Category Archives: Random Acts of Entertainment
Cramer’s Corner: WCT’s 62nd Season Kicks Off With Some HOT ENTERTAINMENT!
Our first PIX Flix film of the season is Cat On A Hot Tin Roof on Monday, July 9 at 6:30 pm. Join us for this Tennessee Williams classic starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Madeleine Sherwood, Judith Anderson, and more! All PIX Flix tickets are $5.00, or groups of ten or more for $4.00 each. And of course we have concessions available, including soda, water, beer, wine, cookies, beef sticks, and POPCORN from Pop’s Kettle Corn!
Our summer theatre arts education program has a fantastic performance to look forward to. The Music Man JR. will perform July 27-August 5.
I am also offering beginner-to-intermediate Tap Dance Classes over the summer. We have already started, but have 13 more 75-minute sessions from July 2 through August 21. You can pay as you go, one class at a time, or pre-pay for five or ten sessions. If you have questions, please let me know!
Our current featured artist in the Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery is Vanessa Johanning through August 27.
We still have room in our New York City Theatre Adventure October 11-14, 2018, but you need to book it NOW. The deadline has been extended to July 13. We also still have room on our bus to see Dear Evan Hansen in Chicago on February 27, 2019. If you are interested and want more information about either of these trips, let me know and I can send you the details.
Are you interested in helping WCT make decisions about everything we do? Join A Committee and get involved. We have lots of great committees to choose from: Education and Outreach, Finance and Facility, Fund Development, Fundraising Events (Gala), Governance, and Marketing.
Our 62nd Season season tickets, individual tickets, and group sales are all on sale now. Join us for all of our Mainstage shows, Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education & Outreach shows, PIX Flix Films, and Fundraising Events.
Our Mainstage Season includes:
The Musical Comedy Murders Of 1940
(Directed By Carol Dolphin)
Billy Elliot: The Musical
(Directed By Mark E. Schuster)
Candy Cane Tales And Holiday Carols
(Directed By John Cramer and Kelly Goeller)
The Underpants
(Directed By Phil Stepanski)
Thoroughly Modern Millie
(Directed By Jim Padovano)
The Giver
(Directed By Katie Lynne Krueger)
But Why Bump Off Barnaby?
(Directed By David Kaye)
Our Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education And Outreach shows, and Fundraising Events include:
The Music Man JR.
Br!NK New Play Festival
A.C.T. August Summer Showcase
DISABILITY: The Evolution
Waukesha Reads
You’ve Got A Friend
An Evening Of Holiday Tales With John McGivern
Joel Kopischke’s I Got Yule, Babe
Comicality
A.C.T. Combat Boot Camp
Waukesha STEM Academy’s Fame JR.
A.C.T. Live!
My Funny Valentine
The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged
The Shamrock Shindig (A Gaelic Gala)
Our Favorite Things
Miscast
A.C.T. June Summer Showcase
Our PIX Flix Film Series includes:
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Mary Poppins
Singin’ In The Rain
Ghostbusters
North By Northwest
Muppet Christmas Carol
To Kill A Mockingbird
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
The Sting
Field Of Dreams
Camelot
Grease
And don’t forget about all the ways to save on quality, live entertainment. WCT’s Ticket Promotions can’t be beat!
Mainstage Season Ticket – Save 33%
Flex Pass Membership – Save 22%
Subscriber Rate – Save 22 to 31%
Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 22 to 31%
Educational Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 31 to 63%
Senior (60+) / Military Rate – Save 11 to 15%
Teen Rate – Save 15 to 33%
Child Rate – Save 31 to 44%
Terrific Tickets – Save 50%
Pay What You Can – You Name Your Savings
All subscribers also receive the Subscriber Benefits Card with discounts at 17 downtown Waukesha restaurants. And your ticket stub can save you money too!
Thank you to all of the generous donors that have supported us every season. If you would like to donate, you can choose from any number of ways you could help us not only maintain, but thrive, as Waukesha’s Cultural Cornerstone.
