20

Next CTI Business Meeting: Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015. 12 p.m.

at the Sermon Center .

Find us on facebook.com/City.Theatre.of.Independence

Next Productions

Enchanted April AUDITIONS: Jan. 11 - 12, 2015

Directed by Shari Wassergord

Performance dates—April 2-4 and 10-12, 2015

Seussical AUDITIONS: April 6 - 7, 2015

Directed by LeAnn Burris

Performance dates—June 4-7 & 11-14, 2015

www.CityTheatreofIndependence.org

816-325-7367

City Theatre of Independence

January 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 2015

Directed by Nancy Eppert

By Alfred Uhry

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatist Play Services, Inc., New York. Originally produced on Broadway by Jane Harmon, Nina Keneally, Liz Oliver. Commissioned by the Alliance Theatre Co., presented

by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, Cultural Olympiad for the 1996 Olympic Arts Fest.

The Last Night

of Ballyhoo

2

Are you a subscriber to CTI Newsletter?

Get updates on shows, auditions and special events by joining

our subscription lists. Fill out the sign-up form at

http://eepurl.com/KFHNn or scan this code with your Smart

phone.

Joyce Stone- President

Michael Masterson - Vice President of Production

Jackie Coomes - Vice President of Operations

Steve Kennedy - Treasurer

Mary Morris - Secretary

R.J. Parish - Season Production Manager

Patti Shockley - Box Office Chair

Marcia Brownlee- Membership

Norita Taylor- Marketing and Public Relations

Erin Brown- Hospitality

Wanda Dunlap- Historian

Mike Brown- Charter

19

1995-96 Forty Carats, The Rain-

maker, Night Watch, Lit-tle Shop Of Horrors, I

Hate Hamlet

1996-97

Something’s Afoot, The Lion In Winter, Heaven

Can Wait, Mame, Corpse

1997-98 Lost In Yonkers,

Darkside, Greetings, An-nie Get Your Gun, Cat’s

Cradle

1998-99 Rumors, A Lie Of The

Mind, The Importance Of Being Earnest, Camelot, The Crucifer Of Blood

1999-2000

Moon Over Buffalo, Cole, Talley’s Folly/Talley &

Son, A Little Night Music, Amadeus

2000-01 A Midsummer’s Night

Dream, My Three Angels, Nunsense, An Ideal Hus-band, The Marriage Of

Figaro

2001-02 Catch Me If You Can, The

Diary Of Anne Frank, Murder At The Howard Johnson’s, The Sound Of Music, The Sunshine Boys

2002-03

Squabbles, Dracula, Hed-da Gabler, The Wizard Of

Oz, The Company Of Wayward Saints

2003-04

You Can’t Take It With You, A Murder Is An-

nounced, The Man Of La Mancha, All My Sons,

The School For Scandal

2004-05 The Musical Comedy

Murders of 1940, Death-trap, Private Lives, Hello

Dolly, Picnic

2005-06 Plaza Suite, An Inspector Calls, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters, The

Pirates of Penzance, Dear-ly Departed

2006-07

Noises Off, Sleuth, In-venting Van Gogh, Noth-ing But The Truth, The

Music Man

2007-08 Funny Money, A Shot In The Dark, Kiss Me Kate, The Lilies Of The Field,

Social Security

2008-09 To Kill A Mockingbird, I’ll Be Back Before Mid-night, Over The Tavern, Marcus Is Walking, The

King & I

2009-10

Escanaba In Da Moon-light, Chain Of Circum-

stances, King O’ The Moon, Chicago, Arcadia

2010-11 The Boys Next Door Death Of A Salesman

The Last Mass At St.Casimir’s

Rodgers & Hammer-stein’s Cinderella

Almost, Maine

2011-12 The Foreigner

Suburb A Streetcar

Named Desire

Working A Nice Family Gath-

ering

2012-13 Little Women

The Nerd

Proof

Once Upon A Mattress

On Golden

Pond

2013-14 Miss Firecracker Contest

The Mousetrap

The Complete Works of Wm Shakespeare –

Abridged

Little Shop Of Horrors

Pride and Prejudice

18

35 Seasons! 1980 - 2014

1980-81 Plaza Suite, Curious Sav-age, Uncertain Samaritan, Music Revue 1, The Four Poster, The Odd Couple

