Tickets for “Rustlers of Red Rock” Go on Sale March 13

Brush Creek Players are back — with our 2022 melodrama!

Tickets go on sale Sunday, March 13 for The Rustlers of Red Rock, written by D. Chappelle and directed by Norman Gouveia.

We are confident we will have plenty of tickets at the door (even with reduced seating, but you can get tickets in advance at Runaway Art & Craft Studio at 4675 Commercial SE in Salem (a new South Salem location for our Salem ticket-selling partner) or at   Books-N-Time at 210 N. Water in Silverton (same location — but a new owner — for our Silverton partner).

The production will open Friday, March 18 and run for three weekends, to close on Sunday, April 3. Performances begin at 7 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm on Sundays. If you decide to buy your tickets at the door, you should plan to be there at least 15 minutes early.

Evil Villain, Innocent Heroine, and a Dashing Hero!

All is not well at the Circle D Wagons Ranch. Sweet and innocent ranch owner Blossom White, her mother Lily and faithful ranch hand Quiet Harry are working hard to keep the ranch in the black, or at least out of the red.

Unfortunately, they are plagued by rustler Black Bart Bushwacker, who has wrangled a job as their “trusted” foreman, who is hard at work with his secret partner, Scarlett Vixen.

Will no one be able to stop these villains? The White family’s ooooooonlyyyyy hope appears to be Steve Dashing. Can he save the day!

Tickets are still just $10 (and only $8 for children, students & seniors)

Contact Michael Wood at (503)508-3682 for more information or if you want to make a group ticket purchase.

BCP Pivots to Melodrama, but the Season is On! Begins March 18

Unfortunately, Brush Creek did not get a full cast for The Bat. We will give it a try again next fall. But we did get a group of actors who were willing to take off in a different direction.

Rustlers of Red Rock, by D. Chapelle, will open a 3-weekend run on Friday, March 18. BCP Veteran Norman Gouveia will be directing the show, and he and the cast are anxious to get this new production in front of Brush Creek audiences.

All is not well at the Circle D Wagons Ranch. Sweet and innocent ranch owner Blossom White, her mother Lily and faithful ranch hand Quiet Harry are working hard to keep the ranch in the black, or at least out of the red.

Unfortunately, they are plagued by rustler Black Bart Bushwacker, who has wrangled a job as their “trusted” foreman, who is hard at work with his secret partner, Scarlett Vixen.

Will no one be able to stop these villains? The White family’s ooooooonlyyyyy hope appears to be Steve Dashing. Can he save the day!

Presented by special arrangement ,

The play will run on Friday, March 18, through Sunday April 3rd. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7 pm, with matinees at 2pm.   Tickets will go on sale soon at our ticket-selling partners.

Watch this space for more information on ticket sales,

Guess What? We have auditions on Jan 23 & 24 for a new show

Brush Creek is pleased to announce that we will be opening our 2022 season (after being “dark” for two years) with “The Bat.”

Auditions for this delightful classic mystery will be

1 pm  on Sunday, January 23 
6 pm on Monday, January 24.

Rehearsals will begin February 7, and the production will open on Friday, March 18 and run through Sunday, April 3.

BCP Veteran Norman Gouveia will be directing the show, and he is anxious to get this new production in front of Brush Creek audiences. Beginners and experienced actors are encouraged to try out — given the need to protect all our volunteers and audience members, we do ask that all members of the cast and crew provide verification that they have received a COVID-19 vaccination and a booster if eligible to receive one.

If you have questions about the production, you can reach Norman at normanjr1@msn.com.

Did the classic mystery, The Bat, inspire a superhero?

The Bat is a 1920 three-act play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood that was based on Rinehart’s 1908 novel, The Circular Staircase. The story combines elements of mystery and comedy as Cornelia Van Gorder and her guests spend a stormy night at her rented summer home, searching for stolen money they believe is hidden in the house, while they are stalked by a masked criminal known as “the Bat.”

The Bat was a critical and commercial success, running for 867 performances in New York and 327 performances in London. The play was revived twice on Broadway, in 1937 and 1953. It spawned several adaptations, including a 1926 novel and three film adaptations were produced in 1926, 1930, and 1959.

The play and its adaptations inspired other comedy-mysteries with similar settings, and they are said to have influenced the creation of the comic-book superhero Batman.

