Tri-state Actors offers schedules for plays and acting classes

SSUSSEX — Tri-state Actors Theater has several plays scheduled for the rest of 2005 season. The troupe will also be offering fall classes for children, teens, and adults. From Sept. 14-Oct. 2, The Weir, by Conor McPherson, will be playing. Valerie, an outsider who brings with her promises of a new lease on life, arrives at a local bar in a remote part of Ireland. She fascinates the pub regulars, yet finds herself spellbound by an evening of ghostly stories spun by the area's bachelors. Through these tales, both funny and chilling, each person at the pub achieves new understanding and acceptance. Irish playwright Conor McPherson's Broadway hit, winner of two 1998 Olivier Awards, including Best Play, is a stirring tale about people losing and looking for kindred spirits. The London Evening Standard said that "eavesdropping in rural Irish bars, where time stands dead still, can never have been such a pleasure as Conor McPherson makes it." The cast includes Brooke Lucas as Valerie (debut), John Little as Jack Mullen, Chris Harcum as Brendan (debut), Dan Matisa as Jim (debut), Bob Senkewicz as Finbar. Little appeared as Dr. Cedric Seward in The Passion of Dracula , Amethyst in The View From Harry's Bar and Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird. He is a Yale School of Drama graduate and has worked at regional theaters across the country, Europe and Asia. Harcum has created and performed several one-man shows, including Gotham Standards, at various venues in the United States and Canada. He has appeared in over 120 plays by other playwrights. Matisa, a native of Iselin, has performed at a number of theaters in New York City and has performed regionally across the country. He recently completed a four-month world cruise contract, performing the one-man play, Fully Committed. Senkewicz was Mr. Van Daan in Tat's The Diary of Anne Frank, and was Lord Godalming in The Passion Of Dracula. He was born and raised in New Jersey and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Credits include off-Broadway and regional productions. He has appeared in a number of independent films on the History Channel, and in HBO's Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Lucas is a Kansas City native and a graduate of Abilene Christian University with a bachelors in acting, and Temple University, with a masters in acting, where she performed many leading roles. Professional credits include Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Isabel in Henry V, understudy for the title role in Dirty Blonde at the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia, Pa., and major roles in other productions in New York City and Philadelphia. On Sept. 20-21, The Guys, by Anne Nelson, will be produced, as a two-day remembrance of 9/11, in honor of the firemen. Proceeds from the two evenings of performance will be donated to the Sussex Volunteer Fire Department. Paralyzed by grief and unable to put his thoughts into words, Nick, a fire captain, seeks out the help of a writer to compose eulogies for the colleagues and friends he lost in the catastrophic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Joan, an editor by trade, draws Nick out about "the guys," the individual talents and enthusiasms of the people within the small firehouse community are realized. And Nick and Joan, two people who under normal circumstances never would have met, jump the well-defined tracks of their own lives, and to learn about the healing power of human connection. Tri-State will present the play in a staged reading under the direction of Mary Clifford, the artistic director and founder of the Illustrious Theater in Warwick, N.Y., and a featured guest director for Tri-State Actors Theater. The presentation will feature Priscilla Foglia as Joan and Jeff Brainard as Nick. Foglia has appeared with the Illustrious Theatre Company in Warwick, N.Y. in Dancing At Lughnasa, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Love Letters, and Big Women. She was a member of the Hedgerow Repertory Theatre Company and has performed with several other regional theaters. Brainard is a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse. Credits include Two for the Seesaw, Hamp, and Luv. Some quotes include "The Guys cannot but hit home," by New York magazine; "A stark and simple, potent and poignant play, brimming with edgy humanity," by New York Post; "The Guys is not an ordinary night in the theater… What comes through is that humanity can be exalted by expression as well as the other way around," by The New York Times. This fall, acting classes for children, teens, and adults will be held under the auspices of Tri-State Actors Theater. All classes will be held at the Historic Crescent Theater, home of Tri-State Actors Theater, in Sussex. For registration and more information, call 973-875-2950. Children's classes, for ages 6-12 years, will be taught by Fran DeCesare after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Oct. 4, for four weeks. Teen classes for ages 13-17 years, will be taught by Paul Meacham from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning Sept. 28, for eight sessions. Adult Workshop Classes, for ages 18 and up, will be taught by Tara Bowles on Mondays, beginning Sept. 12, for a minimum of ten sessions. At 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, a "New Play Reading Series" will begin, where the audience participates in the development of the script. From Dec. 7-23, A Christmas Carol can be a holiday treat for the whole family. The classic by Charles Dickens tells the story of the miserly Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and the ghosts of past, present and future. Special group rates are available. Ordering or reserving tickets for any play or event at Tri-State Actors Theater is simple and fast. Visit tristateactorstheater.org, then click on "Order Tickets Online"; drop by the box office at the Crescent Theater in Sussex from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; call 973-875-2950 24 hours a day and leave a message, or e-mail tristateactorstheater@tellurian.com. All reservations via phone or e-mail must be paid at the time of reserving. Tri-state Actors Theater is located at 74 Main St. on Fountain Square in Sussex.