The
New London Theatre Newsletter
www.newlondontheatre.org 770-979-3691/ email NLTSnellville@yahoo.com
2485 Highway 78 East, Snellville, GA 30078
May, 2008 Volume 4,
Coming to New London Theatre on May 30th, The One Act Showcase. Get your tickets early!!
Editor: Leslie Raab
Dear New London Theatre family, The New London Theatre just finished a very successful run of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”. It was a huge production with a big cast, lots of costumes, and a challenge for all of us as we get accustomed to our new home. As funds are provided we still have work to do. Right now we have no dressing rooms or makeup stations. The cast dressed in the bathrooms or behind the curtains and makeup was applied outside or in very bad lighting back stage. That was quite a job for our make up and costume people, but they did a great job, especially in such circumstances. We also had some problems with our stage lights that, we hope, are fixed now. If you have been thinking about donating funds to New London, we can really use it now! It would be great to be able to take care of some of these things before the next big production, Beauty and the Beast, coming this summer. We can also use people with building skills to help us get the dressing and makeup areas built. If you can do that, please send us an email. Thanks to all who attended and volunteered your time. We can’t do it without you!! The New London Theatre Board
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You can now pay for your tickets on our website via and use your PayPal account or your credit card!
www.newlondontheatre.org
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Info on the “One Act Showcase� We have started rehearsals for the New Directors Showcase/One Act Festival!! We not only have nine new directors, but many new actors as well - and most of them with speaking parts.! We also now have available a trainer for Stage Management!! So any of you wanting to learn to run things backstage, we need you now.! This is a great opportunity to learn and apply the knowledge all in the same show.! So please, come by the theatre during rehearsals or email the produce, Laura Patterson, at cidarid@bellsouth.net for more information.! We are currently looking for interested persons for other tech positions.! Come help us out! ! Our tentative grouping for performance nights will rotate shows!as follows: Performance Group A: Majority Rules, The Queen in the Kitchen, The Storm, Family Affair,!Romeo & Juliet Performance Group B: Rapunzel, Trifles, The Girl Whose Fortune!Sought Her, Check Please ! Both nights will have children's fare, drama, and comedy.! The individual pages under One Act Festival on the website gives you a synopsis of each piece, as well as the cast and director.! Please be sure to check the website for the final group listings and the nights they will perform.! Also watch the site for news of a few of our one acts participating in Aurora Theatre's First Annual Community Theatre Festival June 20-21! ! !
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One Act Showcase info, continued
The New Director's Showcase and One Act Festival will provide variety for the viewing audience.! With nine participating new directors, we will be having two full evenings of shows that will alternate the way we usually do a double cast show.! Each evening will provide a variety of one-acts that will provide entertainment for any and all who attend; from child to adult there will be something for everyone.! Here is the line up in no particular order: ! Beth Elam is directing Trifles - a drama about a murder - if you knew who did it...would you tell?? ! Kathi Mardis is directing Reduced Shakespeare Company's Romeo and Juliet - an hilarious comedy version of the well-known tragedy...right. ! Lorrie Harris is directing The Queen in the Kitchen - a fun show for children that brings the royal personage out of her normal domain and into that of the common woman. ! Tony Webb is directing The Storm - a drama with a thought provoking twist at the end, which involves a man tracking down the hit and run driver that killed his wife and daughter. Anna Jones is directing The Flattering Word - a well-known satire about an uptight preacher, who sees all theatre as evil, finds himself face to face with his wife's old school friend...a famous actor. Joan Apperson is directing Rupunzel – wellknown story for children about the desire for a neighbor's lettuce...a beautiful, but soon bewitched daughter, and a doll with a legacy.! (Let's not forget that good-looking prince!)
! Kyle Simonis is directing Majority Rules a short piece that!looks at!our everchanging judicial system with a large dose of humor. ! Patricia Cox is directing Family Affair her original work that brings the young man home to meet the family...that just happens to be all women...which could make any prospective date a bit on edge. ! Cassie Clack is directing Check Please - a well-known one-act comedy piece. !
