July Happenings

In just ten days, Brunswick Little Theatre's big summer musical Into The Woods opens at the beautiful Odell Williamson Auditorium. This award-winning Stephen Sondheim show includes some characters from our favorite fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk, mashes them up together with a baker and his wife trying to lift a witch’s curse, then follows the whole gang as they experience what happens after Happily Ever After. Director Jen Iapalucci has put her own stamp on the show, which features an all-ages ensemble and a Steampunk sensibility. Into The Woods will be performed at Odell Williamson Auditorium on the campus of Brunswick Community College July 25-27 and August 1-3, 2014. Friday and Saturday shows will be at 7:30 pm with two Sunday matinees at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $18 Adults, $12 students (w/ID) and $6 children 12 and under and are available through the Odell Williamson ticket office either in person during business hours, by phone at (910) 755-7416 or online at www.bccowa.com. Find out more about the show, including a cast list and photos of the great costumes, at our website or see the whole album of production photos on Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook, we are nearing the 900 fan mark, and once we hit that number, we'll be giving away a pair of tickets to an upcoming show. We'd sure like to give some away to Into The Woods, so go ahead and "like" us and if you already have, browbeat your friends and family into doing the same. Our Facebook page is a great way to stay in touch with all things BLT, but not the only one. Are you on Twitter? BLT's Twitter feed features photos and news and maybe even some backstage insights now and then. Now's a great time to give us a try or join Twitter just to see what we are up to.

Brunswick Little Theatre is already looking forward to a great 2015 season. The board of directors will be hearing proposals at its August and September meetings, so if you might be interested in directing a show, now's the time to look into it. Whether you prefer musicals or dramas or comedies, working with children or adults or all-ages casts, performing in small or large venues or even the great outdoors, the board wants to hear from YOU about your ideas for next year's season. Visit our new Director's Page on the website to download the nessecary forms and guidelines and find helpful links to some great resources.

And while we're talking about stepping up to help out, Brunswick Little Theatre is still in need of a treasurer. If you would love to help your local community theatre in an important but very behind the scenes way, please look at the job description here and contact jgstites@yahoo.com with any questions or to say "I'LL DO IT!!!" 

Thanks for your support and we'll see you in the woods!!!!

Dear Edwina JR Opens Friday

Brunswick Little Theatre's Stagestruck Players bring you the musical fun of Dear Edwina JR starting this Friday night at the Brunswick Center at Southport. The show will run Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, March 30 at 3:00 pm this weekend, and again next weekend Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 6 at 3:00 pm. The Brunswick Center at Southport is located at 1513-1 N. Howe Street. It's right behind the Wingate Inn in the shopping center at the intersection of Hwy 87 and Hwy 211, where there's a Go Gas on one corner and Famous Pizza on the other. Here's a map.

Dear Edwina JR is a delightful show sure to be enjoyed by all ages. The story follows Edwina, a middle school advice columnist with very talented siblings. She tries to show her own talent by entering a play in the Advice-a-Palooza festival and all her friends and neighbors come by her garage to help out. The show plays out in a series of musical numbers based on the letters and responses from Edwina's column. The music is spectacular and touches on genre's as diverse as opera and ethnic music.

This is a non-stop, musical joy-ride, so if you have young ones you'd like to introduce to the magic of live theater, here's your perfect chance. But the show touches on important themes as well, and the cast of thirteen 11-16 year-olds is as talented as any group of adults you're likely to see on stage, so even if you don't have children, you really owe it to yourself to check this one out. You'll be glad you did and you'll be supporting a group of really amazing and hard-working youths.

Tickets for Dear Edwina JR are just $14 for adults, $10 for students (with ID) and $5 for children 12 and under. Our online box office uses PayPal, so it's easy to purchase with any credit or debit card, or, if you'd prefer, tickets will be available at the door (cash or check only).

For more about the show, visit the our website, check out our Facebook album for photos and read some comments from the cast in this blog post (please note the ticket giveaway is over, sorry).

Does Our Theatre Need To Be "Saved"? Would These Ideas Help?

