A Letter from the "Play Selection" Committee

Hello All,

Seth Renne here and have I got news for you... Gallery Theater is starting the process of selecting our 2009 season and I will be acting as the chair for the play selection committee.

As we enter into our 40th anniversary season, we have some very exciting shows coming our way. I’m especially excited to see some recent theatrical hits being done here on the Gallery stage. Proof is the 2001 Pulitzer Prize Winner for drama. High School Musical is based off the 2006 hit DCOM… Disney Channel Original Movie. The 1996 revival of Chicago is the longest running revival in Broadway history and the film adaptation won the 2003 Oscar™ winner for Best Picture.

Not only are we presenting these exciting newer shows, but some old favorites. Nunsense, Inherit the Wind, and Peter Pan have all been produced here before and are back by popular demand. Over the years Gallery’s patrons have brought many shows like these to our attention through simple suggestion, or through the always fun “play day” many of you may remember from years past. As we look forward to our 2009 season we hope to include shows that you, the patrons want to see.

So here is the deal... If there is a show you are interested in seeing produced here, send your ideas my way and we will give them our full consideration. My commitment to you is to thoughtfully consider all submissions. But please remember, submitting a play for consideration does not guarantee a slot in the 2009 season. Based off the few submissions we have already received, and information gathered from some recent surveys, I can tell you that we are in for a great 41st season.

Submissions can be made to my box at the Gallery Box office, by e-mail to smrenne@hotmail.com OR by leaving a comment here on the blog.


~ Seth

Scrooge "building" momentum

Hi Gallery Bloggers!

This is actually my first (maybe last) blogging experience, so please enjoy!

Seth asked me to give and update on the upcoming production of Scrooge, The Musical. Mark and Robin Pedersen are directing a cast of 35+ . Mindy Longley and I have been building the set, so we literally run into them occasionally.

They have been rehearsing a few weeks, and but Mark and Robin could let you all know how it is going. It sounds good to me, in between the saw and drill noise.

The set is very complicated and Huge! Bigger than "Sweeney"! If anyone would like to help decorating the "Dickens Town on Wheels" I am so open to that. Mindy and I are usually there after work 5:30 to 7:45 Monday through Thursday. I've given Mindy Halloween off this week.

Saturday and Sunday work times are negotiable, and have been happening. Last Saturday, two families from the cast came to help and will forever be considered my favorites. There was a frenzy of painting and building and fun. Just for the record, Mindy gets to pick the music.

If you have any questions or want to help, email me at pterry@linfield.edu

I'm sure I'll think of fifty million things to write once I'm done here, so look for more from me.

Paula

FLASHBACK "Steel Magnolias" Review

Published: October 26, 2006


By STARLA POINTER Of the News-Register



"Steel Magnolias" is a play about what a mother will do for her child, about love and loss, about continuing to live, about Southern sass. But most of all, it's about the family-like bond that women friends create: how they squabble like siblings yet support one another like nobody's business as well.

Undoubtedly, such a connection really exists between the actresses in Gallery Theater's version of the show. The cast members are delivering lines written by Robert Harling, but the way they care for one another is genuine.

And that helps make this a superlative production - it shines like freshly washed hair.
Although it will have you digging for Kleenex at times, "Steel Magnolias" is absolutely hilarious. The characters speak their minds, without reservation, about men, about religion, about relationships, about their neighbors, about one another. Especially about one another.
Interestingly, two of the actresses played different roles in Gallery's earlier version of "Steel Magnolias" back in 1991. Harmon appeared as Shelby and Nielsen played Clairee. Whether that experience gave them more insight into their present characters or not, they both do a marvelous job this time.

Harmon is hilarious in the broadly-drawn role of Truvy, the sassy beauty shop owner who cannot stand not being first to know. And Nielsen, who always does a great job with comic roles at Gallery, makes Ouiser as sassy as a spit curl.

Under the direction of Seth Renne, the whole cast does a super job. Sharon Morgan is Clairee this time around, and she's perfect as the recently widowed mayor's wife finding a life of her own. Holly Spencer looks young and vulnerable as Annelle, who comes looking for work and mothering at Truvy's shop. Mercedes Cook and Deborah Johansen are well-paired as Shelby and her mother, neither of whom can turn off her maternal instinct.

(During scene changes, I overheard several audience members wondering if Cook and Johansen were related - a compliment to their work. I also heard people comparing the Gallery actresses to those in the hit movie of "Steel Magnolias," also favorably.)

All the actresses are convincing with their Southern accents, especially Spencer, and none goes overboard. The costumes are almost characters in and of themselves - especially those worn by Harmon as Truvy. Same with the hair and makeup. And it's interesting to see how much the clothes reveal about the wearer, especially as Ouiser becomes more feminine and Annelle more pious.

A soundtrack of '80s and pre-'80s songs by the likes of Phil Collins, Elton John and Wham! adds to the atmosphere. The set is clever, with a hair-washing station as well as the other accouterments of a beauty shop.

