n! o i t i d E e g a t On-S
Divas
THROUGH THE
Decades
CONTENTS Theater Staff.......................................................................................................... 2 Whitney Morse on The Sharon® L. Morse Performing Arts Center........................ 3 Set List.................................................................................................................. 4 Biographies........................................................................................................5-8
STAFF Director of Operations................................................................... Jason Goedken Artistic Director.............................................................................Whitney Morse Technical Director..................................................................... Kenneth Constant Booking Coordinator & Administrator....................................Elizabeth Constant Assistant Technical Director.......................................................... Preston Speaker Executive Administrator.................................................................... Sean Graham Lighting Director..............................................................................David Krupla Assistant Lighting Director.............................................................. Lindsey Young Artist Liaison/Hospitality Management.............................................. Layna Sasser Leslie Munson Audio/Visual.........................................................................................Luke Bezio Sound/AV Designer.........................................................................Nick Erickson House Manager...................................................................................Heather Ard Director of Ticketing & Customer Relations............................... Yasmeen Stogden Promotion & Marketing...................................... The Villages Sales & Marketing Ad Sales.........................................................................The Villages Media Group
GIFT CARDS
Available
Purchase at any of The Villages® box office locations. ©2020 The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center.
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WHITNEY MORSE on
The Sharon L. Morse ÂŽ
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Dear Friend
,
It’s so lovely to have you back in our beautiful space after a long and difficult break. These last few months have been challenging for all of us. That challenge was no exception for us here at The Sharon. The time we spent with our doors closed felt like an endless cycle. We would plan, rearrange, hope, move dates, cancel shows, create virtual content, move venues, and redesign sets. Then after all of that we would repeat all of the aforementioned steps again and again. We did all of that with the goal of bringing us all back together again in mind. Now, finally, here we are, together. I know things are different, and they likely will be for a while. But we will persevere. We will work together to find new ways of creating, new ways to move you, and new ways to exist together in a theater. This innovation will require all of us to do our part. So please while you are here in our theater I kindly request that you maintain your physical distance of six feet, wear your favorite mask and sanitize your hands often. The performing arts are the most collaborative art form in the world, but the most important collaborator is you, the patron. You come in at the end of our process and provide us with applause, tears, gasps, and laughter. Now we are also asking that you take care of us, the artists, and each other by following the guidelines above. If we all commit to this together we can continue to enjoy live arts in this new way. Thank you so much for being here today and please enjoy the show.
Whitney Morse
See You at The Sharon,
Artistic Director
352-751-7799
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SET LIST "Quando M'en Vo'" Judy Medley "Orange Colored Sky" "Crazy" "La Vie En Rose" "Where The Boys Are" "He's A Tramp" | "Fever" "Natural Woman" | "I Feel The Earth Move" "Songbird" Disco Medley "Downtown" "Respect" Diana Ross Medley "On My Own" "Turn The Beat Around" "Home" from The Wiz "Tommorow" - Encore
SPECIAL THANKS Jennifer Wolf - Production Assistant Jeanmarie Petrino, My Bella Embroidery - Wardrobe Gerry Sherman - Videographer Red Rooster Cookie Jar Ollie Schniederjans - Best Husband Ever
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BIOGRAPHIES Pinky is known for her bright personality, and her uplifting and unique soprano voice. The last of six children and born in Connecticut, Pinky started singing lessons at the age of 11, studying with the dedicated father and son duo, Pasquale and Sir Antonio Pappano. Pinky inherited her singing voice from her father and for many years the two sang together for family, friends and various special events. As a teenager, she started her professional journey in several well-known Connecticut Theatres. It was at the Darien Dinner Theatre where she was mentored by New York Theatre Producer Jane Bergère and had the unique opportunity to work with professional directors, choreographers, conductors and actors. Pinky performed on the Jerry Lewis Telethon and The Gong Show. Her musical theatre credits include leading roles in Trixie True Teen Detective, Annie, South Pacific and 42nd Street. Pinky was thrilled to have seen the world by playing Eponine and Cosette in the National Tour of Les Misérables and Eva Peron in the International Tour of Evita. She was honored to join the New York City Metropolitan USO Group where she performed for U.S. troops and is recognized for her rendition of "The StarSpangled Banner" that she has sung at such venues as the Georgia Dome and other charity events. Pinky is a passionate supporter of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and is always honored to sing at their annual events around the country. She is grateful for all the wonderful teachers, mentors, friends and family that have always been there to support and cheer her on. A special thanks to her husband, Ollie, her biggest fan!
