Well, I've cast my first production here at QCT. The play is Boeing Boeing- a classic French farce by Marc Camoletti translated by Beverley Cross. The cast is as follows: Bernard-Bill Twaddle, Robert-Greg Ellery, Bertha-Vicki Dempsey, Jacqueline-Emily Jones, Janet-Bobette Cawthon, Judith-Amethyst Zelle. It is listed in the Guinness World book of records as the most produced French play in history! It's about a French Lothario, Bernard a successful Parisian architect juggling three-that's right-THREE- fiances. All of them are "Air Hostesses" as they were called back then ( 1960). He tracks their timetables and with the assistance of his long suffering housekeeper Bertha, they change decor and menus. An old school chum, Robert arrives, and Bernard proudly explains his system for romance. However, a faster jet arrives, throwing this timetable out of kilter, weather helps to complicate the plot and Bernard, Robert and Bertha have a hard time keeping everything straight. I won't tell you how it ends, suffice to say it all works out in the end. You'll just have to come see it.
I have to admit, I was a bit nervous, not knowing the caliber of performers the Quincy area produces. Having come from the professional world, where we get the full range from genius to awful, I was hoping we would Vere towards the former! The day before the auditions we only had one guy, so we had a phone campaign to recruit actors to audition. Fortunately, we had a great turnout, and it was sad to turn down so many wonderful actors. I'm looking forward to the first rehearsal next week.
Don't forget about ordering your tickets for The Drowsy Chaperone. Tickets go on sale this coming Monday (March 7).
See you at the Theatre!
Lenny Bart
MAD
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
New Managing Artistic Director
Greetings to everyone in Quincy and the surrounding areas. My name is Lenny Bart and I am delighted to be the new Managing Artistic Director for Quincy Community Theatre. I originally hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota, but have been working and living in New York City/New Jersey for the last 27 years. I am a professional actor, director and designer. I've taught theater at the middle, high school and college level. I've toured to 46 states, performed in Europe twice and have performed or directed in many off & off-off Broadway venues, as well as in many of New Jersey's finest theatres (feel free to log onto NY Times web site or Google me if you are interested in reading some of my acting or directing reviews).
For the last 10 years I was Artistic Director for 12 Miles West Theatre Company as well as an actor and director for Pushcart Players (both in NJ). 12 Miles West led a nomadic existence for a while due to the volatile real estate market, and the company was having difficulties maintaining funding and developing an audience base or being able to offer educational programs due to the fact we were sharing other groups' spaces. When Pushcart Players offered me their Artistic Director position, I took it. I loved the company, but I discovered that I was in a place where 95% of my time was dealing with administrative duties. I felt a need to be more involved on the artistic side.
I came across the ad for the MAD position a few months back and decided to apply for the job. When I advanced to the next round of consideration, I began to do some research on Quincy. I just couldn't believe my findings: A town of approximately 40,000 that supported a theatre, a symphony, an art center and opera company, a blues festival, a film festival, multiple museums major media outlets and more! How could it be? When the Search Committee flew me in for the final round, I decided to bring my wife Tricia along so we could see if this town was for real-and it was. Everyone has been so nice and supportive that I can only try my hardest to do a great job! I know that Barbara and Dominic had both done an exceptional job in the past and that I have big shoes to fill. But fill I will with the help and support of this exceptional community. I look forward to learning from our fantastic staff and board of directors (current & past) and in continuing to work in a cooperative manner with all of our generous donors, season ticket holders and sponsors. I know how the arts can make an impact on peoples lives, and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work on producing and presenting some of the finest theatre Quincy can provide.
Please come on by and say hello. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone.
Lenny Bart
MAD, QCT
For the last 10 years I was Artistic Director for 12 Miles West Theatre Company as well as an actor and director for Pushcart Players (both in NJ). 12 Miles West led a nomadic existence for a while due to the volatile real estate market, and the company was having difficulties maintaining funding and developing an audience base or being able to offer educational programs due to the fact we were sharing other groups' spaces. When Pushcart Players offered me their Artistic Director position, I took it. I loved the company, but I discovered that I was in a place where 95% of my time was dealing with administrative duties. I felt a need to be more involved on the artistic side.
I came across the ad for the MAD position a few months back and decided to apply for the job. When I advanced to the next round of consideration, I began to do some research on Quincy. I just couldn't believe my findings: A town of approximately 40,000 that supported a theatre, a symphony, an art center and opera company, a blues festival, a film festival, multiple museums major media outlets and more! How could it be? When the Search Committee flew me in for the final round, I decided to bring my wife Tricia along so we could see if this town was for real-and it was. Everyone has been so nice and supportive that I can only try my hardest to do a great job! I know that Barbara and Dominic had both done an exceptional job in the past and that I have big shoes to fill. But fill I will with the help and support of this exceptional community. I look forward to learning from our fantastic staff and board of directors (current & past) and in continuing to work in a cooperative manner with all of our generous donors, season ticket holders and sponsors. I know how the arts can make an impact on peoples lives, and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work on producing and presenting some of the finest theatre Quincy can provide.
