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The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon Auditions
Auditions for Don Zolidis’ “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” will be at 6:30pm on Sunday, May 21 and Monday, May 22 at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium, located at 1 Winthrop Street in Hallowell.
The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are turned on their heads in this fast-paced, rollicking ride as two narrators and several actors attempt to combine all 209 stories ranging from classics like Snow White, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel to more bizarre, obscure stories like The Devil’s Grandmother and The Girl Without Hands. A wild, free-form comedy with lots of audience participation and madcap fun.
Audition will be cold reading. There are no set ages for the cast which features two narrators and at least three other actors playing the characters in the fairy tales. Outdoor performances are scheduled for the weekends of July 14, 15, 16 (note that July 15 is Old Hallowell Day) and 21, 22, 23.
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Black Comedy
Gaslight Theater’s “2023 Season of Laughter” continues in April and May with Peter Shaffer’s “Black Comedy”, directed by Lucille Rioux. The show will be produced at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium at 1 Winthrop Street in Hallowell over two weekends, including Sunday matinees, April 28, 29 and 30 and May 5, 6 & 7. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 PM and Sunday matinees start at 2:00 PM.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and Seniors. $15 for adults or $12 for students and Seniors. Tickets are available at the door; cash, check and credit card* accepted. For reservations (not required) call 207-626-3698 or to purchase tickets online go to https://gaslight-theater.square.site/
* Please note, there is a $1.00 surcharge on Credit card and online sales to cover the processing chargesBlack Comedy” is a one-act farce by Peter Shaffer first performed in 1965. The premise of the piece is that light and dark are transposed, so that when the stage is lit the cast are supposed to be in darkness and only when the stage is dark are they supposed to be able to see each other and their surroundings. A young sculptor and his fiancée have borrowed some expensive antique furniture from a neighbor’s flat without his permission to impress an elderly millionaire art collector. When the power fails, the neighbor returns early, other people also arrive….
Matthew Ferrin of Augusta will perform as Brindsley Miller, a young sculptor. His fiancee Carol Melkett will be played by Kathryn Ross of Gardiner. Michael Stiles of Kents Hill will play Carol’s father, Colonel Melkett. The part of Clea, Brindsley’s ex, will be performed by Robyn DesLauriers of South Gardiner. Kathleen Leopold of Richmond will play Miss Furnival. Jeff Cabral of Biddeford will play antique shop owner Harold Gorringe. Joe Blackwell of Waterville will play Schuppanzigh, a German refugee, and Gaslight Theater’s own Richard Bostwick of Hallowell will play millionaire art collector Georg Samberger.
Table-Read-for-Black-Comedy-March-2023 Gaslight Theater’s production of “Black Comedy” is sponsored by Free ME from Lung Cancer. Gaslight Theater’s 2023 “Season of Laughter” has been made possible by Season Sponsor E.J. Perry Construction Company and by Turner Publishing, Media Sponsor.
Other upcoming productions in Gaslight’s 2023 “Season of Laughter” include The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon in July, a play still to be determined in November and Jellofish, dates to be announced.
If you go:
- Gaslight Theater presents Peter Shaffer’s “Black Comedy”
- Hallowell City Hall, 1 Winthrop Street, Hallowell.
The Auditorium, located on the 2nd floor, is handicapped accessible by elevator. - When:
Friday & Saturday, April 28 and 29 at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinee, April 30 at 2:00pm
Friday & Saturday, May 5 and 6 at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinee, May 7 at 2:00pm - Tickets:
$15 for adults or $12 for students and Seniors
Available at the door; cash, check and credit card* accepted.
For reservations (not required) call 207-626-3698. To
purchase tickets online https://gaslight-theater.square.site/
* There is a $1.00 surcharge on credit card and online sales to cover the processing charges
we pay to offer this service.
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Love is Murder by Tim Kelly
Gaslight Theater proudly presents its “2023 Season of Laughter” starting with Love is Murder in February, at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium at 1 Winthrop Street in Hallowell.
Valentina Velour, the Queen of Romance Fiction, opens her Honeymoon House to a television program and her closest (most envious) writer friends. Unfortunately, someone has left a dead man in the closet and a wacko called The Rose Killer is going around bumping off love scribblers! Confusion and madness abound as vitamin fanatics, cops, literary agents and writers collide to solve this whodunit romantic-comedy-murder-mystyery. Love Is Murder is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. http://www.concordtheatricals.com.
