"The Laramie Project" Act II

Videography by Robert Terrano, October 6th, 2013

"The Laramie Project" Act I

For those who may have missed it, here is Act I of this past Sunday's Special reading of The Laramie Project. Acts II & III will follow.

Special Event: One Night Only

JTMF is proud to present a One Night Only staged reading of The Laramie Project; Sunday, October 6th, 2013. The reading will take place at the Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ.

Proceeds will benefit The Tyler Clementi Foundation.

Presented to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the attack on Matthew Shepherd, the reading will be followed by a special talk-back with the cast and representatives of The Tyler Clementi Foundation.

Directed by Judi Parrish, the cast includes Melissa Abrahams of Chesterfield, NJ; Brian Bara of Levittown, PA; Christian DiTullio of Lawrenceville, NJ; Damian Gaeta of Hamilton, NJ; Kathy Garofano of Morrisville, PA; Laurie Hardy of Hamilton, NJ; Jennifer Nasta Zefutie of Cranbury, NJ and Jeremy Robinson of Chesterfield, NJ.

We hope you can join us for this very special event (the only JTMF event this year). Tickets are $10 to $15 and are available by calling the Kelsey Box Office at 609-570-3333; online at www.kelseyatmercer.org or at the Box Office one hour before curtain.

Bullying and suicide among teens and preteens remain at all-time high. You can be part of the solution by attending this important event.

Watch this space for an exciting announcement, coming soon!

The Cast of "Jeffrey"

The Cast of the JTMF 10th Anniversary Production of "Jeffrey"

Meet the cast of the James Tolin Memorial Fund's 10th Anniversary production of Paul Rudnick's romantic comedy, Jeffrey. Here they are, relaxing after a long day. The cast that hot tubs together, stays together (or something).

Top Row, L-R: Christian Anthony; Dan Newsome; Brian A. Bara and Chino Aczayus.

Bottom Row, L-R: William Mercado; Alycia M. Bauch; David C. Hamm and Damian Gaeta.

Jeffrey will have 3 performances only; June 22 & 23 at 8:00 PM (preceded by a silent auction and reception at 7:00 PM) and June 24th at 2:00 PM. at the Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ. 

Tickets are $25 for the Friday and Saturday performances and $12 - $16 for the Sunday matinee. Tickets are on sale now at www.kelseyatmcccc.org or by calling the Kelsey box office at 609-570-3333.

100% of ticket sales benefit The Open Arms Foundation, the James Tolin Memorial Scholarship at MCCC and the Tyler Clementi Foundation.

Jeffrey contains adult themes and language. It is not recommended for children under 17 or those of a prurient nature.

The Poster for "Jeffrey" - Our 10th Anniversary Production

A New Beneficiary

The James Tolin Memorial Fund is pleased to announce the addition of our newest beneficiary: The Tyler Clementi Foundation.

As you may remember, Tyler was a Rutgers University freshman who, after having a private encounter with another man broadcast over the Internet by his roommate and another so-called friend, took his own life by jumping from the George Washington Bridge in September of 2010.

Based in New Jersey, The Tyler Clementi Foundation is dedicated to the prevention of teen suicide and bullying. Started by Tyler's parents so that some good might come from his tragic death, the Foundation's motto is "Live = Let Live."

The bullying and consequential suicides of LGBT kids is at an epidemic rate in this country. The JTMF is committed to put an end to this epidemic, while still working towards putting an end to HIV/AIDS.

A portion of the proceeds from our recent radio-play production of A Christmas Carol have been donated to the Tyler Clementi Foundation and we look forward to finding a way to partner with them in an effort to promote acceptance, trust and peace between LGBT and straight youth.

To that end, please join us this April for Hairspray, the hit musical that celebrates diversity and promotes social harmony. Tickets are on sale now.

Auditions for "Hairspray"

AUDITIONS
"HAIRSPRAY" at Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, NJ.

