[Capdist-announce] A Chorus Line press release

[Kristina Kwacz]

April 27, 2007
For Immediate Release					Contact: Kristina Kwacz
518-455-4511 (day)					518-755-3151 (cell)

ONE SINGULAR SENSATION COMES TO THE PITTSFIELD STAGE

Pittsfield, MA― For two weekends in May, a new
production of the Broadway smash "A Chorus Line" will
be staged at Berkshire Community College’s Boland
Theater.  In collaboration with Pittsfield's Public
Arts Resource Center (PARC), The Two of Us Productions
of Copake, NY will present six, full-orchestra
performances of this classic story of Broadway
dancers—“gypsies”—who bare their souls as they
audition for jobs as chorus line members of a musical.


Conceived, directed, and co-choreographed (with Bob
Avian) by Michael Bennett, "A Chorus Line" is based on
more than 100 hours of interviews Bennett conducted
with dancers.  The resulting production used the
powerfully simple setting of a bare stage for the
individual dancers to tell their stories of coming of
age, learning from mistakes, and loving what they do. 

With music composed by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by
Edward Kleban, and book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas
Dante, "A Chorus Line" opened off-Broadway on May 21,
1975.  By late July, it had moved to the Shubert
Theatre, where it ran for 6,137 performances, holding
the record as the longest running show in Broadway
history until "Cats" surpassed it in 1997.  It
received 12 Tony Award nominations and won nine,
including best Musical, Best Director, and Best
Choreography.  In 2006, "A Chorus Line" was revived on
Broadway directed by Bob Avian, with choreography
reconstructed by the show’s original “Connie,” Baayork
Lee.  

Stephen Sanborn, director/musical director of the
Pittsfield production, expressed his delight at being
able to mount a local production of this popular
musical on the heels of its Broadway revival, stating
“'A Chorus Line' is in a sense the original reality
show.  Rooting for your favorites and wondering 'what
does he want' from the on-stage cast is the audience’s
role.  But as the audition process progresses, our
point of view shifts to empathizing with the
auditioners.  We start to see the situation through
their eyes, and to see what is inside the individual
characters that are collectively 'The Line'.   'A
Chorus Line' celebrates the joy of dancing and
singing, and broke new ground by requiring every
performer to be featured, every chorus member a focus
of attention.“

The cast of 26 includes actors and dancers from the
Berkshires Region as well as from nearby Eastern New
York State.  Leading the cast is Michael Dunnell as
Zach, the director of an upcoming Broadway production
who with his assistant Laura (Fran Martino) put the
dancers through their paces in a challenging audition.


Among the 17 finalists vying for eight jobs—four boys
and four girls—are Pittsfield’s Tara Young as Cassie,
Galena Karpenski as Maggie, Heather Rowley as Sheila,
Joe Breen as Mike, Drew Davidson as Bobby, Courtney
Meisberger as Judy, Peg Noonan as Kristine, Brenda
Galenus as Val, Brian Litscher as Al, and Joe Sicotte
as Mark.  Also, Berkshires residents Adrian Alcala as
Paul and Cathy Hunt as Bebe.  From neighboring New
York State are Constance Lopez as Diana, Jody Satriani
as Racine, Darrin French as Greg, John Jefferson as
Don, and Rebecca Canny as Connie.  Featured in the
ensemble are Carley Farrell, Kevin Currier, Bonnie
Senecal, Bob Rhodes, Kaitlin Sherow, Tom Fisher, and
Catarina Fisher.  

An orchestra of 16 musicians brings Hamlisch’s score
to life as every dancer, desperate for work, exclaims
“I Hope I Get It” in the show’s opening number. 
Personal stories are revealed in songs such as “At the
Ballet,” “Dance:Ten; Looks: Three,” and “The Music and
the Mirror.”  Audience favorites “What I Did for Love”
and the signature tune, “One” cap the production.

The Public Arts Resource Center was established in
2001, as Pittsfield’s popular Eagles Ensembles
broadened their mission to affiliate with groups
seeking to present innovative, participatory,
arts-based programs to the Pittsfield community.  

Since 2000, The Two of Us Productions has been
bringing high-quality, full-scale theatrical
productions to the local stage.  The creation of
Stephen Sanborn and Constance Lopez, the Copake-based
company has produced dramatic and musical theater
works at venues throughout the Hudson Valley.  

Looking to expand beyond this area, they collaborated
with PARC in 2004 to produce the musical Cabaret at
the First United Methodist Church, the first
theatrical production in that venue.  The following
September, The Two of Us Productions presented the
drama "Agnes of
God" at the Valatie Community Theater, Valatie, NY and
the Berkshire Artisans Gallery, Pittsfield, MA (with
PARC).   Photographs and sound clips from their recent
productions of "Chicago," "Man of La Mancha,"
"Cabaret" and "Ragtime–The Musical" can be seen and
heard at www.TheTwoOfUsProductions.org  as well as on
PCTV along with interviews from some of the cast
members of "A Chorus Line."  

Performances of "A Chorus Line" are at 8:00 p.m. May
11-12 and May 18-19, and 3:00 p.m. May 13 and May 20
at the Boland Theater, Berkshire Community College.
Tickets are $17 adults and $15 students/seniors, and
are available at two Pittsfield locations: Steven
Valenti Clothing, 157 North St. (443-2569), and Wood
Bros. Music, Allendale Shopping Center (447-7478); at
Guido’s Market in Lenox and Great Barrington; or via
credit card at www.TheaterMania.com or 1-866-811-4111.
For further information, call 413-841-7813.  

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