1981-82 Arsenic & Old Lace, Mu-sic Revue 2, A Thousand Clowns, The Fantasticks,

Dracula, Spirit of the Christmas Ornament, The Hobbit, Ten Little Indians, Little Women

1982-83 Harvey, 6 Rms Riv Vu,

The Other Side, The Lion In Winter, A Christmas

Carol, Winnie The Pooh, House of Blue Leaves, Once Upon A Mattress

1983-84 You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Rainmaker, Alice In

Wonderland, J.B., Life With Father, The Im-

portance of Being Earnest

1984-85 On Golden Pond, 1776,

The Emperor’s New Clothes, Our Town, The

Mousetrap, You Can’t Take It With You

1985-86

Barefoot In The Park, The Glass Menagerie, Cinder-ella, Two By Two, Wait Until Dark, Shadowbox

1986-87 Bell,Book and Candle,

Laura, Snow White, Jo-seph & The Amazing

Technicolor Dreamcoat, One Flew Over The

Cuckoo’s Nest, The Buck Stops Here, Bus Stop

1987-88

Dial M For Murder, Hap-py Birthday Wanda June, Sleeping Beauty, God’s

Favorite, Side By Side By Sondheim, Enemy Of

The People

1988-89 Tom Sawyer, Charlotte’s Web, I Remember Mama, Close Ties, The Mystery

of Edwin Drood

1989-90 Hay Fever, The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Cra-

dle Song, Pippin, The Foreigner

1990-91 Death By Chocolate, Beauty & The Beast,

Guy’s & Dolls, Crimes Of The Heart, Noises Off

1991-92 Play It Again Sam, Winnie

The Pooh, Blithe Spirit, Steel Magnolias, Oliver

1992-93 Arsenic & Old Lace, The Nerd, The Unexpected

Guest, Odd Couple (female version), Fiddler

On The Roof

1993-94 Rehearsal For Murder,

Lend Me A Tenor, Any-thing Goes, Come Blow Your Horn, The Royal

Family

1994-95 Born Yesterday, The

Cemetary Club, Harvey, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Fo-

rum, Witness For The Prosecution

3

AUDITIONS

Enchanted April January 11, 12, 2015, 7-9 p.m.

At the Sermon Center

4

City Theatre of Independence is a proud member of the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT) and the Independence Parks and Recreation Dept.

www.aact.org www.ci.independence.mo.us/parksandrec

CTI is also a member of the Independence Attractions Coalition.

E lla’s mbroidery

The Examiner

Independence—Blue Springs—Grain Valley

www.examiner.net

www.ellasembroidery.com

17

PowerPalooza

February 7, 2015

10 a.m. — 3 p.m.

City Theatre of Independence

Food Booth

Powerpalooza is a power-packed day of fun for kids of all ages. Take a turn in a giant inflatable, try your luck at the roulette wheel, test your skills at the ring toss! Every-one wins a prize. Or maybe just sit back and enjoy a hot dog and old-fashioned cotton candy. Tickets are 25¢ each, sold at the door. Most activities cost only 1-2 tickets. All proceeds go to the Powerhouse Theatre Foundation.

Powerhouse Theatre Foundation is an umbrella organization which includes and benefits the three community theatre organizations which operate out of the Roger T. Sermon Center; City Theatre of Independence, Children’s Performing Theatre and Encore (for 50 and older).

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Contact Erin Brown at mrsbrown728@gmail.com

16

Playwright Festival

The eighth annual City Theatre of Independence Playwright Festival

will be held July 9, 10, 11, and 12, 2015.

Please refer to the following guidelines for submitting play(s):

• The theme for 2015 is: “Reunion.”

