A peek at our 2019-2020 season!
FTC Fall Auditions: Speech & Debate
Come audition for Front Row Theatre Co.’s fall show, Speech & Debate!!
Williams Hall Room 214
Sunday, September 3rd from 7-11 pm
Monday, September 4th from 7-11 pm
Drop in at any time!
No experience necessary! Sides will be provided at the audition, no need to prepare anything ahead of time.
Callbacks will be Wednesday, September 9th from 7-11 pm
Written by Stephen Karam
Directed by Elizabeth Martinez
Produced by Adam Mansell
Tech Interviews will be September 10th from 5-10 pm and September 11th from 8-12 am in the Platt Lobby
Synopsis:
Speech & Debate is a dark comedy with music that follows three Oregon high school students who are linked by a teacher’s sex scandal. They learn to barter secrets and experiences while hesitantly forming their Speech & Debate team in a town run by hypocrites. By age Howie, Diwata, and Solomon are children, but their experiences are more than adult. What does that make them in the eyes of their society?
Audition for FTC’s Fall 2019 show: The Nether!
Williams Hall Room 318
Sunday, September 1st from 7-11 pm
Monday, September 2nd from 7-11 pm
Drop in at any time!
No experience necessary! Sides will be provided at the audition, no need to prepare anything ahead of time.
Callbacks will be Wednesday, September 4th and Thursday, September 5th from 7-11 pm.
Written by Jennifer Haley
Directed by Sean Begane
Produced by Hannah Paquet
Assistant Produced by Natalie Kahn
Tech Interviews will be Sunday 9/8 (5-10PM) and Monday 9/9 (8-11PM) in the Platt Lobby. Stop by anytime!
Synopsis:
The Nether is a virtual wonderland that provides total sensory immersion. Just log in, choose an identity and indulge your every desire. But when a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment, she triggers an interrogation into the darkest corners of the imagination.
Front Row Theatre Company is proud to present its 2017-2018 Season!
NSO 2017
[title of show]
Thursday, August 31st at 10:00 PM
Friday, September 1st at 11:59 PM
Saturday, September 2nd at 8:00 PM
FREE FOR NEW STUDENTS
Music & Lyrics by Jeff Bowen
Book by Hunter Bell
Directed by Michael Miller
Music Directed by Jessica Liu
Produced by Louis Lin
This Tony nominated musical follows its own creation by four friends – an author, a lyricist and two actresses – that attempt to write a show to submit to the New York Musical Theatre Festival in just three short weeks. From the brainstorming of their story to the twists and turns that take them to the production period, this witty one-act packs a punch that no ‘Vampire’ could survive.
Fall 2017
Speech & Debate
Written by Stephen Karam
Directed by Elizabeth Martinez
Produced by Adam Mansell
Speech & Debate is a dark comedy with music that follows three Oregon high school students who are linked by a teacher’s sex scandal. They learn to barter secrets and experiences while hesitantly forming their Speech & Debate team in a town run by hypocrites. By age Howie, Diwata, and Solomon are children, but their experiences are more than adult. What does that make them in the eyes of their society?
Stay tuned for more information about auditions and tech interviews for the Fall!
Winter 2018
She Kills Monsters
Written by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Meerie Jesuthasan
A Collaboration with iNtuitons Experimental Theatre
A comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games, She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed young playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.
Spring 2018
Loot
Written by Joe Orton
Directed by Chris Troop
Produced by Tess Speranza
A very dark farcical British play containing the kind of slapstick, sing-song style humour that appeals to many. When two young thieves hide stolen money in a coffin in a funeral parlor where one of them works, everything that could possibly go wrong, does. Upon the arrival of Inspector Truscott, the plot turns topsy-turvy as Hal and Dennis, our two thieves, try to keep him off their trail, aided by Nurse McMahon and to the despair of the deceased’s family.
FTC Presents: Company
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Sarah Zerod
Musical Direction by Chris Burcheri
Produced by Haley Mankin
On the night of his birthday, Robert struggles to think of a wish to make as he blows out his birthday candles. The lone bachelor, surrounded by “those good and crazy people” — his married friends — Robert is uncertain whether he should simply be happy with his lot or whether he should wish for his own romantic partner. Over a series of dinner parties, first dates, and thoughtful conversations, Robert attempts to understand the pros and cons of marriage from his diverse and frequently hilarious friends, and begins to make sense of his own persistent bachelorhood. Company, Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking modern musical, is a mature, intelligent, and wildly funny look at relationships, vulnerability, and “being alive.”
Thursday February 16 @ 7pm
Friday February 17 @ 7pm
Saturday February 18 @ 7pm
$8 on the walk, $10 at the door OR buy your tickets online!
FTC Presents: Next Fall
Play by Geoffrey Nauffts
Directed by Elizabeth Martinez
Produced by Adam Mansell
Geoffrey Nauffts’ play, Next Fall, takes a witty and provocative look at faith, commitment and unconditional love. While the play’s central story focuses on the five-year relationship between Adam and Luke, the beautifully crafted narrative goes beyond a typical love story. This timely and compelling new American play forces us all to examine what it means to “believe” and what it might cost us not to.
