Posted onMay 31, 2025bydshaw12|Comments Off on Early Bird Registration closes JUNE 1 for Youth Theatre Workshop
This is a reminder that Early Bird Registration closes on June 1 at 11:59PM for Youth Theater Workshop. Regular registration is open until June 20 for SpongeBob (Grades 8+) and July 13 for Alice (Grades 1-8). Sign-up today to take advantage of a discount and to guarantee your spot this summer!
TCS continues to hold two Youth Theatre Workshops – one for Grades 1-8 (Session I) and one for Grades 8 and up (Session II). Session I will run for two weeks in July and Session II will be over the course of eight weeks from the end of June through mid-August. Auditions are used to assign roles to all the workshop participants. Internship Opportunities are for Grades 9 and up to work with either or both productions depending upon needs and schedules.
The Youth Theatre Workshop is a great way for kids to discover if they like being on stage or behind the scenes. They will be meeting new people, reconnecting with friends from school or other local programs, and learning more than their lines and choreography. Children who have participated in the TCS Youth Theatre Workshop often return for future summers and some have even participated in some of our mainstage productions. Prior participants have even returned as coaching staff!
If you are not sure about joining the program, be aware that regular rates will go into effect after June 1 and that the last day to register for SpongeBob is June 20 and the last day to register for Alice is July 13.
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Posted onMay 9, 2025bylsegel|Comments Off on Legion Basement Reorganization
We need your help to complete the next phase of our costume-props-storage reorganization project. On Saturday 17 May 2025, starting at 10 AM, we will tackle the basement storage area of the American Legion building that is our home. We will expand the safe storage area on the old bocce court.
First, we will take everything off of the bocce court and carry it outside. This includes the furniture, drapes, shelves, and bins. (We do not need to touch the heavy stack of seating risers and floor panels; these are already in the correct place.) Then we will cover the sand on the bocce court with wooden pallets, so as to provide a separation between the sand and stuff stored above it. (We have the pallets.) Then we will cover the pallets with sheets of plywood or Masonite panels. If you have extra scrap sheets or panels, we could use them please.
After the new surface is set up, we will put all the stuff back, reorganized. We will have teams to work on specific areas: Furniture, Shelves, Bins, and Drapes. We should be done by mid-afternoon.
Posted onApril 24, 2025bydshaw12|Comments Off on Registration is now open for Youth Theatre Workshop Summer 2025
We are delighted to announce that registration is now open for this summer’s Youth Theatre Workshop, now in its 15th year. Sign-up today!
TCS continues to hold two Youth Theatre Workshops – one for Grades 1-8 (Session I) and one for Grades 8 and up (Session II). Session I will run for two weeks in July and Session II will be over the course of eight weeks from the end of June through mid-August. Auditions are used to assign roles to all the workshop participants. Internship Opportunities are for Grades 9 and up to work with either or both productions depending upon needs and schedules.
Productions: The workshop for younger kids, in grades 1 thru 8, will run July 21 through August 1, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. The program will culminate with three performances of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, JR., on Friday and Saturday, August 1-2, 2025. The auditions will be Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00PM and held at Saugus Middle High School at 1 Pearce Memorial Drive in Saugus, MA. If needed, Callbacks will be held the same evening with those needing to be seen again asked to stay a little bit longer. The audition process also functions as a Meet & Greet for parents and youth actor participants to acquaint themselves with each other, the coaching staff for the workshop, and the interns who will be assisting the coaches.
The other Youth Theatre Workshop taking place this summer will run for eight weeks for our teens in Grades 8 and up. Their show this year will be The Spongebob Musical: Youth Edition. Performances will be Friday and Saturday, August 15-16, 2025. Auditions will be on Monday, June 23 at 6:00 PM, with callbacks on Tuesday, June 24 if needed. These will take place at the American Legion Post 210, 44 Taylor Street in Saugus, MA. Rehearsals will be three times a week (Mon, Tue, Thu) from 6:00PM to 9:00PM starting on June 23. The June 23 Auditions will also function as a Meet & Greet for parents and youth actor participants the same way the one for Grades 1-8 will as described above.
Workshop and Performance Locations: The current plan is for a portion of each workshop to take place at the American Legion Post 210 (TCS’ home space) and a portion of each workshop to take place at the Saugus Middle High School Lemoine-Mitchell Auditorium. All performances for each workshop would take place at the school’s auditorium. This is contingent upon having enough youth actor participants sign up for each workshop. We will have a better idea of reaching these numbers by the close of our Early Bird Registration on June 1. Being able to partner with Saugus Middle High School allows TCS to provide an expanded summer theater experience than what we have been able to provide in prior years. We hope that if it goes well this inaugural summer it will continue successfully in years to come. It not only allows us the opportunity to expand the size of production, the number of cast members, and have our youth participants work in a theatre space they are either already familiar with as students or many be in the future, BUT it allows so many more family members and friends to attend and support them due to the larger seating capacity.
