Reading Theater Project to stage locally inspired one-acts; Fall Festival play tackles weighty topic [Spotlight]
Oct. 16—Reading Theater Project will stage "Present, Future, Past," three one-act plays chosen to reflect the story of Reading and Berks County but set in different times, starting Nov. 4 and running for two weekends at George Baer Chapel, 39 S. Sixth St.
The featured plays are "Buy To Rent" by Félix Alfonso Peña, "Everybody Hates This Place" by Adam Richter and "Grave Concerns" by Susan E. Sneeringer. "Buy To Rent" and "Grave Concerns" were produced by RTP in 2005, while "Everybody Hates This Place" is a newer play.
Daphnee McMaster is directing "Buy To Rent," Andrea Kennedy Hart is directing "Everybody Hates This Place," and Jody Reppert is directing "Grave Concerns." David Edgar Guest is the stage manager. The cast includes David Donado, Jordan Eck, Jeanette Fotis, Jane Ney, Karyn Reppert, Aaron Rineer, Laura Diann Stewart, Maeve Weidman, Rob Weidman and Amy J. Young.
Chris Heslop will compose new music for percussion, Jewell A. Brown is the sound designer, Bradley Gale is the set designer, Kathie Kustudich is the props designer, Charles Troxel is the lighting designer, and Craig Dodge is the technical liaison. Joel Gori is the producer, and Vicki Haller Graff is the artistic director and costumer.
This production is the first in Reading Theater Project's season, "Shadows From the Past." The annual 5-Minute Fringe Festival will be held February with a theme of "Shadows," and a playreading series will be held in the spring. All productions will follow the Pay What You Will Model. This production has a $20 recommended donation, with all those who are able encouraged to pay the $40 Pay It Forward price. This ticket pricing model is part of the Inclusion Action project to make theater more accessible to all audiences.
Tickets are available at readingtheaterproject.org or by calling 484-706-9719.
RTP is also hosting an All Hallows' Gala on Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. at Reading Film Studios, 531 Canal St. Tickets are $20, which includes entertainment by Hesse's Hot Jazz, DJselektron and magician Matty Whipple, costume contests, silent auctions and raffles, and a cash bar. To reserve, visit readingtheaterproject.org./gala.
----Complex stories and challenging themes have become the hallmark of theatrical productions of the Fall Festival of the Arts. And that's exactly what audiences can expect when "Watch on the Rhine" begins its three-day run on Friday at the WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St.
"Watch on the Rhine" takes place in 1940, a year before the United States would enter World War II. Kurt and Sara Muller — along with their three children — have been working as part of the anti-Fascist movement in Europe but have come to America to visit Sara's well-to-do family that has until now been isolated from world events.
The play holds special meaning for Meegan Gagnon, who plays Sara.
"My mother's father was a member of the Dutch Underground," Gagnon recalled, adding that he helped save her grandmother, a German Jew. "This is so meaningful because I grew up with these stories."
But audiences don't have to have a personal connection to the Holocaust to appreciate the play, says Sue Sneeringer, who plays Fannie, Sara's mother.
"We want people to identify with the characters," she said. "It's a story about family and relationships. Hopefully the audience can imagine themselves in this situation and reflect on how they would react."
The show is directed by Fall Festival veteran John Gancar, who has helped bring thought-provoking pieces to the stage, including last year's performance of "The Amish Project" and the 2017 production of "1776," which included an all-female cast five years before the Broadway revival — also with an all-female cast — was announced.
"Meegan was my John Adams," Sneeringer recalled of the "1776" performance.
When asked to compare that show to "Watch on the Rhine," she didn't hesitate in saying, "This is harder."
Kirk Lawrence-Howard, who plays Kurt, added, "But if it wasn't hard, it wouldn't be any fun."
"I'm close to Fanny in personality," Sneeringer said, capturing the difficulties of the role. "But I'm way too tuned in and she's too tuned out. I have to let her be ignorant."
