Great Weekend for a Day Trip

If you need a beautiful way to usher in the season, we’d love to suggest a trip to Yancey and Mitchell Counties this weekend. No shopping-feeding-frenzy, but a soul-feeding over-the-river-and-through-the-woods kind of day.

First, it’s the annual Toe River Arts Holiday Studio Tour. For a complete list of participating artists, visit their website. Or check out their Facebook page which features fantastic photos and videos of the many artists. (Nice work, Mea.)

A self-guided tour, this adventure will lead you to some unique places situated between Mt. Mitchell and Roan Mountain. Visitors travel through valleys, past streams, across rivers, over hilltops, and experience breathtaking mountain vistas as they those many out-of-the-way studios. Meet the artists, see where they create and where they live.

We’ve got a lot of unique little coffee shops (Rescue Dog Cafe or App Java), eateries (Garden Deli, Ye Olde Country Store, or Rad Dawgz) and even our own brewery in the area, but honestly, the artists themselves often make cookies and nibblies they have sitting about at their studios.

Second, pick up a tree while you’re up in the mountains, too!  It’s one of our specialties.  Whether you get one along the road for $20 or visit one of the great choose-your-own farms (complete with hot chocolate and hay rides, like at Snow Creek Christmas Trees), you’re sure to make memories that will last longer than the needles will stay on the tree!

Third, well, we’ve got a show! Featuring our conservatory classes and other local talent, this variety show is sure to be a lot of fun.  Besides, it’s only $5 a person.

We’ve even got a few gift suggestions for you:

The notecards can be purchased at the box office or at Something Special Gift Shop in downtown Burnsville and the Flex-Passes can also be purchased at the box office this weekend.  Check out the great season coming next year!

May your December be Merry & Bright!

 

Advertisements

Actor Spotlight: Leif Cedergren

Leif Cedergren shines as the jack of all trades, Bert, in Mary Poppins Jr. 

PP: What has been the most exciting part about portraying such a beloved character?

 

Leif: The character in itself doesn’t seem too hard to portray– he is cheery, a jack-of-all trades and a friend of Mary’s. But when Dick Van Dyke came along he gave Bert such an outrageously intricate and iconic personality that makes the character really fun to play. Though incredibly hard to recreate, it’s been a lot of fun watching and learning from Van Dyke’s genius.

 

PP: Which of Bert’s many jobs do you think you would enjoy the most?

 

Leif: Well, real chimney sweeps in the 1910s had pretty poor lives due to sickness and living in poverty. It doesn’t appear in the Jr. version of the show, but I always liked the idea of being a street performer. The scene in the movie where Bert is on the street banging on all the drums, bells and whistles strapped to his body while doing a song and dance number is one of my favorites.

 

PP: Did you know Mary Poppins before this process? Have you seen the film, or the musical before?

 

Leif: Yes, while I haven’t heard much about the broadway version, I am a huge fan of the movie. I love how timeless it is. I envy the people who got to see it when it came out in 1964. Walt Disney used all the tricks up his sleeve on this film including actors interacting with animations and stop motion. In fact, the bird that is on Mary’s finger in “ Spoonful of Sugar” in an animatronic. It all would have been even more magical!

 

Don’t miss your chance to see the magic of Mary Poppins Jr!

 

Tickets are available at the door. $12 for adults, $10 for members, and $6 for students.
November 16th and 17th at 6:30pm
November 18th at 3pm

Our 2019 Parkway Playhouse Junior Line-Up

No less exciting than our 2019 Mainstage Season is our Parkway Playhouse Junior line-up for the year!

