Joliet Drama Guild

Steel Magnolias cast set!

From director, Mark Parker

Hello Ladies,

I would first like to thank you for the great auditions...that didn't make my job easy at all. Unfortunately, there are only 6 roles. I would like to invite any of you to volunteer for tech positions if you wish to be involved!
Cast:
Truvy Jones: Tammy Perkins
Annelle Dupuy-Desoto: Carolyn Sallade
Clairee Belcher: Sue Martin
Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie: Jackie Nash
M'Lynn Eatenton: Janette Quinn
Ouiser Boudreaux: Dee Hamilton

Thanks again! I cannot wait to begin working on this production.
 

-mark parker

July Board Meeting and Officer Election Announcement

The July Board meeting took place on Sunday, July 10th, at 3:00pm in the lobby of the Bicentennial Park Theater.   Officers and committee chairs were elected. Please see the Board of Directors page for more info.

At the most recent Board meeting the directors for next season were selected by the board of directors. Congratulations to Mark Parker who will be directing "Steel Magnolias" in the fall (in place of Born Yesterday), and Luke Pascale who will be directing "Lion in Winter" in the winter. The director selection committee felt that the incoming board should select directors for the remaining two shows. After this process, it was discovered that the production rights to Born Yesterday could not be acquired at this time, and the decision was made by the board to proceed with an alternate selection suggested by the director and approved by the board.

Thank you to all who submitted their resume.

 

Next Season's Slate Announcement

Slate 3: Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin, Deathtrap by Ira Levin, The Lion in Winter by James Goldman, Lucky Stiff By Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

Born Yesterday  being replaced by Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias –Robert Harling
Revolving around Truvy's Beauty Parlor in a small parish in modern-day Louisiana, STEEL MAGNOLIAS is the story of a close-knit circle of friends whose lives come together there. As the picture opens, we find Drum Eatenton shooting birds in the trees of his back yard in preparation for his daughter's wedding reception that afternoon. Shortly thereafter, M'Lynn and Shelby (Drum's wife and daughter) depart for Truvy's to get their hair done for the wedding. "Just the sweetest thing," Annelle Depuy Desoto (who may or may not be married because her marriage may not be legal) is introduced to Truvy's customers as her new "glamour technician." While in the chairs, the sour-tempered Ouiser Boudreaux shows up and entertains the assemblage with her barbs. It seems that the only one of the group who truly understands Ouiser is Clairee who is recently widowed and looking for a diversion. As she says, later in the picture, "If you can't find anything good to say about anybody, come sit by me." Filled with humor and heartbreak, these "Steel Magnolias" make us laugh and cry as the realities of their lives in tiny Chiquapin Parish unfolds.

Death Trap –Ira Levin
This famous thriller features three male roles and two female roles.  Sidney Bruhl sorely needs a hit when young playwright Clifford Anderson offers him a stunning new thriller Deathtrap.  A solution to his problem if only some roadblocks could be removed?  Who?  And how?  A psychic next door, Hilda Ten Dorp has some ideas which may disrupt Sidney and his collaborators’ plans..  This well-written thriller twists and turns, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.With roles for three men and two women.

The Lion in Winter –James Goldman
James Goldman’s historical play The Lion in Winter depicts the interpersonal relationships among members of the English royal family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of the year 1183.
The Lion in Winter concerns the interpersonal dynamics and political wrangling of King Henry; his wife Eleanor, whom he has kept imprisoned in a tower for the past ten years; and their three sons, who are vying for the privilege of being named heir to the English throne. Eleanor, who has been let out of prison to celebrate Christmas with her family, favors Richard as heir, while Henry favors John. To complicate matters, the young King Philip II of France has arrived to remind Henry of a treaty he signed many years earlier, promising to marry his heir to Philip’s sister Alais. However, Alais has been Henry’s mistress for the past seven years, and Henry is hesitant to marry her off to any of his sons.
The Lion in Winter explores themes of dysfunctional family, political maneuvering, war and peace, as well as aging, death, inheritance, and posterity. As the principle characters plot, scheme, conspire, and counter-plot between each other, the deepseated emotional ties between them get played out in the political arena, such that sibling rivalry and marital jealousy translate into civil war, treason, and perhaps even murder among the members of a royal nuclear family. The cast consists of five men and two women.

Lucky Stiff –Aherns and Flaherty
This murder mystery farce propels a mild-mannered English shoe clerk into a lunatic mix of murdered Atlantic City croupier, his near-sighted jilted mistress, her hen-pecked brother and several hundred (off-stage) dogs. Witherspoon will inherit six million dollars if he can successfully go on holiday with his uncle, the late departed croupier, in Monte Carlo for a week. If he doesn't pull it off, the money goes to the Universal Dogs Home of Brooklyn - and if there is one thing in life that Harry hates, it's dogs! With a tuneful score and a well-oiled plot, plus the ultimate happy ending, Lucky Stiff guarantees hilarity for one and all. This ensemble cast calls for six men and four women.

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New Membership Information

The membership committee has been working hard at expanding membership benefits, as well as simplifying enrollment. Beginning immediately all membership terms will coincide with the season. Annual membership will be in effect from Sept 1st to Aug 31st. Current members will be given an extension till Aug 31st of 2011. We are sensitive to this tough economy, so this extension will be at no additional charge. On August 31st 2011, all annual memberships will need to be renewed. New members will be charged a pro-rated fee for membership till Aug 31st. For more information on membership benefits, new membership levels, and how to become a member, go to our membership page.

Production News:

The Joliet Drama Guild is pleased to announce the production schedule for the 78th Season.

Sylvia by A.R. Gurney Directed by Al Pindell
October 16 – 18th and 23rd – 25th  2010

Apartment 3A by Jeff Daniels Directed by Luke Pascale        A Studio J Production
January 14th - 16th and 21st - 22nd 2011

12 Angry Jurors by Reginald Rose Directed by Rae Williams
February 11th – 13th and 18th – 20th  2011

Meet My Husbands by Fred Carmichael Directed by Jay Allen Wharrie
April 8th – 10th and 15th – 17th 2011

The Summer Musical will be:
Jekyll and Hyde music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics and book by Leslie Bricusse
Directed by Anthony Roach