Wed./Thurs. Jan. 25 & 26 - 6pm to 11pm (dance audition from 8:30 to 9:30pm)
Sun. Jan. 29 - 1pm to 5pm (dance audition from 2:30 to 3:30)

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR A 5-MINUTE SLOT

ON THE DOOR OF ROOM CM122

MUST BE 18 or older to audition (will take High School Seniors)

FOR QUESTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS:

Contact Tracy Antozzeski at jtmf@verizon.net

AUDITIONS:

Please come prepared to perform 16 bars of an up-tempo (preferably) or ballad, contemporary Broadway song (1960-present). We'd explicitly like you to know you should come prepared with more than 1 selection because we're very likely to ask you for something else. Pick a song the character you want to play might have sung or would sing. Bring in an instrumental CD or sheet music for accompaniment. Please do NOT sing a song from Hairspray. On the day you do your singing audition, you must stay for a one hour dance audition. Every character in the show dances, at least a little.

Please note that the role of Tracy's mother has been pre-cast.

CALLBACKS:

Callbacks will be held January 29th from 6PM to 11PM. Callbacks will be posted on the Studio Theatre door (CM122) by 5:o0PM on January 29th. All actors chosen for callbacks should plan to be at the Studio Theatre from 6PM to 11PM. It is possible that callbacks will end before 11pm. At the callback, you will be using this time to learn a song or two from Hairspray and perform it later in the evening. NOTE: YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR CALLBACKS TO AUDITION!


REHEARSALS:

Hairspray will rehearse Mondays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays from 7:30 PM to 11PM beginning January 30. An additional rehearsal will be added on either Saturday or Sunday; the day and time will be decided by the cast and director at the first rehearsal on January 30th. There will be an occasional dance rehearsal every other Friday beginning in February.

PERFORMANCES:

Fri. Apr. 13, 2012 at 8pm

Sat. Apr. 14 & 21 at 2pm & 8pm

Sun. Apr. 15 & 22 at 2pm

The Cast of "Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'"

Our 2011 Winter Event is about to start rehearsals and we're proud to announce the cast for this 1940's-style radio play version of the beloved classic.

In alphabetic order:

Brian Bara
Matty Daley
Damian Gaeta
Kathy Garofano
Michael Lovett
Sean McGrath
Maddie Patrick
Janet Quartarone*

The production will have four performances; December 2nd though December 3rd at the Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ. For information, please visit the Kelsey Website. Partial proceeds from this event benefit The Trevor Project.

*Updated November 3rd, 2011.

Our Podcast is Up!

Visit Maurer Onstage's Backstage Pass to hear a podcast about the Die Mommie Die!:

http://www.mponstage.com/podcasts/42_dmd/index.php

Tickets are on sale now online at www.kelseyatmccc.org or by calling the Kelsey Box Office at 609-570-3333.

Don't miss the funniest show of the year!

Our Gorgeous Cast

Finally... here's a group photo of our amazing cast for this year's production of Charles Busch's Die Mommie Die! You may recognize a few of them from previous productions.

Standing from L: D.C. Hamm, Kathy Garofano, John DeVennie.

Seated from L: Matty Daley, Damian Geata, Kelly Reilly.

Rehearsals are going well and we're well on our way to another outrageous and hilarious show.

Tickets are available now at www.kelseyatmccc.org or by calling the Kelsey Box Office at 609-570-3333. Don't miss what is sure to be the funniest show of the season!

"Die Mommie Die!" Has Been Cast!

The James Tolin Memorial fund is very pleased to announce the cast of our upcoming benefit production of Charles Busch's comedic thriller Die Mommie Die!



In order of appearance, they are:




Bootsie - Kathy Garofano
Edith - Kelly Reilly
Sol - Jeffrey Milstein
Angela - D.C. Hamm
Tony - Damian Gaeta
Lance - Matty Daley

We are very excited to work these fine actors and are looking forward to yet another outrageous and incredibly fun production and hope you are, too.

