Spring 2015

E-mail us at: wrct@wctc.netwrctheatre.org

Presenting live comedy, dramaand musicals since 1975

715-421-0435

President’sCorner

From theExecutive Director

If you have attended a WRCT production lately, you are familiar with our curtain speeches in which various people associated with the theater have talked to you prior to the beginning of the show about the opportunity to help WRCT through participation in our Sustaining Membership Program. The monies raised

through this program are used for maintenance of the facility and purchase of new equipment. I would like to share some of the things we have done with the money donated so far.

Last year we were able to make several improvements to the sound system in the theater. We purchased a second set of microphones to better pick up sound and distribute it to the auditorium when the actors are on the front of the stage. We were also able to upgrade our sound system with the purchase of a new sound board as well as equipment to better deliver sound effects.

Our emphasis this year has been on the purchase of new lighting equipment. If you took in the ARTi Gras a few weeks ago, and went to the Disco at the Masquerade Ball, you would have seen some of the effects we can achieve with our new LED lights. In particular, we were able to have four lights constantly changing colors without the need to have an operator on hand. This was possible because each of the lights can be made to display a wide range of colors without changing gels by adjusting the amount of color generated from each of three different colored LED lights contained within each lighting fixture. An all four lights were slaved to one of the four which told them when to change color. This is a fascinating new technology which we are just beginning to explore. An additional benefit of the LED lights is that they run cool so a small room like the Studio Theatre does not get so hot.

If you appreciate these efforts to improve the operation of the theatre and to give the audience a better experience, won’t you become a part of those efforts by contributing to the Sustaining Membership fund? All it takes is an annual commitment of $250. For more information on the Sustaining Membership fund, call Cory at 715 421-0435.

Andy Gilbert, President

This season is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

ARTi Gras 2015 is a sweet memory now, but the afterglow of this wonderful event continues. If you were able to join us for some of the festivities, we hope you had a great time. We certainly had fun putting them together. None of it would have been possible without the help of a

dedicated group of volunteers and sponsors, and I would like to take this space to thank them personally.

First and foremost, a big THANK YOU goes to Cathy Meils, ARTi Gras Festival Director, for creating this celebration and doing most of the work to get it to happen. Without Cathy, there would be no festival, and we are greatly appreciative of the fact that she cares so much about ARTi Gras, she travels all the way from Prague each year to make it happen. Cathy is the founder of WRCT, but her vision for the arts in this community (and others) has never stopped there. We are lucky to have her.

Thanks go to our festival sponsors, who supported in a major way:

I could keep going, but there are other things to cover in this newsletter. But when you come to Love Letters, look in the program for the names of all the individuals who gave of their time and talents to help make the event a success and those businesses who contributed toward some great raffle and silent auction items. We can’t say it enough – thank you all!

And thanks as well to those businesses and individuals who sponsored events or made a general contribution:

• ERCO Worldwide (USA) Inc.• Ritchay Funeral Home• Riverview Hospital Association• WoodTrust-Bell Foundation

• incourage community foundation

• Wisconsin Humanities Council• Aspirus Doctors Clinic• Brazeau, LaChapelle, Kryshak & Nettesheim, LP• Renaissance Learning Inc.

• Tom & Crystal Metcalf• Paper Cities Savings• Retirement Community of Nekoosa• River Cities Bank• Solarus• Stoiber Healthcare• Jeannie & Dick Weymouth• WI Fellowship of Poets

• Becker & Kumm CPA• Bull’s Eye Credit Union• Corenso America• Pat & Kathy Daly• The Dental Suite• Duncan Disability Law• Heid Music• Herman Taylor Funeral Home• Home Brew Press

SPONSORED BY

E-mail us at: wrct@wctc.netwrctheatre.org 715-421-0435

WRCT Presents:

Love LettersBy A.R. Gurney

Performance dates: March 13-14 & 19-21

7:30pm

March 222:00pm Sunday matinee

This season is funded bygrant funds through

Incourage Community Foundation

Kathleen Turner, Stephen Collins, Victor Garber, Julie Harris, George Grizzard, George Hearn, Richard Kiley, Dana Ivey, William Hurt, Marsha Mason, Christopher Reeve, Holland Taylor, George Segal, Christopher Walken, Joan Van Ark, Treat Williams, Frances Sternhagen, Colleen Dewhurst, Jason Robards, Lynn Redgrave, Stockard Channing, Jane Curtin, Edward Herrmann, Kate Nelligan, Polly Bergen, Robert Vaughn, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth McGovern, Swoosie Kurtz, Richard Thomas, Elaine Stritch, Cliff Robertson, Nancy Marchand, Fritz Weaver, Robert Foxworth, Elizabeth Montgomery, Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Barbara Eden, Robert Wagner, Jill St. John, Stefanie Powers, Carol Burnett, Brian Dennehy, Mel Gibson, Sissy Spacek, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Elizabeth Taylor, James Earl Jones, Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Tab Hunter, Joyce DeWitt, Jerry Hall, David Soul, Larry Storch, Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott, Hal Linden, Mia Farrow, Carol Burnett, Alan Alda, Candice Bergen.

