July 2003 Edition

PALT Announces 2003-04 Lineup

A new theater season is upon us, and PALT has another great assortment of shows to present its members.

The musical Oliver! is based on Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist and will open the season July 24 at Lamar State College-Port Arthur. Director Keith Cockrell and a cast of almost 70 will present the tale of a workhouse-boy-turned-pickpocket, singing wonderful tunes like "Food, Glorious Food," "Consider Yourself" and "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two." This show will run through Aug. 10.

Phillip Gray will direct the first mainstage show of the season, a classic of modern comedy, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Irish-born Wilde's final and perhaps most lasting play tells the tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, two young men who have taken to bending the truth to suit their needs.

Jack has invented a brother, Earnest, whose escapades frequently call Jack to London. Algernon's imaginary friend, Bunbury, is an invalid whose attacks call Algernon to the country whenever there is a distasteful social function in prospect. Their deceptions do catch up with them, jeopardizing their romantic pursuits of the lovely Gwendolyn Fairfax and Cecily Cardew.

This witty and wise comedy will be open Sept. 19 and run until Oct. 5 at the PALT Playhouse.

Jeff Laird will make his directorial debut by bring a spoof of Dickens's A Christmas Carol to the stage. David Sullivan's hilarious script for Inspecting Carol involves a struggling theater company and its very tired presentation of the Dickens classic.

A National Endowment for the Arts inspector is due to arrive at any time to evaluate their production and grant or deny them their much needed funding. A naive young man arrives for an audition, is mistaken for the inspector, and the show goes on, but not exactly as planned.

This farce, which pokes fun at several theatrical sacred cows, will provide some much needed lighthearted fun before the frantic holiday season begins. Inspecting Carol runs Nov. 14-30.

Spring will bring a Broadway smash hit musical to life on PALT's stage with Guys and Dolls, directed by David Sorrells. Based on Damon Runyon's short story, The Idylls of Miss Sarah Brown, Guys and Dolls revolves around Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest permanent floating crap game in New York.

Detroit bets fellow gambler Sky Masterson that he can't make the next woman he sees fall in love with him. That next woman happens to be Salvation Army-type reformer, pure-at-heart Miss Sarah Brown.

The stage is set for some hilarious complications and some great musical numbers as well, some favorites being "Luck Be a Lady" and "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat." Guys and Dolls runs Feb. 26-March 14.

Rose Moon will direct the final show of the regular season. A madcap comedy by C.B. Gilford, Bull in a China Shop involves a houseful of sweet little old ladies who have a crush on the handsome bachelor living across the street.

When they learn that he is none other than Det. Dennis O'Finn, they set about finding a way to get his attention. The trouble is, he works in homicide! This sweet-and-sinister mystery will be presented April 30-May 16.

All of the above shows are included in your season membership to Port Arthur Little Theatre. For information on membership prices and show times, call 722-7732 or check the web site at www.palt.org.

The PALT Playhouse is located at 4701 Jimmy Johnson Blvd. For reservations, call 727-PALT.

LSC-PA and PALT present Oliver!

"Please, sir. May I have some more?" That must be what director Keith Cockrell and the current PALT board hears every summer after their latest collaboration on a big musical that showcases talent from all over the Golden Triangle.

This year's joint production is the family musical Oliver!, which opens July 24 and runs Thursdays through Sundays for two weekends. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m., except for the Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

All shows are at the Lamar Theatre, 1600 Lakeshore Drive, on the campus of Lamar State College-Port Arthur. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and senior citizens and $5 with a valid Lamar ID. For reservations, call 984-6111.

Alex Rozell will play Oliver and Nicholas Fong will join him as the Artful Dodger. Both appeared in Alice in Wonderland at PALT.

Victoria LeBlanc will sing the role of Nancy, a high-spirited barmaid whobefriends Oliver. LeBlanc has played in many professional and local roles, including Agnes Gooch in Mame.

Jeff Courts, recently seen in The Butler Did It, will play her love interest, violent thief Bill Sykes. Appearing with his son, Robert Fong, also of Mame, will play the villainous but charming Fagin, who takes in a group of orphans to pick pockets for him.

David Sorrells of 1776 will play Mr. Bumble, the man in charge of the workhouse where Oliver was born. Roxane Gray will play the Widow Corney, Bumble's love interest. Her leading roles have included the title characters in Hello, Dolly! and Mame.

David Achord, a recently-returned veteran of local theater, will be the undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry. Mrs. Sowerbery will be played by Mary Kate Coberly, one of the stepsisters in PALT's Cinderella.

Nancy's sidekick, Bet, will be portrayed by Hillary Gray, a 14-year-old veteran of local productions, most recently Romeo and Juliet.

Other cast members include Benny Bryan, Patrick Lene, John Woodward, Courtney Worth and Dixie Tucker. The adult chorus features Krista Holman, Dana Deggs, Marcos Martinez, Wesley Deggs, Steve Lasiter, John Holland, Jim Crain, Walter Tucker, Kadeem Harris, Jonathan Perkins, Ann Holland, Sarah Scogin, Jalinda Martin, Laura Deggs, Robin Sibley, Linda Greata, Kimberly Perkins, Emmilee Price, Megan Meier, Hannah Gray, Bill Burgin, Courtney Wind, Chris Landry, Cassie Queen, Amanda Hendon, Sarah Shirley, Allison Deggs, Tamara Tubbs and Lauren Maldonado.

The children's chorus will include Corey Boozer, Kenneth Thomas, Carter Holland, Sarah Hollier, Dallas Gray, Micah Gibson, Hunter and Haleigh Courts, Reis Tate, Duane Sibley, Logan Hendon, Nathaniel Johnston, Megan Shields, Hannah Ivy, Macie Nichols, Mariel Gibson, Elizabeth Cloys, Marie-Elise Panchot, Brittney Ocasio, Devin Medley, Brittany Gaspard, Blake Gaspard, Jonathon Crain, Dustin Wills and Cameron Wille.

Phillip Gray is assisting Keith Cockrell with directing and Jean Heubach is producing. Ann Holland is head costumer and Thomas May is stage manager.

Oliver! is the first show of PALT's new season, and memberships will be available for purchase during this run. Don't forget to make reservations and we'll see you at the theater!

Audition Calls Announced

There will be two opportunities to audition for a PALT production coming up soon. Director Phillip Gray will hold auditions for Oscar Wilde's classic comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, at 7 p.m. Aug. 4-5 at the PALT Playhouse.

The play calls for four females and three males, high school age and up. The play will run Sept. 19-Oct. 5.

Director Thomas May will hold auditions for the musical, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, to be presented as a dinner theater. Auditions will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 8-9 at the Garden Terrace Tea Room, which is also the location of the play which will run Oct. 24-Nov. 1.

There are roles for four males and two females from the late teens through the 30s. If audition pieces are prepared, they should not be longer than two minutes. Break a leg!

New Board Members Welcomed

Four new board members were elected at the May general membership meeting. David Sorrells is serving as corresponding secretary, and Isaiah Good, Kay Lene and Thomas May have been elected to the board.

The next meeting is scheduled for January 2004. Make plans to attend.

Volunteers Needed at PALT

Think you have to be able to act to participate in community theater? No way! There are multiple opportunities for you to serve and exercise your creative juices at the same time without having to face an audience.

PALT is always looking for people interested in building sets, painting, faux painting, sewing, hosting, running lights and sound and doing publicity work, just to name a few options.

If you want to find out what the other side of theater is like -- the side behind the scenes -- give us a call at 722-7732 or 727-PALT, and let us know what you'd like to do. There's a place for you at PALT!