Performances are Friday, June 24th and Saturday, June 25th at 8:00 PM (Silent Auction opens at 7:00 PM) and Sunday, June 24th at 2:00 PM (No auction or reception). Order your tickets now at www.kelseytheatre.net or through our website, www.jtmf.org. We hope to see you there! It's guaranteed to be the funniest show you'll see this season!

It Gets Better

Millions of people are bullied both in person and online, everyday. Many are able to shrug it off and move on, but many more (especially young people) find themselves at a loss as to how to cope and and up taking their own lives.

This past fall saw such a huge rise in such suicides, that we felt moved to do something and we added The Trevor Project, a non-profit 24 hour suicide prevention hotline for LGBT and questioning youth, to our list of beneficiaries. We were happy to make our first donation to them after of production of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play," this past December.

We also recently produced our own "It Gets Better" video, featuring JTMF members, supporters and actors who spent an afternoon this past February, once again donating their time to our cause. Please help make that time worthwhile and donate to The Trevor Project at www.thetrevorproject.org. or visit www.jtmf.org and donate to help us help the organizations that are dear to us.

Here's the JTMF "It Gets Better" video. Please feel free to share it with anyone you think might need to hear its message:

If you or someone you know is considering suicide because of bullying, please call The Tevor Project toll free at 866-488-7386. It really does get better.

Die Mommie Die!

The poster is in, the show is almost completely cast, pre-production is well on its way.

Keep watching for updates here and on our Facebook page.

Coming Soon

Watch this space for JTMF's latest YouTube video...

In Case You Missed It

In case you were unable to attend our production of It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, here's what you missed:

Part I:

Part II:



Part III:

Join us this coming June for our production of Charles Busch's outrageous Hollywood parody Die Mommie! Die! and December 2011 for our Radio Play production of A Christmas Carol. And watch for our upcoming "It Gets Better" video for The Trevor Project.

It's a Wonderful Final Dress Rehearsal

This spiffy-looking group is the complete cast and Foley crew of It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Once more, down the line from left to right: John Maurer; Diana Maurer; Judi Parrish; Jennifer Barron; Shelly Snyder; Damian Gaeta; Sarah Stryker; Sean McGrath and Glen Calhoun. They are quite simply, amazing and I love them, even when they whine or make fun of me.

I think we all assumed that this would be an easy-to-produce show. While it certainly is less work and time than our full June Gala could ever hope to be, we were all taken by surprise by more than one thing or another. And my music cues are somehow off... Still, all that whining aside (though I must admit that actors whine way more than directors), the show is going to be really something special. If our audiences have half the fun as we are having, then we have done our jobs well. And of course, I'll say it until it's no longer true: There is no cast like a JTMF cast. As our family of regular performers grows, so does the depth of extraordinary talent available to us, and the more we all work together, the stronger an ensemble company we become. I've been dong theatre for longer than any one thing in my life. I've done very good theatre and very bad theatre. I've been quite proud of most of my body of work. But I am never prouder than when part of a JTMF show.

The folks in that picture at the top of this post have the goods and they deliver. And nothing makes a director happier than an ensemble that delivers.

If you're still a bit a skeptical about the whole 'Radio Play' thing, you can listen to the cast and crew of It's a Wonderful Life (and yours truly) in a special podcast here at MPOnline. It's like radio on the web... Please feel free to share the link: http://www.mponstage.com/podcasts/35_IAWL/index.php.

Good seats are still available for all four performances. Call 609-570-3333 or visit www.kelseyatmercer. org; www.jtmf.org or click the link to the Kelsey Theater at the top right of this blog. Tickets may also be purchased at the Kelsey Box Office, 1 hour before curtain.

Don't miss this unusual and entertaining version of a Family Holiday Favorite! It's a nostalgic glimpse into the history of Entertainment and suitable for the entire family. I can't think of a better way to get into the Holiday mood...

A portion of the proceeds from this production will be donated to JTMF's newest beneficiary, The Trevor Project. It Gets Better.

