Philelectic Society's Wows the Crowds With Spring Production of Big River
The Philelectic Society announces its spring musical, 1985 Tony Award winning best musical, Big River, the musical telling of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn by country music legend, Roger Miller (King of the Road) and William Hauptman (Tony Award Winner for the book of this show).
Marc E. Belloni, ’83, directs a cast of over 30 students and includes special faculty guest performances from Leslie Merritt, Jay Hooks, SJ, and Rachel Sharp. Gregory Rittiner as Huck and BJ Acosta as Tom Sawyer head the cast, both stars of the fall musical The Fantasticks. Football and Track standouts Rene Gurdian, Matthew Sewell and Kyle “Skittles” Huber are also featured in roles. The show runs April 15-18 at 7:30 PM and a Sunday matinee at 2 PM is slated for
April 19th. Tickets will be by reservation only at a cost of $12 for all non student and $5 for all students. Tickets will be available at the door. Reservations can be made by email at jayphils@jesuitnola.org or by calling the Philelectic office 504-483-3877. Staff regulars include The Ball and All’s Tracey Collins as Assistant Director, Karl Harrod on vocal direction and Blake Coheley at choreography. DJ Galiano is the Technical director, and Jesuit’s favorite scenic artist Sean Simonson is Stage Manager. The Phils will have a sneak preview of two songs performed at the Blue Jay Bazaar on March 29th at 1:15 PM and 3:45 PM in the auditorium. Also, at the Jesuit Celebration Auction, the Phils will have available a VIP Opening Night Package that includes four prime seats chosen by the director, gourmet hors d’vours and champagne, a special backstage tour with cast and crew meet-and-greet. A $100 value! WARNING: Language from the original Mark Twain literary work is used in the script as representative of the time period of pre-Civil War dialogue and jargon and is not meant to offend or to insult in any respect. FULL CAST:
Huckleberry Finn: Gregory Rittiner Tom Sawyer: BJ Acosta Jim: Rey Figueroa Pap: Matthew Sewell King: Kyle Huber Duke: Barron Burmaster Strange Woman: Emily Classen Miss Watson: Erin Hildebrand Widow Douglas: Leslie Merritt Judge Thatcher: Jay Hooks, SJ Gang: Jo: Niki Collins Ben: Joseph Signorelli Dick: Michael Bordlee Simon: Rene Gurdian Slackjawed Yokels: Hank: Joe Levy Lafe: Tyler Richier Andy: Ricky Bordelon Hillsboro Arkansas: Young Fool: Andrew Burmaster Mary Jane Wilkes: Katharine Harris Susan Wilkes: Haley Farris Joanna Wilkes: Sarah Donnes Alice: Maggie Pelous Counselor Robinson: Sam Morel Sherriff Bell: Michael Mentz Harvey Wilkes: Mark Tortorich Silas: Jay Hooks, SJ Sally Phelps: Rachel Sharp Ensemble: Nicholas Caluda, Gary Cruice, Meredith Morphy, Rachel Moore, Alyssa Blanchard, Madeline Priest View scenes from the play in the Big River Photo Gallery.
One Act Play Festival Featuring Productions Directed by Br. Martin and Jesuit Seniors Opens Friday Night 
The cast from Take 5-- Emily Classen (left), Michael Mentz, Katherine Harris,
Sean Simonson, and Michael Bordlee-- struggle through many
comic mishaps, while staging their play.
One Act Play Festival: Take Five Photo Gallery 
Jesuit senior B.J. Acosta (left) and
Br. Martin senior Matt Armata take
their turns in the director’s chair
at the Senior-Directed
One Act Festival.
|
Jesuit’s Philelectic Society presents the First Annual Senior-Directed One Act Play Festival. Seniors B.J. Acosta from Jesuit and Matt Armata from Br. Martin have directed their own productions, including creating costumes, settings, and lighting. B.J. directs Take Five by Westley Pederson. The play is a hilarious, bizarre occurrence of a show on opening night when it’s not ready, and there are no actors prepared.
Matt directs Werewolf? by William K. Gleason, a comedy about a man under the mistaken impression he is of the lycanthropic persuasion. He isn't, and no one's happy about that.
The shows will run on Friday and Saturday nights January 23 and 24. Showtime will be
at 7 PM, and admission for all is $5. Entrance will be through the side lobby and seating is limited. |
Philelectic Society Announces Senior-Directed One Act Plays
Jesuit’s Philelectic Society announces the First Annual Senior-Directed One Act Play Festival.
The education into the world of theatre arts is not limited at Jesuit to working under the direction of the moderator. Instead, the school believes that students garnish invaluable experiences by "doing it yourself," designing a small black-box production, creating costumes, settings, and lighting on their own and with each other. The Philelectic Society has taken this one step further and opened our doors to our amazing facility to the local schools that have students with an avid interest in maximizing their formative theatrical experiences.
This year, Jesuit senior B.J. Acosta directs Take Five by Westley Pederson. The play is a hilarious, bizarre occurrence of a show on opening night when it’s not ready, and there are no actors prepared.