Check the website for upcoming synopsis of each one-act.
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Check out the website to see who’s in the cast!!
Interested in seeing pictures of our past and present productions? If you would like to look, order prints or other goodies, please visit:
http://www.kathi.mardis.com New London Theatre earns money on all of your purchases!! Thanks for helping. Auditions will be held on Monday, May 12 and Tuesday, May 13 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Callbacks will be on Wednesday, May 14 beginning at 7:00 p.m. The read-through will be on May 17th at 2:00 p.m. If you wish to assist with the production, please contact Kirk Buis at: Kirkbuis@yahoo.com Our production meeting will be Sunday, May 11, 7:00 pm at Borders. You can download an audition form on the website. Parents of young actors must read and sign the audition form.
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September - The Hobbit October - Ten Little Indians December - A Christmas Carol February - The Mystery of Edwin Drood March - Grimm's Fairy Tales April - Neil Simon's Fools May - New Directors Showcase Summer Musical - Pirates of Penzance Check out the website for a synopsis of each play.
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Ticket Information Please bear with us as we go through the process of working the bugs out of our ticketing process. We want to make this as easy for our patrons as possible, while still making it as efficient as possible. We do not have the money for expensive software to make it possible for you to choose your seats and we prefer not to use an expensive service such as “Ticketmaster” where you are forced to pay the extra, expensive fees in order to use their service. We are trying to do our best to give you a guaranteed seat, but in order to do so we need our patrons to help us out by following the guidelines below. 1. We prefer to have tickets purchased via our website with Paypal as it helps us to keep track of the amount of tickets sold, so you don’t get there and we are sold out! 2. Please purchase your tickets early. We can’t allow tickets to be purchased or reserved via email or phone on the day a performance is scheduled, as we need to know in advance how many seats are sold. 3. Bring your Paypal receipt (email) with you for proof of purchase. 4. If you cannot pay via Paypal for some reason, then please reserve your tickets in advance ( nlttickets@yahoo.com ) and arrive at the theatre early, so you can pay for them. We open 1 hour before showtime. Any reserved ticket reservations not paid for by 30 minutes before showtime are available to sell to those waiting in line. 5. There are no reserved seats (only reserved tickets). All seating is “general admission”. The only exception is handicap or senior seating. If you want to make sure you have seats together or seats of your choice, you have to get to the theatre early. We cannot guarantee your seats will be together if you come in after the house is open. 6. Unreserved tickets, if available, are $15.00 and must be paid by cash or check. The house manager will announce when these are ready for purchase. 7. Tickets are non-refundable! Thanks for your cooperation as we try to make your visit to New London Theatre a pleasant experience!
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Some shots from “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe�
A car window for a mirror and makeup done outside! Of course that is weather permitting and only during the daylight!! But the show must go on!!!