Please Consider Giving…
* A gift to our Operating Fund
* A matching gift through local sponsoring business employers
* A gift that will last a lifetime through your Will or Estate Planning to our Curtain Call Club
* A gift by donation to CARS
* A gift by shopping through Amazon Smile
* A gift by purchasing something on our Amazon Wish List
* Choose WCT as your Thrivent Choice charitable organization
* Become a Sponsor of outstanding performances and educational programs
Happy Independence Day!
I’ll see you at the Theatre!
John Cramer
Managing Artistic Director
jcramer@waukeshacivictheatre.org
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Staff: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
After a run of 694 performances on Broadway during the 1955-1956 season, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof made it to the big screen in 1958, just in time for Elizabeth Taylor to get her second Best Actress Oscar nomination in two years. The film was highly acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and it received five additional Oscar nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor (Paul Newman); Best Director (Richard Brooks); Best Writing; Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Richard Brooks and James Poe); and Best Cinematography – Color (William Daniels).
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is truly an actor’s movie, and it is one of those rare films where every single actor is perfect.
Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor are both brilliant as Brick and Maggie. Not very often is there a screen couple that have the same chemistry together that they do. And those eyes! It is hard to say which of them had the most captivating eyes. Taylor and Newman were more than extraordinarily beautiful. She was an amazing actress, and he is arguably one of the greatest actors of all time. The relationship between Brick and Maggie is fascinating; full of confusion, betrayal, honesty, dishonesty, love, desire, and trust.
As Big Daddy, Burl Ives gives one of the best performances of his exceptional career. Jack Carson, Madeleine Sherwood, and Judith Anderson round out the cast as Gooper, Mae (Sister Woman), and Big Momma, and all deliver performances that are astoundingly memorable.
Tennessee Williams was reportedly unhappy with the screenplay, which removed almost all of the homosexual themes and diminished the original play’s critique of homophobia and sexism. But it is important to remember that the play and the film are two separate entities. The film is an adaptation, and they are not meant to be the same. They should be judged each on their own merit!
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is one of the great pieces of 20th century American literature and cinema. It has some universal lessons we could all profit by in viewing it.
John Cramer
Managing Artistic Director
Cramer’s Corner: Our 61st Season Draws To A Close With An Incredible Month Of Entertainment!
As WCT wraps up 61 historic years we look forward to our 62nd season and start our summer off with a cornucopia of awesome art!
Our seventh and final Mainstage show of the 61st season, Father Knows Best, opens TONIGHT and performs through June 17.
We still have room in our New York City Theatre Adventure, but you need to book it NOW. The deadline is today, June 1, but I can accept registrations up to next Tuesday, June 5. If you are interested and want more information let me know and I can send you the registration and tour description.
Registration is open for our A.C.T. Summer Sessions, including our summer A.C.T. production The Music Man JR.
I am also offering beginner-to-intermediate Tap Dance Classes over the summer. There will be 16 75-minute sessions from June 5 through August 21. You can pay as you go, one class at a time, or pre-pay for five, ten, or all 16 sessions. If you are interested please let me know and I can send you the information.
Our twelfth PIX Flix film of the season is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on Monday, June 11 at 6:30 pm. Join us for John Hughes’ brilliant comedy starring Mathew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Gray, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein, and more! All PIX Flix tickets are $5.00, or groups of ten or more for $4.00 each. And of course we have concessions available, including soda, water, beer, wine, cookies, beef sticks, and POPCORN from Pop’s Kettle Corn!
Come see Waukesha’s future stars strut their stuff in our A.C.T. June Summer Showcase on Saturday, June 23, at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm.
Our current featured artists in the Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery are The League Of Milwaukee Artists through June 25.
Are you interested in helping WCT make decisions about everything we do? Join A Committee and get involved. We have lots of great committees to choose from: Education and Outreach, Finance and Facility, Fund Development, Fundraising Events (Gala), Governance, and Marketing.
June is the final month of our 61st Season, with one Mainstage show, one PIX Flix Film, and one Education & Outreach show. Fabulous Flex Passes are still available for our Mainstage show!
Father Knows Best
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
A.C.T. June Summer Showcase
And don’t forget about all the ways to save on quality, live entertainment. WCT’s Ticket Promotions can’t be beat!
