Patrick David, Smitty Connolly and Andra Whitt in the PPF Production of Auntie Mame
Rumor has it: Rumors cast members Patrick David and Andra Whitt have shared the PPF stage in a past production. Shown here with Smitty Connolly (center) as Mother Burnside, Patrick and Andra played Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside and Sally Cato McDougal in the PPF 2011 production of Auntie Mame directed by Jayne L. Victor. Patrick and Andra will be on stage together again in Rumors. Jayne will be doing set decoration (with Ali Zaikouk) for Rumors. Auntie Mame was one of PPF’s best attended productions….Rumor has is, so will Rumors be! Order Tickets today!
Rumors opens at the James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale RD Falls Church 22042 on May 30th for a three week run. Tickets are on sale now here.
PPF is running the occasional Two for Tuesday Quiz Series leading up to our opening of Rumors on May 30th – Enjoy the challenge!
Two Free Tickets to Rumors will go to the first person to post the most complete set of answers either here on the website (post in the comment section to this news item) or in our PPF Facebook Group(join if you are not a member of the group). Craig Geoffrion is NOT eligible to win!
The Providence Players’ Craig Geoffrion
Here is “Two for Tuesday” Quiz #2 – Featuring Craig Geoffrion
Take a look at the two photo montages below
Answer the questions that follow (there are some hints). All the answers can be found on the website.
Post your answers here on the website or in our Facebook Group in the pinned post for today (join us on our Facebook Group if you are not already a member)
The earliest, most complete responses, posted either here or on the Facebook group will win two free tickets to Rumors Opening Night Friday May 30, 2014
Two for Tuesday Montage 1
Two for Tuesday Montage 2
From Montage 1
1. Photo 1A and 1B – Name the show title of this PPF past production – Hint: Last production at Frost Middle School before the move to James Lee. Directed by Beth and David Whitehead. Still need more help – see the PPF Production History Page.
2. Photo 2 – Name the production directed by Tina Thronson.
3. Photo 2 – What Rumors cast member made his PPF debut in this production? Hint: He is shown in the photo. Another hint: Read This
3. Photo 3 – Craig is shown here with Betsy Hansen in last spring’s production of Is He Dead?Who directed the show and what role are they performing in Rumors? Hint: Read This
From Montage 2
4. Photo 4 – Shown here with Barbara Gertzog – Name the play and the role for which Craig won a 2004 WATCH Award. Hint: See our Awards Page
5. Photo 5 – Craig won a WATCH award in 2007 associated with the set of this play. What play and what WATCH award? (see the hint for #4 if you need it!)
6. Photo 6A and 6B – Name the production, directed by David Whitehead, produced by PPF in 2008. (Check Our Production History Page)
7. Photo 7 – Name the actor furthest left in the picture. He has been nominated for and won many WATCH awards. He is designing the set for Rumors.
8. Photo 8 – Name this 2008 production, Directed by Chip Gertzog, and the actress Craig is playing opposite. Hint: The Actress is making her directorial debut with PPF for Rumors?
All the answers are glean-able here on the website. Post you answers either in the comments section to this post here on the website or in the PPF Facebook group in the comments section of the pinned post.
L to R: Beth Hughes-Brown, Liz Mykietyn, Courtney Fontaine, Joyce Montgomery, Beth Whitehead and Amy Baska in the Spring 2008 PPF Production of Robert Harling’s “Steel Magnolias”
Rumor has it: Rumors Director Liz Mykietyn, and Rumors cast memberBeth Hughes-Brown (Cookie Cusack) shared the stage, once again, in PPF’s 2008 production of Steel Magnolias, directed by Tina Hodge Thronson. Steel Magnolias, our 14th production at the James Lee Community Center Theater, was one of the best attended shows in PPF history. Rumor has it, Rumors might share that distinction with “Steel”.
Rumors opens at the James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale RD Falls Church 22042 on May 30th for a three week run. Tickets are on sale now here.