Showdates:
Friday and Saturday, February Feb 10th and 11th at 7:30pm
Sunday, February 12th at 2:00pm
Friday and Saturday, Februrary 17th and 18th, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 19th at 2:00 PM.Tickets:
$15 for adults
$12 for students and Seniors
Tickets can purchased online, over the phone (207) 626-3698, or at the door with cash, check or credit card.
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Announced! Love Is Murder Cast!
First, thank you to everyone who came out to audition for this show! The talent each one of you brought was spectacular and we at Gaslight welcome all of you to return and audition for all of our thrilling and exciting shows lined up for 2023.
We also hope to see you come out in support of your fellow actors in Love Is Murder! Show dates are the weekends of February 10, 11 & 12 and 17, 18 and 19 at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium.LOVE IS MURDER CAST:
Valentina Hart – Kathleen Brainerd
Effie – Alicia Belmore
Tom Burns/Handsome Marine – Matthew Ferrin
Lydecker – Mike Clements
Leon Ketchem – Henry Quintal
Jane Err – Tamara Lilly
Calamity Lovett – Marcia Gallagher
Pearl Sweet – Wendi Richards
Dr. Wintergreen/Pirate/Simon Grundy – Randolph Jones
Ed Fish/Don Alfredo – Melvin Morrison -
2nd Audition! Love Is Murder, by Tim Kelly
Update: A 2nd Audition for December 20th, Tuesday at 6p.m. has been added! See you then!
Auditions for Gaslight Theater’s Valentine’s Day Week show, Love is Murder, by Tim Kelly, will be held December 20th, Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Hallowell City Hall. Please bring proof of Covid-19 vaccination to auditions. Auditions are cold readings.
Love Is Murder, by Tim Kelly, Valentina Velour, the Queen of Romance Fiction, opens Honeymoon House to Love Is Murder is a comedic spoof of the romance novel industry written by Tim Kelly which begins when Valentina Velour, the Queen of Romance Fiction, opens her luxurious “Honeymoon House” to a television program. Unfortunately, someone has left a dead man in the closet and a wacko called The Rose Killer is bumping off the love scribblers. Confusion and madness abound as vitamin fanatics, cops, literary agents and writers collide. The whole madcap mess concludes with the exposure of Valentina’s arch-enemy and an affirmation of her philosophy — “Romance will be here when men and women no longer walk the earth!”
Show dates are the weekends of February 10, 11 & 12 and 17, 18 and 19 at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium.5 Women, 5 Men. All roles are open to all ages 18 years of age and up.
Valentina Hart – The selfmade Queen of Romantic Fiction, dripping with regality, snobbery, and gaudy fashion
Effie – House maid, hopeless romantic, number one fan of Valentina
Tom Burns/Handsome Marine – Butler, fairly good looking, very new and green
Lydecker – Valentina’s agent, loud and aggressive
Leon Ketchem – TV producer, unbothered, unfazed, disinterested
Jane Err – romance novelist, dark, brooding, like she walked straight out of a Victorian gothic novel (But it’s all a facade, she craves the limelight)
Calamity Lovett – romance novelist, dressed like she’s from a glamorous western. Self assured, rough around the edges, with a twang (Again a facade, for publicity)
Pearl Sweet – dressed in dazzling slinky attire. Vogue, posh, strikes a pose, seducing mirrors
Dr. Wintergreen/Pirate/Simon Grundy – Charming, well dressed and health conscious, all of these to a fault
Ed Fish/Don Alfredo – a bumbling policeman/detective -
The Stranger by Agatha Christie
This November Gaslight Theater proudly presents “The Stranger” by Agatha Christie at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium located at 1 Winthrop Street in Hallowell. Theater patrons can choose from six performance dates over two weekends, including Sunday matinees, November 11, 12 & 13 and 18, 19 & 20. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 PM and Sunday matinee performances start at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and Seniors, cash, check and credit card accepted at the door.
Directed by Linda Duarte, “The Stranger”is an adaptation by Agatha Christie, of her short story Philomel Cottage. The play centers around Enid Bradshaw, who breaks her seven-year engagement to Dick Lane in favor of marrying the charming Gerald Strange, whom she had known for a mere afternoon. The two move to a cottage in the country in Act Two, and it is then that we get a sense of Gerald’s true character. Things are not always what they seem, of course, and a well-placed red herring plus Enid’s fascination with Scheherazade and “One Thousand and One Nights’ add key elements to the plot.
