In 2001-02, Actors Theatre won widespread acclaim for its productions of Tony Kushner’s two-part epic “Angels in America.”
The cast included Oliver Wadsworth, Rusty Ferracane, Christopher Williams, Cathy Dresbach, Jon Gentry, Lillie Richardson.
The set design was by Jeff Thomson.
In 2011, Childsplay staged “Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse,” based on the best-selling children’s book by Kevin Henkes.
The cast featured Yolanda London as Lily and D. Scott Withers as Mr. Singer, the teacher who confiscates her purse with its prized possessions.
Lily gets angry and gains a measure revenge, only to feel the need to make things right again.
Bill “Wallace” Thompson, creator and co-star of “The Wallace and Ladmo Show,” which entertained two generations of Arizona children, died in 2014 at the age of 82.
The program aired from 1954 to 1989.
Thompson played the straight man “Wallace,” while Ladimir Kwiatkowski played the goofy, top hat-wearing “Ladmo” and Pat McMahon played several characters, including the spoiled rich kid “Gerald.”
The Southwest Shakespeare Company performed “FairyWorlds!” as an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in May and June 2014.
The play was staged outdoors at the Desert Botanical Garden in east Phoenix.
“FairyWorlds!” was directed by Jared Sakren and featured Randy Messersmith as Theseus and Oberon, Tracy Liz Miller as Hippolyta and Titania and Paul Michael Thomsom as Puck and Philostrate.
“The Spitfire Grill,” a musical by James Valcq and Fred Alley, was performed by the Phoenix Theatre in 2011.
Starring were Barbara Walker McBain, Toby Yatso, Jeannie Shubitz, Trisha Hart Ditsworth, Rusty Ferracane and Johanna Carlisle. Brad Carroll directed.
The story is set in a small Wisconsin town and focuses on the romances and rivalries among the workers at the restaurant.
It was based on a 1966 film.
In 1965, John Raitt starred in “Oklahoma!” as the Star Theatre entered its second year featuring popular musicals and well-known stars on its round stage.
Other early productions included “Carousel,” also with Raitt; “Guys and Dolls” with Gordon MacRae; “My Fair Lady” with Ray Milland; “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” with Shirley Jones and “Cactus Flower” with Marsha Mason.
The venue at 32nd and Fillmore streets in Phoenix was renamed the Celebrity Theatre and featured hundreds of concerts on a round, rotating stage installed in 1969. It has been designated a historic landmark by the Phoenix City Council.
Hollywood star Emma Stone got her start in Valley theater, performing in “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Princess and the Pea” and about 10 other Valley Youth Theatre productions before moving to Los Angeles and feature films.
Stone, who was born in Scottsdale, is best known for her roles in “Magic in the Moonlight,” “Birdman,” “Easy A,” “The Help” and “The Amazing Spiderman.” She has also been in “Zombieland (2009), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) and Gangster Squad (2013).
PLEASE HELP
This page is in development. I would be grateful if you would share any memories, anecdotes, photographs or other memorabilia. Please use the button at top right to contact me and I will give you the details on sharing. Thank you, Kyle Lawson, page manager.
PHOTOGRAPHS, REVIEWS & THE KITCHEN SINK
ARTICLE from the Scottsdale Daily Progress, Dec. 30, 1977
NOTABLE CREDITS
This list is under construction.
1976. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Southwest Ensemble Theatre.