In the play, the characters can only stay ignorant for so long as world events eventually come crashing into their insulated world.
Travis Murray, who plays Sara's brother David, hopes the show will help audiences tune in to world events.
"The themes are still relevant on an international scale and even just outside of our own communities," he said.
Performances are set for Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. For more information and tickets visit FallFestivalOfTheArts.org.
Music
A video recap of the Berks County Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Happening has been released on YouTube. The 26-minute video shares highlights from the Sept. 10 induction ceremony at FirstEnergy Stadium.
An introduction by BCRRHOF founder and executive director Dave Kline leads into video snippets from the happening including a performance by the John King Band, Anthrophobia, the induction ceremony, Hall-of-Famer John King singing the National Anthem, Reading Fightins action, fireworks display and a performance by the Reading Fightins Mascot Band.
The BCRRHOF is currently considering applicants for next year's induction. In order to be considered in the band category, a band must have originated in Berks County and performed in Berks County. An individual musician must have been either born in Berks County or performed/lived in Berks County for a minimum of five years. The prime genre of the band or individual musician must be rock, blues, rockabilly, funk, soul, R&B or rock-related covers or originals.
Submissions for consideration may be sent via Instant Messenger to the Facebook page of The Berks County Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A short resume/bio of musical work, accomplishments, venues, concerts should be included as well as an image of the band or individual musician. The image can be a vintage photo reproduced as a hi-res jpg.
Applications are welcome from October to May for an induction happening next summer. Defunct bands and deceased Berks County musicians are eligible. For more information, email Dave Kline at daveklineproductions@ gmail.com.
----The Northmont Fellowship Association, 600 Bruckman Ave., will host a monthly Jazz Jam featuring John Fundyga (drums), Skip Moyer (bass), Carl Zeplin (guitar) and Tim Gross (woodwinds and keyboards) starting Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. The musicians were part of the long-running monthly jazz jam at the Ukrainian-American Social Club. Beginners and pros are welcome to sit in and jam. The kitchen will be open. A nominal cover fee will be charged.
Art
Berks County artist Jon Bond will present his "Nothing Is Everything" exhibition in the Lapp Gallery at the Mennonite Heritage Center, Harleysville, from Tuesday through Dec. 18, including during the Christmas Market on Dec. 2-3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to meet the artist and learn the stories behind the paintings during a reception on Nov. 13 from 1 to 3 p.m.
"Nothing Is Everything" will feature 40 original works including egg tempera, oil, watercolor and ink drawings. Finished works, along with studies and derivative compositions, capture the harsh rustic beauty of the northern Berks County landscape that surrounds Bond's art studio in Albany Township.
Many items will also be available for purchase. Unique gifts featuring reproductions of Bond's art include zippered carryalls, puzzles, pillows, pencil sets, postcards and greeting cards.
Books
Author and Leesport resident Tom Dillman's book "The Legacy of the Boc: Book 2 of The Gnome Door Chronicles" is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound and Crave Press.
"The Legacy of the Boc" continues the story of teenage protagonist Susan and her grandfather Cooper. On a return visit to Tir-Na-Fey, the land on the other side of the Gnome Door, Susan and Cooper are asked to help when a mysterious book, written in the language of the Boc, a lost group of elves, is discovered and must be opened with magic.
But Al-Ron, a dark elf, has another Boc book he hopes to use to find and open a box which contains magic secrets and immortality. Al-Ron has teamed with Chancellor Adronis who hopes to use the Boc book to help him take over the throne. Susan, Cooper, and their friends must prevent the Boc books from being used for evil purposes if they hope to save Tir-Na-Fey and their world on the other side of the Gnome Door.
Dillman, a long-time runner and student of karate who graduated from Reading High in 1974, started writing about a dozen years ago. "The Gnome Door Chronicles" began as a bedtime story and grew into novels. For more information, visit www.cravepress.com.
