Open Auditions for “Christmas at the Blizzard: A Murder Mystery” to be held September 6, 7, 13, & 14

Posted on by

OPEN AUDITION NOTICE

Christmas at the Blizzard: A Murder Mystery returns to the Brush Creek stage.

Brush Creek Playhouse plans to close its 2017 season with the return of the marvelous mystery that first graced our stage in 2011. This parlor mystery by Emily and Michael Wood makes several conscious nods to Agatha Christie as it takes the audience down a series of twists and turns as the characters try to discover the truth – before it’s too late! The play is set at a remote bed and breakfast in the Northern California hills, and after gathering to celebrate the holidays in style, the characters discover that they are trapped at the Blizzard by a real blizzard. And one of their number is a killer!

Open auditions will be held at Brush Creek Playhouse (11535 Silverton Road (the intersection of Brush Creek & Silverton Roads) on the following days (although it is not required, interested individuals are encouraged to participate on multiple days if possible):

  • Wednesday, September 6 (7 pm)
  • Thursday, September 7 (7 pm)
  • Saturday, September 9 (1 pm)
  • Sunday, September 10 (1 pm)

We will use cold readings from the script and some other exercises. No monologues or other preparation is necessary, but it will be useful to have a record of any previous theater experience (first-time actors are also encouraged to try out).

Anyone interested in a role but unable to attend any of the auditions should contact director Michael Wood at mdwelpis@comcast.net or 503-508-3682 to make arrangements.

The production will run Friday, December 1 thru Sunday, December 17, with evening performances on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and matinees on Sundays.

Open Auditions for “The Kitchen Witches” come to Brush Creek on July 15 and 16

Posted on by

Brush Creek’s next hilarious comedy is Caroline Smith’s The Kitchen Witches — winner of the 2005 Samuel French Canadian Playwrights Contest — to be directed by John Sams.

Come be part of this entertaining production. Brush Creek will be holding open auditions at 2 pm on both Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16.  The play requires two females in their 50s or 60s and one man in his 30s or early 40s. It also includes a very funny non-speaking role that can be played by young man or young woman.

Samuel French, Inc. describes the play as follows:

Isobel Lomax and Dolly Biddle are two “mature” cable-access cooking show hostesses who have hated each other for 30 years, ever since Larry Biddle dated one and married the other. When circumstances put them together on a TV show called The Kitchen Witches, the insults are flung harder than the food! Dolly’s long-suffering TV-producer son Stephen tries to keep them on track, but as long as Dolly’s dressing room is one inch closer to the set than Isobel’s, it’s a losing battle, and the show becomes a rating smash as Dolly and Isobel top both Martha Stewart and Jerry Springer!

The characters are….

DOLLY BIDDLE, who indulges herself with anything life has to offer whenever possible – even if it’s not good for her!? – and her creative imagination knows no bounds. She is intensely proud of her son Stephen, loves to dispense advice along with recipes for cabbage rolls and borscht and hates Isobel Lomax with an intensity usually reserved for detonating nuclear devices.

STEPHEN BIDDLE, a nervous, prematurely balding but decent young man who actually enjoys producing low-budget cable TV shows, even when his Mom is the star. Bright and capable, if somewhat shy, but always reluctant to confront Dolly on her many shortcomings. He’s not a fighter – he’d rather be a lover, but nobody’s asked him yet.

ISOBEL LOMAX  thinks Martha Stewart could learn something about homemaking from her. She trained at the Cordon Bleu and enjoyed a successful career, including her own show “Busy Izzy”. Isobel likes people to think she has a much classier background than reality supports; she would never go out without being properly accessorized. At heart, she is a bright funny and articulate woman who has come to terms with the choices she made early in life.

ROB THE CAMERA GUY (or ROBERTA THE CAMERA CHICK) – Non-speaking role (except for one line!). Rob is a young “Goth” inspired person; Stephen is a little afraid of him/her. He/she cleans up the sets, resets props, carries the portable camera around during the “live broadcasts” and despite his/her appearance, is generally extremely efficient and precise.

The play is scheduled to run Friday, September 22 thru Sunday, October 8.

For more information contact Director John Sams at Sams426@comcast.net.

David Ives’ “All in the Timing” comes to Brush Creek stage June 16 thru July 2

Posted on by

Brush Creek Playhouse continues its 2017 season with a delightful twist . . . or three. Director Dixie McCartney makes her Brush Creek debut with this set of comedic one-acts from David Ives. 

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, these short plays explore some eternal – and not so eternal – themes, with wonderfully comic results. 

For example, “Words, Words, Words” recalls the philosophical adage that monkeys typing into infinity will sooner or later produce “Hamlet” and asks: What would the monkeys talk about as they sat at their typewriters? “Variations on the Death of Trotsky¸” on the other hand, shows us the Russian revolutionary on the day of his demise, desperately trying to cope with the mountain-climber’s axe he’s discovered in his head. In “English Made Simple” an otherwise ordinary encounter between a young man and a young woman at a party takes on an extraordinary depth of meaning when their immediate romantic attraction is translated into a comically unromantic grammar lesson as they struggle to free themselves from the banal constrictions of party talk. Just four actors — Tavis Evans, Julianna Gibbons, Marc Wassom, and Ariel Blain — present all the roles in this critically acclaimed, award-winning set of comedies.

The show opens Friday, June 16 and runs through Sunday, July 2, with performances at 7 pm Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm Sundays. Brush Creek now sells reserved seat tickets. Tickets are $10 ($8 for seniors, children and students) and can be purchased in advance at Runaway Art and Craft Studio on 311 NE Commercial Street in downtown Salem or at Books N Time on 210 N. Water Street in downtown Silverton. They are also available at the door beginning 30 minutes before each performance.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive at least 10 to 15 minutes before curtain in order to ensure that we can get everyone seated in time for the performance.

Parents with young children will want to take note that some of the plays include strong language.

For more information, you can also contact Michael Wood at 503-508-3682.

“All in the Timing” will hit Brush Creek’s stage June 16 thru July 2

Posted on by
As “The Hallelujah Girls” finishes its first of 3 weekends, Brush Creek is pleased to announce the cast of its next production, “All in the Timing,” a set of 1-acts written by David Ives and directed by Dixie McCartney.
 
Dixie has settled on a cast made up of Ariel Blain, Tavis Evans, Julianna Gibbons, and Marc Wassom. As with so many of our recent shows, “All in the Timing” will offer a blend of familiar faces and first-time performers (at least on the Brush Creek stage). And with a whole group of 1-act plays to stage, this group will certainly have their work cut out for them!
 
The show will open Friday, June 16 and run through Sunday, July 2 (note the 1-week delay in the performance schedule, compared to previous publicity).
 
We are looking forward to yet another wonderful comic production!

“Hallelujah Girls” comes to Brush Creek’s Stage April 14-30!

Posted on by

Brush Creek will be continuing its 2017 season with another marvelous comedy with a wonderful group of characters you will learn to love and laugh along with!

The Hallelujah Girls , a comedy written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten in 2010 comes to the Brush Creek stage by arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. We are so excited about the cast that Director Kimberly Strong has assembled — you will want to mark you calendars and pick up your reserved seat tickets, on sale now at both of our ticket locations (Runaway Art & Craft on NE Commercial in downtown Salem and Books-N-Time on Water Street in downtown Silverton).

 

Can’t you tell they’re having a great time even posing for a picture or two!

Performances Friday, April 14 thru Sunday, April 30
 Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm; Sundays at 2 pm
Special Thursday Evening Performances at 7 pm on April 20 & 27