Welcome to the Olde Coloma Theatre's Blogsite!

Work day, April 11th

2010-04-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome again! We are very excited about our next work day. The theatre is really starting to look great!

Our work day will run from 10am to 4pm, or thereabouts. We've got painting and construction to do, a roof to patch, lighting to fix, and some landscaping to do.

Be there or be square!
See you Sunday!

March 27th Work Day

2010-03-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hello all...

We have scheduled a much-needed work day at the Olde Coloma Theatre on Saturday, March 27th, beginning at 10am. We have several projects on the agenda, including fixing a leak in the roof, painting the floors, a handful of concessions projects for the Special Use Permit, a few electrical issues, curtain repair, some spring yard work... the list goes on and on!

We would love to see you there.... come ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in!!! Please pass this information on to anyone who may be available or interested.

Thanks!!!

See you there!!

Work Party! February 6th!

2010-02-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

Work Day set for February 6 at 10:00am. Among other tasks, we are hoping to get kitchen area and food storage areas ready for environmental managements visit.
Ed Mikula will be the lead Board member on this.
Please RSVP to m.tipton@oldecolomatheatre.com if you can, we need all the help we can get, all ages!

On the day of the Work party, you can reach us at 530-626-5282

AUXILIARY OPEN BOARD MEETING

2010-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

This will be an auxiliary Open Board Meeting specifically to discuss and decide what will be done for the special use permit. At the hearing we were allotted only six weeks to address the parking issues and a few other items. For further details, please come to the meeting or contact the board members.

Please invite anyone interested.

This has also been posted on Facebook. Click Here to link over to the Facebook post.

Help Us Save The Theatre

2010-01-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

On January 14, 2010 (Thursday) the El Dorado County Planning Commission will hold a hearing at 8:30 am to issue a Special Use Permit that will restrict our operations so much that we will be forced to close.
Please come to the hearing and show your support! If enough positive voices are heard we may be able to save the theatre!
For more information, please contact us at info@oldecolomatheatre.com
or
CLICK HERE to be directed to the event on FACEBOOK,
or
click on the flyer photo below.

CLICK HERE FOR WAYS YOU CAN HELP

Christmas Show!

2009-12-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what happens up at the North Pole on Christmas Eve after Santa Claus leaves to make his deliveries? The Olde Coloma Theatre can quench that curiosity this holiday season with “Once Upon A North Pole Christmas” or ‘There’s No Business Like Snow Business”, a new production brought to life by the writing and directing skills of Melynda Tipton. In this amusing and delightful tale we find a scheming Villain (E.C. Day) who has plans to take over and put Santa out of a job has infiltrated Santa’s main office with the help of a rather unwilling sidekick who calls herself Pepper Corn (Jessica Pettibone). The Villain thinks he has everything under control, but he is not prepared for Santa’s iron-willed “executive assistant” Poinsettia Wreath (Kalani Anderson) or the dizzying antics of an inexperienced office elf named Jingle Belle (Kris Pettibone) who manages to throw a monkey wrench into everything she lays her hands on. More hilarity ensues when Pepper unwittingly befriends Mrs. Claus (Martha Tomlin-Vaughan) while the rest of the elves are racing about in a panic, trying to contain a mysterious mess, courtesy of the Villain. Bring your entire family out to the Olde Coloma Theatre and enjoy comedic Christmas spirit of these holiday characters who work in Santa’s offices, especially the charming and clever Cookie Sisters (Charllee Dodson and Giguette Knochenhauer).

Show opened Friday November 20th, and closes Sunday December 20th. Friday and Saturday night performances begin at 8 pm, doors open to the public at 7:30. Sunday performances are matinées; theatre doors open at 1:30 pm, and the curtain goes up at 2:00 pm. For reservations please call (530) 626-5282 or for more information email info@oldecolomatheatre.com. Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for children 12 and under.

HALLOWEEN AUDITIONS! Come one, Come all!

