On Stage

wrapped up its 49th season on August 15, 2015 at their playhouse in Jacksonville Beach, with their annual volunteer celebration and awards ceremony. The have attended a number of the celebrations, but this year’s full house audience seemed particularly lively and excited. The exuberance no doubt reflected Players very successful past season, and the anticipation of the big 50th Season opening in September. and were the Masters of Ceremony, with various actors tapped to present individual awards. A new feature was The Gold Brown Bag Awards, by long-time Players supporter and jack of all trades involving theatre, . She sketched …

Players by the Sea presents the Tony Award winning musical LA CAGE AUX FOLLES to kick-off the 50th anniversary season. Feathers will fly, for better or worse, in this gender-bending smash hit! Meeting the in-laws is never easy, but Jean-Michel has it tougher than most. His future in-laws are ultra-conservative, while his father runs a drag nightclub where his “mother” is the star performer. When Jean-Michel asks them to masquerade as a straight couple for just one night, things go hysterically wrong. A dazzling musical with lots of humor and even more heart! The show is directed and choreographed by …

If history has taught us anything, it’s to reflect on our successes and our failures as a roadmap for the future. has a lot of practice staging massive events for the city of St. Augustine and is always looking back at past endeavors to determine what works and where he can find room for improvement. As the director of the city’s Cultural Events Division, Murphy and the St. Johns County staff are gearing up for the city’s 450th anniversary celebration featuring for over 80 bands and cultural arts performances over three days. This is Murphy’s wheelhouse. Putting on large concerts …

By ANNE C. HEYMEN Its party time as St. Augustine prepares to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the city’s founding by . The city’s actual birthday is Sept. 8, but many special events are planned prior to and after that special day. In addition, a number of organizations have completed or are conducting lasting projects to mark this special date in the city’s history. An invitation is extended for a big bash Sept. 5 at the Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Park, where a 450th Landing Day Thanksgiving feast and celebration are planned. On that day, re-enactors, after recreating …

LIMELIGHT THEATRE REVIEW St. Augustine’s opened the hilarious comedy/farce “” in the Koger-Gamache Studio Theatre on August 7, 2015. It will be on stage until August 30. Show times are at 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, with a 2:00 pm matinee on Sunday. This funny funny show was written by in 1982, his first play of many comedies with absurdist themes. Durang is back in vogue at age 66; his 2013 play “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” was awarded the Tony for Best Play and has been staged throughout the country during the past two years. A simple plot summary …

Theatre Jacksonville held its annual membership meeting and volunteer awards ceremony on August 2, 2015 at 927 Forsyth in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Outgoing President , completing her second term, recapped the shows of the previous season and reported that it was both artistically and financially very successful. once again finished in the black. She was especially proud of the fourteen thousand volunteer hours donated by people in the community. She pointed out the financial support from a number of corporate sponsors that paved the way to a successful year, which included The Endowed Event Grant Fund, recently established by through …

THE 5 & DIME THEATRE COMPANY REVIEW Jacksonville’s opened “Clybourne Park,” written by , on July 31, 2015 at . The play, which received the 2011 for Drama and a 2012 Tony for Best Play, will continue for three more performances during August 7 – 9. If you plan on going, we recommend ordering tickets at www.The5andDime.org, since the first weekend sold out. The website also offers tickets for a brunch/dinner option at the Cummer Café before the show. If the title sounds familiar, you may recall ’s Tony-nominated play “A Raisin in the Sun,” in which a widowed African-American …