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$10 Student Rates for Hale Theatre

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:00:02 +0000

Our hit comedy, The Foreigner opened last Friday and has quickly become the talk of the town! Patrons have been calling in raving about the wonderful performance by this all star cast. You won’t want to miss this thrilling production full of laughs.

Also new for this production, ALL current High School & College students with valid ID’s qualify to receive student pricing for this production! For only $10, students with a current ID are able to purchase tickets over the phone or online. When checking out for any performance of The Foreigner, just use promotional code STU and the discounted tickets will be available for purchase. Please note, only 2 tickets per current student ID will be purchased, and ID’s will be checked at the Box Office when picking up tickets.

Charlie has a problem. He is shy. So his friend Froggy passes him off as a foreigner that doesn’t speak English at the old lodge so he doesn’t have to talk to anybody. But boy does he get an earful! Charlie discovers HUGE sinister plans. The mayhem that ensues makes this Larry Shue comedy one of the most outrageous and hilarious shows you will ever see!

You won’t want to miss incredible comedy. With an all-star cast of Hale Theatre favorites including Barbara McGrath, Robert Holt, Rob Stuart, Skyler Bean and newcomers Eric Brekke, Mallory Adams, and Scott McGee you will be laughing all night long. Award winning director Lori Towne returns with this show which is sure to be a hit with audience members of all ages. So book your tickets today! Call the Box Office at (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com

Annie Get Your Gun Closes

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:06:54 +0000

Recently our hit summer musical Annie Get Your Gun ended its exciting 7 week run. We thoroughly enjoyed working with this talented cast and crew throughout the summer and are very appreciative of their hard work. We are truly grateful for all that they do and wish them the best in all of their endeavors!

Joseph Gordon’s Interview with Erica Smith, star of Annie Get Your Gun

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:02:08 +0000

We are so blessed to be able to have an excellent resource here in Gilbert with their own Theatre Examiner. Joseph Gordon works hard to keep readers informed of theatre all across the Valley and recently took time out of his busy schedule to interview Erica Smith, the star of our summer musical, Annie Get Your Gun. You can read the full article, as well as numerous other articles here.

Q: How exciting is it for you to create the title role in one of the most famous musicals ever written?

A: It’s a little overwhelming. There are some big shoes to fill with all the great stars who have made the role of Annie their own. It is truly a special opportunity for me. The kind that only comes around every once in a while. I am really excited.

Q: How will you approach the role of Annie Oakley?

A: I did a lot of research, studied the background of Annie Oakley. She’s a very strong willed, savvy person. I have seen productions where she has been portrayed as dumb rather than uneducated. There’s is a subtle difference there between being dumb and uneducated. I found her to be an inherently smart woman. Annie see things simply and then she’s always doin’ what comes naturally. She is a very joyous person and that’s why I am having so much fun playing her. It’s like finding my inner child.

Q: How have you enjoyed your Hale experience?

A: I have so loved it. It’s my first show with Hale Theatre. I have always known it’s a great place to work from other people and from the shows I have seen there.

Q: What other roles have you tackled?

A: In 2008. I was Millie in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers for Director Tregoney Shepperd at Gilbert Fine Arts. I have also done a few shows at MCC where I had a lead role in Back to the ’80’s and also played in Children of Eden and Sweeney Todd.

Q: Are there any roles you would like to play?

A: It’s completely opposite from the role of Annie in Annie Get Your Gun but I would love to play Johanna in Sweeney Todd. I am a big Sondheim fan. My school is actually doing Into The Woods next year. I feel that I would have to be older to play the witch but there’s always Cinderella.

Q: What else have you done with U of A?

A: This past year, the Freshman class did The Traveling Vaudeville Show. We will be doing Spelling Bee next year.

All Show photos courtesy of Wade Moran

Hale Celebrates 7 Years!

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:00:23 +0000

Can you believe it has already been 7 years since our grand opening? We opened in the heat of the summer, July 25, 2003 and have been running comedies and musicals non-stop. Since that time there have been over 60 productions mounted on our centre-stage, we have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of actors, and most importantly we have been able to get to know our patrons as we strive to provide quality, family entertainment at a price everyone can enjoy! Thank you so much for your patronage & we look forward to the future!

Cast for The Foreigner announced!

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:00:51 +0000

Recently we held auditions here at the theatre and had a great turnout of actors and actresses from all over the valley. Award Winning Director Lori Towne sat in as these talented individuals read scenes from the script. We had a great turn out, but unfortunately were not able to use everyone this time around. The following individuals were cast for this great comedy. It is sure to be an all-star production that you will not want to miss! Congratulations to the following individuals, we look forward to working with you.

Eric Brekke (Charlie)

Rob Stuart (Rev. David Marshall Lee)

Robert Holt (Sergeant Froggy LeSueur)

Barbara McGrath (Betty Meeks)

Scott McGee (Owen)

Mallory Adams (Catherine Simms)

Stetson Holliday (Ellard Simms)

If you auditioned and were not cast, we look forward to having you at auditions in the future.

One Show Closes, Two More Open

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:30:05 +0000

Last Saturday we had to say goodbye to another excellent cast here at the Theatre. Forever Plaid completed its successful run and we couldn’t be happier with the cast, crew, and everyone involved with this production. Thank you so much for your hard work & dedication!

In addition to Forever Plaid closing on the evening of the 10th, our Children’s Theatre opened the award winning production of The Little Mermaid that morning to a sold out house! The cast put in long hours, several late evenings and an early morning to pull of the opening but it opened without a hitch. We couldn’t be happier!

Finally, our creative team has been working at a marathon pace, and we are opening Annie Get Your Gun tonight! (July 16th). It has been non stop work day and night to get the theatre back to its normal settings, but the show is looking great, the cast is phenomenal, and you are sure to love the production!

