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Saturday,
May 8, 2010
Theatrical reading planned to help Maple Grove raise funds by Anthony P. Musso For Focus
The Over the Pond to Poughkeepsie Ensemble will
present a theatrical reading of the play, "Charlie's Birds",
on May 16 to raise funds for the continuing restoration of Maple
Grove, a
19th century
historic house
in Poughkeepsie. The local acting company was specifically founded
to stage events in support of the Beechwood Avenue structure, which
was built in 1850.
Performance to be held at Maple Grove The
3 pm performance will take place in one of Maple Grove's first -floor
rooms, which easily accomodates an audience of 50 people. A theatrical
- or staged - reading features actors that read individual, rehearsed
roles from a script or play in absence of scenery, props
or costumes. In the case of the May 16 reading, it will be directed
by longtime regional theater set designer and director Bill Peckham.
Linda
Roper, who founded the Over the Pond to Poughkeepsie Ensemble last
year, worked with local talent to present five works at Maple Grove
in 2009. A native of England, Roper attended the Royal Scottish
Academy of Music and Drama.
She
performed in Reparatory theater overseas and after relocating
to the United States in 1998 has
been part of
various regional productions.
"Charlie's Birds" was written by Robert
Cessna, a Woodstock author who passed away last summer.
"Bob and
his partner Gerry Hopkins, who is an artist, came to see me when
I was doing a George Bernard Shaw play named 'Major Barbara'," Roper
said. "Bob told me that he had just written 'Charlie's Birds' and
he wanted me to play the lead in it.
"We did a staged reading at
an art gallery in Saugerties and it was very successful. I loved
the play and when I got involved with Maple Grove and saw the historic
house I thought that it would be a great venue for play readings."
Just
prior to Cessna's death, he granted Roper permission to stage
a reading of his new work at Maple Grove.
Peckham,
who recently retired from a career with New York State, has worked
with the
County Players
in Wappingers Falls and other regional acting companies
for more than 30 years.
He shared his motivation to direct "Charlie's Birds" at the May 16 event.
Good,
strong character sketch
"This
play appealed to me because I thought the characters were well developed
and interesting," he said. "It's a bit of a surreal, over-the-top comedy
about a brother and sister that live together and are dependent
upon each other.
"He's kind of a simple soul and she's overbearing. The play starts when her
husband dies and suddenly an aunt that they had no knowledge of
shows up and tries to convince them that she's the sister of their long departed
mother."
The
aunt , played by Roper, attempts to move in with the siblings and
the interaction that ensues is entertaining and amusing.
Purest form of theater "If it is really done well a reading is like the purest form of theater," Peckham
said. The audience has to focus on listening to the content and
the words and they're not as distracted by scenery and props and costumes.
"What I like about it is that it gets right to the guts of the material."
Roper
said that in many ways the ambiance of the 19th cuntury
home's rough interior lends itself to the various productions presented.
It's
a very old house that is kind of tattered and has not been done
up yet and a lot of the productions that we've done
seem to fit in
there well," she said. "If you look out the windows and see all the
trees and the grass, the outside seems to come right into the
room through the windows. You're part of something bigger in
that house.
"When we did 'Moon for the Misbegotten' last year, it was kind of perfect because
it was meant to be on a farm porch. It was wonderful."
Joining
Roper at the reading are local actors Zsuzsa Manna and Michael
Frohnhoefer, both of whom have been active in other productions
in the
area.
Aside
from attempting to raise funds to continue Maple Grove's restoration,
Roper said that just having people visit the historic structure
to attend the staged readings is reason enough to do them.
"It's a beautiful house that generations of people lived in and many people don't
even know that it is there," Roper said. "It's nice to have it being used and
to have people become aware of it.
"While
admission is free to the Over the Pond to Poughkeepsie
Ensemble readings,
attendees are encouraged to make a dontation to assisit the
restoration effort. A box set
up in the home is available for donations, which can
be made by cash or
check.
The Over the pond to Poughkeepsie Ensemble event
is one of a few different initiatives staged at Maple Grove to
raise
funds.
Another popular series is the Sunday Author Readings that enables attendees to
hear parts of a new work and then discuss it with the
author.
In
addition to acquiring a grant, the Saint Simeon Foundation and
the Maple Grove Restoration Committee have helped to finance the
ongoing
work
done at the site. A gala fund raiser is held on the grounds
in June to bolster
funds as
well.
Maple
Grove is located at 24 Beechwood Avenue in Poughkeepsie. For more
information about the May 16 reading or other events at the site
visit online at www.maplegroveny.org or call 471-3248.
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