Richard Harris' 1984 comic musical play will be directed by Troy Nickerson and co-choreographed by him along with Kathie Doyle-Lipe and Greg Pschirrer.
This show replaces *The Miss Firecracker Contest,* previously announced.
*Stepping Out* was made into a 1991 movie starring Liza Minnelli. (They "opened it up" and transferred the location from North London to Buffalo, N.Y. -- the movie also featured Shelley Winters, Julie Walters, Bill Irwin and Jane Krakowski.)
"Stepping Out* has been described as "a blue-haired version of *A Chorus Line.*" It's about an ex-professional dancer, Mavis Turner (to be played by Danae Lowman, who was so good as Louise in the Civic's *Gypsy* with Patty Duke, and who also appeared in *Suds* at CenterStage), who agrees to teach a weekly tap dance class to a bunch of amateurs. (They're getting ready for a big recital and charity show, part of which we get to see at the conclusion.)
Doyle-Lipe will play Vera, an English lady who's obsessed with cleaning; Pschirrer plays a shy widower; Angela Snyder will be a nurse; Evelyn Renshaw, a bossy old lady; Becky Moonitz, the accompanist with a grudge; Carolee Young and Lei Broadstone will also appear (as Dorothy and Maxine, respectively).
Nickerson sees *Stepping Out* as a good project for a theater that needs to sell some tickets. "It's not a musical, but it has the excitement of a musical," he says. "And it has some meat to it." They'll be plenty of tap dance along the way (recalling how good Nickerson and Doyle-Lipe were as a tap dancing pair in the Interplayers fund-raiser show last August).
"It's truly about the relationships among all these quirky people -- how they grow together and fall apart. It ends in a big, huge, splashy production number."
Asked if Interplayers approached him and other local directors to pitch shows that they'd like to direct for the rest of this season, Nickerson said, "That's pretty much how it happened."
Other Interplayers news: As a fund-raiser for the theater and other nonprofits, David Casteal will encore his one-man Lewis and Clark show, *York,* at Interplayers on Friday, Feb. 24, at 8 pm. Tickets: $25; $15, students and seniors.
Visit www.interplayers.com or call 455-PLAY.
Very exciting news, sounds like fun! According to their website, there is a reading next week, too.
ReplyDeleteA really charming script. And in such great hands all around it should be amazing! Best of luck all.
ReplyDeleteOkay, but why the replacement? Wasn't there anyone who wanted to direct The Miss Firecracker Contest? Wasn't it already cast? What gives there, Bobo?
ReplyDeleteLove Letters is the next production, a reading stage, of A. R. Gurney's play. Shows are Monday 13th through Thursday the 16th at 7:30 p.m. and Friday at 8 p.m. with a matine at 2 p.m. and closes Saturday night the 18th with the 8 p.m. show. Reading are John Oswald and Ann Whiteman. Tickets are $10 each.
ReplyDeleteYay! More community theatre!
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like a community theatre show. what's up at interplayers?
ReplyDeleteHey most of this cast has worked professionaly some people are trying to help.
ReplyDeleteBy what measure does anonymous 2/13/06 use to guage community theater? Is it that actors from within the Spokane community will be the professional (paid) performers? Does that mean a show cast only from New York actors playing in New York is a community production? When will "some" people in Spokane realize that Spokane is an artistic community that warrants recognition? When will Spokane people understand that not everything outside of Spokane is good and vice-versa? These sorts of posts are idiotic. If we put reason to work, and think (not even think hard) about it, if a NY, LA or Seattle resident travels to Spokane to be in a production for $175-275 a week, guess what? They're not working in NY, LA or Seattle! Why? Maybe they can't hold up to the competition in those cities? Maybe the only thing good about them is that they are residents of those cities? Think about it. Sounds like jealosy and resentment are at work with naysayers.
ReplyDeleteWhat does any of this matter anyway? Just put on good shows and all the rest is immaterial.
ReplyDeleteClear cut rules: community theatre means volunteer actors, professional theatre means actors get paid. Troy and gang are volunteer. So for one show, Interplayers is a community theatre.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Anonymous 2/13/06 is putting down community theatre or theatre produced locally, I think he/she is asking are the folks performing in Stepping Out being paid for it? Interplayers promotes itself as a professional theatre. If the actors are not earning the $275.00 a week Anonymous 2/14/06 mentioned, then Interplayers is no longer a professional theatre, but is in fact a community theatre.
