OK! On to the THEATRE and the calendar! As many of you are aware I am the Newsletter Editor for Sandy Spring Theatre Group (SSTG). If you’ve read it ‘nuff said if not I can send you a sample or email you the “archives” website address.

JANUARY: brought the Auditions for SSTG’S Production of Shakespeare’s’ Twelfth Night Directed by J.R. Owens, in which I was double cast as The Sea Captain and The Priest (or should I say Prweast). Rehearsals took us up till April/ May Performances which although not highly attended, and not financially great, went IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) rather well.

FEBRUARY: was a bear of a month working with Silver Spring Stage (SSS) Stage Managing Tally’s Folly by Lanford Wilson, which ran till Mid March. You try doing a show that requires an ice skate (being worn by an actor at the time) to go crashing through a (covered thus hidden from the audience) hole in the stage.

MARCH: work was the bear with Nichols-AME transitioning into all the CSC ways of doing things, we are now fully integrated into CSC, and being semi-trained in my job, and going back and forth from one office in Crystal City across town about 5 blocks to another office. In fact part of the mess of March was that my entire new work section was in midst of turnover. The work process still seems to be affected by this surprise change in staff.

APRIL: as I said was Twelfth Night time and gee also somebody’s birthday month, hmmm I wonder who could I be? ; -)

MAY: was a time to start relaxing and didn’t have too many major events happening for ‘lil Ole me.

JUNE: saw SSTG’s Annual Membership Picnic at Dave Solomon’s House (Mansion really) that Uncle Billy Gates bought, due to inclement (rainy) weather there was a very small turn out for these sort of things. Let’s make this year’s a BIGGER BASH shall we?

JULY: celebrated the 4th in many ways:

1. Joined Bill Spitz and company at the MD Symphony Concert and fire works at the Antietam Battlefield.
   
2. Went from Historic Sharpsburg, MD to Historic Winchester, VA (Stephens City really) to the Brother TJ Maher Commune.

AUGUST: Mostly concentrated on Job and MENC opening performances.

SEPTEMBER: Finished up MENC and tried to get back to “Normal” HA!

OCTOBER: Had a blast at Miss VJM’s 40th. There is no rest for the weary, started rehearsals for the one-act The Pen of my Aunt in which I was “The Stranger” (OH YEA that was a real stretch - wink, wink), and at the end of the month opened up Sweeney Todd both for SSTG.

NOVEMBER: Sweeney Todd is Phenomenal (except for my spotlighting) in it’s shear quality and had audiences to rival 1994 SSTG Production of Man Of LaMancha. To make my plate overflow even more, I was called in tech week at AT for East of The Sun West of The Moon to run lights (yippy yahooy). I don the Stage Manager hat again for SSS for auditions and beginning rehearsals for Of Mice and Men for a February/ March run. The plan is set in motion to Direct Larry Shue’s The Foreigner for SSTG in the spring.

DECEMBER: Pen of My Aunt goes up against Hotline at SSTG and is shown that sometimes the phone is mightier than the quill pen. Sweeney Todd closes to a very nice box office take. Of Mice and Men rehearsals going OK and then break for the holidays.

Plans for 2001:

• First get Of Mice and Men out of the way, then spotlight (hey I’m getting typecast here) for SSTG for Starting Here Starting Now which goes up in March.
• Audition The Foreigner in March; Put it up April/ May.
• Relax for approx. two seconds then try to keep summer open to audition for Winnie-the-Pooh at AT (Aug - Sept run) for either Winnie or Eyore.
• The fall lies in the hands of fate, and the SSTG board. It looks like SSTG might be getting a new home in Kensington at the Kensington Armory, but nothing is definite yet.