Beowulf Alley Theatre

Re-enacting the Response | Pick of the Week | Tucson Weekly

2012-01-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

Re-enacting the Response | Pick of the Week | Tucson Weekly:
by Kellie Mejdrich

Just about everyone who was in Tucson on Jan. 8, 2011, had something to say about the shootings that day that killed six people and wounded 13, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Michael Fenlason, of Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, decided to write down some of those responses—and the result is the play Word Clouds.

Beowulf Alley will perform its response to the Jan. 8 tragedy again this weekend with its second production of Word Clouds, with music by Tristyn Tucci. Written in the two weeks after the shooting, the play focuses on responses to the shootings in the immediate aftermath.

"We really wanted to time-capsule it," said Fenlason, who also directs the play. "These are really responses right after (it happened). There were a lot of things we didn't know about that came (out later)."

"Ultimately, we're celebrating a fantastic moment where people came together in Tucson in the wake of something awful. People were doing amazing things almost all the time. We don't need a tsunami or shots fired to do amazing things. Maybe we can just do them all the time."

Fenlason also hopes the performance will encourage playgoers to share their own responses with each other.

Ben Hoffman and Nicole Scott in Word Clouds.

Read the entire article here: Re-enacting the Response | Pick of the Week | Tucson Weekly

Local theater to perform play discussing the Tucson shooting

2012-01-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

Local theater to perform play discussing the Tucson shooting:

Posted: Jan 05, 2012 1:24 AMUpdated: Jan 05, 2012 1:24 AM

By Sonu Wasu

KOLD TV

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) -

A group of actors from the Beowulf Alley theater will be performing a play depicting the reactions of everyday community members, after the January 8th shooting at Safeway.

One year ago, Jared Loughner opened fire outside the Safeway Store on Oracle Road. . Six people were killed that day, and several others, including U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.

"It's one of those things where you remember exactly where you were that day, what you were eating, what you were wearing, when you got the news," said Tristyn Tucci, a performer in the play.

Tucci was playing a singer-song writer in the play, a character similar to herself. The only way she knew to express her emotions about the tragedy was to put it in a song.

The play titled "Word Clouds" was written and directed by Michael Fenlason, the artistic director of Beowulf Alley.

The play featured about 8 actors, all depicting real life characters. A woman who was shopping at Safeway when the shooting took place, a UMC trauma nurse who decided not to have a child after the shooting, a man who believed in gun control, and a man who believed in gun regulation, all had voices in the play.

For Fenlason, the January 8th tragedy was also a day that Tucson stood out in front of the world.

"Admittedly, it began with something horrible, but it ended with a million love stories and fantastic moving stories," said Fenlason.

He was talking about the victims. A husband who shielded his wife from the bullets, an aide who performed CPR on his boss, victims who tried to take down the gunman even after they had been shot. Fenlason said the tragedy brought out stories of heroism, courage, sacrifice, and bravery.

One of the worst days in Tucson history was also one that brought out the best, in a community that showed the world they know how to come together.

A day when lives were torn apart, but Tucson came together.

A big city that was so spread out seemed like a small town.

Fenlason said they planned to donate about 25% of the proceeds raised from the play to the Community Food Bank.

"After the events happened that day, I believe it was Mark Kelly who said we would just like you to donate to the food bank. I'm going to honor that and do what Mr. Kelly says, and donate to the food bank," said Fenlason.

You can catch the "Word Clouds" performance at the Beowulf Alley theater downtown on Friday, January 6th and Saturday, January 7th at 7:30.

Tickets cost $12.

The audience will have a chance to share their emotions, ask questions, and express themselves after the performance.

Play is about reactions to Jan. 8

2012-01-05T04:17:00.000-08:00

Play is about reactions to Jan. 8:
Kathleen Allen

Arizona Daily Star

About a year ago, some folks from Beowulf Alley Theatre got together to discuss plays.

But just days before, six people were killed and 13 wounded, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in a shooting outside a northwest-side Safeway.

Discussing plays is not what this group wanted to do.

But writing one in response to the Jan. 8 tragedy - that was a different story.

The result was "Word Clouds," which Beowulf Alley will stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

"The play is about Tucson's reactions: the ordinary and extraordinary people that make up our city and how we came together with dignity and love in the face of terrible violence," wrote the company's artistic director, Michael Fenlason, in an email.

"In some ways, the play turned out to be prescient one year later. As a theatre guy, I can tell you that every tragedy has a love story. This one had about a million."

Tickets are $12. Beowulf is at 11 S. Sixth Ave. Call 882-0555 or go to Beowulf's website, beowulfalley.org for more information.

2011-12-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

'A Cactus Christmas' could become local tradition:
THEATER REVIEW
'A Cactus Christmas' could become local tradition
Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Sunday, December 18, 2011

Beowulf Alley Theatre is on to something.

The company is staging the world premiere of Tucsonan John Vornholt's sweet play, "A Cactus Christmas."

The intention is to bring it back annually, and it's got the potential to become a holiday tradition in the Old Pueblo.

...there's a charm to "A Cactus Christmas."

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEOWULF ALLEY

Jon Benda, left, and Joseph Sanchez in Beowulf Alley Theatre's "A Cactus Christmas."

The play is a gentle, heartfelt story of prospectors Pete and his wife, Alice, who have holed up in an Arizona ghost town in search of a lost treasure.

Vornholt's script speaks of the Southwest cleverly and sometimes eloquently. "The sky," says Mona when she looks up and sees the stars, "looks like sugar sprinkled on black velvet."

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/a-cactus-christmas-could-become-local-tradition/article_362d2c39-0e73-572c-927f-0e86e4c83a73.html#ixzz1h8hR2E6f

A CACTUS CHRISTMAS" STARTS A NEW TRADITION

2011-12-12T19:53:00.001-08:00

A Cactus Christmas: "A CACTUS CHRISTMAS" STARTS A NEW TRADITION"
by Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com

Beowulf Alley put its Christmas trust in a production that feels honest, heartfelt and homespun.

It would take a real Scrooge to complain about the production values of this "Cactus Christmas."

Versatile theater veteran Jon T. Benda sets the pace with a campy portrayal of Pete the old desert rat who has dreamed for years of discovering the Treasure Trove of the Lost Turk, which he is convinced is hidden somewhere in the forgotten ghost town of Wishbone, Arizona.

Instead of pretending that Tucson is London in the time of Charles Dickens, or imagining you are on a family sleigh ride over the river and through the snowdrifts to Grandmother's house, have a more distinctly Sonoran desert experience in a Christmas play with Tucson's own southwestern lore.

Read the entire review here: A Cactus Christmas

A CACTUS CHRISTMAS" STARTS A NEW TRADITION

2011-12-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

A Cactus Christmas: "A CACTUS CHRISTMAS" STARTS A NEW TRADITION"
by Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com

Beowulf Alley put its Christmas trust in a production that feels honest, heartfelt and homespun.

It would take a real Scrooge to complain about the production values of this "Cactus Christmas."

Read the entire review here: A Cactus Christmas

World premiere of "A Cactus Christmas"

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

12/9/2011

Tonight is opening night for the world premiere of "A Cactus Christmas" at Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, 11 S. Sixth St. The family-friendly play, suitable for children 6 and older, tells the story of a couple of desert rats who've taken up residence in the ghost town of Wishbone and they try to take advantage of a visiting family of well-off Easterners, only to be thwarted by an interfering ghosts.

The play comes from the imagination of by local writer John Vornholt, who is director of Beowulf's Active Imagination Theatre. Performances of "A Cactus Christmas" continue through Dec. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays."

From: Holidays aren’t complete without seeing ‘Messiah’ - Inside Tucson Business: Arts And Culture

2011-11-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

El Sol Briefs - The Explorer: El Sol:

Local girl to star in holiday production

Samara Attridge, 14, will help save the holidays when she appears in “A Cactus Christmas” Dec. 10-24 at the Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S. 6th Ave. in downtown Tucson.

The former Cross Middle School student starred as Belle in the school’s musical production of “Beauty and the Beast” during the last school year.

The cast also includes Jon Benda, Sydney Flynn, Jared Stokes, Meagan Jones and Joseph Sanchez. It is directed by Pat Timm.

This original script was written for Beowulf Alley as a family-friendly tale for the holidays by Tucson’s own John Vornholt.

The story takes place in the ghost town of Wishbone, AZ., home of the Yellow Dog Saloon. It’s a broken-down place that hasn’t been used in a century or so except as a home for two “desert rats” named Pete and Alice, who have declared squatters’ rights. In reality, they’re searching for the “treasure trove of the Lost Turk.”

Their solitude is broken when visitors from the East Coast arrive unexpectedly. The group’s father, Jeffrey, got to select the family’s vacation destination and he wanted to tour ghost towns. His family members prefer the resort life.

Old Pete drums up a plan to take advantage of the situation, but the town’s darned ghost keeps interfering.

Tickets are now on sale and cost $8-$19.

To order tickets, or for more information, visit www.beowulfalley.org.

Alley Cats Youth Theater

2011-10-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Theatre presents

Alley Cats Youth Theater

Join the Alley Cats! Our classes teach acting, performance, confidence and fun for ages 5-17. We create a play for our audience and also have time for fun and acting exercises. The classes culminate in a full stage production at Beowulf Alley Theatre.New classes start in 2012. Just two months away!

We offer after school, summer and weekend classes.

For more information contact alleycats@beowulfalley.org or call Michael at 520-977-5218.

http://beowulfalley.org/html/youth_program.html

'Lear' and 'God of Carnage' - worthy plays are complete opposites

2011-10-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Arizona Theatre Company & Beowulf Alley Theatre

'Lear' and 'God of Carnage' - worthy plays are complete opposites

But which one is better?

Oct 31, 2011

By Dave Irwin

TucsonSentinel.com

"Lear" is an abridged version of "King Lear," Shakespeare's complex tragedy of family and loyalty. It takes a certain amount of ego/hubris/cajones to edit Shakespeare, but only purists will object to director Michael Fenlason's thoughtful adaptation. Though he cuts a number of lines and several characters, Fenlason retains the language of the original text, including its blank verse cadence.

… the overall timing and interplay is excellent. In an effective re-write that highlights their evil, Goneril and Regan themselves blind the imprisoned Gloucester in a scene that demonstrates how creative choice, good stage blocking and a little fake blood can create a monstrous impact. Also, the final fight scene between Greengard and Guisinger as the Earl's sons was an outstanding display of stage combat skills and choreography.

Creatista/Scott Griessel

Jacob Brown as the Fool, Aaron Guisinger as Edgar, Breezy Giger as Kent and Bill Epstein as King Lear

Fenlason utilizes a young cast that draws heavily on the University of Arizona's outstanding theatre program. Four of the cast are current students or recent graduates, and Lear himself is played by University of Arizona English professor Bill Epstein in his seventh appearance on the BAT stage.

Particularly interesting were Alex Greengard as Edmond, the Earl's conniving bastard; Aaron Guisinger as Edgar, the Earl's legitimate son and rightful heir; Bree Boyd as Lear's haughty eldest daughter, Goneril; and Breezy Giger in a gender-bending performance as Lear's ubiquitous and loyal servent, the Earl of Kent.

