginning of the year.

2.  Teachers start calling in with their reservations for one of the six performances.  Tickets are $5 per student and accompanying parents and free for teachers.

3.  Educational materials for the productions are provided online on our website at no charge.  Teachers are encouraged to use these as a preview activity or a follow up.

4.  Deposits are made, confirmations and invoices are exchanged until the day of the performances when….

5.  The production magic begins.  A cast of youth, a backstage crew of youth, and a lighting/sound/tech both staffed completely with youth.  That’s what makes us unique.

Then on the Friday and Saturday, the public is invited to see the show.  Fridays at 4:30 and 7:00 pm and Saturday at 2:00 pm.  This year the Boys and Girls Club are bringing 250+ children to every Friday 4:30 performance!

So, this week, it’s all about the Pea…and the 2200+ children, teachers and parents on fieldtrips waiting to see if that Princess is going to able to catch some zzzzZZZZZZZ’s.

You can come too:  www.chapmanculturalcenter.org or (864) 542-ARTS.  February 12 and 13.  And don’t forget the Royal Tea Party on February 13.  Call our office at 585-8278 for reservations.

I’ll be looking at the moon, but I’ll be seeing you….

Sinatra musical honors 'Ol' Blue Eyes'

GERRY PATE/gerry.pate@shj.com

SPECIAL THANKS TO LINDA CONLEY AND GERRY PATE FOR THIS GREAT WRITE UP AND THE PHOTOS IN THE SPARTANBURG HERALD JOURNAL.

By Linda Conley
linda.conley@shj.com

Fans couldn't get enough of Frank Sinatra when he was on the big screen or a stage in a Las Vegas nightclub.

He died almost 11 years ago, but love for his music and movies lives on.

The Spartanburg Little Theatre is giving Sinatra lovers a chance to hear his music and learn more about the man behind the legacy.

"My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra" comes to the stage at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the David Reid Theater in the Chapman Cultural Center.

The four-member cast will perform songs that became Sinatra trademarks, such as "I Get a Kick Out of You," "New York, New York" and "Strangers in the Night." During breaks in the music, the actors will talk about Sinatra's life, ranging from his relationships in the Rat Pack to his four highly publicized marriages.

"This is a tribute, so audiences aren't going to see someone trying to be Frank Sinatra," said director Debbie Craig-Archer. "There was only one Frank Sinatra. He did it his way, and I want cast members to take his music and do it their way."

Audiences won't see a typical theater stage setup for the two-hour performance. The setting will resemble a nightclub scene similar to the ones Sinatra headlined. The four featured singers will perform jazz and show tunes.

"The man (Sinatra) was a master," John Wharton says. "He made singing seem easier than it really is."

Wharton, a Chesnee High School choral director, is one of the singers. He said cast members pooled their money to buy copies of Sinatra's music so they could become more familiar with it. They said Sinatra wasn't just a crooner but a versatile singer.

"I have become a bigger fan now from doing this show," Wharton said. "I am listening to his music and realizing he was really doing something special."

Melody McClellan, a vocal performance graduate of Converse College, will attend Westminister Choir College at Princeton University in August. She said being in the show allows her to keep her music sharp.

"I am not playing a specific character, so it is difficult to remember what goes next sometimes," she said. "I like all of Frank Sinatra's music, but I didn't realize there were so many facets to him because he was an actor and performed on the stage."

Scott Waddell, administrative assistant at Security Finance Corp., said he has always been a big Sinatra fan and was familiar with his music before being cast in the show.

"I've always felt like I was born in the wrong era because I like the jazz and type of music Sinatra sang," Waddell said.

"Frank Sinatra was cool and one of a kind. I was almost hesitant about doing the show because I didn't want people to think we are trying to impersonate Sinatra. This is a tribute."

Melanie Gladstone, a music and dance teacher at S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind, is appearing in her first production with the Little Theatre. She said she also is learning more about Sinatra.

"He gave actress Ava Gardner a six-carat diamond, and she threw it out the window," Gladstone said. "I think she was upset because she didn't think she was the only woman Sinatra was seeing."

Tickets are still available for “My Way:  A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” for Friday January 22 and Saturday January 23 at 8 pm and the final performance Sunday January 24 at 3 pm.  Call 542-ARTS or go to www.chapmanculturalcenter.org to reserve online.

Ol’ Blue Eyes in Spartanburg?

 

“My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra” features over 50 of Sinatra’s greatest hits live!

“All of Me”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, “Chicago”, “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “New York, New York”, “Strangers in the Night” and more of Frank Sinatra’s most popular and timeless hits are featured in the Spartanburg Little Theatre’s swanky and swingin’ production of the hit revue “My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra”, hitting the Chapman Cultural Center stage January 15-17 and 22-24.

Featuring four talented singers and a professional jazz combo and set in a retro Las Vegas lounge, “My Way” is a fitting tribute to the music that etched memories into the hearts and minds of millions. ”My Way” pays homage to Sinatra’s celebrated performer’s influence on popular music. Great songs combined with witty and charming dialogue create a performance that will leave you feeling like the Chairman of the Board.

“Frank Sinatra’s music is incomparable,” says Jay Coffman, Executive Artistic Director of the Spartanburg Little Theatre, “and what could be more fun than getting to hear a collection of over 50 of his greatest hits performed live?”