• Each play submitted must have no more than 4 characters,

and a minimal set. Must run 10-15 minutes in length.

• Plays with an excess of offensive language will not be accepted; if

you have to ask, assume it's excessive. Plays will be accepted begin-

ning January 1, 2015. Only the first 85 plays received will

be accepted.

• Please email two copies of each play submitted: one with your full

contact information, one without any identification. Plays cannot be

published or produced prior to June 1, 2015, nor be subject to any

royalties. No entry fee required.

Plays that do not meet these guidelines will not be considered.

Please note that plays will not be returned.

Thank you for your interest! We look forward to another successful festival!

Send to jkmstone@comcast.net

5

FAST SIGNS 3801 S. Noland Road

Independence, MO 64055

816-252-0909

The Rheinland Restaurant 208 North Main Street • Independence, MO 64050

Telephone: 816-461-5383

City Nights Formal Wear

816-795-5500 4621 S Shrank Dr.

Independence, Mo.

6

Powerhouse

Theatre Foundation Powerhouse Theatre Foundation is an umbrella organization which includes

and benefits three community theatre organizations which operate out of the

Roger T. Sermon Community Center: City Theatre of Independence, Chil-

dren’s Performing Theatre and Encore Theatre.

City Theatre of Independence www.CityTheatreofIndependence.org

ENCORE www.EncoreTheatreIndepMo.org

Children’s Performing Theatre Facebook: Childrens-Performing-Theatre-of-Independence-Mo

15

Jack McCord - Adolf Freitag

Jack began acting on stage 47 years ago and has been performing at CTI since 1998, where he played Mickey/Lusious in Greet-ings. Since then, he has done a bazillion shows here either on stage or as director or in the lighting/sound booth. Jack, is thrilled to be back on the stage here in a CTI main production, having taken a 4-year leave of absence from the theatre world. He hopes you enjoy the performance.

Alex C. Phillips - Peachy Weil

Alex Phillips has loved the stage and the theatre from a very young age. He started acting with CTI in Children’s Performing Theatre at the age of 5. He was in many casts that included current cast members Melissa Anderson and Jackie Coomes. He did many theatre productions at Truman High School, and he is more than excited to join this phenomenal cast as Sylvan “Peachy” Weil in The Last Night of Ballyhoo.

Patti Shockley - Reba Freitag

Patti is grateful to have been a part of the CTI family for the past 14 years. She has acted in 20 roles, some of her favorites be-ing Mrs. Shinn in The Music Man and Betty in The Foreigner. Last year she directed The Miss Firecracker Contest, then was “murdered” in The Mousetrap. She wishes to thank so many past directors who have helped her improve and grow with each role, especially her longtime friend, Nancy.

14

Patrick Lee Davis - Joe Farkas Patrick is pleased to be performing with City Theatre of Independence. He was previously seen in Wizard of Oz at CTI. Patrick began act-ing at a young age, after watching his parents at the Meistersingers Community Opera. After working in several community and professional theatre shows, he started working in film, but is happy to be back at his “roots.” He would like to thank his parents for introducing him to performing and allowing him to use his talent.

Stephanie N. Flanagan - Beulah “Boo” Levy

Stephanie is thrilled to return to the City Thea-tre of Independence stage as Boo Levy in The Last Night of Ballyhoo. She appeared as Chiffon in last season's production of Little Shop of Hor-rors. Some of her favorite roles include Verna-dette in Dixie Swim Club, Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls, Truvy in Steel Magnolias, and Rita in Educating Rita. Stephanie would like to thank her wonderful family: Anastasia, Maximus, Cordelia, and Carl for all their love & support. Enjoy the show!

7

Serendipity Bed & Breakfast

http://serendipitybedandbreakfast.com/

8

Become a donor to CTI

Donation Levels:

Stage Hand-$50

Designer-$100

Stage Manager-$200

Director-$500

Producer-$1000

Executive Producer-$1500

Special Thanks to Designer Sponsor

Elizabeth Scott

www.CityTheatreofIndependence.org

Visit our website:

Join CTI If you enjoy seeing our performances, you might also enjoy being a member of

CTI . There are many opportunities to be part of the organization. In addition

to acting, there are crew members on each production to run lights or sound, to

help with properties and set changes, or costume design and set construction.

