We're excited to announce our auditions for the 2012 New Players Theater Festival season! NPT will be presenting King Lear and Scapin in repertory from June 21 to August 12 2012 at Hilliard's Mill Run Amphitheater. King Lear will be directed by Kal Poole and will feature Mark Mann as Lear; Scapin (adapted by Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell, based on the Moliere play) will be directed by Tim Browning. We're looking for actors with good physical and/or clowning skills, and strong language abilities. We will be casting roles in both shows, as well as actor-techs for internship positions. We will also use this general audition in order to consider you for future productions. Read on for the details.
DATE: Thursday, December 29th, 7-10pm
WHERE: Cup O' Joe Community Room, 2418 E. Main St, Bexley, OH 43209
WHAT: 2-minutes, contrasting classical monologues, one comic, one dramatic
ROLES: Because of our repertory nature, we cast many actors in roles in both shows. This is the breakdown of currently available slots:
> Scapin
> Cordelia/Hyacinth
> Burgundy/Sylvestre
> Edgar
> Albany
> Actor-techs (intern positions)
MORE INFO: Rehearsals for the festival shows will begin in mid-April. All positions are compensated with an honorarium.
SCHEDULING: To schedule an audition slot, email NPTauditions@gmail.com. We will respond with an audition time for you. Please bring a current headshot and resume if you have it. In addition to your prepared monologues, you should be ready to read sides for particular roles if the director so desires.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
A Very Jebby Christmas
How brilliant is this? NPT is partnering with Columbus theater luminary and founder of the Jebby Awards, Jeb Bigelow, to bring you...
Have a few drinks, enjoy some great Christmas music and grown-up entertainment while you do some Christmas shopping at our silent auction. Featuring the best of Columbus’ musical talent, variety entertainers and more, this groovy cabaret-style show will also include appearances by the NPT members themselves. And the cherry on top: your master of ceremonies will be the spectacular Jeb Bigelow!
Join New Players Theater as we kick off the holiday shopping season with our own version of the classic holiday television special. You're sure to enjoy our irreverent but tasteful holiday programming in the style and warmth of the super-cool Vonn Jazz Supperclub. In addition to the music, fun and laughs, you'll be able to cross some folks off your shopping list by bidding on some unique artisan-crafted items in our silent auction.
Please make plans now to include this special fundraiser in your holiday festivities. Tickets are $20 and include both admission and free raffle tickets for the auctions. A full menu and drink specials will be available too for your convenience. To obtain tickets, contact an NPT company member or visit here to purchase online. And be sure to check out how cool Vonn Jazz is!
A Very Jebby Christmas
Have a few drinks, enjoy some great Christmas music and grown-up entertainment while you do some Christmas shopping at our silent auction. Featuring the best of Columbus’ musical talent, variety entertainers and more, this groovy cabaret-style show will also include appearances by the NPT members themselves. And the cherry on top: your master of ceremonies will be the spectacular Jeb Bigelow!
Join New Players Theater as we kick off the holiday shopping season with our own version of the classic holiday television special. You're sure to enjoy our irreverent but tasteful holiday programming in the style and warmth of the super-cool Vonn Jazz Supperclub. In addition to the music, fun and laughs, you'll be able to cross some folks off your shopping list by bidding on some unique artisan-crafted items in our silent auction.
Please make plans now to include this special fundraiser in your holiday festivities. Tickets are $20 and include both admission and free raffle tickets for the auctions. A full menu and drink specials will be available too for your convenience. To obtain tickets, contact an NPT company member or visit here to purchase online. And be sure to check out how cool Vonn Jazz is!
Monday, October 17, 2011
NPT Announces its 2011-2012 Season
For those who weren't able to come out to our encore presentation of Underneath the Lintel, you missed the smashing Mark Mann in a bravura performance. You also missed our other co-founder, Tim Browning, announce NPT's event lineup for the 2011-2012 season. But no worries, we've got you covered! Through the magic of the internets, click below to see Tim tell you about our exciting season, including a Columbus premiere of a 2009 Tony Award winner for Best Play, and the aforementioned Mr. Mann in a role for the ages. The complete season listing is below the video -- feel free to print it out and mark us down on your calendar. See ya at the shows!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Encore!