The cast of characters includes 10 adults of various ages, with marvelous roles for both males and females. Brush Creek encourages actors and would-be actors to give the show a try — and for the rest of you, mark your calendars for our March 18 opening!

 

 

BCP elects new officers and plans for 2022 and beyond

After spending most of 2020 and 2021 “dark,” BCP is making plans to reopen our stage in 2022. BCP President Heidi Parsons convened the Brush Creek general membership meeting virtually on Sunday, November 28.

At the meeting, the BCP Board shared tentative plans for the 2022 season — the Board hope to start our season with The Bat in early Spring, followed by the annual children/young adult show, The Brothers Grimm Tale of Snow White, in late Spring/early Summer. We plan a melodrama over the Summer and perhaps another production during the Fall. We will be rounding the season off with a Holiday Variety Show in December.

Because BCP owns its building outright and was able to decrease (but not eliminate) its ongoing expenditures by letting the stage “go dark” — and because of continuing donations by friends of the theater, as well as a grant received from the Marion County Cultural Trust — Treasurer Michael Wood was able to report that BCP remains in reasonable financial shape, with more than $1,000 in Operating Funds and more than $6,000 in Capital Funds. That means that we should be able to take the financial risks necessary to start the season in 2022, relying upon continued support from audiences, members, and friends to cover our ongoing costs.

The membership elected the four officers for next year, whose terms will begin January 1, 2022. Linda Zellner was elected President, Sharon Jensen-Messman was elected Vice President, Norman Gouveia was elected Secretary, and Michael Wood was elected Treasurer. Norman and Michael will be returning in the same positions they hold today, and both Linda and Sharon are long-time Board members who are serving as at-large members in 2021.

Brush Creek Plans Virtual Membership Meeting on September 20

To all BCP Members and Friends:

In order to comply with distancing requirements and to ensure the highest level of protection for our valued members, friends, and volunteers — many of whom face elevated risks from the pandemic for one reason or another — the Brush Creek Board plans to hold our fall membership meeting as an entirely virtual meeting.

This will be the annual Brush Creek Playhouse general membership meeting, required by our Bylaws. The primary agenda will be to take reports from the Board about the theater’s status in 2020 and about tentative plans for 2021, as well as to elect new officers — President (Linda Zellner is not eligible for a third term), Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer — for 2021. The virtual meeting will convene at 6 pm and run no longer than 1 hour (the meeting will be preceded by a BCP Board meeting from 5:30 to 6, to which all are welcome). All BCP members and friends are invited — only members will be able to vote.

The Zoom link to register is shown below — we are asking attendees to register so that we have an accurate record of attendance, but everyone is welcome to register and attend without restriction.

Zoom Meeting Details:

The meeting begins at 5:30; membership meeting begins at 6 pm) on Sunday, September 20.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcuCvrz0vEtzquTH_LyRzm9IiDQ6FRtAA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

COVID-19 has forced Brush Creek to cancel the 2020 season

Brush Creek Playhouse: 2020 Season

Brush Creek Playhouse was forced by the COVID-19 emergency to cancel our 2020 season (following the first two weeks of The True Tale of the Sleeping Beauty). We made this decision reluctantly, but it was necessary both to comply with the state’s mandates and to ensure that our volunteers and audience members remain safe and healthy.

We have tentatively planned a three-show season for 2021, beginning with the children’s show in late Spring, rather than in Winter. We hope that we will be able to operate as planned and return to a full schedule in 2022.

Canceled — Final weekend of “Sleeping Beauty” (3/13-15)

As we have continued to evaluate the overall situation regarding COVID-19, the Brush Creek Board reluctantly decided to cancel — or at least postpone — the final weekend of performances for The True Tale of the Sleeping Beauty.  We do hope to reschedule the performances when the situation stabilizes — so that more audience members can appreciate the hard work these young actors have put into their production!

Anyone who purchased tickets in advance should contact Michael Wood at mdwelpis@comcast.net or (503)508-3682 to arrange for a refund or for a credit to attend a future performance here at Brush Creek Playhouse.

“The True Tale of the Sleeping Beauty” opens Brush Creek’s 2020 season

Brush Creek will be opening our 2020 season on Friday, February 28 with The True Tale of the Sleeping Beauty, written by Emily Wood and Michael Wood. Director Linda Zellner and her two complete casts of young actors are hard at work preparing the production for stage.

