We open the summer season on with the US professional premier of one of the UK’s most popular shows, Calendar Girls. Adapted by Tim Firth from his smash hit Miramax film of the same name, it is based on an inspiring true story that is both poignant and hilarious. A group of extraordinary women, members of a very ordinary Yorkshire Women’s Institute, spark a global phenomenon by persuading one another to pose au natural for a charity calendar with a difference! As interest snowballs, the Calendar Girls find themselves revealing more than they’d ever planned…
One of the best-selling plays in British theatre history, this dazzlingly funny and shamelessly sentimental story is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and walk out singing!
Calendar Girls is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Generously sponsored by:
Calendar Girls calendar now on sale! Portion of proceeds will support four local cancer charities: Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, Little Wonder, Valley Shore YMCA – Hope is Power Program and Middlesex Hospital’s Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine.
Purchase at the theatre: $20.00
Call box office to ask for order to be mailed: $23.00
Vickie Blake (Lady Cravenshire/Brenda Hulse)Vicki Blake was last seen on Ivoryton stage was with River Rep in Night Must Fall. More recently: How I Became a Pirate with Middlesex Children’s Theater, The Impracticality of Modern Day Mastadons at Hole in the Wall Theater, Fiddler on the Roof and Footloose at Broadbrook Opera House, You Can’t Take it With You, Twelve Angry Men and Our Town with Saybrook Stage.
Erik Bloomquist (Lawrence/Liam) is excited to be back at the Playhouse! Ivoryton: The Bully, La Cage Aux Folles. Regional: Hamlet, Ether Dome, A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas (Hartford Stage); Blind Date, The Actor, The Solid Gold Cadillac (Clay and Wattles); Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Speckled Band (Gillette Castle State Park); The North Pole Express (Essex Steam Train); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Capital Classics); Tonight, Tonight: A Shakespeare Cabaret (Legacy Theatre). Television: The Mystery of Matter, Secrets of the Arsenal. Directing: Erik is a Top 200 Director on the current season of HBO’s Project Greenlight. Stage work includes Carrie, Rent, Into the Woods and Zanna, Don’t. More at: www.ErikBloomquist.com.
Danielle Bonanno (Elaine) is incredibly excited to make her Ivoryton Playhouse debut! Regional: Ether Dome; A Christmas Carol-A Ghost Story of Christmas (Hartford Stage), Oklahoma; Same Time, Next Year (Berkshire Theater Group). Educational: Threads of a Spiderweb (Long Wharf Theater), Cabaret; The Importance of Being Earnest; The Real Inspector Hound; Lysistrata; The Shape of Things; The Pillowman (Loyola University Maryland), Urinetown; Big Love (Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts). Film: Millenial(s) (Emerson Film). Danielle is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland.
Victoria Bundonis* (Marie) Though New York City is now “home,” Victoria grew up in Old Saybrook and is delighted to be back on the Playhouse stage where she last appeared as Mrs. Braddock in The Graduate. She has also performed on the first national tour of The Music Man and the North American tour of Grease with Frankie Avalon. NYC theatre credits include Equus, The House of Blue Leaves, The Human Comedy, Memory of Water, The Flood, and Arms and the Man. Regional favorites include Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett), Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts), Damn Yankees (Meg), 42ndStreet (Dorothy Brock) and Fox on the Fairway (Muriel). TV and film credits include Nurse Jackie, All My Children, Under Jakob’s Ladder and Halfway There, among others.
R.Bruce Connelly* (John) in his career has worked in burlesque, vaudeville, television, movies, drama, pantomime and musical comedy. Among the roles he has played are J.M. Barrie, P.T. Barnum, Max Bialystock, Max Prince, Paddy Bell, Felix Unger, Pseudolus, Willie Clark, Sheridan Whiteside, Uncle Vanya, Murray Burns, Dr. Einstein, Dr, John Watson, Andrew Wyke, Finian McLonergan, Harold Hill, Guildenstern, Trinculo, Bottom, Puck, Feste, Scapino, Roger Sherman, Snoopy, Barkley, Barney Cashman, the Stage Manager, the Man Going Back, the Reverend Crisparkle, the Reverend Mother, the Mule of La Mancha, eight roles in The Matchmaker, ten roles in Greater Tuna, the Devil, Adam, Jesus, and the Man who played God, George Burns.
Lily Dorment* (Ruth) is a London-born, Brooklyn-based actor and voiceover artist. Recent NYC theater credits include Chekhov’s Platonov as well as new works at the Classic Stage Company, NY Fringe Festival, the Barrow Group, and the Treehouse Theatre. She can soon be seen in the title role in the upcoming film Nica, about the jazz baroness Nica de Koenigswarter. Lily is thrilled to be making her Ivoryton debut in Calendar Girls! www.lilydorment.com.