Jacob Brown, as Lear's Fool, adds a comic note to the rage and mayhem, prancing and sing-songing his commentaries. Rounding out the cast are Kathleenn Cannon as youngest daughter Cordelia, Cody Davis as servant Oswald, Amy Loehrs as middle daughter, Regan, and Mark Klugheit as the Earl of Gloucester

Read the entire review here: http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/arts/report/103111_lear_god_carnage/lear-and-god-carnage-worthy-plays-are-complete-opposites/

"SHAKESPEARE'S LEAR" IS A KILLER

2011-10-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

LEAR

"SHAKESPEARE'S LEAR" IS A KILLER

By Chuck Graham,

TucsonStage.com

"Bill Epstein, a professor of English at the University of Arizona, does the English department proud pouring his own soul into one of the greatest plays in English literature. By the final scene, you will feel as wrung out as the actor himself, stretched out across the stage."

Read the full review here: LEAR

2011-10-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

Beowulf's taut 'Lear' still every inch a king

Tightened version of classic speaks to today's issues

Beowulf's taut 'Lear' still every inch a king

Kathleen Allen Kallen@azstarnet.com | Posted: Thursday, October 27, 2011

Michael Fenlason is, clearly, fearless.

Come this weekend, when ghosts and goblins reign, he will be mounting "Lear," his take on Shakespeare's "King Lear," at Beowulf Alley Theatre.

It's a daunting and much-loved tragedy.

CREATISTA, SCOTT GRIESSEL / BEOWULF ALLEY

Beowulf Alley Theatre's "Lear" features Jacob Brown, left, as The Fool, Aaron Guisinger as Edgar, Bri Breezy Giger as Kent and Bill Epstein as King Lear.

Scary? Sure, says Fenlason.

"But there's a lot about it that's exciting," he says, clearly relishing the excitement more than the fear.

"I wanted to do something that's a little raw and a little classic," he says, explaining why he proposed this play to Beowulf.

And, he adds, the piece, more than 400 years old, resonates today.

"The play speaks to what's going on now - division, poverty, care of the elderly. It has a lot to say to our modern society. That's the wonderful thing about Shakespeare - he's forever fresh."

"Lear" is about the aging king who wants to divide his kingdom among his three daughters.

He asks each to tell him how deeply he is loved. Two, Goneril and Regan, flatter him to no end and they receive generous parcels of land. But the youngest, Cordelia, isn't going along with this heap-on-the-flattery approach. Instead she tells him the truth - that she loves him as a daughter should.

It enrages old King Lear, who cuts Cordelia out of her share of land. All of this, of course, leads to intense human suffering, awful tragedies and great lessons. It is brilliant and bleak.

And long - a norm with Shakespeare.

But today's audiences are less tolerant of long plays, and most contemporary Shakespeare productions have shortened scripts.

Fenlason says his script cuts were done carefully.

"We tried to find places where we could tell the story and keep the language," he says. "We kept it pretty tight."

Beowulf's "Lear" will be in modern dress and American accents.

"We're trying to make it natural so audiences can relate to it," Fenlason explains.

"I don't think anyone who loves Shakespeare will be angry with me."

If you go

• What: "Lear."

• Presented by: Beowulf Alley Theatre.

• By: William Shakespeare.

• Director: Michael Fenlason.

• When: Previews at 7:30 p.m. today and opens 7:30 p.m. Friday. Regular performances are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 20.

• Where: Beowulf Alley, 11 S. Sixth Ave.

• Tickets: $15 preview; regular performances $20 in advance, $23 by phone and day of performance.

• Reservations/information: www.beowulfalley.org or 622-4460.

• Running time: 2 hours 35 minutes.

• Cast: Bree Boyd, Jacob Brown, Kate Cannon, Cody Davis, Bill Epstein, Bri Breezy Giger, Alex Greengaard, Aaron Guisinger, Mark Klugheit and Amy Loehrs.

Call for Tech People

2011-10-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Theatre

A Call for Tech People

for Lear and A Cactus Christmas

Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 South 6^th Avenue, Downtown between Broadway and Congress, is looking for the following positions for two separate productions through the end of the year.

For Lear by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Michael Fenlason, Beowulf Alley Theatre seeks a Lighting Designer. Run-throughs will begin in about a week, hang and focus during the week of October 17 with tech to follow beginning on October 22. Performances begin October 27th and continue through November 20th.

For A Cactus Christmas by John Vornholt, directed by Pat Timm, Beowulf Alley Theatre seeks a Lighting Designer, Props Coordinator and Sound Designer. Rehearsals will begin the last week of October, tech will begin on December 1 and performances are December 8th through December 24th.

Interested parties should contact Michael Fenlason at 520-977-5218.

Old Time Radio Theatre in October

2011-10-03T10:07:00.001-07:00

OLD TIME RADIO THEATRE

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Performances for the Month of October, 2011

Beowulf Alley Theatre’s Old Time Radio Theatre Company will present classic productions and reproductions from the golden days of radio at the theatre, 11 South 6^th Avenue (Downtown between Broadway and Congress). Performances in October will be Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on October 4, and October 18, 2011. Tickets purchased online at www.beowulfalley.org at least the day before a performance are $8.00. Tickets by phone or at the door are $10. Children 12 years and under are free. The box office phone number is (520) 882-0555.

October 4, 2011

MA PERKINS (1935)

Ma Perkins (sometimes called Oxydol's Own Ma Perkins) is an American radio soap opera which was heard on NBC from 1933 to 1949 and on CBS from 1942 to 1960. Between 1942 and 1949, the show was heard simultaneously on both networks. OXYDOL dropped its sponsorship in 1956. Ma Perkins began August 14, 1933 on WLW in Cincinnati. On December 4 of that year, it graduated to the NBC Red network. On NBC and CBS the series ran for a total of 7,065 episodes thru November 25, 1960. "America’s Mother of the Air" was portrayed by actress Virginia Wade who began the role at the age of 23 and never missed a performance during the program's 27-year run. Kindly, trusting widow, Ma Perkins, had a big heart and a great love of humanity. She always offered her homespun philosophy to troubled souls in need of advice.

SUSPENSE: Leiningen vs. the Ants (January 14, 1948)

Leiningen Versus the Ants is a classic short story published in the December 1938 edition of Esquire. The story centers on a scrappy, no-nonsense plantation owner called Leiningen (his first name is never mentioned in the story), and his stubborn refusal to abandon his plantation in the face of a seemingly unstoppable mass of army ants described as "an elemental—an act of God.”

The district commissioner (who narrates the radio adaptation in the first person) describes the threat Leiningen faces: "Ten miles long, two miles wide—ants, nothing but ants!” Additionally, each ant is approximately the size of a man's thumb and wants to consume any form of life that falls in its path. It is also mentioned that they can completely pick the flesh from a deer in six minutes.

This special encore presentation was presented at Beowulf Alley on December 31, 2009 to a sold-out audience. Amazing sound effects.

October 18, 2011

OZZIE & HARRIET: Haunted House

Ozzie Nelson & his orchestra gained national network radio exposure after appearing at a chance booking at the Glen Island Casino in the 30’s. Ozzie and his lead singer, Harriet Hilliard, married in October 8, 1938, during this series’ run, and realized working together in radio would keep them together more than continuing their musical careers separately. They became part of The Red Skelton Show, as performers and musicians. When Skelton was drafted in March 1944, Ozzie Nelson was prompted to create his own family situation comedy. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet launched on CBS on October 8, 1944, moving to NBC in October 1948, and making a late-season switch back to CBS in April 1949. The final years of the radio series were on ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) from October 14, 1949 to June 18, 1954. In total 402 radio episodes were produced. In an arrangement that amplified the growing pains of American broadcasting, as radio "grew up" into television, the Nelsons' deal with ABC gave the network the option to move their program to television. The struggling network needed proven talent that was not about to defect to the more established and wealthier networks like CBS or NBC. In Haunted House, Ozzie tries to prove to his sons that there’s no such thing as ghosts.

MERCURY THEATRE: Dracula

The Mercury Theatre was founded in NYC in 1937 by Orson Welles and John Houseman. After a string of live theatrical productions, in 1938 the Mercury Theatre progressed into their best-known period as The Mercury Theatre on the Air, a radio series that included one of the most notable and infamous radio broadcasts of all time, The War of the Worlds, broadcast on October 30, 1938. The Mercury Theatre on the Air produced live radio dramas in 1938–1940 and again briefly in 1946. The Mercury Theatre troupe included Carl Frank, Joseph Cotton, Martin Gabel, Vincent Price, Agnes Moorhead, Ray Collins, Hans Conreid, Paul Stewart, Will Geer, George Coulouris, Olive Stanton and Everett Horton. Other screen and television performers, like Betty Garrett, Anne Baxter and Judy Holliday also appeared in productions in smaller parts. This evening, we will present a Halloween special, the Classic tale of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Directed by Sheldon Metz, the OTRT Ensemble Company includes: Ryan Amstutz, Jon Benda, Denise Blum, Butch Bryant, Samantha Cormier, Gerri Courtney-Austein, Laura Davenport, Samuel DeJesus, Evan Engle, Bill Epstein, Sydney Flynn, Vince Flynn, Audrey Ann Gambach, Brian Scott Hale, Barbara Glover, Meagan Jones, Bill La Pointe, Elizabeth Leadon, Lois Lederman, Butch Lynn, Steve McKee, Charlie Middagh, Whitney Morton, Joan O’Dwyer, Robert Anthony Peters, Shannon Brooke Rzuildo, Mike Saxon, Ina Shivak, Pat Timm, Terry Thure, Jared Stokes, and John Vornholt.

Cactus Pants Cowboy - Saturdays, October 2nd, October 8

2011-10-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley’s Late Night Theatre presents

Cactus Pants Cowboy

The Comedy Collective

Late Night Theatre at Beowulf Alley, 11 South 6^th Avenue, Downtown between Broadway and Congress, presents Cactus Pants Cowboy (formerly Grendel’s Mom). Performances are on Saturday, October 8 at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

For these special performances for Downtown 2^nd Saturdays, a recommended donation to see each show is $5 at the door.

Cactus Pants Cowboy is Tucson’s own premiere comedy troupe featuring the comic stylings of

Evan Engle, Brian Hanson, Tara Kleinbrink, Eric and Scott O’Brien, Josh Parra and Tristyn Tucci. The troupe presents brand new material as well as classic sketches like Hobo Cop and I Love You, Sean Bean. This comedy group has adult themes and language, and may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Cactus Pants Cowboy has performed previously under the name Grendel’s Mom but became distraught by the tenuous connection to Angelina Jolie and classic Old English literature. The performance lasts a little less than an hour. Is there any better way to celebrate a Saturday in Downtown Tucson than to laugh? Wait, we didn’t mean it like that… Come see Cactus Pants Cowboy!

Lunch and a play, makes for a a different lunch-hour Friday

2011-09-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

Lunch and a play, makes for a a different lunch-hour Friday - Inside Tucson Business: Arts And Culture:

Lunch and a play, makes for a a different lunch-hour Friday

Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, 11 S. Sixth Ave., has a great way for downtown workers to combine their lunch hour with some theater. It's called "Out To Lunch Theatre," a program of half-hour plays by local playwrights.

Patrons can bring their own lunch or order a brown bag lunch in advance online - www.beowulfalley.org/ . Cost is $6 for the play alone, $12 for the play, a veggie sandwich, chips and a drink, or $13 for a chicken sandwich, chips and a drink.

There is a performance today (Sept. 23) at 12:15 p.m. and another at the same time next Friday (Sept. 30).

The play is titled "Hang Down Your Head, Doris Dooley" and is based on one of Out To Lunch Theatre's earlier productions, "Waiting for Norma," written by David Sewell. Set in Casey's Watering Hole, a place on the way to somewhere else, Virge the bar keep and crazy Sadie serve as a backdrop for the various and sundry characters drifting in and out of the hole, serving up sunflower seeds and the spirit of the moment.