Coaching Staff: For Grades 1-8 we welcome Sydney Vallone to the team as the acting/stage directing coach. Sydney was an assistant coach for Frog and Toad, Princess Fiona in Shrek, JR., and Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, young@part. Our other staff members are all familiar faces behind the scenes for Grades 1-8: music/singing coach will be KG Spungen, dancing coach will be Amanda (née Allen) Goolsby, tech director will be Sean Perry, and stage manager will be Maisey O’Brien. For Grades 8 and up we will have much of the same staff with a slight change. Acting/stage directing coach will be Becca Griffing, music/singing coach will be KG Spungen, dance coach will be Will Fafard, Jr., technical directors will be Tricia Smith and Saahil Rana (Saahil has been a tech intern with us in prior years and is now joining us as a coach – welcome aboard!), and stage manager will be Maisey O’Brien.
Step into the wacky world of Wonderland in this vibrant retelling of a Disney classic!
Fall down the rabbit hole with Alice as she navigates the curious world of Wonderland on a journey of self-discovery. When young Alice finds herself in a strange world where everything seems upside down, she must find her way home…and find herself along the way. As she travels through Wonderland, she encounters all of the iconic characters that audiences have come to love: including the ever-tardy White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, the wacky Mad Hatter, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts.
Alice in Wonderland JR. features Disney favorites such as “The Golden Afternoon,” “The Unbirthday Song,” and “Painting the Roses Red” along with brand-new songs, including music from the 2010 live-action film. Whether this is your first experience with Alice or your hundredth, you’ll fall in love all over again with this timeless story of adventure, imagination, and pure fun!
A one-hour edition of the hit musical, specially tailored for young actors!
Plunge into this stunning all-singing, all-dancing, dynamic stage show! When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world!
The SpongeBob Musical is based on the beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg and features a book by Kyle Jarrow, with original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics are by Jonathan Coulton, with additional music by Tom Kitt. The musical production was conceived by Tina Landau.
An exciting new musical featuring irresistible characters and magical music, this deep-sea pearl of a show is set to make a splash with audiences young and old. The future is bright, the future is bold, the future is The SpongeBob Musical.
Thanks to all who helped out with our costume storage reorganization project, led by the chief organizers Vanessa Phelon and Patrick Cleary. Others who helped out the first weekend include: Jeanette Amaru, Samantha Dawson, Caroline DeBrota, Cambria DiCecca, Amanda and Cheryl-Lynn Goolsby, Liz Hartsell, John Leonard, Tom Monahan, Dana Murray, Larry Segel, Shawyoun Shaidani, Tricia Smith, Lauren Thompson, David Vincent, and Valerie White.
On the second weekend we had the help of Kathy Bedard, Heidi Fisher, Billy Jenkins, John Leonard, Melissa MacNeil, Stephen Nedell, Ian Page, Larry Segel, Avonne Thomson, David Vincent, and Valerie White; again all led by Vanessa Phelon and Patrick Cleary.
Here is the costume storage rental unit Before:
After we filled the storage unit with all the bins, Vanessa and her kids Mels and Joy went in and rearranged all of it. Here is the After:
Still to be done in the coming weeks is filling in the detailed database with all our costume holdings, which will allow costumers to search and find out if we have what they need.
On Saturday 17 May 2025, starting at 10:00 AM, we will do a related project to remodel the Legion basement and reorganize all the stuff that is stored there.
The Saugus Cultural Council is hosting the first Saugus Cultural Festival, at which a number of local groups will perform and show off their work. The date is Sunday 23 February 2025, from 11 AM to 3 PM. The location is the Saugus Middle/High School, which is located at 1 Pearce Memorial Drive / Saugus, Massachusetts.
TCS members will perform a scene from the classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. The scene, about 15 minutes long, will be presented at 1:00 PM on the stage of the Lemoine-Mitchell Performing Arts Center at the school. The TCS performers include:
Caroline DeBrota as Gwendolyn
Shawyoun Shaidani as Jack (pretending to be Ernest)
Valerie Whiteneck as Lady Bracknell
All three will also appear in our April-May 2025 production of the comic play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin. Caroline will be Schmendiman, Shawyoun will be Einstein, and Valerie will be the Visitor.
Here is the schedule of performances at the Saugus Cultural Festival:
11:15 AM – Saugus Public Schools Acapella Singing Group
11:30 AM – Iskwelahang Pilipino Dance group
12:00 noon – Majur Indian Dance group
12:15 PM – Lucia Ingemi Solo Ballet performance
12:25 PM Phunk Phenomenon
12:45 PM – Keane O’Brien Irish Dance School
1:00 PM – Scene by Theatre Company of Saugus
Break
2:00 PM – Veronica Roble’s Mariachi Band
TCS will also host a table in the lobby promoting our upcoming production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Let us know if you wish to help us out that day talking to the public about TCS: tcsaugus@gmail.com. Plan to visit our table when you come to see the festival.
