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A home at last
Posted by: | CommentsA HOME AT LAST
On Friday, February 25, the Tater Patch Players, after more than 30 years of bringing plays to Pickens County, purchased a building to turn into their own theater, at 95 Old Philadelphia Lane. Click on the “Contact” tab above and you will see a map to our new home. Thank you so much for all your support and love through the “gypsy” years. From now on, you will know where to find us. Special thanks go to Don Martin and Ben Torrey of Torrey Mountain Properties. Countless hours of searching on their part led us at last to the right place. Community Bank of Pickens County has been a good partner to us for several years, and our relationship will continue into the future. The many advertisers and sponsors that support us are always in our thoughts. The hundreds of volunteer actors, stage hands, scene painters and costumers, and the often overlooked folks who hauled scenery, props and lights from place to place over many years are the backbone of Tater Patch. And a special round of applause goes to you, our audience. We are proud to be able to invite you to our home for your future entertainment. If you want to help with work, ideas, sponsorship or funds, please contact us. For an album of pictures of the new building, courtesy of knowpickens.com, go to http://www.knowpickens.com/photos/taterpatchtheater.asp
A message from the Tater Patch Players President
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s hard to believe that we’ve been in our new space for almost a year, after what seemed like many years searching for it. We all agree it is wonderful beyond anything we imagined we could get as we searched.
We now have a beautiful lobby and entrance, a functional auditorium, good storage, a commercial kitchen, and a beer & wine license. We have done several very good shows, as well as some ancillary activities. It’s been quite a year!
The good news is that we are on the verge of a great season. The Dixie Swim Club has come together beautifully. It’s going to be a funny, slick, and professional show that will have the audience laughing uproariously and almost in tears at the end.
The bad news is that we are in financial straits. The audience attendance has been dismal. We’ve found out that the saying, “If you build it, they will come” apparently only works for baseball. We’ve burned up most of our reserves getting to where we are. The ancillary revenue streams — concessions, drinks, movies, musical performers, the haunted house — are not materializing as rapidly as we had hoped. We are at the point of delaying some payments which should really be paid on time.
While we have confidence that our revenue streams will increase as we continue, right now we need to do something. My plan is this: If everyone who has an interest in keeping our doors open would buy four season tickets, we could generate enough money to get to the box office returns we anticipate. I realize many of you have already bought season tickets, or attend shows for free by helping with the concessions and ushering. But these tickets would not be for YOU. You would use these tickets to bring your friends to our theater. Yes, get on the phone and ask friends what night they want to come, then call the theater and make the reservation. If you can’t afford four, then buy two. Or, call those friends and get a date commitment and then make reservations for them online for this show.
We need everyone who cares to take personal responsibility for getting four new patrons into the seats for The Dixie Swim Club. As director, I guarantee that they will enjoy this show enough to bring in more of their friends. Please consider helping now, so that this will be the last letter of this sort I have to write.
Sincerely,
Robert Countryman
President of Tater Patch Players
If it’s entertaining, it’s Tater Patch!
UPDATED SHOW DATES FOR 2012
Posted by: | CommentsOur Board has decided that we will no longer do Thursday performances this year. But to bring you the same number of great performances, we’ve added an extra Friday and Saturday show to three of our productions. The changes are already reflected on the calendar. All Sunday shows are at 2PM and the others are at 7:30 PM. The new dates are:
Dixie Swim Club: 2/10,11,12,17,18,19,24,25
The Foreigner: 5/4,5,6,11,12,13,18,19,20
Gypsy: 7/13,14,15,20,21,22,27,28
The Miracle Worker: 11/30, 12/1,2,7,8,9
The Dixie Swim Club
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Please note new show dates below! Sunday shows at 2PM, all others at 7:30 PM:
The first play of our 2012 Season is The Dixie Swim Club. This hilarious comedy features five women who swam together on their college team. Every year, they get together at the same beach house for a weekend to reminisce, unwind, and catch up. During the course of the show, they age from 44 to 77, but their friendship and laughter never age. Sheree is the All-American soccer mom, organized and practical and she will be played by Kimberly Martin. Lexie is a flamboyant, multi-married event planner and decorator and will be brought to life by Lynn Mulkey. Dinah, portrayed by Janet Vardaman, is a wise-cracking high powered lawyer. Jeri Neal is a one-time nun with an always positive outlook and some new things in her life. Jackie Bauer will play her. And brought to life by Ellen Painter, Vernadette, in spite of bad luck with husband, job and kids, always tries to find the silver lining. Their pull-no-punches humor with each other is balanced by the same team spirit they had as a swim team in college.
Director Robert Countryman has scheduled the first rehearsal for December 12, wanting to get right to work on bringing you this great play. Performance dates are February 10-12 and 17-19 and 27-28 . The show will be produced by Kenneth Farmer and Alex Nawrocki, costumed by Patti Caruso-Hunt, and stage managed by Nan Nawrocki. They’ve already met and want you to know that any pre-show and behind the scenes help you’d like to give would be welcome. Contact them through the Tater website at taterpatchplayers@gmail.com.
Laugh Out Loud for one week only!
Posted by: | CommentsThe Tater Patch Players are laughing out loud. The Haunted House is now a spooky memory, but something new has taken its place. Beginning November 17, for four shows only, people will be laughing in their theater (not screaming with fear). The upcoming Laugh Out Loud show is this year’s director’s workshop. Two new directors, along with one experienced director, have put together an evening of comedy for the Tater’s fans.
Aaron Locatelli and Jan O’Kelley are directing, between them, five short plays that make up the first act of the evening’s entertainment. You will meet a granddaughter who hasn’t got time to teach grandma any “new tricks” — or does she? You will go to the museum with a couple who aren’t really a couple, to see art, which isn’t really art. Then you will meet a young woman wants a quiet afternoon reading in the park. She does not want to deal with some “wacko” from a loony bin, or maybe from a galaxy far, far away. And speaking of wackos, a mad scientist starts haranguing his mumbling assistant — Igor, is it? But who is really mad? And how mad is he? And finally, we take you to the Pillsbury Bake-Off. What could be more wholesome and friendly? Until a woman with a little bit of an “attitude” takes on her male competitor, and ultimately, confronts the Doughboy himself.
All this combines to make a side-splitting Act One. This is followed, in Act Two, by all the actors who you have seen onstage, plus a few extras, taking you to the not-so-wonderful world of dating. This is a one-act comedy called “Check,Please”. Rehearsals for this show are being disrupted by laughter, as this cast brings to life every bad date you have ever had. Will Guy and Girl ever find Miss and Mister Right? Things aren’t looking too hopeful. Come see which of these date nights bring back (bad) memories as you Laugh Out Loud.
Join the Tater Patch Players for an evening of hilarity. The show will be performed November 17,18, 19 at 7:30 PM, November 20 at 2 PM, at the Tater Patch Players Theater at 95 Philadelphia Lane. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $14 for seniors (65 and older) and $13 for students. Because Tater Patch wants everyone, regardless of their financial ability, to be able to enjoy great theater, they offer their dress rehearsal, at 7:30 on November 16 as Share and Share Alike Night. If you come to the theater and share your laughter, reactions, and opinions with the cast and directors, they are pleased to perform for you at no charge. To make this a real “sharing” night, if you come to this rehearsal, you are asked to bring canned goods or non-perishables that will be donated to the Community Food Bank. For more information, visit the troupe’s website at www. taterpatchplayers. org or call the theater at (706)253-2800.