2011-09-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

Tucson Weekly | Best Of Tucson® 2011 | Arts & Culture | Best Place to See Original Plays:

Best Place to See Original Plays

Tucson

Tucson Weekly Staff Pick

Where can you see exciting new plays being produced around these parts? Almost anywhere, it turns out, because Tucson's theaters produce an extraordinary number of new works, often by local writers. This year saw The Rogue's The Decameron by Patrick Baliani, and Ten Chimneys by Jeffrey Hatcher at Arizona Theatre Company. Beowulf Alley Theatre Company had Fronting the Order by Warren G. Bodow and Head: The Musical by Kevin Fry, in addition to their annual Page on the Stage Festival. Winding Road Theater Ensemble produced Toni Press-Coffman's Armor, and Live Theatre Workshop's Etcetera series presented Christopher Johnson's The Eating Disorder Talent Show, andHigh Crimes, a musical by Damian Lemar Hudson. Borderlands Theater had two premieres: Kara Hartzler's No Roosters in the Desertand Martin Zimmerman's White Tie Ball—as well as the annual update of A Tucson Pastorella. Add to that the locally written escapades at the Gaslight Theatre, and the very first Tucson Fringe Theater Festival, and you have a theater community that truly deserves commendation.

2011-09-09T03:50:00.000-07:00

'Rough Crossing' director Sewell:

5 QUESTIONS WITH …

'Rough Crossing' director Sewell

Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, September 9, 2011

When it comes to Tom Stoppard, it's tough to go wrong.

Which may be why Beowulf Alley Theatre is opening its season with Stoppard's comedy "Rough Crossing."

We put five questions about the play to director Dave Sewell.

From left, Richard Chaney, Matt Brown, David Swisher and Brian Scott Hale - button-pushing characters in Beowulf Alley Theatre's production of Tom Stoppard's "Rough Crossing."

Photo credit: Creatista

Tucson: Beowulf Alley Theatre Auditions

2011-08-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Audition Notices

Beowulf Alley Theatre

We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!

We Won't Pay!, We Won't Pay! by Dario Fo, adapted by Ron Jensen, is in need of two male actors to fill roles; one is age 30-45, married to Antonia and the other plays multiple roles-ages 35-75. Must be able to handle Italian dialect and be adept at physical comedy.

Auditions, consisting of cold readings from the script, will be held Monday, September 12, 6-8PM at Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 South Sixth Avenue. Rehearsals begin mid-December 2011. Performances run Fridays – Sundays from January 26-February 19, 2012. Contact Susan Arnold at smarnold@dakotacom.net for information or to schedule an audition slot.

A Cactus Christmas

Includes Youth Roles

(Tucson, AZ) Beowulf Alley Theatre, at 11 South 6^th Avenue, 85701, will hold auditions for its world premiere of A Cactus Christmas, directed by Pat Timm, on Saturday, August 27^th from 2-5 p.m. with callbacks on Sunday, August 28^th, 2-5 p.m. Auditions will be by cold reading of this original script. Details of the production are listed below. For additional information, please contact Pat Timm at ptonstage@gmail.com or by phone at 520.883.8191 (please leave a message).

A Cactus Christmas, by John Vornholt, is a family-friendly, holiday romp in a ghost town in Wishbone, Arizona.

When a pair of desert rats, holed up in a ghost town encounter a city family, they conjure up a spirited plan to protect the gold that they’re sure is right under their noses.

Character descriptions:

Pete - Desert rat and treasure hunter, worn looking 50s

Alice - Pete's wife and fellow desert rat, not as worn looking 50s

Jeffrey - Dad, looks about 40

Mona - Mom, looks about 35

Felicia - Daughter, looks about 14

Royce - Son, looks about 11

Ghost – looks…well, you know…

Anticipated rehearsals, performance schedule and time commitment.

First meeting/read-thru possible sometime in the week of September 12, 2011. Rehearsals will begin approximately October 24, 2011, days and times to be determined once cast is selected. Tech Rehearsal/Cue-to-cue will be on the weekend of December 3^rd, 2011 and run through the Preview performance on December 8th. Performance dates begin on Thursday, December 8 and run Wednesdays through Sundays, closing with a matinee on Saturday, December 24. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. and matinees are at 2:30 p.m.

Cactus Pants Cowboy, August 19-20

2011-08-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley’s Late Night Theatre presents

Cactus Pants Cowboy

The Comedy Collective

Late Night Theatre at Beowulf Alley, 11 South 6^th Avenue, Downtown between Broadway and Congress, presents Cactus Pants Cowboy (formerly Grendel’s Mom). Performances for this very special event are on Friday and Saturday August 19^th and 20^th at, 10:00 p.m.

Take advantage of the pre-performance ticket price of $8 each until August 18! Purchase online at www.beowulfalley.org or by phone at (520) 882-0555. On the days of performance, all tickets are $10 at the door the night of performance. For additional information, please call (520) 977-5218 or (520) 882-0555.

Cactus Pants Cowboy is Tucson’s own premiere comedy troupe featuring the comic stylings of

Evan Engle, Brian Hanson, Tara Kleinbrink, Eric and Scott O’Brien and Tristyn Tucci. The troupe presents brand new material as well as classic sketches like Hobo Cop and I Love You, Sean Bean. This comedy group has adult themes and language, and may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Cactus Pants Cowboy has performed previously under the name Grendel’s Mom but became distraught by the tenuous connection to Angelina Jolie and classic Old English literature. The performance lasts a little less than an hour. Is there any better way to celebrate Tucson’s birthday than to laugh? Wait, we didn’t mean it like that. Happy Birthday, Tucson! Come see Cactus Pants Cowboy!

------------------------------------------------------------

TucsonStage.com - home of Chuck Graham's "Let the Show Begin"

Visit the website for TTA Listserv subscription information

Final Weekend Beowulf Alley Theatre's PAGE ON THE STAGE

2011-07-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Theatre’s

PAGE ON THE STAGE

THE OUTRAGEOUS NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2011

Final Weekend

Beowulf Alley Theatre’s Page on the Stage program offers its three new and exciting plays in FINAL workshop productions July 21^st through the 24^th at Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 South 6^th Avenue, downtown between Broadway and Congress.

Devin Gorman’s Icon tells the funny and moving story of a writer and artist who is catapulted to fame, and her dark secrets to get her there. Performance dates and times: Thursday, July 21; Saturday, July 23, both at 7:30 p.m.

“In Icon, Devin Gorman keeps the secret motivations of her characters so well disguised that when the neurotic muse-for-hire, hilariously played by Richard Cheney, uncovers the truth, you still can’t believe it. I found myself wanting more when the lights came up.” – a patron at post-show discussion

Jonathan Northover’s You Do Not Want to See This is a twisting, turning mystery of two defense lawyers and two suspects to a terrible crime. Performance dates and times: Friday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 24 at 2:00 p.m.

“The relationship between the two childhood friends accused of a heinous crime was artfully played in the fashion of George and Lennie in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men; and Northover scripts a twisting plot to a surprising conclusion making You Do Not Want to See This something you can’t stop watching.” – a patron at post-show discussion

Gavin Kayner’s Stephen’s Syndrome is a dark, funny, frightening meditation on illness, the past and the power of (dysfunctional) love. Performance date and time: Saturday, July 23 at 2:00 p.m.

“Awesome play, fantastic actors. Go see it if you can.” – a patron’s Facebook comment

Tickets are available online at www.beowulfalley.org, by phone at (520) 882-0555 or at the door the day of performance. $36 for 3-play package or 1 play for $15.

Hamlet at Beowulf Alley, July 29-Aug 13

2011-07-20T07:08:00.001-07:00

LATE NIGHT THEATRE

HAMLET 1.0

by William Shakespeare

Late Night Theatre at Beowulf Alley, 11 S. 6^th Avenue between Broadway and Congress, presents Hamlet 1.0 by William Shakespeare, July 29, 30, August 5, 6, 12 and 13 at 7:30 PM. For more information, contact Michael Fenlason at 520-977-5218.

Hamlet 1.0 is a multimedia, multiplatform telling of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy using Shakespeare’s language, original music and multimedia. Hamlet’s father has been murdered. Will Hamlet avenge the death?

Pre-opening ticket special: just $8, online at www.beowulfalley.org or by phone at (520) 882-0555. After July 28, tickets are just $10 online, by phone or at the door.

Tucson: Old Time Radio Theatre at Beowulf Alley, Sept 2011

2011-07-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

OLD TIME RADIO THEATRE

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Performances for the Month of September, 2011

Beowulf Alley Theatre’s Old Time Radio Theatre Company will present classic productions and reproductions from the golden days of radio at the theatre, 11 South 6^th Avenue (Downtown between Broadway and Congress). Performances in (month) will be at 7 p.m. on September 6 and September 20. Tickets purchased online at www.beowulfalley.org at least the day before a performance are $8.00. Tickets by phone or at the door are $10. Children 12 years and under are free. The box office phone number is (520) 882-0555.

September 6, 2011

RAISING JUNIOR

SUSPENSE: The Dark Tower

Raising Junior was a 15-minute comedy-strip show broadcast on the Blue Network from 1930-32. The show was heard daily, six days a week at 6 p. m. A domestic comedy, its major claim to fame was the discovery of Walter Tetley as a major radio character. Actor Ray Knight snatched the 9-year-old Tetley off an elevator and placed him before a microphone when the actor who was to play Bobby failed to appear. Tetley went on to appear on thousands of broadcasts (over 2,300 appearances on 150 separate series) in the late ‘30’s. He appeared on such notable shows as The Fred Allen Show, Easy Aces, The Great Gildersleeve, and The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show.

Suspense was one of the premier drama series of the Golden Age of Radio, broadcast on CBS Radio from 1942 through 1962. Subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills," it focused on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era. Approximately 945 episodes were broadcast during its long run, and more than 900 still exist. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and director/producers. Formula plot devices were followed for all but a handful of episodes: the protagonist was usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation; solutions were "withheld until the last possible second"; and evildoers were usually punished in the end. This lighter episode, The Dark Tower, was adapted from a story by George S. Kaufman and Alexander Wolcott, and starred Orson Welles as a parody of himself.

(2^nd Date)

EASY ACES: Jane Thinks Mink

ESCAPE: The Abominable Snowman

Easy Aces, a long-running American serial radio comedy, ran from 1930-1945. It was trademarked by the low-keyed drollery of creator and writer Goodman Ace and his wife, Jane, as an urbane, put-upon realtor and his malaprop-prone wife. A 15-minute program, it aired three times at week at first and later, twice a week for 30 minutes. Its unobtrusive, conversational, and clever style, and the cheerful absurdism of its story-lines, built a loyal enough audience of listeners and critics alike to keep it on the air for 15 years. “The laughs on the other foot.”

ESCAPE was first performed on September 13, 1953. The famous opening to the show, often worded to suit the events of the moment or season, warns the intrepid radio listener of adventure that is anything but... everyday. Like its sister show on the radio, Suspense, it is considered one of the top shows ever done on radio. Escape takes you on a ride into a world where danger comes in many forms, and you are on the edge of life and death, and perhaps you are being pushed! When Escape says romantic, we're not talking kissing, perhaps those kisses might be from teeming piranha! Escape is more Devil's Island than Fantasy Island. And it is wonderful adventure radio for the whole family, especially Dad.

