THIS WEEK WITH MCP ...
ON STAGE NEXT ...
Don't miss the next show of our 2024 Season, Schoolhouse Rock Live!.
Performances are September 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, and 14th at 7:30 PM and the 8th at 2:00 PM in the Mason Community Playhouse.
Get your tickets HERE !
IN THE NEAR FUTURE ...
Finance Committee Meeting
Sept 9th at 6pm
Virtual
Board of Directors Meeting
Sept 11th at 7:30pm
Playhouse
Trivia Team of Theatre Nerds
Sept 12th, 19th and 26th at 7pm
James' Third Base in Mason
Schoolhouse Rock Live! Performance
Sept 12th, 13th, and 14th at 7:30pm
Playhouse
Building Committee Meeting
Sept 14th at 10am
Playhouse
It/Tech Committee Meeting
Sept 17th at 7pm
4047 Retreat Dr
Performance Committee Meeting
Sept 18th at 7pm
Virtual
Coffee Corner
Sept 21st at 9am
Biggby Coffee in Pisgah
Warren County's Oldest
Continuously Operating
Community Theatre...
Celebrating 51 Years!
Between 1973 and 1985 a series of shorts sandwiched between Saturday morning cartoons became all the rage. The nation was surprised to note that subjects such as math, grammar, science, and history set to rock, pop, and country music could capture the hearts and minds of elementary school students so completely.
Kids of all ages began singing tunes such as "Conjunction Junction," "Unpack Your Adjectives," Lolly, Lolly, Lolly," and "Great American Melting Pot."
In 1993, a revue of the most popular songs in the series was woven together into Schoolhouse Rock Live! and the show has been gracing stages across America ever since.
Schoolhouse is going to rock the Playhouse beginning this week. Performances will be September 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14 at 7:30 PM and September 8 at 2:00 PM.
The show boasts a cast and musical ensemble of 46 individuals from age 18 months to 70+. For those who remember these magical songs, you do not want to miss this trip down memory lane. If you want to find out what all the fuss is about, now is your chance!
With a large cast, tickets go fast! Get yours now! Click here!
Last issue, we highlighted the leadership of the Schoolhouse staff. This issue, we wish to note all those who have taken on staff positions to ensure the show's success.
Just as a large cast adds to the workload of leadership, so also it adds to the workload of every staff member.
There is a minimal set that consists of a large TV that is being constructed by veteran Darren Lee. Though the set is minimal, the set decor is not. If you can imagine how long it takes for a teacher to prep their classroom for the first day of school, you can get a taste of what the set decor team faced. Julie Poux, aided by Becca McLaughlin and Sonya Neff, has brought the classroom to the stage with expertise and creativity.
The lighting for the show is complex and requires the skill of setting mood and adhering to multiple themes. Luckily, this staff has for lighting design and execution, one Charlie Rader, who has been bringing his creativity to bear on every song. He is being aided by three follow spot operators - Finn Brockwell, Ben Riesenberg, and Michael Shreve.
Due to a health issue, the responsibility of sound (which is oh, so critical to a musical revue), fell to a team of cast members. Jason Gonzalez and Phil Catlin took on the job of sound design and are being aided by sound technicians Jon Scheiding and Robert Terry.
The basics of the costume plot fell to the cast themselves, but all of the accessories for each number fell to two dedicated ladies, Leslie DeVoe and Sonya Neff. They also took on the job of the props. There were dozens of costume accessories and hundreds of props, which these two powerhouses gathered and prepped over the course of the last month.
It is certain that our audiences will be in good hands with veterans Mary Taylor and Sara Davis sharing the house manager responsibilities. Mary will be at the helm on the first weekend and Sara on the second. They have a great team at their disposal. Gail Rudolph is creating the lobby display, and Susan Berger and Ray Lebowski are the box office managers. The ushers will be distributing a program created by Robert Terry with a logo design by Julie Poux. Gail is creating her display from photos that are the creative work of Eva Bower.
The staff also leaned on the expertise of Steve Catlin as the Communication Committee Liaison and Mary Beth Benken-Riesenberg as the Performance Committee Liaison.
It takes a village to bring a show to life, and this is an awesome one! Schoolhouse is in good hands! Come support these great folks!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ...
SEND GOOD THOUGHTS ...
Please continue to keep in thought and prayer Linda Masterson, Amy Sullivan, and Carol Wright.
If you know someone hurting, who could use good thoughts or prayers, please let the McPost Staff know and we will share it here.
MCP's 2024 Season:
Proof
February 29 - March 2
Timeless, A Musical Revue
April 12
- 20
God's Favorite
June 21
- 29
Schoolhouse Rock Live!