Please come on by and say hello. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone.
Lenny Bart
MAD, QCT
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
An email I received today!
Dear Dominic:
Today, Tuesday, October 19, at 2:15 p.m. EDT, the White House is holding a live chat with leaders from the President’s Committee on the Arts & the Humanities (PCAH). Tune in live or watch the archive afterward. You can also submit questions to be answered by the participants via the White House Facebook page. Participants in this first-of-its-kind live online chat will include:
Chuck Close, PCAH Member and visual artist (view bio)
Margo Lion, PCAH Co-Chair (view bio)
George Stevens, Jr., PCAH Co-Chair (view bio)
Damian Woetzel, PCAH Member and ballet dancer (view bio)
Margo Lion, PCAH Co-Chair (view bio)
George Stevens, Jr., PCAH Co-Chair (view bio)
Damian Woetzel, PCAH Member and ballet dancer (view bio)
Further details and instructions on how to submit a question are available on the White House blog. This event is in celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month and will be available on the White House live chat archives.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
"The World of Magic" at QCT this weekend!
llusionist David Thomas and the award-winning "World of Magic" show presents a Las Vegas style magical stage show with amazing escapes, fire illusions, pyrotechnics, beautiful lavishly costumed dancers and stunning choreography. Below are some pictures of "World of Magic".
Mesmerizing illusions and theatrical imagination define this enhanced realm of The World of Magic complemented by luminous scenery and spectacular magic.
This is one show you won't want to miss! Purchase tickets right now at http://www.1qct.org/onstage.html.
Monday, October 4, 2010
From President Barack Obama regarding the arts!
Throughout history, the arts and humanities have helped men and women around the globe grapple with the most challenging questions and come to know the most basic truths. In our increasingly interconnected world, the arts play an important role in both shaping the character that defines us and reminding us of our shared humanity. This month, we celebrate our Nation's arts and humanities, and we recommit to ensuring all Americans can access and experience them.
Our strength as a Nation has always come from our ability to recognize ourselves in each other, and American artists, historians, and philosophers have helped enable us to find our common humanity. Through powerful scenes on pages, canvases, and stages, the arts have spurred our imaginations, lifted our hearts, and united us all without regard to belief or background.
The arts and humanities have also helped fuel our economy as well as our souls. Across our country, men and women in the non profit and for profit arts industries bring arts and cultural activities to our communities, contributing tens of billions of dollars to our economy each year. Today, arts workers are revitalizing neighborhoods, attracting new visitors, and fostering growth in places that have gone too long without it.
As we work to bring the power of the arts and humanities to all Americans, my Administration remains committed to providing our children with an education that inspires as it informs. Exposing our students to disciplines in music, dance, drama, design, writing, and fine art is an important part of that mission. To promote arts education and pay tribute to America's vibrant culture, First Lady Michelle Obama and I have been proud to host a White House Music Series, Dance Series, and Poetry Jam. We have been honored to bring students, workshops, and performers to "the People's House;" to highlight jazz, country, Latin, and classical music; and to invite Americans to listen to the music of the civil rights movement, hip hop, and Broadway.
By supporting the fields that feed our imagination, strengthen our children's education, and contribute to our economy, our country will remain a center of creativity and innovation, and our society will stand as one where dreams can be realized. As we reflect on the contributions of America's artists, we look forward to hearing their tales still untold, their perspectives still unexplored, and their songs still unwritten. May they continue to shed light on trials and triumphs of the human spirit, and may their work help ensure that our children's horizons are ever brighter.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2010 as National Arts and Humanities Month. I call upon the people of the United States to join together in observing this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs to celebrate the arts and the humanities in America.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A letter from Dominic.
Dear Patrons and volunteers of Quincy Community Theatre,
In January 2003, at twenty-one years old, I sat down for breakfast in Sandwich, Illinois, with an energetic woman from Quincy. (The woman was Barbara Rowell from a town I had never heard of.) At the conclusion of this meeting, I was offered a job directing the show “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” for the student theatre program at Quincy Community Theatre. During that short stay I began to fall in love with Quincy, its people and QCT. (Above: Dominic at age 21 - Photo: Andrew Schneider)
Following the production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”, I would go on to become the Director of Student Theatre/Head of Education for two and a half years. During which time, I worked with thousands of students and hundreds of educators, learning all the while from everyone I came in contact with, no matter their age. Those two and a half years seemed to fly. By the end of them, I had met - on stage at QCT- the woman who would go on to become my wife. I also found myself entering a new stage in my professional life; I was named Managing Artistic Director of the largest and strongest community theatre in the state of Illinois and one of the largest community theatres in the country.
Now twenty-four, married, and a father, I would go on to lead Quincy Community Theatre into a new era. An era of computerized ticketing, touring shows, new marketing initiatives, strengthened bonds within the business community and yes, “Urinetown”.
