Auditions for the fall production of the major musical My Fair Lady will be held on Sunday and Monday, August 10 & 11 at the theater on Glendon Street at 7 pm. Directed by Carol Light, My Fair Lady is scheduled for six performances (Friday and Saturday night, Sunday matinee) November 14-16, and 21-23. Rehearsals will begin before Labor Day. My Fair Lady by Lerner & Lowe is one of the most popular musicals of all time, made popular first by Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews on Broadway, and later by Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in the film version. Many of the musical numbers are famous, including Get Me To The Church On Time, I Could Have Danced All Night, and On The Street Where You Live. Based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, it is the story of an irascible professor who takes on the challenge of converting a common flower girl to a princess. Major roles in the show include the professor, Henry Higgins, the flower girl turned consort for a king, Eliza Doolittle , and Eliza's erstwhile father, Alfie. This musical includes a number of very good supporting roles, such as Colonel Pickering, Mrs. Pearce, Mrs. Higgins, and Freddy Eynsford-Hill. In addition, there is a multitude of small roles, including Alfie's drinking buddies, the staff of servants at Higgins house, and a number of small speaking roles in the Ascot scene. Several different small choruses will be needed, from the street chorus to the servant's chorus to the Ascot chorus, and each will require different types of vocal and acting talent. Last fall's musical, Oliver, was a sellout success, and the Players are expecting nothing less than that with this wonderful musical. There are no roles in the show for young children. Older teens who with costume and makeup will pass for young adults could be cast, at the director's discretion. The adult cast can range in age from 18 up; there are role possibilities for all ages. Since large portions of the auditions will be done in groups, it is important that you arrive promptly at 7 pm. Those wishing to audition for a major role or one of the larger supporting roles will be required to sing solo and to read from a portion of the script. You may bring your own musical selection as an audition piece, or can opt to sing a number from the show. Those wishing to audition for chorus parts only will be asked to sing with a group of other auditioners, not solo. Everyone will be asked to participate in learning a few very basic dance movements, which will be done in large groups, so that our choreographer has a chance to see how you move. {Don't be intimidated- even those of us with two left feet survived this the last time, and Kelly's great teacher!} Carol Bense will work with Director Carol Light as the vocal coach, and has also agreed to produce the show. Kelly Eggers will be back for her third major musical with the Players as choreographer. Once again, Cathy Marker and Jan Stanley have agreed to work as rehearsal and performance accompanists for us. Diane Ducret {bless her crazy heart} will return backstage as stage manager. Rehearsal schedules will of course be subject to the makeup of the cast, but prospective auditioners can plan that Sunday nights will be the major workhorse rehearsal, with one other week night at the start, and a second week night added as rehearsals progress. Remember that no experience is necessary. We will teach you what you need to know, and you may have talents you've yet to discover! If you have questions about the auditions, or would like to offer your services in one of dozens of backstage and production roles, please contact Carol Light at 569-4814 or Carol Bense at 569- 1396.

On Sunday evening, July 13th, we held our first activity to raise funds for the renovation of our theater. About 65 people from the community attended "A Very Special Evening With The Village Players" They were welcomed to our building with wine and hors d'ouevres created by Nadine San Antonio (with lots of help). Dean Richardson and Corky Mork organized a special tour of the building and several members took groups on this tour so they could see for themselves our needs and the interesting aspects of this special structure. Many members of the group had spent hours cleaning the building and Carol Light (with help) decorated the rooms with costumes and props from past plays (Jubilation T. Cornpone had a place of honor in the main hall). After the socializing and the tours, chairs were put up in the main hall and the guests enjoyed a performance of excerpts from Educating Rita, starring Carol Light and Michael Wilkes and directed by Carol Bense. Then, our president, Corky Mork spoke to the group about our needs and introduced the director of our fund-raising effort (which we are calling Project 2001), Dean Richardson. Dean made an eloquent plea for support to the guests. From comments we have heard since then, the guests felt it was a wonderful evening and made many remarks about how welt we presented everything. Pledges and donations are starting to come in and we will have a full report for you later on when we have more responses. So everyone should be proud of our efforts and take credit for making this work. We needed everyone's help to make this evening a success and those who came out deserve a round of applause, from the folks who helped collate and address the invitations, those who cleaned the hall, those who made the signs and posters, those who prepared the food, those who helped with the production of "Educating Rita", those who gave the tours, those who served the food and wine, and those who decorated the hall. It was a major effort. We all pulled together and got it done in true Village Players' style, because that's what we do best. The fund-raising committee and the board give thanks to all who helped.

The Building Committee met (after a long hiatus) and discussed various projects to help improve our theater. We will be having the roof repaired and the upper part of the front painted by A&B Roofing. We will also be having the heating system replaced, and are getting quotes from heating contractors. We also started a list (below) of projects that we can do ourselves. Some projects are simpler one-person, one- session projects, while other will require more manpower and time. If you would like to help out with any of these projects, or have ideas for others, contact the project leader (under Who in the list) or Building Committee chairman Corky Mork, 569-5726.

Work on the theater (and the My Fair Lady set) will be continuing Saturday afternoons. If you have some time, stop by and lend a hand. It is advisable to call first (569- 9656) to be sure someone is there.

The Wolfeboro First Night Committee has asked the Village Players to give two 45 minute performances for this year's New Year's Eve celebration. This could be two different plays, or two performances of the same play. Last year, the Village Players presented Suzy and the Christmas Soup, directed by Nadine San Antonio. Anyone with ideas or suggestions, or who would be interested in directing or producing is urged to contact a board member.

In addition to the phone numbers listed above, you may call our theater at 569-9656. If there's no one there, you can leave a message. You can also email us at villageplayers@usa.net, or visit our web site at www.vp.home.ml.org.