Spring of 2019

Performances: April 12 & 13 at 6:30pm, April 14 at 3:00pm
Auditions: Sunday January 27th 2:30-4:30pm
Rehearsals Begin: January 28th
Rehearsal Times: Sundays 2:30-4:30pm, Mondays & Thursdays 5:00-6:30pm

Directed by Kristen Livengood, Choreography by Collin Eten

Join Junie B. on her first day of first grade, where many changes are in store: Junie’s best friend Lucille has found new best friends – and Junie B. makes friends with Herb, the new kid at school. While in Mr. Scary’s class Junie has trouble reading the blackboard – and she may need glasses. Add in a friendly cafeteria lady, an intense kickball tournament and a “Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal,” and first grade has never been more exciting.  (ages 8-18)

SUMMER SESSION

Performances: July 19 & 20 at 6:30pm
Camp Times: July 8-19
—–4-10 years Mondays-Fridays 9:00-12:00pm
—–10-18 years Mondays-Fridays 9:00-3:00pm

The ever-curious Alice’s journey begins innocently enough as she chases the White Rabbit.  Her adventures become increasingly more strange as she races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game!

FALL SESSION

Performances: December 6 & 7 at 6:30pm and December 8 at 3pm
Auditions: Sunday September 8 2:30-4:30pm
Rehearsals Begin: September 9th
Rehearsal Times: Sundays 2:30-4:30pm and Mondays & Thursdays 5:00-6:30pm

Directed by Kristen Livengood

Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and that his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

 

We will also continue our slate of Conservatory Classes, evenings of Get the Hook (improv comedy), and our summer Reading is Alive programs.

---

Up Next at Parkway Playhouse:

Be sure to call the NuWray Inn for tickets (not Parkway Playhouse). (828) 682-2329

Our 2019 Season Announcement

At our Season Celebration on Friday night, we had the excitement of playing a guessing game with each of the show images.  But for you, our online family and friends, we’ll just sum up the salient points –namely, we have some fantastically new and fabulous shows lined up — so put the following dates on your calendars:
Auditions: February 16 & 17 (specific casting info coming later)
College Interns Applications Due:  March 15
HS Apprentice Applications Due:  April 5
Season Opens: May 4

May 4-18

When an aspiring musician Ethan happens into Bascom Lamar Lunsford, the “Minstrel of Appalachia,” he embarks on a musical and historical journey.  Along about sundown, several musicians meet up on Lunsford’s porch for story telling, and, more importantly, a chance to make music together. Lunsford’s life and songs inspire musicians and appreciators of Appalachian music everywhere. This original musical, written by two of Lunsford’s own grandnieces, is a charming work sure to leave audiences smiling and humming.

June 1-15

Five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team, set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. Free from husbands, kids and jobs, they meet at the same beach cottage on North Carolina’s Outer Banks to catch up, laugh and meddle in each other’s lives. THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB focuses on four of those weekends and spans a period of thirty-three years. Sheree, the spunky team captain, desperately tries to maintain her organized and “perfect” life, and continues to be the group’s leader. Dinah, the wisecracking overachiever, is a career dynamo. But her victories in the courtroom are in stark contrast to the frustrations of her personal life. Lexie, pampered and outspoken, is determined to hold on to her looks and youth as long as possible. She enjoys being married—over and over and over again. The self-deprecating and acerbic Vernadette, acutely aware of the dark cloud that hovers over her life, has decided to just give in and embrace the chaos. And sweet, eager-to-please Jeri Neal experiences a late entry into motherhood that takes them all by surprise. As their lives unfold and the years pass, these women increasingly rely on one another, through advice and raucous repartee, to get through the challenges (men, sex, marriage, parenting, divorce, aging) that life flings at them. And when fate throws a wrench into one of their lives in the second act, these friends, proving the enduring power of “teamwork,” rally ’round their own with the strength and love that takes this comedy in a poignant and surprising direction. THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB is the story of these five unforgettable women—a hilarious and touching comedy about friendships that last forever…

The Broadway production won four Tonys at the 68th Tony Awards (you may have seen performances of a song if you tuned in) in June 2014, including Best Musical.

June 29-July 13

When Monty Navarro discovers he is the not-so-distant heir to the D’Ysquith family fortune, he decides to jump the line of succession using a good bit of charm…and a little bit of murder. Along the journey of knocking off his eight unsuspecting relatives, Monty must juggle both matters of the heart and not landing behind bars.

