Altar Boyz - save on Premiere Weekend tickets

Present this email at the box office to receive ONE FREE TICKET TO ALTAR BOYZ when you buy one at the regular "Premiere Weekend" price of $13.00 (tax and fees included). Valid on new orders only beginning Wednesday, June 3.

Full of sharp parody, spectacular dancing, and irreverent humor, this spoof about a heavenly guy-group is adored by audiences and critics alike. With a mix of side-splitting songs, uncontrollable laughs and lighthearted fun, this award-winning and totally original new musical is 90 minutes of pure delight that's suitable for all ages and will have the whole family laughing and singing along!

Join Matthew (Andrew Swackhamer), Mark (Anthony Palermo), Luke (Seth Travis), Juan (Justin Williams) and Abraham (Tim Barthelmes) at the last concert of their national "Raise the Praise" tour. The Altar Boyz - a Christian boy band from Ohio - is guided by the voice of God to share the Gospel through pop music.

Critics have collectively cheered the show:

"HILARIOUS! There's not a soul in the theater that isn't captured." - Jacques Le Sourd, THE JOURNAL NEWS

"THANK HEAVEN FOR ALTAR BOYZ! TOTALLY HILARIOUS! It keeps you laughing all evening long. if laughter is a form of salvation, my soul is clean!" - Hoawrd Kissel, DAILY NEWS

"A PERFECT MUSICAL, no questions asked." - David Finkle, THEATER MANIA.COM

 Tickets on sale now!  Choice Card holders may use their card for this Special Event presentation.

Showdates: June 5 & 6, 10-14, 18-21

Sponsored by: WJET-TV, Bob FM, Knox Law Firm, Goerie.com

MAINSTAGE AUDITIONS - check out the changes!

 Auditions for The Wedding Singer, Chicago, We Gotta Bingo! and Christmas Belles, will be held Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9 at 6pm at the Erie Playhouse Rehearsal Hall - 1158 East 12th St. Click Here for casting requirements.  Please note: auditions for our holiday musical will be held in September.  They will posted on our website.

CHICAGO audition dance class: The final dance audition workshop to pre-teach the "Chicago" dance combination to female and male auditionees, 20 and older, will be held Saturday, June 6, 10-11:30am, Erie Playhouse Cirino Hall, 1158 East 12th Street. Click Here for more information.

Prelude to a Kiss

"For better or for worse" takes on a whole new meaning in the bewitching romantic fantasy. A couple meets, marries and then a chance kiss at the wedding from a mysterious old man changes everything.

July 9-12, 15-19

Sponsored by: Erie Bank and Goerie.com

Youtheatre News

Mark your calendar for six days of theatre fun! Students ages 5 to 16 are encouraged to sign up for the Erie Playhouse Youtheatre 17th Annual Summer Theatre Camp. The Youtheatre Camps will be held on June 15th-20th & 22nd–27th. Our Encore Camp will be held on July 13th-18th.

The six days will be spent with a theatre staff learning acting, singing, dancing, plus much, much more.

For those of you who have spent at least two summers with us, we encourage you to participate in our Encore! Camp week, where we rehearse and perform an entire musical! This year we will be working on Godspell, Jr.!

All camps will be held Monday through Friday, 9:30am to 3pm at the Cathedral of Saint Paul on West 6th Street, and the Erie Playhouse. A Camp Showcase will be performed on the Mainstage of the Erie Playhouse on the Saturday of camp week for our families.To register Click Here!

Erie Playhouse Showstoppers! If you're looking for a talented song and dance group to perform at your next meeting or event Click Here!

Summer Play Series Auditions

Auditions for the 2009 Summer Play Series will be June 4 and 5 at 4:00 PM at the Erie Playhouse Scenic and Costume Shop (1158 East 12th St). This year's plays will be Q3 (a sci-fi/action show) and an adaptation of The Frog Prince. Both plays are written by Erie native Craig Kosnik. Q3 will be directed by Hannah Jaskiewicz and Kyle Blount and The Frog Prince will be directed by Craig Kosnik. Performances will be August 7-9 at Gannon University's Schuster Theatre. Young people ages 6-18 are encouraged to audition. Please bring a prepared monologue. If you have questions, please call 454-2852 ×7 or email Emily.

Marquee Madness Strikes the Erie Playhouse!

Plans are well underway for our facade renovation at the Erie Playhouse. As part of this "face lift," our marquee will also be renovated. The marquee renovation will provide an opportunity for theatre patrons, friends and Playhouse family to own a piece  of Erie Playhouse history by sponsoring a light bulb for $25. If you sponsor four or more bulbs, your name will be up in lights!

Click Here to learn more and order your bulbs today! 

Erie Playhouse Facebook Friends can order bulbs online!

From the Executive Director

Dear EP Family,

All I can say this month is….