David Edwards* (Rod) Broadway: By Jeeves, The Rothschilds. National Tour: The Producers Off-Broadway: last El Gallo in the record-breaking run of The Fantasticks, Room Service, That’s Life, The Disputation, What’s a Nice Country Like You…? Zion, Company, What’s That Smell? The Music of Jacob Sterling, Ionescopade. Regional: Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Max Prince) Man of La Mancha (Quixote), La Cage Aux Folles (Albin, multiple times including last season here at Ivoryton), Camelot (Arthur), A Little Night Music (Fredrik), Irma Vep, Little Me (Star Ledger Award – Best Musical Actor), 1776, A Few Good Men, Ragtime, and The Cripple of Inishmaam– at such theatres as The Ordway, Eugene O’Neill Center, Westchester Broadway, Old Globe, Portland Stage ,GeVA, Gateway Playhouse, Florida Studio, Orlando Shakespeare, Bristol Riverside, and Syracuse Stage. Film & TV: Belly, The Fantasticks: Try to Remember, Meshuggah-Nuns TV Special, The Good Wife. Recordings: cast albums Bittersuite, Kings and solo album David Edwards Giving Voice (available for download from ITunes and Amazon) www.davidedwardsonline.com.
Katrina Ferguson* (Celia) is pleased to return to The Ivoryton Playhouse where she played Mrs. Banks in Barefoot In The Park. Katrina’s originally from Australia and lives in NJ with her favorite actor, her husband. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Favorite roles and plays include: Dorset Theatre Festival: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Best Actress, The Lion In Winter; NNE Rep NH: Hedda, Hedda Gabler , Emilia Othello; Anna, Anna Christie; Oldcastle Theatre, VT: Josie, A Moon For The Misbegotten, Maureen, Beauty Queen Of Leenane; National Shakespeare Co.: Adriana, Comedy Of Errors, American Drama Group Europe (6 seasons): Mrs Cratchit, A Christmas Carol; Arts Center, SC: Sara Rosensweig The Sisters Rosenweig, Maggie Cutler, The Man Who Came To Dinner and Womens’ Theatre Company NJ: Maria Callas, Master Class, (Footlights Award for Excellence). www.katrinaferguson.info
Jacqueline Hubbard (Annie/Executive/Artistic Director) has spent the best part of the last twenty four years at the Ivoryton Playhouse; in 1991 she became a member of the Board and since 2000 she has been its Executive/Artistic Director. She has directed well over 70 productions at Ivoryton including Steel Magnolias, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Amadeus, The Glass Menagerie, Hairspray, The Miracle Worker and last season’s world premiere of Comedy Is Hard. She has also written, produced and directed three original Christmas shows for Ivoryton. Acting credits include Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Katerina in Taming of the Shrew; Maureen in The Beauty Queen of Leenane; Stepping Out and Shirley Valentine. She does not appear in front of the curtain much these days, but this was a natural role for a northern lass. For Doreen and Emily Ellen – who both fought this “shitty, cheating, sly, conniving, silent bloody disease” – and who taught me everything.
Maggie McGlone Jennings (Jessie) last appeared as Lady Mebray in Ivoryton Playhouse’s holiday production of The Bells Of Dublin. She has also performed here in Moon Over Buffalo, Miracle Worker, Steel Magnolias, Home For The Holidays, Oliver and Love Loss and What I Wore. Her favorite roles (in addition to those done at Ivoryton) include Nat in Rabbit Hole, Felicity in Shadow Box, Goock in Auntie Mame, Elizabeth in Richard III, all featured female characters in Our Town and any woman in any Tennessee Williams’ play. She studied acting with Constance Welch at Yale School of Drama and has worked with such noted directors as Nikos Psacharopoulos, Frank Davidson, Peter Hunt, Christopher Lane, and John Badham. She has had experience doing voice overs and commercials, and recently appeared in the title role of the independent film, Rose. She is eternally grateful for her five grandchildren who help her fill her hours with ‘more and more’ rather than with ‘less and less’.
Maria Silverman* (Cora) made her professional debut on Broadway in Michael Mayer’s Tony Award-winning revival of A View From the Bridge. Since then, she has appeared in over 40 productions, Off-Broadway and regionally, including 20 world premieres. Most recently, she appeared as Noor in the world premiere of Martyrs Street directed by Ian Morgan, played Penny in You Can’t Take it With You, performed Aftermath at the United Solo Festival on Theatre Row and originated the role of The Jule in Siobhan Gilbert’s Love, Money, Sex, Drink, Christmas. B.A. in Theatre and Chinese from Yale University and postgraduate training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. www.mariasilverman.com
Beverley J. Taylor (Chris) is happy to be on stage again at The Ivoryton Playhouse. Growing up in England, appearing on stage in both countries and moving here at 22 she finally feels like this is her home. Some of her favorite roles include, Nancy in Oliver, Nellie in South Pacific, Anna in The King & I, Eleanor in A Lion in Winter, Constanza in Amadeus. She dedicates this performance to Mike who has changed her life forever.