Fabulous Flex Pass – Save 22%
Subscriber Rate – Save 22 to 31%
Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 22 to 31%
Educational Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 31 to 63%
Student / Senior (60+) / Military Rate – Save 11%
Student Rush – Save 50%
Terrific Tickets – Save 50%
Pay What You Can – You Name Your Savings
All subscribers also receive the Subscriber Benefits Card with discounts at 17 downtown Waukesha restaurants. And your ticket stub can save you money too!
And our 62nd Season is going to be spectacular! Season tickets for our Mainstage series are on sale now and individual tickets and group sales will go on sale on July 1st. Individual tickets for all of our Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education & Outreach shows, PIX Flix Films, and Fundraising Events are on sale now as well.
We are looking for Production Staff to fill out the full season, including Stage Managers, Music Directors, Choreographers, Scenic Designers, Costume Designers, Lighting Designers, Sound Designers, Properties Designers, and more, so if you are interested please send me a letter of interest and your resume.
Our Mainstage Season includes:
The Musical Comedy Murders Of 1940
(Directed By Carol Dolphin)
Billy Elliot: The Musical
(Directed By Mark E. Schuster)
Candy Cane Tales And Holiday Carols
(Directed By John Cramer and Kelly Goeller)
The Underpants
(Directed By Phil Stepanski)
Thoroughly Modern Millie
(Directed By Jim Padovano)
The Giver
(Directed By Katie Lynne Krueger)
But Why Bump Off Barnaby?
(Directed By David Kaye)
Individual tickets and group sales for our Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education And Outreach shows, and Fundraising Events are on sale now!
Broadway Bound
The Music Man JR.
Br!NK New Play Festival
A.C.T. August Summer Showcase
DISABILITY: The Evolution
Waukesha Reads
You’ve Got A Friend
An Evening Of Holiday Tales With John McGivern
Joel Kopischke’s I Got Yule, Babe
Comicality
A.C.T. Combat Boot Camp
Waukesha STEM Academy’s Fame JR.
A.C.T. Live!
My Funny Valentine
The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged
The Shamrock Shindig (A Gaelic Gala)
Our Favorite Things
Miscast
A.C.T. June Summer Showcase
Our PIX Flix Film Series individual tickets and group sales are on sale now! Get a Flix Mix and SAVE on the whole season!
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Mary Poppins
Singin’ In The Rain
Ghostbusters
North By Northwest
Muppet Christmas Carol
To Kill A Mockingbird
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
The Sting
Field Of Dreams
Camelot
Grease
Thank you to all of the generous donors that have supported us so far this season. If you would like to donate, you can choose from any number of ways you could help us not only maintain, but thrive, as Waukesha’s Cultural Cornerstone.
Please Consider Giving …
* A gift to our Operating Fund
* A matching gift through local sponsoring business employers
* A gift that will last a lifetime through your Will or Estate Planning to our Curtain Call Club
* A gift by donation to CARS
* A gift by shopping through Amazon Smile
* A gift by purchasing something on our Amazon Wish List
* Choose WCT as your Thrivent Choice charitable organization
* Become a Sponsor of outstanding performances and educational programs
On a personal note my wife Kelli will be performing in The Queens Of Country at the Sunset Playhouse June 14-17.
Happy Father’s Day!
I’ll see you at the Theatre!
John Cramer
Managing Artistic Director
jcramer@waukeshacivictheatre.org
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Bueller (Pause)…. Bueller (Pause).… stated in a monotone voice. One of the most often used quotes when someone mentions the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Come enjoy watching High School senior Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) show us how to skip school by faking an illness to enjoy a fun filled, adventurous day in Chicago with his pessimistic best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara). Ferris dances and sings to Twist and Shout fully enjoying his entire day while his sister, Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) and the school principal, Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) fail at trying to find proof that Ferris is just playing hooky.
Even the people seen dancing (including the construction worker and the window washer) during the parade scene thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Originally, they had nothing to do with the film as they were simply dancing to the music being played during filming. Director John Hughes found it so humorous, that he told the camera operators to record it.
As quoted by Ferris Bueller on his day off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it!” Don’t miss your chance to join us on June 11th at 6:30 to sit back and enjoy this funny comedy that will leave you wanting to dance your way out of the theater.
Nancy McCaskey
Board Director
Cramer’s Corner: May At WCT Is Full Of Great Days!
Spring is here! Yay!