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BIOGRAPHIES BILL NEALE has a rich history as a stage performer, recording artist, producer and studio musician. Among his accomplishments are extensive tours and recordings which include a five year tenure as guitarist for Motown’s The Temptations during the height of their career. In the 70’s and 80’s, Bill played on many television shows and movies including the theme song for the TV show The Brady Bunch. He was also the guitarist for all Chuck Barris Television Shows including The Gong Show. Bill is a proud recipient of both RIAA Gold and Platinum record awards for his work. Today, Bill and his wife, Mary Ann, are residents of The Villages® and he can be seen performing at The Studio™ Theatre and The Sharon® on a variety of musicals. In addition, Bill enjoys his work as a Recreation Supervisor for The Villages Recreation and Parks Department. CHARLES “CHARLIE” SILVA is from Goleta, CA. He played on cruise ships from 1983-1988 where he performed with many celebrities including Cab Calloway, Buddy DeFranco, Clark Terry, Mel Lewis, Rita Moreno, Rose Mary Clooney, Anita O’Day and many others. He worked at Walt Disney World from 1991-2015 where he performed in the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, playing tunes from Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbeck to Duke Ellington and contemporary tunes. He has also worked with many local and international musicians such as Allan and Warren Vache’, Bill and John Allred, Panama Francis, Johnny Varro, Ken Peplowski, Terry Myers and the Tommy Dorsey and Woody Herman Orchestras as well as Bob Crosby’s Bobcats under the direction of Ed Metz Sr.
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BIOGRAPHIES DENNIS ST. GERMAIN and his wife Kristin are long time residents of The Villages. They moved here from Rhode Island 17 years ago. In Rhode Island, he spent 30 years teaching in public schools as well as performing with such greats as Sammy Davis Jr. When moving here he decided to return to his performing roots. Dennis has performed with just about every musical group in The Villages including The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, The Villages Pops Chorus, The Villages Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Hometown Band, and Swing Band. He has performed at most of the Country Clubs in The Villages as well as many of the Churches in the area. He has also been part of the pit orchestra for The Villages Musical Theatre for the past 14 years as well as SMASH Productions for the past 5 years. KEVIN O'CONNELL is a native of New Jersey and is a graduate of the West Chester University School of Music, with graduate studies in at Villanova University. He studied composition with the late Frank Hunter, musical director of the Mike Douglas Show, and has composed several commissioned works for High School bands. Mr. O’Connell continues to write, arrange and transcribe in The Villages, FL area. Mr. O’Connell conducted semi-professional pit orchestras in over 25 musicals in his 35 year career as a music educator in Pennsylvania. Musicals include Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Crazy For You, Oklahoma, Evita, The Wiz, and West Side Story. His award winning bands performed at Disney World extensively, while his pit orchestra students won the coveted “Freddy Award,” at the Easton PA State Theatre. Touring Europe with American Music Abroad, he served as Jazz Band Director on two successful European Tours. Playing piano professionally since age 16, Mr. O’Connell has performed with such personalities as Bobby Rydell, Julius LaRosa, Henny Youngman, Pat Cooper, Soupy Sales and Joan Rivers. He performed extensively at major resorts in the Pocono, PA area for decades, and performed keyboard in the pit of the Broadway tour of Grease. He has performed with CTO orchestras in Philadelphia and with Real Diamond, a Neil Diamond tribute band in Pennsylvania. Moving to The Villages in 2015, he has performed and conducted shows with the Ocala Civic Theatre, The Ice House Theatre in Mt. Dora, The Villages Musical Theatre, KC Productions, and Smash Productions. He is currently the Director of 352-751-7799
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BIOGRAPHIES Music, Organist, and Pianist at the Congregational Church in Summerfield, FL, and he has his own Jazz Trio. He is recording a new Christmas CD, which will be out soon. His son Michael (PSU grad, web designer) has recently presented him with a new grandson, while son Ryan (IU, USC) is a composer for films and animation in Los Angeles, CA. Ryan’s film, animation, and nationally known choral music can be seen and heard at www.Ryanomusic.com, www.jwpepper.com or www.halleonard.com. Kevin is both thrilled and honored to be performing concerts with Pinky!
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2020-2021 Season Clue: On Stage Oct 2-18, 2020 Rumors Dec 4-20, 2020 Enchanted April Jan 15-31, 2021
New
Digital Offerings Page!
All of our upcoming virtual & streaming offerings in one convenient location.
It’s Only A Play March 12-28, 2021 Play It Again, Sam May 7-23, 2021 311 N 13th St, Leesburg | (352) 787-3013 www.melonpatchplayers.org
www.TheSharon.com/ Schedule-Digital-Offerings
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