Tater Patch Players

UPDATED SHOW DATES FOR 2012

Nan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:27:10 +0000

Our 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
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

Nan — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:19:34 +0000

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!

Nan — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:16:39 +0000

The 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.

Big goings on at the Tater Patch Players Theater

Nan — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:03:17 +0000

This month, the Tater Patch Players theater is buzzing with activity. The Talmadge Brothers Funeral Home and Casket Company has moved into the theater space on the main floor, and will be there scaring folks through Halloween, but up above the funeral parlor, the theater is alive with activity.
Auditions have been held for the next production, Laugh Out Loud, which is a collection of short and funny plays that will be presented on November 17-20. These are being directed by a couple of Tater Patchers who wanted to try their hands at directing — Aaron Locatelli and Jan O’Kelley. This production is sponsored by Julia Jorns, CPA and Community Bank of Pickens County. The new directors and their casts will be rehearsing in the upstairs spaces until almost show time. And as soon as the haunted house is done, the theater has been rented for a private party. After that the onstage rehearsals can begin. And meanwhile, every Tuesday at 5PM, Camille Hammond leads her yoga class in the theater’s upstairs meeting room.
Meanwhile, the Tater Patch Board has met and is preparing for its end of year Wassail celebration PLUS a concert by Hickory Wind both to take place in December. On December 4 and 5 auditions will be held for The Dixie Swim Club. This will be the first show of the 2012 season, to be presented in February. It is a hilarious comedy featuring five women who were on their college swim team and who meet every year at a beach house for a weekend get-together. The play spans more than thirty years, and the audience will find more to laugh at with every scene, as the women get older, but not always wiser. The play is not a “chick” play — men have been heard roaring with laughter at productions of this show as well. All actresses, be on the lookout for audition information and times. This is an opportunity for you to shine.
The troupe’s production planning calendar is filling up with names of directors, producers and stage managers who have been picked for the upcoming four-show season. After February’s show, May will bring The Foreigner, another great comedy. The summer will be filled with singing and dancing as Tater Patch Players bring the first big musical to their new home in the form of Gypsy. There are great parts for both adult and young singers and dancers here. November will herald a serious but wonderful play with the timeless The Miracle Worker. And of course the troupe expects to bring you one or more activities and camps for Pickens youth, host the Talmadge Brothers next October, and they tell me they are working on a few surprises. Their motto is: If it’s entertaining, it’s Tater Patch — and they say they intend to live up to it in their first full year at their theater. They invite you to check out their webpage at www.taterpatchplayers.org or telephone the theater at (706)253-2800 to learn more.

Cast selected for Laugh Out Loud

Nan — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:18:00 +0000

There will be six plays presented during this evening of laughter. Five will be directed by directors-in-training Aaron Locatelli and Jan O’Kelley. Jan has a great deal of experience with backstage management, most recently with The Odd Couple, for which she was Stage Manager. Aaron has been in several productions — most recently Epic Proportions – and was Stage Manager for Proof in 2010.

They have chosen and cast five short and funny shows covering everything from a funny computer lesson from granddaughter to grandmother to an alien encounter in the park to a woman’s melt-down at a baking contest. They have held auditions and selected the cast for these five shows for your amusement.

The second act will be the comedy of dating-gone-wrong, Check Please. Nan Nawrocki has cast all the auditioners in the fourteen roles in this show. Two young people, a Guy and a Girl, run the gamut of “dates from hell” in the short vignettes that make up this one act comedy.

All the directors look forward to hearing you, our audience, Laugh Out Loud.

THE CASTS

Directed by Aaron

New Tricks
Grandma-Sylvia DeSio
Mattie -Crystal Bradley

Good Help
Igor-Daniel Picklesimer
Dr.Karl-Brandon Archer

Exhibit 4
Paul-Kenneth Farmer
Andrea-Lorrie Cain
Man-Aaron Locatelli
Customer – Brian Bayer

Commander Danny
Danny-Kenneth Farmer
Merritt-Marena Leonard
Assistant-Aaron Locatelli

Directed by Jan:

Bake Off
Paul — Alex Nawrocki
Rita — Jennie Hutto Smith
Pillsbury Doughboy — Skyler Denton
Security guard – Lorrie Cain