Our next Random Act Of Entertainment, Miscast, performs TONIGHT, May 3 at 7:30 pm. Come see Waukesha’s stars mix it up in this topsy turvy musical revue.
Our current Mainstage show is the classic Frederick Knott mystery Wait Until Dark, performing two more weekends, May 4 through May 13.
Our eleventh PIX Flix film of the season is Rear Window on Monday, May 14 at 6:30 pm. Join us for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic mystery starring Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr, and more! All PIX Flix tickets are $5.00, or groups of ten or more for $4.00 each. And of course we have concessions available, including soda, water, beer, wine, cookies, beef sticks, and POPCORN from Pop’s Kettle Corn!
Registration is open for our A.C.T. Summer Sessions, including our summer A.C.T. production The Music Man JR.
Our current featured artists in the Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery is a photograph display from the Consulate of Mexico in Milwaukee featuring photos of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Nicolas Murray, and Edward Weston from April 17 through May 21. A reception will be held on Saturday, May 5, from 3 pm to 5 pm. Starting May 22 we will feature The League Of Milwaukee Artists.
Our next and final Mainstage show of the 61st season is Father Knows Best performing June 1 through June 17.
We have two Theatre Tours coming up next season. Our New York City Theatre Adventure will be October 11-14, 2018. Our current list of shows include Anastasia, Come From Away, and Mean Girls. The deadline to register for the trip is June 1st. And we will be traveling to Chicago on Febrary 27, 2019 to see Dear Evan Hansen at the Oriental Theatre. We still have tickets available so it’s not too late to join us. If you are interested in either trip, please contact me for more information.
Are you interested in helping WCT make decisions about everything we do? Join A Committee and get involved. We have lots of great committees to choose from: Education and Outreach, Finance and Facility, Fund Development, Fundraising Events (Gala), Governance, and Marketing.
And our Play Advisory Committee will be starting the process of choosing our 2019-2020 season. If you are interested in participating on this exciting and important committee please contact me as soon as possible. Our deadline for submitting titles for consideration is May 10, 2018, and our review committee will meet May 24, July 19, and August 23.
We are already ten months into our 61st Season, with Fabulous Flex Passes and individual tickets on sale now, so please join us for some great entertainment!
Wait Until Dark
Father Knows Best
Individual tickets for our Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education And Outreach shows, and Fundraising Events are on sale now!
Miscast
A.C.T. June Summer Showcase
Our PIX Flix Film series is also on sale now, including our new group rate!
Rear Window
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
And the artists that will be featured in the Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery in our lobby will be:
Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Nicolas Murray, and Edward Weston
The League Of Milwaukee Artists
And don’t forget about all the ways to save on quality, live entertainment. WCT’s Ticket Promotions can’t be beat!
Fabulous Flex Pass – Save 22%
Subscriber Rate – Save 22 to 31%
Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 22 to 31%
Educational Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 31 to 63%
Student / Senior (60+) / Military Rate – Save 11%
Student Rush – Save 50%
Terrific Tickets – Save 50%
Pay What You Can (PWYC) – You Name Your Savings
All subscribers also receive the Subscriber Benefits Card with discounts at 18 downtown Waukesha restaurants. And your ticket stub can save you money at Plowshare Fair Trade Marketplace and People’s Park, too!
And our 62nd Season is going to be spectacular! Season tickets for our Mainstage series go on sale on Friday, May 4th and individual tickets and group sales will go on sale on July 1st. Individual tickets for all of our Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education & Outreach shows, PIX Flix Films, and Fundraising Events all go on sale May 4th as well. May the fourth be with you! (I couldn’t help myself!)
We are looking for production staff to fill out the full season, including Stage Managers, Music Directors, Choreographers, Scenic Designers, Costume Designers, Lighting Designers, Sound Designers, Properties Designers, and more, so if you are interested please send me a letter of interest and your resume.
Our 62nd Mainstage Season includes:
The Musical Comedy Murders Of 1940
(Directed By Carol Dolphin)
Billy Elliot: The Musical
(Directed By Mark E. Schuster)
Candy Cane Tales And Holiday Carols
(Directed By John Cramer and Kelly Goeller)
The Underpants
(Directed By Phil Stepanski)
Thoroughly Modern Millie
(Directed By Jim Padovano)
The Giver
(Directed By Katie Lynne Krueger)
But Why Bump Off Barnaby?