One of our actors posted a link to a column called "Ten Things Theaters Need To Do Right Now To Save Themselves". It was an interesting read, even if it was seemingly meant for more "big city" theatre groups, more semi-professional or professional houses. Some of the author's suggestions don't apply to us at all, but some may bear some thought and hopefully discussion.

Get them young. Seattle playwright Paul Mullin said it best in an e-mail last week: "Bring in people under 60. Do whatever it takes. If you have to break your theater to get young butts in seats, then do it. Because if you don't, your theater's already broke—the snapping sound just hasn't reached your ears yet."

Brunswick Little Theatre's audiences tend toward the over 50 demographic. Heavily. A lot of this is because of the demographics of our county, we are a retirement destination, but is that the only explanation? There are plenty of young people and families living here as well, is there something we can do to get them to shows? Should we change our show selection? If so, how? Should we change our marketing? Our image? Attempt somehow to reach out to new audiences? Are ticket prices reasonable for families? Are we already broken or are we just fine playing to our regulars?

 Offer child care. Sunday school is the most successful guerrilla education program in American history. Steal it. People with young children should be able to show up and drop their kids off with some young actors in a rehearsal room for two hours of theater games. The benefits: First, it will be easier to convince the nouveau riche (many of whom have young children) to commit to season tickets. Second, it will satisfy your education mission (and will be more fun, and therefore more effective, for the kids). Third, it will teach children to go to the theater regularly. And they'll look forward to the day they graduate to sitting with the grown-ups. Getting dragged to the theater will shift from punishment to reward.

Set aside the fact that you'd be hard pressed to find any "nouveau riche" in Brunswick County, this idea may have merit. What do you think?  There are issues of liability, space and volunteers to overcome, is it worth the trouble? Would YOU be more likely to come to an "adult" show if you could have on-site child-care? Would your children enjoy theater-based fun? Your grandchildren? BLT has developed a hugely successful children's workshop catering to those 4-13, could we capitalize on that to bring a smaller version to each performance? Should we try?

Build bars. Alcohol is the only liquid on earth that functions as both lubricant and bonding agent. Exploit it. Treat your plays like parties and your audience like guests. Encourage them to come early, drink lots, and stay late. Even the meanest fringe company can afford a tub full of ice and beer, and the state of regional- theater bars is deplorable: long lines, overpriced drinks, and a famine of comfortable chairs. Theaters try to "build community" with postplay talkbacks and lectures and other versions of you've spent two hours watching my play, now look at me some more! You want community? Give people a place to sit, something to talk about (the play they just saw), and a bottle. As a gesture of hospitality, offer people who want to quit at intermission a free drink, so they can wait for their companions who are watching act two. Just take care of people. They get drinks, you get money, everybody wins. Tax, zoning, and liquor laws in your way? Change them or ignore them. Do what it takes.

Here's a little more controversial one. North Carolina's liquor laws are a bit Byzantine, but they do provide for non-profits to sell alcohol on a temporary license at events, so it is do-able without ignoring the law. Is it something BLT should explore? Would it help attract audience, make theatre more accessible and "cool" or would it cause more problems than it solves? How about the idea of a hang-out with the cast and crew after a show? Would that work with or without alcohol involved? Is it worth a try or too much trouble?

 Boors' night out. You know what else builds community? Audience participation, on the audience's terms. For one performance of each show, invite the crowd to behave like an Elizabethan or vaudeville audience: Sell cheap tickets, serve popcorn, encourage people to boo, heckle, and shout out their favorite lines. ("Stella!") The sucky, facile Rocky Horror Picture Show only survives because it's the only play people are encouraged to mess with. Steal the gimmick.

This does harken back to Shakespearean days, when the audience whole-heartedly  cheered, jeered and harassed the actors. In those days, theatre was for everyone, could we bring new faces to the show if we made it less of a sit and watch experience? Is a jeering and yelling crowd disrespectful to the hours of hard work the actors put into a show, or a compliment to their entertainment skills?  Would designating one night during a show as "audience participation night" work? Disney just ran a sing-a-long version of Frozen in theaters, could we follow suit with a live orchestra and actors? Would you want attend such a show? Perform in one? Where would be a good place to try this, if at all, a free park show perhaps? Odell? Amuzu?