The shop is the show's sole set, and all the action takes place there. That's one of the things that distinguishes the stage play from the movie version; another is the focus entirely on the six women. All in all, it's a much more satisfying piece without the distraction of other characters and other locales.

"Steel Magnolias" is perfect for Gallery's intimate Arena Theater. It's almost as if audience members are sitting under the dryers, pretending to read magazines but actually listening in on the gossip.

But the setting also is this production's flaw. The Arena holds fewer than 100 seats, which makes it likely that performances will sell out and people who haven't secured tickets early might be disappointed. Don't risk missing this one.

"Steel Magnolias" continues through Nov. 11 at Gallery Theater, Second and Ford streets in downtown McMinnville. Shows are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12 for adults and $11 for seniors and students, with a $2 discount offered for advanced purchases. Call the box office at 503-472-2227 for reservations.

The Sunday, Oct. 29, performance is a fundraiser for the Yamhill-Carlton High School safe graduation party. Tickets are $15, available from 503-476-5481.

Deathtrap Review

Deathtrap

Published: October 25, 2007

By STARLA POINTEROf the News-Register

Whodunit? What did they do? And was it really done?
Those are the questions that delight audiences who see "Deathtrap." The Gallery Theater production slays us with its biting comic lines, sets hearts racing at dramatic moments and leaves us hanging in the end.

Or does it?

We're never quite sure in this show, and that's its charm. Ira Levin weaves a story that's as perfect as the fictional script that bears the same title as Levin's creation.
The play works as well today as it did when it was written almost 30 years ago, although one of the key relationships is not as likely to shock as it was back in 1978. That relationship isn't convincing in this version, anyway.

But it's the convoluted storyline we're here for, after all, and that works as well as a pair of Houdini's handcuffs. It tugs us first one way and then the other, and that's a lot of fun.
Chris Benham - with an intensity reminiscent of Richard Dreyfuss -does a marvelous job as Sidney Bruhl, a once-successful playwright who has hit a very long, very dry spell. Seemingly out of the blue, Bruhl receives a juicy script that's sure to be a hit - for its writer, a novice who attended one of the workshops the older man teaches in order to pay his bills.
Under the influence of jealousy, how far will a person go? the play asks. And is his action an anomaly, or an evil part of his personality that's just been hidden under a mask of normality?
Charity Benham plays Myra Bruhl, the playwright's wealthy wife, who helps her husband carry out his plans even though her heart isn't in it. Benham does a good job portraying the feelings of betrayal and disbelief that arise when someone we think we know suddenly reveals his dark side.

Jeff Sargent gives Clifford Anderson, the novice playwright, a slightly uptight edge as types away at his masterpiece. And Steve Cox is fine as Porter Milgrin, Bruhl's lawyer, the "fifth character" who does the yeoman's job of moving the tightly woven plot along.
But it's April Wilcox who steals the show as Helga ten Dorp, the psychic who's just moved in next door. With wild hair and a wildly European accent, Helga breezes in to tell us what's happening - she sees things much more clearly in her mind than we see them in front of us, as it turns out.
Or does she?

Gallery's "Deathtrap" is well-directed by Carolyn McCloskey, with assistance from Vanessa Terzaghi and Walt Haight; and technical work by Linda Weaver, Kate Pierce, Craig Luis and Robert Osterhout. It's a good example of teamwork, with more people behind the scenes than on stage.

The show features a great set by Adam Ewing, Bill McCloskey, Susan Parker and Richard Weaver, with additional touches by Jeaniie Kleinschmit and Matt Meador. The special lighting effects are generally good, but I wish the lightning was more contained - the flashes make it look as if Bruhl's study has no roof.

Phil Darling contributed the props that bring "Deathtrap" to life - a variety of murder weapons and torture devices. Bruhl collects them because he is a writer of mystery plays; a love of plays and theater in general must be Darling's reason.

Or is it?

My, things keep changing!

So, sometimes in the theater unforeseen events happen. Take our 2008 season for instance. We had finally got a complete season set and approved by the board, everything seemed great until...

Ginger: Hey Seth, guess what?

Seth: I don't know... what Ginger?

Ginger: I just heard from Music Theater International that "Annie" isn't going to be available for performance because of a National Tour coming close by the area.

Seth: That sucks...

So it turns out that "Annie" is celebrating it's 30th Anniversary and going out on a national tour. There is also a 2 disc CD soundtrack coming out with some of the best performers who have done the show singing on it. And while that is exciting and all, it means that we are unfortunately not going to be able to do the show in 2008. The Play Selection Committee and the board are currently working together to find a show to conclude our 2008 season, and that show will be announced on Nov. 17th at the 2008 Season Preview Night.

Pollyanna Opening Weekend

Opening Night Pollyanna!

I don't think we could have asked for a more fantastic opening night! We had such a great crowd, and everyone in the cast did such an awesome job! Laughs all around, and a great turn out. I think the final number was somewhere around 80, which is fabulous for a non-musical in the main-stage theatre. Kudos to the tech crew, backstage crew and of course, to our illustrious director Debbie, without whom this wouldn't have been possible. Well- we shall see how the next weekend turns out! Check back for more updates!