Liz Mykietyn, Barbara Gertzog, Susan Kaplan, Beth Hughes-Brown and Beth Doyle at The James Lee Community Center Theater, 2007
Rumor has it:RumorsDirector Liz Mykietyn, Assistant Director Susan Kaplan, and Rumors’ Cookie Cusack Beth Hughes-Brown have shared some moments on stage. Shown here with Barbara Gertzog and Beth Doyle, in PPF’s 2007 production of “Good Help Is So Hard to Murder”
Take a few minutes and browse our production pages for PPF’s award winning production of The Women – Then stop by “the store” and pickup tickets to Rumors
In October of 2005, “Rumors” Director Liz Mykietyn (center with Betsy Bates Left and Sara Bennett right) made her acting debut with the Providence Players as Edith Potter in 2005’s “The Women”. She has been making PPF audiences laugh ever since
With the opening of “Rumors” just seven weeks away, marking our 10th season at the James Lee Community Center Theater, and Liz Mykietyn’s directorial debut with PPF, we plan on celebrating those ten years with occasional “throw back” looks at past PPF productions at James Lee. It seems only fitting to jump back to 2005 at James Lee, where we first got to know Liz as she brought audiences to stitches as the self absorbed and irreverent Edith Potter in the 1936 Clare Booth Luce comedy The Women.Liz’s PPF acting debut made ’em laugh in The Women and on stage in many other PPF favorites over the years, and she will make you laugh as our Director for Rumors. Tickets are already available online here.
Barbara Gertzog directed the 2005 production of The Women that featured a cast of 35 beautiful and terrific women in Luce’s satirical comic masterpiece (her only play). Audiences loved The Women and its outstanding cast. The play was a visual and literary feast. It garnered our first Ruby Griffith award and a WATCH nomination for best costumes for the show’s costumers, Susan Devine and Donna Naybor. Tina Thronson played our lead in that production and as you look back over the cast and production team photos you will see many fine actresses who have graced the PPF stage over the years.
Take a few minutes and browse our production pages for PPF’s award winning production of The Women…just click here or on the show’s cats eye logo below and you will be transported back to 2005. You will also find some campy PPF online and print memorabilia from those days. A lot has changed over the years but one thing remains constant: PPF’s dedication to bringing you entertaining, affordable, quality theater while building community through the theater arts.
When your done browsing, why not pop by our Online Tickets page and order you tickets to Rumors – Opens May 30th at James Lee.
Watch the website for more “throw back” looks at past PPF productions at James Lee as we celebrate 10 years at The James Lee Community Center Theater.
Director Liz Mykietyn and the Providence Players are thrilled to announce the cast for PPF’s upcoming production of Neil Simon’s “Rumors”. Almost fifty fine actors and actresses auditioned for this theater favorite and they were an immensely talented group of people making Liz’s casting task a happy challenge. A sincere thank you to all the wonderful and talented people who auditioned for the show!
PPF Announces Cast of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” Which Opens May 30, 2014 Photo by Chip Gertzog, PPF
Four fine actors making their Providence Players debut join six talented PPF veterans to make up the cast of this Neil Simon farce one reviewer called “Not only side splitting, but front and back splitting.”