New Players Theater kicks off its sophomore season with a special encore presentation of Underneath the Lintel. Presented for two nights only, this quirky and charming "twisty mystery of a tale" features NPT co-founder Mark Mann in a tour-de-force role that won him the Central Ohio Theater Critic's Circle Best Actor award last season.
When a Dutch librarian finds a book returned 113 years overdue, his curiosity transforms him from a mild-mannered civil servant into a globe-trotting detective. As his search leads him around the world and into surprising revelations of a long-forgotten past, he ultimately discovers what can only be described as a miracle.
Smartly directed by NPT co-founder Tim Browning, you'll be delighted by both the intellectual mystery and emotional depth of this one-of-a-kind story. Richard Ades of The Other Paper called Mann's performance "unfussy and wryly amusing, it's simply masterful!" Don't miss the opportunity to see it for yourself!
2 PERFORMANCES ONLY on October 14th & 15th at the Columbus Performing Arts Center (549 Franklin Ave). Curtain time is 8:00 p.m. At the door, tickets are pay-what-you-want; or $15 in advance for guaranteed seating. Purchase advance tickets here!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Meet the Tulls
NPT is thrilled to announce our newest company members: David & Kate Stopa Tull. After their vital contributions to our inaugural Festival season (David as a performer, and Kate as our dramaturg), we unanimously decided to offer the Tulls company membership with NPT. Much to our delight, they enthusiastically said yes! We are eagerly looking forward to their contributions in the seasons ahead. Read on to learn more about David and Kate.
David and Kate love Columbus. They love the Columbus Zoo. They love the Metro Parks. They love going to see the best minor league baseball team in the best minor league baseball stadium in the country. They love that they can get beer and sweet corn in their ice cream. They love the Blue Jackets. They love that they can work as theatre artists in Central Ohio where they feel personally rewarded by the quality of the work, and valued by the community that supports it.
After growing up in Cincinnati, DAVID TULL recently moved back to Ohio after spending several years training and working professionally as a theatre teacher and performer around the Midwest. He holds an MFA in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa, where he trained in Meisner and Grotowski technique, new play development, and Shakespeare performance. He is also a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a BA in Film, Television, and Theatre. He has performed for The Old Creamery Theatre Company, Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival, Iowa Summer Repertory Theatre, and Summer Shakespeare at Notre Dame. He has taught theatre at various levels from first graders to adults for Coe College, Riverside Theatre, and the University of Iowa among others. Since moving to Columbus last winter, David has been involved in over a dozen productions with various companies in the area, including performances as Tybalt and Feste in the inaugural season of New Players Theater Festival. At NPT, David will be a company performer and also develop the company's education programs.
KATE STOPA TULL is a Columbus native, returning here after earning a BA in Theatre from Marymount Manhattan College and an MFA in Dramaturgy from the University of Iowa. In New York, she worked for the Lark Play Development Center, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and the New 42nd Street, Inc. At Iowa, she served as production dramaturg on Moliere's TARTUFFE, Giraudoux's THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT, Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney's REEFER MADNESS: THE MUSICAL, and Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT and THE WINTER'S TALE. She also taught undergraduate courses in Playscript Analysis and Theatre History and developed many new plays with members of the Iowa Playwrights' Workshop. She is an active member of the Literary Members and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) and was selected for the 2009 Dramaturgy Debut Panel by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). Since marrying David in Columbus last December, Kate has worked as a freelance dramaturg, director, and educator with NPT, Actors' Theatre of Columbus, MadLab Theatre and Gallery, Shepherd Productions, and Columbus Children's Theatre. At NPT, Kate will serve as resident dramaturg and contribute to the marketing and development efforts of the company.
Many, many thanks to everyone at New Players for inviting us on board. Let's tell some stories!
