'Treasure Island' at Somerset Valley Players

Somerset Valley Players will be presenting "Treasure Island".

The show runs from July 18 - August 3, at 8 p.m. on Fridays and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $10 each plus a $2 ticket processing fee for every purchase.

 Ahoy, matey! It's swashbuckling adventure on the high seas in this classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale of pirates and buried treasure and pieces of eight, as young Jim Hawkins sails upon the schooner Hispaniola battling the evil Long John Silver in an exciting saga of intrigue, sword-fighting, and mutiny.

The cast features Kayla Abbatiello, Rory Baker, Max Cooper, Lekhini Desai, Alison DiBiase, Taylor Doll, Troy Droussiotis, Alex Ferris, Robert Ford, Danielle Hecht, James Houston, Felicity Howard, Lyra Koncsol, Ingrid Kretschmann, John Lucash, Brandon Luchenbaugh, Kelsey Luchenbaugh, Ileana McCabe, Max Miller, Kate Mochnacz, Bruce Plath, Dylan Robertson, Anjlee Sidhartha, Ritika Sidhartha, Dillon Spear, and Nicole Strang.

It is directed by Todd Bennington and Laurie Wood with musical direction by Thomas Pepitone and choreography by Kaitlin Geoghegan. It is produced by Daniel Schulze and stage managed by Kayla Abbatiello.

The theatre will also be hosting Treasure Island themed birthday parties. More information is available here.

Casting Call: 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

Playful Theater Productions of Kelsey Theater will hold auditions for "Jesus Christ Superstar" in August.

Auditionees should prepare a complete song in the style of musical theatre, pop, or rock, being sure to bring sheet music in the correct key. An accompanist will be provided. No dancing will be required at the initial audition.

Rehearsals are expected to begin in early September and occur 3-4 times per week through November, when the show will open. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays Nov. 9-16.

Jesus (tenor)	Charismatic, passionate, forceful, a leader by example. A rock-style singer with a dramatically extended range (consider high C a starting point) and comfortable rock falsetto needed.
Judas (tenor)	The antagonist. An intellectual who tends toward overanalysis; as a result, he is filled with constant conflict regarding the right path to take. A dynamic singer comfortable singing in a consistently high range needed.
Caiaphus (bass)	High priest, and a formidable enemy. Caiaphus is not a cartoon villain, but he is a very dangerous man when he believes he is right (and he usually does.) A true bass with an unusually low range needed.
Annas (tenor)	Another high priest and associate of Caiaphus, more reckless and vicious than his colleague. High, rough rock tenor.
Pontius Pilate (baritone)	A more-or-less decent man of questionable courage; he has power and wields it with confidence, but his will is weak. Need a gentle baritone capable of a high rock belt for a brief section of music.
Peter (baritone)	First among the disciples of Jesus, a leader in his own right and entirely loyal to his cause. He has considerable, albeit thus far untested, courage.
Simon Zealotes (any)	Another of the disciples of Jesus, a fighter and a bit of a rabble-rouser. Dynamic singer with strong high range required.
King Herod (any)	A cruel, decadent narcissist. Will consider a wide range of possible performers for this role, across nearly any possible style.
Mary (female, mezzo-soprano or belter)	A young woman who has been mostly forgotten and ignored. She is a cynic but not yet bitter. Looking for a warm, natural sound; willing to consider a range of singing styles for this role.
Ensemble	Includes disciples, priests, vendors, lepers, backup singers, and members of an angry mob. Many roles require solo singing; (adult) actors of all ages and types are needed.

Auditions will be held from 12-5 p.m. at August 3 and 7-10 p.m. August 5. Auditions and callbacks will take place at the Communications (CM) building next to Kelsey Theater.

For more information, contact ptpauditions@gmail.com or call (609)378-5515. Kelsey Theater is located on the Mercer County Community College campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor.

Casting Call: 'Putting it Together'

Playhouse 22 will hold open auditions for "Putting It Together," a musical revue of songs by Stephen Sondheim, this weekend. Songs featured include ones from Sunday in the Park with George, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Merrily We Roll Along, and Assassins.

Auditionees should prepare an up-tempo classic or contemporary Broadway song (no pop songs) of up to 32 bars, with sheet music in the correct key.  An accompanist will be provided. A capella is not permitted. They should also wear clothing comfortable for dancing in.