The Abominable Snowman begins in Darjeeling, India as three men are about to embark on an expedition to capture one of the Yeti, the mysterious creatures reported by mountain climbing expeditions in the Himalayas since the early Twentieth Century. They hire a sherpa guide named Nasang who claims to have seen one. We learn from Nasang that the Yeti, also called the "Metoh-Kangmi", have evil faces. Nasang informs them that he is unable to hire any porters for their expedition because the locals are afraid of upsetting the Yeti, who are cannibals. So, the four men start climbing Mt. Everest on their own. One by one, their small expedition faces the challenges of the mountain and an Abominable Snowman. They sometimes leap and sometimes they run in great strides. He warns them that trying to capture one "will be a difficult thing." Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of … romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you … ESCAPE!

Directed by Sheldon Metz, the OTRT Ensemble Company includes: Ryan Amstutz, Jon Benda, Denise Blum, Butch Bryant, Samantha Cormier, Gerri Courtney-Austein, Laura Davenport, Samuel DeJesus, Evan Engle, Bill Epstein, Sydney Flynn, Vince Flynn, Audrey Ann Gambach, Brian Hale,Barbara Glover, Meagan Jones, Bill La Pointe, Elizabeth Leadon, Lois Lederman, Butch Lynn, Steve McKee, Charlie Middagh, Whitney Morton, Joan O’Dwyer, Robert Anthony Peters, Shannon Brooke Rzuildo, Mike Saxon, Ina Shivak, Pat Timm, Terry Thure, Jared Stokes, John Vornholt.

Theater Is Born | Review | Tucson Weekly

2011-07-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Theater Is Born | Review | Tucson Weekly

Theater Is Born

Beowulf Alley shows off three brand-new plays written by Tucsonans

by Sherilyn Forrester

Playwrights need to see their developing plays "on their feet." It's not enough for the play to be given a reading, although readings can be helpful. New plays need a stage, a director, actors who are "off-book," and enough technical embellishment to provide a real sense of how—or if—

the plays actually work. Playwrights—unlike poets and novelists, who can labor alone in their garrets—are collaborators.

Beowulf Alley Theatre is lending its support to developing plays with the "Page on the Stage" event, which happens over the next three weekends. Three new plays authored by Tucson playwrights will be presented to that other critical collaborator—the audience.

Michael Fenlason is the coordinator of this summer's festival, which is in its second year.

"The plays are given almost-full productions—they're not just readings," he explains. "This shows your faults and your strengths almost immediately."

Renata Rauschen and Richard Chaney in Icon, part of "Page on the Stage."

Fenlason says, "This does attract perhaps a more adventurous audience, but these are smart writers talking about interesting things in ways never seen before. This could be the first step to becoming a great play—and you saw it first."

Read the entire article here: Theater Is Born | Review | Tucson Weekly

Your're Invited - Community party celebrating 10 years in Tucson

2011-06-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Celebrate with Us!

On July 1st, 2011, Beowulf Alley Theatre Company, 11 South 6^th Avenue, is hosting a community party. We’re celebrating 10 years in Tucson and you’re invited! Whether you have been involved with Beowulf before, have attended performances, or are new to us, all are welcome to our Downtown location with our brightly lit marquee. Bring your neighbors, friends and family.

Come together, learn what we have to offer, share ideas, explore volunteering, even submit suggestions for possible plays or activities to experience at Beowulf. We invite you to engage with Board Members, the Managing Director, Directors and Program Chairs as well as those who participate as actors and technicians for our various programs.

Thanks to our visual arts partner, The Drawing Studio, we will begin our celebration with a 2 p.m. afternoon gallery display by noted artist Andrew Rush of his enlarged giclee prints of Tucson cultural program booklet covers from 1977 to 1984. There will also be tours of the theatre. As the evening progresses, from about 6p – 11p, look for live performances, including live music, samples of what is to come from Beowulf and its various programs and even a video presentation. A silent auction with some wonderful items will be part of the event. Drinks and light food will be available. A donation to support our community work is appreciated. PLEASE bring your friends, your family, EVERYONE! Please help us spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, whatever you can. This is a great way for you to experience and learn about our community of theatre.

Do you work with another non-profit organization in the community that might like to team up with Beowulf to do some good? PLEASE let them know that we want to partner with other organizations to pursue a common goal of building and sustaining a strong, thriving, caring community. We are seeking volunteers for this event so if you can share a few hours, please contact Tristyn at contactlatenight@gmail.com.

We know how spontaneous our community is but we need some idea of how many will be attending. Please send us a reply to contactlatenight@gmail.com. Tell us Yes, No or Maybe, your name and how many might be coming just so we can get a rough idea of attendance, and please do not hesitate to ask questions. Please help support and promote not only Theatre Arts, but All Arts and the impact they have on the community and local economy, and the way they can truly help a community learn, grow and thrive. Thank you for your support throughout our 10 years.

PAGE ON THE STAGE - THE OUTRAGEOUS NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2011

2011-06-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Theatre’s

PAGE ON THE STAGE

THE OUTRAGEOUS NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2011

Beowulf Alley Theatre’s Page on the Stage program presents three new and exciting plays in workshop productions July 7^th through the 24^th at Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 South 6^th Avenue, downtown between Broadway and Congress.

Devin Gorman’s Icon tells the funny and moving story of a writer and artist who is catapulted to fame, and her dark secrets to get her there.

Jonathan Northover’s You Do Not Want to See This is a twisting, turning mystery of two defense lawyers and two suspects to a terrible crime

and

Gavin Kayner’s Stephen’s Syndrome is a dark, funny frightening meditation on illness, the past and the power of (dysfunctional) love.

Page on the Stage plays will play in repertory beginning July 7^th. Please check beowulfalley.org for dates of each individual play. Show times are 7:30 PM and 2:00 PM weekend matinees, Thursday through Sunday.

Pre-opening ticket special: $30 for a 3-play package or 1 play for $12 online at www.beowulfalley.org or by phone at (520) 882-0555. After July 6, $36 for 3-play package or 1 play for $15.

LNT presents HAMLET 1.0 by William Shakespeare

2011-06-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

LATE NIGHT THEATRE

HAMLET 1.0

by William Shakespeare

Alex Greengaard as Hamlet

Hamlet 1.0 is a multimedia, multiplatform telling of

Shakespeare’s classic tragedy using Shakespeare’s

language, original music and multimedia. Hamlet’s father has been murdered. Will Hamlet avenge the death?

Pre-opening ticket special: just $8, online at www.beowulfalley.org or by phone at (520) 882-0555. After July 28, tickets are just $10 online, by phone or at the door.

Andrew Rush Giclee Prints | Beowulf Alley Theatre Company | Art | Tucson Weekly

2011-06-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Andrew Rush Giclee Prints | Beowulf Alley Theatre Company | Art | Tucson Weekly

Andrew Rush Giclee Prints

When: Fridays, Saturdays, 6:45-7:30 p.m., Sundays, 1:45-2:30 p.m. and Fri., July 1, 2-6 p.m. Continues through July 31

Enlarged prints of Tucson cultural program booklet covers from 1977 to 1984 are exhibited in the lobby of Beowulf Alley at 6:45 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and at 1:45 p.m., Sunday through Sunday, July 31; and at the theater's anniversary celebration from 2 to 6 p.m., Friday, July 1. Free. The works also may be seen by appointment. Call for more information.

Best Of
Beowulf Alley Theatre Company
- CENTRAL 11 S. Sixth Ave.
- (520) 882-0555
- www.beowulfalley.org/

Hamlet 1.0 Audition - Late Night Theatre

2011-06-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hamlet 1.0 Audition

Late Night Theatre

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Auditions will be held at Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S. 6th Avenue, Saturday June 11th from 10:30am-12:00pm to fill the role of Claudius in Beowulf Alley Theatre's Late Night production of Hamlet 1.0. No prepared monologue is necessary. Cold readings from the script sides will be provided. Both men and women will be considered for the role. No appointment is necessary. Please bring a resume and headshot if available or you can email them to contactlatenight@gmail.com.

Rehearsals are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 10pm and are just beginning. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays, July 29th through August 13th at 7:30pm.

For questions, please e-mail contactlatenight@gmail.com.

Supplemental Auditions For Rough Crossing

2011-06-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Holds Supplemental Auditions For

Rough Crossing

by Tom Stoppard

Beowulf Alley Theatre Company announces supplemental auditions for Tom Stoppard’s Rough Crossing, on Wednesday, June 8^th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the Theatre, 11 S. 6^th Avenue, Downtown.

Rough Crossing is a delightful 1920s show-biz farce (with musical numbers by Andre Previn). Only two roles remain to be cast and they are both excellent parts for men 40-60. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Actors are asked to prepare a short song* (about 1 minute in length). Character descriptions are below.

ALEX GAL (GAHL): Middle aged playwright, half of the famous team of Turai and Gal, who are working on their next smash hit, The Cruise of the Dodo. Mr. Gal is quick, witty, and never far from the buffet table (but he need not look overweight or gluttonous).

IVOR FISH: Actor, aged 45 to 50. He has been playing the young and handsome rogue hero for going on 30 years. He still carries a torch for his perennial co-star Natasha Navratilova, though of course, he is married to someone else.

The production is directed by Dave Sewell (Arcadia, Wait Until Dark, The Transylvanian Clockworks) and will run September 8^th – October 2^nd. Rehearsals are scheduled to begin late July. Email Dave at dndsewell@cox.net for questions or more information. Note: street parking is free downtown after 5, as is the lot at 6^th Avenue and Broadway (behind the Chicago Store).

*Those concerned about singing outside of the shower need not worry. Both roles involve singing in a group: a great voice is not required. The ability to carry a tune in a wheelbarrow would be helpful.

Tolerance in Tucson - Staged Reading

2011-05-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Tolerance in Tucson

What does Igor the Hunchback; Flatulence Jack; a Samurai and an old Arizona cowboy have in common with a Black, Jewish and gay Mayor (the trifecta of hate) and a Hispanic Sheriff with a Greek stepfather who thinks he’s the essence of Dirty Harry and Kojak?

These quirky, silly and lovable characters are an integral part of the ensemble cast of Tolerance; a staged reading (live theatre performance) of a short film premiering at the Beowulf Alley Theatre, Wednesday, May 25^th at 7:30 pm. The Beowulf Alley Theatre is located in Tucson at 11 South 6^th Avenue. Admission to the performance is free but reservations are required and can be made by calling 520-360-0565 or by emailing rhellertucson@gmail.com.

According to Randall Heller, producer and author of the film, “Tolerance is a political satire that deals with human and civil rights issues including racial and social injustice, intolerance, hate, bigotry and violence. Ultimately, the message of the film is unity through diversity achieved by non-violent interaction and cooperation.”

“Besides being a conduit for the compelling issues of our time,” continued Heller, “Tolerance is also a silly, sophomoric project that pays homage to the films of Mel Brooks, to Airplane, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dirty Harry and Kojak along with a little Abbot and Costello thrown in.”

Heller said he has been working on the project for more than a year. He also said he decided to produce the project as a staged reading, using more than 20 local actors in a live theatre venue, as a way of working out any potential kinks in the script as well as a way to generate some excitement and interest in the project.

“Our country, said Heller, “faces enormous challenges including the economy, jobs, education, lack of affordable health care for all and immigration reform. But instead of working together to solve these issues; certain groups and media pundits are spewing out hateful, divisive rhetoric challenging the legitimacy of our President; or adopting the attitude that ‘I’ve got mine so I don’t need to worry about yours;’ or forgetting the fact that education and affordable health care for all will allow this great country to compete in a global market, notwithstanding that it is a moral imperative and a basic tenet of the Judeo-Christian religions; or simply ignoring the fact that immigrants from all countries including Mexico helped build our great country.”

