Backstage Players Present The Producers

L to R: Mark Gilchrist, Chelsea Kelle, Jim Kane

Backstage Players is proud to be bringing the hilarious Mel Brook’s Comedy, The Producers to stage this March. Shows are scheduled for Thursday, March 26 at 7:00, Friday, March 27 at 7:00, Saturday, March 28 at 7:00 and Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 at Andrews Memorial Theater at Clinton Town Hall. Tickets are $22/adult, $18/Seniors and students. Purchase tickets.

The Producers follows the adventures of Max Bialystock, a less than reputable, down-on-his-luck Broadway Producer and his withdrawn, milquetoast accountant, Leo Bloom. Their scheme is to put on the worst Broadway Musical ever, close it in one night, and run off with all of the project’s investment money. They need to find the worst musical ever written and the worst director on Broadway, not to mention some equally ridiculous characters that they meet along the way. The title page of the play selected reads, “Springtime for Hitler, A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden.” Mr. Brooks takes this premise of a musical glorifying Hitler and proceeds to destroy the Nazis and their Third Reich with unparalleled sarcastic humor.

Along the way, audiences will be treated to some of the most beautiful music ever written for the stage, “The King of Broadway”, “I Want to be a Producer”, “Keep it Gay”, “When You’ve Got It, Flaunt It”, “That Face”, “Springtime For Hitler” and many others.

The Producers features many Backstage regulars, including Mark Gilchrist and Jim Kane, who play the two leading men, Max and Leo, respectively. Kane will also double as director for the production.

“I’m incredibly excited to be working on The Producers in as many aspects as I am, said Kane. “It’s been my favorite show since it hit Broadway years ago and I’m honored to be given the chance to bring Mel Brooks’ genius alive on stage.”

We are proud to introduce two Backstage Players newcomers, Chelsea Kelle from Manchester, who plays Ulla, Max and Leo’s love interest and David Kaminski, a great stand-up comedian in his own right, as Franz, the totally insane Neo-Nazi playwright.

The Producers is a marked departure from Backstage Players’ usual fare.  It is a quintessential Mel Brooks comedy.  It features an all adult cast, save some mature teenagers, and is rated PG-13 by Music Theatre International, still appropriate for most young people, but not all.

“We are taking somewhat of a leap of faith with this production.  It has an edge to it, which is a good thing.  Good theater is not meant to be comfortable”, said Ed Hobson, BPC president.  “Its Brooks being an “equal opportunity offender”.  Its really, really funny, chocked full of silliness from beginning to end.  Its Brooks fighting the Nazis the only way he can, through humor.  Our audience has come to expect excellence from us and this will be the biggest and best we’ve done, so far.”

Backstage Players Company (BPC), originally called Backstage Theater, is a non-profit theater company that was started in 2004 by a small group of parents and volunteers. BPC’s mission is to develop and produce social, recreational and educational theater arts experiences for the shoreline community.
Previous productions include 101 Dalmatians Kids, The Sound of Music, Scrooge’s Christmas Carol, Fame, the Musical, Annie, Oklahoma!, Oliver!, Bye Bye Birdie, The Coney Island of Dr. Moreau, Wagon Wheels West, Rock around the Block, The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree and Hansel and Gretel.

The New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) will host Grammy Award nominated and internationally beloved jazz musician and composer Chris Brubeck as its 2015 Artist-in-Residence beginning in late February through May 2015.

Grammy-nominated composer Chris Brubeck continues to distinguish himself as an innovative performer and composer. Brubeck has created an impressive body of symphonic work while maintaining a demanding touring and recording schedule with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet and his trio Triple Play. Chris has worked with many diverse artists, including Frederica von Stade, Ben Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, Bill Crofut, Meryl Streep, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Gerry Mulligan, Bela Fleck, Bobby McFerrin, Stephane Grappelli, Bobby Womack, Tower of Power, and Patti Labelle. His compositions have been performed by orchestras all around the world, including the prominent U.S. orchestras of Boston, Houston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington as well as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.



The New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Artist Residency will place Chris Brubeck in the schools, civic centers, and concert halls of the Greater New Haven community, lending his unique artistic voice and educational perspective to enrich the scope and effectiveness of music learning in New Haven and beyond. He will serve in roles as varied as: Young People’s Concert presenter to more than 8,000 students; in-school resident artist and community concert leader; mentor to the NHSO’s Junior Board; lecturer and activist for music education in Greater New Haven.


On Thursday, March 12, the NHSO will feature Brubeck in “Ansel Adams, Bernstein & Brubeck” at the Shubert Theater in New Haven. Central to the residency, this multimedia concert will include a world premiere performance of Chris’ newest composition, Time Changes for Jazz Combo and Orchestra, which he will perform side-by-side with the Jazz Band students from Guilford High School and the NHSO. The performance also will feature the Connecticut premiere of Chris and Dave Brubeck’s Grammy nominated Ansel Adams: America, a work accompanying 100 of Ansel Adams’ majestic images projected above the orchestra. The piece was nominated for a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition in 2013 and was the last piece on which Chris and his father collaborated. For tickets click here.



Chris Brubeck says, “I am honored to work with the NHSO and music director William Boughton; I have the highest regard for their commitment to music education. The marriage of jazz and classical music kicks down doors for young listeners and musicians, especially when high school musicians are featured alongside the orchestra. This is the inspiration for my newest work and the residency as a whole. It is my hope that students will see themselves in the musicians onstage and imagine a future full of music.”


NHSO Music Director William Boughton says, “We are delighted to follow our 2013 artist-in-residence, hip hop violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, with jazz trombonist and composer Chris Brubeck. A personal highlight of the residency will be featuring Chris, the NHSO, and high school musicians in a world premiere performance at the Shubert Theater. This work will expand the orchestral genre into the world of jazz and provide inspiration to young performers and audience members for years to come.”
 

A Unique Art Studio-Retail Opportunity

Chroma Gallery, an art studio/gallery, is for sale by owner. It is located just off the Guilford Green at 20 Church Street sharing the building with Perk on Church and Off the Green businesses.

Barbara Shulman-Kirwin, (BSK) created Chroma with the desire to have a place where she could create and exhibit in the same space. This is an unusual opportunity for any artist who wants to take their talents to the next level and have a retail space that is open to the public 6-7 days/week. Located on the historic downtown Green of Guilford, CT., Chroma is an architecturally designed, open, colorful gallery with studio space in the back area and a beautifully lit, open gallery space for exhibition. The back studio area is where BSK designs and constructs her glass design pieces. Customers have the opportunity to watch the creative process as well as participate in creating and designing commissioned work. This unique space has a loyal customer base, built over the past 12 years, with lots of foot traffic, and a lively coffee shop next door. Chroma has two additional designated spaces for artist/retailers to share, enabling the business to split staffing hours and utilities. Each studio space (partner) staffs the gallery only 2 days a week in order for the gallery to be open daily.  Sharing the utility bills helps in keeping the expenses down. This is a beautiful space in the vibrant center of Guilford, CT. You can view the gallery at www.bskdesign.net. For more information, contact Barbara Shulman-Kirwin at 203.314.3250 or email at bsk@bskdesign.net. Read more

BSK is offering to teach glass fusion to the person interested in purchasing her studio/gallery. If you are an artist of any other medium, and are interested in learning about glass fusion, the mentoring is part of the sale.