Man 1 (Baritone)	Voice Range: F3-F5
Man 2 (Tenor)	Voice Range: G3 - A5
Man 3 (Baritone)	Voice Range: G3 - F5
Woman 1 (Mezzo Soprano)	Voice Range: D3 - G5
Woman 2 (Mezzo Soprano)	Voice Range: F3 - G5

Auditions will be held at 3 p.m. July 19 and 8 p.m. July 20.

Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Fridays and at 3 p.m. Sundays from Sept. 12-28, as well as at 8 p.m. Sept. 13 and 27. For more information, contact info@playhouse22.org or visit the Playhouse 22 website. Playhouse 22 is located at 721 Cranbury Rd., East Brunswick.

Summer Program Registration at Cranford Dramatic Club

Looking for something for the kids to do as summer comes to an end? Apply for "Future Stars" at the Cranford Dramatic Club!

The program will run 1:30-4:30 p.m. August 25-29. The program is targeted at children entering grades 3-5.

The program costs $250 per child, or $200 per sibling. This price includes two tickets to the Friday Showcase. To view the registration form, click here. The deadline for reservations is August 15. To make a reservation, contact advertising@cdctheatre.org.
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For more information, visit the Cranford Dramatic Club website. The theater is located at 78 Winans Avenue, Cranford.

Casting Call: 'The Little Mermaid Jr.'

Plays-in-the-Park will be holding auditions for "The Little Mermaid Jr."

Auditions are on July 12 at 1 p.m. You must be at least 16 to audition. Please prepare the song/s listed below for the character you are auditioning for. Sheet music is available on the Plays-in-the-Park website.

Ariel	Part of Your World & Part of Your World (reprise)
Mermaids	Part of Your World
Flounder	Part of Your World
Prince Eric	One Step Closer
Sebastian	Under the Sea
Ursula	Poor Unfortunate Souls
Scuttle	Human Stuff
Pilot	Human Stuff

Non-singing roles include King Triton, Gimbsy, and other roles to double.

Shows are October 11, 12, 18, 19, and 25 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

'Shrek' at Plays-in-the-Park

Plays-in-the-Park will soon be presenting "Shrek".


The show will run from July 9 - 19 at 8:30 p.m. every night. There will be no Sunday performance. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under. Tickets must be purchased at the box office.

"Shrek" the musical brings the hilarious story of everyone's favorite ogre to dazzling new life on the stage. In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre — not a handsome prince — shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won't shut up, a bad guy with a SHORT temper, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand...and his name is Shrek.

The show is directed by Moggie Davis, choreographed by Michele Mossay, musically directed by Warren Jelms, and stage managed by Sheri Vanderspeigel and Samantha Casbarro, with a set by Mike D'arcy, lights by Roman Klima, sound by Matthew Boyle, and costumes by Mike Patierno.

The cast features Michael McEntee as Shrek, Kat Lefevre at Fiona, Timothy Walton as Donkey, Dan Thomas Cook as Lord Farquaad, Mimi Francis as Dragon, Billy Geltzeiler as Pinocchio, Meghan Cordier as Gingy, Sarah Caldwell as Teen Fiona, Julia McKenna as Young Fiona, Kieran McKenna as Young Shrek,  an ensemble featuring Rachel Valovcin, Carissa Gaughran, Kelly Plescia, Julia Parks, Rachel Brown, Kelly Hedden, DeVaughn Johnson, Rachel Sherman, Maeve Linsky, Derek Colon, Chris Guell, Eme Bentancur, Phil Solomon, Pat Cantarella, Chris “CJ” Carter, Dwight Merritt, Ryan Lind, and Jason Skibinski, and Mike Patierno, Jeff Seesselberg, Alex Portera, and Diana Puertas as Dragon Puppeteers.

'Theatre Rock Live' at Villagers Theatre

Villagers Theatre will be presenting "Theater Rock Live!" this month.

The event will take place on July 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or by calling the box office at (732) 873-2710. Villagers Theatre is located at 475 DeMott Ln., Somerset.

a performance of songs from Broadway rock musicals including "Hair", "Rent", "Movin' Out", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Rocky Horror", "Hedwig", "Rock of Ages", "Next to Normal", "Fame", "Bare", "Aida", and "Tarzan.

The band performing features Joe Andolino at the keyboard, Kasaku Nakamura with the guitar, Jason Gianni with the drums, and Andrew Rosciszewski with the bass. Vocalists are Danny Gershaw, Lindsay Lavin, Daniel Peter Vissers, and Shanna Levine Phelps.