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| The Tulls |
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| David Tull |
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| Kate Tull |
Many, many thanks to everyone at New Players for inviting us on board. Let's tell some stories!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Encore!
New Players Theater kicks off its sophomore season with a special encore presentation of Underneath the Lintel. Presented for two nights only, this quirky and charming "twisty mystery of a tale" features NPT co-founder Mark Mann in a tour-de-force role that won him the Central Ohio Theater Critic's Circle Best Actor award last season.
When a Dutch librarian finds a book returned 113 years overdue, his curiosity transforms him from a mild-mannered civil servant into a globe-trotting detective. As his search leads him around the world and into surprising revelations of a long-forgotten past, he ultimately discovers what can only be described as a miracle.
Smartly directed by NPT co-founder Tim Browning, you'll be delighted by both the intellectual mystery and emotional depth of this one-of-a-kind story. Richard Ades of The Other Paper called Mann's performance "unfussy and wryly amusing, it's simply masterful!" Don't miss the opportunity to see it for yourself!
Smartly directed by NPT co-founder Tim Browning, you'll be delighted by both the intellectual mystery and emotional depth of this one-of-a-kind story. Richard Ades of The Other Paper called Mann's performance "unfussy and wryly amusing, it's simply masterful!" Don't miss the opportunity to see it for yourself!
2 PERFORMANCES ONLY on October 14th & 15th at the Columbus Performing Arts Center (549 Franklin Ave). Curtain time is 8:00 p.m. At the door, tickets are pay-what-you-want; or $15 in advance for guaranteed seating. Purchase advance tickets here!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Two Households...
both alike in dignity / In fair Verona where we lay our scene / From ancient grudge break to new mutiny / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean....and it begins tonight! See The Hot Spot to the left for details.
The Cast
THE HOUSE OF CAPULET Peter Sampson – Joseph W. Vasquez Gregory – Keelan O’Sullivan Tybalt – David Tull Capulet – Ken Erney Lady Capulet – Kim Garrison Hopcraft Juliet – Kelly Hogan Nurse – Danielle Mann | THE HOUSE OF MONTAGUE Balthasar – Austin Andres Benvolio – Drew Eberly Montague – Shane Egan Lady Montague; Sister John – Catherine Cryan Romeo – Christian Boomgaarden |
THE HOUSE OF ESCALUS Escalus – Emily Bach Abraham – Phil Cunningham Paris – John Henry Carter V Mercutio – Joe Lusher Children – Cassidy Hopcraft and Dylan Hopcraft | CITIZENS OF VERONA Rosaline – B. Emerald Cavoto Livia – Brigid Ogden Friar Laurence – Matt Hermes Apothecary – Simon Dowd |
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Attitude, Gratitude, Latitude
With less than 2 weeks to go until the start of the "Summer of Shakespeare," it's all hands on deck, and damn the torpedos!
The excitement and anticipation for the approaching premieres has given an additional boost to the high spirits of the casts and crews of Romeo + Juliet and Twelfth Night. The Town House has been a-bustle 6 nights a week for the last 5 weeks, and this past weekend, the energy and hard work migrated to our performance location, the Mill Run Amphitheatre (more about that below). Everyone is thrilled to be "in the space!"
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| Friar Laurence (NPT member Matt Hermes), Romeo (Christian Boomgaarden) and Juliet (Kelly Hogan) |
The excitement and anticipation for the approaching premieres has given an additional boost to the high spirits of the casts and crews of Romeo + Juliet and Twelfth Night. The Town House has been a-bustle 6 nights a week for the last 5 weeks, and this past weekend, the energy and hard work migrated to our performance location, the Mill Run Amphitheatre (more about that below). Everyone is thrilled to be "in the space!"
A good part of that thrill is owed to guests of the May 21st Cabaret and participants of NPT's Kickstarter campaign. With the funds raised by both events, NPT's summer programme is paid for. Thank you to everyone who donated time, goodwill, and dollars to the effort. None of this risk-taking would be possible without your pledge of faith!