Directed by Nan

Check Please
Girl: Christina Hill (2 shows) and Lorrie Cain (2 shows)
Guy: Daniel Picklesimer
Melanie, the Bears fan: Alecia Moore
Mary, the control freak: Crystal Bradley
Sophie, the older woman: Sylvia DeSio
Pearl, the thief: Katie Archer
Mimi the mime: Lorrie Cain (2 shows) Jennie Hutto Smith (2 shows)
Linda, the schizophrenic: Marena Leonard
Louis, who pays no attention: Brandon Archer
Ken, the lounge lizard: Alex Nawrocki
Mark, in the burlap bag: Brian Bayer
Tod, the kid: Skyler Denton
Brandon, the considerate date: Aaron Locatelli
Manny, the phobic: Kenneth Farmer

More Theater Work Photos from March 12

Nan — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 02:21:42 +0000

Today the framing moved right along on the “WayneWalk”. This is our catwalk/storage area for lighting and props. Named in honor of Wayne Jewell, fearless Tater Patch producer. We’re the only theater in the world with a WayneWalk.

Starting to build….

Nan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:55:30 +0000

Theater construction starts with DEstruction

Nan — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:01:53 +0000

Photos from Smoke on the Mountain

Nan — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:14:46 +0000

News of 2011

Nan — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:24:33 +0000

Coming to haunt your dreams:

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE HAUNTED HOUSE

Talmadge Brothers Funeral Home and Casket Company is a state-of-the-art haunted attraction featuring horrifying live actors, incredible special effects, and digital technology that has to be seen to be believed … and we want you to be a part of it! That’s right, in order to make Talmadge Brothers a success, as well as an annual event, we will need volunteers to pull it off. Positions that will need to be filled are:

- Scareactors

- Parking attendants

- Hosts/Hostesses

- Box Office workers

All positions will be rotated on a nightly basis. That way you won’t get burnt out on one specific job (unless you just really like that job and want to keep it for the month). Talmadge Brothers will be open October 7-8, 13-15, and 20-31. That’s a total of 17 nights. Whether you can be there one night or all seventeen, we want you there! On Friday and Saturday nights we will be open from 7:30-Midnight, and week nights (October 23-27) we will be open from 7:30-11:00.

We will have two training sessions (dates and times to be announced, but they will be sometime in late September) where we will familiarize everyone with what a modern haunted house is, how to act in a haunted house, and all of our policies and rules. We ask, even if you can only volunteer one night, that you come to one of these two training sessions.

Please, feel free to contact me with ANY questions you might have, contact Andy Fowler at: Sleepyhollowstudios@gmail.com. I look forward to seeing everyone in September.

2012 SEASON IS ANNOUNCED

Dixie Swim Club February 9-12 and 16-19 (auditions December 4 & 5, 2011)
The Foreigner May 3-6 and 10-13 (auditions March 4 & 5)
Gypsy July 12-15 and 19-22 (auditions for principals and dancers April 22 & 23)
Mark Twain in Jasper (Directors’ Workshop Show) September 13-16 (auditions August 5 & 6)
Talmadge Brothers Funeral Home and Casket Company October 1-31 (volunteer info August 2012)
The Miracle Worker November 29- December 2 and December 6-9 (auditions October 7 & 8 )
Wassail!! December 15

A new theater … at last

That’s right, TATER PATCH PLAYERS have a home!!! Friday, February 25, the Taters purchased a building 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. The 2011 schedule is on the calendar. Ticket information, season tickets, seating changes, and lots more information will be here soon. Keep checking back. We’re having a great summer camp and a production with lots of children this summer. Details and sign up forms for that are coming soon, too. Oh my, we’d better get to work! If you want to help with work, ideas, sponsorship or funds, please contact us. And keep coming back to the website for pictures and news and soon, an open house at OUR NEW HOME. For an album of pictures of the new building, courtesy of knowpickens.com, go to http://www.knowpickens.com/photos/taterpatchtheater.asp

2011 Show Info

In May, The Odd Couple will bring a laugh a minute. Oscar and Felix — an odd pair indeed — deal with divorce, their poker buddies, and most of all, with each other. A classic comedy from Neil Simon. Performance dates are May 5-8, 12-15, and 19-21.
In July, a non-musical adaptation of Peter Pan featuring the talents of the Tater kids from our community, and a bunch of familiar adults. Adventure on the high seas and in the Darling kids’ imaginations.
In September, a hilarious farce to warm you up. A group of Hollywood types attempt to produce the Greatest Film Ever Made using a strange misfit cast of characters — it’s Epic Proportions!
In October, The Talmadge Brothers Mortuary and Casket Company, one of the finest haunted houses in North Georgia, is resurrected inside the Tater Patch Players Theater. Volunteer sign-up info at the top of the page.
In November, Tater Patch will again present an evening of short comic plays: Laugh Out Loud! Once again, this production will serve as a workshop for new directors and give our audiences a chance to preview our upcoming talent!