Posted by ONEFIRE Development on | Comments Off on SRC Community Chorus Will Present “Bleacher Bums”
Tickets are now on sale for the baseball comedy Bleacher Bums being presented by the Spoon River College Community Chorus September 8 – 11. Bleacher Bums, directed by Carol Davis, highlights the crazy antics of Wrigley Field’s bleacher fans as the Chicago Cubs take on the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977. General admission tickets are available by calling 647-6260 or from any cast member.
“This show is a classic in the Chicago area,” said Davis. “Through the eyes of the Bleacher Bums, the audience members experience a complete nine-inning game between the greatest baseball rivals in major league baseball. Hilarious characters, a stadium organist and announcer, sounds from the field, and the 7th inning stretch singing of Take Me Out to the Ballgame keeps the audience laughing all night long. ”
The cast itself is a delightful hodgepodge of seasoned and first time actors. Cast members include Bill Leitze as Zig, Martha Harr as Rose, Noah Lane as the insane Cheerleader, Julie Hemp as Melody, BJ Stone as Marvin, Jason Rockhold as Greg, Chad Murphy as Decker, Clay Klinedinst as Richie, Dave Barbknecht as The Guard, Kenny Taylor as The Mysterious Fan, and Craig Zilly as the ballpark announcer. At the stadium organ is Gwen Alexander.
The production staff chairs are Robin Henry (properties); Collin Richey Tucker and Will Golden (lights); Randy Weaver (sound); Brendon Bauman (marketing); Katey Kohler (prompter); Andrea Barbknecht (hair and make-up); Jessica Brewer (art decoration); and Jackie Davis (ushers). Bob Haile and the SRC Maintenance staff constructed the set.
“The show is conceived and written by veteran actor Joe Mantegna,” Davis said. “The play was updated to 1989 but I love the 1977 version when Bruce Sutter was on the mound and Lou Brock stole bases. I contacted the licensing agency in New York and requested permission to perform the earlier version. On my behalf, the agency contacted Mantegna’s agent and they graciously allowed us to perform this version. We had a hard time finding a script but it was definitely worth the search.”
Besides this area’s unprecedented Cubs/Cardinals fan rivalry, the show has another local connection. Pitcher Rickey Reuschel, who starts the 1977 game for the Cubs in Bleacher Bums, is the brother of Paul Reuschel. Paul lived in Macomb when his wife was the Macomb Superintendent of Schools. Both Rick, as a starter, and Paul, as a reliever, pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 1977.
For more information on the SRC Community Chorus or Bleacher Bums, contact Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com or (309) 338-7698.
Posted by ONEFIRE Development on | Comments Off on SRC Community Chorus Celebrates Successful Season and Plans Next
As Spoon River College’s academic year closes, so does the 2015-2016 season of the Spoon River College Community Chorus. With its three presentations and over 100 members, the chorus added thousands to its fifth named endowed scholarship with the SRC Foundation.
The season began with the group’s annual holiday concert, Winter Wonders, in December, followed in February with A Classic Afternoon, featuring Alison Richter-Meuth and John L. Davis. Last month, the Chorus presented Hotel Holidaze written by Carol Davis.
“We are so pleased that approximately 1,000 tickets were sold in all,” said artistic director Carol Davis. “After expenses, net proceeds are given to the SRC Foundation for scholarships. To date, the chorus has established four named endowed scholarships and is currently funding its fifth. The chorus members enjoy performing but especially appreciate doing so for a wonderful cause.”
The 2016-2017 season features three distinctly different presentations.
BLEACHER BUMS, written by Joe Mantegna, is a hilarious comedy set in 1977 at Wrigley Field. The wild nine-inning game between the Cubs and the Cardinals highlights the crazed Cubs fans who sit in the bleachers year after year awaiting a Cubs World Series. Bleacher Bums runs September 8-11 in the SRC Theater in Taylor Hall on the Canton Campus. The show is directed by Carol Davis.
“We are really looking forward to this production,” Davis said. “We will be featuring some rarely seen cast members. When we announce the cast, we believe many people will come just to see these surprise performers do something they’ve never done before.”
On December 3 and 4, the Chorus will present its annual holiday concert at the First Christian Church in Canton. A Joyous Jubilee features music from several genres including classical, contemporary and holiday favorites. John L. Davis serves as musical director for this concert.
The ever-entertaining Ken Bradbury is the featured performer in this year’s mini-concert scheduled for Sunday afternoon, February 12th. Ken is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and playwright who performs throughout Illinois and Missouri, and a frequent guest artist on the Spirit of Peoria. He last performed at the college during the Spoon River Reads program.
The SRC Community Chorus is an extension of the SRC Foundation and is open to anyone who has a love for performance. Auditions are not required. For more information, please contact Carol Davis at cdavis.tenacious@gmail.com or (309) 338-7698.