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| Mill Run Amphitheatre |
Speaking of faith...no small miracle occurred when, after NPT was jilted by its original performance space, the Mill Run Owners Association enthusiastically stepped in with its support and offered NPT the Mill Run Amphitheatre - complete with ample parking, a variety of on-site vendors, sponsored restrooms, and, frankly, an unbeatable setting.
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| We're in love - with the Mill Run Amphitheatre! |
Monday, May 16, 2011
21...22...23...
May 21 = Life (with NPT) Is A Cabaret!
NPT is proud to present and showcase some of the finest local voices and musicians in a fundraiser cabaret to help benefit our "Summer of Shakespeare!" Starting at 6:30 at The Town House, live jazz and blues, a silent auction, and light hors d'œuvres will go perfectly with the contentment of helping support one of central Ohio’s newest theatrical ventures. Just $10 will purchase admission to this relaxing evening, and $3 more buys tickets for beer and wine. Scheduled performers as of this posting include Tim Browning,* Kim Garrison Hopcraft, Pam Welsh-Huggins, Dani Karshner Mann,* and Deb Colvin-Tener. Get your tickets from any NPT member! - soon you'll be able to purchase them right here at our site. See The Hot Spot to your left for details, mark your calendars, and plan to attend!
May 22 = Underneath the Lintel at Otterbein
If you missed it the first time around, or you'd like to catch it again, Mark Mann will be reprising his "masterful" performance as The Librarian in Glen Berger's Underneath the Lintel on the campus of Otterbein University. The performance begins at 7:00 p.m. at Towers 310, and donations to NPT are welcome and encouraged!
Speaking of donations...as of this posting, we have $305 to go to call our campaign a success, and to collect the promised monies. So far, $3,695 has been raised, which is 92% of what we need. Our heartfelt thanks to the 45 backers who've offered that support and become part of our history! We have exactly 7 days - 7 DAYS ONLY! - until our deadline on May 23. Join our campaign, and play with us!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Life (with NPT) is a Cabaret!
On Saturday, May 21, NPT is proud to present and showcase some of the finest local voices and musicians in a fundraiser cabaret to help benefit our "Summer of Shakespeare!" Starting at 6:30 at The Town House, live jazz and blues, a silent auction, and light hors d'œuvres will go perfectly with the contentment of helping support one of central Ohio’s newest theatrical ventures. Just $10 will purchase admission to this relaxing evening, and $3 more buys tickets for beer and wine. Scheduled performers as of this posting include Tim Browning,* Kim Garrison Hopcraft, Pam Welsh-Huggins, Dani Karshner Mann,* and Deb Colvin-Tener. Get your tickets from any NPT member! - soon you'll be able to purchase them right here at our site. See The Hot Spot to your left for details, mark your calendars, and plan to attend!
Thank you so very much to our audiences and supporters for making Underneath the Lintel, which closed this past Saturday, such a resoundingly successful start to NPT's inaugural season. Now, on to the next! Rehearsals for Romeo + Juliet are well underway, and the first read-through for Twelfth Night happens this week. Adding to the excitement of these beginnings is the progress of NPT's Kickstarter Campaign. So far, $2,180 has been raised, which is 54% of what we need. Our heartfelt thanks to the 23 backers who've offered that support and become part of our history! We have exactly 2 weeks - 2 WEEKS ONLY! - until our deadline on May 23. Join our campaign, and play with us!
* NPT Members
Thank you so very much to our audiences and supporters for making Underneath the Lintel, which closed this past Saturday, such a resoundingly successful start to NPT's inaugural season. Now, on to the next! Rehearsals for Romeo + Juliet are well underway, and the first read-through for Twelfth Night happens this week. Adding to the excitement of these beginnings is the progress of NPT's Kickstarter Campaign. So far, $2,180 has been raised, which is 54% of what we need. Our heartfelt thanks to the 23 backers who've offered that support and become part of our history! We have exactly 2 weeks - 2 WEEKS ONLY! - until our deadline on May 23. Join our campaign, and play with us!