2009-08-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

We will be holding open auditions for our Halloween show on Monday, August 24th, at 6pm. Our doors will be opened at 5:30 for those of you who like to show up early.
There are approximately 10 characters in the show, many of whom could be cast as either female or male, any age. The Halloween show is, as always a family-friendly comedy about Halloween creatures and the world they live in.
For more details about the show, contact Melynda at auditions@oldecolomatheatre.com

Only two more weekends left!

2009-07-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Come see The Case Of The Missing Lead before it closes! Audiences are raving about this wonderful new comedy!

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a theatre? Well, wonder no more! The Olde Coloma Theatre is bringing you a brand-new outrageous comedy written and directed by Melynda Tipton, about a traveling theatre company and the mare’s nest of predicaments they must struggle through, including two jealous and opportunistic villainesses who turn every calamity to their sinister advantage.
Polly Playbill (Chelsea Slack), the director and producer for the Speak-Easy Entertainment Troupe, attempts to keep a brave smile on her lovely face and maintain order whilst rehearsals for the entire show crumble around her. With the help of her steadfast assistant Dizzy Spell (Larissa Harter) and a dedicated albeit cantankerous stage manager, Murphy Ductus (Ben Dodson), Polly copes with a motley cast and crew of incorrigible personalities including cheeky child star Little Fanny (Lauren Williams) and her stage mother Mama Sass (Brenda Harter), besotted comedian Sammy Soused (Allen Fuchs), silly stagehand Christopher Columbus Butterfield (Sam Dodson), a pair of giggly chorus girls (Kyliee Clifton and Kristen Pettibone), and the magnificent but imperious and melodramatic prima donna, Starlett O’Hare (Melynda Tipton).
When Polly learns that the show’s leading man has been “accidentally” replaced by a near-sighted sharp shooting cowgirl named Chrissy Mae Myopia (Tawny Byrd) and the leading lady Starlett O’Hare has become gravely ill, foul play is suspected, but only the heroic stagehand John Dear (Thomas Jackson) and Polly’s niece Angel Darling (Amanda Fisher) can unravel the tangled web of deceit and devious doings woven by the evil mother and daughter duo posing as the newly arrived dance act, the Hamm Sisters (Val Stevens and Haley Williams). Will the nasty Hamm Sisters succeed in their dastardly attempt to ruin and take over the Speak-Easy Entertainment Troupe? Or will John Dear and Angel Darling thwart the wrongdoings and terrible tragedies hand-crafted by those odious villains? Come down to the Olde Coloma Theatre and find out!

This show closes Saturday, August 8th! Don't miss out! Fun for the whole family!

Matinée Madness!

2009-06-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

Don't forget about our Sunday matinées! Doors open at 1:30 in the afternoon, Show starts at 2pm.

We have a special FATHER'S DAY MATINÉE planned for you! Father's day is on June 21st, so bring your dad, he gets in for free!

A brand-new never-before-seen show will premiere on Friday, July 3rd; a comedy about a traveling theatre company. We are also planning a unique Saturday matinée (a first for us), on July 4th. Same hours as our Sunday matinées. Escape the heat in our air-conditioned building for a few hours in the afternoon and have a good laugh! Our evening show on the Fourth of July is still scheduled the same. Two shows in one day! Come out and support our steadfast actors and crew, they work so hard for your pleasure!

Opening weekend; first show of the season

2009-05-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

"The Return of Hopscotch" or "Heavy, Heavy Hangs" opens this weekend on Friday, May 22nd. Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8pm. Don't miss out!

This season's Hopscotch features a fantastic cast of seasoned actors.

Come one, Come all!

The position of Secretary of the Board...

2009-05-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

... has been filled.

The Coloma Crescent Players and the Board of Directors is pleased to welcome Evelyn Mikula as our new secretary.

Three Cheers!

Another fun-filled Work Day!

2009-05-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

Greetings from the Olde Coloma Theatre!

