Audition Workshop Scheduled

Producing Artistic Directors Mark Fleischer (Adirondack
Theatre Festival) and Terry Rabine (Lake George Dinner Theatre) will offer an
audition workshop for regional actors 18 and older on Saturday, January 21st
from 2-5PM at the Wood Theatre in Glens Falls.
The workshop is designed to prepare actors planning to attend the
unified Adirondack Regional Theatre Auditions scheduled for February 21, 2012.
Workshop topics to be discussed will include what casting
professionals look for in an actor, how to make a good first impression, choosing
effective monologues, and tips on cold readings and callbacks.
Actors will also have an opportunity to perform a single 1-2
minute monologue and receive feedback.
Please note that the workshop will focus on monologues only and will not
address singing auditions.
There is a $25 fee for the workshop which will be limited to
20 actors on a first-come first-served basis.
To reserve a slot, please contact Terry Rabine at (518) 306-4404 or
email terry@terryrabine.com.

The Holiday Inn Resort is continuing its next phase of renovations at the award-winning hotel by thoroughly upgrading the space that is home to the Dinner Theatre each summer. Plans are to increase the funtionality of the conference room area by adding a fully concealable quick wall to the space, thereby making it possible to host two events simultaneously. The new space will include a new reception area on the north side of the room, adding a new state-of-the-art sound system, adding additional access to the room via the north side, upgrading the lighting system, upgrading the dressing rooms, improving the sightlines for dinner theatre patrons and thoroughly upgrading the carpeting and walls.

As you can imagine, we at the Dinner Theatre are thrilled with the anticipated improvements and are actively involved in the renovation planning and implementation. We look forward to providing a significantly improved experience for our patrons and having the capacity to enhance the technical elements of our productions.

Work began right after the New Year and is moving along at a pace that is, quite fankly, astounding. I must confess that the first time I walked into the theatre space while it was in the middle of the demolition phase, I was shocked and more than a little unnerved. I thought to myself when I saw the room (see photos) "Oh my god. We have to open a show in here in just over 6 months!"

But the work over the past three weeks has been moving very quickly. (In my next post I'll include pictures of the renovation as of the end of January.)

We also uncovered some old graffiti from the 1970's (see photo) when the stage manager's booth was located on the north wall of the theatre space. Some of you may remember that back then the theatre ran from the east wall to the west and the audience sat on the north and south sides. Back then the audience on one side could look "thru" the stage action to observe the rest of the audience on the other side of the stage area. Shows like "I'm Not Rappaport" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs" were staged in this configuration. Remember them?

Anyway, we had some fun looking over what actors and stagehands wrote on the walls of the "tech booth" way back then.

In my next blog I'll include pictures of the most recent renovation progress and give you a bit of an idea of what you can expect when you walk into the theatre this summer.

Terry

LGDT Announces 2011 Season

Every summer, I start ordering plays to read, soliciting suggestions for possible scripts from colleagues and members of our artistic staff, and researching what other theatres around the country are planning to produce, all in an effort to find the "right" play for the dinner theatre's upcoming season.

The criteria for this "right play"? If it were easy to know what audiences want to see, the theatre industry wouldn't be the risky profession it's always been. Simply put, audiences have diverse tastes and enjoy different things. Some like their entertainment "mainstream" and non-controversial; some like plays that are a bit "edgy" and that push the envelope a bit; some want to be surprised and challenged by their entertainment. Needless to say, not everyone is going to like every season's show.

That said, one of the things I've learned about the LGDT audience is that even when some audience members might not care for a particular season's production, they always come back the next year. That kind of loyalty is not only greatly appreciated, it's a tribute to the character of the LGDT patron.

This year, after scoring a big critical and commercial success with our production of OUR SON'S WEDDING, and being fully aware that some of our regular audience members and groups decided not to attend LGDT because of the play's subject matter (two parents' very funny and very different reactions to their gay son's imminent wedding ceremony), I knew that we needed to balance 2010's somewhat "edgy" production with a more mainstream comedy for 2011.

And so I'm pleased to anounce that LGDT has just been granted exclusive regional performance rights to produce to Jon Lonoff's comedy, SKIN DEEP, in celebration of our 44th season. SKIN DEEP is a delightful comedy for all audiences and is a smart, funny four-character script that I know our audiences will enjoy.

In SKIN DEEP, large, lovable lonely-heart Maureen Mulligan gives romance one last shot on a blind date (arranged by her older sister) in this story of last chance romance. Loaded with razor-sharp wit and touching sensitivity, SKIN DEEP is "...a quick-witted, intelligent voyage into the not-so-tranquil seas of middle-aged love and dating." NYTheatreWorld.com

In a continuing effort to offer our audience a diverse variety of contemporary comedy, I think SKIN DEEP will prove to be a smart, funny, sensitive and thoughtful production that continues the LGDT tradition of offering a unique combination of Fine Dining and Professional Theatre Entertainment at a Great Price.

For more information about our 44th season, log onto lakegeorgedinnertheatre.com where you'll find lots of info regarding our season dates, menu, history of LGDT and, beginning in March, our Early Bird Patron Discount Order forms so you can print and order your tickets early and save 15% on your tickets.

I'll be blogging with updates as we line up our creative team, cast the production and head into rehearsal so stay in touch. And feel free to contact me via this blog or our website with any questions or suggestions.