“Ultimately,” concluded Heller, “Tolerance is about love, kindness, compassion and respect. And as the Old Cowboy says, understanding that these words and acts are gifts from God, gifts that make us stronger and provide the grit, the backbone we all need to stare down hatred, intolerance and bigotry.”

Some heady fun, for sure

2011-05-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Some heady fun, for sure

by Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, May 13, 2011

"Head: The Musical," playing at Beowulf Alley Theatre

The take-off of the 1962 B film 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die' is chockfull of campy characters, ridiculous situations and over-the-top songs. How can you not love it?

SCOTT GRIESSEL / COURTESY OF BEOWULF ALLEY THEATRE

Kristina Sloan is the bodiless Jan, and Jim Klingenfus is the mad Dr. Cortner's assistant (and victim), in "Head: The Musical" at Beowulf Alley Theatre.

There are some deliciously excessive characters in this, such as Evan Werner as Seductra, one of the candidates for a body for Jan. Seductra is all glittery and sexy and male. And Werner is divine.

So is Jim Klingenfus as Dr. Cortner's assistant (and victim) in the mad doc's transplant experiments. Klingenfus hasn't been on stage in some time - it's clear he ought to pick it up again. He has a keen sense of the macabre, and the audience felt his delight in his character.

Kristina Sloan did the bodiless Jan proud - some impressive eye acting there - and the rest of the cast, Fry, Lucas Rodriguez, China Young, Scott O'Brien and Tashiana Holt, all had so much fun with the production that it was contagious.

Mickey Nugent could be a genius - the choreographer threw in some fancy footwork for the actors and made them look as though they had been hoofing it for years. And Sheldon Metz's set design of a blood-stained laboratory was downright clever.

...it'll be a campy delight to which you can't wait to introduce your friends.

Read the entire review here: Some heady fun, for sure

Thursday Specials for Head the Musical!

2011-05-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

Thursday Specials for Head the Musical!

Beowulf Alley Theatre

“An ‘R’-rated riot!”

- Kathy Allen, Arizona Daily Star

“You will never see anything like this anywhere else in Tucson!”

- Chuck Graham, Tucson Stage

Now that finals are over, come see what all the fuss is about at Beowulf Alley Theatre! In only its third production ever, Head! The Musical is Tucson’s must-see comedy of the year. This Thursday, May 12^th, only you can choose between two special offers:

The Groupie Special: Groupies and Head go together like cheese and bread. On Thursday the 12^th, buy 2 tickets and get one free! ($23 discount)

The T&A Special: You know what T&A stands for – T-shirt and Admission! On Thursday the 12^th, get a T-shirt and admission for just $30! ($13 discount) Just think – for the cost of one measly lap dance you can get 90 minutes of Head AND a sweet new shirt!

Bring a copy of this notice to the box office to enjoy one of these special offers.

Head! The Musical contains foul language and humor not suitable for children, nuns, priests, or the easily offended. But if you didn’t get that from the title, you probably don’t get out enough.

Beowulf Alley Theatre is located at 11 South 6^th Avenue, just off Broadway in Downtown Tucson.

Out to Lunch Theatre's back with "The Reluctant Reunion"

2011-05-11T06:07:00.001-07:00

Out to Lunch Theatre's Back with
The Reluctant Reunion

For those of you who like to get out for a different kind of lunch, give Beowulf Alley's Out to Lunch Theatre a try. It's a 30-minute play to entertain you and your friends for a little break in your day. Bring a lunch with you, or, if you like, you can order a lunch from us at least a day ahead of time and we'll have it waiting for you when you arrive. A ticket to see the play is just $6 in advance and $8 the day of the show. Lunches ordered from us are $7 and include a bag of chips and a drink.

Performances are on Fridays, May 13, 20 and 27 at 12:15 p.m. Order your tickets and meals online at http://www.beowulfalley.org/html/tickets.html or call the box office at (520) 882-0555.

This month's story is The Reluctant Reunion. Out to Lunch Theatre is fun for all ages!

Beowulf Alley Theatre is located in Downtown Tucson, just off Broadway at 11 South 6^th Avenue.

Active Imagination Theatre presents COWBOYS AND FAIRIES

2011-05-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

COWBOYS AND FAIRIES

Active Imagination Theatre at

Beowulf Alley Theatre

When greedy developers want to spoil a magical part of the desert, cowboys and fairies have to band together to stop them. This is the story that will be developed with the help of children ages four to eight on the stage with our Active Imagination Theatre at Beowulf Alley Theatre. There are just six more weekend performances at 12 noon through May 29, 2011. This 40-minute venture into creativity is both fun and educational for children and will bring joy to the hearts of their parents as they help to develop the story and find a resolution to save the desert. We encourage them to dress in their cowboy and fairy outfits and help our team of adult actors. Each performance is just a little different as the children who are present help to create the story through their active imaginations.

Saturdays and Sundays:

May 14, May 15, May 21, May 22, May 28, May 29

Online tickets: $8 adults, $5 children 4-12, children 3 and under are free when seated in parents lap. Tickets at the door or by phone are $10 for adults with children the same price as online.

There are just a few limited spaces for birthday parties so call the office today!

To purchase tickets, please go to www.beowulfalley.org, or call (520) 882-0555.

Beowulf Alley Theatre is located at 11 S. 6^th Avenue. Doors to the lobby open 30 minutes before performance.

Auditions - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

2011-05-10T15:58:00.001-07:00

Late Night Theatre at Beowulf Alley Holds Auditions

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

by Adam Long, David Singer and Jess Winfield

Late Night Theatre at Beowulf Alley will hold open auditions for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare on Saturday May 14^th 2:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. at the theatre, 11 South 6^th Avenue (Downtown between Broadway and Congress). Please bring a headshot and resume, if possible. The audition will consist of a cold reading from the script.

Rehearsals begin on May 16^th and will be scheduled according the production team’s availability, usually some late nights, weekday evenings and weekends. Performance dates are June 17^th, 18^th, 2th, 25^th and July 2^nd.

Looking for:

Male (2) - 20s to 30s

Email Michael at michaelfenlason@aol.com with questions or for more information.

LNT presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

2011-05-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon to Late Night Theatre at Beowulf Alley

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

by Adam Long, David Singer and Jess Winfield

Late Night Theatre at Beowulf Alley, 11 South 6^th Avenue, downtown between Broadway and Congress, presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Adam Long, Austin Tichenor and Reed Martin. Performances are Friday and Saturday, June 17, 18, 24, 25, July 2 at 7:30 PM. For more information, please contact Michael Fenlason at michaelfenlason@aol.com.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is an hilarious and madcap survey of all thirty-six of Shakespeare’s plays (and maybe some sonnets) in a frenzied and wacky one hundred minutes.

Tickets may be purchased, at least a day in advance, online at a discounted price of $8 at www.beowulfalley.org. By phone and at the door, the ticket price is $10.

Auditions - Page on the Stage festival

2011-05-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Beowulf AlleyTheatre’s

Page on the Stage

Holds Auditions

For Three Exciting New Plays!

Beowulf Alley Theatre’s Page on the Stage will hold open auditions for Icon by Devin Gorman, Stephen’s Syndrome by Gavin Kayner and You Do Not Want to See This by Jonathan Northover. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 10^th and 11^th at 7:30 PM at the theatre, 11 South 6^th Avenue (Downtown between Broadway and Congress). Please bring a headshot and resume, if possible. The audition will consist of cold readings from the scripts.

Rehearsals begin in late May and will be scheduled according to the production team’s availability. Performance dates are July 7^th through 24^th.

Looking for:

Female (8) - mid 20s to 40s

Male (7) - mid 20s to 40s

Email Lydia at michaelfenlason@aol.com with questions or for more information. Include in the subject line: PAGE ON THE STAGE AUDITIONS

Page on the Stage is a festival of new plays performed in a spare, workshop production. The goal is to maximize the relationship between text, actor and audience to further enhance the play’s development, the audience’s enjoyment and the actor’s craft. This is a rare opportunity for actors to work with the playwright in the room and help create a new and exciting piece of theatre.

Head the Musical

2011-05-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

Head the Musical

THIS TALKING HEAD ALSO SINGS

by Chuck Graham
TucsonStage.com

Nobody embraces risk more enthusiastically than downtown's Beowulf Alley Theatre Company. Eschewing all interest in "regular" stage fare, this fearless band of artists has opened its arms and its theater to a co-production with Phoenix playwright Kevin Fry of "Head: The Musical!"

The word "campy" needs more vowels to make it longer in this way, way over the top romp through naughty words celebrating bad taste and impulsive desires in the spirit of that late-night cinema classic that makes no sense, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

But it is the non-stop, damn the torpedoes, full-speed-ahead energy that makes this show so much fun . For sure, you will never see anything like this anywhere else in Tucson.

Read the entire review here: Head the Musical

Beowulf stages campy 'Head'

2011-05-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Beowulf stages campy 'Head'

WACKY ADAPTATION OF B MOVIE 'BRAIN' HAS MUSICAL LEGS

Beowulf stages campy 'Head'

Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, May 6, 2011

You've got to admire anyone who has done a musical adaptation of the 1962 B movie "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."

And you've got to admire a theater company that would stage it.

If a recent rehearsal was any indication, this play is an R-rated riot. Fry's tunes underscore the ridiculous story, and it's near impossible not to laugh. Think "Rocky Horror Picture Show" without the costumes.

SCOTT GRIESSEL / BEOWULF ALLEYKristina Sloan and Jim Klingenfus in Beowulf Alley's "Head: The Musical." Bet you can guess who has the title role.

Read the entire preview here: Beowulf stages campy 'Head'

Active Imagination Theatre presents COWBOYS AND FAIRIES

2011-04-29T18:44:00.001-07:00

COWBOYS AND FAIRIES

Active Imagination Theatre at

Beowulf Alley Theatre

When greedy developers want to spoil a magical part of the desert, cowboys and fairies have to band together to stop them. This is the story that will be developed with the help of children ages four to eight on the stage with our Active Imagination Theatre at Beowulf Alley Theatre each weekend through May 29, 2011 at 12 noon. This 40-minute venture into creativity is both fun and educational for children and will bring joy to the hearts of their parents as they help to develop the story and find a resolution to save the desert. We encourage them to dress in their cowboy and fairy outfits and help our team of adult actors. Each performance is just a little different as the children who are present help to create the story through their active imaginations.

Saturdays and Sundays:

April 30, May 1, May 8, May 14, May 15, May 21, May 22, May 28, May 29

There will be no performance on Saturday, May 7.

Online tickets: $8 adults, $5 children 4-12, children 3 and under are free when seated in parents lap. Tickets at the door or by phone are $10 for adults with children the same price as online.

To purchase tickets, please go to www.beowulfalley.org, or call (520) 882-0555.

Beowulf Alley Theatre is located at 11 S. 6^th Avenue. Doors to the lobby open 30 minutes before performance.

Additional audition for male actors, ages 25-45, "We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!"

2011-04-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Audition Notice

We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!

Directed by Susan Arnold

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Beowulf Alley Theatre is holding another audition for male actors, ages 25-45, who were not able to attend the general auditions on April 16, 2011 for our January 2012 production of We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! From 7:30 to 8:00 p.m on Tuesday, May 10. Please prepare one 1-2 minute comedic monologue. Those selected from the brief audition will be asked to stay until as late as 9:30 p.m. for callbacks.