ReplyDeleteIn responce to 2/14/06 question about out of town actors traveling to Spokane, the ones I've spoken with love working here, often lose money on the trip, and work steadily elsewhere around the country. Sometimes they make more money at one theatre, and then take a loss at another. That's show biz. They work in Spokane exactly for the reasons you site ... a vital and supportive theatrical community. (Although maybe they're wrong. From the look of this blog we aren't very supportive.) If a New York actor works at the Seattle Rep does that mean they aren't good enough to work in New York? Many of the actors who appear at Interplayers and ART work a lot in NY. To wonder why they would come here can only mean you somehow feel Spokane is substandard. The Seattle, LA, NY actors who work here (at least the one's I've gotten to talk with) don't think Spokane is substandard, and look forward to being cast here again.
Who said talent's not getting paid at Interplayers? You're mistaken.
ReplyDeleteI'll start thinking the distinction between theatres makes sense when the "professionals" in town stop getting costumes, set pieces, talent, even whole shows (York) from the "amateurs".
ReplyDeleteI'm so tired, tired ,tired of this small town mantality about who get's paid and who does'nt.Most viseting actors I have spoken to think this controversy in Spokane is quite humorous.If they can get paid great but they'll do theatre anywhere as long as they can continue to grow as actors.Professionalism ultimately is a state of mind ,behavior and flexibility.Pay is great but if the gig does'nt pay I'll do it anyway.I'm an actor, afterall.Enough already!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymites #7 & #8 have a very good point that I believe Anonymous #6 has completely missed when he or she disparaged the actors that come from out-of-town to work for Interplayers or ARt: Most regional actors I know will travel across the country to be in a good production of a good script, as long as they don't have to go further into debt to do so. To say that they can't handle it in whichever city they keep residence is to disparage not only the actors, but the theatre productions they travel to participate in. To say that only actors who "can't hold up to the competition" in Seattle or New York or wherever would come stay in Spokane for rehearsals and performance is an insult to the theater organizations who hire them. Would you say that Karen Nelsen, who gave a tremendous Mrs. Warren for ARt earlier this season, "can't hold up to the competition"? Or that Michael Weaver isn't able to hire anyone but the lower tier of other city's actors? He hires them because he believes they're right for the role, and they come because he puts on good shows. That's all it is. The primary "jealousy and resentment" seem to be yours, Anonymous #6.
ReplyDeleteI would hardly refer to David, Brian, and Susan as amateurs. And renting or borrowing from a "community" of theaters and production companies is hardly a new concept that would demote a theater from the ranks of professional to amateur. It's called "Thank you for supporting live theater". The cooperation and exchange of talent between companies is a healthy venture.
ReplyDeleteGood point Sister!
ReplyDeleteI think they had several reasons for letting Swan go the postings on this blog for one.
ReplyDeleteIt is not OK for an employee to tell everyone the private matters of the business.
ReplyDeleteAs I sit chained to my sewing machine, I'm fairly sure no costumes from Interplayers are used on Civic's stage.
ReplyDeleteWhat about talking at other theatre's and out in the community?
ReplyDeleteSomeone here proclaims to know that Troy and the actors in Stepping Out are working on a volunteer basis. Someone here needs to get their facts straight because... that just isn't the case.
ReplyDeleteScrewtape might want to consider that hiring the same three to five actors from out of state time and again pretty much just turns them into an extension of the Spokane community of actors. Too many times the out of town actors are no better and often worse than the local pool of talent and could easily be cast from the local artists with few exceptions which would also stimulate economy and spending within Spokane. He should consider this when casting shows. Too many times it is a pretentious piece of casting when the publicity and programs read "New York actor blah, blah, blah..." that no one's heard of and just becomes laughable to read.
ReplyDeleteI confess I have absolutely no inside or outside information as to whether Stepping Out personnel are being paid by Interplayers or not. However, I still have enough of the common sense the good Lord gave me to craft a run-on sentence asking why a financially troubled, but still highly regarded theatre organization would cancel an already announced, already sold (at least as far as season subscriptions), already cast play involving maybe 5 characters (I'm guessing), probably one set, and contemporary dress (likely readily available at the local thrift stores), the script for which has been around long enough to probably only require nightly royalties in the area of $75-100, to put on a relatively unknown musical with a cast of 13, requiring multiple costumes - including tap shoes, a choreographer and assistant choreographer and tap specialist, a music director and rehearsal accompanist, possibly other musicians for performances paid nightly at the going scale, with a nightly royalty likely at least 3 to 4 times as great as Miss Firecracker Contest? One answer that suggests itself is that somebody is doing something, if not for free, at least for love and glory rather than hard cash. Otherwise, it doesnt make much sense, at least from the outside looking in.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the initials of the KJR post by name, however, the first show you mentioned required actors/director who were traveling to Spokane with expenses paid lodgings on top of a paycheck. A cost which is considerable. That's the least of the problems with this post. The majority of the problem with this post is that common sense should tell you that the replacement play is not a MUSICAL with all of the expenses that you have described.
