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APRIL 2013
At the cast party, the cast and crew of Almost, Maine, bid a bittersweet farewell to the northern lights of the play by sending up two hot air lanterns into the Bloomfield sky at the end of the night. Waving and hugging, the group wrapped the show in the new friendships forged during rehearsals and performances. It was truly a group effort bringing the show to the stage, as each cast and crew member contributed from their personal wardrobe, or lawn chairs from the garage, or boots/scarves/gloves from the corners of their closets!
Each evening after a performance, there was some form of celebration—sometimes snow slushies , a PJ party at the theatre (with breakfast cooked by Chris Stepnitz, Janie Minchella and Peggy Lee), or a New England meal complete with crab, shrimp and mussels (lobster was too $$$). The directors gave a party for the cast opening weekend—Jeff Foust makes a FABULOUS cheesecake! The cast party theme was Sandrine’s Bachelorette Party (right out of the script from the show). Great performances made for fun and lasting friendships. Thank you to everyone involved.
EVENTS CALENDAR Final MAC MeetingBoard MeetingFundraiser at LK Bennett in SomersetDrag OutAnnual Meeting
Apr. 9Apr. 9Apr. 26
May 11May 16
The last scheduled MAC meeting of the year will be Tuesday, April 9 at 7:30 PM in the Green Room. New member orientation can be arranged at other times, as well. For information about membership or to set up an appointment, contact Sally Garrison, 248-540-3762 [email protected]
Janie Minchella as Sandrine
Nina Kircher, Peggy Yazejian & Ruth Bennett
Peggy Lee brought her own bacon and eggs for the late night breakfast.
And the best costume goes to Kathleen Lietz
Paul Dorset sports a blindfold while Kathleen Leitz and Mark Drum ham it up
Pajama Party!
Play Reading and Casting never rests! Anthony Marsalese and Duncan Mein have each served three years on the committee and will be stepping down this year. Anthony has been chair, and has done an excellent job leading the group through auditions and choosing the shows, applying for rights to do the shows, and requesting sample scripts for the group to read. Auditions for Chicago and Spamalot were huge, given the large numbers who auditioned. For Spamalot, there were 44 who auditioned for 20 roles. The show could easily have been cast twice!
Serving on PR&C is both an honor and a huge commitment of time and energy. Thanks and bravo to all!
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After two evenings in a row debating until nearly 2 a.m., Play Reading and Casting is proud (and relieved) to announce the cast for Spamalot!
KING ARTHUR: Anthony MarsaleseTHE LADY OF THE LAKE: Beth LackeySIR ROBIN: Jeff DavisonSIR LANCELOT: Alan CanningPATSY: Taylor GraySIR GALAHAD: Craig VanKemperSIR BEDEVERE: Tom PaganoHISTORIAN//HERBERT: Tom Arwady
WOMEN'S ENSEMBLE:Molly DorsetDeb DworkinJulie NoeStephanie PeltierAngela TomaszyckiKathleen Warner
MEN'S ENSEMBLE:Adam BernardPaul DorsetJoel HunterMichael KezelianNasir KhawajaJames Luzenski
You probably notice names that have not yet graced the St. D’s stage. The open casting policy adopted in the 2009-2010 season, brings in some of the finest talent available in the area, and we aim to keep them around by making their experience with St. Dunstan’s a fabulous one, that they will want to repeat again and again! Check out the pictures of the cast, and introduce yourself to the new members when you see them at the playhouse! Director: Duncan Mein
Assistant Director: Pam RichardsMusic Director: Debbie TedrickChoreographer: Valerie MouldCo-Stage Managers: Justine Dearth & Andrew McMechanSet Designer: Obie BurchSet Build: Tom EdsonSound Designer: Chris SteinmayerSound: Brett SceliCostumes: Kathy ShaperoPrograms/Show Regalia: Kathy BrooksProperties: Paul DorsetTickets: Ruth BennettPublicity: Molly DorsetProgram: Mike BrooksProducers: Mairo and Nat TowleAssistant Producers: Mary Myers Dianne Blasciuc
It takes WAY more than a village. It takes a BOATLOAD of people to pull off a production in the Greek. That literally means ALL HANDS ON DECK. Pick a committee you have never tried and see if you can be of help—even one night of the show, or one night of preparation will advance the work. Please get involved. We need you and it is FUN! Contact Mairo or Nat Towle and see where your services can best be used.