CTI is a member-run organization, where you can be part of the decision mak-

ing process. Questions? Contact citytheatreofindependence@gmail.com.

13

CAST - in alphabetical order

Melissa Blair Anderson - Lala Levy

Melissa is grateful to return to the stage in this extraordinary production of The Last Night of Bal-lyhoo. As an alumni of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, New York City, her credits include Off-Off Broadway: A Musical Revue and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told as Cheryl Mindle. Melissa has most recently been seen in Little Shop of Horrors as Ronette, The Miss Firecracker Contest as Carnelle, Working as Kate (Just a Housewife) Al-most Maine as Marcie & Marvalyn, Into The Woods as The Baker’s Wife, Nine as Sarraghina, Noises Off as Poppy and The Full Monty. She would like to thank Nancy for this extraordinary experience, who made all her "hoop" dreams come true! To her fellow castmates, you are AH-MAH-ZING and she loves you guys! To her most supportive family, thank you for your unconditional love and support. Hey Mom, the dress passes the twirl test!

Jackie Coomes - Sunny Freitag

Jackie Coomes is very excited to be performing Sunny in Last Night of Ballyhoo. She has recently been seen at City Theatre of Independence as “Elizabeth” in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Elaine in The Miss Firecracker Contest and Claire in Proof. Jackie has also performed in productions at Sum-mit Theatre Group, Bell Road Barn Players, The Barn Players, River City Players in Lexington, OCTA, and at UMKC.

12

DIRECTOR’S NOTES and BIO

There are so many things on my theatre “bucket list” that I will need to live two or three more lifetimes! I can now check two items off at the same time: to direct a wonderful script and work with a dream cast in my hometown the-atre! First, this fantastic script has so many challenging layers: family, faith, hard work, sacrifice, selflessness, discovery and renewal, comedy and drama to name but a few. Secondly, a hardworking and dedicated cast and crew who bring this very special story to life. We have maneuvered around the year’s end holidays, illnesses, vacations and work schedules, but the dedica-tion for a professional-quality show has been upmost on everyone’s agenda. I am grateful to the CTI board for allowing me this opportunity to direct this show. I am so very thankful for the hardworking hands who built the beauti-ful Freitag home. The crew, who are generally invisible to the audience, have done so very much to make magic: Thank you. Finally, the fabulous actors… words fail to describe my respect and love for each of you. To the audienc, without whom we would just have rehearsal, thank you for supporting live theatre in Independence. Mazel tov!

Nancy

Nancy Eppert - This is Nancy’s 13th production with CTI. She was awarded Best Actress in a lead role for Funny Money and Best Director for the 2003 Missouri Association of Community Thea-tres (MoACT) first place entry, Taking Sides: In 2005 the director of the #1 non-professional production in Kansas City, Hello, Dolly! She also directed MoACT’s first place entry Fat in 2009. She serves on the board of the American Association of Community Theatre as the Re-gion V Representative and as an AACT Adjudicator. She is a Past Presi-dent of MoACT and CTI. Nancy currently works for the National Frontier Trails Museum as the Theatrical Performance Specialist. She and her husband, John, live in the Historic Truman District.

9

DRAMATURGY - The Last Night of Ballyhoo

The Last Night of Ballyhoo is about assimilation, perception of “others”, and the mean-ing of family. It was originally a series of vignettes, each featuring a different mem-ber of the city's exclusive Standard Club. The play was inspired by the playwright's childhood memories and was commissioned by the Olympic Arts Festival for the 1996 Summer Olympics and was staged at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre. In revising the play for a New York City opening, Uhry opted to focus solely on the Freitags and expanded their storyline into two acts. After twenty-four previews, the Broadway production, directed by Ron Lagomarsino, opened on February 27, 1997 at the Hel-en Hayes Theatre, where it ran for 556 performances.