ReplyDeleteEverything cited about musicians, etc is far from accurate. Look the play up on Samuel French and then let us know how much it cost. Common sense would be better exercised when one can first discern whether a musical is being produced or not.
Interplayers remains a professional organization with paid talent and bright future.
Anonymous #19, you are absolutely correct that trumpeting one's residence as an imprimatur of talent is ridiculous. And when a face is seen repeatedly, that actor does become part of the community for a short time. But take this as a positive, not a negative: If I were an actor who was offered a role several states away from my hometown (and I'm presuming that an actor is not required to accept every job offer they receive) I would consider the artistic sensibility of the theatre before putting anything in writing. (Especially if that hometown was New York, where I'm sure "Backstage" carries dozens of auditions a week.) The fact that actors have come back repeatedly to work at Interplayers and ARt should be considered a compliment to the theatres and Spokane, not an insult.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree somewhat with kjr’s post and respectfully disagree slightly with abcdefg. The math doesn’t quite work out. Miss Firecracker Contest has a cast of 6, Stepping Out has a cast of 13. Sure it’s costly to house six out-of-town actors, but … now do the math with me … You have 7 additional actors in Stepping out (and I’m just dealing with those seven at the moment), and interplayers pays $275.00 a week to actors. $275.00 a week for seven weeks (three and a little more than half a week for rehearsal, three weeks and a weekend of performances) equals $1,925.00. That’s for one actor. Now there are seven more people in Stepping Out than in Firecracker so … $1,925.00 times seven equals $13,475.00 in additional payroll for the new show. Add the previously announced six actors and your payroll just for actors is $25,025.00. And you have directors and set crew and box office and others on top of that. Hummmm. Housing suddenly looks very cheap to me. And then we follow that up with Laughter on the 26th Floor and Of Mice and Men, both largish casts? I guess I'm glad interplayers is doing so well.
ReplyDeleteOkay Okay Okay Okay OKAY-My God people...I would just like to say for the record, as a cast member of Steppin Out, that I think in order for this institution to survive it is inherently important that the COMMUNITY come together to help (as with any other arts organization). That does NOT however make this a "Community Theatre" nor does it mean the end of "Professional Theatre" in Spokane. Just to be clear-Steppin Out in NOT a musical, there is a cast of 9 NOT 13, there is no band or musicians involved unless you count a character already written into the script, there are virtually NO costume changes except to add or remove items, and furthermore, actors and artistic staff involved are, to my knowledge, all recieving compensation. Now I don't usually get my panties in a bunch over this blog, but I do feel that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Especially since we ALL know that just about every theatre in this town has had recent financial difficulties. Now I don't have a lot of money or other resources to donate, but what I do have is my time and my love for the craft. And if that's all I can give to help out, then so be it!
ReplyDeleteTo abcdefg: Oops! (egg on face) I was in error and I stand corrected. (mea culpa) Stepping Out is not a musical nor, apparently, one of those new-fangled "plays with music." Who would have thunk a tap-dancing extravaganza with no music?
ReplyDeleteThe math still doesn't make sense (or cents) to me (common or uncommon), but as long as InterPLAYERS makes it work out for them, that's what's important. Their recent presentation of Love Letters was an exquistite piece of theatre marred only (the night I saw it) by an audience that could and should have been larger.
By the way, who's Samuel French?
I don’t think anyone is putting down anyone who is trying to help out interplayers. It is noble and commendable. I believe the issue is interplayers sold a season ticket of professional theatre, and continues to advertise themselves with that title. But a stipend does not a professional make. Are we all forgetting what the word “Professional” means? Webster defines it as “following an occupation as a means of livelihood.” If you’re a teacher who acts in the evenings and weekends, even if you’re paid for those performances, then you are a professional teacher not a professional actor. If your neighbor, who has a passion for dental hygiene, comes to your house and helps you out giving you some painkillers for a toothache, and then you give him $25.00, does that make him a professional dentist? If the nice lady down the street goes to the elderly, ailing matron next door, and puts up her hair hoping it will make her feel better, and then the older lady gives her twenty bucks, does that make the good Samaritan a professional hair-dresser? I don’t think so. Sure, professional actors sometimes do other things to make ends meet, most famously as waiters. But they take jobs they can leave instantly when an acting job comes up. How many of the local actors who fancy themselves professionals would quite their full time job next week if the Seattle Rep were to call? A few, certainly, and they are the professionals. The others, well, they are kind, noble, often talented, committed teachers and doctors and executive assistants who act on the side and are sometimes paid for it. And good for them.