PATRICK DAVID (Ken Gorman)
Rumor has it this is Patrick’s eighth year with the Providence Players – but who’s counting? During his tenure he has acted in many Providence Players productions, the latest being the dual role of Jean François Millet/Madame Tillou in Is He Dead? by Mark Twain this past spring (directed by Rumors cast member Beth Hughes-Brown). This role that gave him a new appreciation for all the effort that goes into the female wardrobe. Patrick was nominated for WATCH awards for his roles as a Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night, and George in Moon Over Buffalo. This versatile actor has appeared in both featured and supporting roles in many PPF productions, including Twelve Angry Men (his debut production), Auntie Mame, The Time of Your Life,Rehearsal for Murder and Play On!. Patrick has also served as set designer and master carpenter on a number of productions. His design for All My Sons was WATCH nominated for best set construction and his set for the PPF production of Sleuth was breathtaking. Besides enjoying his time working in community theater, Patrick is an avid golfer who is still looking for the secret to the golf swing. Read about Patrick’s Path to the Players Here
CHARLENE SLOAN (Chris Gorman)
Rumor has it Charlene is completely infected with the theater bug and is thrilled to return to the Providence Players stage where she made her acting debut in 2011 playing a number of roles in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Since that debut, Charlene has not gotten off the stage much. She currently can be seen (through April 12th) as Helen in the British Players production of Bedside Manners. This past holiday season, she appeared, as Mrs. Fred, the laundress, and Mrs. Fezziwig in PPF’s production of A Christmas Carol . And, in less than four years, Charlene has performed in five additional productions including Little Theater of Alexandria’s Avenue Q and Funny Money . Potomac Theater Company’s Blithe Spirit and Murder on the Nile and Castaways Repertory Theatre’s version of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play . Charlene also works with Broadway Barks and Braille Tails. These wonderful organizations are dedicated to the plight of homeless animals and increasing Braille literacy among the visually impaired.
ANDRA WHITT (Claire Ganz)
Rumor has it Andra Whitt is looking for redemption. Andra has acted, crewed, stage managed, propped, and board membered for PPF in the past three years since first joining PPF for our 2011 production of Auntie Mame. This talented and versatile actress made us cry with her riveting performance as Terry Glimmer in PPF’s Side Man and turned around and made us laugh as Essie in You Can’t Take It With You. She is particularly excited to do Rumors because when she was a senior in high school, she was cast as Cookie in her school’s production of Rumors, but was strongly persuaded to drop out and work on a math research project instead. She reluctantly obeyed, but ever since then, she has pined to fill the void in her soul that was left for abandoning the right side of her brain for the left side. This spring she finds redemption.
DON MYERS (Lenny Ganz)
Rumor has it that Don has made tons of people laugh doing a ridiculous amount of improv and standup comedy in Los Angeles and New York City. Recently transplanted to the DC area, Don has appeared as Simon in Our Town, Grumio in Taming of Shrew, Virgil in Bus Stop, and Jason in Romantic Comedy, among others. He studied at Pierce College (LA), Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. This is his debut production with PPF.
BETH HUGHES-BROWN (Cookie Cusack)
It is no rumor that Beth Hughes-Brown has been making PPF audiences laugh both as an actress and as a director for 15 years. You may have seen her in Harvey or Steel Magnolias, or as a lush in more than one show… she garnered a WATCH nomination for her cameo performance in Big Tree Falls… Her other PPF acting gigs and giggles include George Washington Slept Here, Heaven Can Wait, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Good Help Is So Hard to Murder, Waiting in the Wings and You Can’t Take It With You. Rumor has it she’s also done some directing for the Players (Moon over Buffalo, Sleuth, Is He Dead?, Witness for the Prosecution, Cash on Delivery, Arsenic and Old Lace, Lend Me A Tenor among others). As a director, her productions have garnered numerous WATCH nominations and awards. She is married to Tim the Sultry, mother to Katie the Entrancing and Annie the Prodigious. By day, she is a government wonk.
CRAIG GEOFFRION (Ernie Cusack)
Rumor has it that this is Craig’s 12th year with the Providence Players. He has most recently been seen as “Chicago” in Is He Dead? and “Kolenkov”, the Russian ballet instructor in You Can’t Take It With You and it is no rumor that Craig has entertained PPF audiences for more than a decade with outstanding performances in Side Man, Harvey, Rough Crossing, George Washington Slept Here, Cash on Delivery and The Good Doctor among others.Craig has won two WATCH awards, one for his set painting for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and the other for his cameo appearance as Beverly Carlton in The Man Who Came to Dinner. Back stage, Craig is an obsessive crossword puzzle doer.
ROXANNE WAITE (Cassie Cooper)
Rumor has it that Roxanne has acted all across America having done shows in Maryland, New York, Hawaii and most recently Tennessee. She is making her Providence Players debut and her triumphant return to the Virgina stage with this production. This is Roxanne’s second time doing Rumors (having actually performed in the show Andra had to quit) Roxanne’s real life husband is in the Army and they recently moved back to the area where she grew up and she is excited to get involved in a local community theater.