Tickets for Annie Get Your Gun & The Little Mermaid are on sale now! So call (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com today!

Last Chance to See Forever Plaid!

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:00:35 +0000

Recently, Jessica Van Zalen of the Arizona Republic interviewed Forever Plaid Director Michael Bryce. Below is the article that followed. We still have great seats available for this final and closing weekend. Call the Box Office today at (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com to buy now. You’ll be “Plaid” you did!

(link to the entire article is at the bottom)

Throw on your saddle shoes and catch one of the remaining performances of the do-wopping ’50s musical hit “Forever Plaid” at the Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert.

The production has been at the Hale since May, but it has been playing nationally to rave reviews since the early ’90s, telling the story of four ambitious young singers who die in a car crash in the 1950s and come back from the dead to put on their final performance.Though the storyline may sound grim, the play uses humor, director Michael Bryce said.

The four singers are played by DeVal Johnson, Devon Johnson, Stephen Erek and Nathan Turley.

The characters’ personalities and quirks, including one character’s obsessive compulsions and another’s nerves, keep the show light and fun for the audience and the actors. The show features 28 songs from singers such as Perry Como and Frank Sinatra with songs such as “Love is a Many Splendored Thing” and “Heart and Soul.”

One of Bryce’s favorite moments is during the song “Lady of Spain,” when the characters perform about 25 “Ed Sullivan Show”-style gags.

There are twirlers, jugglers, impersonations and even Topo Gigio in the three-minute song.

But the real magic is in the music. The four “Plaids” join in close harmonies with delightfully intricate choreography to accompany the classic do-wop hits, Bryce said. To capture the authenticity of the retro performances, Bryce transformed the Hale’s theater-in-the-round into a traditional stage so the actors could sing facing the audience. Also new for the Hale, this show features a band with a piano, bass and drums, instead of an orchestral track typically used in Hale productions.

Bryce, whose background is in music and who is musical director, says he enjoys that the production is all about feeling good and the music.

“When I sit in the audience, I watch the crowd,” he says. “I see people smiling and women smiling at their husbands or people saying to each other, ‘Do you remember this?’ “

Princess & The Pea Closes to Sold Out Crowd

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:00:17 +0000

Last weekend marked the ending of our wildly popular children’s show, The Princess & The Pea. The cast was absolutely marvelous, the costumes were beautiful, and the audience just loved it. We wanted to thank our talented cast and crew for their hard work and dedication that made the show a success! We also thought you would enjoy these pictures taken after Saturday’s Show.

The Talented Cast of The Princess & The Pea 2010

Review of Forever Plaid

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:00:21 +0000

Recently, theatre critic Chris Curcio, of Curtain Up Phoenix & KBAQ attended a showing of Forever Plaid and this is what he had to say about it. If you would like to read the article in its entirety, please visit HERE Enjoy!

Gilbert’s ambitious community theater, the Hale Centre, continues to do remarkably professional productions. Their current musical, “Forever Plaid,” is a remount of a production done several seasons ago that was great. With a new cast and director, the latest version is just as entertaining and polished.

The musical revue focuses on a four-part guy quartet, a 1950s entertainment staple, who patterned themselves after The Four Aces, The Four Lads, and The Four Freshmen. The group rehearsed until 1964 when they got their first gig. On the way, they were killed by a school bus.

Through some weird astro-technical stuff, they get a chance to come back for a day to present the performance they never got to do. Their repertory includes two dozen hit pop standards like “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Perfidia,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Catch A Falling Star,” “Heart and Soul,” “Lady of Spain,” and “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.” They do lots of clever comic things as they sing the songs beautifully. The group’s members include Sparky, a funny guy; the shy but gifted singer Jinx; Smudge, who hides behind bulky glasses and has unusual moments of stage fear; and Francis, an entertaining singer who tries to lead the group.

For this show, the Hale Centre reconfigures its square stage into a thrust and, unlike most of their musicals, they use a live combo instead of recorded music. The striking set that results is the perfect locale. The revue is expertly staged by Michael Bryce and an outstanding ensemble sings with rich harmonies and soaring vocal expertise. The performers are ably backed by the combo that includes a pianist, bass, and drums. Bryce instills much fun and a relaxed ambience to the proceedings and his cast is one of the most accomplished I’ve seen in a community theater production.

DeVal Johnson’s Sparky takes advantage of his great comic ability as he adds bits of welcome humor while he spurts about the stage in an energetic performance. Devon Johnson has just the right hesitancy as Jinx; while Nathan Turley’s overly conscientious Smudge adds pleasant humor.

Hale Centre is an East Valley theatrical gem that presents fine community theater stagings of musicals and comedies. The delightfully entertaining and tuneful “Forever Plaid” continues through July 10. For tickets, call the Hale Centre Theatre box office at (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com

Little Mermaid Opening July 10th!

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:25:04 +0000

As summer is quickly approaching, what better way to cool down by taking a journey “under-the-sea”? Come enjoy a cool morning under the sea with this mystical musical fairytale! Escape the heat, and bring your children in for a day they will never forget. Your little princess will sure enjoy this version based on Han’s Christian Anderson’s tale of Arabelle and her sisters as they strive to escape the Sea Witch and look for their prince charming. Your children will surely enjoy the singing mermaids, the beautiful choreography, bright and colorful costumes, and the under water creatures!

You won’t want to miss this cool summer musical. It’s sure to be a hit with audience members of all ages. It will be a cheery-occasion for all in attendance. So get your head out of the water and book your tickets today! Call the Box Office at (480) 497-1181 or visit www.haletheatrearizona.com