NEW NEW NEW:  The musical premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September 2015. The musical opened on Broadway in March 2017 and closed on May 21, 2017. And it will be HERE at Parkway Playhouse in the summer of 2019!

July 27-August 10

Amélie is an extraordinary young woman who lives quietly in the world but loudly in her mind. She covertly improvises small but surprising acts of kindness that bring joy and mayhem. But when a chance at love comes her way, Amélie realizes that to find happiness she’ll have to risk everything and say what’s in her heart. Be inspired by this imaginative dreamer who finds her voice, discovers the power of connection, and sees possibility around every corner.

The Humans was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play.

August 24-September 7

Breaking with tradition, Erik Blake has brought his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s apartment in lower Manhattan. As darkness falls outside the ramshackle pre-war duplex, eerie things start to go bump in the night and the heart and horrors of the Blake clan are exposed.

September 21- October 5

This perennial favorite is based on the haunting folk ballad of “Barbara Allen.” Set in the Smoky Mountains, it recounts the story of John, a strange “witch boy” who upon first beholding the beautiful Barbara Allen immediately falls in love. He is given human form to woo and marry her on the condition that she remain true to him.

Aren’t you excited?  We are!

Check back soon to see our Parkway Playhouse Junior season line-up…

---

We may be done with our 2018 Mainstage Season, but we’ve still got things going on!

Be sure to call the NuWray Inn for tickets (not Parkway Playhouse). (828) 682-2329

Director Spotlight: Tabitha Judy

Thank goodness Tabitha Judy has a sense of humor! We’re thrilled she’s taken a “stab” at directing at Parkway Playhouse this season.  

PP:  As a director do you have to push these actors, or is it more like reining them in… What’s it been like working with Strother, Dwight, and Graham?

Tabitha:  Reining in, definitely. And it’s like herding cats, and don’t mistake me I love cats and they are so fun… But these three could go down a comedy wormhole at any moment.

PP:  This is the first show you’ve directed here, isn’t it? How has that experience been?

Tabitha:  Yes! And it’s been fabulous. I’m used to having to organize and produce everything in my program at school, so just asking and receiving has been like heaven!

PP:  What made you interested in directing this show?

Tabitha:  I reread the script and saw guys I knew having a blast doing it!

PP:  What are some of the other shows you’ve been involved with recently and how does this compare with them?

Tabitha:  I usually direct students [at Pisgah High School] (who can also be like cats, but in a less productive manner). My most recent acting gigs were in some dark places. One as a mother who traumatizes her daughters because she was damaged as a young woman and the other as a mother who has no choices in her life and can only do her best to protect her children. This show is a very welcome change of pace.

PP:  What do you think audiences will like about the show?

Tabitha:  Hopefully, lots. There is something in there to make everyone laugh, so I think it might be different depending on the person and their familiarity with Shakespeare. Plus there are so many subtle things the boys are doing all the time. I still catch new things every night.

PP:  Do you have a favorite scene in the show?

Tabitha:  Ophelia’s deaths is definitely one of them. But there are many others

PP:  Hey!  That’s you at the actual Globe Theatre!  Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? or line? or soliloquy?

Tabitha:  I’ve taught too much Shakespeare to have a single favorite anymore. It depends on my mood as to what speaks to me.

PP:  Favorite rehearsal moment?

Tabitha:  It was all so much fun! These guys are too funny!

---

Get TICKETS by calling the box office at 828.682.4285 or purchasing ONLINE.

Friday, September 28 at 7:30
Saturday, September 29 at 7:30
Sunday, September 30 at 3:00 (followed by back-talking actors)
Friday, October 5 at 7:30
Saturday, October 6 at 7:30

Director Spotlight: Tabitha Judy

Thank goodness Tabitha Judy has a sense of humor! We’re thrilled she’s taken a “stab” at directing at Parkway Playhouse this season.  

PP:  As a director do you have to push these actors, or is it more like reining them in… What’s it been like working with Strother, Dwight, and Graham?

Tabitha:  Reining in, definitely. And it’s like herding cats, and don’t mistake me I love cats and they are so fun… But these three could go down a comedy wormhole at any moment.

