(Original: February 1987). The Company reprised Noises Off! in their new theater at the Santa Fe Depot complex.  Noises Off! is a “play within a play” written by Michael Frayn and follows the foibles of the cast of “Nothing On”.  Each of the three acts of Noises Off! contains a performance of the first act of Nothing On. Act One is set at the dress rehearsal, the night before opening at the (fictional) Grand Theatre in Weston-super-Mare, with the cast still fumbling with entrances and exits, missed cues, misspoken lines, and bothersome props, most notably several plates of sardines. Then the entire set was rotated to show the backstage area for Act Two. Act Two portrays a Wednesday matinee performance one month later, at the (again fictional) Theatre Royal in Ashton-under-Lyne. In this act, the play is seen from backstage, providing a view that reveals the deteriorating personal relationships among the cast that have led to offstage shenanigans and onstage bedlam. The set is then rotated back for the onstage side for Act Three. In Act Three, we see a performance near the end of the ten-week run, at the (still fictional) Municipal Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees, when personal friction has continued to increase and everyone is bored and anxious to be done with the play. The actors attempt to cover up a series of mishaps but only compound the problems and draw attention to the bungling performance. Much of the comedy emerges from the subtle variations in each version as off-stage chaos affects on-stage performance, with a great deal of slapstick. The contrast between players’ on-stage and off-stage personalities is also a source of comic dissonance.

PERFORMANCE DATES: October 1-17, 2004

CAST: Dotty Otley – Sarah Schaeffer, Lloyd Dallas – Joe Walker, Garry Lejune – Kelly Carroll, Brooke Ashton – Cindy Thomson, Poppy Norton-Taylor – Haley Ashcroft, Frederick Fellowes – Kent Ross, Belinda Blair – Darleen Clifton Smith, Tim Allgood – Mark Vierthaler, Selsdon Mowbray – Jim Johnson

CREW: Director – Don Steele, Stage Manager – Wendy Nelson , Light Design – Seth Eckelman, Costume Design – Carolyn Johnson, Sound Design – Alan Stuckenholtz, Set Design/Light Board Operator – Jim Gilman and MJ Straight, Running Crew/Costume Maintenance – Janelle Mattingly

MENU: Roasted vegetable soup or Waldorf salad, Octoberfest pork, twice baked potato casserole, ginger glazed carrots, whole wheat roll, pumpkin cider pudding cake.  Catering provided by Linda Bethke, Pete Bethke, Ryan Carpenter, Barb Duesing, Theresa Hogan, Milly White, Ron Albrecht, Kathy Morgan, Jana Ross, Marilyn Crane, Carol Kline, Jacob Busch, Mary Ann Straight, Dee Dee Royle, Suzy Busch.

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