Village Theatre Launches Season with Sold-Out Performance
November 2, 2005
Contact: Troy Siebels (781) 640-5625

Village Theatre Project launched its series of 2005 - 2006 “On-Tour” performances on Saturday at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg, to a full house and an enthusiastic audience. The one-night-only event, titled “The Harvest,” featured members of the new professional theatre’s Company of Artists, a 20-member ensemble that includes many of Boston’s most accomplished actors and singers.

“We’ve ‘harvested’ some of the best songs and scenes from Boston’s most popular performances of the last few years,” Christopher Chew explained to the audience at the start of the evening. Chew directed and performed in the event, and serves as the theatre’s Co-Artistic Director along with Boston Director/Producer Troy Siebels. Mr. Chew recently closed in “Urinetown - the Musical” at the Lyric Stage Co. of Boston, and will open later this week in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” at Speakeasy Stage Company.

The night’s most memorable performances included Chew, Siebels and Bill Mootos in a comedic lampoon from “The Full Monty,” and Cheryl McMahon’s reprisal of “Repent” from “On The Twentieth Century,” which she performed recently with Overture Productions, and for which she received rave reviews. Ellen Peterson and Bill Mootos performed “Send in the Clowns” from Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” with Mootos in the role Christopher Chew held in last year’s Lyric Stage of Boston production.

In addition to musical works, the Company performed excerpts from the three new plays developed during its “Ashby Retreat” new works intensive in July. Boston actress Anne Gottlieb’s bustling Welcome Wagon Lady from Janet Kenney’s “Theresa at Home” was particularly effective and had the audience in stitches.

The “Village Theatre Project On-Tour” series will continue with “Home for the Holidays” December 10 at the Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center, and a “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” on March 17 at the Groton Country Club. Each of the events will be preceded by a reception where audiences can enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and drinks with the performers, and hear more about the theatre’s future plans. Tickets for each are $40 per person.

The theatre’s “Young Company” youth program is currently in rehearsal for its own musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which will perform December 8-10 at the Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center.