(Directed By David Kaye)
Individual tickets and group sales for our Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education And Outreach shows, and Fundraising Events are on sale May 4th!
The ACAP PlayMakers’ Show Of Shows V
Broadway Bound
The Music Man JR.
Br!NK New Play Festival
A.C.T. August Summer Showcase
DISABILITY: The Evolution
Waukesha Reads
You’ve Got A Friend
An Evening Of Holiday Tales With John McGivern
Joel Kopischke’s I Got Yule, Babe
Comicality
A.C.T. Combat Boot Camp
Waukesha STEM Academy’s Fame JR.
A.C.T. Live!
My Funny Valentine
The Wizard Of Oz Unplugged
The Shamrock Shindig (A Gaelic Gala)
Our Favorite Things
Miscast
A.C.T. June Summer Showcase
Our PIX Flix Film Series individual tickets and group sales will also be available starting May 4th!
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Mary Poppins
Singin’ In The Rain
Ghostbusters
North By Northwest
Muppet Christmas Carol
To Kill A Mockingbird
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
The Sting
Field Of Dreams
Camelot
Grease
Thank you to all of the generous donors that have supported us so far this season. If you would like to donate, you can choose from any number of ways you could help us not only maintain, but thrive, as Waukesha’s Cultural Cornerstone.
Please Consider Giving …
* A gift to our Operating Fund
* A matching gift through local sponsoring business employers
* A gift that will last a lifetime through your Will or Estate Planning
* A gift by donation to CARS
* A gift by shopping through Amazon Smile
* A gift by purchasing something on our Amazon Wish List
* Choose WCT as your Thrivent Choice charitable organization
* Become a Sponsor of outstanding performances and educational programs
On a personal note, my son Jude will be performing in Love, Death And The Prom at Waukesha South High School May 11-12.
Happy Mother’s Day and Best Wishes For A Memorial Day Filled With Pride, Warmth, And Togetherness!
I’ll see you at the Theatre!
John Cramer
Managing Artistic Director
No Foolin’ – April Is Full Of Fun At WCT!
We have another full month coming up and I hope you can join us! We kick off the month with our next Education And Outreach production, Broadway Bound tomorrow morning, Saturday, April 7 at 10:00 am. Come see Waukesha’s future stars in this musical revue!
Darn Yankees, our next ACAP PlayMakers production, takes our stage April 12-15.
Our annual gala, Spring City’s Wild West Saloon, will be held on Saturday, April 14, at the Westmoor Country Club. It’s not too late to join us for this fun-filled night of entertainment, but don’t delay!
Our next Mainstage show is the classic Frederick Knott mystery Wait Until Dark performing April 27 through May 13.
Our tenth PIX Flix film of the season is Apollo 13 on Monday, April 30 at 6:30 pm. “Houston, we have a problem!” Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and more, this is the suspenseful re-telling of the Apollo 13 mission! All PIX Flix tickets are $5.00, or groups of ten or more for $4.00 each. And of course we have concessions available, including soda, water, beer, wine, cookies, beef sticks, and POPCORN from Pop’s Kettle Corn!
Registration is open for our A.C.T. Summer Sessions, including our summer A.C.T. production The Music Man JR.
Our current featured artist in the Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery is Jack Pachuta. Come enjoy his art through April 16. Our next gallery show will be a photograph display from the Consulate of Mexico in Milwaukee featuring photos of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo by Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Nicolas Murray, and Edward Weston from April 17 through May 21. A reception will be held on Saturday, May 5, from 3 pm to 5 pm.
Are you interested in helping WCT make decisions about everything we do? Join A Committee and get involved. We have lots of great committees to choose from: Education and Outreach, Finance and Facility, Fund Development, Fundraising Events (Gala), Governance, and Marketing.
And our Play Advisory Committee will be starting the process of choosing our 2019-2020 season. If you are interested in participating on this exciting and important committee please contact me as soon as possible. Our deadline for submitting titles for consideration is May 10, 2018, and our reveiw committee will meet May 24, July 19, and August 23.
