November 2023
She Loves Me
Music by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick
Book by Joe Masteroff
Directed by Joan Dillenback
Produced by Liz Messier and Connie Anderson
Production Dates December 1, 2, 3 & 8, 9 and 10, 2023
An intimate and touching show, She Loves Me made its debut on Broadway in 1964, and in 1993 won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. Our current production is also a revival, She Loves Me having first graced the Players’ stage in 1991, once again directed by Joan Dillenback, with Joe Carvalho as musical director. Whitney Cummer designed the costumes in 1991 and is back working with Becky Kilcline on this production to recreate the magic! What fun to see this heartwarming show come to life again with a new cast of characters!
She Loves Me is a warm romantic comedy, perfect for the holiday season, with an endearing innocence and a touch of old-world elegance. Set in a 1930s European perfumery, we meet shop clerks Amalia and Georg, who, more often than not, don’t see eye to eye. After both respond to a “lonely hearts advertisement” in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters that they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown. Join Amalia and Georg to discover the identity of their true loves... and all the twists and turns along the way!
The Cast and Crew include:
Kenneth McPherson, Becky Kilcline, Dean Hernandez, Steven Dulude, Tylar Jahumpa, Roger Lemelin, Victoria Stanger, Anthony DeRose, Kaelyn Boss, Kou Nyan, Kayla Ribeiro, Vanessa Sciolto, Mitch Bertolino, Kylie Chartier, Nathan Pothier, Eva-Maria Coffey, Alyson Conroy, Julia Gillis, Dan Clement, Ron Allen, Whitney Cummer, Joni Blomstedt, and Linda Lebrun.
From the Production Committee
Written By: Rachel Nadeau & Kevin Thibault
Greeting from the Production Committee. By the time this newsletter is out, auditions for When We were Young & Unafraid will be past us. Auditions for our final show of the season, the comedy Wonder of the World written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Richard Griffin, will be held in late February.
The Production Committee is just about to start the season selection process for the 2024-2025 season. Proposal invitations will be sent out soon to potential directors. We look forward to crafting another great season for the Players!
Happenings in October
Kahn Artist
On October 28, our beautiful theater was alive with Khan Artist, an evening of personal storytelling and tribute songs to Madeline Khan, presented by the talented, warm and beautiful Eden Casteel. The evening was also a fundraiser to put the final touches on our Raise the Roof campaign, and we thank all who contributed.
Eden was accompanied by the gracious and talented Jim Rice on keyboard. Jim and Eden also accompanied an open mic after Eden’s amazing performance, treating our audience to even more fantastic performances! The photos tell some of the story, but cannot do justice the wonder of that special evening when Eden and Players members and friends filled our historic house with song.
Together we create magic.
Green Room
Nancy Winokoor & Mark Lima
Earlier this Fall, on October 13th, The Green Room hosted the Blue Cow Group, which held its short play showcase in our space. This event was a very huge success, bringing in just under $200.00 in donations. Vince Petronio’s Scene Study class closed out with a remarkable Showcase of talent on Saturday, October 28th. Vince’s popular Directing Class begins on 1/6/24 and runs through 2/17/24.
We are doing three peformances of Love Letters by different actors on February 16 - 18, 2024.
If you have ideas for events or activities in the Green Room, let us know about them! Input from our members is always welcome and we are happy to review and schedule what we can to keep our Green Room space busy and fun!
Construction activity to make the Barker Playhouse ADA-compliant was made possible in part by grants from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and by the Champlin Foundations.
Matching funds were provided by the Barker Foundation, the Sarah Minchen Barker Endowment, and you – our members.
From the President
Bonnie Sullivan
Happy Fall-into-Winter! It has been an extraordinarily busy and special season at The Players. Our main stage opener, Into the Breeches, was nostalgic and so well done, with a cast of both favorites and welcome new faces. Bravo and thank you to all!
Our Green Room was hopping with Strictly Shakespeare, Vince Petronio’s acting class and showcase, and an evening of two original one-act plays. Our musical, She Loves Me, is next on the horizon, ready to bring holiday joy. Check our upcoming events; this season is packed with fantastic and varied offerings.
Everything you see and experience at The Players, with rare exceptions, is done by a member. We are living out a tradition started 115 years ago: giving the gift of great theater to all. I am so grateful, and so thankful for all the friends I have made and things I have learned here, just by raising my hand. Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a holiday season filled with joy.
The Players Needs You!
As a club, we are always cultivating volunteers. We have an immediate need to fill for Publicity. Specifically, we need someone with the skills to lead our vital communications efforts via the local press, our newsletters, social media – even distributing flyers around town. Also putting together a press packet for reviewers who come to our shows. As you can see, a flair for marketing would be a bonus!
If this sounds interesting, or you would like to get more information on this vital role in supporting The Players, please contact our General Manager Bill Whitehead, Jr. at players1909@gmail.com with your name or refer a friend!
From The Vice President
The VP committee has been hard at work planning and executing several fun activities above and beyond all the fabulous shows for this season. Several members of the committee volunteered to help with Eden Casteel’s wonderful musical tribute to Madeline Kahn, Kahn Artist.
On November 5th the committee hosted the Annual Presidents’ reception. We rolled out the red carpet and the paparazzi were busy snapping photos of all the glitz and glamor. Many of our past Presidents were in attendance to celebrate the season and welcome members - current and new - to our wonderful club. Joe Carvallo provided musings on the piano and current President Bonnie Sullivan was honored with poem, song, dance and comedy. A great time was had by all.
Next up - The Mid-Winter party. Mark your calendars for February 24th, 2024.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Becky Minard and Sharon Carpentier
The DEI Committee has continued to work on the upcoming February workshop in shadow puppetry, to be taught by Roger Lemelin. We are recruiting students from Providence, Central Falls and Pawtucket with presentations about this unique art form.
RISCA (Rhode Island Council on the Arts) and the Rhode Island Foundation, recognizing that DEI efforts for small volunteer non-profits can be a challenge, is offering Initiating Equity Work for Small, Midsize, and Volunteer-Led Organizations. This is a program that will be offered online starting in January, and offers different levels of participation, ranging from watching a few presentations to more intensive work.
If anyone is interesting in participating along with Bonnie, Becky and Sharon, contact Becky at beckyminard@gmail.com. The more informed our membership, the more successful we will be!