Gerald is played by Matthew McLaughlin of Portland, a new actor at Gaslight Theater, and Enid is portrayed by Gwenyth Fraser of Brunswick, who has been seen on our stage several times previously. Andrew Lamb of Augusta, also new to Gaslight Theater, provides some surprises as Dick, and Wendi Richards of Fairfield adds her charm as Enid’s friend Doris. The two housekeepers, offering up very different personalities, are played by Marcia Gallagher of Hallowell, a previous music director at Gaslight, and Jeanne Curtin of West Gardiner, also a first timer with Gaslight Theater. “The Stranger” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
The Cast What: Gaslight Theater presents Agatha Christie’s “The Stranger”
Where: Hallowell City Hall, 1 Winthrop Street, Hallowell.
The Auditorium is located on the 2nd floor and is handicapped accessible by elevator.When: Friday & Saturday, November 11 and 12 at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinee, November 13 at 2:00pm
Friday & Saturday, November 18 and 19 at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinee, November 20 at 2:00pm
Cost: Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and Seniors,
cash, check and credit card accepted at the door. -
Auditions for THE STRANGER by Agatha Christie
Auditions for Gaslight Theater’s late fall show, THE STRANGER by Agatha Christie, will be held Sunday, September 11th and Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30 p.m. at the Hallowell City Hall.
Please bring proof of Covid-19 vaccination to auditions. Auditions are cold readings.
4 Women, 2 Men—Minimum 5—Doris or Mrs. Huggins can double with Mrs. Birch
Doris West—A nondescript girl of 28. Friend of Enid. Similar age.
Mrs. Huggins—A middle-aged woman, housekeep, singing, cheerfully pessimistic. Husband controlling.
Enid Bradshaw—A pretty girl of 28. Engaged for several years to a man who returns to marry her. Looking for some adventure.
Gerald Strange—An attractive man of about 38. Looks like a man who has lived an outdoor life. He has rather a diffident, boyish manner, which endears him to women. There is nothing bold or flashing about him. Becomes somewhat self-centeredly mad.
Dick Lane—A gentle man of 35, looking older than his years. He stoops a little and has a diffident manner. Rather meek at first but belatedly learns to speak his mind.
Mrs. Birch—A thin, anemic looking woman with a flat depressed voice. She has none of Mrs. Huggins’ cheerful pessimism.
Show dates are November 11, 12, and 13 and November 18, 19, and 20 at the Hallowell City Hall.
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The Whales of August
A dinner party at a rehearsal of Gaslight Theater’s “The Whales of August”
Pictured left to right are cast members Margaret Matheson (as Sarah), William Haley (as Mr.
Maranov) and Linda Duarte (as Libby).
Photo credit: Joseph Maranda“The Whales of August” is wistful and autumnal in mood… and filled with the bittersweet recognition that life, despite the alterations of time, must continue as best it can. This show is perfect for the end of summer and a recollection that no matter how old you are it is never too late to live.
“The Whales of August” by Dave Berry is set at a beach house on an island off the coast of Maine where two widowed sisters have been summering for many years. The sisters, played by Margaret Matheson and Linda Duarte, are joined by an old friend, the island handyman, and an old rogue who may or may not be deposed royalty, played by Lisa Copenhaver, Gregor Smith, and William Haley.
This summer Gaslight Theater proudly presents six performances of “The Whales of August” directed by Rebecca Singer and Joseph Maranda.
The show will be presented over two weekends Friday and Saturday, August 26, 27 and September 2 and 3 at 7:30pm with Sunday matinee performances on August 28 and September 3 at 2:00pm.
If you go:
What: Gaslight Theater presents “The Whales of August”
Cost: $15.00 for adults and $13.00 for seniors and students
Call 207-626-3698 for reservations, or just walk in
Where and When:
Friday and Saturday August 26 and 27 at 7:30 PM, Sunday August 28 at 2:00pm
Friday and Saturday September 2 and 3 at 7:30 PM, Sunday September 4 at 2:00pmHallowell City Hall
1 Winthrop St, HallowellFounded in 1937 as the Augusta Players, and since doing business as Gaslight Theater, we are the oldest continuously operating community theater in Maine. Productions have taken place in Hallowell City Hall since the late 1970s (until COVID intervened). We hope to return to our regular schedule in 2023 which is normally four shows a year, usually in late winter, early summer, late summer, and the fall, featuring a balance among musicals, mysteries, comedies, classics and new or experimental plays. For each show, we have at least six performances over two weekends, including Sunday matinees.
