It’s a recipe for disaster - a wife, her lover, her husband, her husband’s lover, her children, an artist, her ex-lover, a cook, the lesbians from next door, their son, two endearing young lovers, and a pizza delivery boy. Mix them all up, throw them in a house together in the idyllic Martha’s Vineyard, and you’ve got two plays rife with love, laughter, and operatic highs and lows which define the work of Charles Mee.
Come and join Butte College students, faculty and community members as they breathe life into these two whimsical shows, sharing messages of truth and asking the ultimate question – “Can true love withstand the chaos and pitfalls of our modern society?”
“Summertime” and “Wintertime” will be shown in rotating repertory, with each show alternating. “Summertime” opens Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. with performances continuing Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. and Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. “Wintertime” will play Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. and closing Sunday, May 5 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors/students. Tickets are available at the door or via www.ButteDrama.com. For more information, call 530-895-2994 or email Jesse Merz, director, at merzje@rajcmmementos.com. Performances take place at the Butte College Black Box Theatre, Main Campus, ARTS Building, 3536 Butte Campus Drive, Oroville, CA 95969. “Summertime” and “Wintertime” are recommended for mature audiences (recommended 16+) due to adult language and adult themes.
Background:
In the words of playwright Charles Mee: “Rational thought does battle with the irrationality of emotion and desire… characters abandon social, economic and political connections to become united by their shared humanity.” Indeed, rational thought is out the window in these two shows. In the world of “Summertime”, a young, sincere James seeks out the affection of Tessa but his efforts are interrupted by the arrival of Francois, a man of incredible charisma and plagued with uncontrollable desires. A fact which is well-known by his current lover, Maria, who happens to be Tessa’s mother and married to Frank, who is tied up with his lover, Edmund. Soon the house becomes filled with an incredible array of characters - a timid sculptor, Mimi; her racy past love, Natalie; Barbara, a no-nonsense cook who serves up a wild feast of hard truths, insults, and comedy at the expense of Francois; the two older lesbians from next door, Hilda and Bertha, who are no strangers to a good time; a lovestruck man, Gunter, just bursting at the seams with philosophy and wonder for the world around him, and finally, a pizza delivery girl, Bob, with a lot on her mind and a horrifying past.
This story continues in “Wintertime,” for the characters of Francois, Maria, Frank, and Edmund, as they all find themselves in the same getaway home for the holidays, just looking for a little “quiet time”, and finding much more than they bargained for. James and Tessa of “Summertime” give way to new lovers, Jonathan and Ariel in “Wintertime,” but we see the return of friendly faces such as Hilda and Bertha, now caught up in their own marital issues, and Bob, who seems to be ever-present when it comes to dealing with this family.
“Summertime” and “Wintertime” were written by Charles L. Mee and has been made free for adaptation by the cast and crew as part of the (RE)making Project. Butte College’s production features a unique set designed by Robert Pickering, lighting designed by Michael Johnson, costumes by Lynne Schuepbach, sound by Davin Schreindl, choreography by Melinda Buzan, stage managers Makenzie Cox and Macen Buis, and is directed by Butte’s Director of Theatre, Jesse Merz, with Assistant Direction by Bronwyn Allen (Summertime) and Abby Shaw (Wintertime).
The cast includes:
Florence Ives (Maria), Jarrod Jackson (Francois), Devyn Cusick (Tessa), David Loperena (James), Bryce Corron (Frank), Ryan Shallenberger (Edmund), Joseph Slupski (Gunter), Bailey Martin (Mimi), Meghan Helms (Natalie), Angel Hagen (Bob), Keasha Fuller (Hilda), Abby Shaw (Barbara, Assistant Director for Wintertime), Tippy Rose (Bertha), Bronwyn Allen (Ariel, Assistant Director for Summertime), Markeith Jones (Jonathan), and Alyssa Price (Dr. Jacqueline), with Stage Managers Makenzie Cox and Macen Buis, and additional help from Thomas Abbott, Noelle Adams, Sammi Cason, Nicholas Gomersall, and Andrea Thoms as Assistant Stage Managers, Understudies, and Ensemble.
From Backstage Magazine regarding Summertime:
“In the heat of summer, Mee's cinematic characters and out-of-this-world situations—aren't relationships always that way? —hit home in isolated rants and spotlights of grand theatricality..., but there are many moments of realistic rhetoric in which the landscape of love—and all its pretentiousness–is neither here nor there.”
From Variety regarding Wintertime:
“The wisdom of love, the anguish of love, foolishness, jealousy, absurdity, boredom and infinite delight — all the things that make love indispensable and impossible come into play in Charles L. Mee’s wacky, elegant and amazingly buoyant ‘Wintertime.’”
From Butte College Director of Theatre, Jesse Merz:
“Summertime and Wintertime, playing in rotating repertory theatre with a different show each day, will delight your senses and make you think about your own relationship with love. Dream with us at Butte College Drama!”
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Christian Gutierrez
Public Relations Officer
Butte College
3536 Butte Campus Drive
Oroville, CA 95965
Content editor:
Christian Gutierrez
530-895-2959
