2003-2004 Season

August 9 – August 24
2003 Evening of One Acts
Produced by John Anthony William Sciarretto & Gretchen Jacobs

• Water Landing: The Meta-Retro Theatre’s production of the new musical Crookback! is sure to be a smash, if only the new lightboard behaves itself.  Written by Michael Winter and directed by Gretchen Jacobs.
• Crossing the Street: A woman at the funeral of her adopted son, who was afflicted by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, confronts his birth mother. Written by Doreen Bonnett, directed by John Anthony William Sciarretto.
• In From the Cold: A couple bickers over the usual things while debating whether to let a stranger in from the cold. Written by Michael Winter, directed by Candice Kinsey.
• The 75th: Finding themselves the only two at their 75th high school reunion, a man and a woman share news, gossip, and many memories, though none of each other! Written by Israel Horovitz, directed by Bill Tchakirides.
• Fade to Black: Written by Robert W. Allen Directed by John Anthony William Sciarretto Two techs breaking down a set find that all the world really is a stage.

September 5 – 27,
Scapino!
Written by Frank Dunlop and Jim Dale
Produced by Norma R. Ozur
Directed by Keith Brown
Two sets of young lovers may not find true happiness because the boys’ fathers have arranged to have them marry other girls. Scapino, the guardian to one of the boys, comes to their aid with a plan that could not only save the day, but also make a little profit for himself. Will he succeed? Will the fathers catch on? This is a rollicking knockabout comedy where at any moment the audience watching the show could end up being part of the hilarious goings-on. Anything is possible with Scapino!

October 17 – November 8
Brainstorm, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Job
Written by Gloriane Garth, and
Business Lunch at the Russian Tea Room
Written by Christopher Durang
Both directed by Mike Moran
What happens when a big-league manufacturing company mixes five eccentric managers, a sleep-deprived trainee, and an odd new product called Compound 817? Join us in Alternax Industries’ executive conference room as this odd-ball group tries to figure out what to do with the miracle compound that can hold any two objects together, except the people trying to produce it. Here’s an irreverent view of the high-speed, hilarious, mind-bending, conscience-twisting antics commonly seen in the juggernaut known as the American Corporation. (Honestly, you’ll swear you worked there, but this time you’re allowed to laugh!)

November 14 – 22
Sandcastles
A guest production from Thunderous Productions
Written and directed by Rick Starkweather
A seriocomic full-length play that promotes family solidarity. Set in current day America, the play contrasts two sisters who are as different as night and day. One is a shy, plain, conservative wallflower, while the other is a sharp-tongued, overgrown juvenile delinquent. Trouble ensues when both sisters set their sights on the same man.

January 9 – 31
Dr. Cook’s Garden
Written by Ira Levin
Produced by John Calhoon
Directed by Roy Hammond
Twists galore, and witty lines!
The play takes us north to Vermont for an unnerving thriller by Ira Levin, the author of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Deathtrap”. In the village of Greenfield Center, Dr. Leonard Cook has presided as the typical country doctor. The town is tranquil, the residents are healthy and the atmosphere is serene. When Dr. Cook’s protégé, Jim Tennyson, returns to the village, and what he discovers about the good doctor’s practice is shocking and unpredictable.

March 5 – 27
Nunsense II: The Second Coming
Book, Music and Lyrics by Dan Goggin
Produced by Gene Duarte
Directed by Jeffery Lesniak
The lovable Little Sisters of Hoboken are back, giving a thank-you show for all the people who supported them in their benefit. But now, they’re a little bit slicker and have been bitten by the “theater flea.” And this time, there might even be a talent scout in the audience! This continuation of the trials and tribulations of those wacky nuns has the same side-splitting musical humor as the original, and enough laughs to make you cry.

April 16 – May 8
Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Gretchen Jacobs
The men are home from the war and their thoughts turn to love. All except Benedick who exclaims in exasperation, “Shall I never see a bachelor of three-score again?” Benedick’s friends have other ideas, but the course of true love runs no smoother here than in any other Shakespeare play. Come celebrate spring and the 440th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth by seeing this blithe and bonny comedy!

June 11-26
Private Lives
Written by Noel Coward, Produced by Sheilah Crossley-Cox, Directed by Stephen Cox