Full Speed Ahead!

Hey, did you hear it snowed?  I guess ACE is a bit like the post office; we just keep going in spite of the weather!  Moments after the cast of FOREVER PLAID: PLAID TIDINGS returned to the ether, and THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE cast took down the white flag, the theater burst into a frenzy of activity with sets being struck, and auditions being held for the next show. 

Volunteers showed up to begin the load in to the Hult Center for A CHRISTMAS CAROL.  As most folks were getting ready to battle the ice and snow, we were moving sets, costumes and props, and rehearsing for A CHRISTMAS CAROL!  It’s always a big risk to move a show to a larger theater, and the threat of bad weather caused for a lot of fingers to be crossed and sleep to be lost.  Fortunately we were rewarded with four excellent performances of A CHRISTMAS CAROL that were attended by well over a thousand people!  Many thanks to all those who saw the shows!

LOVES LABORS LOST

Speaking of numbers, over 30 kids tried out for the ACE Youth Academy production of LOVES LABORS LOST!  Since we began doing Shakespeare for kids a few years ago, our audiences have grown, as well as the number of kids wanting to be part of the Youth Academy.  LOVES opens in March and will be taught and directed by Gaylord Walker, who directed our productions of MACBETH and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.  LOVES LABORS LOST will be set in the 1940’s and will feature several classic American songs.

The ACE Youth Academy is a lot different than other acting camps or classes.  Instead of isolated acting lessons or a short workshop environment, the ACE Youth Academy is a full immersion program, where kids learn all about the theater while working on a full production that is open to the public.  The student actors in LOVES will learn about Shakespeare, of course, but also about the shift in American culture from a focus on adults, to the current focus on youth.  They will be viewing films that feature performances from The Marx Brothers, and Fred Astaire.  They will also be learning about the craft of comedy, and what an actor has to do to make a scene funny.  Gaylord Walker is a Juilliard trained actor who had the opportunity to work on LOVES LABORS LOST with the legendary Peter Brook, so this production should be as much fun to see as it is to work on.  LOVES LABORS LOST opens MARCH 6.

Have A Seat!

The Annex Theater, where the Youth Academy makes it’s home, as well as the site of our future production of HISTORY BOYS, is getting a make over!  We are taking out the old red seats that were in the front rows, and replacing them with new seats, as well as adding additional seating to increase the capacity of the theater.  Special thanks to ACE actor Chris McVein for his help in this labor intensive project.  Chris is one of the stars of the ACE show ALTAR BOYZ which opens January 30.  Altar Boyz is the show that will change the face of Musical Theater here in Eugene!  No kidding!  It’s going to have the funniest comedy and the most explosive dancing and singing that you have ever heard!  Not that we ever exaggerate anything in the theater..!

You want it when? 

Professional companies will rehearse a show for two weeks and then put it on the stage.  Actors Cabaret is not a professional company, but we are ambitious!  That’s why we’re mounting the World Premiere production of Charles Nathan’s WHERE THE HECK’S THE PLOT in three weeks!  Most local actors panic at the thought of going on stage in so short a time, but the PLOT cast is made up of ACE regulars who are familiar with our no nonsense style of rehearsal.  WHERE THE HECK’S THE PLOT is a show about producers without a show, a songwriter without a plot and a very patient girl friend.  Charles Nathan is is lifelong song writer who has written songs for Dinah shore, Perry Como and other crooners, and PLOT is a delightful throw back to the era when singers and songs ruled the stage, not special effects.  WHERE’S THE PLOT opens January 9 and tickets are on sale now.  It’s the perfect show for a chilly January night!