Posts Tagged ‘Entertainment’

Lawrenceville, Ga., (August 6, 2010) – Aurora Theatre continues our series of club comedy on the Lawrenceville square, Funny Fridays with a huge night of hilarity on August 20 with shows at 7:15 pm & 9:15 pm . The evening will offer stand-up comedy from three very funny fellows. Audiences will love our special guest host for the evening comedian Chelsie Rice, whose style is clearly influenced by the old-school greats Redd Foxx, Don Rickles, and Flip Wilson just to name a few. The featured act for the evening is one of the founders of Affirmative Action Comedy, Steve Haigh. Steve is a great down to earth observational comedian, and the perfect compliment to our Headliner, the geeky-chic Mike Haun.

Headliner Mike Haun

Storming the stage with the runaway kinetic energy of a sleepy librarian, Mike Haun compels audience members to listen to every word of his act, lest they soon wonder why everyone else is laughing uproariously.  Named Atlanta’s Funniest person in 2008 and the Southeast’s Funniest Person in 2009, national recognition should logically follow the local and regional precedent that has been established. Having shared the stage with the kiles of Ron White, Gilbert Gottfried, Richard Lewis, Kathleen Madigan, and Emo Phillips, Mike Haun is an up and coming star whose act should not be missed.

Funny Friday’s at Aurora Theatre

Sponsored by McCray’s Tavern

August 20, 2010 at 7:15 PM & 9:15 PM

Tickets $15

Aurora Theatre

128 Pike Street

Lawrenceville, GA 30045

678.226.6222

www.auroratheatre.com

Lawrenceville, Ga., (July 13, 2010) – Aurora Theatre continues to lead the way in Gwinnett County entertainment. As such, they have planned a year-long celebration to commemorate their 15^th Anniversary Season.

Aurora Theatre sets the tone for the 2010-2011 Main Stage Season Series with the stage spectacle, Singin’ in the Rain. Unforgettable melodies, tap dancing and a romantic story make this the greatest movie musical of all time.  Now you can see the show performed live. And yes, it will rain on stage. The Halloween season just got more exciting with the addition of a chilling new adaptation of the classic, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Christmas Canteen 2010 continues in its 15^th year as Gwinnett’s longest running theatrical holiday tradition. Playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer (End Days, The Last Schwartz) has had Atlanta audiences in stitches and Aurora presents her newest play Sirens, the comic hit that opened the prominent Humana Festival last February. After attending the NY Music Theatre Festival, Aurora Theatre brings home a beautiful new musical, Academy, set in a prestigious boarding school for boys inspired by Faust. On the heels of Joe DiPietro’s Tony Award winning Broadway hit, Memphis, Aurora will end the main stage season with his heartwarming comedy, Over the River and Through the Woods. As always, Aurora Theatre employs the region’s top actors, directors and design artists accompanied by live musicians befitting the intimate grandeur of the Aurora Theatre Main Stage.

The GGC Lab Series expands to three productions after the huge success of its inaugural season. This series gives audiences thought provoking contemporary plays relevant to today’s society. The GGC Lab Series opens with Circumference of a Squirrel, a darkly comic one-man show featuring Daniel May. At Valentine’s Day, love is in the air as brutally funny playwright Neil LaBute reminds us that love hurts in Fat Pig. In Barrio Hollywood, a play to be presented in both English and Spanish, a Mexican-American boxer dreams of fighting his way out of poverty. In addition to the GGC Lab Series, the studio theatre is home to Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. This one-man version of the holiday favorite blends the very best of traditional storytelling with 21^st century theatre technology, now in its 4^th year.

Aurora Theatre will continue and expand their other highly popular entertainment series:

• Learning Library, weekday performances for elementary school field trips in January and February.  Gary Grinkle’s Battles With Wrinkles and Other Troubles in Mudgeville is set for educational performances in 2011.
• Funny Fridays, club comedy shows on select Friday evenings
• Swing Night at the Aurora, concerts featuring the 17-piece Metro Jazz Club
• Aurora Children’s Playhouse, the regions top children’s performers
• Lawrenceville, GA Ghost Tours, one of the area’s favorite tourist attractions

Our anniversary season will be host to other opportunities that celebrate Aurora Theatre’s success including, author events, wine tastings, Aurora Theatre Charity Golf Tournament and the First Annual Aurora Theatre Awards Gala.

