TheatreWorks Holds Casting Call for Stephen Sondheim’s
A Little Night Music — July 14 & 16, 2008, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

TheatreWorks New Milford is seeking a cast of seven men and eleven women — aged 12 to 60-plus — for the upcoming Tony Award-Winning musical, A Little Night Music, with Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and Book by Hugh Wheeler.

A Little Night Music is a deeply romantic and achingly beautiful tale of love that unfolds in turn-of-the-century Sweden. Rekindled romances and humorous entanglements abound as lovers, both old and new, gather for a dramatic weekend at a country estate. And there, played out beneath the mysterious summer night, the characters’ love and desire reach a heartfelt climax. This sophisticated operetta features a breathtaking score by Broadway icon Stephen Sondheim, including one of his most beloved and popular songs, “Send in the Clowns.”

Auditions will be held at TheatreWorks, 5 Brookside Ave., New Milford (next to the CVS) on Monday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 16, 2008 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

All auditioners must come prepared with 16 bars of music and will be asked to sing from the score of A Little Night Music. An accompanist will be provided. A Little Night Music is under the direction of Bradford Blake of New Milford.

All roles are available and both professionals and amateurs are welcome. No appointments are necessary. TheatreWorks offers a stipend to all performers, technicians, and directors. For audition sides, sheet music for the auditions, character breakdowns, and directions, click here.

Rehearsals begin in August with performances beginning September 26 and running through October 25 on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays.

Jeremiah Maestas and Noel Desiato

TheatreWorks New Milford is proud to present Tennessee Williams’ riveting drama Suddenly Last Summer on the 50th anniversary of its theatrical debut. The play opens Friday at 8 p.m. for a four-week run. You can buy tickets by simply clicking here.
           
The production centers on the events of the previous summer, when Sebastian Venable replaced his Mother, Violet, with young, sensual cousin Catharine as his traveling companion. It was on Catharine’s watch that Sebastian died and she cannot forget how — and why — it happened. In a fierce attempt to keep the light of truth from exposing a mother’s illusions and losing her son yet again, Violet has summoned a young neurosurgeon to erase Catharine’s memory of what may well have been the unspeakable truth of last summer.
           
“Despite the fact that this is one of Williams’ shorter plays, it is equally as layered and emotionally intense as his others,” said Joseph Russo of New Milford, the play’s director and set designer. “One quickly becomes involved with a story that has continued to leave audiences shocked and contemplating its startling truth; its themes have only grown more haunting with time.”
           
Suddenly Last Summer features some of the region’s finest actors: Noel Desiato of Sherman, Jeremiah Maestas of New York City, Keilly Gillen McQuail of Newtown, Katherine Almquist of Sharon, Robbin Christiani of Branford, David Hutchison of Shelton, and KC Ross of Thomaston.
           
“The appeal of Suddenly Last Summer lies not only in the brilliance of Williams’ storytelling, but in the sensational quality of the performances,” said Richard Pettibone, the show’s producer, lighting designer, and President of TheatreWorks. “The actors play these deeply intricate and fascinating characters with tremendous conviction. In addition, fans of Noel Desiato, who recently delivered a tour de force performance as Katharine Hepburn in Tea at Five, will be pleased to see her brilliantly take on the role of Violet Venable.”                                   

Suddenly Last Summer first premiered at the York Theatre in New York City on January 7, 1958. The New York Post called the play “A haunting spell that is virtually hypnotic in its compelling power.” In 1959, the play was adapted into a critically-acclaimed movie, starring Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Montgomery Clift. 

OPENING NIGHT, JULY 11TH, A FREE CHAMPAGNE AND HORS D’OEUVRES RECEPTION WILL BE HELD FOR ALL THOSE IN ATTENDANCE. BE SURE TO JOIN US AFTER THE SHOW!

THURSDAY, JULY 10TH, AT 8:00 P.M. IS A FREE PREVIEW FOR SENIORS.
NO RESERVATIONS WILL BE TAKEN. SEATING IS ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS.

THURSDAY, JULY 17TH, AT 8:00 P.M. IS THEATREWORKS’ PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT NIGHT WHERE YOU NAME THE PRICE OF YOUR TICKET.
NO RESERVATIONS WILL BE TAKEN. SEATING IS ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS.

Suddenly Last Summer
Featured Actor…

Noel Desiato

She’s back! TheatreWorks New Milford is thrilled to have the incredibly talented and versatile actress Noel Desiato back on the TheatreWorks stage ― this time playing the wealthy and manipulative Violet Venable in Tennessee Williams’ classic drama, Suddenly Last Summer.

Those familiar with Ms. Desiato’s work will no doubt recall her utterly brilliant performance last winter as Katharine Hepburn in the one-woman blockbuster Tea at Five, which nearly became the highest-grossing non-musical in TheatreWorks’ history. Now, in what she describes as a production with a “phenomenal cast and director,” Ms. Desiato’s portrayal of Violet Venable breathes even more vibrant energy into this captivating Tennessee Williams classic.

“In the role of Violet, I hope to bring honesty to what Tennessee Williams is trying to get across,” Ms. Desiato said. “I want to bring her truth forward. She’s not an easy character to like, but I have to like her. She has her truth and I have to justify her.”
Originally from Bath, Maine, Ms. Desiato studied acting under legendary actress and acting instructor Stella Adler at her conservatory in New York. She was also a member of Law & Order actor Michael Moriarity’s Potter’s Field Theatre Company in New York City.

In 2005, she starred in a Chinese mini-series shot in Canada entitled Our Children. In 1998, she played opposite actor John Shea (Missing, Stealing Home) in the film, Getting Personal. And she also portrayed Margaret, one of many victims of a psychotic killer in the 1984 teen slasher film Splatter University. At the very least, Ms. Desiato has a very varied and impressive career resume as a thespian.

Aside from her turn as Katharine Hepburn in Tea at Five, Ms. Desiato has made many other memorable appearances on the TheatreWorks stage, including Miss Sook Falk in Truman Capote’s Holiday Memories, Reggie Fluty in The Laramie Project, and as the title character in Euripides’ classic Greek tragedy, Medea.

As for Suddenly Last Summer, Ms. Desiato asserts that it’s “a rarely-done classic…and it’s important that these plays are seen. Tennessee Williams is one of America’s greatest playwrights and I think this play will strike a chord with audiences. It’s a moment-to-moment play, and I hope audiences go with it.”

We’ve seen the rehearsals — and trust us — we know you’ll go with it. For 90 minutes, Ms. Desiato and this marvelous cast of seven will keep you entranced in what is sheer poetry by one of America’s great poets of the stage.