ZELL MURPHY (Glenn Cooper)
Rumor has it that Zell is very excited to be back on stage after twenty or so years and extremely happy it’s with the Providence Players. His previous on stage work has included Lion in Winter, Dracula,Brighton Beach Memoirs,No Sex Please We’re British,and Diary of Anne Frank. More recently, Zell has been found backstage, stage managing or assistant stage manager, for a number of local productions: Rainmaker(MCT), Rabbit Hole(LTA), Witness for the Prosecution(LTA), Medea(PCP), Cantorial(LTA), and 33 Variations(LTA). Zell’s a DC native, having found his way back after time in Charlottesville and New England. During the day, Zell manages the finances of a cable telecommunications association and at night, when not in the theater, is teaching himself Spanish, very, very slowly.
Eric Jones (Officer Welch)
Eric is making his Providence players debut and rumor has it that this production is a mere stepping stone to Los Angeles for this talented and funny actor. Born and raised in Brooklyn New York, Eric, grew up with a passion for the entertainment world. Shortly After moving to Virginia at age 18, he attended Old Dominion University where he studied Theatre. He has appeared in various ODU Productions such as Mary Anning: Girl Fossil Hunter, Idiots Karamazov, Top dog/Underdog, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. While Eric plans to make a move to LA in the near future to pursue a career in film acting, he is thrilled to be part of this production, his first non-collegiate stage role. Outside the theatre, Eric writes and records music
Lauren Sullivan (Officer Pudney)
Rumor has it this is not really Lauren’s PPF stage debut. Lauren first got involved with PPF last season working back stage on Dinner with Friends and Is He Dead? She continued her invaluable backstage work with last fall’s Little Shop of Horrors where, in addition to her crew work, she appeared on stage, in full body suit and mask as one of three “root dancers”, her true stage debut. Most recently, she was part of the running crew for The House of Blue Leaves. Lauren is thrilled to be making her first recognizable PPF stage debut in Rumors.
Rumors opens at the James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale RD Falls Church 22042 on May 30th for a three week run. Tickets are on sale now here.
The front page of the Region 2 Neighborhood and Community Services April newsletter features a story on the James Lee Community Center Theatre and our new Theatre Manager, Dan Schrader. In that article, NCS says this about PPF:
“…the Providence Players graciously sponsored the construction of a new marquee, located outside the Center’s theatre entrance off of Annandale Road. The marquee now advertises theatre performances and other significant events to a wide array of folks who travel Annandale Road on any given day. The Providence Players provide an entertaining and affordable quality theatre experience in the greater Fairfax community while providing an opportunity for Fairfax area residents to participate in all aspects of theatre production. We are so very fortunate to have them as a long-standing partner.”
Wonderful words from a wonderful partner. 2014 is our 10th year at the James Lee Community Center Theater! We were blessed to be included in the original planning and design of theater space at James Lee, honored to be included in the renovation of this historic facility, and we are proud to be the resident community theater troupe at James Lee. We are thrilled with our partnership with the James Lee center staff and NCS and we look forward to a long and creative association with NCS and James Lee.
The Fairfax County Dept. of Neighborhood and Community Services is the county agency responsible for the management and programming of activities at James Lee…among many other things! One of NCS key missions is community building in a variety of ways. Theatre is just one of those ways and as the article outlines, there are big plans brewing in this regard. And you know that PPF will be in the thick of it!
Region 2 is the area covering the eastern/central portion of Fairfax County and includes
Annandale
City of Falls Church
Bailey’s Crossroads
Seven Corners
Pimmit Hills
Merrifield
Mantua
North Springfield
Jefferson
Lake Barcroft
Lincolnia
a portion of Dunn Loring
Take a look at the newsletter to get a sense of some of the other efforts NCS is involved in. And visit the NCS Region 2 webpage for even more information about the Department’s activities.
