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Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director: Spencer Reese
The Cast
CHARACTER
Jupiter
Apollo
Mars
Thespis
Sparkeion
Sillimon
Timidon
Tipseion
Preposteros
Stupidas
Cymon
Diana
Mercury
Nicemis
Daphne
Pretteia
Venus
Bachus
Calliope
Father Time
Solo Star*
*
Dave Henderson
John Freedman
Dave Schancupp
Craig Martin
Tim Throckmorton
Bill Faye
Mark Callahan
Amma Love
Nathaniel Avery
Ed Kerrigan
Vinayak Rajesh
Rebecca Reeve¹, Denise Schultzman²
Janet Aldrich¹, Laura Heckmann²
Erin Aldrich
Catherine Leuba¹, Natalie Wood²
Meena Rajesh¹, Rebecca McFarland²
Brigitta Zimmer Martin
Carl Cannella
Joanne Cannella
Ted Merwin
Lalitha Shivaswamy *
1 – Sat. Mat.; 2 – Sat. Eve. & Sun. Mat.
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Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director: Michael Loomis
The Cast
CHARACTER (in order of appearance)
Nanki-Poo
Go-To
Pish-Tush
Pooh-Bah
Ko-Ko
Yum-Yum
Peep-Bo
Pitti-Sing
Katisha
The Mikado of Japan *
Schoolgirls, Guards, and Citizens of Titipu
“The Three Ninjas” *
*
Timothy Throckmorton
Andrew Lemire
Nathan Wise¹, Craig Martin²
John Freedman¹, David Schancupp²
David Henderson
Sierra Manning¹, Renee Haines²
Claire McCarthy¹, Melissa Morton²
Laura Ann Heckman¹, Erin Aldrich²
Armen Kavorkian¹, Cindy Silvernale²
Michael Loomis *
Nathaniel Avery, Elizabeth Brown,
Richard Brown, Mark Callahan,
Beatrice Cox, Jonathan Ensminger,
Rhoze Faraci, Garry Jacobsen,
Valerie Jacobsen, Richard Kelpen,
Tori Kelpen, Ed Kerrigan,
Emma Lemire, Rebecca McFarland,
Grace Murphy, Cassandra Pease,
Meena Rajesh, Vinayak Rajesh,
Rebecca Reeve, Lalitha Shivaswamy,
Lea Kessler Shaw, Joan Toone,
Lillian Turner *
Kyle Keefe, Nicholas Lis-Briscoe,
Dillon McCaffrey *
1 – Sat. Mat.; 2 – Sat. Eve. & Sun. Mat.
Video clips from our show
What they’ll never do…
Since society has assigned each to other partners, both Yum-Yum (Sierra Manning) and Nanki-Po (Tim Throckmorton) lament the pleasures they will not be allowed.
On a tree by a river…
Ko-Ko (Dave Henderson) needs to convince Katisha (Armen Kavorkian) of his love for her. This little number about a lovesick bird does the trick!
The color filled finale…
After it is revealed that the Mikado’s son has not been slain, Ko-Ko has squirmed out of a legal punishment but faces a domestic one, and Nanki-Poo and Yu-Yum’s marriage is celebrated enthusiastically by the chorus.
The Promotional Tour
In the months leading up to our first show on October 13th, dedicated CG&SS members, led by our music director John Dreslin and producer John Freedman, set out across Connecticut and into Rhode Island on a mission to interest the public in our group and in our 2018 Mikado. Once again, singers from CG&SS, our own “wandering minstrels,” performed G&S showcase concerts in August and September for well-attended and appreciative audiences at five Connecticut retirement communities and cultural centers.
Much earlier in the year, on March 3rd, Maestro Dreslin and singers from CG&SS joined the American Chamber Orchestra and ACO director Christopher Hisey for a night of G&S favorites in Fairfield. Dr. Dreslin contributed his talents to another promotional event on July 30th in Old Saybrook, when he conducted a choral concert for SummerSings, an annual series of summer choral events sponsored by Cappella Cantorum & Con Brio Choral Society.