PP:  This is the first show you’ve directed here, isn’t it? How has that experience been?

Tabitha:  Yes! And it’s been fabulous. I’m used to having to organize and produce everything in my program at school, so just asking and receiving has been like heaven!

PP:  What made you interested in directing this show?

Tabitha:  I reread the script and saw guys I knew having a blast doing it!

PP:  What are some of the other shows you’ve been involved with recently and how does this compare with them?

Tabitha:  I usually direct students [at Pisgah High School] (who can also be like cats, but in a less productive manner). My most recent acting gigs were in some dark places. One as a mother who traumatizes her daughters because she was damaged as a young woman and the other as a mother who has no choices in her life and can only do her best to protect her children. This show is a very welcome change of pace.

PP:  What do you think audiences will like about the show?

Tabitha:  Hopefully, lots. There is something in there to make everyone laugh, so I think it might be different depending on the person and their familiarity with Shakespeare. Plus there are so many subtle things the boys are doing all the time. I still catch new things every night.

PP:  Do you have a favorite scene in the show?

Tabitha:  Ophelia’s deaths is definitely one of them. But there are many others

PP:  Hey!  That’s you at the actual Globe Theatre!  Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? or line? or soliloquy? 

Tabitha:  I’ve taught too much Shakespeare to have a single favorite anymore. It depends on my mood as to what speaks to me.

PP:  Favorite rehearsal moment?

Tabitha:  It was all so much fun! These guys are too funny!

---

Get TICKETS by calling the box office at 828.682.4285 or purchasing ONLINE.

Friday, September 28 at 7:30
Saturday, September 29 at 7:30
Sunday, September 30 at 3:00 (followed by back-talking actors)
Friday, October 5 at 7:30
Saturday, October 6 at 7:30

Chocolate Sensation: A Season Celebration

Our 72nd Parkway Playhouse season has almost ended and it’s time to celebrate!

Kick up your heels, get ready to party, and bring your sweet tooth to our 2nd Annual Chocolate Sensation and Season Celebration on Friday, October 12 from 6:30 to 8:30.

We invite you to spend a decadent evening with staff and board members.  The evening will feature entertainment by the young, up and coming Mary Poppins, Jr actors, the announcement of our 2019 Season, silent & live auctions, and dancing to music by The Bob Early Band.

Raise your glass to the arts!  Join us in recognizing the benefit the arts play in entertaining our community, educating our youth, and providing rewarding theatre opportunities for all ages.  Mostly, though, kick up your heels and have some fun dancing in Burnsville!

RSVP if you plan to attend, so we’re sure to have enough food and drink for everyone.  Just click here and then click Yes, call (828) 682-4285 or email rsvp@parkwayplayhouse.com to let us know you’re coming.

Suggested $25 donation per person. We will accept cash, checks, and credit/debit cards at the Welcome Table on the evening of the event.

THANKS TO:

Appalachian Java
The Bob Early Band (pictured)
The Burnsville Town Center
Burnsville Donut Company
Carolina Mountain Realty
Edward Jones
Flowers by Vance
Fox Hill Meadery
Garden Deli & Snap Dragon
Go Grocery Outlet
Ingles Supermarket
Jill’s Hairport
Main Street Shoes
Meandering Photography
Mountain Community Health Partnership
Pig & Grits
Something Special & Monkey Business
White Falls Catering

And thanks to all our supporters—actors, volunteers, donors, families, friends…and our community.

We wouldn’t have been here for seven decades without your help.

---

Upcoming Parkway Playhouse Events:

Get TICKETS by calling the box office at 828.682.4285 or purchasing ONLINE.

Saturday, September 22 at 7:30 (followed by the usual Opening Night reception)
Sunday, September 23 at 3:00 (followed by an actor talk-back)
Friday, September 28 at 7:30
Saturday, September 29 at 7:30
Sunday, September 30 at 3:00 (followed by back-talking actors)
Friday, October 5 at 7:30
Saturday, October 6 at 7:30