Come to Altar Boyz!

You will not be disappointed. It is the perfect show to kick off a great summer! The music is a blast, the script is funny and clever, and the talent assembled in the five-member ensemble cast and on-stage band is terrific!

Never heard of Altar Boyz? Neither did I before I saw it on Broadway. My friends Peggy Laughlin, Annie Leri and I went on a whim and we had a ball! We laughed from beginning to end. BTW - the show is still playing in New York to rave reviews; Google Altar Boyz and you’ll see!

This is a perfect show to see with a bunch of friends – you’ll want to talk about it later! And, my 10-year old son Seamus saw it on Broadway last November with his dad. Seamus knows all the lyrics! It is a fun and perfect show for the entire family. (Any innuendos are staged in funny ways!)

I’m looking forward to seeing you at the theatre June 5, 6, 11-14 and 17-21 for Altar Boyz!

Almi

DID YOU KNOW? The Erie Playhouse is having a grassroots campaign to raise money for the 1,000 light bulbs we need on the newly renovated marquee? Consider donating $25 to sponsor a light bulb (sponsor 4 for $100 and your name will scroll across the new marquee!). You can make your donation when you come to the theatre for Altar Boyz (June 5-21), Prelude to a Kiss (July 9-19), and The Wedding Singer (July 31-Aug. 19). You can also make your light bulb donation on our website (see link in Marquee Madness article) or on Facebook. Renovations will begin soon!

Playhouse Family News

Sarah Sesler will be performing with the Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre in Winchester, Virginia this summer. The shows scheduled include: Hairspray, West Side Story, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. This is Sarah’s third summer with SSMT. She will be a senior BFA candidate in musical theatre at Shenandoah Conservatory this fall. Sarah (far left) is pictured here in a production of Fiddler on the Roof.

 Kate Amatuzzo (you'll remember her as Belle in the EP productions of Disney's Beauty and the Beast) is returning to Erie in the fall to complete her degree in music education from Mercyhurst. In May, she graduated from NYU with a master's degree in classical vocal performance. Kate was also presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award for a classical voice major from the music department. 

Congratulations to Michael Malthaner.  He is one of 12 finalists for PA Teacher of the Year! 

Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 22 and get ready to party at the Erie Playhouse Family picnic.  More information will be coming soon.

Are you interested in capturing all those special theatre moments? Attend a scrapbooking workshop run by Nancy Hilbert. In addition to the traditional scissor and glue project, there is a digital version as well. For more information contact Janice Wittmershaus at 838.7474 or visit the Creative Memories website

Mark your calendars for Erie Playhouse Night at the SeaWolves Wednesday, August 5. The cast of The Wedding Singer will be in attendance to kick-off the festivities!

Congratulations to Youtheatre performer Hannah Steiner. Hannah will be walking the Red Carpet at the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7 in NYC. Camp Broadway has invited 50 of their former camp participants to join them for the occasion.

Wing News

The Wing has had a terrific year in our fundraising efforts to support the Erie Playhouse. Most recently, our Delta Sonic carwash certificate sale was a huge success! Keep an eye out for our next Delta Sonic fundraiser - you'll be helping the Playhouse and taking good care of your car! Also, look for the Wing this summer at the Camp Showcase performances on the Saturday of all three Youtheatre Camp weeks. We'll be selling concessions as well as presentation gifts those days at the Playhouse.

And, mark your calendar! On July 16th, the Wing will be hosting another Barnes & Noble fundraiser. All day long, a percentage of your purchase with voucher will be donated to the Playhouse. Join us that evening from 6-8 PM, and you'll be entered in our prize drawings, enjoy a sneak preview of musical numbers from The Wedding Singer, and see the new Showstoppers show. Start your shopping list now of books, music, and DVD's. Look for the voucher soon in your Playbill and on the EP website!

City of Erie Named a Finalist in the 2009 All-America City Award

It is with great honor that for the first time in nearly 40 years, the City of Erie will compete for the title of All-America City. Each year, only ten cities are selected as All-America Cities. 

As a community, we should feel honored to be a finalist for this most prestigious award. On June 17th -19th, a delegation from Erie will head to Tampa, FL to make a final presentation for this award at the 60th Annual All-America City Annual Awards Celebration. In addition to many civic and community leaders, Erie Playhouse Executive Director Almitra Clerkin will be on-hand to showcase the arts community in Erie.

We hope you will share in our excitement at the possibility of receiving this great honor and showing the nation what a great place Erie really is to live, work and play. If you would like more information please contact Erika Howland, Community Development Specialist for the City of Erie. She can be reached at 814-870-1469 or ehowland@erie.pa.us. For more information on the National Civic League and the All-America City award go to http://www.ncl.org/aac/2009/2009AACFinalists.html.