Directed by: Jacqueline Hubbard
Stage Manager: Michelle Tuite*
Set Designer: Tony Andrea
Lighting Designer: Marcus Abbott
Costume Designer: Cully Long
Hair Design: Joel Silvestro
* member of Actors Equity
Our sincere thanks to Amy Barry and Pathfinder (widowedpathfinder.com) magazine for the reprint of this article
CALENDAR GIRLS opens on June 3rd and runs through June 21st.
For tickets visit www.ivorytonplayhouse.org or call the Box Office at 860 767 7318
Calendar Girls calendar now on sale! Portion of proceeds will support four local cancer charities: Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation, Little Wonder, Valley Shore YMCA – Hope is Power Program and Middlesex Hospital’s Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine.
Purchase at the theatre: $20.00
Call box office to ask for order to be mailed: $23.00
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PRESS RELEASE
US Premier of the Number 1 UK Comedy
Calendar Girls
by Tim Firth
at the Ivoryton Playhouse
Ivoryton – The summer season opens in Ivoryton with the US professional premier of one of the UK’s most popular shows, Calendar Girls. Adapted by Tim Firth from his smash hit Miramax film of the same name, it is based on an inspiring true story that is both poignant and hilarious. A group of extraordinary women, members of a very ordinary Yorkshire Women’s Institute, spark a global phenomenon by persuading one another to pose au natural for a charity calendar with a difference! As interest snowballs, the Calendar Girls find themselves revealing more than they’d ever planned!
Dazzlingly funny, shamelessly sentimental and utterly captivating, this is one of the best- selling shows in British theatre history. It will make you laugh, cry and walk out singing Jerusalem!
The fundraising phenomenon of the Calendar Girls was inspired by the death of Angela Baker’s husband, John Richard Baker, an Assistant National Park Officer for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, who died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 54 in 1998. During his illness Angela’s friends began to raise money, initially 
with the aim of purchasing a sofa for the visitors’ lounge in the hospital where John was treated. Nothing could have prepared them for the way their original calendar took off (selling 202,000 copies in its first year). To date they have raised over £3 million for Leukemia & Lymphoma Research, the UK’s leading blood cancer charity.
The Ivoryton Playhouse will also be using this opportunity to raise awareness for several cancer charities. Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:30 is Cancer Survivor Night – half price adult ticket price for those individuals who have survived the challenge of cancer. Participating organizations include Terri Brodeur Breast 
Cancer Foundation, Little Wonder, Valley Shore YMCA – Hope is Power Program and Middlesex Hospital‘s Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine.
Jacqui Hubbard, Artistic/Executive Director, is directing the production and is also stepping on stage in the role of Annie. Beverley Taylor, Ivoryton Company Manager, will be joining her in the role of Chris.
“We are both Northern English lasses” says Hubbard, “I spent four years trying to get the rights to produce this wonderful play and though directing and performing at the same time will be a challenge, I knew I had to do it. These women are in our bones and it will be a rare treat to get to step in front of the curtain for a change”.
Joining them on stage are Vickie Blake, Danielle Bonanno, Erik Bloomquist, Victoria Bundonis*, R. Bruce Connelly*, Lily Dorment*, David Edwards*, Katrina Ferguson*, Maggie McGlone Jennings, and Maria Silverman*.
Set design is by Tony Andrea, lighting design by Marcus Abbott and costume design by Cully Long.
Calendar Girls opens at the Ivoryton Playhouse on June 3rd and runs through June 21st, 2015. Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $42 for adults, $37 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton. *denotes member of Actors Equity Members of the press are welcome at any performance. Please call ahead for tickets.
Generously sponsored by PCI Medical
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THE BRITS ARE BACK!
The opening show of our summer season is the US premiere of the English classic, CALENDAR GIRLS, and we are thrilled to announce that two of the Playhouse family will be on stage for this exciting production.
Jacqui Hubbard, our Artistic/Executive Director, is directing the production and is also stepping on stage in the role of Annie. Beverley Taylor, our Company Manager , will be joining her in the role of Chris.
“We are both Northern English lasses” says Hubbard, “ and after holding auditions and reading the roles many times I realized it just made sense. These women are in our bones and it will be a rare treat to get to step in front of the curtain for a change”.
CALENDAR GIRLS is based on an inspiring true story that is both poignant and hilarious. A group of extraordinary women, members of a very ordinary Yorkshire Women’s Institute, spark a global phenomenon by posing au naturel for a charity calendar with a difference!
CALENDAR GIRLS opens on June 3rd and runs through June 21st.
For tickets visit www.ivorytonplayhouse.org or call the Box Office at 860 767 7318
Looking for something to do? Ivoryton Playhouse was voted Best Place to See Live Theatre by the readers of the Shoreline Times! Come and visit Essex and see a show at this Connecticut historic treasure!