The Stage Door

Thanks to the cadre of volunteers under the leadership of Evelyn Kovach, the Firehouse is able to welcome hundreds of patrons to each show and each event. It is the efforts of the volunteers that ensure we are safe, that we get to the right seat, and that the curtain goes up on time. And that's only the tip of the iceberg! What patrons don't see are the countless hours spent before and after the show: addressing mailers, stocking the pantry with your favorite intermission treats, and cleaning up after the party is over -- to name just a few of the myriad tasks they attend to performance after performance. To each of them we say thank you and Happy New Year!

The volunteers at the Firehouse work tirelessly all through-out the season to ensure that patrons find their seats in a timely and safe fashion with programs in hand, that audience members are well-fed and watered during the intermissions and, in addition, the volunteers see to countless other unseen tasks behind the scenes. From the sale of the theater concessions this past season, the volunteers collected enough to sponsor their own cruise as a way to celebrate their dedication and to reward themselves for their many hours of service.We say to each and every one of them -- thank you and happy sailing! Special thanks to John Crowley for sharing his photos.

Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2005 Tony Award for Best Play, "Doubt" is an absorbing story that chronicles the growth of suspicion concerning a priest’s misconduct, but the tale told here is less about the scandal than about questions of moral certitude and how we humans gather knowledge sufficient enough to make “sound” moral judgements. Audience members can decide for themselves what is right, what is wrong -- and what represents the gray area that lies between -- when Doubt, A Parable plays at the Firehouse Center October 11-21 (Thurs-Sat @ 8pm and Sundays @ 3pm). Directed by Suzanne Bryan, this production stars Caroline Gulde (Somerville) as Sister James, Kathy Isbell (Newburyport) as Sister Aloysius Beauvier, Kathy Ann Hart (Somerville) as Mrs. Muller and Damon Jesperson (Byfield) as Father Flynn. Tickets are on sale now! (Thanks to Tim Hiltabiddle for the great photos!)

Nearly forty students assembled each day in the Arakelian Theater for another Glee Workshop program. Summer 2012 Glee Club represented the fourth time that the Firehouse Center has presented this program. The Glee Workshop meshes perfectly with the stated mission of the local arts organization to foster the growth of individual artists and to stimulate participation in the arts. Glee Club instructors Johanna Hoyt Kimball and Julie Pike Edmond teach youngsters some of the basics of breath control and give an introduction to performance techniques. At the end of the week the participants are then given an opportunity to show what they have learned during a recital performed on stage in the theater. Once again, a great time was had by all!

The award-winning play by DL Coburn, directed by Tim Diering and starring Carol Davenport (Dover, NH) as Fonsia Dorsey and Alan Huisman (Rye, NH) as Weller Martin played at the Firehouse August 9-19, 2012.

July 24 - Last week Maureen Daley attended a presentation ceremony at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester to celebrate the announcement of Mass Cultural Council Facilities Fund grantees.

Anna Smulowitz will put her directorial panache on one of Shakespeare's most beloved plays ever. In this very special production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Ms. Smulowitz welcomes back former students who started their careers with the local instructor and have now returned to play leading roles in the current staging of the Shakespearean classic. And to herald in the next generation of thespians: Smulowitz's own grandchild, Elizabth Clopton, will be making her acting debut in this play. Linda Zirin, a collaborator with Smulowitz for 15 years (e.g."Oliver!" and "Millyard, Massachusetts") will provide the choreography for A Midsummer Night's Dream. As the students of Anna Smulowitz, both past and present, take to the stage there is sure to be much ado about A Midsummer Night's Dream. All photos by Sue Cavanaugh and Mary Hall -- thank you!

The First Annual Townie Awards were presented at the Firehouse Center's Way-Off-Broadway Party that was held Saturday, May 5 at the historic theater on Market Square. There was conviviality, dancing, more than a few great bargains to be had at the auctions, and a couple of individuals even went home with a trophy (or two!) under their arm. Many thanks to David Goodwin for the great photos!

