Love is in the air!

New Players Theater is pleased to announce their annual Valentine's Day celebration of love and food: Mark Twain's The Diaries of Adam and Eve, staring NPT company members (and real-life sweethearts) Mark Mann and Danielle Mann.  Join NPT as they return to Clintonville's Café Bella, where last year Chef Vincent Withers and staff helped create a perfectly delicious and romantic Valentine’s evening, with a coursed gourmet dinner before the sold-out reading of A.R. Gurney's bittersweet Love Letters.

A word about the play from the publisher: “The Diaries--written near the end of Mark Twain's life and career--are perhaps his wisest, most personal works.  The wry humor we expect is matched by a heartbreaking tenderness found nowhere else in his writings.  And it was only in Eve that Twain ever wrote from a woman's viewpoint.  An afterword details Twain's fascination with Adam and the parallels between his own marriage and Adam and Eve as depicted in the Diaries.”

The Diaries of Adam and Eve is directed and adapted by company member Sonda Staley, based on EXTRACTS FROM ADAM’S DIARY (1904) and EVE’S DIARY (1906).  Twain’s own unique take on the Creation Story shows us that, as Shakespeare said, “the course of true love never did run smooth”.

The Manns are beloved veterans of the Columbus stage.  Most recently, Mark was recognized by the Other Paper as Best Male Performer 2011 for his turn as The Librarian in NPT’s Underneath the Lintel.  Perhaps more noteworthy is that he's married to the uber-talented and in-demand Danielle Mann, recently seen as Maria in Twelfth Night, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet (NPT) and Charlotte in Falsettos (Available Light).

The Manns will perform Mark Twain's The Diaries of Adam and Eve as a staged reading on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 at 7pm during dinner at Café Bella, 2593 N. High St. Tickets cost $40 and include both dinner and the show.  To make reservations, you can call 614-267-1998, or email newplayerstheater@gmail.com.  Come celebrate love with NPT!  The food is as delicious as this touching story of humanity’s very first lovers. Bring your wine, your kleenex, and someone you love!

NPT Festival Auditions

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.

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...

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!

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!

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!

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.

The Tulls

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.

David Tull

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 Tull

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!

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!