Seats Are Still Available

Tickets are still available for our first winter event, featuring Joe Landry's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play this coming weekend at the Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor, NJ.

Tonight was our first technical rehearsal, using mikes and even a few new sound effects for the first time. The cast was a bit taken aback by some of what they were hearing (or not hearing).

It's really starting to take shape now, and the actors are having even more fun with the script (though one or two still forget who they're supposed be at any given moment, but that will stop well before we open -- I hope). In all seriousness, there is no cast like a JTMF cast, and they're with us not just because they want to be onstage, but because they want to make a difference, which means egos go out the door and performance becomes the priority. This is my ninth JTMF show (and seventh time directing) and I can attest to the consistent quality of talent and dedication in our 'family.' That's our cast in the new banner photo and the photo to your right. From left to right in the banner, they are: Sean McGrath; Glen Calhoun; Damian Gaeta (who is setting a JTMF performance record with this, his sixth show with us); Foley Captain, Judi Parrish; Jennifer Barron; Sarah Stryker and John Maurer.

And speaking of making a difference, the JTMF is proud to announce our new beneficiary, The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is a 24 hour suicide-prevention hot line for LGBT and questioning youth. They provide confidential and anonymous ears, while offering counsel to any young person with questions, problems or thoughts of suicide. The Trevor Lifeline's toll-free number is 866-4-U-Trevor (866-488-7386).

LGBT youth are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than straight kids, and it's on the rise. Thankfully, so is awareness of the problem. A portion of the proceeds from It's a Wonderful Life: A live Radio Play will be donated to The Trevor Project. And watch for the JTMF's own "It Gets Better" video, coming in late January.

For Tickets to It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, please call 609-570-3333 or visit www.kelseyatmccc.org. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Kelsey Theatre box office, one hour before curtain.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Two Weeks from Tonight!

The James Tolin Memorial Fund is proud to announce their first Winter event, featuring Joe Landry’s adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, December 3^rd & 4^th at 7:30 PM and December 4^th & 5^th at 2:00 PM at the Kelsey Theater on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, NJ.

The production recreates the experience of seeing a live radio broadcast from the 1940’s just as a studio audience would have, complete with a live Foley (sound effects) crew.

It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play was developed from Landry’s full stage production and first mounted at the Stamford Center for the Arts in 1996. It tells the story of George Bailey, a man about to take his own life, and an angel named Clarence who convinces him not to, by showing him how different the lives of his friends and family would have been had he never been born. The 1946 Frank Capra film is a beloved holiday classic and stars James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. It also served as the inspiration for the names of the “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie.

Tickets are $10.00, $12.00 & $14.00 and can be purchased at the Kelsey Box Office one hour before curtain, online at www.kelseyatmccc.org, or by phone at 609-570-3333. For more information, please visit www.kelseyatmccc.org. For more information about The James Tolin Memorial Fund, please visit www.jtmf.org or search “James Tolin Memorial Fund” on YouTube.

A Long-Overdue Update

That's MCCC student Fredy Barrientos, this year's recipient of The James Tolin Memorial Scholarship. Fredy is a student in MCCC's Entertainment Technology program and has worked on every MCCC show since he started at the college. He is recently married expecting his first child. Fredy is dedicated to receiving his degree and was deeming most deserving of this year's award.

In other JTMF news, make you sure you visit JTMF.org for the latest news about our first Winter Event, featuring It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. An adaptation of the Frank Capra classic, the show recreates the experience of seeing a live radio broadcast, just as audiences of the 1940's would have done, complete with a live Foley (sound effects) crew.

It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will have four performances, December 3rd and 4th at 7:30 PM and December 4th and 5th at 2:00 PM at the Kelsey Theater on the campus of Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ. Tickets are $10.00, $12.00 and $14.00 and can be purchased by visiting www.kelseyatmccc.org, at the Kelsey box-office one hour before curtain or by calling 609-570-3333.

Please join us for this unusual adaptation of a holiday classic and get into the Holiday Spirit in old-fashioned way. We'll be looking for you!