Our esteemed Board of Directors cordially invites you to come help us clean up and beautify the outside of our theatre on Saturday, May 16, starting at 9am. Our list of scheduled chores include, but are not limited to: weeding, weed-eating, raking, mowing, digging, cleaning sidewalks, plumbing, getting the van started and moved, cleaning up outside the Green Room door, and cleaning/scraping the cement floor of the auditorium.

Please come help us. The Board will be offering lunch to those who come help.
Feel free to bring extra yard tools (rakes, shovels, weeding equipment, gloves, etc.)

I look forward to seeing you there!

Melynda
Artistic Director,
Olde Coloma Theatre

Wanted: Secretary

2009-04-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

We at the theatre doff our hats as our beloved secretary, Francesca Tipton, resigns from her position on the board.

Now on to the search for a new secretary for the board of directors. The position is rather easy; one must simply have basic organizational skills, take notes at the Board Meeting once each month, type up the notes (otherwise known as "minutes"), and email them to everyone on the list. The secretary can choose to be involved beyond those duties as much or as little as he or she chooses.

If anyone has a suggestion, nomination, or has any interest in the position themselves, please contact info@oldecolomatheatre.com

Thank you!

The 2009 Season Schedule

2009-04-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

Olde Coloma Theatre
2009 Season Schedule

Show #1
“Hopscotch Returns” or “Heavy, Heavy Hangs”
-Written by June Scott
Follow a hilarious romp with the Chinese detective (“Please, not to leave out FAMOUS”) as he encounters the wealthy Agatha Crispie and tracks a pair of bungling burglars.

Opens Friday, May 22nd… Closes Sunday, June 21st.
Sunday matinées; May 24th & 31st, June 14th & 21st (Father’s Day Special)

Show #2
“The Case Of The Missing Lead” or “The Show Must Go On”
-Written by Melynda Tipton
Sit back and enjoy a comedy of errors about a traveling theatre company filled with uproarious caricatures as they struggle to put on a vaudeville-style show in Coloma.

Opens Friday, July 3rd… Closes Saturday, August 8th.
2 Sunday matinées; July 5th & 19th
Special Saturday matinée July 4th, plus evening show as well.

Show #3
“Six Flags Over Coloma” or “Does Anybody Here Speak English?”
-Written by June Scott
Classic tale of many men competing for the attention of one woman… and the land she owns.

Opens Friday, August 21st… Closes Saturday, September 19th.
2 Sunday matinées; September 6th & 13th.

Show #4
Hilda’s Haunted Hilltops
-Written by Melynda Tipton
A third edition of Halloween humour sure to tickle your funny bone, taking place in a retirement home for Halloween “Monsters.” It’s playful fun for the whole family!

Opens Friday, October 2nd… Closes Saturday, October 31st.
4 Sunday matinées October 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th.
Special Saturday matinée on Halloween, October 31st.

Show #5
The Christmas Show!
Christmas in Coloma right here on the stage, just for you and your family!

Opens Friday, November 20th… Closes Sunday, December 20th.
4 Sunday matinées; November 29th, December 6th, 13th, 20th.

For reservations please call (530) 626-5282

First Auditions For The 2009 Season

2009-03-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

On Monday the 30th at 6pm we will be holding auditions for our first show of the season; The Return Of Hopscotch -or- Heavy, Heavy Hangs.
The cast will consist of 5 men and 3 women, plus an olio act.
An olio act can consist of any number of people performing before and/or in-between scenes during the show, but slightly separate. Acts have been known to include, but not limited to: singing, dancing, a comedic sketch, juggling, magic tricks, playing an instrument, reciting a monologue, etc. Almost anything goes, as long as it's entertainment for the whole family.
Please feel free to contact the Artistic Director for details, she loves getting mail!
auditions@oldecolomatheatre.com
Don't miss out!
Don't be afraid to try!
I look forward to seeing you there.

Work Party! February 15th!

2009-02-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

The Olde Coloma Theatre is having a work party to help us prepare for the upcoming 2009 season!