David Auburn's award-winning play "Proof" opened Thursday, March 8 and has received rave reviews. Theater-goers are praising everything from the acting and the directing to the incredible set. Here are a few photos taken by Tim Hiltabiddle. Need more Proof? You can see for yourself Thursday - Sunday, March 15-18. "Proof" is directed by Suzanne Bryan (Winthrop)and stars Elizabeth Pasarilla (Beverly) as Catherine; Paul Wann (Newbury) as Robert; Jason Novak (Newburyport) as Hal; and Mara Flynn (S. Berwick, ME) as Claire. Set Design by David Stawasz and Set Builder is Fred LaRoche.

Rehearsals are underway for Robert Auburn's Proof which goes onstage March 8 - 18 at the Firehouse. Directed by Suzanne Bryan, Proof stars Elizabeth Pasarilla (Beverly) as Catherine, Paul Wann (Newbury) as Robert, Jason Novak (Newburyport) as Hal and Mara Flynn (S. Berwick, ME) as Claire. Thanks to James Sandman for the photos!

The 10th Annual New Works Festival was presented Fri-Sat, Jan 20-21 and 27-28, 2012. A perennial favorite, the Festival attracts playwrights from all over New England and offers audience members an insight into the creative process. Thank you to all the playwrights, actors, directors, judges and New Works Festival Committee members who worked so hard to make this year's Festival so successful. We are deeply grateful to James Sandman for all these wonderful photos!

On Sunday, January 15, 2012 nuns, brown paper packages tied up with strings, and adorable children in lederhosen were just a few of our favorite things seen entering the Firehouse for a very special screening of Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music. Master of ceremonies John Budzyna warmed up the audience and led all of us in choruses of "do, a deer, a female deer..." A thousand thanks to Jenny Coyle for submitting these photos!!

On December 3, 2011 Steinway Artist Robin Spielberg gave the very first performance on the new Firehouse piano. The holiday concert was a magic moment enjoyed by one and all and Robin's talents provided an apt christening of the eighty-eight keys. This acquisition will provide years of fond Firehouse musical memories for a long time to come thanks to the generosity of local arts lovers. Thank you.

When Opportunity Knocks, you answer the door. For the Firehouse, opportunity knocked in August, with an opportunity to purchase a Steinway piano, at a price well below market value. The Falcone piano that had seen the community arts organization through its first twenty years and numerous fine performances served them well – however there’s nothing like a Steinway. A hugely successful cooperative effort between businesses, foundations and individual donors took just slightly over a month for their efforts to coalesce into solid results. On a rainy Thursday morning the new piano was loaded into the Arakelian Theater and on hand to document the event was Firehouse Board Member Louis Rubenfeld. Thanks Louis!

Instructors JOHANNA HOYT KIMBALL and JULIE PIKE EDMOND worked their magic once again during the week- long program of voice instruction and choreographed pop and Broadway show tunes for Glee Club this summer! Areas of instruction included the basics of good breath support, posture and vocal production, and performance techniques... all taught while these talented kids had fun singing the songs they love. The week culminated in a public performance on Friday, August 26, 2011. Thanks to everyone who helped make this program a success!

The Firehouse Center for the Arts relies upon its largest annual fundraising event to continue to keep the arts alive in our community. This year, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the theater located in historic downtown Newburyport at Market Square, theatrical magic transformed the auditorium into a speakeasy complete with live music, dancing, gambling, delicious food and drinks -- all the elements that made the Roaring Twenties so fun. Overseeing it all was "club owner" Danny Harrington and when the good times were deemed too much of a good thing, authorities rounded up the usual suspects to cool off in the Juliet Box, which was transformed into a jail cell. How to get out? Bribes were paid and promises made to keep the arts alive at the Firehouse for another twenty years. Elliot Ness, aka Pete Kelly, was the Guest of Honor for his twenty years of continuous service to the Firehouse. Thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success!