September 6 - 14
The Mousetrap
November 15 -23
Don't Miss These MCP Members Appearing in Area Shows/Events:
Join Lebanon Theatre Company as they present Unnecessary Farce and see our friend, Karen Oehler as Mary Meekly. Performances are Aug 30th - Sept 7th. Get you tickets here.
MCP'ers, Darren Lee and Niki Rasmussen, are appearing in Rock of Ages with Center Stage Players. The dates are Sept 6th - 15th at 7:30pm, and a matinee on Sept 8th at 2pm. Get your tickets here.
Are you an MCP member who is participating in a show with another theatre group? Let us know the details by sending an e-mail to this address and we will publish the information here in the newsletter.
TICKETS ON SALE ...
Tickets for any of the remaining shows in 2024 are on sale now!
Click here to access MCP's ticket sales page.
One of the many ways that MCP keeps the Playhouse up and running is to schedule the use of the venue for outside events. Some are non-theatre gatherings; most are other theatre groups who need a place to perform.It is the policy of MCP that no event will occur without a member being present. Any member can be trained to be an Event Liasion. The more members that are trained, the more that the dates can be shared. Please consider becoming an Event Liaison. It is not a difficult responsibility. There is a checklist, the help of a Technical Liaison for those who have not trained as both, and a support system that is just a phone call away.
The next Event Liaison Training will be ...
Saturday, September 21 from 10:30am to 12:30pm
The trainers will be Jim Cronin and Lara Gonzalez.
If you would like to be a part of the training, please e-mail here!
Please lend a hand by becoming an Event Liaison.
MCP's new Memory Garden is taking shape. The garden is to honor members who have passed away or members who have given many years of service to the troupe. You can make that happen for a family member or dear friend!
Donations can be submitted online - just click here! Or send a check made out to “Mason Community Players” and be sure to write on the memo line “In Memory of …” or “In Honor of …” and mail to P.O. Box 300, Mason, OH 45040.
PlayBook meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm at the Playhouse
The gatherings for the remainder of 2024 and beyond are:
September 25:
Working by Studs Terkel
October 23:
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
November/ December (Date TBD):
Coney Island Christmas/A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
January 22, 2025:
Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck
Expressing Gratitude...
Thank You ...
... To All those who have been working diligently to make Schoolhouse a great success.
The cast and staff have dedicated many, many hours to the show. It does not go unnoticed. All of the elements are beginning to come together. Everyone is focused on the show and giving the audience the best possible experience.
...
To Mary Stan Fizer, out in the elements all this week trying to keep the flowers and plants from wilting and making sure that the Playhouse exterior is at its best for the show this coming weekend!
MCP belongs to three community theatre organizations:
It is Labor Day Weekend, which means there is a wonderful state conference happening right now in Newark, Ohio.
The event began on Friday as conference attendees descended upon the hotel. They spent the evening at a "Frat Party" playing eight different "games", one from each region ... OCTA Trivia, Lip-sync Battle, Hopscotch, Costume Relay, Greek Play Excerpts, Get Lei, Leis Toss, Goldfish Eating Contest, and Flip Cup Relay. Sounds like lots of crazy fun.
During yesterday and today, those present were able to attend as many as six different workshops. There were presentations on video projection, lighting design, advertising, audio and LED, audio mixing, and set design. They were treated to 14 excerpts from the eight regions. Three were from our Southwest Region ... Only Rose (CenterStage), The Book of Will (Mariemont), and The Tin Woman (TDW). And the fun continued with a scavenger hunt, building balloon hats, karaoke, karaoke roulette, jack-in-the-box games, and the inaugural John Falkenbach Memorial Euchre Tournament.
The weekend is also filled with good food at the Dlegates' Dinner, the First Timers Meet and Greet, the President's Reception, and the Banquet. This evening, OCTA members were inducted to the Hall of Fame at the banquet.
The weekend will conclude with tomorrow's Awards Brunch, which will include the distribution of OCTA Awards for those honored for their work during excerpts.
Perhaps MCP can send a group to next year's Conference, since the Fall Show is in October!
This newsletter will be sent to you each Sunday evening. It is the hope of the leadership of MCP that this will be an easy communication for you to refer to throughout that week and that you will not have as many messages from the group in your inbox over the course of the week. You can always reach out to us at any time with suggestions.
513-398-7804
newsletter@masonplayers.org
www.masonplayers.org
The Mason Community Post is edited by Robert Terry with support from Assistant Editor Tess Catlin, Staff Writer Laureen Catlin, and IT Technician Phil Catlin.