The Ship has Sailed!

The Kayla May and it's two captains have sailed away, what great memories they left with us!

So many people to thank, first and foremost our directors.
Thank you to Steve Gibson, your direction and vision brought this play to life, your spirit and enthusiasm kept us all enthralled.  Thank you Marsha Casey for once again teaching us so many ways to use our whole bodies to be funny, and thank you Sharon Gibson for all the musical direction, what a beautiful sound you helped us create!

Our cast!  You are all my heroes!  I know what a huge commitment it is to be in a production like this, the hours of rehearsal, the time spent learning lines and songs, and remembering stage direction.  Time away from your family, your friends, and all the normal activities of life.  Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

And last but certainly not least thank you to the community!  It is so wonderful that in spite of all the instant technology available today that there are so many of you that still have an appreciation for the theater arts!

Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!

Until we meet again in the spring, I'll leave you with a few of the wonderful comments that were shared with me after performances.

"That was really great! Thank you!"

"I've been to every show, and can not wait until the next one!"

"You guys are terrific, thank you for doing this in our community!"

"Really terrific!"

"Didn't want it to end!"

"Loved the music"

"Is there a sound track?"

"You should have recorded the music and sold Cd's"

"It was wonderful to see all the different ages of actors together!"

"So good, Thank You!"

Ahoy! me matey's

~ Kimberly Strong

The Lady Pirates of 

Captain Bree

A musical comedy in Two Acts

Book by Martin A. Follose

Music & Lyrics by Bill Fancoeur

Stage Direction - Steve Gibson & Marsha Casey

Music Director - Sharon Gibson

Performances:

Friday & Saturday - October 26th & 27th - 7pm

Friday & Saturday - November 2nd & 3rd - 7pm

Sunday - November 4th - 2pm

Cost:
FREE - Tickets can be picked up at Culver City Hall or the Madras Chamber of Commerce during normal business hours.

You must obtain a ticket 

to attend any showing!

Gangway ye landlovers for 'The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree'.

Captain Bree, Captain Jennings, two captains one ship the Kayla May. 

Heave Ho! and welcome aboard to a swashbuckling musical comedy about a rowdy band of lady pirates who capture a British ship and hold the passengers captive.

This play is full of pirates brandishing swords and singing chanties that will have you humming  along all the way to the surprise ending!  

   

Gangway Ye Landlubbers!

The High Desert Community Theater will soon be sailing the high sea's aboard the merchant ship "Kayla May".

The Lady Pirates of 

Captain Bree

A musical comedy in Two Acts

Book by Martin A. Follose

Music & Lyrics by Bill Fancoeur

Stage Direction - Steve Gibson & Marsha Casey

Music Director - Sharon Gibson

Auditions: 

Wednesday - August 29th, 2012 - 6:30pm Culver City Hall, Culver

Thursday - August 30th, 2012 - 6:30pm Living Hope Church, Madras

          Come to the audition no later than 6:20, be prepared to sing 16 bars a cappella, a song of your choice.  There will also be cold readings from sides.

(side = short excerpts from the script provided by director.) 

Rehearsals:

Rehearsals will be 3 days a week immediately following the auditions , dates to be determined after the cast has been assembled.   Around the middle of October rehearsals will increase in number, and then there will be 5 performances over two weekends as follows. 

Performances:

Friday & Saturday - October 26th & 27th - 7pm

Friday & Saturday - November 2nd & 3rd - 7pm

Sunday - November 4th - 2pm

Cast of Characters

# of Lines

n/a   Old Pirate..........weather-beaten, begins and ends the tale

Lady Pirates

198   Captain Bree......tough and hard on the outside yet soft on the inside

58     Jane.....................second in command and close to Capt. Bree

35     Molly...................new recruit, still doesn't think like a pirate wants everyone to get along

27     Josephine..........can never remember the rules of pirating

26     Gabriella...........very talkative

57     Shawna...............man crazy, especially for Samuel

25     Patty...................from Ireland

34     Maggie...............mean and tough

31     Georgia...............feels men are nothing but trouble

n/a   Extra Lady Pirates..........as desired

The Captives

100     Madam Prescot......wife of British ambassador, snooty upper-crust

74        Samuel Prescot......nephew of Madam Prescot, "Aunties boy"

73        Julia Prescot...........Samuel's sister; longs for adventure

133      Capt. Jennings........captain of the ship transporting the Prescots

50       Fergus.......................Irish sailor who can't swim

44       Professor Bidwell...Pompous old man and famous writer

8        Thomas......................cabin boy

6         Cook......speaks with a Swedish accent heavier than his meatballs

8       John...........................prisoner; more brawn than brains

8       Jack............................another prisoner

7        George...................... another prisoner

n/a    Extra Prisoners........as desired.

