Back To School Time means Back To Talent Time

At the Newport Opera House

On Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 7:00 pm the Newport Opera House Association will host its Annual Community Talent Show.  The show will feature the wide range of talent that lives throughout our community.  What a wonderful way to support your neighbors and friends as you enjoy their many hidden talents in this popular community showcase. 

Auditions for the event will be held on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 7:00 pm in the Opera House.  Everyone who wants to participate is encouraged to attend these auditions.  If your act requires any special equipment or props please arrange to have them present.  If you are singing to a pre-recorded track be sure to bring it along.  We request that if you sing to an existing track, that it not have any other vocals on it.  Our technical assistants can not work magic, it is up to the talent to do that.

Specific questions can be addressed to the Executive Director of the NOHA at the Box Office by calling (603) 863-2412.  In the past a grand array of talent has shown up and acts of all kinds are encouraged.  The only real limitation is your imagination.  We do reserve the right to edit anything that we feel is not appropriate for a family audience.  Good taste is a part of this talent search.

Since everyone participating is already a winner by being a part of the show, a great deal of anxiety is already removed for the performer.  Start practicing your singing, dancing, baton twirling, juggling, animal act, stand up comedy, monologue, magic, musical instrument, acrobatics, piano playing, impersonations or anything else you can think of doing.  If you have a garage band this is a time to step out and let the public hear you.

Auditions will be held on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 7:00 pm in the Newport Opera House.  There will be a mandatory dress rehearsal on Friday, September 24, 2010 for the entire cast and the show will be performed on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 7:00 pm.  Tickets are $5.00 each and seating is general admission.  While tickets will be sold in advance, they will also be on sale at the door that evening.  Make plans now to attend this entertaining community event. The Community Talent Show is sponsored by Sugar River Bank.

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Auditions set for

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE

The Newport Opera House Association announces auditions for its fall production of Joseph Kesselring’s classic American comedy, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE.  The farcical black comedy will be presented in the Opera House on November 19 and 20, 2010.  This play has remained popular since its original Broadway production in 1941, and enjoyed a very successful movie version starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra.  Both Jean Adair (Martha Brewster) and Josephine Hull (Abby Brewster) recreated their stage roles in the movie.

A cast of three women and eleven men will be directed by Charles H. Massey, Executive Director of the N.O.H.A.  He will be assisted by Laura Thompson as Assistant Director and Don Boxwell as Production Stage Manager.  Auditions will be held in the Opera House on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 7:00 pm.  Please use the Stage Door or the Side Door on the ramp, as the front doors will be locked.   Anyone interested in auditioning for the show is encouraged to read all of the information posted on the Call Board section of the N.O.H.A. website.  Character breakdowns and audition scenes are posted there.

A limited number of scripts are available at the Opera House and may be checked out for a short period of time.  We will be using the Dramatists Play Service acting edition of the play.  The Frank Capra movie is available on DVD.  If you do watch the movie please understand that it does not follow the play exactly.  It will, however, give you a good idea of the characters and the basic story.

The audition process should last several hours and individuals will be asked to do cold readings as well as group scenes.  The director will assign various groups as he sees fit.  Please be prepared to read a variety of scenes and take direction as well.  If you are unable to commit to the rehearsal period you should not audition.  Rehearsals will start on Monday, September 27, 2010 and run until the show opens.  Weekend rehearsals are not scheduled except the weekend before the production.  There will be a Technical Rehearsal on Sunday, November 14, 2010. 

This Community Theatre Production of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE is sponsored by Lake Sunpaee Bank and MJ Harrington & Co. Anyone interested in working on sets, costumes or props should contact the Opera House Office at (603) 863-2412.  The Set will be designed by Charles H. Massey, with David Hoyt as Technical Director, Sally Phennicie as Costume Designer, Kathi Seastrand as Props Master and Lighting by Keith Carey. Please visit www.newportoperahouse.com to learn more about the Newport Opera House Association and view photos of past productions.   

