What:                    Balkan Women by Jules Tasca
Where:                 Stratford High School’s Black Box Theatre, 14555 Fern Drive (77079)
Dates:                   March 4-6 at 7:30 pm
Cost:                     $5 at the door (at 6:30 pm)

Stratford Playhouse’s Black Box Theatre Presents Balkan Women

The Stratford Playhouse’s Black Box Theatre presents Balkan Women for a limited run on March 4-6.  The play is a contemporary story set in a Serbian detention camp for Muslim women in the mid-1990s.  The horror of the Serbian/Bosnian war is shown as men are pitted against women, Christians against Muslims, and Croats against Serbs in a drama that bares the inner conflicts that result when society is governed by illogical ethnic hatreds.  The production is very moving as the author explores this war from a purely humanitarian viewpoint – every side is addressed.

Director David Clayton explains, “I’ve wanted to produce this show every since I first read it.  I was drawn to the story by how it is both ancient and modern simultaneously with the use of a Greek chorus and the backdrop of a vicious modern European war. Balkan Women struck me emotionally and made me think about our so called civilized society.  I always believed that the atrocities that happened in this war could never happen in my lifetime.  I believed that we had learned from our mistakes, but I was unfortunately very wrong.”  
 
With the limited run and limited seating in the Black Box Theatre, be sure to arrive at 6:30 pm to get seats.  Tickets $5, sold at the door.
 




  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Check our Gala page under the Booster Club tab to see some candid photos from this year’s Gala.

Stratford High School thespians Lizzy Wild and Patrick Reilly are shown here “on” the Steel Pier in Atlantic City.  The Stratford Playhouse will be presenting Steel Pier on Jan. 28-30 and Feb. 4-6 at 7:30 pm.  Matinees will be held Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 at 2:30 pm.  Tickets $15.  Available at shsPlayhouse.com or  (713)251-3449.
      
Photo Illustration by Bill Edwards

This is the link to a portion of the Live coverage the show had on Fox News Tuesday morning! 
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/entertainment/music/100126-steel-pier-stratford-high-school (Copy and paste this into your browser to see the Fox footage)

Stratford Playhouse dances into 2010 with the musical Steel Pier
Houston, TX January 13, 2010
 
The Stratford High School Playhouse has taken on a new challenge.  Last year, the daring thespians learned the trapeze for Barnum, a circus-within-a-musical, for which they won six Tommy Tune awards. Director CeCe Prudhomme, with the help of choreographer Paula Sloan, is now tackling the art of ballroom dancing to present the musical Steel Pier.  It will feature over 50 performers and opens on Thursday, January 28th for an eight-performance run.
 
The musical is a love story set against a dance marathon on Atlantic City’s legendary Steel Pier.  Steel Pier was known for showcasing the world’s top entertainers.  It’s been said that Big Bands weren’t really big until they started to play on Steel Pier.  For the price of admission, one could see unlimited performances, watch a horse dive into the ocean, enjoy vaudeville shows, and see the talented youngsters known as Tony Grant’s “Stars of Tomorrow” (long before Fox came up with American Idol).  


In fact, dance marathons were the reality television of the 1930’s: broadcast over the radio, they drew audiences that returned day after day to follow their heroes.  Lasting months, the Steel Pier Dance Marathon offered performers an opportunity to win food, housing, and money, as well as a chance to break into show business.
 
Stratford’s production of Steel Pier is a dancing extravaganza!  Preparation began in summer 2009 with formal ballroom lessons at a local studio. Prudhomme states, “It’s been challenging having to learn all the dance and partnering. “  Senior Lizzy Wild, who plays the aging celebrity Rita Racine says, “We all now watch ABC’s Dancing with the Stars – for both technique and inspiration.”
 
Prudhomme selected this musical because she felt the audience could relate to the parallels between the Depression and our current economy.   Despite the time period, the production is spectacular.  You will enjoy the score by Kandor and Ebb, who previously teamed up to create Cabaret and Chicago; original Broadway costumes; and the opportunity to see a younger generation learn to love a lost art.

   
    
   When:    Jan. 28-30 and Feb. 4-6 at 7:30 pm; Jan. 30 & Feb. 6 at 2:30 pm Where:  Stratford High School Auditorium, 14555 Fern Drive, Houston 77079 Tickets:  Available online at shsPlayhouse.com or the Box Office 713-251-3449 Cost:       $15   
     

Our Spring musical, Steel Pier, from the creators of Chicago and Cabaret, perfectly captures the rhythms of the 1930s dance marathons in Atlantic City.  This depression-era version of reality television contests makes one ask “Who needs Dancing With the Stars?”  Opening night for this musical is Thursday, January 28 with performances running through Saturday, February 6, 2010 

Blue Willow Shopping Day for SHS Playhouse this Saturday, Jan. 9th at 11 am!

When:  Saturday, January 9th  (Playhouse performance from 11 am, but sales benefit the Playhouse all day!)

Where:  Blue Willow Bookshop, 14532 Memorial, 281.497.8675

What:  The American Girl Club at the Blue Willow Bookshop will have a special performance with some of the cast of Steel Pier, from the Stratford Playhouse!  Steel Pier is a love story set against a dance marathon during the Great Depression.  To prepare for this production, students have taken ballroom dancing lessons and have been rehearsing since summer 2009.  

Why:  This is a great opportunity to see our thespians in action and earn valuable dollars for the Playhouse.  A percentage of the sales from the day will be donated to the playhouse when you mention the Playhouse at check out.