We are already nine months into our 61st Season, with Fabulous Flex Passes and individual tickets on sale now, so please join us for some great entertainment!
Wait Until Dark
Father Knows Best
Individual tickets for our Random Acts Of Entertainment, Education And Outreach shows, and Fundraising Events are on sale now!
Broadway Bound
Darn Yankees
Spring City’s Wild Card Saloon
A.C.T. June Summer Showcase
Our PIX Flix Film Series is also on sale now, including our new group rate!
Apollo 13
Rear Window
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
And the artists that will be featured in the Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery in our lobby will be:
Jack Pachuta
Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Nicolas Murray, and Edward Weston
The League Of Milwaukee Artists
And don’t forget about all the ways to save on quality, live entertainment. WCT’s Ticket Promotions can’t be beat!
Fabulous Flex Pass – Save 22%
Subscriber Rate – Save 22 to 31%
Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 22 to 31%
Educational Group Rate (Ten Or More Tickets) – Save 31 to 63%
Student / Senior (60+) / Military Rate – Save 11%
Student Rush – Save 50%
Terrific Tickets – Save 50%
Pay What You Can – You Name Your Savings
All subscribers also recieve the Subscriber Benefits Card with discounts at 18 downtown Waukesha restaurants. And your ticket stub can save you money too!
Thank you to all of the generous donors that have supported us so far this season. If you would like to donate, you can choose from any number of ways you could help us not only maintain, but thrive, as Waukesha’s Cultural Cornerstone.
Please Consider Giving …
* A gift to our Operating Fund
* A matching gift through local sponsoring business employers
* A gift that will last a lifetime through your Will or Estate Planning
* A gift by donation to CARS
* A gift by shopping through Amazon Smile
* A gift by purchasing something on our Amazon Wish List
* Choose WCT as your Thrivent Choice charitable organization
* Become a Sponsor of outstanding performances and educational programs
See you at the theatre!
John Cramer
Managing Artistic Director
jcramer@waukeshacivictheatre.org
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing – A 31 Year Old Favorite
So if you’re looking for a movie to make you feel good, has toe tapping catchy music, sexy dancing, great acting and an awesome story line filled with a little spice and good girl falls for bad boy – Dirty Dancing is the film to see! Released in 1987, Dirty Dancing is one of the best dance/teen love movies ever made. It’s also the movie that catapulted the career of Swayze. Just three years later he went on to make the movie Ghost with Demi Moore (another awesome love story, but let’s stay focused!) Dirty Dancing is literally one of those movies you can watch again and again, and never get tired of it.
It’s been said that Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey had terrible chemistry off camera – but you’d never know that watching them on the big screen. The movie takes off when Baby Houseman and her family go on vacation to a resort in New York. After Baby meets the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny, and signs up for dance lessons…well, let’s just say sparks begin to fly. Some of the scenes between Johnny and Baby draw you in and leave a feeling of happy, sad, excitement – and might even make you think you could dance. There have been many movies made with music and dancing since 1987 – but none quite like Dirty Dancing. It’s in a category all by itself.
So bring a friend, relative or significant other to the Waukesha Civic Theatre to watch this nostalgic feel-good feature film. Future movies include The African Queen, Apollo 13, Rear Window, and the final PIX film feature – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In addition, there are many Mainstage performances to choose from.
Come see Dirty Dancing on Monday, February 5th at 6:30 pm and have ‘the time of your life’! See you at the PIX!
Anthony Ventress
Board Director
Vintage Mix – The Road To Germany
The Waukesha Civic Theatre is thrilled to welcome Vintage Mix to our stage!
Vintage Mix is a mixed quartet of 16-year-old quadruplets that enjoy singing Barbershop, A Cappella, Standards, Show Tunes, Hymns, and Jazz selections. They are the 2016 and 2017 Wisconsin State High School Quartet Champions and have recently qualified as one of only two quartets to represent the US in a World Mixed Quartet competition in Munich, Germany this spring. You can support their journey here.