This delightful take on the classic fairy tale returns to the Brush Creek stage, where it first appeared in 2014. The production will run for three weekends, with evening performances at 7 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and matinees at 2 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets  cost $10 ($8 for children 12 and under, students, and seniors 60 and over) and are available at our two ticket-selling partners, Runaway Art & Craft Studio in downtown Salem and Books-N-Time in downtown Silverton). They will also be available at the door beginning 30 minutes before each performance.

The story of the Sleeping Beauty in her castle is a familiar one. The original tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm include some intriguing details — such as the lack of satisfactory tableware as the reason for the evil enchanter’s exclusion from the party (the original tale also includes a total of 13 “wise women” – Brush Creek’s production reduces that number to a more manageable seven).

The True Tale of the Sleeping Beauty gives each of the enchanters a personality of her (or his) own. The six “good” enchanters encounter mutual suspicion, misunderstanding, courage, and even nobility in the face of certain defeat by their powerful former comrade Crimson. Ultimately, though, the story remains the story of true love, and of the curse, which in turn provides a dramatic and powerful villain – a villain whose evil and magic ultimately must face the nature of love and the promises of past friendship.

The play is being produced by arrangement with Evander Dramatic Press.

 

Annual Brush Creek Membership Meeting to Take Place Sunday, Sept. 15

The Brush Creek Board has scheduled the annual Brush Creek membership meeting to take place at 6 pm on Sunday, September 15. The meeting will include a report on Brush Creek’s activities and financial status, as well as elections for the 2020 President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

All members are welcome to attend and to participate in the decisions of the body. The general public is also welcome to attend and to participate in the discussion.

Brush Creek holds open auditions for “Dracula” and “Christmas Belles”

Brush Creek is holding Open Auditions for not one, but TWO GREAT SHOWS — “DRACULA” and “CHRISTMAS BELLES” — at 6 pm, Monday, August 19, and 6 pm, Tuesday, August 20 — at Brush Creek Playhouse (11535 Silverton Rd, Silverton)

Brush Creek will be looking to cast the final two shows of the 2019 season with these open auditions. Interested actors — and would-be actors — are welcome to audition for either, or both productions.

The script for Brush Creek’s “Dracula” is the classic play, written by John L. Balderston, Hamilton Deane, and Bram Stoker (the author of the classic novel on which it is based). Norman Gouveia will be directing.

In the story, Lucy Seward, whose father is the doctor in charge of an English sanatorium, has been attacked by some mysterious illness. Dr. Van Helsing, a specialist, believes that the girl is the victim of a vampire, a sort of ghost that goes about at night sucking blood from its victims. The vampire is at last found to be a certain Count Dracula, whose ghost is finally laid to rest in a striking and novel manner. The play is intended for all who love thrills in the theater, and is appropriate for all groups.

The show itself will run Friday, Oct 18 thru Sunday, Nov 3, with a special Halloween performance as part of the production.

Norman can be reached at Norman@msnproperties.com.

The same two evenings, Brush Creek will also be holding open auditions for “Christmas Belles,” written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. Brush Creek audiences have been delighted by Jones-Hope-Wooten comedies before, and this offering — directed by Franca Hernandez — promises a holiday basket full of laughs.

A church Christmas program spins hilariously out of control in this Southern farce about squabbling sisters, family secrets, a surly Santa, a vengeful sheep and a reluctant Elvis impersonator. There are parts for 7 women and 4 men. Most characters are between ages 40/50 with two in their 20s. If you have questions, please contact the director Franca Hernandez at francahernandez@hotmail.com. Let her know if you’d like a copy of the script and she will arrange to get one to you.

It’s Christmas time in small town Fayro, Texas and the Futrelle sisters – Frankie, Twink and Honey Raye, Fayro’s lively and wacky threesome are trying to make the best of a stressful holiday season. Frankie is way pregnant, Twink is in jail for acting out over an unfaithful lover, and Honey Raye, the town’s party girl, wants to redeem herself by putting on the best, brightest, liveliest, more colorful Christmas pageant ever – Bethlehem-a-Palooza! The scenes are fast, funny and wacky, the sentiments tender and we all learn the spirit of Christmas Texas style.