Grand Haven, MI (WGHN) – Amber Ponce stopped into the WGHN studios to chat about all that is happening with Central Park Players. It’s a lot! There is a need for directors too.
Hear the interview below.
Community Picnic:
CPP invites anyone and everyone to their community picnic on June 12 from 6-8 at Pottawatomie Park. They supply hot dogs and condiments, and attendees bring a dish to pass (potluck style). It’s a “Bring Your Own Beverages,” event where alcohol is permitted. RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1221503439689740/
This year, they have added a production and will include 6 shows in their 67th Season.
The family theatre program kick offs the summer with two youth productions! Auditions are June 9 & 10 for Jungle Book KIDS and Beetlejuice, Jr. We’re still looking for creative staff to help make these shows happen, no experience necessary! https://centralparkplayers.org/summer-2025-call-for-staff/
Day Camp:
CPP’s 2 week day camp, ACT ONE, is full, but there are still a few slots open for ages 5-8. These campers will learn and perform “It’s a Hit,” a short baseball-themed musical. Registration is open through this Saturday at cpp.ludus.com.
A call for directors is open for the following shows! More information is on the home page of our website centralparkplayers.org (https://centralparkplayers.org/call-for-directors-for-our-67th-season/).
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro, and music by Jimmy Roberts. It is the second-longest-running Off-Broadway musical. The musical was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award as Outstanding Off-Broadway musical in 1997.
I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is presented in the form of a series of vignettes connected by the central theme of love and relationships. The play’s tagline is “Everything you have ever secretly thought about dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives, and in-laws, but were afraid to admit.”
With few exceptions, the scenes stand independent of the others, but progress in a fashion designed to suggest an overall arc to relationships throughout one’s life. A first date, for example, comes before scenes dealing with marriage, and scenes dealing with marriage come before those dealing with childbearing.
Let Nothing You Dismay is a two-act play by Topher Payne, published in 2023. We’re excited to bring this new comedic holiday play to West Michigan this December.
It’s Christmas, and Kevin and Allie are about to become parents- they’re just waiting for a phone call. And though they’ve asked their families to keep their distance until they bring the baby home, of course, no one keeps their distance. Kevin’s father visits with his much-younger wife and their extended clan, followed by Kevin’s mother with her veterinarian, her upstairs neighbor, and her favorite author, and then Allie’s family invades, including her ultra-competitive sister, her Bubbie, and Bubbie’s gentleman friend.
Eight actors play twenty-two characters in this lightning-paced holiday farce that celebrates families of all kinds.
Marjorie Prime is a science fiction drama by Jordan Harrision. This captivating drama explores human, and digital, interpersonal relationships and challenges our perceptions of memory, identity, and loss. The run time is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
It’s the age of artificial intelligence, and 85-year-old Marjorie — a jumble of disparate, fading memories — has a handsome new companion who’s programmed to feed the story of her life back to her. What would we remember, and what would we forget, if given the chance? In this richly spare, wondrous new play, Jordan Harrison explores the mysteries of human identity and the limits — if any — of what technology can replace.
She Kills Monsters is a drama-comedy play by Qui Nguyen that debuted in 2011. It tells the story of Agnes Evans, an average woman who loses her parents and little sister Tilly in a car accident.
Having been very distant from her sister while she was alive, Agnes embarks on an adventure to get to know her sister better by playing a Dungeons & Dragons module that Tilly had written, and discovers things she’d never imagined.
The plot takes place in reality and in the imaginary game world; in the game world Agnes learns about Tilly’s exploration with her sexuality and how she struggled with her sexuality in reality. The play is also presented in a “Young Adventurers Edition” which removes the explicit language and ages down some of the characters.
Next Week, CPP will Be Back to Share an Update on their YouthFest Entry!
Local youth have been selected to perform with Central Park Players at a national theatre festival!
CPP was selected to send its youth to perform at the American Association of Community Theatre national YouthFest! They represent Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin in Region 3 of AACT, and not every region is represented due to the limited performance slots available. Students are from Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Mona Shores, West Michigan Christian and Reeths-Puffer Schools.
“This is a huge honor; however, it also represents a much larger fundraising hurdle than we’re accustomed to facing,” said Runaway Princess producer Amber Ponce. “The costs are roughly $25,000 for materials, travel, hotel, & meals. We chose performers and cast based upon their skills, personalities and drive; not their ability to pay to participate. We are around 50% of our fundraising goal, and we have limited reserves available given the nature of our organization. Any help from our local businesses and individuals will make a difference!”
Sponsors interested in learning more can email Amber Ponce, amber@centralparkplayers.org or complete the YouthFest Sponsorship Form.pdf
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