In what seems like an impossibly short time, The Talisman Players have established themselves as a successful community theatre.
With a small group of actors in the basement of Trinity Lutheran and an audience of 30 people in 2014; they have now grown to over 100 actors who have appeared in a Talisman production. They are selling out their small theatre productions and are drawing large audiences in the Schaeffer Auditorium at Kutztown University for their summer musicals.
Their last production of “Pinocchio” not only sold out every performance at Trinity but also drew over 75 people to the “Brunch-Performance” at KU’s Old Main. Their success led them to a new challenge to find a performance space for their spring and fall shows when Trinity Lutheran informed them that for insurance purposes and lack of space, they could no longer host them. This was very unexpected for they had just completed offering a director’s workshop where Christine Nardone Storch and her dad Tom Nardone hoped to find individuals who might want to “try their hand” as directors.
Following the workshop, two participants were selected to direct a one-act for presentation at an evening of “One Acts” soon to follow.
Well as the saying goes, “One door closes and another opens.” Kutztown University invited them in finding space for them in The Little Black Box Theatre on the lower level of Schaeffer Auditorium.
They are thrilled to now have Kutztown University as their home and wish to thank President Kenneth Hawkinson for his determination to bring The Talisman community into the university and have the university more a part of Kutztown community life.
And so The Talisman Players will present a evening of two One Acts on May 15 to 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Schaeffer Theatre where two individuals will be making their directorial debut.
Rob Weidman will direct the first one, a comedy from the early 1900s called “Tickless Time.” It is about an inventor wanting to replace clocks with the more “accurate” Sun Dial.
This will be followed by an original piece written by Brandi Falco, a long-time part of The Talisman Family; now also residing in the area, making her directorial debut. She has written “Those Who Fell and Those Who Carry On,” a moving piece about a family that is faced with immense loss following the events of 9/11.
Also, just in case you want to be a part of all of this, auditions will be held for the summer musical “HONK”! A special workshop will be held on May 20 for kids and adults, auditions are on May 29 and 30. For more information, email brandi@talismanplayers.com.
All tickets are $12. For ticket information, email brandi@talismanplayers.