Alan Canning, Mike Kezelian & Nasir Khawaja
Taylor Gray, Craig VanKemper & Beth Lackey
Our intrepid director, Duncan Mein
Set and Lighting Desigher, Obie Burch, presents the design to the cast
Kathy Brooks chats with Tom Arwady
Tom Pagano
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We're partnering with L.K. Bennett at Somerset for a night of shopping and raising money for a good cause...us! The management team at L.K. Bennett reached out to us to participate in one of their fundraising events for local charities. They like to support causes that champion the arts; recently they had a similar fundraiser for the Detroit Artist Museum which raised over $1000!
On Thursday April 25th from 6-close L.K. Bennett will donate 10% of their proceeds to us. It will be a fun night of food and drinks, and we might even have a cameo appearance from some Knights of the round table! It's a great opportunity for our theatre to raise money and also expose ourselves to even more future patrons.
L.K. Bennett is located on the first floor of the south side of Somerset near Saks. They are a very popular brand in England (and a favorite of Kate Middleton's) that is just emerging in the US. They specialize is women's apparel, shoes and accessories. We hope to see you there!
The best things in life are free, as the saying goes. St. Dunstan’s can benefit from your purchases and all you have to do is take 5 minutes to re-link your Kroger Plus card, so St. D’s gets a percentage of your purchases. Renewal is done every April 1. Do it now, please, so we get the “free money!”
1. Go to kroger.com and click on the login button or use the QR Code below login on your smartphone.
2. Click on the Community Rewards Edit button.
3. Enter our organization #: 90023 and click SEARCH.
4. Select the radial button for St. D's under the "Select Your Organization" section.
5. Click SAVE.6. Go to Kroger and spend lots of
money using your Kroger Card !
made it to a performance of Almost, Maine! She looks positively wonderful, and, of course, has her fabulous upbeat attitude. With the help of some leg supports, Connie said she walked, and was very enthused at her own progress. Feeling the love from her fellow St. D’s members always helps, too. She thanks everyone for their continued contact and good wishes.
is nearly back running after a Valentine’s Day knee replacement! She warns that she isn’t 100% yet, but will be soon! Mairo, too, thanks all for their love and support.
let us know that his sweet wife, , is now in an assisted care facility to keep her safe. Fran and Grace have been St. Dunstan’s members since 1955! He says his hearing is lousy so he can’t get back on stage, but he still loves phone calls! Fran’s new phone number is 248-792-9602.
From Almost, Maine:Sandra ProkoppKatie KezelianChris Stepnitz and his son NickBob YazejianJanie MinchellaPeggy LeeObie BurchLinda Watson
From Chicago:Paul DorsetJeff DavisonChris SteinmayerObie BurchFrom Spamalot:Alan CanningAnthony MarsaleseObie BurchJimmy LuzenskiMichael Kezelian
The work doesn’t end just because the show is over. Strike is as much a part of a show as opening night, and the following are owed a big thanks for showing up to strike the set put in place for Chicago and the parts that were added for Almost, Maine. They showed up at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Mar. 24 and completed the teardown in time for the 2 p.m. rehearsal of Spamalot that afternoon. Pretty impressive!A huge round of applause goes to:
Want a leading role? Here is your chance. St. Dunstan’s is seeking an advertising person to pursue ads for our programs. There is history of who has advertised in the past, so you wouldn’t have to start from scratch—and the market is wide open. We are seeking: businesses, professionals, doctors, dentists, accountants, lawyers, insurance agents, fitness gurus, restaurants, bars—any organization with ties in the area, that might benefit from the vast exposure
their ad will get from the thousands who will clamor to see Spamalot!
