ACT is proud to sponsor The Autumn Players, a talented senior theatre group. This group of seasoned actors has been bringing theatre to the Asheville community since 1992. In 2008, The Autumn Players and North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement partnered to initiate a series of Readers Theatre Showcase productions. Advance tickets for all performances will be sold through the ACT Box Office and can be purchased over the phone by calling 828-254-1320 or in person. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door - cash or check only.

The Autumn Players' READERS THEATRE SHOWCASE: 2010-11 Season

~ initiated by, dedicated to and in memory of Bernie Hauserman 1937-2009

Auditions are open to all in the community and will be held in ACT's 35below unless stated otherwise. The first two days of all performances are in 35below; the final day will be at the Reuter Center.

Pygmalion
Performance Dates: September 24-25, 2010 at 35below and September 26 at the Reuter Center all at 2:30

Written by: George Bernard Shaw
Henry Higgins, a fussy British phonetics professor, wagers that he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a guttersnipe Cockney flower girl, into a lady of breeding in London society with surprising results.

 

The Little Foxes
Performance Dates: November 19-20, 2010 at 35below and November 21at the Reuter Center all at 2:30

Written by: Lillian Hellman
Set in a well-appointed home in the South, the focus is on two generations of a wealthy family who scheme and strive to outwit the other in terms of the family money.

 

The Shadow Box
Performance Dates: April 1-2, 2010 at 35below and April 3 at the Reuter Center all at 2:30

Written by: Michael Cristofer
Focusing on three terminally ill people and their families, this play does what few others dare: it gives an honest, often humorous account of human mortality. Joe is a blue-collar worker whose wife can't accept the idea of losing him. Brian's flamboyant ex-wife stirs up trouble between him and his new, same-sex partner. And, Agnes is a woman whose life is passing her by.  All three come to realize that life is to be savored from moment to each precious moment. The author was awarded a Pulitzer and a Tony in 1977.

 

A Trio of One-Act Plays
Performance Dates: June 24-25, 2010 at 35below and June 26 at the Reuter Center all at 2:30

Trifles

Written by: Susan Glaspell
A taciturn farmer is found murdered in his bed; his wife is immediately taken to jail. At the scene of the crime, the sheriff and county attorney have a different take on the situation than do two neighbor women.

 

In the Shadow of the Glen

Written by: J. M. Synge
A tramp seeking shelter in an isolated farm house finds young Nora Burke tending to the corpse of her elderly husband Daniel. When Nora leaves to find Michael, a youthful shepherd, Daniel reveals to the tramp that his death is a ruse. He plays dead again when Nora and Michael return, but leaps to life when Michael proposes to Nora. And, then ….

 

Fumed Oak

Written by: Noel Coward
Amiable and hard-working Henry Gow is surrounded by his henpecking wife, his brat daughter and his complaining mother-in-law. But, the worm turns when he comes home with a couple of drinks under his belt and a new courage.

 

Beau Jest
Performance Dates: August 19-20, 2010 at 35below and August 21 at the Reuter Center all at 2:30

Written by: James Sherman
Sarah is a nice Jewish girl whose parents want her to marry a nice Jewish boy, preferably, a doctor. But, she has no one who fits the specifications. So, Sarah hires a young man from an escort service to meet her parents and introduces him as Dr. Steinberg. Her parents are enchanted; Sarah is, too! That he definitely isn’t Jewish poses a big roadblock.