In the final month before the show, one member gave a talk to an inquisitive group at a shoreline hotel, and CG&SS took to the airwaves for two interviews with area radio stations. On September 8, Nathan Wise, a Mikado cast member, gave a talk on the Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration to a Mensa breakfast meeting at the Groton Hilton. On September 23rd, Maestro Dreslin gave a “Conducting Conversations” interview with Mike Maino at WCRI in Rhode Island, and on October 8th he teamed with CG&SS board member Richard Tecca for an interview with Wayne Norman of WILI in Willimantic.
All of these efforts undoubtedly contributed greatly to the success of Mikado 2018, and CG&SS is grateful to all who participated!
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Click here to see a review of 2017 season with more video clips.
CAST
When two names are listed for a part, the starred actor played the Saturday matinee, the other played the Saturday evening and Sunday matinee performances.
Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director: Michael Loomis
CHARACTER (in order of appearance)
Florian (A Courtier)
King Hildebrand
Cyril (A Courtier)
Prince Hilarion (Son of Hildebrand)
Arac (Brother of Princess Ida)
Guron (Another brother of Ida)
Scynthius (Yet another brother)
King Gama (Father of Princess Ida)
Sacharissa (A student)
Lady Psyche (Humanities Professor)
Lady Blanche (Abstract Science Prof.)
Chloe (A student)
Pricess Ida (Our Heroine)
Melissa (Lady Blanche’s Daughter)
Ada (A student)
Courtiers, Guards, Students
Daughters of the Plough
David Henderson
Craig Martin
Henry Cox
Jonathan Cohen*, Tim Throckmorton
Michael Loomis
Bill Faye
Andrew Lemire
John Freedman
Delia Light
Sierra Manning*, Erin Aldrich
Joan Toone*, Denise Shultzman
Tori Kelpen*, Grace Murphy
Julie Rumbold*, Renee Haines
Claire McCarthy*, Janet Aldrich
Rebecca McFarland*, Catherine Leuba
Elizabeth Brown, Richard Brown, Mark Callahan
Beatrice Cox, Jonathan Donahue, Erica Folta
Garry Jacobsen, Valerie Jacobsen, Ed Kerrigan
Emma lemire, Lauren Lentini, Meena Rajesh
Lalitha Shivaswarmy, David Unsworth
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Cast List
When two names are listed for a part, the starred actor will play the Saturday matinee, the other will play the Saturday evening and Sunday matinee performances.
Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director: Michael Loomis
Major-General Stanley
The Pirate King
Samuel
Frederic
Sergeant of Police
Mabel
Edith
Kate
Isabel
Ruth
Pirates/Policemen
General Stanley’s Daughters
David Schancupp
David Henderson
Henry Cox / *Nathan Wise
Tim Throckmorton
John Freedman
Renée Haines / *Victoria Reid
Kay Pere / *Ala Krivov
Karla McClain / *Claire McCarthy
Janet Aldrich / *Erin Aldrich
Betty Olson
Mark Callahan, Allan Church, Bill Faye,
Ed Kerrigan, Bill Sorensen, David Unsworth,
Peter Wilhelmsen, Nathan Wise,
Henry Wilcox
Victoria Church, Bonnie-Jean Connal,
Beatrice Cox, Colleen Kelly,
Catherine Leuba, Claire McCarthy
Lori McClain, Remy McCoy, Meena Rajesh,
Lalitha Shaviswamy, Joan Toone-Setzer,
Frances Viggiani, Victoria Reid,
Renée Haines, Kay Pere, Ala Krivov,
Karla McClain, Janet Aldrich, Erin Aldrich
Review of our 2016 Pirates
For a review of our production of The Pirates of Penzance by a member of the New England Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Click Here and scroll down two pages to see the heading “Recent Productions”.
Pirates on YouTube!
You can find two video clips of this production by going to youtube.com and searching for “Connecticut Gilbert Pirates”.
Our 2016 Season
2016 was a busy and exciting year for our group. We welcomed back to our stage some very talented people who had not performed with us for several years, and welcomed 12 new people to our cast, including 6 high school students. Five of our newcomers appeared in principal roles in this year’s show. In August, we performed a showcase concert at the Garden on the Bridge in Willimantic, and in September showcase concerts at StoneRidge in Mystic, and the LaGrua Center in Stonington. All of them were well attended and very well received.