I am now twenty-nine years old -still married (believe me, working in theatre, this is an accomplishment) the father of two children and I find myself, yet again, at a crossroads with a curtain about to fall on one stage of my life and another curtain waiting to rise on a new stage. (Left: Dominic at age 29 - Photo: Chet Coonrod)
I will be leaving Quincy Community Theatre at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Although I was not planning to leave quite yet, an opportunity has presented itself, which will be thrilling for my family and me – an opportunity that will continue to further my experience and bring my career to the next level. I will be opening and running a 1,000-seat auditorium in the western Chicago suburbs. I grew up in this area and now I have the honor of giving this area the joy of live entertainment.
A Nation-wide search to fill my position will begin immediately. I will continue on as a consultant on an as needed basis throughout early 2011.
I have enjoyed every moment of my time in Quincy and truly believe I am who I am because of everyone I have had the privilege of working with—from the businesses who have supported QCT to the patrons whose applause keeps me going. Thank you for entrusting your theatre in my humble hands for the past five years. It has been a true joy making you laugh, cry, and yes, even think. Thanks for all the encouragement and applause; it has meant more to me than you could ever know.
Dominic Cattero
Managing Artistic Director
Quincy Community Theatre
2005-2010
In January 2003, at twenty-one years old, I sat down for breakfast in Sandwich, Illinois, with an energetic woman from Quincy. (The woman was Barbara Rowell from a town I had never heard of.) At the conclusion of this meeting, I was offered a job directing the show “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” for the student theatre program at Quincy Community Theatre. During that short stay I began to fall in love with Quincy, its people and QCT. (Above: Dominic at age 21 - Photo: Andrew Schneider)
Following the production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”, I would go on to become the Director of Student Theatre/Head of Education for two and a half years. During which time, I worked with thousands of students and hundreds of educators, learning all the while from everyone I came in contact with, no matter their age. Those two and a half years seemed to fly. By the end of them, I had met - on stage at QCT- the woman who would go on to become my wife. I also found myself entering a new stage in my professional life; I was named Managing Artistic Director of the largest and strongest community theatre in the state of Illinois and one of the largest community theatres in the country.
Now twenty-four, married, and a father, I would go on to lead Quincy Community Theatre into a new era. An era of computerized ticketing, touring shows, new marketing initiatives, strengthened bonds within the business community and yes, “Urinetown”.
I am now twenty-nine years old -still married (believe me, working in theatre, this is an accomplishment) the father of two children and I find myself, yet again, at a crossroads with a curtain about to fall on one stage of my life and another curtain waiting to rise on a new stage. (Left: Dominic at age 29 - Photo: Chet Coonrod)
I will be leaving Quincy Community Theatre at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Although I was not planning to leave quite yet, an opportunity has presented itself, which will be thrilling for my family and me – an opportunity that will continue to further my experience and bring my career to the next level. I will be opening and running a 1,000-seat auditorium in the western Chicago suburbs. I grew up in this area and now I have the honor of giving this area the joy of live entertainment.
A Nation-wide search to fill my position will begin immediately. I will continue on as a consultant on an as needed basis throughout early 2011.
I have enjoyed every moment of my time in Quincy and truly believe I am who I am because of everyone I have had the privilege of working with—from the businesses who have supported QCT to the patrons whose applause keeps me going. Thank you for entrusting your theatre in my humble hands for the past five years. It has been a true joy making you laugh, cry, and yes, even think. Thanks for all the encouragement and applause; it has meant more to me than you could ever know.
Dominic Cattero
Managing Artistic Director
Quincy Community Theatre
2005-2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The 2011 Season is Anounced!
Cinderella - Feb. 3-6
** Frank, Liza and Sammy - Feb. 11-12
* The Drowsy Chaperone - March 18-20, 24-27
** Say Goodnight Gracie - April 8-9
** Click, Clack, Moo - April 16
*Boeing, Boeing - May 5-7, 12-15
Children's Letters to God - June 9-12
** IO (Formerly Improv Olympic) Improvised Musical - June 18
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - July 22-24, 28-31, 5-7
*The Fantasticks - Sept. 23-25, 29-Oct. 2
*The Giver - Oct. 27-30
** American Stars in Concert, Featuring American Idol Stars, celebrate Motown! - Nov. 4-5
*Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - Nov. 25-27, Dec. 1-4
* Signifies shows on the season ticket
** Signifies shows in the touring series
** Frank, Liza and Sammy - Feb. 11-12
* The Drowsy Chaperone - March 18-20, 24-27
** Say Goodnight Gracie - April 8-9
** Click, Clack, Moo - April 16
*Boeing, Boeing - May 5-7, 12-15
Children's Letters to God - June 9-12
** IO (Formerly Improv Olympic) Improvised Musical - June 18
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - July 22-24, 28-31, 5-7
*The Fantasticks - Sept. 23-25, 29-Oct. 2
*The Giver - Oct. 27-30
** American Stars in Concert, Featuring American Idol Stars, celebrate Motown! - Nov. 4-5
*Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - Nov. 25-27, Dec. 1-4
* Signifies shows on the season ticket
** Signifies shows in the touring series
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