The school show rehearsals will be starting soon (and next month auditions for the evening shows) and this is the time for us to congregate down to the theatre and do some cleaning, repairs, and organizing to the theatre. The work party is scheduled for Sunday, February 15th at 1pm. For further information please feel free to contact me

This is a wonderful way for us to pull together as a community and show our support to a family-oriented theatre run by people who care. Most of the Board Members are scheduled to be there as well.

Please be sure to RSVP, so we will know how many people we are expecting and can schedule our tasks accordingly.

We will be doing a great deal of small-to-moderate repairs on the theatre; fixing a plumbing problem or two, hauling out the refrigerator in the back that does not work, making room in the Green Room for a refrigerator that does work, weeding out props and costumes that are beyond repair or unusable for the theatre, mending the black curtain, fixing the Yellow curtain, adjusting the lights in the women's dressing room, re-arranging the sets in the back so we can (later on) build a men's dressing room, extend the prop loft/shop lighting, hauling away garbage, breaking things down and putting them in the dumpster, etc.
Dennis and Allen have a very long list of things that need to be done at the theatre and we are just going to try to get some of those tasks taken care of. I am only in charge of the props and costumes (I think). I know most of what we are going to do will depend on how many people show up.
Here is a partial list of the tools/items we will be needing for that day: Sheetrock tools, drills, hole saw, wood putty, levels & chalk lines, a dolly or two, sewing machine, WD40, vacuum, basic assorted hand tools, shovel, work gloves... If you have any of these items please feel free to bring them. We would rather have more than we need instead of needing and not having. Dennis and Allen will be organizing and delegating most of the work.

I hope to see you there!
Melynda

A Coloma Christmas Carol

2008-12-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

Has been well-received by audiences. However, we are not quite packing the house and we are still hoping to beat last years' record! The producer is hoping the Christmas show will beat the Halloween show's record-breaker this year. The 2008 Halloween show earned nearly double what the 2007 Halloween show earned.

On Friday, November 21, the Olde Coloma Theatre welcomed the Christmas season with a new twist on an old classic. The talented duo of Heather Lynne Whittington and Melynda Tipton teamed up once again, this time to write a new script for a production entitled “A Coloma Christmas Carol,” which centers around the villainous Evergreedy Scrooge (played by Ben Dodson), who has stolen the Sugarplum Farm from Hope Sugarplum (Lauren Williams) in hopes of finding gold in the river that runs through the property. Christopher, our intrepid hero (Sam Dodson), comes to the farm in hope of work, but instead falls for Hope Sugarplum. So he devises a plan to get the farm back with a re-enactment of Charles Dickens’ classic tale “A Christmas Carol”. With the help of his two faithful sidekicks, Joey (Giana Poseley) and Mule (Melinda Cross), they teach Evergreedy Scrooge what Christmas is all about. Add in a great cast of children (dubbed The Reindeer Children) singing carols, and a running gag or two, and we are talking about a delightfully comic and charming Christmas experience. So please, come down and Cheer for the hero, Awww for the heroine, Boo the villain, and applaud the children as we celebrate the Christmas season the only way the Olde Coloma Theatre can.

"A Coloma Christmas Carol" is a light-hearted comedy written by the amazing team of Heather Lynn Whittington and Melynda Tipton. Francesca Tipton made her directorial debut for this show, with the support of assistant directors Val Stevens and Melynda Tipton.

Opening weekend a success!

2008-09-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we opened our new Halloween show, Hilda's Haunted Hilltops Retirement Home... or... Remember The Golden Fool. Audiences greeted the show enthusiastically with laughter and applause, not to mention warm contented smiles as they left the building that night.

The theatre enjoyed a rather busy two nights, entertaining the largest opening weekend crowds we've had all season.

