produced by Carol Campione
directed by Beatriz Esteban-Messina
musical direction by Diana Gross
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
118 Chadwick Road
Teaneck NJ 07666
February 8-17, 2008
Fri & Sat 8pm | Sun 3pm
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
118 Chadwick Road
Teaneck NJ 07666
February 8-17, 2008
Fri & Sat 8pm | Sun 3pm
The Diary of Adam and Eve, "translated" by Mark Twain, is Twain’s humorous look at the very first male-female relationship: how it began, how it evolved and how it matured. This is a witty, playful and ultimately touching portrait of the very first couple as they slowly begin to know, accept and love one another. It’s also an insightful and delightful take on how much, and how little, has changed in the interaction between the sexes. Despite their many differences, Adam eventually realizes he cannot do without Eve. She, of course, knew that all along. Music will be integrated into the play to complete TNT’s tribute to Valentine’s Day.
Director Beatriz Esteban-Messina, who enjoys directing small-cast shows, decided to do this particular play because, she says, "the premise of Mark Twain’s original short story is fascinating." The actors selected to bring Twain’s fascinating premise to life on the first weekend are Gus Ferrari of Montclair as Adam, and Candice Gibson, also of Montclair, as Eve. On the second weekend Adam and Eve will be played by Jersey City resident Tri Garraty and N. Haledon’s Diane Moran. The singers are Ft. Lee resident Oriana Barros, Diana Gross, and Maywood’s Neil Kahn. The pianist is Janet Secor of Maywood.
Tickets for The Diary of Adam & Eve plus Music are $12; $10 for students and seniors, and $8 for theatre parties of 10 or more. For reservations and information, call TNT at (201) 692-0200.
Coming from TNT in March: Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo, a backstage farce..
artwork by Patt Tanner
The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center
39 Broadway
Hackensack NJ 07601
March 28-April 13, 2008
Fri & Sat 8pm | Sun 3pm
Moon Over Buffalo (by the author of Lend Me a Tenor) recounts the exploits of husband-and-wife acting team Charlotte and George Hay, played on Broadway by Carol Burnett and Philip Bosco. It’s 1953 and the couple’s repertory company is performing in Buffalo. This is their best (and last) chance at movie stardom, inasmuch as famed director Frank Capra is set to attend the company’s matinee performance of Private Lives…or is it Cyrano de Bergerac? No matter, because there’s a distinct possibility the show will not go on. It seems that Charlotte has decided to leave town with Richard, the couple’s lawyer, and George is on too-friendly terms with the bottle. Adding to the lunacy is Charlotte’s hard-of-hearing actress-mother Ethel, who’s not overly fond of George. And it doesn’t stop there. Others contributing to the mayhem are the couple’s daughter Roz, her new fiancé Howard, and her former boyfriend Paul. Also not to be forgotten is Eileen, a young actress who’s had a very ill-advised love affair. Mistaken identities, mishaps, mix-ups and mischief pile up. And there are only two acts to straighten it all out!
The actors sorting through the confusion are Neil Kahn of Maywood as the volatile George, Little Falls resident Lisa Garrabrant as his aggrieved wife Charlotte, Bloomfield’s Bonnie Rosenbaum as their “sane” daughter Roz, Gus Ferrari of Montclair as lovestruck Paul, and Union City resident Beatriz Esteban-Messina as strong-willed Ethel. Completing the cast are Chris Sienkiewicz of Rutherford as fish-out-of-water Howard, Hewitt resident Robert Hernest as the stalwart Richard and Kathy Koch of Ho-Ho-Kus as the troublesome Eileen.
Tickets for Moon Over Buffalo are $15, $12 for students and seniors, and $10 for theatre parties of 10 or more. For reservations and information, call TNT at (201) 692-0200.
The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center
39 Broadway
Hackensack NJ 07601
June 20-29, 2008
Fri & Sat 8pm | Sun 3pm
Teaneck New Theatre (TNT), in association with The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center (HCAC), presents William Shakespeare’s spirited romantic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Kevin G. Shinnick directs the production, which is set in the present day. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the third outing of TNT’s 22nd season, and takes the stage at HCAC, 39 Broadway, Hackensack, from June 20-29. Curtain times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
Nothing could be better suited to the month identified with brides and weddings than A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. The setting: The city of Athens and a forest in the moonlight. The players: Four young lovers (Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius), a collection of amateur thespians (carpenter Quince, weaver Nick Bottom, joiner Snug, bellows-mender Flute), a duke and duchess (Theseus and Hippolyta), a band of fairies (King Oberon, Queen Titania, the faun Puck), and a magic flower that acts as a love potion. The tale: When the juice of the enchanted flower is spread on the eyelids of a sleeping person, said person falls in love with the first object he or she sees upon waking. That leads to people falling in love with the wrong people (or creatures), and to some lively adventures in the moonlit woods. The happy denouement: All the couples that should be together end up with their rightful mates.
One reason Cliffside Park resident Shinnick, a TNT co-founder, has returned to direct A Midsummer Night’s Dream is to demonstrate that Shakespeare is not stodgy. "People are force fed Shakespeare at school," says Shinnick. "They hear readings by fellow students who don’t understand what’s going on, so the text becomes embalmed as they hear it." Shinnick hopes audiences will discover that "the Bard was a popular and entertaining writer for the theatre."