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NLT Journal Read about the experiences of our actors and other members of the NLT family! New London Theatre of Snellville, GA is more than a theatre. It's a second home for many people in the community, including myself. I've been involved with NLT since the first season, but back then I only worked as a member of the house crew. As NLT grew, so did my involvement. Over the years I made many new friends and I still remain in touch with the majority of them. One friend I met several years ago is Brian Jones, the director of the current show The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Brian and I have done several shows together, as actors, as director and assistant stage manager, director and stage manager/AD, director and actor, and so on. I thank him especially for bringing me back to NLT after three long years while I was finishing college. This particular show, shortened to LWW merely for time's sake, has introduced me to literally dozens of new people, and therefore new friends. I urge anyone who has even the slightest interest in theatre to get involved with NLT, because the experience you get will always be worth the effort. --Rachel Courchene – The White Witch Although I knew many members of my high school drama club, I was far too shy to even consider auditioning for a performance then. My reluctance slowly ebbed over the years as I considered dipping my toes in the acting pool. Upon moving to Atlanta a year ago, I finally worked up the courage to try out for a play, and I landed a small role with another local community theatre and found I really enjoyed it. Having been bitten by the acting bug, I saw that New London Theatre was holding auditions last fall for “It’s a Wonderful Life,” one of my favorite stories of all time. I was fortunate enough to be cast in the play, which led to my first experience with NLT, and it truly was wonderful. Following that, I also performed in NLT’s “Arsenic and Old Lace,” another one of my all-time favorites. Between those runs, I helped with the construction of NLT’s new, permanent theatre, which provided the chance to watch the building transform from a stark, empty room into a vibrant destination for local theatre buffs. It was truly a remarkable change, and the new locale is one I encourage everyone to visit. Looking back, becoming involved with New London Theatre is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve met a large number of terrific people who are fun to work with, encouraging to each other, and extremely professional. Everyone involved, in every role - on stage or off - is fully dedicated to making each and every performance special. And the audience plays an important role, too, as the final performance of “Arsenic” showed. The incredibly enthusiastic response from the audience that day energized the cast even more, leading to the very best performance I’ve been a part of. If you’d like to play a part in the growth of NLT, whether onstage, backstage or as an audience member, I strongly encourage you to do it. Like me, I think you’ll find it’s one of the best decisions you could possibly make. Greg Simons
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NLT Journal, continued My experience with New London Theatre has been a dream come through. For the longest time I've wanted to be an actor but I didn't know how to enter the business. When I found out about NLT, it felt like entering a new family. They all welcomed me with open arms. So far, Arsenic was my second performance with NLT and I have learned everything from stage combat, improvisation, creating a character and more. In conclusion, if you are interested in theatre, but you are not 100 percent confident about yourself, then NLT is where you need to be. I love you guys and thank you all for welcoming me.
Errol Sadler (Aslan) The first week of classes my senior year in high school I was accepted to Indiana University at Bloomington and realized I was going to have the chance of a lifetime within the next year. I would be miles away from Atlanta and I wouldn’t know anyone. Some might find the thought terrifying and yet to me that meant that no one knew how painfully shy I really was and so it began with a promise to myself to take a risk and go outside of my comfort zone. I grew up loving the theatre. When we visited my grandparents we would go to the community theatre whenever there were productions. I remember seeing headshots on the wall in the lobby during intermission and being in awe of the characters the actors portrayed. Their pictures looked so normal - as if they could have been anyone. It was almost humanizing. I took my love of the theatre and the promise I made to myself to be willing to take risks and I decided I would try to overcome my shyness by enrolling in a summer acting class for incoming freshman. To say I was intimidated the first day of class when I realized I appeared to be the only student without any acting experience is an understatement. My classmates had all been involved in some form of performance from dancing to singing and of course acting. My high school never had a drama department or program. What had I gotten myself into? I was perfectly happy in a corner with a book or just observing people. Ironically one of the main points of our class was about taking risks. Perhaps I was in the right place after all. At the end of our intensive freshman seminar I was the only student not recommended to move on to Acting II but rather encouraged to try a full semester of Acting I. I put my pride aside and knew no one would be with me from the summer