The show itself centers around a retirement home for Halloween creatures who no longer haunt. This "happy haunting ground" is managed and maintained by Wisteria the Witch, who is the most unsuccessful wicked witch in the history of her family and dearly loves the colour pink. Sweet Wisteria and her pet werewolf, Wolfie, discover a large quantity of yellow "rocks" out in the garden (cemetery) and things quickly spin out of control from there. Wisteria sends a crypt-o-gram to her Great-Aunt Hilda, asking her to come out and deal with the yellow rock problem, but in the meantime the other Halloween residents engage in laughable antics and hijinks that keep poor Wisteria running about nonstop (including chasing down Wolfie who continuously steals the yellow rocks to play with). Add to that equation a pushy traveling cosmetics saleswoman with a shady past and a dastardly villain posing as a gardener and you'll find yourself howling with laughter as you watch these endearingly zany Halloween creatures.

As always, this show is appropriate for all ages. Halloween at the Olde Coloma Theatre is funny, not scary.

Be sure to come to our special performance on Friday, October 31st! Join the Costume Contest!

AUDITIONS! Come one, Come all!

2008-09-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow thespians and theatre-lovers!

This is to inform you of our upcoming auditions on TUESDAY, September 30th, at 6:30pm. Auditions will be held in the Theatre, and anyone is welcome to try out. This year's Christmas show is an original script never-before produced on the stage, written by the ever-talented dynamic duo of Heather Whittington and Melynda Tipton. The play is based on A Christmas Carol, and adapted to the Gold Rush Era and our classic comedic melodrama style. The script calls for a rather large cast and a group of Carolers to sing Christmas songs in between scenes. All ages are welcome to apply, as we have multiple openings for both children and adults.

We are also seeking a stage manager, stage crew, a sound/lighting technician, and lobby attendants to assist with ticket and concession booths, as well as parking attendants.

Please feel free to notify anyone you feel might be interested.

Last Weekend of Hopscotch, Sept 12 & 13

2008-09-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

Don't miss closing weekend of "The Chinese Have A Word For It." It's sure to be a blast!

The Coloma theatre will be dark the weekend of Sept 19/20.
However, we will be opening the Halloween production Friday, September 26th!

Be sure to come see these two wonderful shows filled with laughter and zany antics! Both reservations and walk-ins are welcome, price is the same either way.
We are happy to see you come through our doors!

Friday night substitution

2008-08-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight we will have the talented Oscar Bejarano guest star as a stand-in for David Lee, who plays Mitey Sincere in our current production of "The Chinese Have A Word For It". We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We at the theatre hope David will be able to rejoin us tomorrow night.

Auditions!

2008-08-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

The next auditions will be for the Christmas show, and are currently scheduled for Saturday, September 27th, at 10am.

Audtioners need only come prepared to read and/or sing Christmas Carols. We will be looking for performers of all ages; actors for the play, Carolers to sing between scenes... Also, we welcome any other ideas or talent (i.e., if you are a dancer, magician, comic, poetry reader, etc.) and will try to find a place for your particular aptitude in the show.

Ladies and gentlemen; Hopscotch has entered the building

2008-08-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Our very own Ed Mikula is currently starring as the ever-endearing Hopscotch in "The Chinese Have A Word For It... or... As Confucius Say, "Fah Out!"

Mr. Ed first appeared as Hopscotch on the Coloma stage in 1983 and he has been charming audiences ever since. There are a grand total of five different "Hopscotch" shows, all written by the founder of our theatre, the legendary June Scott.

However, this season something very unusual happened. Ed could not be there for the first two weekends of the show. This presented the Artistic Director (who sets the schedule for all the evening shows before the season starts) with an awkward dilemma: Do we cancel the first two weekends, or find an understudy? After much debate, it was decided that an understudy would have to be cast for the first two weekends of the Hopscotch show.

This presented an even more difficult obstacle: finding someone who could pull off the role and charm the audiences, but was willing to attend more than a month of rehearsals to appear in only four performances. The list of possibilities was slim. In the end, the Director of the show opted to take the position of understudy herself... Yes, you read that correctly. A female Hopscotch. It had never been done before. Hopscotch was clearly written for a man, but her attempts to portray a male Hopscotch did not work so well. So, instead, she took the role and made it her own by doing an inordinate amount of work and research on Chinese clothing and costuming (including makeup) and proceeding to design (since there was no sewing pattern to be found) and sew a costume for a female Hopscotch, not to mention searching all over Sacramento for fabric, notions, and accessories.