Read the NCS Region 2 Newletter Vol 3 Issue 9 Spring 2014.pdf
PPF would like to formally welcome Dan Schrader to the James Lee family. You will see in the newsletter piece that Dan is an extraordinary talent and deeply experienced. We are very fortunate to have Dan as the new Theatre Manager at James Lee and he has already proven to be an invaluable resource. More than talented and experienced, Dan is a wonderful guy and it seems that he is a good fit for James Lee and vice versa. Read a bit about Dan and introduce yourself and say hello to Dan next time you are at the theatre
New James Lee Theater (re) Manager Dan Schrader in the Tech Booth at James Lee.
By Leaving a Voicemail At: 703-425-6782 Or May Purchased at the Door
Adam Downs as Artie Shaughnessy
“Don’t Miss it” says Jenny Sutton DCMetroTheaterArts.com critic: “Providence Players of Fairfax once again offers audiences a chance to revisit a classic and provides a funny, yet poignant production, featuring fine performances by a very talented cast. Don’t miss it…Well directed by Michael P. Donahue and performed by a super cast, Providence Players of Fairfax presents John Guare’s wacky, fast-paced black comedy The House of Blue Leaves.”
This weekend, the Providence Players close John Guare’s wacky and beautifully fashioned dramatic farce which illuminates the American dream and obsession with celebrity. Zoo attendant Artie Shaughnessy is a failed songwriter with visions of fame and glory.
Beth Whitehead as Bananas Shaughnessy
He copes with an overly medicated wife, an impatient mistress, an AWOL and homicidal son being pursued by military police, and beer-drinking nuns on the day the Pope visits New York City. His girlfriend convinces Artie to call his old school buddy Billy Einhorn, a famous film director from Los Angeles, to finagle a job writing music for Billy’s movies in a desperate attempt to find stardom, only to have the plan blow up. Set in 1965 in Queens NY, The House of Blue Leaves is a unique blend of farce, dark comedy and drama. The New York Times called this multiple Tony award recognized play and winner of the Obie and Drama Critics’ awards for Best American Play, “Enchanting, zany and original”.
This production contains some mature themes and a little strong language.
Courtney Fonnesbeck as The Little Nun
Performances will be held at The James Lee Community Center Theater in Falls Church 2855 Annandale RD Falls Church VA 22042
“Congrats HoBL cast and crew!! Great show!! Moving, disturbing, funny and dynamically frenetic!! So much talent!”
“Loved it! Great cast – the acting was excellent and great set! Very provocative and interesting play!”
“Wonderful performances by amazingly talented actors!”
“Another outstanding evening of entertainment!”
“Don’t Miss it” says Jenny Sutton DCMetroTheaterArts.com critic: “Providence Players of Fairfax once again offers audiences a chance to revisit a classic and provides a funny, yet poignant production, featuring fine performances by a very talented cast. Don’t miss it…Well directed by Michael P. Donahue and performed by a super cast, Providence Players of Fairfax presents John Guare’s wacky, fast-paced black comedy The House of Blue Leaves.”
This weekend, the Providence Players close John Guare’s wacky and beautifully fashioned dramatic farce which illuminates the American dream and obsession with celebrity. Zoo attendant Artie Shaughnessy is a failed songwriter with visions of fame and glory. He copes with an overly medicated wife, an impatient mistress, an AWOL and homicidal son being pursued by military police, and beer-drinking nuns on the day the Pope visits New York City. His girlfriend convinces Artie to call his old school buddy Billy Einhorn, a famous film director from Los Angeles, to finagle a job writing music for Billy’s movies in a desperate attempt to find stardom, only to have the plan blow up. Set in 1965 in Queens NY, The House of Blue Leaves is a unique blend of farce, dark comedy and drama. The New York Times called this multiple Tony award recognized play and winner of the Obie and Drama Critics’ awards for Best American Play, “Enchanting, zany and original”.
This production contains some mature themes and a little strong language.
Performances will be held at The James Lee Community Center Theater in Falls Church 2855 Annandale RD Falls Church VA 22042