Other Sinatra hits performed include “Witchcraft”, “My Funny Valentine”, “That Old Black Magic”, “The Way You Look Tonight”, “My Way”, “My Kind of Town”, and “The Lady is a Tramp”.

“This promises to be a lot of fun,” says Coffman, “Who better way to warm up those cold January nights than Ol’ Blue Eyes?”

For tickets call (864) 542-ARTS or visit www.chapmanculturalcenter.org

And now for something completely different: Santaland Diaries at The Showroom

This is our fourth year of our partnership with Hub-bub and The Showroom and an encore performance of last year’s The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris, featuring, at least according to the poster, me.  Oh and I bought fresh tights for this one, so you better come.

SLT’s NextStages program is intended to provide a lower-cost edgier alternative to our mainstage season fare.  And The Santaland Diaries provides just that little bit of snarky edge we’re all feeling during the holidays, but that we hesitate to explore for fear of being seen as “unholiday-like”.  It does have some rough language, although it’s nowhere near as racy as The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, that we did a few years ago.  Just in case, leave the kids at home.  Well unless you don’t care of your kids hear the f-word.  Most do.

Here’s the official press release on the show.  Oh yeah and it runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm at The Showroom at Hub-bub and tickets are $10.

Okay, official stuff:

The Santaland Diaries
Thursday-Saturday, December 10th -12th  at 8pm   
Tickets: $10 advance/door
For Mature Audiences Only
For those who like a little spice with their Christmas sugar, this hilarious one-person play chronicles a man's experience working as an elf in Macy's Santaland. David Sedaris is a genuine American voice--witty, sardonic and unpredictable, mercilessly cutting through the Christmas spirit to point out what crazy things we do as human beings during the holidays.
NPR humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris made his comic debut reading his "Santaland Diaries" on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. Sedaris' sardonic humor and incisive social critique have since made him one of NPR's most popular and humorous commentators. He is the author of the bestsellers Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day. Sedaris and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have written several plays which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center, and The Drama Department in New York City. In 2001, David Sedaris became the third recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and was named by Time magazine as "Humorist of the Year."
Actor Jay Coffman stars as Crumpet, the wickedly funny Macy's Elf. Coffman is a fixture on the Upstate theatre circuit working both in the spotlight and behind the scenes. He has performed in many plays in the Spartanburg area and is currently the Interim Executive Artistic Director for the Spartanburg Little Theatre. He is no stranger to the stage at The Showroom, this is an encore performance of the Santaland Diaries and Jay also performed in the role of Cupid in sold out performances of The Reindeer Monologues for two years.
“A delightfully thorny account of working as a Yuletide elf at Macy’s. Priceless observations, both outrageous and subtle. Destined to hold a place in the annals of American humor writing.” -New York Times

Who could resist these faces?: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever kicks off the holiday season

(photos courtesy of Alex Hicks at the Spartanburg Herald Journal)

I’m not sure I’m what most people think of as a “kid person”. In my 37 years, I really haven’t had that much interaction with children at all, although I haven’t really avoided it as a rule. The opportunity just hasn’t presented itself. In fact, people are often surprised after seeing me interact with children and I get these strange backhanded compliments like “You’re really good with kids. I didn’t expect that.” Uh, yeah, usually I eat them for breakfast, but your kid’s special and well, I had already eaten.

So when the opportunity presented itself to get involved in the Spartanburg Youth! Theatre’s production (and collaboration with SLT) of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, I thought it would be a excellent opportunity to get a first hand look into how this rather unique organization operates. After all, I am kind of the boss. Well Matt Giles is their boss. Praise the lord.

The thing about SYT is that it may be the only youth theatre of its kind in the entire United States. It’s a “by youth, for youth” youth theatre, meaning every aspect of production (except for the direction of the show) is done by kids in the 3rd through the 12th grade. They build the sets, run the sound board, run the light board, stage manage, act, raise and lower the curtains, help with the costumes, and act as backstage crew. What makes this unique is the almost complete absence of any adults in the production process. While most other youth theatres include adult actors, adults running sound and lights and building and stage managing, this youth theatre puts the whole production in the hands of the kids. (Now The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, being a collaboration with SLT, does include a handful of adult actors).

But it is truly inspiring to watch these 50+ kids take care of aspects of production that adults normally take care of. In fact, the kids often put the adults to shame when it comes to knowing your lines, or being in the right place at the right time. One time I arrived at rehearsal a few minutes after we had begun because I had a meeting. I walked backstage and a 10 year old girl looked up at me and said, completely without irony…”You’re late”.

She was right of course, and while I might have wanted to step on her just a little bit, I preferred to think of it as a good example of with the Spartanburg Youth! Theatre has been doing since 1971, preparing Spartanburg’s youth for adulthood, instilling responsibility, fostering creativity, taking a ragtag group of individuals and making them a well oiled working machine.

Playing the father in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is probably the closest I’ll ever get to fatherhood in the real sense, but watching these children create and flourish and respond to pressure and come through, makes me just as proud as an real father could be.

Come see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, presented by The Spartanburg Youth! Theatre at the Chapman Cultural Center on December 4th at 4:30 and 7:00 and on December 5th at 2:00 and 7:00. Tickets available at 542-ARTS and at http://www.chapmanculturalcenter.org/. Both shows on December 4th are almost sold out, and December 5th shows are not far behind. Reserve now!