These are just a few of the actors who have performed in A.R. Gurney's play Love Letters since it first opened on Broadway in 1989. The play has rarely been out of view ever since, with productions around the U.S. and around the world.

Gurney was already a notable playwright when he wrote Love Letters as a two-character play, after originally envisioning it as a novel. He was in the very first performance of the play,

which was presented as a reading at the New York Public Library in the late 1980’s. The artistic director of the Long Wharf Theatre, located in New Haven, CT, (where Gurney had earned a master’s degree in playwrighting at Yale University) mounted the first theatre production of the play and it soon transferred to Broadway.

Gurney designed the play as a series of letters written over the course of 50 years by two childhood friends, following them through each important stage of their lives. The author requires that the play be read (not memorized) and be staged with two actors sitting onstage. The simplicity of the production, the richness of the characters, and the beauty of the play have attracted actors and audiences alike.

The WRCT production began as a chamber theatre piece performed for the 2015 ARTi Gras arts festival, earning rave reviews from audience members, along with doses of laughter and a few tears. We had been discussing ways to bring this production to a larger audience, and found the solution by adding it to the WRCT main-stage season. To that long list of actors above, we now add Jody Steinke and Michael Barrett.

Cathy MeilsDirector, Love Letters

This season is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds

from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

TRISISVintage Vocal Trio

Sunday, May 102:00pm

Treat Mom to a special performance on her special day; watch web site for ticket prices

Friday NightLights

in the Studio!April 10

Broadway Show Tunes7:00pm, $10

May 1Staged Reading

7:00pm, $10

E-mail us at: wrct@wctc.netwrctheatre.org 715-421-0435

The WRCT Silver Foxes WRCT’s Silver Foxes Club meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month in our Studio Theatre at 1:00pm.

Come Join the Fun!

Upcoming Auditions:

AUDITION DATES: Monday, March 23 & Tuesday, March 24

6:30 - 8:30pm - WRCT Auditorium

Almost, MaineDirected By Linda Garski

LOTS of GREAT parts available! This show is written to either be double-cast, or to use individuals for each role…up to 19 people! Each scene is self-contained with 2 or 3 actors, with limited rehearsal time early in the schedule. Perfect for people who want to do a show and still enjoy free time in the spring!

ALL ages welcome! The people in this play are couples, and although the script says they are 20-40, as long as the couples "match up" age-wise, there is no limit on how old you have to be!

ALL levels of experience welcome! Newcomers are not only welcome, but encouraged to audition. It's always nice to have a blend of veterans and "rookies", so don't worry if you've never acted before!

SCRIPTS ARE AVAILABLE NOW at the WRCT office.

www.wrctheatre.orgfor all the latest information!

Visit our web site

PERFORMANCE DATES: May 15-16 and 21-23, 2015

7:30pmMay 24 (2:00pm Sunday matinee)

THE STORY: On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—almost—in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.

Go to the website for more information:wrctheatre.org/Index.asp

Check our web site for info updates

Saturday,April 11th

Spring Dance Partywith

Thursday, May 28Two performances

1:00pm & 6:30pm, Tickets $5

The WRCT Silver FoxesSpring Show

The Silver Foxes are currently booking off-site performances for 2015. If you are interested in

having them come to perform at a facility or for your social group, please contact Mary Beth Rokus at

715-421-3115.

NON PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDWISC RAPIDS WI

54494PERMIT NO. 31

Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre, Inc220 3rd Avenue South, Ste #6Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495715-421-0435www.wrctheatre.org

E-mail us at: wrct@wctc.netwrctheatre.org 715-421-0435

Tickets on saleTuesday-Friday from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at

WRCT office at east end of Rapids MallCall 715-421-0435

Tickets will also be sold one hourprior to performance at the box office

WRCT Board of DirectorsLinda Garski

Stephanie Hoerth

Bob Kell

Amy Scheide

Marlin Schneider

Loretta Schoechert

Andy GilbertPresident

Shirley JungVice President

Amy BoettcherSecretary/Treasurer

Ellen RoeselerExecutive Director

Cory ShawProduction & Facility Coordinator

Cathy Meils Founder

Community SpaceThe Gilbert and Jaylee Mead Auditorium and the Studio Theatre spaces are available for rent. The auditorium seats 223, and is designed as a performance or large meeting venue. The Studio Theatre is a multi-functional, black box facility and seats up to 60 people, depending upon the setup. WRCT personnel are happy to work with you to accommodate usage for your particular group or occasion.

The rental policy is available on the WRCT website or by contacting the office. If you are a non-profit organization, fees will be negotiated.

“Love Letters”March 13-14 & 19-22, 2015

“Almost, Maine”May 15-16 & 21-24, 2015

2014-2015 SeasonThis is the place for great theatre!