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Auditions! Auditions for Fall Show!
Auditions for Gaslight Theater’s fall show, The Whales of August, will be held Sunday, July 17th and Monday, July 18th at 7:00 p.m. at the Hallowell City Hall.
The Whales of August is set at a beach house on an island off the coast of Maine where two widowed sisters have been summering for many years. The play is wistful and autumnal in mood… and filled with the bittersweet recognition that life, despite the alterations of time, must continue as best it can.
Please bring proof of Covid-19 vaccination to auditions. Show consists of two acts with parts for three women and two men. All roles are intended for actors 50 and older. Auditions are cold readings.
Show dates are August 26, 27, and 28 and September 2, 3 and 4 (this is Labor day weekend. Please do not audition if you already have other plans) at the Hallowell City Hall.
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I Hate Shakespeare
Dueling Juliets at a recent rehearsal of Gaslight Theater’s “I Hate Shakespeare”. Pictured left to right are cast members Kathleen Leopold, Cody Alexander Curtis, Desi-Rae Mason (as Juliet), Tony Vazquez, Eleanor Maranda (also as Juliet), Gregor Smith, Donna Loveland and Joe Maranda. Photo credit: Richard Bostwick We hate Shakespeare! At least that’s what the audience thinks until they get a rip-roaring rundown of Shakespeare’s classics. With zombies, talking cows, and an appearance by Jerry Springer, I Hate Shakespeare! is a hilarious and fast-paced introduction to Shakespeare — with a modern twist.
Plus, someone gets a pie in the face.
“I Hate Shakespeare” by Steph DeFerie is a comedy presenting Shakespearean vignettes from a modern (and sometimes silly) point of view. This summer Gaslight Theater proudly presents six performances of “I Hate Shakespeare” directed by Margaret Matheson assisted by Richard Bostwick.
The second weekend in July the Augusta Downtown Alliance will sponsor three performances of Gaslight Theater production of “I Hate Shakespeare” at Waterfront Park in Augusta, Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9 at 6:00 PM and a matinee performance on Sunday, July 10 at 2:00 PM.
The following week, during Old Hallowell Day weekend, Vaughan Historic Homestead will be hosting shows on Friday and Saturday, July 15 and 16 at 6:00 PM and a matinee performance on Sunday, July 17 at 2:00 PM. Parking at Vaughan Homestead is strictly limited to showtimes only.
Choose your date and venue and bring a chair, blanket or maybe even a snack and make it an event! For more information call 207-626-3698. Donations will be accepted at the show or anytime online to support the nonprofit Gaslight Theater.
If you go:
What: Gaslight Theater presents “I Hate Shakespeare”
Cost: Free with donations accepted.
When and where in Augusta:
Friday and Saturday July 8 and 9 at 6:00 PM, Sunday July 10 at 2:00pm
Waterfront Park in Downtown Augusta
Front St, Augusta, ME 04330When and where in Hallowell:
Friday and Saturday July 15 and 16* at 6:00 PM, Sunday July 17 at 2:00 PM
Vaughan Historic Homestead Outdoor Pavilion
2 Litchfield Rd, Hallowell* The Saturday show is on Old Hallowell Day. Parking at Vaughan Homestead is strictly limited to the duration of the show only.
This is an outdoor event. However, to ensure the health and safety of our audience and performers, we are asking everyone in attendance to wear a mask if they are not current on their vaccinations. The actors will not be masked when onstage during performances. These are difficult times, and we ask that everyone remain considerate and respectful of others.
Founded in 1937 as the Augusta Players, and since doing business as Gaslight Theater, we are the oldest continuously operating community theater in Maine. Productions have taken place in Hallowell City Hall since the late 1970s (until COVID intervened). We hope to return to our regular schedule in 2023 which is normally four shows a year, usually in late winter, early summer, late summer, and the fall, featuring a balance among musicals, mysteries, comedies, classics and new or experimental plays. For each show, we have at least six performances over two weekends, including Sunday matinees.
The oldest continuously operating theater in Maine
