Great theatre - Past and Present
August 29, 2015
Mark your calendars for Thursday,
September 17, 2015
The Board of Directors of ACT, Jean Rahner, President; Anne Kraft, V. Pres.; Anne Curtis, Treasurer; Deborah Dickey, Secretary, extend an invitation to all who are interested in theater in St. Augustine to come to The Art Studio learn more about A Classic Theatre and its exciting plans for the 2015-16 Season.
ACT was founded in 2005 by Jean Rahner and is known for producing classic, historic and original plays in every type of venue. Calling themselves the “nomad theater,” ACT moves from venue to venue in order to put their financial resources into producing exceptional plays. Their productions run the gamut from serious drama, (“The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde”) to premiering new plays (CROSSROADS: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Norton Baskin in Unguarded Moments) to light-hearted comedy (“Love, Loss and What I Wore” by Nora Ephron).
This Meet & Greet will provide the opportunity to meet the women who are the core of ACT. They will reveal the plans for the season, which includes another ground-breaking original production. There will also be entertainment and light refreshments will be provided.
The place to be on Thursday, September 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 is at
The Art Studio, 370 AIA St. Augustine Beach, next to the pier. Entrance on the side of building facing the pier. If you wish, you may RSVP to aclassictheatre@hotmail.com.
September 19, 2015
2015-16 SEASON ANNOUNCED
Is History your 'thing?"
A Classic Theatre answers that question unequivocally with its 2015-16 Season lineup of not one, but THREE plays based in history: the construction period of the Panama Canal, the friendship of Zora Neal Hurston with fellow writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and the musical journey of local jazz singer Debbie McDade.
The season opens on October 22, 2015 with the original work by Deborah B. Dickey, “Threads of Silver and Gold: Women of the Panama Canal.” Created in honor of the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal, the play celebrates the pioneering women who witnessed the building of the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Threaded together with contemporary life in Panama, their influence is felt by the generations that followed.
“A Tea with Zora and Marjorie” by Tallahassee playwright Barbara Speisman is scheduled for a February 2016 production. “A Tea” is a series of fictional conversations between Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlngs. These two headstrong women writers shared their views of life and times over a cup of ‘tea’ (an euphemism for Whisky). The result is a spicy look into their friendship in a period where their friendship was frowned upon by some. Of local interest, their conversations take place at the Castle Warden (now Ripley’s Believe It Or Not) where Marjorie resided with her husband Norton Baskin and at Marjorie’s farm at Cross Creek.
Topping off the season in May, 2016 will be “Sweet Emmaline, The Musical Journey of Debbie McDade” by Deborah B. Dickey. “Sweet Emmaline” is an original musical tribute to St. Augustine’s own jazz legend who made her way to New York City as a teenager and became acquainted with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Count Basie. Performances are scheduled during the Romanza Festivale of the Arts at the Lincolville Museum Cultural Center, formerly the Excelsior High School where Debbie, born Emmaline Maultsby, attended school in the 1940’s.
July 24, 2015
TO: St. Augustine RECORD – Business Briefs
A CLASSIC THEATRE APPOINTS TD
St. Augustine, FL – Jean Rahner, president of A Classic Theatre, today announced the appointment of Thomas Mangan as Technical Director for the Theatre’s 2015 season productions. Mangan is already at work on the technical requirements for the first production of the season, “Threads of Silver and Gold: Women of the Panama Canal” by Deborah B. Dickey which is slated for an October opening.
Magnan most recently worked with the group as Stage Manager, Sound and Lighting designer and all-round miracle worker for the technical aspects of ACT’s May production of “Love, Loss and What I Wore.” Professionally, he is an IT project manager, but enjoys working with local theater groups and is currently working with FirstCoastLive.com as a recording engineer and cameraman. For more information on A Classic Theatre go to www.aclasictheatre.org.
