The Soo Theatre Project presents a STARS Candlelight Christmas, Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Church, 320 E. Portage Ave, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Featured will be Singers United, the Youth Orchestra, the Youth Chorus, the Cello Choir, the Flute Choir and Flute Club, the Recorder Consort, and the “Not Quite Ready for Prime Time” Players (adult string ensemble). Suggested donation: adults $5, children $3, family $12.
Music! Dance! Theatre! Visual Arts! Yoga!
Our November 2006 Newsletter is now available online. A PDF version is also available.
Soo Theatre Project Board President Dianna George celebrates the transfer of the Mackinaw Crossings Theater equipment donation from Jim Wehr, owner and manager of Mackinaw Crossings (right). Fred Schmidt, Wehr’s operations manager, is on the left. Photo by Meta Geyer.
About a month ago, Wehr called George to see if the Soo Theatre Project would be interested in purchasing the contents of the ten-year-old Mackinaw Theater. He had decided to replace it with a different business venture. Wehr was not aware of the Soo Theatre’s stage of development. George explained that the actual theatre is just beginning renovations. She went on to tell him that the $100,000 Cool Cities Grant that the project had received plus monies from fundraisers had been used for roof repairs and redoing several storefronts that now contain a performing arts school called STARS. There is no money for equipment until the theatre is rewired and a heating system is installed. The conversation pretty much ended on a note of “thanks, but we just aren’t in a position to buy your theatre contents.”
Wehr took this conversation to his life partner, Trish Bradford. Knowing and appreciating the value of live theatre in a community, the couple was soon thinking about the feasibility of an outright donation to show their support for such an undertaking. Wehr was back on the phone within days with good news and the process began with the last performance at the Mackinaw Theater on Sunday, October 22, 2006. Wehr described his decision as a win/win situation. “I don’t have time to find a place to store stuff and try to sell it. This is a good deal for me and Soo Theatre.” He also donated sound and lighting equipment to Mackinaw City’s outdoor concert program.
Dismantling began on Monday, October 23. Operations manager Fred Schmidt said everything was being labeled and checked to make sure the equipment was working. Soo Theatre Project Board Member and Technical Director Taylor Brugman is coordinating the move of the theatre contents sixty miles north with largely volunteer help. Before they finished loading the first large U-Haul truck, he learned there were pieces too large to fit in a tractor trailer. The logistics of moving the equipment are staggering, but Brugman viewed it as just another challenge to be met. Another problem was where to store things as the Soo Theatre was full of props for the Haunted Theatre held the Friday and Saturday before Halloween. Local businessmen came through with some temporary storage and volunteers worked Sunday to strike the Haunted Theatre sets. Monday the big U-Haul and a tractor trailer load of items were emptied into the theatre. The work will continue for several weeks.
The Mackinaw Theater crew carefully dismantled and labeled all of the curtains and drops, lighting and sound equipment, and stage rigging. Caught on a rare sunny day during the move were (L-R): Patrick West, sound; Rachel Love, stage manager; Steve Klunder, lighting; and crew members Jake George and Bob Green. Photo by Liz Brugman.
Meanwhile, remodeling of the Mackinaw Theater into an outdoor superstore called Mackinaw Outfitters is in full swing. The projected opening date is June 2007. Wehr plans to entertain and educate families about nature and all the wonders of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Products from Bass Pro will be featured and outdoor skills workshops for young and old will be offered. A 10,000-gallon aquarium will be stocked with Great Lakes fish and a 40-foot climbing wall with a Mackinac Bridge theme will provide a challenge for the more adventurous visitors.
Wehr and his fiancée, Trish Bradford, have a home in Mackinac City and plan to spend most of the year there. They are from Springfield, Missouri.
On Friday and Saturday October 27 and 28 the Soo Theatre transforms itself into the Haunted Theatre in two variations. A Halloween experience for the faint-hearted will take place on Friday, October 27, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Come early and see the ghouls arrive by limo! Donations will be $1 per person.
The Haunted Theatre experience for Brave Souls Only will take place Saturday, October 28, from 6:00 to 11:00 pm. This experience is not suitable for children under 14. Donations will be $5 per person.
For more information, call the Soo Theatre Project at 906-632-1930.
Happy Halloween!
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The Soo Theatre Project presents its 2006 Season Finale on Thursday, September 21 and Friday, September 22. Featured both evenings at 8 p.m. will be the EUP Fine Arts Council production of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones's classic musical, The Fantasticks. Directed by Dave Rhinard, the cast includes Karen Hughes, Phil Quinn, Lisa Dunn, Richard Morrison, Dave Rhinard, Bob Zahara, Mike Kasper and Dan Harris. The orchestra will be Maureen Delaney-Lehman on piano and Mary Lou Hughes on harp.
Thursday's performance of The Fantasticks begins at 8 p.m. Tickets for Thursday's performance are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and free admission for children 5 and under.
Friday's performance includes a special opening act at 6 p.m with music on stage provided by Gentleman George Snider, Roy Nason, Jack Kinney, Wild Fate, Tim Hatfield, and Dennis Brooks. The Fantasticks will follow at 8 p.m. Pizza and refreshments will be available at the Theatre from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday evening. Tickets for Friday's performance are $12 for adults, $6 for students, and free admission for children 5 and under.
Tickets are available at the Soo Theatre Box Office, 534 Ashmun Street, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. For more information, call the office at 906-632-1930.
This is sure to be a fun show for the whole family. Hope to see you there!