We last performed The Pirates of Penzance in 2009 and chose to bring it back to the stage for this year’s show. Being a leap year, many other G&S groups around the country had also chosen to stage Pirates this year. We proceeded undeterred, determined to make our show something special; a production that stood out from all the rest. In the end, the special touches that we added, the planning and prep work of our crew, and the dedication and hard work by our cast members made this show a rousing success.
Would you let this man officiate your wedding?
Michael Loomis took the helm as this year’s Artistic Director. He and John Dreslin, our Music Director, came up with some very creative and fun touches for our Pirates, while still managing to stay reasonably true to Gilbert’s original libretto. Mike made a cameo appearance as Dr. Daley, (a doctor of divinity) strolling through the Act I and Act II finales looking up from his prayer book and turning to the cast and the audience with a rather puzzled expression on his face as he realized that he was perhaps in the wrong show.
Among the new material was the reintroduction of lyrics to the Act II finale that had been included in the 1879 premier of Pirates in New York City and dropped in subsequent performances. Since the story line was about doing one’s duty, Mike and John also included the song “Duty, duty (You understand) from Ruddigore in our production as a trio for Ruth, Frederick and the Pirate King. We included a slide show of famous pirate flags during the overture and added an elevated rocky promontory to our set from which Mabel and Major General Stanley could make their grand entrances and exits. We included ground fog in the church ruins in the opening of Act II and worked in humorous exchanges and banter between the cast and the orchestra (who themselves were dressed as pirates) in various scenes.
There was additional music and strobe light “old time movie” effects in the fight scene between the pirates and bobbies, and the tinkle of shattering glass as Mabel hit her final high Eb. Mabel, as always, was portrayed as a ham and a show off. But we also worked in distinct and different personalities for Edith (as a jealous, underappreciated sister and daughter) and Kate (as flirtatious and a bit man crazy). Our bobbies, sang ta-ran-ta-ra as they smartly marched in a pinwheel formation around our Sergeant of Police, and clacked truncheons in time to the music in the final bars of “When a felon’s not engaged.” All made for a rollicking good time for our cast, our crew, and our orchestra, and for all those who came out to see our show. We hope you were among them. (J.F.)
Our Piratical Orchestra
Digital images courtesy of Ala Krivov (http://ala.krivov.com)
Our talented performers for The Pirates of Penzance are featured in the Pirates-2016 link in the sidebar on this page, but here we wish to honor our splendid orchestra. Most of them have been with us for many years and their talents and professionalism have made an enormous contribution to our artistic success. We are very grateful for their efforts. As you can see, they all enthusiastically joined into the swashbuckling theme of the show, even interacting with the stage performers upon occasion! The next time you see a CG&SS show, you might remain a minute after the final curtain and tell them how much you appreciate their efforts.
Dave Henderson and Renée Haines sing “If We’re Weak Enough to Tarry”
Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director/Choreographer: Bob Cumming
Cast
The Lord Chancellor
Lord Mountararat
Lord Tolloller
Private Willis
Strephon
Fairy Queen
Iolanthe
Celia
Leila
Fleta
Phyllis
Fairies
”
”
”
”
”
”
Peers
”
”
”
Page/Solo Dancer
Stage Crew
Ralph Sherman, David Schancupp*
Craig Martin
Tim Throckmorton
John Freedman, Bill Faye*
Dave Henderson, Alex Kirstukas*
Betty Olson, Greta Moorhead*
Julie Rumbold, Karla McClain*
Kay Pere, Lynn Rossi*
Daphne Burt, Denise Shultzman*
Erica Folta, Tori Kelpen*
Renée Haines, Emily Trudeau*
Erica Folta, Valerie Jacobsen
Tori Kelpen, Kari Mackey, Lynn Rossi
Lisa Martinell, Claire McCarthy
Karla McClain, Greta Moorhead
Kay Pere, Julie Rumbold, Daphne Burt
Denise Shultzman, Joan Toone
Emily Trudeau, Frances Viggiani
Bill Faye, John Freedman, David Henderson
Garry Jacobsen, Richard Kelpen, Ed Kerrigan
Alex Kirstukas, Don Shirer
David Unsworth, Mark Callahan
Lori McClain
Ted Merwin, Tom Shultzman
* Performed these roles at the Saturday matinee.