* NPT Members
Friday, May 6, 2011
"Masterful" One-Mann Show
Here's what else The Other Paper's Richard Ades thought of NPT founder Mark Mann's performance in Underneath the Lintel last Friday night.
Tonight and Saturday night are your last two chances to see the show at Café Bella! See The Hot Spot to your left for info on ticketing and reservations.
Bonus! We will be scheduling an encore performance of Lintel later this month - check back here for details!
Tonight and Saturday night are your last two chances to see the show at Café Bella! See The Hot Spot to your left for info on ticketing and reservations.
Bonus! We will be scheduling an encore performance of Lintel later this month - check back here for details!
Friday, April 29, 2011
"Underneath the Lintel" is up!
- and NPT is officially launched, with this first full production, which opened last night to a near-sellout-house! Read all about it, and get your tickets today! See the details to your left, in The Hot Spot!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Jeb! Punch! Kick(starter)!
What a couple of weeks it's been for NPT!
On Sunday, April 17, cast and crew members of NPT's summer Shakespeare festival "meeted-and-greeted" at a potluck held at the company's rehearsal headquarters - the lovely home of NPT friend Dr. Scott Hockenberry. Capulets and Montagues chatted across the punch bowl, while 12thPMers wondered what an updated version of Malvolio's "cross-gartered yellow stockings" might be. Performance dates for both Romeo + Juliet and Twelfth Night have been set:
"What's a Kickstarter campaign?" We're so glad you asked! Watch this spiffy video presentation, and we're certain you'll be inspired to join us in taking the first steps of an exciting journey for NPT. We have a tremendous team of artists who are devoting their considerable talents to this inaugural "Summer of Shakespeare" and to the vision of things-to-come. Revenue raised by this effort will be used for sets, lighting, costumes, and promotional materials. Donate generously, receive some outstanding incentives (wanna be onstage? OK!) - and come see us play!
On Sunday, April 10, three (count 'em, THREE!) of NPT's founding members garnered recognition for their work in several of 2010's acclaimed local theatre productions. The "Jebby" awards, presented by Columbus' own theatre-performer-and-aficionado Jeb Bigelow, went to:
- Emily Bach - Local Performer of the Year, Lead Female, Play, for her performance in the title role of Curtain Players' March production of Hedda Gabler. Bonus: NPT founding member Matt Hermes directed Ms. Bach in the role.
- Dani Karshner Mann - Local Performer of the Year, Supporting Female, Musical, for her turn as Joanne in Company, Gallery Players' March production.
- Mark Mann - Local Performer of the Year, Lead Male, Musical, for his portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in Weathervane Playhouse's June production of My Fair Lady.
On Sunday, April 17, cast and crew members of NPT's summer Shakespeare festival "meeted-and-greeted" at a potluck held at the company's rehearsal headquarters - the lovely home of NPT friend Dr. Scott Hockenberry. Capulets and Montagues chatted across the punch bowl, while 12thPMers wondered what an updated version of Malvolio's "cross-gartered yellow stockings" might be. Performance dates for both Romeo + Juliet and Twelfth Night have been set:
- The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Mark Mann:
June 16, 17, 18 ,19, 26, & 30 and July 2, 9, & 10 - Twelfth Night, or What You Will, directed by Tim Browning:
June 23, 24, & 25 and July 3, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, & 17
"What's a Kickstarter campaign?" We're so glad you asked! Watch this spiffy video presentation, and we're certain you'll be inspired to join us in taking the first steps of an exciting journey for NPT. We have a tremendous team of artists who are devoting their considerable talents to this inaugural "Summer of Shakespeare" and to the vision of things-to-come. Revenue raised by this effort will be used for sets, lighting, costumes, and promotional materials. Donate generously, receive some outstanding incentives (wanna be onstage? OK!) - and come see us play!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
LINTEL scoop
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| Mark Mann as the Librarian |
When a Dutch librarian finds a book returned 113 years overdue, his curiosity transforms him from a mild-mannered civil servant into a globe-trotting detective. As his search leads him around the world and into surprising revelations of a long-forgotten past, he ultimately discovers what can only be described as a miracle. Tim Browning directs, and Mark Mann stars in this quirky and charming "twisty mystery of a tale" by Glen Berger. Performances run April 28, 29 & 30 and May 6 & 7 at Cafe Bella's Sunflower Room (2593 North High Street in Clintonville). All curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Admission is Pay What You Want. Call 614-582-3147 to reserve seats – and we’ll see you Underneath the Lintel!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Spring comes before summer -
- and NPT's production of Underneath the Lintel comes before its Summer of Shakespeare!Stay tuned for performance details (when and where and how to buy tickets) on this intriguing one-man show by Glen Berger, starring Mark Mann as the Librarian, and directed by Tim Browning.