Metro Waterproofing Main Stage Series

Singin’ in the Rain

Based on the MGM film

Screenplay and Adaptation by Betty Comden and Adolf Green

Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed

(Original Choreography by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen)

August 5 – September 5, 2010

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher

From the Novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

October 7- 31, 2010

Aurora Christmas Canteen 2010

An Aurora Theatre Original

November 26 – December 23, 2010

Sirens

By Deborah Zoe Laufer

January 13 – February 16, 2011

Academy

By John Mercurio

Conceived and Developed by Andrew Cato

(Suggested by Faust by Wolfgang von Goethe)

March 17 – April 10, 2011

Over the River and Through the Woods

By Joe DePietro

May 12 – June 5, 2011

Performances are Thursday – Saturday at 8:00PM and Saturday & Sunday at 2:30PM

Season Tickets $176 – $72

Single Tickets $20 – $35

GGC Lab Series

Circumference of a Squirrel

~a riff with an inner-tube~

By John Walch

September 16 – October 3, 2010

Fat Pig

By Neil Labute

February 10 – 27, 2011

Barrio Hollywood

By Elaine Romero
Spanish Translation by Catalina Maynard and Carmen Peralta

With assistance from Victor Hugo Garza, Dra. Jacqueline Messing, Irene Romero and Eva Tessler

April 14 – 24, 2011 in Spanish

April 28 – May 1, 2011 in Engilsh

Performances are Thursday – Saturday at 8:00PM and Sunday at 2:30PM

Tickets $15

Special Holiday Performance

Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol

Adapted for performance and Directed by Tony Brown

December 2 -19, 2010

Performances are Friday & Saturday at 8:00PM and Sunday at 2:30PM

Tickets $15

Aurora Theatre

128 Pike Street

Lawrenceville, GA 30046

678.226.6222

www.auroratheatre.com

Aurora Theatre, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation and is a member of the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts, Theatre Communications Group, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association,  Suwanee Business Alliance and Duluth Merchants Association.

Lawrenceville, Ga., (March 9, 2010) – Aurora Theatre Funny Fridays continues a huge season of club comedy performances on the square in downtown Lawrenceville with Headliner Tom Simmons for 2 shows on March 26. He is the winner of the prestigious San Francisco Comedy Competition, a 35-year-old contest that has helped launch the careers of finalists that have gone on to legendary status. That list includes: Dane Cook, Rob Schneider, Ellen DeGeneres, Sinbad, Kevin Pollak, Dana Carvey and Robin Williams, just to name a few.

Tom Simmons, who grew up in the Atlanta area and now calls Greensboro, NC home, provides the perfect blend of suburban family life with cutting edge comic genius. A true comedian in every sense of the word, Tom has toured practically non-stop for ten years developing his act and himself. His scintillating comedy will entertain with subjects from being a new father and relationships, to socially relevant issues like war, racism, and frustrations we all have with the world and one another. The show is easily relatable and seriously funny…like a Blue Collar Tour for people that read.

Tom Simmons has appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, BET, NBC, and has written for numerous comedians. Tracks from all four of his comedy CD’s can be heard daily on both XM and Sirius radio. He has appeared on Bob and Tom, at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, The Boston Comedy Festival, as well as performing with Comics on Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Locally he appears regularly at Uptown Comedy Corner and has performed at The Punchline, Funny Farm and Laughing Skull Lounge. His Aurora performances will be in the intimate Gwinnett Federal Credit Union Studio with cocktail tables and full bar service from comedy series sponsor McCray’s Tavern.

Funny Fridays at Aurora Theatre
Sponsored by McCray’s Tavern

Friday March 26 at 7:15 & 9:15 PM

Tickets $15

678.226.6222
www.auroratheatre.com

Aurora Theatre
128 Pike Street
Lawrenceville, GA 30046

Lawrenceville, Ga., (March 1, 2010) – Aurora Theatre has assembled the best children’s performers in the region, bringing them to Gwinnett County in order to give parents and their children a chance to experience their artistry in our amazing facility in downtown Lawrenceville.

Aurora Children’s Playhouse will kick off an amazing installment of children’s performances in March with Celtic Music for Kids presented by The BorderCollies on March 13. This talented band of minstrels is one of the most beloved Celtic bands in the southeast and they will perform a high energy children’s concert with an Irish flare on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. Their show will be packed full of music, heritage and audience participation. There will even be an instrument “petting zoo” to give children a hands-on experience. Be sure to wear green!

On March 20 Aurora Children’s Playhouse welcomes back an audience favorite, “That Puppet Guy” – Lee Bryan, with The Big Bad Little Red Pig Show. That Big Bad Wolf is working double-time in this twisted, tangle of tales. Two childhood favorites have been cleverly squished together with just one Big Bad Wolf to share in all the hilarious fun. Lee has huffed and puffed new life into these stories through the use of rod puppets, hand puppets, clever music and an original script.

On March 27, Wendy Bennett puts her own spin on the timeless tale of Cinderella with puppets, costumes, props and plenty of audience participation. It’s a story of transformations: pumpkins into coaches, mice into horses, shabby rags into a glistening ball gown and talented singer-actress Wendy Bennett into Cinderella. Incorporating games like Show Me on Your Face and High/Low Voices encourage children to exercise their imaginations in this delightful presentation of this classic fairy-tale.