Craig, Tim, John and Renée sing “In Friendship’s Name”
Our 2015 Season
Our performances on the first weekend in October were a little earlier than usual, so our new Assistant Director, Mike Reynolds, really kept a tight rein on rehearsals. Scheduling problems at Adath Israel led us to have several practices at the new activity room at Covenant Village, providing the residents there a preview of our show. Our music director, John Dreslin, gave them a backstage look at what went on at a rehearsal.
One downside to the year was that our founder and director Bob Cumming announced his retirement. We shall miss his guidance very much in the future. A Gala in his honor was held Sunday, January 10, 2016, at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station.
Our Wandering Minstrels presented two programs of G&S music and Iolanthe previews, one at the East Hampton Library, a new venue for us. The other was a grand fund-raising affair at the Gelston house which was quite successful both artistically and financially. Ticket sales brought in over $4000 and donations and a raffle added over $400. Net profits after subtracting the cost of meals was over $2400.
After dismantling the set, and restoring the scenery to its aerie, cast and crew enjoyed a pot-luck dinner at Bill Sorensen’s church .
Betty Olson and her band of fairies insist that “Into Parliament he Shall Go”
More Iolanthe Videos!
You can find more Iolanthe videos by going to youtube.com and searching for “Connecticut Gilbert Iolanthe”.
Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director/Choreographer: Bob Cumming
The Duke of Plaza-Toro
Luiz
Don Alhambra Del Bolero
Marco Palmieri
Giuseppe Palieri
Antonio
Giorgio
Annibale
The Duchess of Plaza-Toro
Casilda
Gianetta
Tessa
Fiametta
Vittoria
Giulia
Inez
UNDERSTUDIES
Don Alhambra
Giorgio
The Duchess of Plaza-Toro
Mike Reynolds
Ralph Sherman
Michael Loomis, John Freedman*
Tim Throckmorton
Dave Henderson
Bill Faye
John Freedman, Garry Jacobsen*
Don Shirer
Betty Olson
Renée Haines
Kay Pere
Karla McClain
Daphne Burt
Denise Shultzman
Valerie Jacobsen
Denise Shultzman
David Cutts, Erica Folta
Mark Callahan, Garry Jacobsen
Ed Kerrigan, Dave Unsworth
Dave Unsworth
Jane Coates, Bonnie-Jean Connal
Marylin Currier, Erica Folta
Linda Henderson, Claire McCarthy
Lori McClain, Glenda Sohl
Sharon Connol Webster
Ted Merwin, Tom Shultzman
John Freedman *
Garry Jacobsen *
Denise Shultzman
* Will perform these roles at the Sat. matinee.
Gondoliers on Video!
You can find some video clips from this production by going to youtube.com and searching for “Connecticut Gilbert Gondoliers”.
Our 2014 Season
Despite a shortened practice schedule, rehearsals went quite well. The chorus worked hard at the Sunday rehearsals, and the principals worked even harder, having additional Tuesday practices. Even the klutziest terpsichoreans finally got the hang of singing and dancing at the same time after John Dreslin hammered the Cachucha into our brains and Bob Cumming and Cat Young pounded the steps into our reflexes.
Our Traveling Minstrels presented two previews of Gondoliers plus other G&S favorites. One at the intimate performing space of the Appletree in Middletown, the other at the large Stoneridge Retirement Home in Mystic followed by a birthday party for John Dreslin at his house. Attendance at both events filled the houses.
The stage crew loaded the scenery into the wagons on Friday night before tech week instead of Saturday so erecting the set that weekend went much faster than usual. For the second year we set up on the well-equipped stage of Valley Regional High School in Deep River.
Tech rehearsals went surprisingly well, with one exception. The gondola in which Marco and Giuseppe and later the Ducal party arrives stubbornly refused to pull up to the dock properly. After many misdirected trials (and language) John Sloan (the human third rail) came to the rescue by lying prone behind the craft to guide it to its mooring! A smooth dress rehearsal belied the usual prediction, since our three performances went off without a hitch.
Dismantling the set was also rapid, and cast and crew enjoyed a pot-luck dinner at Bill Sorensen’s church after restoring the scenery to his barn.