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Posted onJanuary 22, 2025bylsegel|Comments Off on Costume & Props Storage Reorganization
TCS has a very cluttered storage unit stuffed with bins of costumes and props. And there’s lots of stuff in the Legion basement. We are going to sort and organize all of it, discard stuff we don’t need, and make a database of everything we have showing where it is located.
On Friday 21 February we will load all the bins from the storage unit into a UHaul truck. Then on Saturday 22 February we will move everything from the truck into the Legion upstairs, where crews will then spend a few days sorting through everything.
We also need crews to do data entry and labelling, and to reorganize the Legion basement and put a floor down on top of the bocce court.
On Sunday 2 March we will truck all the bins back to the storage unit and arrange them on shelves.
We need lots of people to get all this done. Please set aside these dates on your calendar: Feb 21-22-23 and March 1-2.
At the start and end of the process we will be working at Extra Space Storage at 222 Central Street / Saugus, Massachusetts, at the loading dock and in unit #372. The sorting and organizing work will be upstairs at the TCS home at the American Legion Post 210 / 44 Taylor Street / Saugus, Mass. Other tasks will be done in the basement of the Legion building, in our storage area on the old bocce court. See our Directions page.
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Nominations are open for the Theatre Company of Saugus’ Board of Directors. There are nine members serving staggered three-year terms. Each year we hold an election to fill vacant positions.
This year there are four potential openings on the board. Larry Segel is term-limited. Ben Tan’s term is up and he is not running for another term. Two positions will be vacant. Those continuing on the board include Jeff Bliss, Sherri Raftery, Lauren Thompson, Billy Jenkins, and Kaycee Wilson.
The nominating committee has been gathering names of potential new board members. If you are interested in serving on the board, you should contact any current board member, or write to our general email address tcsaugus@gmail.com. We hope to finalize our nominees at the next board meeting on Wednesday 6 November.
The elections will occur at our Annual General Membership Meeting, which will be conducted via Zoom on Wednesday 20 November 2024 starting at 7:00 PM. Additional nominations can be made from the floor prior to the election vote.
Following the election, the board will meet and elect the officers of the company: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary. This meeting will be in early December. The meeting includes all retiring, continuing, and newly elected board members.
In addition to the regular Board of Directors, we also have Alternate Board Members. They also attend board meetings and can vote if we need additional people to make up a quorum.
Want to get involved but not yet ready to commit to several years? Alternate board members serve for one-year terms. Alternate board members for 2025 will also be selected at the Annual Meeting. Current Alternate members include: Heather Beatty, Dylan Bushe, Rosemary DeGregorio, Dana Murray, Deirdre Shaw, and Jill Sliby.
What is required of regular board members?
Attendance at monthly board meetings, at which we decide what shows to do, interview and hire directors and other staff, plan events, etc. Currently these meetings have been on Wednesday evenings starting at 7:00 PM, via Zoom. Meetings usually last one hour.
Some of the board members are Officers, serving one-year terms: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary.
Serving on committees: Play Reading / Production Planning, Nominating, Scholarship, Finance, etc. This requires just a few extra meetings.
Being available to work on shows, during Auditions and from Load-In to Strike.
Other tasks for which you have a skill or interest: Publicity, Marketing, Recruiting good talent, Technical Theater, Producing
Board members are not always exclusive to TCS, they may work for other theatre groups, as long as they can fulfill their obligations to TCS.
Please contact us ASAP if you have any questions or interest. Write to us at TCSaugus@gmail.com and we will get back to you.
Each year the town of Saugus holds a street fair. Featuring vendors, food carts, games for kids, art sales, and information booths set up by community organizations and businesses.
Theatre Company of Saugus always participates. There will be a TCS info booth, featuring raffles, games, and information. Several fantastic raffle prizes will be awarded. Purchase tickets at the TCS booth.
Need costumes for Halloween? We have them for sale at our table!
We also perform selections from our shows on the steps in front of Town Hall. This year we will feature the kids from the Youth Theatre Workshop 2024 this summer, performing selections from A Year With Frog and Toad KIDS and Xanadu JR. There will also be a preview performance from our upcoming production of Evil Dead the Musical. The performance time is at 11:00 AM.
We will have a special Founders Day discount on tickets to Evil Dead the Musical.
This year Founders Day is on Saturday 14 September 2024. Running from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. On several blocks of Central Street, running north from the monument. The TCS booth is right in front of Town Hall.
We need volunteers to staff the TCS info table throughout the day. Greet visitors, hand out flyers, and run a raffle. We also need people to set up the table earlier in the morning, and break it down at the end.
Click here to sign upto staff, setup, or breakdown the TCS info table at Founders Day on Saturday 14 September 2024. We will contact you with instructions.
Theatre Company of Saugus 