The Royal Navy

32     Admiral Moore.........admiral of the British fleet

n/a   Officers One-Four.....under Admiral Moore's command

n/a   Extra Officers..............as desired

For a short synopsis of the play please visit: 

The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree!

Fair Winds Ye Land Lubbers!

For further information email Kimberly at highdesertcommunitytheater@gmail.com, or visit our booth Aug. 18th at the Crawdad Festival in Culver!

Spring 2012 - Huge Success!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Our production of Great Caesar's Ghost by William D. Fisher was another huge success! 

Thanks to you our wonderful audience our attendance numbers surpassed all previous productions!  It was so wonderful to hear from so many of you that you look forward to every production, thank you so much for returning, and for those new faces I hope your first visit will not be your last!  None of this would be possible without your support and encouragement and we appreciate you all very much!

Of course the productions themselves would not be possible without our fabulous actors, here they are in all their glory!

Penelope - Joy DeHaan 

Johnson - Garreth Davis 

Dick - John Casey

Aunt Polly - Sandy Cloud

Phoebe - Marsha Casey

Deborah - Jillian Sutherlin

Tommy - Riley Gibson

Uncle Phineas - Steve Gibson

Helen - Kaitlyn Monchamp

Mahjah the Mystic - Bill Ferguson

MC & Director - Kimberly Strong

Narrator - Kassidy Matson

Esther - Terri Drew

Hattie - Kimberly Strong

A few of the wonderful comments we received about the play!

"YOU ROCKED that stage yesterday.  We giggled for HOURS afterward! 

HUGE kudos to you and the team from our family.  THANK YOU for giving us a great afternoon!  Even my COWBOY husband enjoyed the show… now that’s a HUGE kudos!"

"I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the play on Saturday night!  What an amazing job you all did!  So wonderful, so incredible to have such talent in this area.  We look forward to the next performance!  Thank you for a fantastic evening!"

"Drove down 2 1/2 hrs to watch this play and it was awesome.. What a great cast of very talented people..If you get a chance go support this group.."

"Loved it!  Great job to the whole cast!"

"You guys were awesome!"

"This play was so great!  Glad we went to it!"

" I had a great time!  The actors were perfectly cast for their parts and played their roles wonderfully!"

"You guys were great, can't wait to see the next production!"

"So good and funny!  Very well done!"

We open in one week!

Performances:
Friday & Saturday March 30th & 31st 7pm
Sunday - April 1st 2pm
Culver High School Multi-Purpose Room

See you at the Theater!

Press Release!

The High Desert Community Theater is proud to announce the dates for our next production!

Great Caesar's Ghost

by William D. Fisher

Dates: Friday & Saturday - March 30th & 31st 2012

Time: 7:00 pm

Date: Sunday - April 1st, 2012

Time: 2:00 pm

Locations:  Culver High School - Multi-purpose room

Cost: FREE

     We will gladly accept donations BUT there is no expectation nor obligation.

We hope you will join us for this hilarious comedy, it is set in the 1940's in the suburbs of a metropolitan city, at the Estate of the Maxwell family.  The story is ripe with colorful characters played by your friends, neighbors, fellow community members, and one fun-loving yet temperamental Ghost!

The HDCT is a non-profit organization, the monies raised by donation at the performances are only used to cover production costs, with the hopes of generating enough funds to produce 2 comedic plays a year.

We are a troupe of eclectic and dedicated volunteers who share one vision:

"To bring the community a little theatrical comedy so we can all Laugh-Out-Loud together!"

Please mark your calendar and Join Us!

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Kimberly at highdesertcommunitytheater@gmail.com

And so it begins!!!!!!!

It is official the HDCT will present:

Great Caesar's Ghost

by William D. Fisher

Our Cast & Crew

Director -- Kimberly Strong

Ast. Director -- Marsha Casey
Director's Aid --Kassidy Matson

The Characters:

Mrs. Penelope Maxwell -- Joy DeHaan

Mrs. Phoebe De Royster -- Marsha Casey

Johnson (Butler) -- Garreth Davis

Esther (Maid) -- Teri Drew

Hattie (Cook) -- Kimberly Strong

Helen Maxwell -- Kaitlyn Monchamp

Tommy Tucker -- Riley Gibson

Phineas Farthingale -- Steve Gibson

Aunt Polly Maxwell -- Sandy Cloud

Mahjah the Mystic -- Bill Ferguson

Deborah De Royster -- Jillian Sutherlin

Dick O'Donnell -- John Casey

Production Crew

Narrator -- Kassidy Matson
Music & Sound -- Lory Sutherlin

Set/Stage Crew -- Garrett Campbell & Adam Brown

Program & Flyer Designer - Heidi Sutherlin

Refreshments - Donna McCormack

Spring Production - Casting Call

Great Caesar's Ghost

by William D. Fisher

     How would you like to have a pet ghost?  A nice tame one that sleeps in your closet, does your work, or frightens people out of their wits -- whichever you preferred?  Who wouldn't?