Casting for this summer's productions of Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night has concluded. Thank you to all who submitted materials and auditioned for NPT's inaugural summer festival! Cast details will be posted soon.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
And MORE auditions!
New Players Theatre is still accepting headshot/resume submissions for its "Summer of Shakespeare," with rehearsals and performances of Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night May through July at Dublin's Coffman Park Amphitheatre. Mark Mann directs R&J, and Tim Browning will helm 12thN. Auditions are set for Sunday, March 13, at a location to-be-determined. Please submit materials to newplayerstheatre@gmail.com, or send to 3515 Cove Lake Lane, Grove City, Ohio, 43123. Direct any questions to 614-582-3147 or newplayerstheatre@gmail.com.
Thank you - and break a leg!
Thank you - and break a leg!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
AUDITIONS!
New Players Theatre Festival is casting its "Summer of Shakespeare," with repertory performances of Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet running from mid-June through mid-July at Dublin's Coffman Park Amphitheatre. Rehearsals begin in May.
Please submit photos and resumes to newplayerstheatre@gmail.com, or send to 3515 Cove Lake Lane, Grove City, Ohio, 43123. Direct any questions to 614-582-3147 or newplayerstheatre@gmail.com.
Thank you - and break a leg!
Please submit photos and resumes to newplayerstheatre@gmail.com, or send to 3515 Cove Lake Lane, Grove City, Ohio, 43123. Direct any questions to 614-582-3147 or newplayerstheatre@gmail.com.
Thank you - and break a leg!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Well done, Cupid!
Thanks to the love that New Players Theatre received on Valentine's Day, this summer's NPT Festival will not only be a hit, but a hit with style! Reservations sold out last night at Clintonville's Café Bella, where Chef Vincent Withers and staff helped create a perfectly delicious and romantic Valentine’s evening, with a coursed gourmet dinner before the reading of A.R. Gurney's bittersweet Love Letters. NPT founder Mark Mann directed the reading, and founder Tim Browning and member Emily Bach read the roles of "Andy" and "Melissa." Audience response to both the plated and played fare was unanimously positive. Thank you to NPT member Matt Hermes, Linda Browning, and Café Bella for such a successful inauguration!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
"Shakespeare-in-the-park coming to Dublin"
From Richard Ades at The Other Paper:
"Those outdoor thespians in Schiller Park will have some competition this summer.
"While Actors’ Theatre is performing under the stars in German Village - as it has for 30 years now - a new troupe called the New Players Theatre Festival will be doing the same up in Dublin. The fledgling company will even perform Shakespeare, Actors’ bread and butter.
"Even so, New Players founders Tim Browning and Mark Mann insist they’re not out to steal Actors’ Theatre’s thunder - or its audience.
"'We’re both going to be running through a good portion of the summer, so there’s no real competition,' said Mann, 52, who has worked with Actors’ many times over the years. 'People can see our shows and see their shows.'
"'I would say if there’s competition, it’s the healthy kind,' said Browning, 45, who played Long John Silver in Actors’ 2010 production of Treasure Island. 'Hopefully, having another good theater in town will push them to do better work, and they’ll certainly push us to do better work.'