Female actors who were unable to attend the general auditions may inquire regarding an audition, for this production only, at smarnold@dakotacom.net.

If you attended the general auditions, thank you. We have limited time and will reserve it for those who have not been previously seen.

Information regarding this play can be obtained on our website, http://www.beowulfalley.org/html/current_auditions.html. For further information, please contact the director at smarnold@dakotacom.net.

Beowulf Alley Theater Proudly Presents: "Head: The Musical!"

2011-04-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Theater Proudly Presents:

Head: The Musical!

Written & Directed by Kevin Fry

Beowulf Alley Theatre, at 11 South 6^th Avenue and Small Fry Productions of Phoenix, present Head: The Musical! An ‘R’-rated pop/rock adaptation of the classic 1960’s ‘B’ movie The Brain that Wouldn’t Die, Head is crazy, campy, crass, full of frights, and thoroughly hilarious. This musical was created by an Arizona resident, Kevin Fry, and was an audience favorite at the 2009 Phoenix Fringe Festival before running for 5 months in Hollywood, where it received 3 LA Weekly Award nominations. Head draws favorable comparisons to Little Shop of Horrors and Evil Dead: the Musical and has been called a Rocky Horror for the Family Guy generation. This Tucson premiere is a joint production between Beowulf Alley and the show’s creators, featuring brand-new material and the sensational choreography of Mickey Nugent. This is a theatrical event you can’t afford to miss!

Dr. Bill Cortner has been conducting illegal experiments with human transplants when his girlfriend, Jan, is decapitated in a car wreck. Not to fear, Bill keeps Jan's head alive on a table using a special serum while he goes out to search for a new (preferably voluptuous and nubile) body. Meanwhile, Jan develops psychic powers and a thirst for revenge!

The cast includes Kristina Sloan, Dean Johnson, China Young, Lucas Gonzales, Scott O’Brian, Tashiana Holt, Jim Klingenfus, and Evan Werner.

Note: For mature audiences only, this show contains strong language, sexual content and violence, and is NOT appropriate for children.

Performance dates, times and tickets are as follows:

Performances are May 5^th through May 29^th, Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. There will be no performance on Saturday, May 7^th.

Preview Performance - May 5^th at 7:30 pm - $15

Pre-sale tickets available for $18 each until May 4^th for May 6^th through May 29^th performances.

Performances May 6^th– May 29^th,purchased after May 4^th – by phone or at the door $23, $21 online.

To purchase by phone, call (520) 882-0555

Online via PayPal or Google at http://www.beowulfalley.org/html/tickets.html

For more information, visit www.beowulfalley.org

Performances are at Beowulf Alley Theater, Downtown at 11 South 6^th Avenue, 85701

Approximate Run Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Media Contact:

Beth Dell, Managing Director

theatre@beowulfalley.org

(520) 622-4460

Director: Kevin Fry

kevin@headthemusical.com

(602) 320-3176

Photos by Scott Griessel/Creatista 2011

#4952: Kristina Sloan, Jim Klingenfus, Dean Johnson

#4774: Dean Johnson, Kristina Sloan

#4842: Jim Klingenfus

#4914: Kristina Sloan, Jim Klingenfus

Fronting the Order

2011-04-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Fronting the Order

"FRONTING THE ORDER" A LESS INNOCENT 1950s

by Chuck Graham

TucsonStage.com

"Fronting the Order" is set in the summer of 1959, in hard scrabble Orleans, New York, a tiny town way upstate on the St. Lawrence River. More specifically, in an artfully detailed Orleans diner equipped with those unforgettable Formica tabletops and red plastic chairs, all standing on shiny chrome legs.

Serving coffee is the attractive but worried waitress Evie (Denise Blum). She has been waiting a very long time for that certain man who would take her away from all this. When four nicely dressed guys come in (three of them young enough to be interesting), her future suddenly has potential. When these guys start talking about encyclopedias, she figures they must be educated.

But "Fronting the Order" isn't about the flight of Cupid's arrows in that difficult era before online dating. "Fronting the Order" is about…fronting the order. We learn this was a shady strategy common in the gritty world of encyclopedia salesmen who were always getting unreasonable sales quotas crammed down their parched throats.

Beowulf Alley Theatre is developing a strong reputation for encouraging new playwrights, and developing an audience eager to be a part of this encouragement. Deciding to join with Wellangoode Productions to showcase "Fronting the Order" adds more muscle to that reputation.

April-May shows and events

2011-04-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

There's Still Plenty to Enjoy at Beowulf Alley Theatre!

Golf Tournament - May 4 - Play for the Arts!

The April 21st deadline is approaching and we don't want you to miss this special event. Some of the prizes include golf packages, gift baskets, restaurant gift cards, t-shirts, and theatre tickets. Forward this information to all of your golfing buddies. Make your afternoon fun while supporting Beowulf Alley Theatre. Our non-profit theatre works hard to educate and entertain our community members through its many programs for both children and adults. Please help us meet our goal of providing Tucson with an artistic outlet for performers, production artists and audiences.

Wednesday, MAY 4, 2011

El Conquistador Country Club
10555 North La Canada, Tucson, AZ 85737

REGISTRATION

Check-in begins 10:30 a.m.; Lunch - 11 a.m.- 12:15 p.m.; Texas Scramble (Shotgun) Starts 12:30 p.m.; Mulligans Available @ $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00

PLAYERS

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

$ 95.00 Per Player ($36.00 Tax Deductible) before April 21, 2011

Green Fees, Golf Cart, Range Balls, Practice Range, Luncheon, and Prizes Galore!!

HOLE SPONSORS

$50.00

MAIN PRIZES

Divisions: (1) All Men / (2) All Women /

SKILL PRIZES

Divisions: Men / Women - Longest Drive - Closest To the Pin

HOLE-IN-ONE CONTEST

Prizes TBD

MORE DETAILS:

Call: Nick Positano (520-495-4548); Roger Rikkola (520-797-3810)

Register by April 21^th with check payable to: "Beowulf Alley Theatre" and mail to: 11 South 6^th Avenue, 85701 OR Register online at www.beowulfalley.org via PayPal or Google OR call the theatre at (520) 882-0555.

Single or double players will be assigned to make a foursome.

DON'T FRET ABOUT YOUR GOLFING SKILLS

THIS WILL BE A FUN DAY FOR ALL PLAYERS!

Old Time Radio Theatre - April 19 at 7 p.m.

THE WESTERN – EPISODE 1: LAWLESS BREWSTER and

ARIZONA RANGERS, MEN OF DANGER – EPISODE 1: MOSSMAN

Back in the grand old days of radio, our own John Vornholt wrote for radio (and TV). This episode of The Mutual Radio Theatre’s The Western (Episode 1: Lawless Brewster), starred John Dehner and was narrated by Lorne Greene. Old Pueblo Playwrights’ Avylinn Pwyll wrote Arizona Ranger: Men of Danger: Episode 1: Mossman, as a radio show, especially for OTRT, and for the benefit of, and to honor, the Arizona Rangers. It was first presented at Hotel Congress in conjunction with Dillinger Days, 2011. This is the beginning of a series of radio scripts based upon true stories of the early years of the brave men who enforced the law in the Arizona Territory.

Directed by Sheldon Metz, the OTRT Ensemble Company includes Jon Benda, Janet Bruce, Butch Bryant, Gerri Courtney-Austein, Laura Davenport, Samuel De Jesus, Evan Engle, Sydney Flynn, Vince Flynn, Audrey Ann Gambach, Bill La Pointe, Elizabeth Leadon-Sonnenfelt, Butch Lynn, Steve McKee, Whitney Morton, Joan O'Dwyer, Shannon Brooke Rzuildo, Mike Saxon, Ina Shivack, Terry Thune, Pat Timm, Jared Stokes, Brian Wees and John Vornholt.

Old Time Radio Theatre now accepts VISA, MC & Discover at the door or by phone! $10—adults ($8 online (click here) a day before or earlier) / and always just $5 each for the first two children under 13 (additional children free).

May performances will be on the 3rd and the 17th. Come join in the fun!

Coming in May - Head: the Musical!

Head: the Musical! is an 'R'-rated pop/rock adaptation of the classic 1960's 'B' movie, The Brain That Wouldn't Die. Crazy, crass, full of frights and thoroughly hilarious, Head ran for 5 months in Hollywood where it received 3 LA Weekly Award nominations and drew favorable comparisons to Little Shop of Horrors and Evil Dead: the Musical. This Tucson premiere is a joint production between Beowulf Alley and the show's creators, featuring brand new material and the sensational choreography of Mickey Nugent! For mature audiences only. Contains very strong language.

Preview Performance-Thursday, May 5, 7:30 p.m.-$15

Opening Night with Reception-Friday, May 6, 7:30 p.m.

No Performance on Saturday, May 7

Thursday-Saturday evenings, May 12-14, 19-21, 26-28, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday matinees, May 8, 15, 22, 29, 2:30 p.m.

Pre-sale Ticket Price until May 4-$18 (online at ticket page or by phone)

After May 4-$23 (by phone or at the door)

$2 Discount when purchased online at ticket page

Box Office by phone only (520) 882-0555

Active Imagination Theatre Presents Cowboys and Fairies

Mark your calendars for April 30th as the start of the next event for the younger actors as they help our sketch improv team act out a new story:

COWBOYS AND FAIRIES

When greedy developers want to spoil a magical part of the desert, cowboys and fairies have to band together to stop them.

Saturdays and Sundays:

April 30, May 1, May 8, May 14, May 15, May 21, May 22, May 28, May 29

There will be no performance on Saturday, May 7.

Online tickets: $8 adults, $5 children 4-12, children 3 and under are free when seated in parents lap. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults with children the same price as online.

New Birthday Party Information: Birthday parties can be scheduled on performance days. $150 for up to 10 attendees of performance, including birthday child, friends of birthday child and any parents. Additional attendees are $8 each. Please call the theatre at (520) 882-0555 for more information.

Fronting the Order - Just Two Weekends Left to See This World Premiere!

Beowulf and Wellangoode Productions deserve praise for bringing this play to the stage for the first time ... without opportunities to be seen onstage, a writer's best work never has a chance to emerge. -- Tucson Weekly

FRONTING THE ORDER, a world premiere of a new play by Warren G. Bodow, continues until April 23.

Directed by Sheldon Metz, who won recent acclaim for his work on THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE at Beowulf Alley, FRONTING THE ORDER runs five characters through a mill of deception, sexual innuendo, and class warfare. Set in a diner in a small upstate New York town one summer evening in 1959, four encyclopedia salesmen prepare to canvass neighborhoods in Olean, New York, knocking on doors with a patently misleading pitch. The play explores the relationships among the men, with the pretty but aging waitress, and with the changing world around them. With wit and humor, the play reminds us that the '50s were far more turbulent than we remember or have been told. Five local actors including Bill Epstein and Denise Blum are featured.

Playwright Warren G. Bodow has been a Tucson winter resident for the past five years. A member of Tucson's Old Pueblo Playwrights, two of his earlier plays received staged readings in Tucson before going on to showcase productions in New York City. In between his college years at Syracuse University, he sold encyclopedias on the road and remembers those days as exciting and eye-opening.

Tickets for FRONTING THE ORDER are available on the Beowulf Alley Theatre website, www.beowulfalley.org , or by phone, 520-882-0555. Beowulf Alley Theatre is downtown, at 11 S. 6^th Avenue, near Congress.