ReplyDeleteInterplayers just needs to be honest with their audiences about what they’re presenting. If they are a community theatre, there’s nothing wrong with being a community theatre. If you’re paying people a stipend, as Center Stage does, there’s nothing wrong with that. A year ago interplayers was quoted in the paper as saying they were the only equity theatre in town. Ok. Now they need to update those of us who are season ticket buyers. If I wanted community theatre, I would go to Civic (and do.) When I bought my ticket to interplayers, I was looking for something else. And now it seems I won’t be getting it.
Wow. So, a Seattle or NY actor who takes a job at Interplayers or ART, but makes a living in NY selling soap door to door, isn't a professional actor? What did you pay for? Do you think that actor would put in their bio, thank you for hiring me here in Spokane, but my real living is selling soap?
ReplyDeleteTell you what. On that account, if I don't know you by your famed name... you're not a professional.
Just because you quit a job and travel to do a show you're a professional? You learn something new everyday. I'm really glad I can learn from this blog, otherwise, I'd be a total theatrical moron.
ReplyDeleteI'm a card carrying active member of several unions and bring in a few bucks to the household solely from work in the entertainment industry. I would never travel to Seattle Rep or New York to do a show. I would travel anywhere to work a SAG film. I would have to arrange child care upon that eventuality.
ReplyDeleteAm I a professional or a community theater actor?
I think this professional verses community performer talk is a bunch of nonsense.
In response to kjr, Samual french is one of the companies that leases plays. They have a wonderful website. For instance here is the link to Stepping Out.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.samuelfrench.com/store/product_info.php/cPath/32_77/products_id/2068?osCsid=f5c5566f2a87c4ac82b12efe6196bb5a
It is listed as 13 characters, not nine as the poster appearing in the show claims above. Either they're doing a different Stepping Out or they have somehow cut four charcters, which would be a major violation of the contract with Samual french.
And further more, sometimes Samuel French, in the play synopsis, is inaccurate on the number of the characters. You may discover that upon actually receiving the play. Don't believe everything you read.
ReplyDeleteAm I smelling Center stage folk in these comments? Or someone else? Come on Interplayer smackers, where are you?
ReplyDeleteIf I may quote from "Inspecting Carol" - "Of course we're broke. We're an arts organization."
ReplyDeleteAlmost all of these people have worked professionaly.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I need to respond to the comments and untruths appearing on the blog and let you know how they affect our project as well as the theatre community. We are trying to put on a show and I have assembled some of the most generous and dedicated actors in Spokane. They don’t care if you call them “professional” or “community theatre actors.” They just want to support InterPlayers and have fun.
ReplyDeleteHere’s what runs through my mind when I walk into rehearsal every night. “Why did they say that? Where did they hear that? I bet I know who said that.” Let’s leave the decisions about cast size, costuming, and musicians (and we have one, who is also a character in the show) to the people doing the show, not the people on the blog. To attack a well-intentioned process is debilitating to say the least, and some of the company of this show are feeling it personally.
Give InterPlayers a chance – it just might survive. I know two other theatres that recently went through a transition and it was people like me – and you – who rallied and were supportive.
I never had an agenda with doing “Stepping Out.” “Firecracker” was not going to be done. I came in with a project I thought would be fun and sell well for the theatre.
Those of you who know me know I’m no stranger to gossip, but this is getting out of hand. People are getting hurt and the process of theatre is being undermined. Please support us in staying focused on our show. I hope you come and see it.
Well said, Troy.
ReplyDeleteAs moderator, I'm using a pretty liberal hand here: If it's on some relevant topic and isn't abusive or a personal attack -- even if I disagree with it personally or think it might be more hurtful than helpful -- I've been passing it along.
I think Interplayers and other theaters can use the feedback.
Ultimately, artistic decisions are up to artistic directors. But theaters here have some sort of public obligation, too -- there are hundreds of people who care (and dozens who really, really care) about the future direction of local theater.
Having directors pitch individual shows, changing shows because of casting considerations -- these may or may not be good decisions, but certainly the volume of response (and you know there are more lurkers than posters) suggests strongly that people care one way or the other, and that theaters can benefit from exposure to a sampling of how the wind is blowing.
That's why I disagree with the assertion that we all just ought to wait for theaters to issue press releases. Some rumors have been disproven; others, shown to be largely accurate. Private institutions in the arts have public dimensions, and public institutions should show public responsiveness if not public accountability.
And as Troy suggests, the theater community has some responsibilities toward their own -- which includes extending the benefit of the doubt.