Sylvia Opens September 18

BOP Opens (Lucky) 13th Season with Sylvia

Bisbee’s Obscure Productions opens its 13^th season with Sylvia, a play about a dog, the man who adopts her, and the drama that results at home—with a lot of laughs along the way. Sylvia opens at the Central School Project’s Squffy Theater on Howell Avenue in Old Bisbee on Friday September 18. Opening Night will feature wine, sodas and treats by the BOP Bakers, by donation for your date night pleasure.

Greg (J. Carlos Peinado), suffering from an all-around mid-life crisis, adopts a stray dog, Sylvia (Christa Smith Gardner), at a park while playing hooky from his job. His wife Kate (Nikki Heinrich), re-starting her career after twenty-two years of suburban child raising, finds Sylvia to be a nuisance to the Manhattan social life that she aspires to join. But as Greg and Sylvia grow closer, Greg’s marriage strains to a breaking point. Always funny but never insincere, playwright A.R. Gurney’s script strongly hints that the relationship between Greg and Sylvia might be more than just that of a man and his very female dog.

Veteran Bisbee actor Steve Boveé takes on the challenge of playing three roles—Greg’s dog park acquaintance, Tom; Kate’s best friend, Phyllis; and Leslie, an androgynous psychiatrist—all of whom illuminate Greg’s and Kate’s emotions, moving the plot briskly along.

In a special touch, Sylvia’s musical interludes are performed live by Bisbee violinist Maggie Desbiens. Britt Hanson directs this stellar cast. Sylvia is a dog, patrons should expect some vulgar language.

There will be six performances: Fridays and Saturdays, September 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30 pm and Sundays, September 20 & 27, at 3:00 pm.

New this year are Season Tickets! Save time and money by getting four plays for $6. Season tickets are available from BOP only by mail or by stopping by see Mitchell Reed-Tattan at several local events.

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, 520.366.7257, or theaterbisbee@gmail.com for more information. Tickets are $12 at the door for adults and $6 for students.

 J. Carlos Peinado, Christa Smith Gardner and Nikki Heinrich in Sylvia.

Show us What YOU Got! The Glass Menagerie Auditions & Open Stage

BOP’s lucky 13th Season is almost set to begin with the witty and well acted opener Sylvia, by A.R. Gurney, on September 18. As the Sylvia actors hone their characters, other forces continue at work at BOP as well.

Hot on the heels of Sylvia’s closing, auditions for BOP’s second offering of the season will happen on October 3 & 4, beginning at 3:00 both days. Tennessee William’s classic and autobiographical drama, The Glass Menagerie, offers an opportunity for four fine actors to explore their dramatic range in another small cast piece. Two men able to play ages 20-40 are needed, as well as one woman to play 40+, and one woman to play 20-40. Read the script at the Copper Queen Library and see if one of these roles is just the one you, or someone you know, has been waiting for.

And all in the middle of that somewhere, is BOP’s first night of WHO KNOWS WHAT!? Our first Open Stage night, where not even your host, Obscure Rae knows who the stars will be until they arrive. Maybe they’ll be you, maybe a friend. Maybe someone fabulous, doing something you’d never expect!

Get your act ready for October 16 and bring it on down to the Squffy. Or come to watch. There’ll be snacks and drinks. Costs a buck.

See you all soon.

BOP has another NEW PHONE NUMBER

520-366-7257

Call this number to get the latest on tix and shows. Our producer, Mitchell A. Reed-Tattan is a font of information.

Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the shows.

Season tickets are on sale now.$36 for all four shows.

Tickets for Sylvia by A.R. Gurney will be at the vendors by 8/24 at the latest.

BOP Preparing for Lucky 13

BOP has been dark since Cosi closed our lively and varied 2014-2015 season in April. Summer is the time when we clean up and fix up and get ready for our next season of ever more fabulous shows.

This summer’s work has featured the seamstresses and the fabric stuffers, rather than the carpenters and cleaners who usually do so much this time of year. We’re pleased to say that we’ve caught up on some areas of work! This summer’s work completes a project two years in the making, matching seat and back cushions for every seat in the “Squffy” Theater! Thanks again to Nick Night of Warm Hands Therapeutics for kicking off the fundraising and to all those who contributed and helped with the project. We’re still in need of donations to completely pay for our cushy tushies and to replace our aged grand curtain. (P. O. Box 277 Bisbee 85603. Tax deductible.)

The new cushions are stacked lovingly in the BOP studio ready to debut on the Opening Night of Sylvia, by A. R. Gurney, BOP’s first 2015-2016 offering. It so happens that this Opening Night represents the BOP directorial debut of much loved actor, Britt Hanson.

Sylvia has been in rehearsal with a stellar cast for a month or so now and promises to be a real treat. Four talented, hard working actors in a very funny and touching play. What more could we want? Maybe a violin player?

So look for BOP’s 3-fold season fliers, Sylvia information, ticket sales (including this season, SEASON TICKETS!) All coming soon! Sylvia coming September 18. Don’t miss it!

See you at the Squffy, 

“Obscure” Rae