"Mann also noted that only one of Actors’ three summer productions will be by the Bard: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will open June 30. New Players, meanwhile, will stage repertory versions of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet on alternating weekends between mid-June and mid-July. Performances will be free - with donations requested - and will take place at the outdoor amphitheater in Dublin’s Coffman Park.
"First, though, Browning and Mann are planning two more-modest productions to dip the troupe’s toes into the local theater scene.
"On Monday - Valentine’s Day - Browning will appear with Emily Bach in the romantic tear-jerker Love Letters by A.R. Gurney. It will be presented in conjunction with a fundraising dinner at the south-of-Clintonville eatery Café Bella.
Then, on April 28-30, Browning will direct Mann in Glen Berger’s one-man play Underneath the Lintel at Columbus Dance Theatre.
"The eventual plan, they said, is to present both outdoor and indoor productions during a season that runs roughly from May to September, generally the least-busy part of the theater year."
"Those outdoor thespians in Schiller Park will have some competition this summer.
"While Actors’ Theatre is performing under the stars in German Village - as it has for 30 years now - a new troupe called the New Players Theatre Festival will be doing the same up in Dublin. The fledgling company will even perform Shakespeare, Actors’ bread and butter.
"Even so, New Players founders Tim Browning and Mark Mann insist they’re not out to steal Actors’ Theatre’s thunder - or its audience.
"'We’re both going to be running through a good portion of the summer, so there’s no real competition,' said Mann, 52, who has worked with Actors’ many times over the years. 'People can see our shows and see their shows.'
"'I would say if there’s competition, it’s the healthy kind,' said Browning, 45, who played Long John Silver in Actors’ 2010 production of Treasure Island. 'Hopefully, having another good theater in town will push them to do better work, and they’ll certainly push us to do better work.'
"Mann also noted that only one of Actors’ three summer productions will be by the Bard: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will open June 30. New Players, meanwhile, will stage repertory versions of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet on alternating weekends between mid-June and mid-July. Performances will be free - with donations requested - and will take place at the outdoor amphitheater in Dublin’s Coffman Park.
"First, though, Browning and Mann are planning two more-modest productions to dip the troupe’s toes into the local theater scene.
"On Monday - Valentine’s Day - Browning will appear with Emily Bach in the romantic tear-jerker Love Letters by A.R. Gurney. It will be presented in conjunction with a fundraising dinner at the south-of-Clintonville eatery Café Bella.
Then, on April 28-30, Browning will direct Mann in Glen Berger’s one-man play Underneath the Lintel at Columbus Dance Theatre.
"The eventual plan, they said, is to present both outdoor and indoor productions during a season that runs roughly from May to September, generally the least-busy part of the theater year."
Sunday, January 30, 2011
"New troupe to take bow on Feb. 14"
From Michael Grossberg at the Columbus Dispatch:
"Actor-directors Tim Browning and Mark Mann have launched New Players Theatre Festival, focused on classics and modern works.
"The troupe will make its debut with a Valentine’s Day dinner-theater production of Love Letters, A.R. Gurney’s two-character comedy-drama. Browning and Emily Bach will perform the piece as a staged reading at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 during a dinner by chef Vincent Withers at Café Bella, 2593 N. High St. Tickets cost $40, including dinner. Call 614-267-1998.
"Browning, who founded and led an off-off-Broadway New York troupe for several years in the early 2000s, and Mann, who founded and led Arden Shakespeare Company for three years in Columbus in the late 1990s, will collaborate on the first full-fledged production, Underneath the Lintel, on April 28-30 in Columbus Dance Theatre, 592 E. Main St. For more information, call 347-418-2377."
Interested in seeing the original article?
"Browning, who founded and led an off-off-Broadway New York troupe for several years in the early 2000s, and Mann, who founded and led Arden Shakespeare Company for three years in Columbus in the late 1990s, will collaborate on the first full-fledged production, Underneath the Lintel, on April 28-30 in Columbus Dance Theatre, 592 E. Main St. For more information, call 347-418-2377."
Interested in seeing the original article?
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