Videography by Larry Engler, www.JustShootMeVideo.com
The Yeomen of the Guard
Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director/Choreographer: Bob Cumming
Cast
Lt. Sir Richard Cholmondely
Colonel Fairfax (Under sentence of death)
Sergeant Meryll (Of the Yeomen of the Guard)
Leonard Meryll (His son)
Jack Point (A strolling jester)
Wilfred Shadbolt (Jailer and Assistant Tormentor)
First Yeoman
Second Yeoman
Elsie Maynard (A strolling singer)
Phoebe Meryll (Sergeant Meryll’s daughter)
Dame Carruthers (Tower Housekeeper)
Kate (Her niece)
Yeomen
”
”
”
Citizens
”
”
”
”
”
”
”
”
The Headsman
Priest
First Citizen
Second Citizen
Young Children
”
UNDERSTUDIES
Elsie
Lt. Cholmondely
Colonel Fairfax
Shadbolt
Phoebe
Dame Carruthers
Kate
Jack Point
Mike Reynolds
Tim Throckmorton
Don Shirer
Hartley Horn
Dave Henderson
Laurie Weissbrot
John Freedman
Bill Faye
Renée Haines
Julie Rumbold
Kim Stoner
Kay Pere
Marc Carbonneau, Bill Faye
Hartley Horn, John Freedman
Craig Martin, Stefano Saykaly
Tom Speer, Dave Unsworth, Nathan Wise
Mark Callahan, Bonnie-Jean Connal
Noelle Currie, Marylin Currier
David Cutts, Erica Folta
Gala Herdman, Garry Jacobsen
Valerie Jacobsen, Richard Kelpen
Victoria Kelpen, Karla McClain
Elizabeth Merwin, Denise Shultzman
Tom Shultzman, Joan Toone
Samuel Connal Webster
Tom Shultzman
John Sloan
Sam Webster
Garry Jacobsen
Zachary Elder, Jackson Marcello
Jonathan Marcello
Noelle Currie
Bill Faye
Bill Sorensen
John Freedman
Karla McClain
Denise Shultzman
Gala Herdman
Stefano Saykaly
Our 2013 Season
Two crucial innovations marked our year. First, to economize, we decided to have only two performances, Saturday evening, Oct. 19, and a Sunday matinee on Oct. 20. Second, we decided to produce The Yeomen of the Guard at the Valley Regional High School in Deep River instead of continuing to perform in Middletown. This is an excellent venue with modern stage equipment and a nicely appointed auditorium of about 550 seats, which we succeeded in filling for our Sunday Matinee. Both performances went very well, with many audience members commenting on the colorful costumes, the impressive set, and the excellent cast. We were fortunate in attracting several new featured singers, as well as some young tumblers and jugglers from the Valley Regional students.
In June, a surprise dinner honored Bob Cumming’s 80th birthday. Dozens of CG&SS members attended, with performances of songs and skits dedicated to our beloved artistic director. Bob’s amazement was complete when he was greeted by his Nebraska nieces Chris and Carole.
Chris, Bob and Carol at his surprise 80th birthday.
In August, our Wandering Minstrels performed a sample of Gilbert and Sullivan tunes at Covenant Village in Cromwell to an enthusiastic packed audience.
Our season concluded in November with a cast dinner party at the Gelston House in East Haddam. The highlights included some witty speechifying and not one but two celebratory cakes by Renée Haines.
(Matinee performance) Videography by Larry Engler, www.JustShootMeVideo.com
Watch our Pinafore video!
