CHOIRSCENTER STAGE

UncorkedSeries

Drink creatively!

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Spring2016

Join us in the Saints & Sinners Lounge the first and third Thursdays of the month from 5:30 – 8 pm for an artfully inspiring happy hour! There will be complimentary snacks, cash bar and a new theme every night. Bring your friends! www.mcfta.org/uncorked

April 21 • Night at the Improv!May 5 • Cinco de Mayo Fiesta May 19 • Season FinalePlus, watch for our upcoming “Summer Sippin’ Series”

Sponsored by SYM Financial

Meet the musical with over 400 possible endings!In 1870, Charles Dickens was hard at work on the next installment of his latest novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a dark and brooding tale with a broad palate of shifty characters. Mr. Dickens had published enough of the novel (he parceled it out one chapter at a time) that the public had learned about the disappearance and possible demise of one of those characters, the aforementioned Edwin Drood, and were curious to learn “whodunit!” Unfortunately, Mr. Dickens passed away without ever completing the story, leaving generations of Dickens fans to wonder endlessly about the identity – even the possibility – of Edwin’s murderer. Over a century later, a Mr. Rupert Holmes (beloved songsmith of “The Pina Colada Song”) decided to give Dickens fans a chance to satisfy their curiosity by crafting a Broadway musical that allows the audience to vote on a number of different variables, including the identity of the murderer! The cast of the show must, at a moment’s notice, be prepared to execute one of over 400 possible permutations of the show’s ending. Rest assured, there are no tricks! When the show begins, no one – not the director, crew, actors nor audience members – knows how it will end! As you can tell, this winner of the Tony® “Triple Crown” (Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score) is no ordinary night at the theatre. It’s a big and brassy, song-and-dance romp through the late 19th century, which obliterates the fourth wall and invites the audience to join the fun. See you on the other side of the footlights!

~ Dexter Brigham, Managing Director

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of

TheMYSTERY

There’s still time to see the show everyone’s

talking about!ON STage aprIl 15 – 23!800-523-7649 or mcfta.org

Sponsored by McArdle Buick GMC Cadillac

DiD You Know… English theatre stages in the Middle Ages were typically sloped upwards, away from the audience in what is known as a “raked stage.” We used a raked stage for our February production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The purpose of the rake was to improve the audience’s view of the actors who were farther away from them. This led to the terms “upstage” and “downstage” referring, respectively, to being farther away and closer to the audience.

GET inVoLVED!Strike-a-lotMay 22, 2016 • 5:30 pmVolunteer backstage helping Center Stage Theatre put the 2016 season to bed as well as prep the storage spaces to be ready for 2017! A BBQ meal will be served and the 2017 season will be presented! Wear close-toed shoes and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty! Drop in for as much time as you can spare!

Mid-Michigan Singers & Voice academyJune 19 – 25, 2016 • 4 – 9 pmAges: 13 - Adult • Tuition starts at $40A 7-day intensive for passionate singers! Take part in video talk-backs with Broadway professionals including Brian D’Arcy James and Katie Travis; receive personalized coaching on your solo performance; and engage in a lively choral experience – culminating in a public concert on Saturday!This course requires travel within the region. Tuition is based on level of participation. Find full details and register at www.mcfta.org/voiceacademy. Organized by Matt Travis. Choir directed by James Hohmeyer.

VoLunTEEr SpoTLiGhTTom randolphTom Randolph and his wife, Jo Ellen, started ushering at the Center in 1993. The next year, he helped run sound on Quilters, and since then he has had a hand in nearly every show put on in the Little Theatre, and many in the Auditorium: lights and sound, security for professional talent, scene shop and whatever else that has been asked of him.

Once, in fact, he acted as an assistant stage manager while running sound from backstage. Tom’s son Chad was also a volunteer and employee at MCFTA, learning the basics of audio design before attending Full Sail Technical School in Orlando and then joining the Air Force as an audio engineer for the Air Force Band in Washington, DC.Tom has lived in Midland since 1977, working for Consumers Energy in Midland until 1984, in Saginaw until 1999, and then in Alma until his retirement in 2012.Thank you, Tom, for all the years and thousands of hours you have given to Center Stage Theatre and MCFTA! We couldn’t do it without you!

upcominG ShowS

Buy yOur TICkeTS TOday! 800-523-7649 or mcfta.org!

