Jerri Shafer - Page 34

On Saturday, January 9th, the Columbus Children's Theatre's 2015 Summer Youth Performance Conservatory (the cast of Seussical Jr.) presented an evening of songs and scenes. The student produced showcase featured 28 of Columbus' best upcoming performers ages 10-15. This showcase served as the final fundraiser and bon voyage party for the Conservatory's trip to the Junior Theatre Festival.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies weaves together nostalgia, music and merriment in this new seasonal classic. A holiday show for people of all ages and all faiths, CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS introduces us to Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who (much to her immigrant parents' exasperation) is cast in the school's Christmas pageant. As Shirley, now much older, recounts the memorable story to her great-granddaughter, the play captures a timeless and universal tale of the Jewish immigrant experience during the holidays.

Join the Westerville Parks and Recreation Civic Theatre as they take the stage this December to perform a radiocast rendition of 'A Miracle on 34th Street.'

The beloved holiday motion picture classic - the story of idealistic George Bailey as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve - comes to the stage as a live 1940s radio broadcast.

Adventure, comedy, surprise, and music blend to transport audiences to the high seas in this prequel to the iconic story of Captain Hook and Peter Pan. It explains - among other things - how Peter got his name, how Captain Hook lost his hand, why the crocodile stalks them both, and how Tinkerbell came to be. Dare to imagine, hope, and dream. Catch the stars with Pan and company in Peter and the Starcatcher.

Imagine Productions' annual fundraiser has become one of the biggest and most fun events of each year. This year Imagine's favorites took on Hollywood, from the movie musical, to the beloved soundtrack song, to the guilty pleasures of animated movies. Performances were on Saturday October 21 & 22. Direct from Hollywood Imagine's own Tim Valentine flew in to Host the extravaganza with performances by Eryn Emery Hollobaugh, John Wade, Jessica Parker, Jacob Mangia, Corrine Buuck, Mikey Sowers, Brandon Boring, Greg Zunkiewicz, Esther Stinson, Tony Ingham, Paige Meade, George Bailey, Jordan Shear, Ed Eblin, Jackie Farbeann, Corey Notman, Michael Quinichett, Brian Horne, Ryan Stem, Alexa Rybinski, and Tim Valentine.

Concerned with a group of gossipy southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor, the play is alternately hilarious and touching-and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters.

What happens when you step back and appreciate the present? 'I Can't...I Have Rehearsal,' was a relaxed, fun-filled evening of solos, duets, and collaborations performed by Cassie Gress and Michelle Weiser with assistance by Dakota Thorn, Melissa Hall, Andrew Constantine Protopapas, and Bill Hafner. Musical accompaniment by Zac DelMonte, Brian Horne, Max Kilcup, Ben Canton, and Kiffy Kokal. Performed on Sunday November, 16th at Short North Stage, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Nationwide Children's Hospital's Holiday Wish List.

Welcome to Heartsville High, set in a world where everyone is gaywell, almost everyone. The big man on campus is the chess champion and the captain of the football team is made cool by being cast as the lead in the school musical. The students write a controversial show called 'Don't ask, Don't tell' about straight people in the military, which becomes the catalyst for a young man and woman to fall in love. Enter Zanna, a magical, musical fairy who, with a wave of his wand, brings true love to one and all.

In a cottage on Chesapeake Bay, an aging and ailing man hatches an unorthodox plan to secure his family's future but meets with resistance from his wife and son, who have plans of their own. An Ohio premiere. Featuring: Sean Brinker, Dave Morgan & Eve Nordyke.

Fresh from its Broadway revival, this Tony® Award-winning tour-de-force has touched the hearts of theatre-goers since its British debut in 1978. John Merrick suffered a physical deformity that rendered his body and features grotesquely misshapen. 'Sometimes I think my head is so large because it is filled with dreams,' he says as he contemplates his plight.