Thursday, November 3 @7pm
Friday, November 4 @7pm
Saturday, November 5 @2:30pm
$8 on the walk, $10 at the door OR buy your tickets online!
Front Row Proudly Presents the Cast of Next Fall!
We are very excited to announce the cast of our fall show, Next Fall!
Adam: Sean Begane
Arlene: Colleen Kutschera
Brandon: Raj Bhuva
Butch: Adam deLisle
Holly: Tess Speranza
Luke: Paddy Loftus
Want to get involved with this awesome show?? Come out for Tech Interviews Monday 9/12 and Tuesday 9/13 8pm-12am! No experience necessary; we hope to see you there!
Auditions for NEXT FALL!
Despite the title of this event, fall auditions are happening this very fall for FTC’s upcoming show!
Auditions will be held in the Harrison Basement
Tuesday, September 6 from 7pm-11pm
Wednesday, September 7 from 7pm-11pm
No experience necessary! Just show up; no need to prepare a monologue!
Synopsis:
Geoffrey Nauffts’ play, Next Fall, takes a witty and provocative look at faith, commitment and unconditional love. While the play’s central story focuses on the five-year relationship between Adam and Luke, the beautifully crafted narrative goes beyond a typical love story. This timely and compelling new American play forces us all to examine what it means to “believe” and what it might cost us not to.
Written by Geoffrey Nauffts
Directed by Elizabeth Martinez
Produced by Adam Mansell
Front Row Theatre Company is thrilled to announce its 2016-2017 Season!
NSO 2016
Songs for a New World
Written by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Olivia Horn
Musical direction by Dan McTiernan
Produced by David deLacoste-Azizi
Jason Robert Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to meet a startling array of characters ranging from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage. These are the stories and characters of today, the songs for a new world.
Fall 2016
Next Fall
Written by Geoffrey Nauffts
Directed by Elizabeth Martinez
Produced by Adam Mansell
Geoffrey Nauffts’ Next Fall takes a witty and provocative look at faith, commitment and unconditional love. While the play’s central story focuses on the five-year relationship between Adam and Luke, NEXT FALL goes beyond a typical love story. This timely and compelling new American play forces us all to examine what it means to “believe” and what it might cost us not to.
Winter 2017
Company
Written by George Furth and Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Sarah Zerod
Produced by Haley Mankin
From musical theatre’s most renowned composer, Company is largely regarded as a trailblazer of the dark-comedy, modern-musical genre and the winner of 7 Tony Awards. On the night of his 35th birthday, confirmed bachelor Robert contemplates his unmarried state. Over the course of a series of dinners, drinks, and even a wedding, his friends — “those good and crazy people [his] married friends” — explain the pros and cons of taking on a spouse. The habitually single Robert is forced to question his adamant retention of bachelorhood during a hilarious array of interactions.
Spring 2017
The Merchant of Venice
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Jeremy Cohen
Produced by Chris Powell
A perilous romance. A tragic history. An infamous wager. Shakespeare’s most controversial yet poignant play offers a visceral display of courtship, prejudice, money and revenge, ending ultimately in a choice between life and death.
Stay tuned for more information about auditions and tech interviews!
Propose to Direct for Front Row’s 2016-2017 Season!
Front Row is excited to announce that we are now accepting director proposals for our entire 2016-2017 season!
If you wish to propose, please submit an electronic copy of the script along with your proposal. Your proposal should discuss your vision of the production, why it is appropriate for FTC, and why you want to direct for FTC. You should also be prepared to answer the following questions in your proposal and at your interview: How is the proposed production socially relevant? Do you have any ideas for a related community service project the production staff could engage in?
You may propose for more than one season! Submissions for our NSO, Fall, Winter and Spring shows will be due by midnight on Saturday, April 9th. All proposals should be sent to our Chair, Jessica Schwarz, at jschwar@sas.upenn.edu.
We select our season by director, not by show, so although you will be proposing one particular show to us, please have other shows in mind! We’d love to have a broad range of shows for our season. Comedies, dramedies, psycho-thrillers and musicals, Front Row does it all! We also accept proposals for student-written work.
Looking for inspiration? Past shows include:
NSO: Ordinary Days, Edges, The Last Five Years, and Zanna Don’t
Winter: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Venus in Fur, Cabaret, God of Carnage, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Fall and Spring: From Up Here, Tribes, All My Sons, The Shadow Box, Rabbit Hole, The Lion in Winter, The Children’s Hour, Proof, Bug, At Home at the Zoo, No Exit, Speed-the-Plow, Copenhagen, Stop Kiss, and Equus.
Contact our Chair, Jessica Schwarz, at jschwar@sas.upenn.edu, with any questions or if you anticipate any problems meeting the deadline.
FTC ❤
Front Row Theatre Co. 