IAT Blog

AIDS Aid - Trail to a Cure Benefit…for AIDS

IAT and the Big Muddy Opera Company are officially collaborating on a benefit/fundraising event for Trail to a Cure in honor of World AIDS Day on December 5th at the Blue Note.  It’s going to be an awesome event.  The BMOC is presenting CabarAIDS: AIDS Aid with Videology.  Following the cabaret performance, we’re holding an amazing dance party deejayed by the amazing Videology.  Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster: $20 general/$15 students.  We’ll keep you updated on the event.  If you are interested in contributing some funds to get the event up on its feet, you can contact Charles at operations@iatheatre.org.  We will accept any amount of money you can contribute towards the production - $2 even.  If you’re interested in contributing a large chunk of moolah, we’ve got a sponsorship packet for you.  Any remaining funds from the production costs will go to Trail to a Cure.

To give you a taste of what the cabaret will be like, here’s an update from the BMOC’s myspace blog:

It has begun…The Big Muddy Opera Company has put on its Big Muddy Non-Latex Rubber Gloves and is carefully handling the subject of AIDS for its new theatrical extravaganza!!!
This is no laughing matter folks.  It is NOT an easy job to wrangle a bunch of high falutin’ thespians and queers together .  Once you attain that goal the shear amount of cynicism in the room can be overwhelming.  However, we are proud to announce that we did it and work has begun.  This will not be your usual “It’s my Party” or “In the Gloaming” type of depressing AIDS shit.  No sirsss, this hurrah is a brand new, never before attempted concept.  This hurrah is about aking ourselves the question:  What’s so funny about AIDS?  I mean seriously have you ever asked your self that very important and relevant question?  We here at the Big Muddy Opera Company fully believe that people living with HIV/AIDS should get to laugh too.  We’ve spent too long laughing at child lukemia and mesothelioma.  We’ve poked fun at mentally challneged people, people of color, and crack babies.  I don’t know how often you look up obesity on the web but there are thousands of fat jokes.  We here at the BMOC want people living with HIV/AIDS to know that we will not stand for your exclusion, we demand the prejudice to stop, you have an ally here and by God we will make fun of you if noone else has the balls.
BMOC
More to come…

Upcoming IAT events

Let’s see, what has gone before….

Well, The Goat opened and closed to a very receptive audience - kudos to the cast, crew and director!  Really top-notch work!  I hope to see you at more of our auditions.

Brett Johnson just concluded another fabulous class, Acting II, in the IAT Studio.  If you haven’t signed up for a class yet, you’re really missing out.  It’s a great chance to develop new skills or hone the ones you already have - keep those acting chops sharp.

Santaland Diaries begins rehearsals very soon and will be produced in December at the Ragtag - see the website for dates.

Alex Milner’s Jazz Dance Class is about to begin in the IAT Studio located at Elm St Yoga.  You can register online for the course - again, see the website: www.iatheatre.org

IAT and the Big Muddy Opera Company have teamed up with Richard King and The Blue Note for an upcoming benefit for Trail to a Cure, December 5th, 2008, in honor of World AIDS Day.  We’ll keep you posted on the event.  If you’d like to volunteer or give a donation towards the event, please contact board@iatheatre.org  We want to PACK THE HOUSE AND RAISE A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY FOR TRAIL TO A CURE.

IAT Team finishes Wilson’s 1/2 Marathon Challenge

10/5/08

Emily Rollie, Meredith Erikson, and Shawna Mefferd Kelty ran in the 1/2 marathon challenge on Sunday, placing 5th in the female relay division.  Yay for IAT!  The event helped to raise funds for Central Missouri Community Action, an organization that empowers individuals and families to achieve self-reliance through a variety of programs designed to fight poverty.

If you are interested in getting involved next year, just drop us a line.

A Concert Reading of Short Works by Carlynn Trout

Hi all,

Carlynn Trout is one of our playwrights for our Short Women’s Plays Festival in April 2009. She’s having a concert reading by the Columbia Playmakers coming up.  Here’s the info.  I highly encourage you to go.  She is a local treasure and we feel very lucky to be working with her.

The Columbia Playmakers will present “A Concert Reading of Short Works by
Carlynn Trout” on Sunday, July 13, from 3-5 p.m. in the Friends Room of the
Daniel Boone Public Library. Readers are Addison Myers, Christine Marshall,
Michael Barnes, Rebecca Meisenbach, and Katie Hays. Music by Cora Trout.
Works include: Miles to Go, Attraction, Pake’s Palace, Ragnhild’s House, The
Persistent Peddler, Still Burning, Prelude to a Nap, and North Wind. This
will be a Reader’s Theater format and is free and open to the public.

Harmonies for a Home - Cabaret benefit for Columbia Second Chance

Harmonies for a Home - a musical cabaret benefit for Columbia Second Chance:
July 21, 2008
7 p.m.
The Cherry St. Artisan
111. S. 9th St.


Independent Actors Theatre presents Harmonies for a Home - a musical cabaret benefit performance to help raise money for Columbia Second Chance.

Admission is free and donations are accepted at the door.