Shelby's wedding day to fiance Jackson in the fictional northwestern Louisiana parish of Chinquapin at Truvy's in-home beauty parlour where the women regularly gather. It covers events over the next three years with Shelby's Type 1 diabetes and how the women interact at times with conflict but in the end resolved friends: Shelby's decision to have a child despite the complication that can be with the condition, Clairee's friendship with the curmudgeon Ouiser; Annelle's transformation from a shy, anxious newcomer in town to a good-time girl then repentant revival-tent Christian; and Truvy's relationships with the men in her family. Although the main storyline involves Shelby, her mother M'Lynn, and Shelby's medical battles, the underlying group-friendship among all six women is prominent throughout the drama.

Here is part one of Neil Simon's autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn walk-up. Eugene Jerome, standing in for the author, is the narrator and central character. Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche, her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and Grandpa the Socialist and you have a recipe for hilarity, served up Simon-style. This bittersweet memoir evocatively captures the life of a struggling Jewish household where, as his father states 'if you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't be living here.'

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family - a man her parents have never met. If that weren't upsetting enough, Wednesday begs her father not to tell her mother. Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's 'normal' boyfriend and his parents.

One of the darkest musicals ever written, Sweeney Todd: A Musical Thriller is the unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life. When revenge eludes him, Sweeney swears vengeance on the entire human race, murdering as many people as he can, while his business associate Mrs. Lovett bakes the bodies into meat pies and sells them to the unsuspecting public. One of the darkest musicals ever written, Sweeney Todd: A Musical Thriller is the unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life. When revenge eludes him, Sweeney swears vengeance on the entire human race, murdering as many people as he can, while his business associate Mrs. Lovett bakes the bodies into meat pies and sells them to the unsuspecting public.

A black comedy about white trash! Nominated for over thirty awards during its long run in Los Angeles, Sordid Lives puts a comedic twist on a story of unconditional love, acceptance and 'coming out' in a Texas family. This clever, campy and often raunchy tale is based on Mr. Shores' experiences growing up gay in conservative, rural Texas. The star of the show, Peggy, is actually dead. Sissy, Peggy's sister, is afraid that all the family skeletons will come flying out of the closet all at once as they gather to mourn the family's matriarch. She plays mediator between Peggy's daughters, the conservative Latrelle and the more liberal LaVonda, as well as trying to comfort her neighbors, Noleta and husband, G.W., who is the one that killed Peggy - under extremely humiliating circumstances, no less. And then there is Brother Boy, whose hero is Tammy Wynette. The characters of Sordid Lives aren't afraid of doing things that are off-limits in a family show - having affairs, cross-dressing and stripping to their skivvies. But neither do they shy away from serious themes such as bigotry, guilt, homosexuality, forgiveness and acceptance. Their lives intertwine, giving each a new perspective, honesty, and meaning.

In collaboration with John Giffin (OSU Emeritus, Department of Dance) and Jeanine Thompson (OSU Professor, Department of Theatre), who will present in the first act, 'The Dream Dancer ...And Other Hysterics', Columbus Moving Company will premiere a collection of works titled 'Ghost Light' in the second act. 'The Dream Dancer..' is centered around a hypnotist and his willing subject, while 'Ghost Light' enters the metaphysical realm of the subconscious through dance and theatre. There will be an immersive element inspired by the cult performance art project 'Sleep No More', which welcomes the audience to step back in time to the formative years of The Garden Theater.

The Cold War and space race paranoia threaten the good folks at the fictional Milwaukee Space Center when a flying saucer lands in the city. Taking its cue from pulp movies popular at the time, this musical comedy brings the 1950s nostalgically and hilariously to life.

Available Light Theatre held their annual celebration on Saturday, August 29th as they prepare for another year of daring storytelling with the people like you who make it all possible. FEED YOUR SOUL is not a formal gala - just a fun night out with delicious, local foods, the coolest silent auction around, and one-night only performances.

Short North Stage celebrated its 2015-16 season on Friday, August 28 with A Little Night Gala, an evening of late summer elegance and music inspired by its opening production, Stephen Sondheim's rapturous romantic classic A Little Night Music. VIP guests enjoyed a wine and cocktail reception with a special performance on the main stage. Delectable samplings of food from local restaurants, specialty cocktails, and an enticing array of silent auction items were served followed by a sneak peak at their upcoming season, featuring some of your favorite Short North Stage performers.