Venice Theatre opens Cabaret on July 31, 2014
Kander & Ebb’s saucy classic is revived by Summer Stock performers
(Venice, FL) Venice Theatre’s Summer Stock troupe will present John Kander &
Fred Ebb’s hit musical Cabaret on the theatre’s MainStage, Thursday, July 31
through Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. Summer Stock is a theatre “boot camp” for
senior-high and college-aged performers interested in pursuing professional
careers in theatre. Brad Wages directs and choreographs the students while
Michelle Kasanofsky provides musical direction. Tickets are $13-$25 and are
available at www.venicestage.com, 941-488-1115 or in person at the box
office at 140 W. Tampa Ave. in Venice.
Based on a book by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret tells the story of the
seedy Kit Kat Club run by a colorful Emcee (Tony DeNiro) in 1930’s Berlin.
He narrates the story of young English performer Sally Bowles (Kaitlyn
Terpstra) who strikes up a relationship with American writer Cliff Bradshaw
(Patrick Mounce). The couple pursues a life of pleasure, although the world
outside the club begins to splinter as the Nazi Party takes hold of Berlin.
Sally and Cliff are faced with a choice: abandon themselves to pleasures
promised by the cabaret, or open their eyes and face the coming storm. Wages
says, “I love this show because it’s a classic musical that is historically
accurate. This is actually what happened in that time period in Berlin.”
Cabaret is highly esteemed as Kander and Ebb’s greatest musical, compared to
their other popular works like Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Its
original 1966 Broadway production ran for 1,100 performances and inspired
eight subsequent revivals in New York and London. Cabaret has won a total of
13 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Currently,
it’s playing on Broadway where Alan Cumming is reprising his role of Emcee.
“Cabaret is a show that all theatre students need to be exposed to,” says
Wages. “It’s gritty and bizarre and on the edge because the world was on the
edge at that period of time. Cabaret is really a history lesson, both in the
history of musical theatre and the history of pre-World War II Germany.”
In recent years, some have questioned the theatre for choosing Summer Stock
productions that are too adult in nature. Wages responds, “We have a
responsibility to expose our Summer Stock students to shows that they will
be doing in the real world. Most high schools and even some colleges tend to
sugar coat shows like Cabaret. They don’t focus on the dark and gritty
subject matter. Our program is here to fill the gap between school and
career. We challenge students who want to be challenged.”
Two of these students are Kaitlyn Terpstra and Patrick Mounce. They are
making a dream come true for Venice Theatre’s Executive/Artistic Director,
Murray Chase. After eight years, the program has reached one of Chase’s
initial goals: to hire program graduates as paid actors. This has been done
in past summers with sound designers, stage managers and costumers, but
Cabaret marks a first with performers. Both Terpstra and Mounce are BFA
acting students, at SUNY Purchase and University of Central Florida,
respectively. Chase has extended professional contracts to each of them to
play the leading roles in Cabaret. He says they have proven to be the
perfect choice. “Kaitlyn and Patrick have risen above my high expectations.
They are serving as professional examples to younger, up-and-coming student
performers. They’ve shown sterling leadership all summer.”
Audiences can see Mounce, Terpstra and the rest of the cast of Cabaret,
Thursday, July 31 through Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014. This production is
sponsored by Boone, Boone, Boone and Koda, P.A. and Eric Styren. Tickets are
$25 for adults, $15 for college students and $13 for high school students.
The show is not recommended for students under 16. Tickets are on sale at
the theatre’s box office at 140 W. Tampa Ave, by phone at 941-488-1115 or
online at www.venicestage.com. Summer box office hours are Monday through
Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and one hour before performances.
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Cabaret
Book by Joe Masteroff, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Production Staff
Director/Choreographer – Brad Wages
Music Director – Michelle Kasanofsky
Stage Manager – Lisa Million
Scenic Designer and Lighting Designer – John Andzulis
Costume Designer – Stephanie Gift
Sound Designer – Shane Oss
Projection Designer – Dorian Boyd
PRINCIPALS
Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) – Tony DeNiro
Cliff Bradshaw- Patrick Mounce
Sally Bowles – Kaitlyn Terpstra
Ernst Ludwig – Robert “Chip” Plummer
Fraulein Kost – Charlotte Crowley
Herr Schultz – Preston Boyd*
Fraulein Schneider – Priscilla Boyd*
KIT KAT GIRLS & BOYS
Bobby – Matt McClure
Victor, “Two Ladies” – Shawn Hardin
“Two Ladies” – Megan Bartek
Gorilla – Elizabeth “Liz” Leone
Alexandra “Allie” Campbell, Allison Pickens, Antoinette Gagliano, Cheyenne
Fauvel, Samantha Centerbar, Teri DeNiro, Alex Wilson
PATRONS
Customs Officer, Max – Andrew Cutro
Elizabeth “Liz” Leone, Rachel Ware, Taylor Turner, Samuel Echevarria, Jr.,
Frank Johnson
*Appears courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association
CAPTIONS FOR ATTACHED PHOTOS
1. Patrick Mounce as writer Cliff Bradshaw and Kaitlyn Terpstra as
cabaret singer Sally Bowles
2. Acting intern Kaitlyn Terpstra gets ready for the show.
3. Clockwise from bottom left: Patrick Mounce as Cliff Bradshaw, Megan
Bartek as a Kit Kat Girl, Tony DeNiro as the Emcee, Shawn Hardin as Victor,
Kaitlyn Terpstra as Sally Bowles
140 W. Tampa Ave
Venice, FL 34285
Tickets: 941-488-1115
Venice Theatre’s mission is making a dramatic impact on all stages of life.
The third-largest out of 10,000 community theatres in the United States, it
is located at 140 W. Tampa Ave .on the island in Venice, FL. Its MainStage
offers seating for 432 patrons and features musicals, plays, concerts and
special events. Its Yvonne Pinkerton Theatre seats 90 patrons and is home
to the theatre’s “Generations”, Stage II and Cabaret Series. In addition to
providing entertainment to the community, Venice Theatre has a wide range of
education and outreach programs for children and adults.