Over the past two and a half years, Vintage Mix has had many opportunities to perform both locally and nationally: Pittsburgh for the 2015 International Barbershop Convention; Reno for the 2016 Mid-Winter Convention; San Antonio for the 2017 Mid-Winter Convention; on the USS Milwaukee; Navy Pier for the Chicago Toy and Game Fair; WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour in Lexington, Kentucky; the Cannery Ballroom; the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville; and the nationally syndicated news show Fox & Friends out of New York. Most recently, they performed the National Anthem at Lambeau Field for the 2017 Green Bay Packers Family Night.
Vintage Mix has been recording since 2016. They have three singles available and an EP that released January 1, 2018. They are juniors at Waukesha West High School where they sing with the Concert Choir and the Master Singers. Although they have been singing for just a short time, we are sure you will enjoy this young, talented quartet.
Opening for Vintage Mix is the Easy Days Barbershop Quartet. They are all members of The Midwest Vocal Express (MVE), a championship Barbershop Chorus from Greendale, WI. Easy Days competes as a Seniors quartet in the Barbershop Harmony Society contests, and has placed in the Top 10 in both the Illinois and L.O.L District contests. They are the 2009 Land O’ Lakes District Seniors Champions.
Enjoyed by audiences of all ages, Easy Days has established a reputation as a good singing, entertaining, full-of-fun quartet. Easy Days performs a fast paced, 45 minute floor show featuring a repertoire filled with familiar songs of the 30s and 40s, arranged to please audiences of all ages. Audiences appreciate Easy Days’ breezy banter and style which sets them apart from other a capella performers.
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, February 3, 2018, at 1:00 pm! Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by phone at 262-547-0708, online, or in person at the box office.
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Raiders Of The Lost Ark
“Tan tananta tanantan…” who could resist the iconic theme song from Raiders of the Lost Ark? This movie was the start and only movie in the franchise that hasn’t included Indiana Jones in the title. Harrison Ford’s leap into superstardom started with his role as Han Solo in Star Wars and was propelled in the first installment of the Indiana Jones saga. Despite having the dream team of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg behind the film, it was initially turned down by every studio in Hollywood. Only after much persuasion, did Paramount agree to do it. Can you imagine the 80’s without Indiana Jones? Yeah, you probably could, but it definitely wouldn’t have been as much fun.
We will have plenty additional opportunities to enjoy a nostalgic movie at the historic Waukesha Civic Theater. Future movies include Dirty Dancing, The African Queen, Apollo 13, Rear Window, and closing out the PIX Flix season none other than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Not to mention the remaining live theatre Mainstage shows.
You will not be disappointed in Waukesha Civic Theatre’s showing of this blockbuster movie from 1981 and what better way to start the New Year. So grab your popcorn and head on into the theatre and help us make this showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Waukesha Civic Theatre’s all time grossing of the 2017-2018 PIX Flix season, just like in 1981 when it was the highest grossing film of that year.
Archaeologists Challenge:
Keep your eyes open in the Well Of Souls scene, you can notice a golden pillar with a tiny engraving of R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Star Wars saga. They are also on the wall behind Indy when they first approach the Ark.
Happy exploring in this timeless adventure of a lifetime!
Rich Johnson
Board Treasurer
PIX Flix Spotlight On The Staff: It’s A Wonderful Life
“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.” – Zuzu Bailey
It’s A Wonderful Life has become synonymous with the holiday season in America, but when the movie premiered in 1946, it was met with a lukewarm reception. It wasn’t until the 1960s, when there was some confusion over rights and the film entered the public domain. TV stations began to air the film regularly, because they didn’t have to pay for it. By the time the rights paperwork was corrected, it had found its place as a holiday tradition.
The message of the film resonates as much among the Greatest Generation, immediately post-WWII, as it does today: Your life matters. Your contribution is important. You can, and do, make a difference. Nestled among the brilliant acting of Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, that’s what really endears the film to viewers and why so many of us keep coming back, year after year.
The December PIX Flix film has become a holiday tradition for us here at WCT, too. Even though the title differs year to year, it’s a way for our community to come together, enjoy each other, and experience quality entertainment in a historic theatre. For only $5 a ticket, on a Monday night, there’s no better way to get family and friends together for an evening.
It’s A Wonderful Life is one of John Cramer’s very favorite films and both he and I hope to see you here at the PIX on Monday, December 18th, at 6:30 pm.
Happy Holidays!
Katie Danner
Marketing Director
