The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/20734
December is fully booked for holiday shows, including two comedic spins on the spirit of Christmas. “A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol” Musical spoof of Charles Dick- ens’ classic, set in Minnesota. Dec. 2, 3, 4 and 5, the Oneonta Theatre, Chestnut Street. (Oneonta Theatre Stage Players) “A Christmas Story” Play of the 1983 film that’s a TV regular this time of year. Dec. 10, 11 and 12, Goodrich Theatre, SUNY Oneonta. (Orpheus Theatre) “Amahl and the Night Visitors” One-act opera about a boy who is visited by the Maji. Dec. 18 and 19, Foothills Per- forming Arts and Civic Center, Market Street, Oneonta. (Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center) ‘Don’t Hug Me’ New theater company hopes audiences will embrace Kanute played by Tio Schluter IV and Gunner played by Tom Pondolifino perform during a dress rehearsal of “A Don’t Hug Me Christ- mas Carol” at The Oneonta Theatre on Monday. December is here. O-Town is decked out in holiday spirit. And over the next few weeks, that spirit will take the stage. Three community theater groups are bringing seasonal festivities to the stage on three consecutive weekends leading up to Christmas. First up this weekend is “A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol” by the Oneonta Theatre Stage Players. Steve Dillon, artistic director of “A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol” watches a dress rehearsal. Read Dillon’s Casual Chit Chat interview on Page 15. 16 O-Town Scene Dec. 2, 2010 Orpheus Theatre’s “A Christmas Story” will be per- formed at 8 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Goodrich Theater at SUNY Oneonta. Based on the writings of Jean Shepherd and the popular 1983 screen adaptation of the same night, Ralphie and crew will be up to their familiar hi-jinks at the Orpheus Theatre, from Double-dog Dares and frozen flagpoles to the Bumpus hounds and adventures with a Red Ryder BB gun. A week later, Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center will hold its Festival of Trees and perform “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” with shows at 1 p.m. Dec. 18 and 19. The performance of “Amahl and the Night Visi- tors” is a 45-minute, one-act opera written in English, especially for children. In the past, this event has been held in the Foothills Black Box Theatre with a piano and a small cast. This year, however, the production will take to the Main Stage amid the decorations of the Festival of Trees. The newcomer to the holiday scene is the Oneonta Theatre Stage Players’ production. “A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol,” which will run tonight, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. This will be the first production of the group’s first-ever season. The brain child of Oneonta Theatre owner Tom Corm- ier, Director of Theatre Operations Patrick Lippcott and Artistic Director Steve Dillon, the Oneonta Theatre Stage Players is a brand-new in-house production company with a robust lineup designed to give the venue a steady diet of new shows. Lippincott and Dillon will direct six shows, including April’s “Always Patsy Cline” and “The Female Odd Couple,” May’s “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” August’s “Peter Pan Musical” and 1931’s original “Franken- stein,” which is set for Halloween 2011. Music Director Darcy Gibson is also signed up to do all six shows. “As you can see by our season, our goal is to bring different types of stage productions to Oneonta,” Dillon said. “There seems to be a cycle of shows that get kind of re-hashed.”