Introducing The Gingerbread Players
Founded in 1971, The Gingerbread Players
of Saint Luke's Church have long been blessed by a group of
theatrically
talented parishioners whose spring musical and fall play
productions
have become a tradition for the local theater going community
of Forest Hills.
The Gingerbread Players
stage 2 seasonal productions each year,
as well as host musical concerts, readings, as well as vocal
and instrumental
recitals. Material has ranged from operas, musicals, plays,
and one-man
shows to original musical or theatrical works by members of
the church.
Auditions are held for new actors and
people
are always needed to work behind the scenes.
Each production is a true labor of love
for the
"behind-the-scenes" crew as well as those on stage. Rehearsals
take place on weekends for about three months, with
performances on
weekends. The shows offer children a unique opportunity to
learn about
the theater and work as a team with adults; players range in age
from
eight to eighty.
What's in a name?
“We already have an Amahl,” said
Harriet
Morin. “Let’s do Amahl and the Night Visitors!” It was
fall 1972, and Harriet, then organist and choir director of
Saint Luke’s,
was referring to young Chip Stokes, a member of the Saint
Luke’s
congregation and, at the time, understudy for Amahl in the New
York
City Opera’s production. It seemed an excellent idea, so
Harriet
filled out a cast using members of the choir and interested
parishioners.
The planned single performance, following a regular Sunday
service,
was so popular that a second was added the following week.
Encouraged by the success of Amahl, the
next
year Harriet decided to do a musical theater version of The
Magic Nutcracker,
this time drawing principally on the church’s junior and youth
choirs, and an annual tradition was born. With visions of
Tchaikovsky’s
gingerbread
men dancing in our heads, we thought of selling gingerbread
at intermission, and someone suggested we call ourselves the Gingerbread Players.
In recent years, the troupe has
expanded its
season to two productions, devoting springtime to
family-oriented musicals,
fall to classics of the “legit” theater ranging from Chekhov
to Shakespeare to Shaw.
How Can I Join this Wonderful Group?
The same way you get to Carnegie Hall –
practice! By which we mean: show
up, try out, volunteer,
let us know how well you can sing, dance, act, carry a spear,
push a
broom, sew a costume, paint a set, build a platform, pull a
curtain,
manage the box office or do any of the other myriad tasks that
go into
putting on a show. We need you in order to keep going, so if
you’re
interested in working onstage or behind the scenes, just tell
us who
you are! There – wasn’t that easy? You just joined the Gingerbread Players
of Saint Luke’s. Actors should be at least eight years
old. (There is no upper age limit.)
Contact us care of Saint Luke's
Church:
stlukesoffice@verizon.net
(718) 268-7772