Paul Dorset has put together a PowerPoint presentation for sponsors, indicating the potential market we touch with our shows/programs. When you offer to help, you don’t have to do it alone! Maybe three or four people are interested, and you can form a team! But, we do need a leader—someone who isn’t afraid to get on the phone or make cold calls and ask for money (remember how easy it was when you were a teenager?)
customer.kroger.com
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Bravo to the cast and crew of Almost, Maine. It was a fun, charming show and it was a pleasure to see so many people get involved on stage. One of the fun things about theatre is getting to see your friends in a different light. I’ve known Kathleen Lietz for a couple of years now since I chaired props for her on 39 Steps. I’ve always known her as a director, not a performer. It was a lot of fun to see her acting on stage and showing a side of her I’d never seen.
As I type these notes I look outside and think I actually see sunlight! It’s been a typical Michigan winter, where
the last cloud-less day was in October. Spring is a great time to be around the theatre. The days grow longer, we’re able to open up the doors and rehearse in the fresh spring air, and I have to take 14 Zyrtecs a day to combat my Spring allergies!
We always undertake what seems to be our most ambitious production during for the June show, and it’s great when we can all pull together as a group to make this a success. Spamalot will be no exception. As the props master, I think I’ve attended more production meetings for this show, than all previous shows combined! Props, costumes, and sets will be a large undertaking. If you’re interested in helping out with any aspect of the show (and your chair hasn’t contacted you already!) raise your hand and let them know you’re available.
We have a very big cast for Spamalot, which is a great mix of members, old faces, and new faces. A lot of the new folks are transplants from Stagecrafters’ recent production of
Curtains. Molly and I crashed one of their cast parties, and had a great time with them. I was pleased when they got cast in various roles and hope they decide to stick around following the June show.
Some upcoming dates to keep in mind are Thursday April 25th our fundraising shopping event at LK Bennett store at Somerset and Saturday, May 11th everyone’s favorite Drag-out! I look forward to seeing many of you at the theatre in the coming weeks!
Paul and Molly Dorset at the "Chicago" After Glow
Mark Drum Sponsor: Jake Zinke Photographic Committee 24504 Westmoreland Dr.Farmington Hills, MI 48336248-346-2504 [email protected]
Ana Gomez JUNIOR MEMBER Sponsor: Sandra ProkoppMakeup Committee 1224 Birmingham Blvd Birmingham, MI 48009248-227-8889 [email protected]
Chris Peterson JUNIOR MEMBER Sponsor: Janie Minchella Lights Committee37446 Alper Road Sterling Heights, MI 48312248-219-2256 [email protected]
Skyler Tarnas JUNIOR MEMBER Sponsor: Nina KircherProperties Committee6235 Brockhurst Blvd. West Bloomfield, MI 48322H: 248-661-1805 • C: 248-766-2152 [email protected]
Julie Noe Tickets/Concessions Committee3725 Warwick DriveRocherster Hills, MI 48309248-722-1043 [email protected]
Chris Stepnitz Costume Committee851 N. Webik Ave. Clawson, MI 48017-1326248-435-6221 • B: 248-217-6266 [email protected]
Nancy Knutson's e-mail address is [email protected] (That's a zero!)
Barb Gowans has moved to:Oxford Place Tower2345 Oxford, # 726Berkley, MI 48072248-677-3392 Ron Zate’s email has been changed to: [email protected]
Fran Loud has a new phone #: 248-792-9602
Jan Casai’s correct information is: 5674 Westwood Ct.H: 248-932-0758 • C: 248-227-0136
Looking for a fun way to get involved that doesn't require a big committment of time? We need volunteers to help organize and/or assist on the After Glow for Spamalot.
Call Nina Kircher at 248.462.5830 or e-mail [email protected].
Contributors:Paul Dorset
Susan HolmesPam Richards
