Community Theater

Authentic Community Theatre will present "Sparkling Story Surprise" today in honor of Independence Day. Niki Perini and Diana Gilbert will tell stories at 9:30 a.m. at Shafer Park in Boonsboro; at 11 a.m. at Staley Park in Hagerstown; at 1 p.m. at Byron Park in Williamsport; and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 5 at Antietam National Battlefield prior to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra's Salute to Independence.

MARTINSBURG W.Va. - The Apollo Civic Theatre's production of "Play On!" might be a live-theater version of a blooper reel. "It's community theater making fun of itself," says Judy Malone, the play's producer. "Play On!" opens Friday at the Apollo Civic Theatre. The comedic farce is about a theater group's efforts to put on a show in spite of multiple script revisions and other mishaps. Cast members say the play offers a glimpse, albeit an exaggerated glimpse, of the funny things that really happen during community theater productions.

katec@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Michelle Nozzi believes that people like to see "good, wholesome shows. " With that in mind, she conceived "Encore! Encore! A Musical Celebration of American Entertainment," which opens tonight at the Capitol Theatre in Chambersburg, Pa. The "old-fashioned variety show" is a musical extravaganza with songs and skits from radio, Broadway, the movies and television, says Sally Herritt, executive director of Chambersburg Community Theatre Inc., which is presenting the show, the last of its 48th season.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Diana Jurand is trying to sneak some dinner quietly out of the kitchen refrigerator without disturbing King Henry II, aka dad. Just around the corner Joe Jurand and other actors are rehearsing in the Jurands' Shepherdstown-area living room for Full Circle Theater Company's production of "The Lion in Winter. " Their stage stretches from the sofa to the fireplace and from the kitchen to the piano with the piano bench serving as the king's bed. This is life for a new theater company, a homeless theater company that is this month staging its second production.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - It's been a long wait, but the members of Chambersburg Community Theatre are finally back home. And they couldn't be more excited. On Friday, March 10, the community theater will present "While the Lights Were Out," their first production on the Capitol Theatre stage since a portion of the theater's ceiling collapsed in April 2005. "You don't know how much we're glad to be back on this home stage," says Ron Beckley, sound technician with the community theater.

katec@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - "The beauty of live theater is you never know what you're gonna get," said Vicki Gontz, who's directing "Gold Dust Memories, A 50 Karat Revue" which will open Chambersburg Community Theatre's 51st season Friday, Nov. 5. Gontz was talking to the cast, crew and a few "stage moms" assembled before rehearsal last Thursday evening - just a day more than a week before opening night at the Capitol Theatre...

Completed in 1913, expanded in 1920, the Apollo stage has hosted the likes of Will Rogers and Tex Ritter, classical music and productions staged by community theater groups, the first of which was Martinsburg Little Theatre, started in 1936. The community theater heart of the brick building annually stages five performances per season, and rehearsals for this year's first, "Children of Eden," are well under way. The play, a musical adaptation of the first nine chapters of the Bible, is directed by Charles Johnson.

Two historic Charles Town landmarks - the Old Opera House, a community theater, and the Spirit of Jefferson and Farmer's Advocate, a weekly newspaper - crossed paths recently in a property transfer. The theater company, at 204 and 206 N. George St., bought the newspaper building at 210 N. George St. When renovations are complete in the fall, the theater will have more space for stage productions, plus dance, music and acting education programs. There will be ample room for costume, prop and scenery storage, said Steven Brewer, managing and artistic director.

katec@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Eight days before the Friday, May 30, opening night, a few men are cutting vinyl siding, creating the "premier hotel" for the set of the Apollo Civic Theatre production of "Annie Get Your Gun. " The noise of the power saw and hammers drives the cast to an upstairs room for rehearsal. The crew has yet to begin building a planned 16-foot train car. "It's a major undertaking," says Bob Fuegi, a member of the construction crew and an Apollo board member.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Bill Morgan came to The Old Opera House Theatre Company in 1996. The manager and artistic director of the 336-seat North George Street playhouse grew up in Mississippi and graduated from Lambuth College in Tennessee where he studied business and drama. "I wish I had gotten a degree in plumbing and maintenance," he quips, referring to his work in the nearly 100-year-old downtown theater that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

Two historic Charles Town landmarks - the Old Opera House, a community theater, and the Spirit of Jefferson and Farmer's Advocate, a weekly newspaper - crossed paths recently in a property transfer. The theater company, at 204 and 206 N. George St., bought the newspaper building at 210 N. George St. When renovations are complete in the fall, the theater will have more space for stage productions, plus dance, music and acting education programs. There will be ample room for costume, prop and scenery storage, said Steven Brewer, managing and artistic director.