 Let us know your thoughts. Comment below, email us at brunswicklittletheatre@gmail.com, Tweet us, Facebook us, or find us out and about and share your thoughts. Community theatre belongs to the community, tell us how we can make that a reality right here.

February Happenings

Brunswick Little Theatre is incredibly busy as we move into spring. The past two Sundays we've had three shows rehearsing and a children's workshop in full swing. We are thankful for the cooperation of so many in our community that help make that possible, especially our hosts at Brunswick Community College, South Brunswick High School, Trinity United Methodist Church and On My Toes Dance Studio that provide us the rehearsal spaces needed to do so much at one time. Community theater depends on this sort of support and we are extremely lucky to have such generous and accommodating partners.

All this rehearsing is great, but what REALLY has us excited is the opening of our first show of the season. I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change takes to the stage beginning 7:30 Friday, February 21 at the Brunswick Center at Southport, 1531-1 N. Howe Street behind the Wingate Inn. Tickets are available at www.brunswicklittletheatre.com and at the door for just $17 for adults and $12 for students with ID. You have five chances to catch this hilarious adult musical revue about the trials and joys of relationships -- three evening performances 2/21, 2/22 and 3/1 at 7:30 pm, and two matinees 2/23 and 3/2 at 3:00 pm. All seats are general admission and please note that sales at the door are cash or check only. We can't wait to see you at BLT's debut in the Brunswick Center. It's a wonderful facility and we look forward to filling it with happy patrons of the arts!

Having three shows in production at once is a wonderful thing, but it requires substantial

financial resources. One way we can keep this ball rolling, and have a bit of fun doing it, is to throw, well, a Masquerade Ball! Brunswick Little Theatre is going to laissez le bon temps roulez this year with a Fat Tuesday fundraiser party at the St. James Community Center on March 4th. Join us from 6-10 Fat Tuesday night for a feast of shrimp and grits and a gourmet pancake bar, entertainment by the Brunswick Big Band, a silent auction and a costume contest to name the King and Queen of Mardi Gras! You just know a costume party with theatre people is going to be a good time, whether you join in by wearing your Mardi Gras finery, come costumed as creatively as you can or just enjoy the spectacle from the comfort of your table. Our $30 ticket includes dinner, beer, wine, soft drinks and all entertainment. Get your tickets at brunswicklittletheatre.com or in person at The Grape & Ale in Oak Island or Isaac Allen Salon in Southport and help support YOUR community theatre while having a really great night out. 

How about those other shows in production, you ask? Well, right around the corner is

Stagestruck Players' Dear Edwina Jr. coming March 28-30 and April 4-6. A young but extremely talented cast is working hard on this musical about a middle school advice columnist and her friends creating a play to enter in the Advice-a-Palooza contest. This show includes songs from a huge array of musical genres and is sure to delight audiences of all ages. Dear Edwina Jr. will bring us once again to Brunswick Center at Southport and tickets will go on sale at brunswicklittletheatre.com on March 1st. Don't miss this one!

All the recent ice and snow has us longing for spring, and for the return of BLT's very own rock stars to Franklin Square Park. Rehearsals have already begun for American Band, Music of the Rock Revolution (1965-1973), the follow-up to last year's hugely popular My Generation shows. This time we turn our attention to American rock during the late sixties and early seventies and bring you the best of the era of Flower Power and California Dreamin'. Mark your calendars and pack your lawn chairs so you can join the party in the park May 16-18 and 23-25.

With all that we have going, how is one supposed to keep up? Brunswick Little Theatre is trying to make it easier than ever to get all the latest news and even some behind the scenes insights. Our website is updated frequently and carries all the latest info on show and audition dates and times. The brand new Brunswick Little Theatre Happenings blog is a work in progress, check it out and let us know what you think. The BLT Facebook page is always full of news and photos from all of our productions, if you haven't yet, please visit and give us a "like". We have also launched a new Twitter page with up-to-the-minute news and behind the scenes insights from BLT's unique cast of characters. If you haven't yet joined the Twitter-verse, now is the perfect time to set up an account and follow the fun! And just to round out our conquest of the social media world, BLT is also now on Instagram. Check us out there for a photographic tour of community theater at its best. 

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at the show. Or ALL the shows :-)