Maricopa Community Theatre announces new season’s selections

Maricopa Community Theatre’s new season will bring Maricopans a wide variety of entertainment, including a musical that leans towards dark comedy, a fun Monty Pythonesque comedy covering Shakespeare’s works and a drama set in Paris around the infamous Bastille.           

The 2010-2011 season of shows are:

“Into the Woods” By James Lapine & Stephen Sondheim:  (From the Music Theatre International Website) An ambivalent Cinderella? A bloodthirsty Little Red Riding Hood? A Prince Charming with a roving eye? A witch…who raps? They’re all among the cockeyed characters in James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s fractured fairy tale.

When a baker and his wife learn they’ve been cursed with childlessness by the witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell, swindling, lying to and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel and Jack (the one who climbed the beanstalk). Everyone’s wish is granted at the end of Act One, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later, with disastrous results. What begins as a lively, irreverent fantasy in the style of “The Princess Bride” becomes a moving lesson about community responsibility and the stories we tell our children.

Auditions will take place July 26-27 from 7 to 10 p.m. with callbacks July 29 from 7 to 10 p.m. Please e-mail [email protected] for an appointment time. Performances will take place September 10, 11, 16, 17 & 18. (Carrie Vargas, Director; Matthew Earnest, Assistant Director)

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)”:  William Shakespeare meets Monte Python in this madcap production that covers all 37 plays in 97 minutes! An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” was London’s longest-running comedy – 10 years in the West End at the Criterion Theatre. Join these actors as they weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories and tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter.

Auditions will take place November 5-6 from 7 to 10 p.m. with callbacks November 8 from 7 to 10 p.m. Performances will take place January 14, 15, 20, 21 & 22. (Matthew Earnest, Director)

“The Tale of Two Cities” by Laura Eason:  This exhilarating adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel tells an epic story of vengeance and sacrifice, poetically described in the famous first lines as “the best of times and the worst of times.” When the French emigrant Charles Darnay returns to his native Paris to help a friend, his aristocratic past is cause for the new regime to imprison him in the infamous Bastille, where he is sentenced to death by guillotine. With time running out, Darnay’s friends and family desperately try to free him before the iron falls.

Auditions will take place February 11-12 from 7 to 10 p.m. with callbacks on February 15 from 7 to 10 p.m. Performances will take place April 8, 9, 14, 15 & 16. (Danielle Crosbie, Director)

“Into the Woods” auditions are in two and a half weeks. Director Carrie Vargas encourages all those interested to set up an audition time as soon as possible. “You will need to prepare a 1-2 minute song from any musical other than “Into the Woods” and be prepared to do a cold reading from the script. This production is open to ages 12 and up, and will be predominantly an adult cast,” said Vargas.

Maricopa Community Theatre can be found on Facebook for the latest news and information; their new website, maricopacommunitytheatre.com, will be available soon.

“We look forward to being able to provide quality theatre here in Maricopa, and I have a wonderful creative team in place to make that possible,” Vargas said. 

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