Devan Whitacre is the rare individual who gets to do for work what he loves. As director of Young Actors Theater Lab in Shepherdstown, he is responsible for leading workshops and preparing productions featuring child and teen actors in the Eastern Panhandle. This job is a dream for Whitacre, 23, who has been involved in theater for almost two decades. But the real joy for him is working with the kids. “They're geniuses. Their hopes and dreams haven't been squashed yet. They're willing to share, be bold,” Whitacre said.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Ruth Ridenour wasn't planning to be a school theater director -- at least, not so suddenly. It was the spring of 1978, her first year at Williamsport High School after two years at North Potomac Middle School. The Williamsport school play was "The Wizard of Oz," and Ridenour was in charge of the music. Without warning, the play director decided during the rehearsal period that he didn't want to direct anymore. Three weeks before the curtain went up, Ridenour took over.

After spending two and a half seasons without a home stage, the Potomac Playmakers is ready for its debut. The Academy Theatre Banquet & Conference Center -- formerly an old, empty warehouse downtown -- is now home to the Potomac Playmakers. The new building was unveiled in November. On Saturday and Sunday, the Playmakers will present, "Timeless Memories, New Beginnings," its first string of performances on a home stage since its long-time venue, the Women's Club, caught fire.

Authentic Community Theatre will present "Sparkling Story Surprise" today in honor of Independence Day. Niki Perini and Diana Gilbert will tell stories at 9:30 a.m. at Shafer Park in Boonsboro; at 11 a.m. at Staley Park in Hagerstown; at 1 p.m. at Byron Park in Williamsport; and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 5 at Antietam National Battlefield prior to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra's Salute to Independence.

MARTINSBURG W.Va. - The Apollo Civic Theatre's production of "Play On!" might be a live-theater version of a blooper reel. "It's community theater making fun of itself," says Judy Malone, the play's producer. "Play On!" opens Friday at the Apollo Civic Theatre. The comedic farce is about a theater group's efforts to put on a show in spite of multiple script revisions and other mishaps. Cast members say the play offers a glimpse, albeit an exaggerated glimpse, of the funny things that really happen during community theater productions.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Diana Jurand is trying to sneak some dinner quietly out of the kitchen refrigerator without disturbing King Henry II, aka dad. Just around the corner Joe Jurand and other actors are rehearsing in the Jurands' Shepherdstown-area living room for Full Circle Theater Company's production of "The Lion in Winter. " Their stage stretches from the sofa to the fireplace and from the kitchen to the piano with the piano bench serving as the king's bed. This is life for a new theater company, a homeless theater company that is this month staging its second production.

HAGERSTOWN ? The Potomac Playmakers will move to their new home at the former Tusing Warehouse building in January 2008. Ruth Ridenour, the community theater group's president, said the Playmakers inked a deal earlier this month to rent the building at 58 E. Washington St. in Hagerstown for rehearsals and performances. For 82 years, the Playmakers performed at the Women's Club on Prospect Street, but issues about seating, among other things, forced the organization to find another venue, she said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Molly Messner will be remembered as the longtime host of WCBG's talk show, "Molly and Me," but her greatest contribution to American popular culture might have been helping the actor who played Jack Tripper on "Three's Company" get his start in show business. "Molly got him his first on-stage experience at Totem Pole (Playhouse)," Charles Hubley, a retired sales manager at the station, said of the late John Ritter. Ritter's father, country singer Tex Ritter, came to town to see the show and told Molly's husband, the late Bud Messner, he was unimpressed by his son's thespian talents.

Theater recognized by Md. On June 25, Potomac Playmakers was awarded a Maryland Senate resolution, recognizing the community theater organization's 80th anniversary. The resolution was accompanied with a letter from Sen. Donald F. Munson, R-Md. Munson extended his congratulations and honored Potomac Playmakers for continuously contributing to the quality of life in Washington County. He noted that, for nearly a century, Potomac Playmakers has "provided wonderful entertainment in a small theater setting, while bringing members of the community together.