Invisible Theatre News

2 Across "2 ACROSS" SPELLS SMART HUMOR By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com Invisible Theatre has a tasty morsel in "2 Across" by Jerry Mayer, directed by Gail Fitzhugh. Even though we pretty much always know where this train ride is taking us, the ride is still a lot of fun. We enjoy "2 Across" because there are funny jokes told by people with substantial personalities. Read the entire review here: http://tucsonstage.com/LINKS/IT_Reviews/2_Across/2_across.html

3-letter word starting with 'f' Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, November 12, 2010 Director Gail Fitzhugh has delivered a well-timed, tightly focused production of this Jerry Mayer script. It bops along nicely, with so many laugh lines that there's hardly time to breathe between them. It helps that the actors in this two-person cast know what they are doing. Maedell Dixon and David Alexander Johnston slid into their characters with ease. If you're up for an evening of comedy, get on board. This lightweight play is serious fun. Read the entire review here: http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/article_580f99fc-aa1f-5e3f-b384-72cc73292c61.html Review of "2 Across" at Invisible Theatre, Tucson, AZ

Crosswords offer clues to life in '2 Across' : " Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, November 5 [Playwright] Mayer, now 79 and retired from his last studio job as executive producer on 'The Facts of Life,' went after writing plays with the same gusto with which he had pursued television writing. His play '2 Across' opens at Invisible Theatre next week. It is one of eight plays he has written and had produced; he's working on his ninth. "2 Across" is about a man and a woman who meet on a subway train at 4 a.m. (Mayer took a trip to San Francisco and hopped a BART train at that hour to make sure it is plausible that two people could be alone on the train at that time - it was). They are both working on crosswords - she is focused and precise, he is the opposite. When the crossword becomes too much for him, he turns to the sports page. She takes him to task, and a ride that sees deep changes in both of them begins. On the f

A Conversation with Susan Claassen About Edith Head

Servings of Nostalgia | Review | Tucson Weekly Servings of Nostalgia Two fine plays take Tucsonans back in time by Nathan Christensen Tucson Weekly The Invisible Theatre is dishing up Moonlight and Magnolias as the first production of its 40th anniversary season, and the flavor is light, sweet and frothy, with a little bit of kick. The play is about three brilliant men colliding in a small room as they work to create something monumental—and the production itself offers three talented men colliding on a small stage as they create a high-energy evening of theater. Terry Erbe, Dwayne Palmer and Roberto Guajardo in Moonlight and Magnolias . Read the entire review at: Servings of Nostalgia | Review | Tucson Weekly

Moonlight and Magnolias GOLDEN THEATER SET IN A GOLDEN AGE By Chuck Graham Let the Show Begin TucsonStage.com "Moonlight and Magnolias" now at Invisible Theatre is the perfect play-going experience, full of emotional conflict, comedy and truth. Betsy Kruse Craig adds to the fun as director by keeping the pace at neck-snapping speed, zipping punch lines back and forth across the stage until it feels like you're watching one of those Chinese world championship ping-pong matches. For Dwayne Palmer, "Moonlight and Magnolias" is his finest performance yet. Giving away nothing in energy or alacrity, veteran actors Roberto Guajardo as garrulous writer Ben Hecht and Terry Erbe as arrogant director Victor Fleming are happy to push their own roles to equally emotional extremes. Getting laughs with her rigid propriety is Victoria McGee playing Selznick's obedient secretary. Read the full review at Moonlight and Magnolias .

Rewrite of 'Gone With the Wind' churns out fun Rewrite of 'Gone With the Wind' churns out fun Cathalena E. Burch Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, September 17, 2010 Director Betsy Kruse Craig's ramped up the humor with dialogue delivered in rapid fire and physical exchanges by Palmer and Erbe as they acted out the scenes for Guajardo's on-the-verge-of-bumbling Hecht. Palmer brought to his impression of Scarlett O'Hara a deliciously funny feminism and exaggerated Southern twang while Erbe delivered an over-the-top Melanie in the throes of childbirth. Hecht is a hard character to nail, but Guajardo convincingly conveyed him in all his shades With delicious physical gestures and fabulously funny facial expressions, Victoria McGee's Miss Poppenghul was a delight. Read the entire review at Rewrite of 'Gone With the Wind' churns out fun PHOTO BY TIM FULLER / COURTESY INVISIBLE THEATRE Dwayne Palmer (with book), Terry Erbe and Roberto Guajardo in I

'Gone With the Wind' tempest blows again Jackie Tran For The Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, September 10, 2010 Who knew the Academy Award-winning "Gone With the Wind" was nearly gone with the wind. Three weeks after filming began on the 1939 movie version of Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel, producer David O. Selznick screeched production to a halt, fired the great director George Cukor, then stopped production on "The Wizard of Oz" so that its director, Victor Fleming, could direct "Gone With the Wind." Then Selznick hired ace scriptwriter Ben Hecht (about the 13th to work on it), put him in a room with himself and Fleming, and set a deadline: Five days and a new script. What happened in those five days is the subject of Ron Hutchinson's comedy "Moonlight and Magnolias," which Invisible Theatre opens next week. Read the entire preview in the Arizona Daily Star, click: 'Gone With the Wind' tem