Performance days, dates, times and prices are:

Evenings-

Friday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. - $15 - Preview

Saturday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. - $19 - Opening

Thursday - Saturday, April 14-16, 7:30 p.m. - $19

Wednesday-Saturday, April 20-23, 7:30 p.m. - $19

Matinees-

Sundays, April 10 & 17, 2:30 p.m. - $19

Run time is approximately 2 hours with one intermission.

Parking is available at street meters (no charge after 5 p.m. weekdays or any time on weekends), the County lot at the corner of Broadway and 6^th Avenue (weekdays after 5 p.m. and all day Saturdays and Sundays) or, for a small fee at the parking garage at Pennington and Scott Avenues. Please see our website for directions.

Special note: April 16 is the Tucson Weekly Club Crawl event and Sunday April 17 is DT Tucson Criterium from 11:30AM to 7PM. Please check our website before heading downtown. Plan to arrive a little early for lunch or dinner at a Downtown restaurant and stay after the play to experience the fun and vitality of our revitalized city.

The City of Tucson has provided the following information:

Saturday -

Driving Directions:

For folks coming from the Freeway, exit at 22nd St, head eastbound to 6th Ave, turn left on 6th Avenue and head north to the block of 6th Avenue between Broadway and Congress...

If heading eastbound on Broadway, you will be diverted onto Broadway instead of Congress. When you reach 6th Avenue, turn right on 6th Avenue ...

If coming from the north, go south on Granada or Stone to 14th St/Cushing and turn left to 6th Ave. Turn left on 6th Avenue for northbound access.

Park in the lot at the NW corner of 6th and Broadway if there is room. The sign says "Parking by Permit Only but the County has generously allowed us to use the lot at night and on weekends for our performances. If the lot is full, go north on 6th Avenue to Pennington Street at Scott and park in the Pennington Street garage.

Sunday -

There should be direct access to the theatre. There may be a detour heading back to the Freeway depending on the time but there should be signs directing vehicles.

Dishing at the Diner | Review | Tucson Weekly

2011-04-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

Dishing at the Diner | Review | Tucson Weekly

Dishing at the Diner

by Nathan Christensen

Fronting the Order is a personal work, lovingly crafted and full of wonderful period details ...

Joshua Silvain, Tenoch Gomez and Denise Blum inFronting the Order.

Beowulf and Wellangoode Productions deserve praise for bringing this play to the stage for the first time. Not every new work is a masterpiece, but without opportunities to be seen onstage, a writer's best work never has a chance to emerge.

Each of the actors playing a salesman seems to possess the energy essential to his role. Colecchia is thoughtful and self-effacing; Gomez is robust and volatile. Silvain is incredibly guarded until he reveals his character's true colors with a fury, and Epstein mixes the wisdom of experience with a short fuse.

Playwright Warren Bodow has spent enough winters in Tucson to be considered a local writer. Writing is a second career for Bodow, who spent 15 years managing classical radio stations for the New York Times Company. In 2009, he won favorable reviews for his playRace Music, produced in New York by the Diverse City Theater Company....

I hope that we have the opportunity to continue watching his talent emerge onstage here in the Old Pueblo.

Read the entire review here:

Dishing at the Diner | Review | Tucson Weekly

Fronting the Order

Presented by Beowulf Alley Theatre Company and Wellangoode Productions

7:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, through Saturday, April 23, with a matinee at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, April 17, and a show at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 20

11 S. Sixth Ave.

$19

Runs two hours, with one intermission

882-0555;

www.beowulfalley.org

Set in ’50s, new play to probe sales ethics « AZ Jewish Post

2011-04-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Set in ’50s, new play to probe sales ethics « AZ Jewish Post

Set in ’50s, new play to probe sales ethics

April 8, 2011

By Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor

“Fronting the Order,” a new play by Warren G. Bodow, opens today at the Beowulf Alley Theatre, with 11 performances running through April 23.

(L-R) Josh Silvain (David), Bill Epstein (Murph), Tenoch Gomez (Pete) and Dan Colecchia (Mitch) in “Fronting the Order”

Set in a diner in a small upstate New York town on a summer evening in 1959, “Fronting the Order” follows the fortunes of four encyclopedia salesmen preparing to canvass neighborhoods in Olean, N.Y., with a patently misleading sales pitch.

“It’s really a comedy drama, but it’s kind of a morality play,” Bodow told the AJP. The main conflict plays out between the characters of David and Mitch, young Jewish men who grew up together but whose paths began to diverge after one was accepted into an elite university. The play reminds us, Bodow says, that the ’50s were not exactly the golden age of innocence many people remember or were told about.

Bodow, who with his wife has been a winter resident in Tucson for the past five years, is a member of Old Pueblo Playwrights. Two of his earlier plays received staged readings in Tucson before going on to showcase productions in New York City. He has led a film study class for the Tucson chapter of Brandeis National Committee for four years, and yes, he sold encyclopedias one summer when he was a student at Syracuse University.

“Fronting the Order” is directed by Sheldon Metz, and features five local actors, including Denise Blum (waitress) and Bill Epstein (crew chief).

For tickets and performance information, go to www.beowulfalley.org or call 882-0555.

2011-2012 Page on the Stage Finalists Announced

2011-04-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

Beowulf Alley Theatre Company announces the finalists for their 2011-2012 Page on the Stage program. Three Tucson playwrights, three directors, more than a dozen actors and a very busy technical team will present three unpublished plays for public viewing after several weeks of work to transfer their words on the page to a place on the stage. Ensembles will work with lighting, sound effects, props, costumes and minimal sets, to create an intimate environment where their words are the focus and the audience is a part of the process. The following plays were noted with distinction by the judges. The 2011 finalists are:

Rebecca Bloch's Avalon 2.2

Richard Chaney's Seven Bridges

Devin Gorman's Icon

Gavin Kayner's Stephen's Syndrome

Jonathan Northover's You Do Not Want to See This

Arianne Weare's The Ridiculous Diaries

The announcement for the three winning plays will be at the April 10th performance of Fronting the Order by Warren Bodow at Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S 6th Avenue, at 2:30 PM. Also announcement on-line at our website, www.beowulfalley.org that evening. Please join us in congratulating these playwrights. Performances for Page on the Stage will begin July 7th.

For actors interesting in auditioning, please attend our season auditions on April 16th. For more information, visit beowulfalley.org and click current auditions.

Benefit Concert - Jonathan Northover and Friends

2011-04-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Northover and Friends -
With Ross Buchan and Saumya Jain

An Evening Of Original Rock, Pop and Folk Music From Across The Pond

In a Shared Benefit Performance at Beowulf Alley Theatre

Beowulf Alley Theatre announces a benefit musical concert by Jonathan Northover and Friends on April 10, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Jonathan has been writing, recording and playing his music for about eight years, and has been fortunate to play and record with a number of talented musicians in both his native London and since arriving in Arizona. His background is in writing and arranging, playing guitar and singing, and occasionally playing bass guitar. He will be presenting a range of his original rock and pop songs during the evening, and indulging in his passion for making each song sound unique. Hear a preview or two at www.myspace.com/lordthan.

Ross Buchan is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Aberdeen, Scotland. Over the years, he has taught cello and bass guitar, played in orchestras and Scottish folk groups, but has also had a longstanding passion for alternative and acoustic rock music. Having formed the rock band, Undertow in Aberdeen, whose debut album "Gallimimus Terminus" achieved considerable local acclaim, he has since released two solo albums, "Perspective" and the recently completed "Elusive Truths," available at online retailers. To hear Ross' music, check out http://www.reverbnation.com/rossbuchan.

Tickets are $12 when purchased by the day before either by phone (520) 882-0555 or online at www.beowulfalley.org and $15 at the door.

Proceeds of this concert will be donated to the Red Cross to support relief efforts in Japan and Beowulf Alley Theatre to support the non-profit's operational costs.

2011-2012 Season Auditions

2011-03-31T06:20:00.001-07:00

2011-2012 Season Auditions

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Beowulf Alley Theatre, at 11 South 6^th Avenue, 85701, will hold its 2011-2012 general auditions on Saturday, April 16, at the Theatre. Auditions will be held for our Main Stage productions as well as our other programs.

The main stage plays being cast are:

Rough Crossing by Tom Stoppard, directed by Dave Sewell

Lear by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Michael Fenlason

We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! by Dario Fo, adapted by Ron Jenkins, directed by Susan Arnold

Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory, directed by Sheldon Metz

Sins of the Mother by Israel Horowitz, directed by Vince Flynn

A special, world premiere, holiday play will also be produced:

A Cactus Christmas by John Vornholt

Other programs seeking participants for their activities throughout the year are:

Late Night Theatre

Out to Lunch Theatre

Old Time Radio Theatre

Active Imagination Theatre

Readers Theatre and

Page on the Stage

To request an audition time and for information regarding each play, the characters, rehearsal tech and performance dates, special requirements, please refer to our website, http://www.beowulfalley.org/html/audition_sign-up_form.html.

The Hamlet Project and Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot)

2011-03-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Hamlet Project and Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot)

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Beowulf Alley Theatre announces The Hamlet Project and Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot). We are looking for Tucson's best young actors to audition for the roles of Hamlet and Ophelia. Winners will receive a cash prize and lead roles of the play in both a live performance and a digital media presence, as well as free participation in The Hamlet Project workshops.

The Hamlet Project Workshop will take actors through an intensive course of Shakespeare's work, language, history and performance. It is an acting workshop with the specific text of Shakespeare's play that will culminate in mid-summer performances and digital media internet events. Actors will learn stage technique as well as film acting. Each actor will perform live in front of an audience, whether in Hamlet, or in two supporting productions of Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot) and Clown Romeo and Juliet.

Actors may audition for the Project through video post or individual audition at the theatre on Saturday April 2nd from 10am to 2pm. The workshop space is limited.

WHEN: The Hamlet Project Workshops will begin in May with performances in June.

WHERE: Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S 6th Avenue in Downtown Tucson.

COST: Workshop cost is $99. Some scholarships are available. No actor should be deterred by the workshop cost. We will make every reasonable attempt to include serious students.

WHO: Actors between the ages of 17 and 22.

Michael Fenlason will conduct the workshops. Michael is a director, actor, playwright, acting teacher, content creator, filmmaker and composer who has studied and taught acting in London, Phoenix and San Francisco. He has directed at Raw Space in New York City and The Vanbrugh Theatre in London.

INFORMATION: Interested parties may also contact Michael directly at michaelfenlason@aol.com. Please use the subject line: The Hamlet Project.

Jonathan Northover and Friends Benefit Performance

2011-03-31T06:19:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Northover and Friends –

With Ross Buchan and Saumya Jain

An Evening Of Original Rock, Pop and Folk Music From Across The Pond

In a Shared Benefit Performance at Beowulf Alley Theatre

Beowulf Alley Theatre announces a benefit musical concert by Jonathan Northover and Friends on April 10, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Jonathan has been writing, recording and playing his music for about eight years, and has been fortunate to play and record with a number of talented musicians in both his native London and since arriving in Arizona. His background is in writing and arranging, playing guitar and singing, and occasionally playing bass guitar. He will be presenting a range of his original rock and pop songs during the evening, and indulging in his passion for making each song sound unique. Hear a preview or two at www.myspace.com/lordthan.

Ross Buchan is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Aberdeen, Scotland. Over the years, he has taught cello and bass guitar, played in orchestras and Scottish folk groups, but has also had a longstanding passion for alternative and acoustic rock music. Having formed the rock band, Undertow in Aberdeen, whose debut album “Gallimimus Terminus” achieved considerable local acclaim, he has since released two solo albums, “Perspective” and the recently completed “Elusive Truths,” available at online retailers. To hear Ross’ music, check out http://www.reverbnation.com/rossbuchan.

