ONGOING
ACTIVITIES
The Alumni and Associates continue to be a major part
of the daily operation of the Pasadena Playhouse and participate in every
conceivable way, from deciding what goes on stage to introducing first-timers
to the magic of live theatre. The following is just a partial list of the
valuable services our Alumni provide while spending time with friends and
taking advantage of the bountiful artistic programs that continue to make the
Playhouse one of the country’s most exciting stages.
Postcards on
The Pasadena Playhouse Alumni
& Associates have a packet of six notecards for sale. The packet features
charming sketches of Playhouse venues: the patio fountain, the palms and sign,
box office and arcade, the
The sketches are rendered in
pen and ink and are very detailed and capture the essence of our theatre The images are so charming that they would
work wonderfully as framed images; splash them around in individual frames or
create a collage of all six in one frame.
Each packet of six notecards
sells for $12, postage included. A portion of each sale will benefit the
Playhouse. To order send your check to: PPA&A,
2009 BRUNCH!!
What a day!!
Once again the Brunch Committee
hit the ground running to transform the Pasadena Hilton’s California Room into
a bright, festive space to receive the Playhouse alumni for a day of fun. Red, orange, and yellow balloons rose from
the luncheon tables and heralded the way to the Membership/Sign-in table in the
hotel hallway. There were also
“Playhouse” Fortune Cookies on the tables, each containing a fun fact about the
Playhouse. The remainder of the fortune
cookies were taken to the Playhouse for distribution among the Green Room,
Library, and the Telephone Room.
Special exhibits of Peggy
Ebright’s wonderful artwork and photographs of “Brunches Past” by Will Diaz
brought smiles and sparked recollections.
Neva Wallace performed a poem about actors to hearty applause.
The 2009 winners of the Sumid
Scholarship were announced, among them, three Interns who will work at the
Playhouse for the next year now that their education is complete. Just another way the Pasadena Playhouse
Alumni & Associates supports the theatre.
Alumni First Vice President,
Anne La Rose, presented the Playhouse with a framed collection of the R.E.P. –
Repertory Exists in
Anne also presented the
Playhouse with a certificate noting that the name, PASADENA PLAYHOUSE STATE THEATRE of CALIFORNIA, will be on a
microchip onboard the NASA Mars Science Lab Rover, scheduled for launch in the
Fall of 2011. Now, the Playhouse will
truly be out of this world!
What wonderful a group of
Award winners we had this year. The ball
got rolling with Pen Genthner’s introduction of Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard as
Man of the Year. The Mayor told of his
trials and tribulations, while sitting on the City Council, in keeping the
wrecking ball from the Playhouse in the early 1970’s. Anne La Rose brought Playhouse Board member
Peggy Ebright to the podium as Woman of the Year to thunderous applause. Peggy recalled Maude Prickett, her
right-hand, in the struggles to save the Playhouse and noted the names of
others who fought the good fight. She
also mentioned an unsung hero of those days, Coy Wills, the last Stage Doorman
before the close in 1969, who checked on the Playhouse daily and reported his
findings to Peggy.
Alumnus Robert J Farley
returned from his theatre in metro-Atlanta to pass the Gilmor Brown Award to
Sheldon Epps. Sheldon spoke of his love
of the Playhouse and mentioned the support of the Playhouse Board, several of
whom joined us for the day. He also
touched on the heart of the theatre, the actors who trod our boards and noted,
in particular, perhaps his favorite actress, his lovely wife, Monette McGrath,
who was also with us. RJ Muehlhausen
took the microphone to give background about a most deserving Keeper of the
Flame honoree, Will Diaz, Class of 1954.
Will has always been there for the Playhouse for so many years, in so
many ways. Will took the podium to a
standing ovation.
There was a phenomenal array
of Raffle Prizes, this year totaling more than $4200 in value. Among the offerings were a one-of-a-kind handmade
porcelain ginger jar with lid, three exceptional ‘art’ photographs of the
Playhouse, and a John Wayne collection of DVDs and books housed in a hand-made
ammo box that looked for all-the-world like the real thing! There were two signed first editions of the
latest installment in a murder mystery series,
After we exhausted ourselves
at the Hilton, several alumni went to the Playhouse to relax in the Library and
reminisce before the 7PM curtain of “The Little Foxes” with Kelly McGillis and
Julia Duffy. Anne La Rose led a tour for
those who have been away much too long, while others retreated to their hotel
rooms or homes to rest before curtain.
The show was excellent and enjoyed by all.
If you didn’t join us, I hope
you will make plans now for next year.
It’s such fun to share the day with old chums and make new friends. See you next year???
Anne La Rose, Class of 1969
Brunch Chair
Archives
We’re
always looking for a helping hand keeping our records in order. Volunteers in the
archives keep track of all the publicity that the Playhouse or the Alumni
receive in addition to maintaining our collection of programs and photos going
back to 1916, they are building computer databases for ready access to this
information, and help the public process inquiries into the theatre’s history
and the people who made it famous. If you are interested in helping in the
archives or need more information, please call Penn
Genthner at 626-737-2865 or email him
at pgenthner@pasadenaplayhouse.org.
Frequent
tours of the Playhouse are given by volunteer guides recruited from the Alumni,
Friends and staff at the Playhouse. Those interested in becoming a tour leader are
given their own special tour, a packet of material to discuss with patrons,
learn the tour routes and get to know more about the historical, architectural,
and artistic background of our national landmark theatre. If you are interested
in becoming a tour leader or need more information, please call Playhouse
Archivist Penn Genthner at 626-737-2865 or email him at pgenthner@pasadenaplayhouse.org.
New
Generations Docents
The
New Generations program for at-risk youth provides the cultural and social
experience of attending a regular evening performance of a Pasadena Playhouse
mainstage production. Participants meet with a Playhouse docent upon arrival to
learn about the history of the theatre and the play they are about to see. If
you are interested in becoming a docent or need more information, please call
Playhouse Director of Education Bryan Davidson
at 626-737-2843 or email him at achamow@pasadenaplayhouse.org.
Student
Matinee Ushers
The
Pasadena Playhouse serves the community through partnerships with local schools
and social service organizations, providing tickets to our special “student matinee”
once or twice for each play on main stage. We always need volunteer ushers to
help staff these matinees. If you are
interested in helping or need more information, please call Marilyn Stutenroth at 626-798-6989
or email her at mystutenroth@msn.com.