(Matinee performance) Videography by Larry Engler, www.JustShootMeVideo.com
Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director/Choreographer: Bob Cumming
Trial by Jury Cast
The Learned Judge
The Plaintiff
The Defendant
Counsel for the Plaintiff
Usher
Foreman of the Jury
Court Recorders
Bridesmaids
”
”
Gentlemen of the Jury
”
”
”
Spectators
”
”
”
”
Paperboy
David Schancupp / Ralph Sherman
Renee Haines / Laura Heckmann
Mike Reynolds
Craig Martin
Laurie Weissbrot
Nathan Rodriguez / John Freedman
Bill Sorensen, Sharon Connal Webster
Kathryn Bowden, Rachel Cook, Laura Heckmann, Andrea Olson, Julie Rumbold, Emma Wood, Bonnie Jean Connal, Pat Sloan
Hal Chernoff, Mark Callahan, Phil Faraci,
Bill Faye, John Freedman, Kevin Gherard,
Ben Henderson, Dave Henderson, Don Shirer,
Tom Speer, Dave Unsworth
Cristina DiMuro, Wendy Falconer, Julia Faraci, Rhoze Faraci, Kevin Gherard,
Linda Henderson, Richard Kelpen, Tori Kelpen, Kay Pere, Denise Shultzman, Connie Unsworth, Peter Wilhelmsen
Samuel Connal Webster
H.M.S. Pinafore Cast
Captain Corcoran
Josephine (The Captain’s Daughter)
Ralph Rackstraw (Able Seaman)
The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B.
Little Buttercup (A Bumboat Woman)
Dick Deadeye (Able Seaman)
Bill Bobstay (Boatswain’s Mate)
Hebe (Sir Joseph’s First Cousin)
Bob Becket (Carpenter’s Mate)
Sir Joseph’s Sisters, Cousins and Aunts
”
”
”
”
”
”
Sailors
”
”
”
Midshipmite
Marines
Understudies
Nathan Rodriguez / Laurie Weissbrot
Kathryn Bowden / Cristina DiMuro
Dave Henderson
Don Shirer / David Schancupp
Julie Rumbold / Wendy Falconer
Peter Wilhelmsen
Hal Chernoff
Denise Shultzman / Andrea Olson
John Freedman
Bonnie Jean Connal, Rachel Cook, Julia Faraci, Rhoze Faraci, Renee Haines,
Laura Heckmann, Linda Henderson, Tori Kelpen, Kay Pere, Sharon Connal Webster, Wendy Falconer, Kay Pere,
Kathryn Bowden, Julie Rumbold,
Denise Shultzman
Mark Callahan, Phil Faraci, Bill Faye,
Kevin Gherard, Ben Henderson, Richard Kelpen, Craig Martin, Mike Reynolds, Ralph Sherman,
Tom Speer, Dave Unsworth
Samuel Connal Webster
Tom Shultzman, John Sloan
Rachel Cook (Hebe),
Tom Speer (Carpenter’s Mate)
(Some roles are double-cast. The first performer listed plays the character on Friday and Saturday evenings, the second, at the Sunday matinee.)
2012 Events
2012 was a busy year. Not only did we decide to include two operettas at once, but we had to move the performance up to September because our Musical Director, John Dreslin, was slated for a world tour in October, our usual fall production date. Needless to say, rehearsals were intense! In the spring, our touring group, The Wandering Minstrels, presented a selection of G&S songs for the Sphinx Shrine Temple in Newington, a program they later repeated at the Covenant Village in Cromwell.
In August, a group from Opera Comique in Portsmith, England, visited Connecticut and presented a version of H.M.S. Pinafore at the Mystic Seaport using an authentic whaling ship for the entrances and exits. Many of our CG&SS members took part to fill out the cast and some of the minor roles. That weekend, both our groups took part in a benefit concert for the Mystic Union Baptist Church.
Our season concluded with a cast dinner party at the Gelston House in East Haddam.