Tickets are $12 when purchased by the day before either by phone (520) 882-0555 or online at www.beowulfalley.org and $15 at the door.

Proceeds of this concert will be donated to the Red Cross to support relief efforts in Japan and Beowulf Alley Theatre to support the non-profit’s operational costs.

SLIT music fanzine: Fish Karma & The Love Generation...at Beowulf Alley Theatre (27 March 2011)

2011-03-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

SLIT music fanzine: Fish Karma & The Love Generation...at Beowulf Alley Theatre (27 March 2011)

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2011

Fish Karma & The Love Generation...at Beowulf Alley Theatre (27 March 2011)

The Beowulf Alley Theatre great place to see a band, especially in the middle of the day. This gig took place just before noon, on a Sunday, as part of the Tucson Fringe Festival. The venue is very nice, and is set up for the theater. Great acoustics, comfy seats, and not a bad seat in the house. It looks like it holds about 75 people, and today, it was about half full.

2/5 of the Love Generation, rocking out

I was surprised to see that the Love Generation, this morning, attracted a wide range of people, from punkers, to little kids in diapers, to hippie chicks, to little old ladies. Fun for the whole family; It was actually kind of funny watching Fish (Terry Owen) singing some of his rockin' and hilarious songs, such as "Gas, Grass, Or Ass (No One Rides For Free)" or "She's Fucking Clowns Again", with his lyrics flashing the large screen in a PowerPoint presentation, while the little old lady in front of me watched with rapt attention.

The can really rock; sometimes heavy metal, sometimes country twang. Fish was standing center stage, reciting and ranting his lyrics, while dressed for business, wearing matching coat and pants. The songs are from the bands "Halloween in America" album, and as a whole, they comprise a "rock opera", which were popular in the early 1970's. Come to think of is, that band's sound does make a lot of allusions to rock music from a bygone era. They're like a hyper-literate garage band, except instead of songs about cars and girls, they sing about existentialism, angst, ennui, despair, and current events.

At today's show, the band embraced that most corporate of audio-visual tools: the PowerPoint presentation, using it to good effect to help the audience understand the lyrical content (by projecting lyric sheets above Terry's head), but also to add a few visuals (mostly Terry's photos of abandoned storefronts, or other imagery that illustrated his lyrics). I hope that Terry noticed the irony in all of this! Did I mention that Terry is a great cartoonist? Hey Fish, next time you do a PowerPoint presentation, add some of your comix!

Fish Karma & The Love Generation & PowerPoint

On a corner of the side of the stage, local singer/songwriter Al Perry served as narrator. Reading from a script on a music stand, Al (as narrator) reads a script that links together all of the individual songs into a sort of patchwork story.

As a "rock opera" (a very mid-60's, early-'70's thing to do) the approach was pretty straight-forward: each song was separated by a narrative interlude by Al Perry. The lyrics to each song flashed behind Fish in a PowerPoint presentation. I got to thinking about how the "operatic" qualities to this show could be enhanced even more: add a mime? Have sound effects (and thus turn the show into something of a radio play)? Have the band members speak some lines of dialogue, and and thus "act" out some of the script? The idea of a "rock opera" is intriguing, and Terry has a natural theatrical bent. So who knows where Fish Karma & the Love Generation will take take this, should they choose to continue with the rock opera format!

For the last song, (a rousing version of "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies) Terry wrapped himself in a "Snuggie", and lounged on the stage like Roman Emperor (with his "Snuggie" as his toga) as the band cranked it up behind him. When the song ended, he was flat on his back, looking like Darby Crash (of the Germs) on the album cover of "The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization".

Singing "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies

I'm not sure that this what the little old ladies in the seats in front of me expected when they entered the theatre, but they stayed the for the entire 90-minute concert, and applauded at the end. Pretty incredible feat for this band, to create politically edgy garage rock music that appeals to such a wide cross-section of people!

Fringe Fest events and performances schedule

2011-03-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

Fringe Fest Opening Gala- Performance Art Extravaganza co-hosted by Parasol Project

March 23, 8PM at Old Town Artisans

Featuring performances by:

Heather Wodrich*Paco Velez*Denise Uyehara*Natalie Nguyen *Serena Tang*Sarah K. Smith*Jodi Netzer*Laura Milkins*Michele Ceballos Michot*Sean Madrid* Jamie J.*Luc Goodhart* Megan Amber Cox
with Parasol Project

Puppets Amongus
DJ Carl Hanni: spinning fresh tunes

Nightly live music and FRINGE conversation each night after Fringe.

Details to be announced on website soon.

Closing Gala and Presentation of Best of Fringe Awards.

Sunday March 27, 7pm-10pm

Location TBD

ALL TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT WWW.BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM

	Thurs. 3/24	Fri. 3/25	Sat. 3/26	Sun. 3/27
Venue #1: The Screening Room
Halloween in America	6:30pm	8:30pm	6:30pm
I Love You *(We're F#ked)**	8:30pm	6:30pm	8:30pm
Venue #2: Beowulf Alley Theatre
A Passion For Christ	6:30pm	8:15pm	6:30pm	3:15pm
Where There's Smoke	8:15pm	6:30pm	8:15pm	1:30pm
Halloween in America				11:45am
I Love You *(We're F#ked)**				5:00pm
Venue #3: Urban Tribe Collective
BLOWHOLE	6:30pm	8:15pm	6:30pm	3;15pm
White Girl	8:15pm	6:30pm	8:15pm	1:30pm

Venue Information:

Venue #1- The Screening Room

127 Congress St.

Venue #2- Beowulf Alley Theatre

11 South 6^th Avenue

Venue #3- Urban Tribe Collective

657 W. St. Mary’s Rd., Unit C-12

Tucson, AZ 85701

ALL FESTIVAL VIP PASS AVAILABLE FOR $50 at

www.brownpapertickets.com

Shows by Date/Time:

Thursday, March 24

Halloween in America @ The Screening Room- 6:30pm

A Passion For Christ @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 6:30pm

BLOWHOLE @ Urban Tribe Collective- 6:30pm

Where There’s Smoke @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 8:15pm

White Girl @ Urban Tribe Collective-8:15pm

I Love You (We’re F*#ked) @ The Screening Room- 8:30pm

Friday, March 25

I Love You (We’re F*#ked) @ The Screening Room- 6:30pm

Where There’s Smoke @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 6:30pm

White Girl @ Urban Tribe Collective- 6:30pm

A Passion For Christ @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 8:15pm

BLOWHOLE @ Urban Tribe Collective- 8:15pm

Halloween in America @ The Screening Room- 8:30pm

Saturday, March 26

Halloween in America @ The Screening Room- 6:30pm

A Passion For Christ @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 6:30pm

BLOWHOLE @ Urban Tribe Collective- 6:30pm

Where There’s Smoke @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 8:15pm

White Girl @ Urban Tribe Collective-8:15pm

I Love You (We’re F*#ked) @ The Screening Room- 8:30pm

Sunday, March 27

Halloween in America @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 11:45am

White Girl @ Urban Tribe Collective- 1:30pm

Where There’s Smoke @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 1:30pm

BLOWHOLE @ Urban Tribe Collective- 3:15pm

A Passion For Christ @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 3:15pm

I Love You (We’re F*#ked) @ Beowulf Alley Theatre- 5:00pm

Fringe doesn’t curate. Fringe is different. Fringe loves new work. Fringe restores the artist’s creative influence. Fringe doesn’t charge you an arm and a leg. Fringe doesn’t tell you to eat your vegetables. Fringe gives all the money back to the artist. Fringe is a laboratory for ideas. Fringe is the future of performance. Fringe is community. Fringe is awesome.

Our hope in bringing the Fringe to Tucson is to expand upon an already thriving theatrical community by promoting affordable opportunities for artists to craft original ideas while presenting a wider array of performance practices to the spectators.

For more information on the history and ideals of Fringe, please visit the United States Association of Fringe Festivals at http://www.fringefestivals.us/.

Contact: Yasmine M. Jahanmir- 917-291-0693

Website: www.tucsonfringe.org

Email: tucsonfringe@gmail.com

Twitter: @tucsonfringe

facebook: facebook.com/tucsonfringe

Beowulf Alley Theatre

Re-enacting the Response | Pick of the Week | Tucson Weekly

Local theater to perform play discussing the Tucson shooting

Play is about reactions to Jan. 8

A CACTUS CHRISTMAS" STARTS A NEW TRADITION

A CACTUS CHRISTMAS" STARTS A NEW TRADITION

World premiere of "A Cactus Christmas"

Alley Cats Youth Theater

'Lear' and 'God of Carnage' - worthy plays are complete opposites

"SHAKESPEARE'S LEAR" IS A KILLER

Beowulf's taut 'Lear' still every inch a king

Call for Tech People

Old Time Radio Theatre in October

Cactus Pants Cowboy - Saturdays, October 2nd, October 8

Lunch and a play, makes for a a different lunch-hour Friday

Lunch and a play, makes for a a different lunch-hour Friday

Best Place to See Original Plays

Tucson

Tucson Weekly Staff Pick

'Rough Crossing' director Sewell

Tucson: Beowulf Alley Theatre Auditions

Cactus Pants Cowboy, August 19-20

Final Weekend Beowulf Alley Theatre's PAGE ON THE STAGE

Hamlet at Beowulf Alley, July 29-Aug 13

Tucson: Old Time Radio Theatre at Beowulf Alley, Sept 2011

Theater Is Born | Review | Tucson Weekly

Theater Is Born

Beowulf Alley shows off three brand-new plays written by Tucsonans

Your're Invited - Community party celebrating 10 years in Tucson

PAGE ON THE STAGE - THE OUTRAGEOUS NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2011

LNT presents HAMLET 1.0 by William Shakespeare

Andrew Rush Giclee Prints | Beowulf Alley Theatre Company | Art | Tucson Weekly

Andrew Rush Giclee Prints

Best OfBeowulf Alley Theatre Company

Hamlet 1.0 Audition - Late Night Theatre

Supplemental Auditions For Rough Crossing

Tolerance in Tucson - Staged Reading

Some heady fun, for sure

Thursday Specials for Head the Musical!

Out to Lunch Theatre's back with "The Reluctant Reunion"

Active Imagination Theatre presents COWBOYS AND FAIRIES

Auditions - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

LNT presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Auditions - Page on the Stage festival

Head the Musical

Beowulf stages campy 'Head'

Beowulf stages campy 'Head'

Active Imagination Theatre presents COWBOYS AND FAIRIES

Additional audition for male actors, ages 25-45, "We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!"

Beowulf Alley Theater Proudly Presents: "Head: The Musical!"

Fronting the Order

April-May shows and events

Dishing at the Diner | Review | Tucson Weekly

Dishing at the Diner

Set in ’50s, new play to probe sales ethics « AZ Jewish Post

Set in ’50s, new play to probe sales ethics

2011-2012 Page on the Stage Finalists Announced

Benefit Concert - Jonathan Northover and Friends

2011-2012 Season Auditions

The Hamlet Project and Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot)

Jonathan Northover and Friends Benefit Performance

SLIT music fanzine: Fish Karma & The Love Generation...at Beowulf Alley Theatre (27 March 2011)

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2011

Fish Karma & The Love Generation...at Beowulf Alley Theatre (27 March 2011)

Fringe Fest events and performances schedule

Best Of
Beowulf Alley Theatre Company