Barry Coulter
With Cranbrook’s 2015/16 dramatic season still playing out, the next season was officially announced, as well as some upcoming changes and news for the local theatrical community.
Cranbrook Community Theatre held a press conference in the historic Studio Stage Door Tuesday, May 17, to announce the theatrical season ahead and the launch of a new website.
Meanwhile, Bob McCue’s production of “The Odd Couple” is entering the final weekend of its run, to cap off the season just past.
Jennifer Inglis, CCT’s Production Manager said the core season’s three plays will examine relationships, secrets and people’s ability to adapt to whatever life throws in their way.
“The stories being told this season are touching, real, and examples of what makes theatre so magical,” Inglis said. She added that CCT will also be changing the standard start time of its productions to 7:30 p.m. from 8 p.m.after consulting with audiences. “The new 7:30 start time is something audiences have been asking for, we listened, and made the change.”
General auditions for the upcoming shows will be held at the end of the month.
The new season opens in October with Trevor Lundy directing “Lucy,” a play by Damien Atkins, a Canadian playwright and personal friend of Lundy’s. “Lucy” concerns a 13-year-old autistic girl who is reunited with her mother Vivian, a renowned and respected anthropologist. Neither mother nor daughter is ready for this reunion. Lundy announced that MBSS student Kelsey Thompson has been cast in the pivotal role of Lucy.
Terry Miller will direct his 13th CCT production in January, 2017. “The Weir,” by Irish playwright Conor McPherson. Considered one of the great English language plays of the 1990s, “The Weir” weaves haunting stories of local lore and the supernatural, all set in a rural Irish pub.
And Elizabeth Ross will return to the director’s chair in April, 2017, with the classic “On Golden Pond,” by Ernest Thompson. Ethel and Norman Thayer return to their lakeside cabin for what might be their last summer. Their daughter Chelsea, her fiance and their teenage son join the couple.
CCT is also reprising a couple of successful special presentations. Melodie Hull’s “Chautauqua,” an afternoon of edification and entertainment courtesy of Miss Melodie and her school for fine young ladies, will run on Sam Steele Saturday, June 18, at the Studio Stage Door. And a second annual gala fundraiser set for New Year’s Eve — a staged reading of Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” will feature King Arthur’s knights as they sing and dance their way through a quest for the Holy Grail.
Watch these pages for more details on these upcoming productions.
General auditions for all productions are set for Sunday, May 29, at 1 p.m. And Tuesday, May 31, at 7 p.m., at the Studio Stage Door. All are invited to come try out for the dramatic life.
In other Cranbrook Community Theatre news, the group has a new home on the web — www.cranbrookcommunitytheatre.com
The new website features information about CCT, upcoming productions, auditions, past productions, and rental rates for the Studio/Stage Door. The new website was made possible through a $530 development grant from the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation, and was built by Sioban Staplin.
“It didn’t take the CCT board long to realize that our old website wasn’t easy to update or navigate,” said Production Manager Jennifer Inglis. “A small subcommittee of the worked to outline what a new site would look like, applied for grant money, and hit the ground running.”
Coming soon to the site will be a calendar of events for both CCT and the Studio/Stage Door building and a photo archive.
CCT’s “The Odd Couple” finishes its run tonight, Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21.