The Aurora Children’s Playhouse series features: puppeteers, magicians, storytellers, jugglers and musicians intended for youngsters to have their first theatrical experiences. At about 45 minutes in length, perfect for the young attention span, these lively performances are fun for the whole family. Aurora Children’s Playhouse performances are held on select Saturday mornings at 10AM unless otherwise noted.

Bullet Points

3/13/10 10 AM
Celtic Music for Kids The BorderCollies

3/20/10 10 AM
The Big Bad Little Red Pig Show “That Puppet Guy” – Lee Bryan

3/27/10 10 AM
Cinderella Wendy Bennett

Tickets $7

Playhouse Tix: 10 Admissions to be used anytime for only $50

Reservations: 678.226.6222

Aurora Theatre
128 Pike Street
Lawrenceville, GA 30045
678-226-6222
www.auroratheatre.com

Lawrenceville, Ga., (February 9, 2010) – In 2008, A Catered Affair was performed on Broadway by an all-star cast for 116 performances. This funny, poignant and oh-so-human tale of love and marriage begins its magnificent journey into regional theatre with its post-Broadway debut on March 4th at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville.

Set in the Bronx in 1953, A Catered Affair chronicles a blue-collar family, the Hurleys, who must decide whether to spend their life savings on a taxicab business or on the wedding of their only daughter, Janey. Based on Paddy Chayefsky’s original teleplay and the Turner Entertainment film that was written by Gore Vidal, A Catered Affair was adapted for the stage by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstien with music and lyrics by John Bucchino. This hit musical was nominated for 3 Tony awards and 12 Drama Desk awards. Mr. Bucchino joins the cast on opening night for a post-show discussion and reception hosted by Dominick’s restaurant. It will be a rare treat for local audiences to have the chance to rub elbows with a Broadway composer. A Catered Affair is sponsored by Allgood Pest Solutions.

Aurora Theatre has assembled its own all-star cast for the show with Anthony Rodriguez (Aurora Theatre Producing Artistic Director), as father of the bride Tom Hurley. Ingrid Cole, best known to Atlanta audiences from the long running hit Menopause the Musical, will make her Aurora debut as Aggie, the mother of the bride. Uncle Winston will be portrayed by Glenn Rainey (7 years on Broadway in Beauty and the Beast) who most recently delighted Aurora Theatre audiences as the lovable gangster in Kiss Me, Kate. Also joining the cast are Laura Floyd (Smoke on the Mountain – Theatre in the Square; Beyond the Rainbow – Georgia Ensemble Theatre) and Jeremy Wood (National Tour of Ring of Fire, Grease). They will be under the direction of Freddie Ashley (Artistic Director Actor’s Express) who directed Camelot, Aurora’s inaugural show in their new venue. Mr. Ashley will be reunited with his Camelot collaborators; musical director Ann-Carol Pence (Aurora Theatre Associate Producer) and choreographer Ricardo Aponte (Kiss Me, Kate, Christmas Canteen).

Producer Quote

“There are many beautiful shows that are destined to have a very successful life at the regional level. A Catered Affair is the powerful story about really good people and that is not always the type of show that speaks to the cynicism of New York audiences,” said Associate Producer Ann-Carol Pence. “A Catered Affair charts the course for the next decade of Aurora programming. We have a commitment to bringing new musicals to life.”

Cast & Crew
Ingrid Cole* Aggie
Anthony Rodriguez Tom
Glenn Rainey* Winston
Laura Floyd Janey
Jeremy Wood Ralph
Randall Taylor Mr. Halloran / Cab Driver
Nita Hardy Pasha / Mrs. Halloran
Kenya Hamilton Myra / Dress Salesman
Christy Baggett Dolores / The Caterer
Rachel White Alice / Army Sargeant

Freddie Ashley Director
Ann-Carol Pence Music Director
Ricardo Aponte Choreographer
Katie Pelkey Stage Manager
Christopher Bartelski Sound Design
Jessica Coale Lighting Design
Joanna Schmink Costume Design
Corrie Haislip Props Design
Phillip Male Set Design
Britt Hultgren Ramroop Production Manager
James Helms Technical Director

Bullet Points

A Catered Affair
Book by Harvey Fierstien
Music and Lyrics by John Bucchino
Regional Premiere
March 4 -28
Performances are Thursday – Saturday at 8:00PM and Saturday & Sunday at 2:30PM
Tickets $16 – $30

Preview Performance, Tuesday March 2 at 8:00PM
Free ticket for Wedding Industry Businesspeople (with business card)
$5 with Gwinnett County Schools, Student, Faculty & Staff
$10 All Others