'Empty Plate' surprisingly satisfying 'Empty Plate' surprisingly satisfying Invisible Theatre closes 39th season with powerful play Posted May 3, 2010, 9:55 am Dave Irwin TucsonSentinel.com At first glance, the premise of "An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf "might seem unsubstantial. However, this last production of the Invisible Theatre’s 39th season provides belly laughs, a dollop of irony and even some bittersweet emotional moments of truth. READ MORE ... http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/arts/report/050310_emptyplate/#When:16:55:16Z Photo credit: Tim Fuller The cast. (seated) Roberto Guajardo; (left to right) Sean Dupont, Cynthia Jeffery, David Johnston, Carrie Hill and Brad Kula

“AN EMPTY PLATE” IS TASTY FARE AT INVISIBLE THEATRE by Chuck Graham Tucsonstage.com Let the Show Begin Hold the food puns for a minute and let’s be serious. Roberto Guajardo gives another wonderful over-the-top performance at Invisible Theatre in “An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf.” What a season he is having. From the multiple characters in “Leaving Iowa” last autumn to the crazily colorful Pancho Villa last winter, to the suicidal gourmet in the recently-opened black comedy “Empty Plate.” There hasn’t been a time that I can remember in Tucson theater when a local actor gave three exceptional performances in one season. As for “Empty Plate,” this quirky play by Michael Hollinger almost defies description. There’s food, of course, and descriptions of gourmet dishes that would make a menu writer’s jaw drop in awe. Succulent adjectives of every texture and flavor lace the script as the chef and maitre d’ extol the scintillating virtues of each new offering from the world class ki

'Empty Plate' full of rich theater fare IT'S LATEST PLAY DISHES UP TALE OF A MISERABLE LIFE 'Empty Plate' full of rich theater fare Cathalena E. Burch Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, April 30, 2010 Warning: Don't come to see Invisible Theatre's production of "An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf" on an empty stomach. You'll torture yourself as plate by plate of French dishes is described in a saliva-inducing feast of adjectives and adverbs. Descriptions are all you will get; the real food is left in the kitchen in this one-act play by Michael Hollinger and all we see are empty plates served to Monsieur Victor (Roberto Guajardo), the millionaire proprietor of the finest restaurant in the world whose only diner is himself. Victor's devoted staff - the stammering new-kid-in-the-dining room Antoine (Brad Kula), the gastronomically sadistic waiter Claude (Sean Dupont), his unhappy wife/waitress Mimi (Carrie Hill) and chef Gaston (David

'Empty Plate' brings much to the table COMEDY WILL SERVE A LARGE SIDE DISH OF DRAMA 'Empty Plate' brings much to the table Kathleen Allen Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, April 23, 2010 Michael Hollinger isn't a gourmand, a millionaire or a big Hemingway fan. But Victor, the main character in Hollinger's play, "An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf," is each of those. "An Empty Plate," which Invisible Theatre will open next week, is a comedy laced with drama about a very rich man (Victor), who quotes Hemingway often and has an exquisite restaurant in Paris that is open 24/7 and serves only him. And he's decided to kill himself by starving to death. That stresses Victor's staff of a chef and waiters to no end - their purpose to life is to serve him. What will they do if they no longer can do that? It is Hollinger's first play - one he wrote as an antidote to a too-structured film class. READ MORE ... 'Empty Plate' b

Pastime Players reflect many talents DOCUMENTARY CAPTURES SPECIAL PERFORMERS M. Scot Skinner Skinner@azstarnet.com | Posted: Thursday, April 15, 2010 A fascinating documentary about the Pastime Players, a Tucson troupe that showcases the abilities of people with developmental disabilities, is one of 18 feature films selected for the 2010 Arizona International Film Festival. "Such Good Friends" goes behind the scenes with the inspiring ensemble, which took its name from the street within the Amphitheater school district, where the Pastime Players originated 25 years ago. Under the constant and energetic guidance of Susan Claassen, Gail Fitzhugh and other professionals from Tucson's Invisible Theatre, the players have rehearsed and performed at Catalina High Magnet School since 1990. You can see "Such Good Friends," a film by Claassen and Cyndee Wing, at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Crossroads theater on East Grant Road. Although the documentary was first screened at th

THE INVISIBLE THEATRE ANNOUNCES COMPANY AUDITIONS FOR MEN AND WOMEN IN PRODUCTIONS FOR ITS 2010-2011 40 th ANNIVERSARY SEASON The Invisible Theatre will hold auditions for their 2010-2011 Season on Saturday, March 27, 2010 beginning at 3:30 PM . Auditions will be held at the Invisible Theatre (1400 N. First Avenue at Drachman). Parts are available for men and women, ages 14 – 60's. Please call the Invisible Theatre ( 520-884-0672 ) with your name and phone contact to sign up for an audition time. All actors are compensated. Actors must bring a recent headshot and resume. Those new to the theatre are asked to perform a 2 minute contemporary monologue.