The result was visually quite impressive. A satin brocade plum-coloured robe over a black satin sheath, dark hair piled high up on her head and decorated extravagantly with flowers, beaded sticks, and a large butterfly, and a white face accented with black and red. Her performance was skillfully executed, and her portrayal of Hopscotch successful. Nevertheless she was very happy to turn the role back over to Ed, if for no other reason because piling up and decorating her hair, intricately painting her face, and donning the heavy costume took over two hours every night.

This weekend Ed Mikula has re-claimed his role as Hopscotch, gaining enthusiastic reactions from our audiences. All is well and as it should be.

On stage with Hopscotch, the Olde Coloma Theatre welcomes many new faces making their debuts on our stage.

We encourage loyal patrons and newcomers both to come experience the melodramatic rendering of this charming tale of mystery, romance, and comedy featuring the magnificent Chinese Detective ("Please not to leave out FAMOUS") Hopscotch.

This production opened August 8th and will run every Friday and Saturday night until Saturday, September 13th. Sadly, there will be no Sunday matinées for this show, as August is (usually) the hottest month of the year and those stage lights are even hotter. So we thought we would take pity on our actors and only schedule evening shows. Who knew we were going to see a cooling trend in the weather?

2008 PLAY SCHEDULE

2008-08-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

Better late than never!

“Professor Phineas Philpott's Fabulous Formula”…OR…“A Dose Of His Own Medicine”
Will Madame LaLa Palooza's spell on Banker Greenback give her the time she needs to pull off her dastardly plan? Or will Herb, Shaman of the Mugwumps, use one of his herbal compounds to remedy this situation in the nick of time?
Auditions Saturday April 12 from 1pm to 4pm; Monday April 14 from 6pm to 8pm
Show runs May 30 through June 28
Sunday Matinées: June 1, 8, 15

“The Coloma Follies”
Come and join us for this old-fashioned vaudeville variety show! Comedy and music will keep you entertained all evening.
Auditions Thursday May 15th from 6pm to 8pm; Saturday May 17th from 2pm to 4pm
Show runs July 4 through July 26
Sunday Matinées: July 6, 20

“The Chinese Have A Word For It... Or...As Confucius Say...Fah Out!”
Enjoy the antics while Coloma’s famous Chinese detective solves the mystery of Mr. Mitey Sincere’s gold mine.
Auditions scheduled for Saturday, June 21
Show runs August 8 through September 13
No Matinées

“Hilda’s Haunted Hilltops Retirement Home... OR... Remember The Golden Fool”
Join us for the misadventures of the over-the-hill Halloweenies. See what happens to Madame Hilda and the other residents in this home for aged “scarys” when they discover gold in their garden! It’s sure to tickle your funny bones. Appropriate for all ages.
Auditions scheduled for Saturday, August 9
September 26 through November 1
Matinées: October 12, 19, & 26

“A Coloma Christmas Carol”
Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” brought to you with silliness and heartwarming charm as only the Coloma Crescent Players can. Don’t miss this classic!
Auditions scheduled for Saturday, September 27
November 21 through December 21
Matinées: November 30, December 7, 14 & 21

Welcome to the Olde Coloma Theatre's Blogsite!

2008-08-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, you are among the first to visit this brand-new blogsite, hosted by Coloma's very own Artistic Director (that's me). Here we will be posting about current productions, upcoming plays, auditions, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and just generally keeping you updated as best as we can. But please try to understand that there are only so many hours in the day, and some of them have to be spent sleeping.

I am hoping this will be a fun, informal, informative site (with just a touch of humour and whimsy) that will keep our loyal fans in the loop and welcome newcomers into our circle.
Feel free to post your thoughts and comments!
If you have questions, you are welcome to direct them to: m.tipton@oldecolomatheatre.com
So with that in mind...
Break an egg, everyone!