And Brother Martin's Matt Armato directs Werewolf? by William K. Gleason, a comedy about a man under the mistaken impression he is of the lycanthropic persuasion. He isn't, and no one's happy about that.
The shows will run on Friday and Saturday nights January 23 and 24. Showtime will be at 7 PM, and admission for all is $5. Entrance will be through the side lobby and seating is limited.
Auditions Set For Spring Production of
Big River
Auditions are also announced for Big River, The Musical Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for Saturday, January 24 at 10 a.m. in the Jesuit auditorium. All Jesuit students and girls from area schools are invited. Callbacks will be Sunday, January 25. Auditioners should be familiar with the music from the show. See Mr. Belloni if there are any questions, or feel free to call him directly with any inquiries at 504-483-3877.
Philelectic Society Raises Curtain on Winter Production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead The Jesuit Philelectic Society proudly announces their fall comedy:
Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Show dates are December 3-6 at 8 pm. No matinee will be performed for this production.
Tickets will be sold as general admission only: $10 for adults and $5.00 for all students of high school age. Tickets will go on sale after Thanksgiving. Synopsis of Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Hamlet is the son of King Hamlet. King Hamlet is secretly killed by his brother Claudius, who not only takes the King’s life but also takes his wife, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude.
Hamlet feigns grief-stricken insanity to his gal pal, Ophelia, and to the rest of the characters in order to investigate his dad’s death and then set in motion his revenge. Claudius attempts to rid the play of Prince Hamlet and enlists Hamlet’s childhood buddies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (R and G) to bring Hamlet to England with a note. The note instructs the King of England to whack Hamlet. While on the boat to England, Hamlet reads the note and switches it with one that instructs the King of England to kill the note’s carriers, R and G. The ship is attacked by pirates, Hamlet escapes, R and G get to England without him but still give the new note to the King. Bad move….. Hamlet returns to Ellsinore, and everybody dies. How tragically Shakespearean! What Tom Stoppard does in his play is take the two minor characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and thrust them in the abstract world happening outside and around Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Who are they, what are they doing there and what is their purpose in that universe? They ponder the more absurd explanations to random philosophical queries of life, death, chance and fate waiting impatiently for the end they don’t see coming. It is Samuel Becket’s Waiting for Godot meets Hamlet with their mortality hanging in the balance. Enjoy and consider.
Cast- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Rosencrantz- Bradley Hoerner Guildenstern- Barron Burmaster The Player- Erin Hildebrand Alfred- Andrew Burmaster Hamlet- Trey Moffatt Claudius- Robert Roso Polonius- BJ Acosta Ophelia- Greer McKendrick Gertrude- Katharine Harris Horatio- Michael Mentz Tragedians: Mark Tortorich, Tyler Richier, Sam Morel,
Joe Signorelli, Logan Breaux, Michael Bordlee, Ricky Bordelon,
Daniel Rigamer, Kyle Adam
Fantastic! 2008 Fall Production of
The Fantasticks Wows the Jesuit Community
Visit The Fantasticks Photo Gallery.
The Philelectic Society would like to thank everyone involved in our fall musical, The Fantasticks.
Without the support of the student body, the faculty and the volunteer alumni, parents and special guests, productions of this caliber are not feasable. Special thanks go out to Steve and Cynthia Hayes, Tracy Collins, Maria and Barron Burmaster, Monique Taso and Dorinda Bordlee. |
Synopsis of The Fantasticks At a time when Broadway was loaded with the grandiose theatre of Rogers and Hammerstein, a time when the Hello Dolly’s, My Fair Lady’s, and South Pacific’s ruled the stages of New York came a little show by Schmidt and Jones that defied all odds. Based on a French play, Les Romanesques by Edmund Rostand, this seven-man musical fable stood among giants in 1960 to eventually become the world’s longest running musical. It is still playing in
New York City. The story centers around a boy and a girl and their fathers who create a ruse to keep them apart in hopes that they will fall in love, and they do. Once together, the illusions of romantic love and fantasy are strained and the youthful couple splits to encounter a cold and hard world that ultimately brings them back together and this time wiser about themselves and their feelings for each other.
Tickets for The Fantasticks Are Now on Sale!Play Dates
Wednesday October 22 - Saturday, October 25: 8 PM Curtain
Sunday, October 26- 2 PM Matinee Tickets
High School Students- $5
Adults- $12
To purchase tickets, contact the ticket box at jayphils@jesuitnola.org or call 483-3877.
Fantasticks' Cast
The Mute- Niki Collins
El Gallo- Andrew Otts
Matt- Gregory Rittiner
Louisa- Katherine Harris
Hucklebee- Jeff Wilson
Bellamy- Jay Hooks
Henry- BJ Acosta
Mortimer- Andrew Burmaster Ensemble: Barron Burmaster & Erin Hildebrand Director- Marc E. Belloni Asst. Director- Tracy Collins Vocal Director- Karl Harrod Choreographer- Blake Coheley Technical Director- DJ Galiano |