Wednesdays Discount Matinee, March 24 at 10:00 AM
Tickets $14

678.226.6222
www.auroratheatre.com

Aurora Theatre
128 Pike Street
Lawrenceville, GA 30046

“Swing with Your Sweetie” at Aurora on Saturday, February 13

Author: Al Stilo

Lawrenceville, Ga., (January 20, 2010) –Aurora Theatre can help to create the perfect Valentines Day memory for any romance with the 5^th Annual Valentine’s Concert at Aurora Theatre on Saturday, February 13, at 8:30 PM. The best way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to “Swing with Your Sweetie” at Aurora with the 17-piece smokin’ hot Metro Jazz Club. Nothing beats a set of big band tunes to set the mood for romance, some of the selections you will hear include love songs like: You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You, The Glory of Love and Almost Like Being in Love. Special Guest singers include Aurora Theatre favorites: Ann-Carol Pence and Glenn Rainey.

Once again, Aurora Theatre makes it easy for the guys to look good with by providing “One call concierge service.” Aurora Theatre has put together dinner & show packages for couples in conjunction with this magical night of entertainment.  New this year, a choice of either fine dining or casual dining is being offered. Restaurant partners include some of Gwinnett’s favorite restaurants: Sperata on the Square, Dominick’s, McCray’s Tavern on the Square, S.A.B. Bistro and Italia Café.

Want to make an even bigger splash? Aurora Theatre can arrange to have a beautiful bouquet from Huff’s Flowers, romantic jewelry from Sparkle! or a gift certificate for a massage from Miracles of Massage.  Just like Aurora Theatre, all of these businesses were named Best of Gwinnett. All gifts will be waiting at the theatre when guests arrive.

5^th Annual Valentine’s Concert at Aurora Theatre

Saturday February 13, 2010 at 8:30 PM

Tickets: $20

Dinner and Show Packages:

Casual Dining Package: Includes 2 Tickets and a romantic pre-show dinner at your choice of McCray’s Tavern on the Square or Italia Café. Cost: $95 per couple

Fine Dining Package: Includes 2 Tickets and an elegant pre-show dinner at your choice of Sperata on the Square, Dominick’s, or S.A.B. Bistro. Cost: $150 per couple

Add Fresh Flowers from Huff’s Flowers for $30

Add a gift certificate good for a 1 hour massage from Miracles of Massage for $60

Add a gift certificate from Sparkle! for $25

Aurora Theatre

128 Pike Street

Lawrenceville, GA 30045

678-226-6222

www.auroratheatre.com

Author: Al Stilo

Lawrenceville, Ga., (January 11, 2010) – Aurora Theatre has assembled the best children’s performers in the region, bringing them to Gwinnett County in order to give parents and their children a chance to experience their artistry in our amazing facility in downtown Lawrenceville.

With the colder days of winter upon us, parents year for exciting indoor activities for their children.  Aurora Children’s Playhouse will provide three great shows, all with music, to enlighten and entertain youngsters. On January 23, A Musical Tour through Latin America presented by Havana Son will transport you to a sunny and warmer place. This performance takes the audience on a musical journey. Children participate by singing, clapping, dancing or playing percussion instruments. They will be having too much fun to realize that they are learning about the different countries of Latin America.

On January 30, Aurora Learning Library presents The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy. A fire-breathing librarian with a burning love for books is ultimately won over by a fearless youngster. The show is destined to delight the whole family. This play with music will be seen by 5,000 local elementary school students and will have only one public performance. Seating is limited advanced reservations are strongly encouraged. Co-produced with and Originally Commissioned by Theatre in the Square

Mr. Eric (Eric Litwin) is a guitar strumming, book writing, harmonica blowing, banjo picking, song singing, 5-time national award winning, folksy fun type of guy. He is the author of the popular picture book Pete the Cat, I Love my White Shoes published by Harper Collins. You do not want to miss his show, The Singing Storyteller on February 6.

The Aurora Children’s Playhouse series features: puppeteers, magicians, storytellers, jugglers and musicians intended for youngsters to have their first theatrical experiences. At about 45 minutes in length, perfect for the young attention span, these lively performances are fun for the whole family. Aurora Children’s Playhouse performances are held on select Saturday mornings at 10AM unless otherwise noted.

1/23/10            10 AM

A Musical Tour through Latin America Havana Son

1/30/10            10 AM

The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy          Aurora Learning Library

2/6/10 10 AM

The Singing Storyteller Eric Litwin

Tickets $7

Playhouse Tix: 10 Admissions to be used anytime for only $50

Reservations: 678.226.6222

Aurora Theatre

128 Pike Street

Lawrenceville, GA 30045

678-226-6222

www.auroratheatre.com