Romance theater is back with Jeeves in Bloom, presented as a faux vintage radio broadcast. Love is in the air in the gardens of Brinkley Court. And then hapless Bertie Wooster arrives and mayhem follows. Soon Bertie is accidentally engaged, caught up in a bungled burglary, and a homicidal French chef is brandishing a meat cleaver. Only Jeeves can sort out this mess. Two pay-what-you-can performances on Friday & Saturday, at 7:30 in the Cheek Theater.
FREE AUDITION WORKSHOP • 1-4 pm • SATURDAY, JAN 26
Here is a no-pressure chance to get some feedback on your audition from three points of view: Artists’ Ensemble Artistic Director Richard Raether, Starlight Theatre Artistic Director Chris Brady, and Music Director and performer, Jodi Beach.
This is a free, low-key event that will cover everything from resumes to callbacks. Participants may try out monologues or songs. Or just observe!
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 26 1-4 pm
WHERE: On the Starlight Theatre stage at Rock Valley College
TO REGISTER: (So we know how many to expect.) Call the Starlight box office: (815) 921-2160.
A Christmas Carol, A Live Radio Play
Stephen F. Vrtol III plays Everett Kane, the celebrated radio star who, in turn, plays Scrooge.
The staff of radio station WBFR is in a frenzy as they prepare for their annual holiday broadcast of A Christmas Carol. They are thrilled to have landed a big name, the famously temperamental actor Everett Kane, to play Scrooge. They are a little worried that their sound effects man seems to be snowed in in Oswego. Don’t miss this holiday treat. There are four performances, Dec. 14-16. Call 815-394-5004 or click HERE for tickets.
Page to Stage: A Picasso
Hitler considered all modern art to be degenerate and Pablo Picasso the chief criminal. Thus, in 1941 Nazi-occupied Paris, Picasso has every reason to be apprehensive when he is arrested and brought in for interrogation. AE partners with the Rockford Public Library to present Page to Stage, a free public event at the East Branch Library, 6685 E. State St. on Monday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Learn why Picasso’s 1937 masterpiece, Guernica, earned Hitler’s wrath in this behind-the-scenes look at Jeffrey Hatcher’s fascinating play, A Picasso.
Mystery Theater • Oct. 19-20
Episode One: You know how you land a new client and, before you know it, you’re in a deep freeze staring at a corpse-sicle? Yeah. Sexy, sassy Candy has one of those cases.
Episode Two: Jane really knows how to throw a party. Too bad one of the cocktails is lethal. “Invitation to a Murder” tells the story of a party where, “Pick your poison,” is meant literally.
This is a pay-what-you-can event. Just drop a donation in the jar and enjoy our recreation of a vintage radio broadcast, complete with sound effects and music.
Page 2 Stage: Women in Jeopardy
AE partners with the Rockford Library for a series of FREE events called Page to Stage. The first is Monday, August 27 at 6:30-7:30 in the Nordlof Center at 118 N. Main Street. Stop by and get a backstage glimpse of the mystery and mayhem that opens the AE season on Sept. 6. AE Artistic Director Richard Raether will host.
Free Children's Theater Tour
The summer tour of Tall Tales Small Tales is off and running, coming to a park or community center near you. Schedule of performances here.
The Woman in Black opens May 10
She never forgot… She never forgave… She never left. When a solicitor arrives from London to settle the estate of an elderly client, he glimpses a mysterious woman in black in the graveyard. Sinister events unfold at isolated Eel March House in this spine-tingling ghost story running May 10–27 at AE. Click HERE for tickets.
Romance Theater • Feb. 9–10
Romance Theater is a pay-what-you-can event. Feb. 9–10 at 7:30 in the Cheek Theatre.
Once upon a time a showgirl on the run from the law takes shelter with seven kindly professors. They are all wise and learned in their fields, but she manages to teach them a thing or two, all while falling in love with the youngest. A delightful fable set in the 1940s is the centerpiece of Romance Theater, part of AE's popular pay-what-you-can series of faux radio broadcasts.
The cast includes: David A. Gingerich, Katie Maringer, Gary Wingert, Patte Armato, Lund, Richard Raether, Angelo O'Dierno, Alex Ruano, and Tom Dotson. Remember, love lasts forever, but Romance Theater is only for two nights, Friday & Saturday, Feb. 9–10 at 7:30 in the Cheek Theatre at Rockford University.
It's A Wonderful Life
The wonderful cast of "It's a Wonderful Life": Top from left: Richard Raether, Lisa Turbyville, Lance A. Retallick. Bottom row from left: Tom Dotson, Erin Philpott, and Andrew Harth.
AE's first ever "Bonus Show" had a limited run to sold out houses. This experiment is looking like a hit with audiences. Watch for AE's next bonus show coming in the spring, immediately following the run of "Best of Enemies"!