Helping to make that happen is assistant director Patt Tanner of N. Haledon, and the actors who bring it all to life. Lysander is played by Michael-Anthony Antoniou of Cliffside Park. His Hermia is Vanessa Rappa of New Milford. Demetrius is portrayed by Gregg Elison of Teaneck. Playing Helena opposite him is Englewood resident Rachel Hampton. Duke Theseus and King Oberon are portrayed by Jason Lewis of Ridgewood. The Duke’s Hippolyta and King Oberon’s Queen Titania are played by Marjorie Lewis, Jason’s real-life wife. Puck is Mary Smith of Ringwood.
Rounding out the cast are Teaneck resident Alice Boarman Garcia as Quince; Maywood’s Neil Kahn as Nick Bottom; Chris Siekiewicz of Rutherford as Snug; Laura Sieniewicz, also of Rutherford, as Flute; Montclair resident Candice Gibson as Egeus, parent of Hermia; and Dumont’s Juliette DeNicola as the fairy Cobweb.
Tickets for A Midsummer Night’s Dream are $15, $12 for students and seniors, and $10 for theatre parties of 10 or more. For reservations and information, call TNT at (201) 692-0200.
The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center
39 Broadway
Hackensack NJ 07601
October 17-November 2, 2008
Fri & Sat 8pm | Sun 3pm
Teaneck New Theatre (TNT)—in association with The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center (HCAC)—gets in synch with Halloween by presenting the Mercury Theatre on the Air Presentation of H.G. Wells’ "War of the Worlds", radio adaptation by Howard Koch. Ridgefield resident Dominick di Rienzi wrote the pre and post-broadcast segments. Gregory Liosi of Hackensack directs the production, the fourth outing of TNT’s 22nd season. "War of the Worlds" is being presented at HCAC, 39 Broadway, Hackensack, from October 17-November 2 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
Of the many dates that have gone down in history, October 30, 1938 did so for a more unusual reason than most. When CBS originally aired Orson Welles’s Mercury Theatre on the Air production of "War of the Worlds" that October day, listeners panicked because they were convinced it was an authentic news broadcast and Martians actually were invading Earth. Fast forward 70 years to October 2008. That’s when TNT presents excerpts from that unforgettable broadcast, along with a fictional account of the operations of the radio studio and the personal stories of the actors and technicians working on the show.
Dominick di Rienzi, who wrote the backstage segments, has had more than 30 years experience as a scenic artist, working professionally for the Metropolitan Opera, on countless Broadway productions and in film. He has also served as scenic artist for several TNT productions. Dominick jokes that his fascination with science fiction might be attributed to his mother being pregnant with him when "War of the Worlds" originally aired. He heard a CD of that broadcast a year ago and realized it could be done as a theatre piece. “All I needed was an introduction to the characters and an aftermath in the studio,” Dominick says. “Then I could sandwich the broadcast in between and have a stage play.” He approached TNT with his idea because “this is a theatre group willing to take chances. Now here we are set to go with a fine cast led by director Greg Liosi.”
Among Liosi’s numerous directing credits are "Man of La Mancha" and "Breaking Legs" for TNT. Greg is arts director for The Hackensack Cultural Arts Center and The City of Hackensack, where he produces a three-month Shakespeare in the Park festival, a summer concert series, facilitates four resident theatre companies and 60-70 arts events a year. Greg is a member of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC).
Orson Welles - John Dunphy of Kearny
Diana Bourbon (who keeps an eye on Orson) - Lisa Garrabrant of Little Falls
Harry (sound effects master) - Harry Bates of New Milford
Barbara (singer and radio actor) - Barbara Pernetti of Saddle Brook
Frank (sound assistant) - Frank McDonnell of River Edge
Fran (singer and radio actor) - Fran Cassella of Carlstadt
Neil (radio actor and confidante to Orson) - Neil Kahn of Maywood
Radio actor - Chris Sienkiewicz of Rutherford
George (announcer) - Ray Parker of North Arlington
Telephone operator - Beatriz Esteban-Messina of Union City
Singer and stage manager - Hunter Lerma of Bergenfield
Radio announcer - Andy Garcia of North Bergen
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director - Gregory Liosi of Hackensack
Backstage Segments - Dominick di Rienzi of Ridgefield
Stage Manager - Eva Piccioni of Teaneck
“On a Country Road,” written by Walter Bazarr, was originally broadcast November 16, 1950. The TNT re-creation is directed by Jennifer Angerson of Fairlawn and produced by Hackensack resident Jeffrey Muller.
The Suspense episode is TNT’s third annual airing of old-time radio shows on WFDU. The project took off with another episode of Suspense and continued with last year’s offering of an episode of the popular family comedy The Great Gildersleeve. TNT’s rebroadcasts are the brainchild of longtime member Jeffrey Muller, an aficionado of old-time radio who produced all three broadcasts. “What I love about old-time radio is that radio listeners, unlike television watchers, get to use their imaginations,” says Jeffrey. “In the process, they become more active participants in the entertainment.”
The suspenseful storyline of “On a Country Road” is as follows: While driving on a highway to their Long Island home, David and his wife Dorothy take a short-cut detour to avoid an oncoming storm. A radio newscast alerts them that police in the area are hunting for a woman who has murdered several people. When a distraught woman stops their car and says she needs a ride because the murderess is after her, the couple must decide if she is telling the truth or if she is, in fact, the murderess.
Featured actors are Teaneck residents Diana Gross as Dorothy, Ed Gross as David and Carol Campione as The Woman. Completing the cast: David Cooper of Oakland in various roles, and Ridgewood resident Jason Lewis as announcer and newscaster.
Jason Lewis and David Cooper
Back row: Jennifer Angerson, David Cooper, Ed Gross, Jeffrey Muller and Jason Lewis
Front row: Diana Gross and Carol Campione