Sault Community Theater presents THE GUYS, a play by Anne Nelson, based on the true story of the relationship between a writer and a New York fire chief in the aftermath of 911. It features Frank Breen and Colleen Lavey, is directed by Michelle Breen, and is produced by Judy Hill. Performances are September 8, 9, and 11 at 8:00 p.m. and September 10 at 2:00 p.m. at the Soo Theatre, 534 Ashmun St, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. All seats are $15 at the door. Proceeds are to be donated to the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department towards the purchase of a new fire engine.
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Samuel Otten, pianist and composer, will present a concert Sunday September 3, 4:00 pm. at St. James Episcopal Church, 533 Bingham Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The piano concert will benefit the Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios (STARS) scholarship fund. Tickets are adults $10, students 6-12 $5 and under 6 free. Tickets are available at the Soo Theatre office or at the door. Mr. Otten will perform original music as well as a mix of old favorites from the Forties and Fifties and contemporary praise pieces.
Sam, a 2002 graduate of Rudyard High School and 2006 graduate of Grand Valley State University, began music lessons with his mother at age four and later studied with David Erfourth, former choir director at Rudyard High. He has been composing music since he was in middle school and continues to enjoy music composition in his free time. He is currently in the Ph.D. program in mathematics at Michigan State University. Sam is excited to present a concert which will benefit arts scholarships because various scholarships have allowed him to study music as a young person.
The Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios (STARS) offers instruction in dance, music, visual arts, theatre and yoga for students of all ages. Registration for classes is open now for the fall term which begins the week of Sept. 11. Registrations are taken in person weekdays 10-6 at the STARS office.
The Soo Theatre Project announces that the Children's Ballet Theatre of Michigan, directed by Gregory M. George, will perform at the Soo Theatre. The group's Summer Performance Company will present A COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY BALLET. The performance will be Thursday, August 24 at 7 p.m. at the Soo Theatre, 534 Ashmun St, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for students (with valid ID), and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at the Soo Theatre box office (906-632-1930).
Music! Dance! Theatre! Visual Arts! Yoga!
The Soo Theatre Project announces its summer musical production of Humperdinck’s HÄNSEL and GRETEL. This will be the first full musical production held in the partially re-furbished historic Soo Theatre in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. HÄNSEL and GRETEL is an enchanting and delightful theatrical production for all ages.
SAULT STE. MARIE--Soo Theatre Project announces "That's Amore," a concert featuring international tenor Eric Shaw and renowned soprano Karen Hughes. Mr. Shaw and Ms. Hughes will join together in concert June 17, 2006, 7:30 p.m. at the Soo Theatre, 534 Ashmun St. Assisting in this program of operatic and Broadway favorites will be soprano Kristianna VanOveren, soprano Dianna George, and pianist John Ignatowski. Tickets will be available at the Soo Theatre office and at the door. The artists are generously donating all the proceeds from this performance to the continued restoration of the Soo Theatre.
Tenor Eric Shaw has performed at numerous musical centers worldwide, from Wexford to Lincoln Center to Tanglewood and Genoa, Italy. This season he will return to New York for performances with Leon Botstein and American Symphony orchestra, as well as the Victoria Symphony, the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily, and Opera Ontario based in Toronto. He is a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and a graduate of McGill University.
Soprano Karen Hughes has performed in Europe, Great Britain, Canada, and most recently in Asia during 2005 with the Tianjin Symphony in Beijing, China. Regional finalist in the 2003 Metropolitan Opera Competition, Ms. Hughes has performed leading roles nationwide in Cosi fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, Die Fledermaus, Carmen, The Magic Flute, The Mikado, and Madama Butterfly. The Munster, Indiana native is also an active concert soloist and recitalist. She was heard in Carmina Burana presented by the Sault Symphony Orchestra last season. A graduate of DePauw University and the University of Nebraska, Ms. Hughes teaches voice and harp at Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios and the Sault Symphony School of Music.
Joining Eric and Karen will be joined by soprano Kristianna VanOveren, a Michigan native who has been featured with Opera Grand Rapids productions of Tosca, Noah's Flood, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, and Monkey See, Monkey Do. She has also sung at the Spoleto, Italy Vocal Arts Symposium and with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Soo Theatre Project's own Dianna George, an accomplished soprano, will also join in the program with music from Die Fledermaus and The Pirates of Penzance. Pianist John Ignatowski, STARS instructor and organist-choir master for St. Mary's Church, will serve as accompanist for the program.
STARS presents its Broadway Revue Student Show on May 19 and 20, at 7:00 p.m. at the LSSU Arts Center Auditorium. Tickets are $8. Tickets are available online through the LSSU Arts Center and at the Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios. For more information call 632-1930.
Get ready for some fun this summer at the Soo Theatre!
Once again, those talented middle school students at J.K.L. Bahweting have combined their acting talents to produce a fund-raiser for the Soo Theatre Project! On Tuesday, May 9th at 7:00 pm and on Wednesday, May 10th at 7:00 pm at the Kewadin DreamMakers Theater, the JKL Bahweting Middle School Students will present The Princess Bride. Proceeds go to the Soo Theatre Project.
Tickets will be available at the door: $5 for adults, $3 for students. Kids 5 and under will be admitted free. For more information, contact Mr. Donaldson at Robert@jklschool.org.
This is sure to be a fun show for the whole family. Hope to see you there!
Registration for Summer 2006 classes at STARS begins May 1. Stop in and pick up a brochure. A class schedule is also available online. You may register in person weekdays 10-5.
Our Spring 2006 Newsletter is now available online. A PDF version is also available.
STARS presents a student recital on April 23 at 2:00 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church, 533 Bingham St., Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Students of STARS instructors Karen Hughes, Nancy Powers, and Meg Stevens will perform. A free will offering will be accepted to benefit the Soo Theatre Project and STARS.