class. I used various techniques from the seminar and left my professor speechless as well as the class during various exercises. I gained confidence even though I was still reserved. I then decided I would major in theatre so I called my parents and my father could tell I was excited. Needless to say, although my parents were always loving and supportive after that call I decided over time to no longer pursue theatre. I still did various scene work for upperclassmen and I loved going to see plays throughout the semester. I realized I couldn’t sing and instead of focusing on the abilities I did have I let fear take the reins and theatre became something to be enjoyed only from an audience perspective. Life can bring change at any point in time. While going through some old boxes last fall I came across my notebooks and textbooks from my summer acting class. As I read through my journal entries I wondered where the girl had gone that felt so strongly about taking a risk and reaching for the stars. A few days later I was driving down Main Street when I read a sign that said “The New London Theatre.” The sign caught my eye. I had lived in the area for 5 years and couldn’t remember seeing the sign before. As soon as I got home I googled New London Theatre and their website opened. I noticed Legend of Ho Hum Hollow was ready to open with the next week. I marked my calendar and decided to attend their final dress rehearsal to see what this group was all about. I had also noticed on their website that auditions would be soon
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NLT Journal, continued
for their next production, It’s a Wonderful Life. Around the same time I had been speaking to an old college friend who is still very involved in community theatre back in Indiana. As soon as he heard about auditions for It’s a Wonderful Life he encouraged me to audition saying I would be a perfect Mary. I emailed Kirk Buis and inquired about the audition process. I arrived at the library and was greeted warmly by some of the experienced members of NLT. Although I arrived terrified, the kindness and interest they shared in me helped put me at ease. I thought I would be auditioning in front of the director and maybe 1 or 2 other people. I certainly didn’t expect a room full of other people auditioning to be in there as well. Nor did I expect that my punctuality would mark me as first in line. I was terrified during auditions for It’s a Wonderful Life. I had no idea what to expect, as I had never auditioned for anything before. I presented my monologue, thanked the director and promptly returned to my seat to gather my bag before racing out the door to catch my breath. I had finally taken a risk again and it felt amazing. I don’t know about being perfect but I did get the part. Most recently I had the opportunity to be part of the cast for Arsenic and Old Lace at NLT. It was the best production I have been part of yet. It really was about having fun. The time between IAWL and AOL marked the opening of NLT’s own theatre space. I have had the privilege of working with actors of all ranges of experience from years to never before as well as youth and adult casts. I cannot begin to express the welcome I was offered. The seasoned actors recognized new faces and took the time to introduce themselves and ask about me. I cannot begin to thank those people for taking the time to speak to me. They didn’t care if I had 20 years of experience under my belt or if this was my first audition ever. They still welcomed me with open arms. The lessons and experience other people from NLT have shared is unbelievable. I have made new friends from my experience with NLT and hope that this is just the beginning for me. Nevertheless, I am so thankful that I decided to take a risk and it all started by catching a glimpse of a new sign. Alexa Caldwell
I invite anyone who would like to share their experience with New London Theatre to do so. Write it up and send it to me via email at l.raab@comcast.net You never know, what you share may inspire someone else to experience their dream or try something new. Thanks!!
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Where we are located‌
We are Here!
Our new address is: 2485 Highway 78 East, Snellville, GA 30078 12
WORK DAYS –watch the website for the next workday. Thanks for helping!! ACTIVITIES New London Theatre is organizing activities for everyone to participate in. We will be attending various plays and sporting events and hopefully taking advantage of some group discounts!! Please check the New London Theatre website for up to the minute details. We hope you will come and join us.
www.newlondontheatre.org Exciting activities coming up: Tailgate Party at Stone Mountain Park: Spring, 2008 BUDDY AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY Saturday Evening, May 17 8PM- Arrive early..... NLT Theatre Auditorium Presentation of Achievement Award Winner and 2008 Buddy Awards! "AND THE NOMINEES FOR BUDDY AWARD ARE": "BE THERE TO FIND OUT"-JONATHAN
• New London Theatre "Snellville Idol" Auditions and Finals August 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th,!2008 • Auditions for Activities Team to Sing the National Anthem at Braves, Hawks, Falcons, Gladiators, Thrasher games and other events---Date and Time TBA • Tailgate Party at Stone Mountain Park: Spring, 2008 • Wednesday,!August 6- Sparkles Roller Night, 6-9PM New London Theatre Troupe and Friends • Black Bear Dinner Theatre Trip TO Oklahoma!!!!!! OR!!!! Annie Vote online at the NLT website link to activities page! THERE ARE MANY MORE EXCITING TIMES AHEAD FOR OUR NEW LONDON THEATRE!