The Last Night of Ballyhoo focuses on two psychological elements: prejudice and per-sonal inadequacy. The obvious prejudice theme throughout the play demonstrating bigotry uses an underlying sentiment of personal inadequacy. Ballyhoo proves that racial and other forms of prejudice are a fabrication created and driven by society. The characters project their own undesirable qualities in others and feelings of inade-quacy. Throughout The Last Night of Ballyhoo, characters who display the most bigotry are the ones who are concerned the most about their public status.

Ben Brantley of the New York Times observed, “Much of the gently barbed, idiosyn-cratic Southern humor recalls a vintage episode of the television sitcom Designing Women… Mr. Uhry's one previous play, Driving Miss Daisy, was a modest masterpiece of obliquely rendered sentimentality and social commentary. Here the author em-ploys much more direct and conventional means that work more blatantly to elicit laughs and tears. Ballyhoo isn't a clumsy work; on its own terms, it's a model of old-fashioned tailoring. And Mr. Uhry has a fascinating and incendiary subject in the self-hatred implicit in the social stratifications among Southern Jews, particularly given that the play is set on the eve of World War II. But the context in which he couches it can feel very treacly... There's no doubting that Ballyhoo is a sincere, good-hearted work, but it almost never feels spontaneous. Despite its provocative subject, its form is the theatrical equivalent of comfort food, something for those who like their nostal-gia repackaged in the guise of something new.”

A NOTE ABOUT THE SET DESIGN

During the 1920s and 1930s, the rich and famous of the United States escaped the constraints of prohibition, the ban on gambling and suppressive taxation to the coun-tries south of the border: Mexico and Cuba. As the opulent upper crust settled in back home, they wanted reminders of their holidays in their daily lives, thus the “Southwestern” style became quite fashionable in interior design. The feel of sun baked brick, glazed tiling and wrought iron, created a feel of the fiesta.

10

CAST in order of appearance

Lala Levy – Melissa Blair Anderson

Reba Freitag – Patti Shockley

Boo Levy – Stephanie N. Flanagan

Adolph Freitag – Jack McCord

Joe Farkas – Patrick Lee Davis

Sunny Freitag – Jackie Coomes

Peachy Weil – Alex C. Phillips

Crew

Director – Nancy K. Eppert

Stage Manager – John Eppert

Light Design – Krystal Roush

Light Operator – Ben Morris

Sound Design/Operator – Larry Morris

Properties – Mary Morris

Costume Design – Nancy Eppert

Set Design – John and Nancy Eppert

Prompter – Allie Dunlop

SET BUILDERS

Jamie Boyle, Jeremiah Boyle, Matthew Boyle, David Calkins, John Dempsey, John Eppert, Nancy Eppert, Mike Masterson, Ron Miller, R.J. Parish, Alex C. Phillips, Will Steffy, Bradford Taylor, Norita Taylor, R.J. Taylor, Andy Williams

11

SETTING: December 1939 in Atlanta, Georgia.

ACT ONE

Scene 1 Freitag home, mid-December

Scene 2 Same, one hour later

Scene 3 Compartment of the Crescent Limited, five days later

Scene 4 Freitag home, morning the next day

Scene 5 Same, 11:00 that night

15 minute intermission between acts

ACT TWO

Scene 1 Freitag home, the next day

Scene 2 Same, later that night

Scene 3 Same, Christmas morning

Scene 4 Same, the next night

Scene 5 The Standard Club

Scene 6 Freitag home, several hours later

Scene 7 Compartment of the Crescent Limited, two weeks later

Scene 8 Freitag home, Sabbath evening

City Nights Formal Wear Phone-816-795-5500

4621 S Shrank Dr., Independence, MO

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Show Artwork for Internet and Social Media: Melissa Blair Anderson. Tuxedo: Bill Horne of City Nights Formal Wear .