Boeing Boeing • May 13 – 22Sponsored by MBS International Airport

pEanuT GaLLErY

James and the giant peach June 16 – 19Sponsored by Great Lakes Loons

inTErim ThEaTrE

Frankenstein • August 4 – 6Learn more about these great shows at mcfta.org.

auDiTionS

choraL cornEr

Buy yOur TICkeTS TOday! 800-523-7649 or mcfta.org

MCFTA choral members are taking it on the road again this summer! In July, members of the Delta College Choir will join us on an American Celebration of Music Tour of Germany and Austria. In addition to performing in cathedrals in Germany, Salzburg and Vienna, the choirs will compete in the 53rd International Competition for Choirs in Spittal, Austria – the only American choir to be accepted into the competition! Forty-five people will be on the tour, 27 of whom are in the competition choir. Hear for yourself the finesse of these fine vocalists during two pre-trip concerts: June 11 at 7 pm at Midland’s United Church of Christ; and June 29 at 7 pm at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw. I hope you’ll join us!

~ James Hohmeyer, Director of Choral Programs

CSyC Spring ConcertApril 27, 2016 • 7 pmOver 100 enthusiastic youth will wow your family in this one-hour concert showcasing talented local performers.Directed by Jennifer Breneman, Jillian Seamster, Heather DeGroot & Tracey Kempsell

Broadway Through the yearsApril 30, 2016 • 7:30 pmDon’t miss this evening perfect for musical theatre lovers! Veterans of Center Stage perform enduring classics from the Great White Way: from the early days, to the golden age of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the Broadway hits of today! Choral direction by James Hohmeyer; Stage direction by Emily Anderson.

Camerata June ConcertJune 26, 2016 • 7 pmLocation: Memorial Presbyterian ChurchThe Center Stage Camerata Singers present a unique repertoire. From the Renaissance to contemporary choral music, the sound of the human voice in the vibrant acoustics of Memorial Presbyterian Church is a uniquely memorable experience.Directed by James Hohmeyer. Also featuring guest conductor Matthew Travis of The University of Connecticut.

youth Choirs • May 3, 5, 17 & 24gaertner@mcfta.org for appointment

Frankenstein • May 21 & 22

Bella Voce Singers • June 2gaertner@mcfta.org for appointment

Details at www.mcfta.org/auditions

Jo harriGan awarDNominations sought for Jo Harrigan awardThe Jo Harrigan Award is presented to a Center Stage Theatre and Choirs volunteer who exhibits long-term dedication to the vision of Center Stage Theatre and Choirs.Do you know someone like that? If so, please take a moment to nominate them for this wonderful honor. But hurry! The deadline is April 15, 2016! Visit www.mcfta.org/harrigan.

1801 W. St. Andrews Rd.Midland, MI 48640

mcfta.org(989) 631-8250(800) 523-7649

Questions? We’d love to hear

from you! (989) 631-5930 x 1270

Your inside look at what’s on stage

at the Center!

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CHOIRSCENTER STAGE

Summer Camps Open up a world of creativity when you sign up for summer fun!

From music and theatre camps to art, science and history, there’s something for every interest! www.mcfta.org/class

GGBBOEEIINNOGGBBOEEIINNO

Opening May 13!

Sponsored by

mcfta.org989-631-8250

May 13 – 22, 2016Can swinging bachelor Bernard juggle three gorgeous

fiancées when they unexpectedly show up at his apartment at the same time? Winner of the 2008 Tony Award® for Best Revival, this lightning-paced, wildly

entertaining bedroom farce will keep you in the upright and locked position!

Written by Marc Camoletti; translated by Beverly Cross. Directed by Shawn Finney

Cast: Isiah Barnes, Katie Cook, Ellen Finney, Cassandra Honson, Ashley Potts & William McCartney.

ThanK YouCenter Stage Theatre’s Season Sponsors:

Gold Supporter

Season Supporters