​For Immediate Release

August 22, 2017

Contact:
Susan Goes, Executive Director, 541-942-8001


Cottage Theatre holds auditions September 16 & 17 for Seussical

Cottage Grove, OR — Cottage Theatre will hold auditions for Seussical, the final production of its 2017 season, on September 16 & 17. Auditions for adults and high school students age 14+ will be held on Saturday, September 16 at 6:00 pm. Auditions for children ages 8 - 13 will be held on Sunday, September 17 at 2:00 pm. This musical based on the stories and characters of Dr. Seuss will run four weekends from December 1 - 23. Seussical is directed by Keith Kessler. A large cast is needed and no audition appointment is necessary. Auditions will take place at Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove.

Fun for the whole family, Seussical is a magical, musical extravaganza featuring all of the favorite Dr. Seuss characters. The Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant, who hears a faint noise coming from a speck of dust on a clover. He commits to protect the invisible Whos who live there, including Jojo, an imaginative Who child who is always getting into trouble for thinking too many “thinks.” Horton faces a double challenge: not only must he shield the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping, and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family, and community are challenged and emerge triumphant in this musical journey through the Jungle of Nool to Solla Sollew.

Interested actors should come ready to sing 16-32 bars of the song of their choice and bring sheet music for the provided accompanist. Auditioners should also come dressed and ready to move, as there will be a dance audition for all potential cast members. Additional audition details are available at www.cottagetheatre.org, or by calling Cottage Theatre at 541-942-8001. 


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For Immediate Release

August 22, 2017

Contact:
Susan Goes, Executive Director, 541-942-8001


Cottage Theatre announces 2018 season

Cottage Grove, OR — On August 16, before an invited audience of donors and advertisers, Cottage Theatre announced its 2018 season. The community theatre's 36th season will begin in February 2018 and include three musicals and three plays, including a world premiere drama.

Cottage Theatre's 2018 season begins in February with Noises Off, a hilarious farce-within-a-farce written by Michael Frayn. Noises Off, called "the funniest farce ever written" by the New York Post, will be directed by Tony Rust and run for three weekends from February 2 - 18, 2018.

April 2018 brings Legally Blonde, a musical comedy stage adaptation of the 2001 movie of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon. Legally Blonde features music & lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin, and book by Heather Hach. It is based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture. Madison Baker will direct Cottage Theatre's production, which runs for four weekends April 6 - 29, 2018.

Arthur Miller's classic drama The Crucible will be the third production in the theatre's 2018 season. This 1953 drama, written at the height of McCarthyism, is a fictionalized dramatization of the Salem Witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. Joel Ibanez will direct this production, which runs for three weekends June 8 - 24, 2018.

In August 2018, Cottage Theatre will present the world premiere of Treehouse by Alabama playwright Joe Musso. This contemporary drama is one of the six winners of the American Association of Community Theatre's 2018 NewPlayFest, selected from over 300 submissions nationwide. Cottage Theatre is one of just six community theatres in the country selected to produce one of the winning scripts. Other world premieres in the 2018 NewPlayFest will be offered in Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Tara Wibrew will direct Cottage Theatre's production of Treehouse, which will run for three weekends August 10 - 26, 2018.

The theatre's 2018 season continues in October with Shrek the Musical. Based on the DreamWorks Animation Motion Picture and the book by William Steig, Shrek the Musical features book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, and music by Jeanine Tesori. This family-friendly fairytale adventure will be directed by Keith Kessler and will run for four weekends October 5 - 28, 2018.

Cottage Theatre's 2018 season will end with a production of the world's longest-running musical. The Fantasticks, which opened in New York in 1960 and ran continuously there until June 2017, is a romantic parable about a boy, a girl, and a wall. The musical features book and lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt, including the well-known song "Try to Remember." Cottage Theatre's production of The Fantasticks will be directed by Kory Weimer and will run for three weekends from November 30 - December 16, 2018.

Cottage Theatre is a volunteer-centered community theatre and all auditions are open to any interested actors. Auditions for Noises Off will be Sunday, November 5. Audition dates for the rest of the 2018 shows will be set at a later date.

2018 Season tickets go on sale October 1, 2017 to current subscribers only, and then November 1 to the general public. Season tickets represent up to a 30% discount over the cost of individual show tickets and special discounts are also offered for seniors (age 60+) and youth. 

Cottage Theatre's current 35th anniversary season continues through December, with productions of the musicals Jekyll & Hyde October 6 - 29, 2017 and Seussical December 1 - 23, 2017.

For more information visit www.cottagetheatre.org or contact Cottage Theatre at 541-942-8001.


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