Author Archives: rogersbill
Caldwell’s Bomb at the Dramatists Guild of America
Rehearsal at the Abingdon Theatre
Roy, Tyler, Liz, Bill, and Trip
Martin Tanner Productions presented a reading of Caldwell’s Bomb in the Frederick Loewe Room at the Dramatists Guild of America in New York City on the evening of March 1, 2013. Herman Johansen directed and Evan White assisted in the production
We had a great cast, gleaned from 253 applicants for the four roles. Audience reaction was very positive, and we all had an exciting evening of entertainment.
New York Cast:
Roy Brown*as Earl; Trip Plymale* as Jolley; Tyler Horn as Caldwell; Liz Douglas*as Deena
*actor appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers.
Liz, Roy, and Trip Ponder the script
Performance in the Frederick Loewe Room at the Guild
Trip, Roy, Herman, Liz, and Tyler in the Loewe Room
CALDWELL’S BOMB IS HEADED TO NEW YORK CITY
Martin Tanner Productions is presenting my play, Caldwell’s Bomb, as part of the Dramatists Guild of America’s Friday Night Footlights Reading Series.
Herman Johansen is flying in from LA to direct the reading, and he assures me that we’ll have an excellent cast in place. So, if you’re in New York on March 1, please join us. Whether you can be there or not, please tell your friends in New York City about the reading. It’s FREE, and it’s right in the heart of the action on Times Square.
Flier for Caldwell’s Bomb in NYC
Come to the reading of my new play on December 4
 I invite you to join us at 7:30 PM on December 4 for the Martin Tanner Productions’ reading of my new play, Dangerous to Dance With, at the Kansas City Irish Center, 30 W. Pershing Road, Suite 700. (Union Station downstairs)
Here’s a short description of the play: In this dark comedy, a paranoid playwright, a broken acrobat, an insomniac farmer, a pornographic artist, and a plumber, who may be a hit man, meet in a secluded Missouri farmhouse. Together they face one of life’s most pressing questions: should they laugh or should they die?Featuring Victor Raider-Wexler*, Antonia Washington*, Timothy Ahlenius, Claudia Copping, Coleman Crenshaw, and Rick Williamson. Directed by Diane Bulan *actor appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association, the union for professional stage actors and stage managers in the U.S. Hope to see you at the Irish Center on December 4, Bill For more information, go to http://www.martintanner.com |
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Premiere Concert Performance of Wild and Willful Women
Daniel Doss and I, along with our entire cast and crew, thank you for making the premiere concert performance of Wild and Willful Women a great success! We appreciate your support and your enthusiasm for the future of the show. We’re also grateful to Californos for hosting our cast party following the performance.
Wild and Willful Women Cast
Daniel Doss and I are pleased to announce that we’ve completed the cast for the first concert performance of our new musical, Wild and Willful Women, and we’ve had an exciting first rehearsal. It’s great to hear our words and music finally come to life! We couldn’t be happier about the quality of the cast we’ll be able to put on stage at the H&R Block City Stage at Union Station starting at 7:30 PM on Monday, October 29. Here’s our cast list:
Abigail- Daria LeGrand
Peter- Phillip Russell Newman
Rev. Sheppard- Paul Tranisi
Rebecca Bright- Judy Simmons
Alice- Linnaia McKenzie
Nathaniel Fox- Noah Whitmore
Will Sparrow- Paul Thomas
The ensemble includes:
Lena Andrews, Devon Barnes, Gail Bronfman Bunch, Elisa James, and Anita Meehan,
Bob Allen, Trevor Belt, Ross David Bunch, Spencer Carney, Brandon Golden, and John Stewart.
Janet Rogers of Tara Lane Productions is our producer, and our design staff includes: Sean Glass (lights designer); Michael Ong (projectionist/visual designer); and Marshall Simmons (Sound).
Daniel Doss, who composed all the music, will play keyboard and conduct from the stage.
I wrote the book and lyrics, and I’ll be in the audience.
Again, we hope you’ll be able to join us for this exciting, and free, first voyage.
Bill
Although tickets are free, we suggest you reserve seats through Union Station’s online box-office.
Upcoming Interview on Arts Magazine
Daniel Doss and I will discuss our new musical, Wild and Willful Women, with Michael Hogge, the host of Arts Magazine on KKFI 90.1 FM, at noon on Monday, October 22. Tune in if you can.
Remember, we’re presenting a free, concert-style performance of Wild and Willful Women at 7:30 PM on Monday, October 29 at the H&R Block City Stage at Union Station. We’re lining up some excellent singers and musicians.
Upcoming Performances
I’m excited about the next few months. I’ve just marked three important dates on my theatrical calendar I’d like to share.
On October 29 Daniel Doss and I are unveiling our new musical, Wild and Willful Women, on the H&R Block City Stage at Union Station. This will be a free, concert-style performance. We’ve been polishing up the songs and hearing lots of great local singers. I wrote the book and lyrics, and Daniel has composed all of the music. It’s been an honor working with such a talented composer and musician as Daniel.
Here’s the blurb we’re using for the musical:
Love, lust, and witchcraft in Puritan New England!
This original musical tells the tale of a formidable minister who believes the devil is leading his flock to hell with sex, laughs, and buckets of beer. When he imposes his moral reformation on the village, three women defy his authority by choosing for themselves who to love and how to live. The minister’s son is caught in the middle. He loves a girl his father calls a witch.
This may be the last time for quite a while to see Daniel conduct and play this material. He’s headed off on an international tour with The Addams Family Musical in January! The October 29 performance begins at 7:30. If you want to come, you should contact the H&R Block City Stage box office for reservations. Again, the tickets are free! http://www.unionstation.org/theater.html I hope you can come. It’ll be exciting.
We’re back at Union Station on December 4 for a reading of my new play, Dangerous to Dance With. This concert-style reading, which will take place in the Irish Center at Union Station, is part of the very popular Martin Tanner Tuesdays reading series. I know that Herman Johansen, the series producer, is lining up some first-class talent for this reading. The tickets are free. For more information, take a look at the Martin Tanner website: www.martintanner.com
Here’s a synopsis of the play:
Playwright Harris Stepp, a native of New York City, lives in a farmhouse in Southwest Missouri with his traumatized niece and a crippled acrobat. He expects to be murdered, and there are many potential murderers. Stepp antagonizes everyone he meets.
He antagonizes the insecure farmer who rents his land by threatening not to renew the lease. He antagonizes his daughter by announcing his intention to write her out of his trust, and he antagonizes his two houseguests by threatening to throw them out whenever they displease him.
When his daughter’s supposed fiancé, a burly guy from New Jersey, shows up alone with his guns and fishing tackle anxious to meet his new father-in-law, the playwright’s paranoia has a field day.
This dark comedy investigates the extent to which we are motivated by perceptions stained by our deepest insecurities, and whether a man can be his own worst enemy.
We’ll be reading Dangerous to Dance With again on the evening of March 1 on Broadway. That’s right, we’re going to read the play in the Frederick Loewe room at the Dramatists Guild of America located at 1501 Broadway, New York, NY. If you know anyone in the Big Apple, let them know about the reading. Better yet, if you’ll be in the Big Apple on March 1, please drop in. We start at 7:30.
Bill Rogers 