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THE NEWPORT OPERA HOUSE ASSOCIATION

is pleased to announce

A very special theatre day trip to Boston

Featuring the World Famous Radio City Rockettes

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

Wang Theatre, Boston

2:00 PM Matinee

Price per person: $100.00

The coach leaves at 8:30 a.m. from the Newport Opera House and will return at approximately 7:00 p.m. The price includes round trip transportation on a luxury motor coach, snacks, gratuity for the motor coach driver and mezzanine tickets to the show. There will also be time to shop and lunch on your own at Quincy Market.

Buy your tickets early in order to ensure a place on the bus. There are only 55
places available and they will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

Call the Opera House box office at (603) 863-2412 to

reserve a place for this very special holiday event.

If you have never seen the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York, this is your chance to experience the excitement of one of the largest Holiday extravaganzas ever created for the stage. You will enjoy "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," "The Living Nativity," "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and Christmas in New York.

Make plans now! Call the box office at (603) 863-2412

Sold Out!

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comes to the

Newport Opera House Stage

The Newport Opera House Association to pleased to announce that ANNIE has been selected as its spring musical presentation. The popular American musical will be presented on April 15, 16 and 17, 2011. Inspired by the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip by Harold Gray, the musical actually is created around the events that occur prior to the story told in the comic strip. The musical tells us where Annie came from and how she and Oliver Warbucks actually got together. The story takes place in the two weeks prior to Christmas in 1933. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is in his first term as President and the country is starting to recover from the Great Depression.

The book for the musical is written by Thomas Meehan, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. The show first appeared on Broadway in 1977 under the direction of Mr. Charnin. An earlier version of the show had been performed at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Ct., where it came to the attention of Mike Nichols who got behind the show and was instrumental in moving it to the Kennedy Center and then on to Broadway.

The rest is history. The production won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. It was also awarded the N.Y. Drama Critics' Circle award for Best Musical as well as the Outer Critics' Circle Award and Drama Desk Awards. The original production ran for 2377 performances and was soon followed by a London Production as well as a National Tour. The show has remained popular in community theatres and schools throughout the world. A new Broadway revival is in the works for the spring.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the show is encouraged to listen to the Original Broadway Cast recording which stars Andrea McArdle as Annie and Dorothy Loudon as Miss Hannigan. This is the version of the show we will be doing and it is best to hear the real thing. The movie version of the show changed the script to include several new characters and retooled some of the existing characters. Carol Brunette's Miss Hannigan is not the Miss Hannigan of the stage show. Watching this movie will not help you to understand the show. The video you should watch is the version that Disney did for television and stars Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan and Victor Garber as Oliver Warbucks. This version follows the stage show and will give you a good idea of the story and the characters.

The NOHA version of the show will be very loyal to the original. To quote Mr. Charnin, "Annie is a real story about a child's search for her parents, as well as a love story between her and the fifty-five-year-old man who ultimately adopts her." The production will be directed by Charles H. Massey, Executive Director of NOHA. This will be his second time directing the show, and he agrees completely with Martin Charnin and will do all in his power to keep it from becoming a cartoon.

One casting note: all of the orphans are girls and they range in age from seven to fourteen. They must all be able to sing independently and work well as a group. They have several numbers and figure strongly into the plot of the show.

The Newport Opera House Associations production of ANNIE will be sponsored by Roymal, Inc. and the Roy Malool Foundation.

N.O.H.A Launches New Website

Following four months of construction, the Newport Opera House Association is proud to unveil its new and improved website. Designed by Laura Thompson, the new site is easier to navigate and much more user-friendly. It includes an expanded Photo Gallery of past productions and a more complete history of the Opera House complete with photos. The News Page will remain up-to-date with current listings and news stories. The Call Board Page will include all information for upcoming stage productions and will be the official posting for cast and crew. As you visit our website, you can learn more about the organization and become involved in the activities both as a patron and a volunteer. A special thank you goes out to the following people for making the new website possible: