Death by Design Opens January 9

Here's the official line on this really funny show:

Bisbee’s Obscure Productions Presents Death by Design

Bisbee’s Obscure Productions will open 2015 with Death by Design by Rob Urbinati at the Squffy Theater at Central School Project, 43 Howell Avenue in Old Bisbee. This new play is a comedy-mystery or mystery-comedy described as the love child of Agatha Christie and Noel Coward. No matter how you describe this show, it’s funny and tricky. The show opens on Friday, January 9, accompanied by wine and baked goods from the BOP Bakers.

Death by Design is a murder mystery right out of Christie delivered with the arch wit of Coward. Urbinati has created stock characters with a twist: The Maid (played by Daphne Ross), The Chauffeur (Mitchell A. Reed-Tattan), The Playwright (Carlos Peinado), The Actress (Suzi Pretty), The Bohemian (Cheri Wiens), The Politician (Bill Higgins), The Radical (Damien Farrar), and The Visitor (Kya Teskey). All of them have unexpected quirks, brought to life by BOP’s usual mix of talented veterans and newcomers.

This fun and intriguing night of theater will entertain Cochise County audiences for only six performances. See Death by Design through January 18: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at 3:00 pm.

Bisbee’s Obscure Productions has two ticket outlets in Old Bisbee: Finders Keepers on Main Street and Mimosa Market on Brewery Gulch. Patrons can also purchase tickets at The Bisbee Food Coop in Lowell and directly from Bisbee’s Obscure Productions. Advance tickets are $10 for adults. For credit card sales from BOP, add $1 per ticket. Contact BOP at PO Box 277, Bisbee AZ 85603, 520.255.2097, or theaterbisbee@gmail.com for more information. Tickets are $12 at the door for adults and $6 for students.

WE’RE BACK!!!!!

Yes, this is truly scary, carrying the Bisbee Halloween Season well into next month. BOP’s “Almost Annual Comedy Show,” will bring laughs galore for the 12^th time on November 21 and 22 at 7:30, with a 3:00 matinee on November 23. Our yearly laugh riot will take place at BOP’s home, Central School Project’s “Squffy” Theater in the heart of Old Bisbee.

Join your old favorites presenting new stuff for your enjoyment and tittilation! Hillary! Keith! Mitchell! Lyn! Rae! Carrie! And a cast of thousands! OK, a few more. The show’s theme this year is “Nanu, Nanu” in honor of recently passed King of Comedy, Robin Williams. Mitchell can even do the hand sign!

Want to join us? One guy of any age, shape, size, or political affiliation is invited to strut his stuff, and I mean most of his stuff, in a sketch designed by our lovely MC for the night. You must be willing to show up each night, and strip down to your boxers, but your appearance will be brief, and there are no lines to learn. If you are ready to show us what you’ve got, or not, contact Rae at 432-2901, or at obscurerae@gmail.com and be a hero!

For more show information, contact our new, fabulous producer, Mitchell Reed-Tattan (yes, it is all his fault now), at 520-255-2097, or at theaterbisbee@gmail.com. Can’t wait to show up, show off, and show out for you this year!

Agnes of God Opens BOP's 2014-2015 Season

A Bold, Challenging Drama

Bisbee’s Obscure Productions opens their 2014-15 Season with Agnes of God by John Pielmeier. Agnes of God is a gripping drama about a young nun found with a dead baby in her wastebasket. Dr. Livingstone is hired to assess Sister Agnes’s sanity but wants to dig deeper. Will Mother Miriam Ruth allow the doctor to find out the truth?

Director Elizabeth Henley chose the show for its bold female characters and their ability to capture the audience's attention with their strong opposing points of view. Patrons will find themselves drawn into the fray. BOP is proud to support Elizabeth in this thesis project for a Directing degree from Roosevelt University.  Each year her adviser travels the country to view and assess all the thesis shows in the program, and he'll be coming to Bisbee for this production also.

Sharon Strachan, who plays Mother Miriam, says, “[Agnes of God] deals with philosophical and religious questions that many of us grapple with, the questions of miracle and belief and the interplay of science and religion.

Debby Gardner, who plays Dr. Livingstone says, “This play is about a doubtful psychiatrist who fails in her attempt to use her science to help a young nun but succeeds” at opening her own eyes.

The BOP Bakers are Back

Opening Night, October 3, and Friday, October 10, will feature the First Night Café with wine and baked goods from the BOP Bakers. Friday and Saturday performances, October 3, 4, 10 and 11, are at 7:30 p.m., with matinees October 5 and 12 at 3:00 p.m. All performances are at the Squffy Theater at Central School Project, 43 Howell Ave., Old Bisbee.

New Ticket Sellers

$10 adult tickets will be available in Old Bisbee at Finders Keepers on Main Street and Mimosa Market on Brewery Gulch. Patrons can also purchase tickets at The Bisbee Food Coop in Lowell and directly from Bisbee’s Obscure Productions. For credit card sales from BOP, add $1 per ticket. Contact BOP at PO Box 277, Bisbee AZ 85603, 520.255.2097, or theaterbisbee@gmail.com for more information. Tickets are $12 at the door for adults and $6 for students.

Sharon Strachan, Emily Roux, Debbie Gardner.

Director Elizabeth Henley looks on.

BOP's 12th (!) Season

BOP is Back at Central School Project with a full season of theater, opening October 3. All shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Friday nights feature the BOP Bakers and their tasty sweets, coffee and wine, donations coming back to us.

We open our 2014-15 Season with Agnes of God by John Pielmeier. Agnes of God is a gripping drama about a young nun found with a dead baby in her wastebasket. Dr. Livingstone is hired to assess Sister Agnes’s sanity but wants to dig deeper. Will Mother Miriam Ruth allow the doctor to find out the truth? Directed by Elizabeth Henley, Agnes of God runs October 3-12, 2014.

Local comics cut loose this November for BOP’s 12^th Almost Annual Comedy Show. Produced by Mitchell A. Reed-Tattan, this year’s laugh-a-thon will feature the best in Cochise comics – one never knows who will grab the Squffy stage. Shows are November 21-23. Expect adult language and situations.

Agatha Christie meets Noel Coward in a new mysterious comedy, comedic mystery. In Death by Design by Rob Urbinati, the stock characters meet at the home of Edward and Sorel Bennet, an urbane playwright and a glamorous
actress. You’ll meet the Maid, the Chauffeur, the Politician, the Radical, the Bohemian, the Visitor. Who dies, and whodunnit? Come to see. Gilles directs; this intriguing play runs January 9-18, 2015.

Produced by some amazing Bisbee women to be named later, our annual Bisbee Women’s Revue honors International Women’s Day, March 8, and celebrates creative power of women everywhere. The show runs three days, from March 6-8, and features some of our fine town’s finest female performers, different every year and always fabulous.

The season closes with a fascinating comedy/drama all the way from Australia – Cosi by Louis Nowra. Lewis, a playwright, is much in need of a job and gets one producing Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutti” at an Australian mental institution. Cast members run the gamut of the DSM-IV: OCD, bipolar, pyromania, mixed in with a few “normies.” This show celebrates the oddities in us all and gets in a few digs at theater while it’s at it. Directed by Caroline Raven, Cosi runs April 17-26.

BOP has two new ticket sellers, along with the Bisbee Food Coop. Joining the family are Mimosa Market on Brewery Gulch and Finders Keepers on Main Street. Tickets are still $10 in advance and $12 at the door for adults. Student tickets are $6 at the door only.

BOP has a new telephone number for information: 520.255.2097; the email address remains theaterbisbee@gmail.com. Search for “Bisbee’s Obscure” to find the website (https://sites.google.com/site/bisbeesobscureproductions/), and like (and follow) BOP on Facebook for the latest information.

Come to God, Now

The dark times are almost over at Bisbee’s Obscure Productions, and it's nearly time to get our 2014-2015 season off and running with auditions for Agnes of God by John Pielmeier. This intense psychological drama is the first totally serious play BOP has offered in a long time, if ever. I know, I know, comedies make for better date nights, but guys, consider the comfort factor that might just bring your gal in close to you. You know what to do after that, but do comfort her first, OK?

Agnes features three female actors in its three great roles. Sister Agnes, a young nun, indicted for manslaughter in the death of her newborn child, who sings like an angel (strong soprano needed). Mother Miriam, Mother Superior of the convent, who protects and shelters Agnes, but always for her own good? (An older woman with strong acting and line learning capabilities is needed.) Completing the trio is Dr. Martha Livingstone (I presume), a completed character, but perhaps not quite complete as a human herself, serving as the court appointed psychiatrist charged with the task of determining if Agnes is sane enough to stand trial. (This role also requires a mature actress who can learn her lines, and she smokes.)

The build up of the drama between these strong characters, and the strength of a very well crafted story will keep viewers spellbound to the end, and questioning after. Continue your date night with a discussion over a glass of wine?

So, audience, continue to cool your jets until the play opens on October 3. And actresses, start your engines and learn your monologues to be ready for auditions on August 2 & 3, 2:00-5:00, at the Squffy, Central School Project, Old Bisbee. Elizabeth Henley directs, so for more information, or to schedule a special time, contact her at 520-234-8891 or irishjiggonewestern@yahoo.com.

All other BOP inquiries can be directed to our brand new Producer, Mitchell Reed-Tattan at 520-255-2097, or theaterbisbee@gmail.com

Meanwhile, if you can’t wait to see something at BOP, come on over to our CSP studio at 10:00 Thursday mornings, and you can participate in getting the place back into even better shape for the start of the new season. Then you can tell your date, “Hey, I did that!” Maybe meet someone there to be your date. . . The rest is up to you.

BOP Announces 2014-2015 Season!

We have a great season ahead of us. New talents are adding strength to our lineup, and we look forward to welcoming back all our best actors and newcomers who want to play with us.

We have a new Producer, Mitchell A. Reed-Tattan, with a new phone number: 520.255-2097. More information on our season, our auditions and anything else that strikes our fancy will appear

• here in this blog
• on our website https://sites.google.com/site/bisbeesobscureproductions/
• follow us on Facebook
• on light poles, shop windows and bulletin boards near you
• Sign up for our mailing list

We're looking forward to seeing you in our audience or on our stage.

Five Fabulous Productions

Agnes of God by John Pielmeier

directed by Elizabeth Henley

A challenging drama exploring love and faith.

October 3, 4, 10, 11 at 7:30 pm

October 5 & 12 at 3:00 pm

12th Almost Annual Comedy Show

produced by Mitchell A. Reed-Tattan

November 21 and 22 at 7:30 pm

November 23 at 3:00 pm

Adult Language & Situations

Death by Design by Rob Urbanati

directed by C. Gilles-Brown

A mystery/comedy, comedy/mystery. Even the mystery is a mystery.

January 9, 10, 16 & 17 at 7:30 pm

January 11 & 18 at 3:00 pm

Bisbee Women's Revue

Produced by amazing Bisbee women to be named later.

March 6 and 7 at 7:30 pm

March 8 at 3:00 pm

Cosi by Louis Nowra

Directed by Caroline Raven

Mozart’s “Cosi fan Tutti” produced in an Australian mental hospital?
BOP’s actors get to play some really wonderful characters. 

April 17, 18, 24, 25 at 7:30 pm

April 19 & 26 at 3:00 pm

Ticket Prices

$10 in advance $12 at the door

$6 for children & students with ID at the door only

All shows at Central School Project

43 Howell Avenue, Old Bisbee

Tickets 

Mimosa Market, Brewery Gulch

Bisbee Food Coop, Lowell

Finders Keepers, Main Street

Call BOP for credit card sales (+$1 each)

520.255.2097 (note the new phone number)

or by mail (check or MO) from BOP

PO Box 277

Bisbee AZ 85603

Auditions for Agnes of God

We will be holding auditions for Agnes of God by John Pielmeier on August 2 & 3, 2014, at the Squffy Theater at Central School Project, 43 Howell Avenue in Old Bisbee. Auditions are from 2:00 to 5:00 pm both days, or you may schedule an audition appointment.

This challenging play revolves around a novice nun, Sister Agnes, who has given birth. The infant’s corpse was found in a wastebasket. Dr. Livingstone, a psychiatrist, must decide Agnes’s sanity. The Mother Superior tries to shield young Agnes from the doctor. Who fathered, and who killed the baby? All three women must look more deeply at how each defines faith and love. A copy of the script is available for actors to read at the Copper Queen Library.

BOP is seeking three strong women for the roles. Agnes is a young adult or someone who can play young on stage. Some singing experience (soprano) is necessary for this role. Dr. Livingstone is middle-aged to older, must be willing to smoke fake cigarettes or nicotine alternatives. Mother Miriam is older. Actors are asked to come prepared for auditions with a one- to two-minute memorized monologue. They will also do cold readings from the script.

Rehearsals for Agnes of God will be on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons and Monday and Wednesday evenings through October 2. Performances will be October 3 – 12, evenings and matinees. Contact Elizabeth Henley at 520.234.8891 or at irishjiggonewestern@yahoo.com for more information and audition appointments.

Things are Hoppin’ and BOPin’

Just because Bisbee’s Obscure Productions is dark for the summer doesn’t mean nothing is going on over there. We are madly working on transitioning our fabulous new Producer, Mitchell Reed-Tattan into the job, and he remains enthusiastic to get the 2014-2015 season underway. BOP’s new phone number is 520-255-2097, and you can still send e-mails to theaterbisbee@gmail.com

Things will start on August 2 when new to BOP Director, Elizabeth Henley, will audition for three serious actresses to take on roles in the intense psychological drama, Agnes of God, by John Pielmeier. Elizabeth has been doing a wonderful job with the Bisbee High School Thespians over the past few years, so we think she can handle community theater actors. Auditions will be from 2 to 5 pm in the CSP Squffy Theater Saturday and Sunday, August 2 and 3. The script is available to read at the Copper Queen Library -- so ladies “start your engines,” and learn your monologues. We expect competition to be fierce for these great parts.

While we are “dark,” we are not without light, as we clean up, fix up, and generally put things back together at the BOP studio and in the Squffy, clearing the decks for Mitchell. Our Super Summer Work Crew is there every Thursday from 10 am to noon or longer and will welcome all
skilled and unskilled help. We will be especially in need of folks to help as we move into late July when we plan to move items from storage up to the studio, and in the early fall when we hold a massive yard sale and dump run day to clear out our storage under the Bisbee Food
Coop. It’s time to decide what really, really want (So Hard!) and get rid of the rest. Mitchell will be setting the dates soon for these big jobs, so watch this space, our website and Facebook for updates and get your work gloves ready.

Extra Big News comes once again from one of BOP’s Super Supporters, Nick Night of Warm Hands Therapeutics. Nick has donated $500 (!) toward buying brand new, extra comfy, all matching, non leaky cushions for the Squffy seats. Not one, but two! per seat. Nick is again
challenging all comers, groups, businesses, and individuals to match his challenge and help make everyone’s tushies cushie next season. Contact Mitchell if you can help to meet this challenge. We should have total cost estimates soon. Any money above and beyond the
cushions will begin a fund to purchase a new Grand Curtain for the Squffy stage. If you have been to shows recently, you have noticed the gaps at the center top. These are no longer reparable. It is just too old, like many of us. . .

So, show up, put up, and speak up. We need your bodies, money, and input to keep BOP going strong into our 2014-2015 season under Mitchell’s leadership!

Harold and Maude Opens April 18!

Rita Bryan as Marie the Maid

Many Bisbee people have seen the movie version of Harold and Maude. We all have special memories of the movie and are probably part of the “cult” that has made this movie a cult classic. It’s number 45 on the American Film Institute’s list of top 100 comedies. Not bad for a “cult,” black, often understated comedy.

When a couple of BOP patrons mentioned to Gilles that she was reminding them of the movie’s Maude, Ruth Gordon, I responded with, “Is there a play version? Let’s see if we can do it!” Well, we are! Depending on how long ago you saw the movie, and the condition of your short-term memory, you have special moments that stand out in your memory of this show. Being a play, Colin Higgins, made some adjustments for the theater script of Harold and Maude, so it could be performed on stage. No hearse -- Jaguar or otherwise -- but plenty of other special bits to make up for it.

Come without preconceptions. Come to see some of our finest local talent doing amazing things. Come to laugh and come to cry. Come see Harold and Maude, presented by Bisbee’s Obscure Productions, at Central School Project, opening April 18 for two weekends, six shows.

If you haven’t seen the movie, come and fall in love. If you have, come and fall in love, all over again.

Bisbee Women’s Revue, 2014!!

Tickets are out, and you should get yours early at Atalanta Music & Books, The Bisbee Food Coop, or us (BOP at 432-2901)! You won’t want to chance missing this always different, always fabulous array of Bisbee women sharing their hearts and talents in local celebration of women everywhere. The show is held evenings at 7:30 this year on March 7 & 8, with one 3:00 matinee on March 9, always as close as we can get to International Women’s Day, March 8. 

Bisbee women have celebrated International Women’s Day for generations now, often with pot lucks, then with shows. With the advent of new production talent at BOP in the lovely form of younger generation, Tianya Milagro. BOP promises to continue in this tradition. Tianya is a Bisbee native and cut her teeth producing her own successful show, Cabaret de las Muertos, twice, with more to come. Her love for the women’s show led her to answer Rae’s cry for help and pick up the heavy lifting this year. We hope that others will follow her lead and that this show can return to being a more collective effort.

Of course if Tianya is producing, there will be dancing. And lots of it! Not only will Central School’s Squffy stage be graced by the amazing and sensual belly dancing of Tianya and Rogue Tribal, but several other local dance favs will take on new names and new guises to entertain you as well. We will also be pleased to welcome a group of young women dancers to the stage this year. The “Daughters of Rogue” will perform a dance piece, probably not quite in the footsteps of their moms.

Of course, comedy will not be forgotten in this year’s show. Rae will be busy dancing, so Sharon Strachan will step up from her popular roles of songster and comic to take on the emcee role, and do both!

Don’t miss it if you can!

“Obscure” Rae

BOP Celebrates International Women's Day

Bisbee's Obscure Productions presents its annual Bisbee's Women's Revue on March 7, 8 and 9, 2014. BOP has been celebrating International Women's Day for years, each time bringing Bisbee audiences a star-studded night of talented women. New blood and changed roles make this year's show better than ever. Tianya Milagro, producer of Cabaret de Los Muertos, has gathered a full evening of entertainment.

Bisbee Women's Revue 2014 features new and familiar women, many of them in new roles this year. Sharon Strachan will emcee this year's show. Strachan is a well-known BOP performer, having starred in Urinetown, the Musical, and past Women's Revues as a singer and a comic. This year in new personas, Tony and Tonette, Carrie Mitten and Rae Jones will dance the jitterbug.

Some of the other talented women to grace the stage will be Pearl Watkins, Rogue Tribal, Angelika Johnson, Joan Reichel and Liz Lockwood.

Opening Night, March 7, will again feature the First Night Café with wine and baked goods from the BOP Bakers. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee March 9 at 3:00 p.m. All performances are at the Squffy Theater at Central School Project, 43 Howell Ave., Old Bisbee. In another change for the patrons' benefit, tickets will be available in advance for five dollars at the usual vendors: the Bisbee Food Coop and Atalanta's Music and Books. Remaining tickets will be $5 at the door (no credit card sales). Ticket sales begin one hour before the show.

For more information, contact BOP at 520.432.2901 or theaterbisbee@gmail.com.

Time to Strut Your Stuff!

One of Bisbee’s Obscure Productions primary missions is to provide performing opportunities for our friends and neighbors. We love it when fledgling actors come to show off what they’ve got, learn new skills, and increase their confidence, and for our now seasoned actors to show off different sides of themselves. This all happens in service to another of our missions, entertaining and enlightening our Bisbee area audiences.

BOP has not one, but TWO, opportunities coming up right now for area performers and actors to join us on stage. Auditions for Colin Higgins' charming and quirky cult classic, Harold and Maude, will be held February 1 & 2, at 3:00 both days, at the Squffy Theater at Central School Project in Old Bisbee. This show should be lots of fun for teen through older adult actors, with its wide range of plum roles. Interested actors, experienced and not, can read the script at the Copper Queen Library to find the part(s) that fit them, or that might just be fun to try out! Actors are asked to prepare a short monologue for auditions and will also read from the script.

Auditions are also running by appointment at this time for BOP’s annual, Bisbee Women’s Revue, a celebration of the many ways a woman can be, honoring International Women’s Day on March 8. This show requires less commitment to group rehearsals, so it is a good way to fit something into a busy schedule and still get a chance to play. Women offering all types of performance arts are invited to contact this year’s producer, Tianya Milagro, at cielo65@gmail.com or 520-236-4886 to schedule an audition.

BOP is also welcoming volunteers interested in becoming involved behind the scenes for any of our shows. Contact Rae at 520-432-2901, or obscurerae@gmail.com, or show up at one of the auditions this weekend and let us know what you’d like to try.

“The play is the thing.” Come play with us!

It is time yet again to get ready for Bisbee’s Obscure Production's annual Women's Revue. BOP is seeking a few good women to audition for this yearly celebration of the many ways a woman can be. Shows will be held one weekend only: Friday and Saturday nights, March 7 and 8, with an afternoon matinee on Sunday March 9. All shows and the one dress rehearsal, March 5, will be held at Bisbee's Central School Project. If you have an act you would like to contribute to the show – music, song, dance, poetry, skit, or otherwise – please contact Tianya Milagro, producer for this year’s festivities, by email at cielo65@gmail.com, or at 520-236-4886 with any questions or to set up an audition time. This show is different and wonderful every year, so plan to be part of this one! 

Twelve, Count ’em!, Twelve!

It’s a wonder to me that Peter Gardner, BOP’s newest director, has been able to round up a cast of twelve men for his debut on the dark side. Where were you guys ten years ago? And, please!, stick around. Maybe they just needed a vehicle for their anger and they figure that Reginald Rose’s classic Twelve Angry Men is just the ticket.

Many of Peter’s actors are BOP veterans, many of whom, began their acting days in BOP’s production of Inherit the Wind a few years back. We pulled in every guy we knew to cast that show, then we lost a few, and reeled in some more, and Rae still had to play a trouser role. We’re so happy that we did, because some of our favorites, Randy Ashcraft, James Coull, Chuck Feil, and Will Gronlund will favor us with their talents in this gripping court drama.

Other members of this outstanding ensemble joined us for Inherit the Wind and are continuing as BOP stalwarts. Bill Higgins, James Hollenstein and Peter Gardner will stretch their ranges, showing us their angry side in our newest offering. Yes, Peter lost an actor and is now walking on both sides of the footlights. Welcome to community theater directing, my friend. . .

Peter has reached beyond the BOP regulars to recruit “new to us” actors Malachi Gray, John Kuehne, and Ron Zeno, and we look forward to seeing their work. Providing performers with a home on stage is one of the things we do, and we hope to see more of these fellows.

This talented group is rounded out by BOP veteran’s Britt Hanson and Mitchell Reed-Tattan and gives a nod to two of our finest women, Margo McCartney and Abby (aka Abe) Hottel, in voice over roles. In the true spirit of community theater, Gene Conners will serve as the guard.

This show is suitable for younger audiences. The guys are angry, but they don’t curse, and BOP encourages families to attend. A limited number of student scholarship tickets are available by calling BOP at 520-432-2901, or emailing theaterbisbee@gmail.com. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor credits seeing the film that grew from this play with inspiring her to become a lawyer. Hmmmm. . .

Twelve Angry Men

by Reginald Rose

Judge: Margo Macartney

Clerk: Abby Hottel

Guard: Gene Conners

Foreman: Britt Hanson

Juror Two: Mitchell A. Reed-Tattan

Juror Three: Peter Gardner

Juror Four: Randy Ashcraft

Juror Five: Malachi Gray

Juror Six: Chuck Feil

Juror Seven: Ron Zeno

Juror Eight: James K. Coull

Juror Nine: Bill Higgins

Juror Ten: Will Gronlund

Juror Eleven: James Hollenstein

Juror Twelve: John Kuehne

Producer: Rae E. Jones

Director: Peter Gardner

Fridays & Saturdays

January 10 & 11, 17 & 18, 2014
at 7:30 pm

Sundays, January 12 & 19
at 3:00 pm

Central School Project

43 Howell Avenue, Old Bisbee