NEW LONDON THEATRE 40 PLUS MEMBERS OF THE TROUPE TURNOUT FOR THE SATURDAY, MAY 3 PARADE WAS ONE OF OUR FONDEST MOMENTS. THANKS TO DAVID CLACK FOR DESIGNING AND BUILDING THE FLOAT AND DRIVING THE PARADE VEHICLE! THANKS TO ALL THE PARADE PARTICIPANTS! YOU ALL WON THE TROPHY IN MY HEART! ! NEW LONDON THEATRE IS!VERY THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU, WHO "MANNED" THE BOOTH!SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, MAY 3 AND 4!!WE HAD LOTS OF FUN MEETING AND GREETING PEOPLE, AND THE PEOPLE OF SNELLVILLE ENJOYED ALL OF!US BEING THERE TO TELL THEM ABOUT NEW LONDON THEATRE. LAURA, KIRK, MEDLEY, LAUREN, LESLIE, LORRIE, HOLLY, DAVID, AND TANYA, THANKS A MILLION....AND THANKS, TONY, !FOR THE CANOPY AND WIND SHIELD AND TABLE WE USED....JONATHAN 13
The New London Theatre Wish List
Urgent needs, can you help with these items? The next big project for us is to clean out the storage area, which will become our dressing rooms and shop area. We have a huge need for donations of large Rubbermaid type storage containers, shelving, cabinets, and clothes racks. If so, please let us know and drop them by any evening. Thanks very much!! Email us at nltsnellville@yahoo.com
Other wish list items:
• black paint • painting supplies! • large rubber storage containers with lids • canister vacuum cleaner with hose and wand • lobby style dustpan with long handle • sewing supplies • trash bags- 8 gallon, 13 • gallon, 55 gallon • fabric for costumes and sets • tickets (two part) • shelves for shop • large mirrors for dressing room • coffee maker (large one) • storage cabinets for shop • large folding tables- 4 and 6 foot!!
• a four unit walkie talkie set with headphones • money (always needed) • theatre style crowd control ropes with poles • PA system for front of theatre • sewing machines (that works well) • nice clothing suitable for costuming (suits for men/women, fancy dresses, hats, etc) • 24 inch dust mop, frame, and handle • folding chairs (Commercial Fabric Folding Chair) • sponsors for program printing, signs, etc. • Indoor/outdoor spotlight • laser jet printer/ scanner/fax/copier
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Interested in seeing pictures of our past and present productions? If you would like to look, order prints or other goodies, please visit:
http://www.kathi.mardis.com New London Theatre earns money on all of your purchases!! Thanks for helping.
Audition Info Everyone is invited to come and audition, whether you have done it before or not. You never know, you may be the next “Snellville Idol”. No seriously, it is a lot of fun and whether or not you make it into the cast, there is still plenty of good stuff to do. Bring the kids and make it a family affair. Just check our website for audition dates and watch your email for further info. If you have a question about auditions, please email us. We are happy to answer any questions you have about the process. We are also looking for people who have had experience in Directing. If you would like to get involved in that aspect of the theatre, please let us know.
House Crew Volunteers Needed! Not part of the cast? Not ready to audition? Or maybe you have interest in the theatre but don't know where to lend a hand. Why not consider joining the House Crew. The "crew" is an important component to each show production. It helps round out the total experience for our patrons. House crew members help as ushers and with ticket and concession sales. Patrons who have an enjoyable evening or matinee at the theatre are interested in returning for another show. Part of their decision rests not only on an outstanding performance but also on how they view the entire theatre facility...the welcome at the ticket counter, the service at the concessions booth, the assistance with finding a seat and the overall perception of quality. You can help build a positive perception by volunteering to help with one or more shows as a member of the house crew. If interested or if you'd like more details, please call Tom Martin at 770-979-8939 or twmartin50@yahoo.com. Currently, volunteers are needed to help with “The One Act Showcase.”
Please do us a favor and forward this newsletter to all of your friends and family who live in the area! That will help us get the word out!!!! Thank you.
Would you like to receive this newsletter from us? Go to www.newlondontheatre.org and click the newsletter button.
Thanks for reading and for your support of New London Theatre!!
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