     That's why "Great Caesar's Ghost" is one of the funniest, most unusual farces ever written for the amateur stage.  This play is full of special effects and ghostly tricks, extremely colorful characters and a series of funny scenes, that will have audiences laughing themselves hoarse.

Cast of Characters

Penelope Maxwell... She loves fad, and especially her most recent one, the seances' of Mahjah the Mystic.  Exceeding scatter-brained, she is about fifty.  Her clothing is in good taste.  Her primary difficulty is keeping up with the affairs about her, both in her household and in her daughter's life. (15o lines)


Mrs. Phoebe De Royster... Also loves fads and seances' as given by Mahjah the Mystic.  About fifty, she is impressed with her own social position.  She is a trifle over-dressed for the best taste, wearing a few too many jewels and furs.  In other words, her appearance tends to be gaudy.  (90 lines)

Deborah De Royster... The apple of her mother's eye and the lemon of everyone's else.  Sixteen, she is dressed as if she were twelve by her dominating mother.  Her hair is in braids, and at first she wears make-up.  Her mouse-like appearance is heightened by heavy, dark-rimmed glasses.  But later, she emerges as a very pretty, cultured young lady with her hair done attractively, her glasses gone, make-up carefully applied, and clothing that befits her.  (52 lines)

Phineas Farthingale... An archaeologist fresh from the interior of South America.  Small, thin, and forty-odd, he has a sense of wit and good fun.  He is dressed in a sun helmet, khaki shirt, and khaki shorts.  Laced boots and heavy stockings complete is ensemble.  Or, if preferred, corduroy trousers may be tucked into the tops of his boots, and his hat may be a battered affair.  He is the master of "Great Caesar's Ghost," who has accompanied him everywhere since he left the land of Incas.  The children fondly call him Uncle Phineas. (98 lines)

Helen Maxwell... Penelope's daughter and the real manager of the house.  A pretty, well-dressed young lady of twenty, she has no sympathy with her mother's love of fads, and even less sympathy with her mother's dislike of Tommy Tucker, whom she likes very much.  (181 lines)

Tommy Tucker... Who is the object of Helen's affection, and vice-versa.  A good-looking young man of twenty-one, he has everything needed to win Helen's hand--excepting her mother's permission.  He wears stylish slacks and sport coat, or business suit.  Later he emerges as a rather odd-looking swami, in colorful bathrobe with a bright tie around the middle, and a towel wrapped as a turban around his head.  (96 lines)

Aunt Polly Maxwell... Penelope's sister-in-law and her direct opposite.  Calm, witty, unassuming, she is a good sport in every way.  About forty, she dresses well, but not expensively.  And she very definitely does not sympathize with Penelope's ultra interest in fads.  (92 lines)

Johnson... The Maxwell's befuddled butler.  He is an ideal servant, courteous and patient, wearing the dark clothes---a cutaway coat, if possible---of a butler.  His manners are ideal and his prim attitude is very effective, even though his stiff formality bends sometimes at the strange goings-on around the house.  He is about thirty-five.  (129 lines)

Esther... The new maid and already has her eye on Johnson.  Twenty-three, she is small and cute---quite a contrast to Johnson's formality.  But she knows men--and hence she knows him--at least well enough to know him better.  She is dressed in attractive black maid's uniform with dainty white apron and white, lacey headband.  (78 lines)

Mahjah the Mystic... An Oriental of dubious origin.  About thirty, he is dark and swarthy.  He wears a turban with a jeweled clip in front, a bright sash, and other Oriental effects, perhaps a robe.  His voice is deep and mysterious, and he speaks slowly and effectively--until surprised.  Then his true origin--definitely American--shows up in his speech.  His dark complexion is gained by make-up.  (51 lines)

Dick O'Donnell... A lad around the neighborhood.  For some reason he has "adopted" the Maxwells, though for friendship or the cook's ability to make cake, no one seems to know.  About fourteen, he wears a sloppy old sweater, unpressed trousers, scuffed shoes, and battered cap or hat.  (59 lines)

Hattie... The Maxwell's mistress of the kitchen Short-tempered, but an excellent cook, she is well worth her spells of temperament.  Forty, she is robust and healthy.  At all times she wears the neat, starched white dress, apron, and cap of a cook.  Indeed, she looks like a product of her own art.  (25 lines)

Great Caesar's Ghost... Though unseen is a very real character in the play.  He is the good-natured, humorous, protecting spirit of the Great Caesar, an Inca chieftain who Phineas Farthingale once befriended in his scientific travels.  He accompanies Phineas at all times, obeys every command, and seems somehow to have adopted his master's love for jokes.  yes, he is a very funny ghost.