Columbia Second Chance is a privately funded, all volunteer, animal rescue organization dedicated to “seeking first-class homes for second-hand pets.”

Auditions!!!!

Auditions for The Goat or Who is Sylvia?:
July 19, 2008
1-4 p.m.
McKee 04 on the MU Campus


Albee’s The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? is a tragicomedy that interrogates the deepest issues of social constraints on the expression of love.  The Goat is the winner of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play.

Roles:
2 Actors: late 30s - early 50s
1 Actress: late 30s - early 50s
1 Actor: late teens - early 20s

Rehearsals begin in August.
Performance dates: September 27, 28, 29, 2008
7:30 p.m. at Ragtag, 10 S. Hitt St

More information available at board@iatheatre.org

IAT-shirts available now!!!!

We have IAT-shirts available for your wearing pleasure! Show off your independence with some schwag. T-shirts are black cotton with our logo on the left front pockety area. Cost is $15/shirt and we have sizes small through XL.  If you’d like to order, email operations@iatheatre.org.  If you would like a size other than those listed, please email operations@iatheatre.org. 

Independent Activity - What are you up to?

I’m putting together a listing of all the theatrical events we Independents are involved in. I asked for updates from folks and through my own perusings came up with this list. 

If you’d like to be on it drop me a line at operations@iatheatre.org or facebook me with your info.

Andrew Keller has just finished a run of The Caucasian Chalk Circle with Hydeware Theatre, which came right off of a run of Assassins with New Line Theatre here in St. Louis. He will soon start rehearsals for The Odyssey with St. Louis Shakespeare. And then on to rehearsals for Metro Theatre on To Kill a Mockingbird in November. He’s auditioning like crazy and working on his thesis as a student of LIPA (Liverpool).

Katharine Sheptor (neé Baldwin) is Sarah Brown in CEC’s Guys and Dolls.

Colin Daly performed in Anna Lyse Erikson’s directing scene of Mother Courage and is performing in the Big Muddy Opera Company’s Shakin’ Not Stirred production of Cabaret VII: Crankin’ Up the Nasty (May 23 & 24, 8 p.m. @ Miss Sippy’s in Hannibal, MO) and will be performing in Guys and Dolls this summer.

Beth Hunter, Audra Sergel, Abby Rhodes, Kate Randerson, Matt Galbreath and Daddy Kitty and the TomKats are performing in Big Muddy Opera Company’s Shakin’ Not Stirred production of Cabaret VII (May 23 & 24 in Hannibal, MO) as well.

Ron Zank is off to Omaha for the summer to get his groove on with the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival.

Chelsea Deptula is part of the wardrobe crew for the Opera Theatre of St Louis for the summer!

SRT Independents:

Cabaret:

Sally Rebecca Schwartz Mette
Cliff Ross Taylor
Herr Schultz Brett Johnson
Fraulein Schneider Alexandra Milner
Fraulein Kost Sarah Phillips
Ernst Matt Davis
Emcee Ryan McNeil
Kit Kat Girl Anna Lyse Erikson
Kit Kat Girl Julie Robinson
Kit Kat Girl Kelsey Fletcher
Kit Kat Girl Zack Ruesler
Male Chorus Cole Headrick
Male Chorus Ben Freisen
Male Chorus Josh Bailey
Male Chorus Sheldon Price
Male Chorus Andrew Crawford

Sanders Family Christmas:

June Sanders Anna Lyse Erikson
Stanley Sanders Andrew Crawford
Denise Sanders Brittany Bass
Dennis Sanders Josh Bailey
Rev. Oglethorpe Frank Lasik

SRT Techies, Designers, & Management:

Phil Groeschel: Scenic Designer, Cabaret

Ross Wick: Associate Technical Director

Charles E Willis 3d: Box Office Manager, House Manager

Comedies in Concert:

LISTEN by Kathrine Varnes
Directed by David Crespy
Rehearses and performs on Tuesday, July 15, 2008

R. D. LAING……….. Michael Porter
CHRISTINE……….. Shawna Kelty
KIT……….. Tiffany Brink
JAMES……….. Alex Beal
NAN……….. Fraisa W. Logan
MARCELLO……….. Sheldon Price
STAGE DIRECTIONS……….. Becca Kravitz

HEIGH HO, SKELTER! by Ron Zank
Directed by David Crespy
Rehearses and performs on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
CLAYTON MOORE……….. Lucas Null
PENNY MOORE……….. Tiffany Brink
ARTHUR PERRY……….. Michael Porter
LYNETTE “SQUEAKY” FROMME……….. Shawna Kelty
CHARLES MANSON……….. Kelly Betz
STAGE DIRECTIONS……….. Brian Kirn

ONE BY ONE by Michael Kramer
Directed by David Crespy
Rehearses and performs on Tuesday, July 29, 2008

RON……….. Michael Porter
TIM……….. Lucas Null
BOB……….. Jason Christian
BILL……….. Alex Beal
PAUL……….. Sheldon Price
GWEN……….. Shawna Kelty
PAM……….. Becca Kravitz
JOY……….. Tiffany Brink
STAGE DIRECTIONS……….. Samantha Wildridge