Music Director: John Dreslin
Artistic Director/Choreographer: Bob Cumming
Cast
Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd/Robin Oakapple
Richard Dauntless
Sir Despard Murgatroyd of Ruddigore
Old Adam Goodheart/Gideon Crawle
Rose Maybud
Mad Margaret
Dame Hannah
Zorah
Ruth
Sir Roderic Murgatroyd (the 21st Baronet)
Ghosts and Baronets of Castle Ruddigore
”
”
”
Professional Bridesmaids
”
”
”
Sailors
Hornpipe Dancers
”
”
”
”
”
”
Townspeople
”
”
”
”
”
”
Bucks & Blades & Officers
”
”
”
UNDERSTUDIES
Dame Hanna
Ruth
Dave Henderson
Mike Reynolds
Hal Chernoff
Don Shirer
Renee Haines
Nancy Stewart, Julie Rumbold*
Betty Olson
Suzanne Amaral
Julie Rumbold, Rhoze Faraci*
Laurie Weissbrot
Richard Kelen, Mark Callahan, Tom Speer
David Unsworth, Bill Faye, Karl Sofko
Phil Faraci, Leighton Phraner, Tom Shultzman
Kevin Gherard, David Cutts
Paige Adams, Suzanne Amaral, Rhose Faraci
Andrea Henderson, Stephanie McMurry
Jennifer Yvonne Montgomery, Andrea Olson
Julie Rumbold, Sharon Connal Webster
Tom Speer, Kevin Gherard
Paige Adams, Suzanne Amaral, Mark Callahan
Bonnie Jean Connal, Phil Faraci, Bill Faye
Kevin Gherard, Andrea Henderson, Andrea Olson
Stephanie McMurray, Jennifer Yvonne Montgomery
Mike Reynolds, Julie Rumbold, Denise Shultzman
Tom Shultzman, Sam Connal Webster
Sharon Connal Webster, Laurie Weissbrot
Stephanie Chernoff, Bonnie Jean Connal
Julia Faraci, Connie Gillies, Connie Unsworth
Samual Connal Webster, Emma Wood
Mark Callahan (Gaffer Gaddeerby)
Ruth Rowbottom (Denise Shultzman)
Victoria Kelpen (Orphan Girl)
Tom Shultzman (Innkeeper
Richard Bengtson, Mark Callahan, Bavid Cutts
Phil Faraci Bill Faye, Kevin Gherard, Richard Kelpin
Craig Martin, Leighton Phraner, Tom Speer
Dave Unsworth, Laurie Weissbrot
Denise Shultzman
Stephanie McMurray
(* Saturday Matinee)
Ruddigore Video!
You can find a video of the Matter Trio from this Ruddigore production by going to youtube.com and searching for “Connecticut Gilbert Ruddigore”.
Our Unforgettable 2011 Season
None of the dozens of cast members and backstage workers will easily forget our Saturday matinee performance of Ruddigore. Everything was going smoothly and spirits were high. We knew that snowstorm Alfred was due soon, but the predictions were mixed and we hoped for the best. (To paraphrase Longfellow: “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make overconfident!”)
Our first omen was a power fluctuation affecting the lights in the second act. Luckily our technical wizard, Don Chamberlin, soon got the balky electronics under control. But as the final bows were taking place, we received word from the Middletown police that the storm was gathering strength and they were closing the school as a precaution, so our evening performance was cancelled.
What later came to be known as “Snowtober” or the “Halloween Noreaster” hit late that afternoon, and some of us barely made it back home. Needless to say, that our budget as well as our spirits were dampened, despite a fund-raiser at the East Haddam Historical Society by our Wandering Minstrels. To recompense our subscribers, we offered our Saturday night ticket purchasers free tickets to our next production, and most took us up on the offer. The moral? We will be watching weather predictions much more closely in the future!
John Kraft
Dave Henderson
Bill Zeigler
Allan Church
Katherine Yeager*, Kathleen Thompson
Taylor Sapp*, Catherine Joseph
Betty Olson
Rosalind Craft
Hal Chernoff*, Laurie Weissbrot
Dave Henderson
Phil faraci
Don Shirer
Leighton Phraner
Vanessa Magnotta
Richard Bengtson, Hal Chernoff, Lois Lake Church
Bonnie-Jean Connal, Marylin Currier, David Cutts
Julia Faraci, Phil Faraci, Rhoze Merlyn Faraci
Bill Faye, Kevin Gherard, Connie Gilles
Janet Gregor
Elizabeth Rodie Jones, Richard Kelpen,
Victoria Kelpen, Ed Kerrigan, Vanessa Magnotta
Elizabeth Marx, Donna McDonough
Stephanie McMurray, Leighton Rand Phraner,
Christine Raczka, Judy Reid, Mike Reynolds
Don Shirer, Denise Shultzman
Tom Shultzman, John Sloan, Tom Speer,
Connie Unsworth, Samuel Connal Webster
Sharon Connal Webster, Laurie Weissbrot
Beth Kelpen, Elizabeth Kelpen, Judy Kerrigan
(* Friday Perfornace)
There are many videos of scenes from The Mikado available on YouTube.com . Two from our 2010 production are at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkYGuG1P2gI
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEiegGDKmY0
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