Congratulations to Jake Daniels, and all who helped with the Beggar’s Musical documentary, for winning an award of achievement at the Iowa Motion Picture Awards. Perhaps this can inspire similar groups to sprout up elsewhere, what a worthwhile accomplishment for Jake’s, and all of our “combined,” effort!
Additional zoom auditions for The Beggar's Musical
Attention one and all: Combined Efforts in Partnership with the Iowa City Community Theater (ICCT) is casting The Beggar’s Musical and we want YOU to be a part of it all!
Crowded alleyways and tenements near a shipyard are the setting for this adaptation of John
Gay’s, The Beggar’s Opera, written by Janet Schlapkohl. A large collection of diverse
characters, from the ribald, licentious, wicked and corrupt, to the foolish, tricky, and charming,
offer an uncompromising look at society from its underbelly. Directed by Shay Lilienthal.
The Beggar’s Musical will be performed in the ICCT theater October 21, 22, 23, and October 28, 29, 30* at the ICCT Theater.
Auditions will take place August 19th from 5:30-8:30 via Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87649130355?pwd=U0Y4M0xTQ2JtZGh6elpqZEZxcTJPUT09
Meeting ID: 876 4913 0355
Passcode: 184790
Auditioners should be prepared to show a small monologue and a small bit of a song- any song and monologue you are comfortable singing will do!
There are many roles. Please note that all roles are flexible in terms of gender and age:
STAGE MANAGER-any gender any age
MRS. POORLY-female fifty to sixty
MR. POORLY- fifty to sixty
THE Poorly Children
FILCH – male, twenties-30’s
POLLY –female, twenties-30’s
MOLLY-female thirties
TOM –male, child or teen believes he is a dog
QUINN –male or female child
WINSOME –female child sweet
INGRID –teen female child
JIMMY –teen or young male
EXTRA POORLYS
PEOPLE OF THE TOWN
ERNEST-male 20-30’s in love with Polly works at Tavern and on Docks
BETTY SLY- female 30-50 comedic
MARY- female 30-50
LUCY-female 20-30 (pregnant)
MUSICIANS 2-3 (violin, whistle, flute, guitar etc.)
EXTRA PEOPLE
PEOPLE OF THE TRANSPORT SHIP
SHIP CAPTAIN-male 40-50, blind
GUARD-male- any age
LAWYER- male twenty or older
DOCTOR- male twenty or older
VONBOOLIGEG-male 30-40 a politician and owner of corporation
ASSOCIATE #1 male or female (mature)
ASSOCIATE #2 male or female (mature)
ASSOCIATE #3 male or female (mature)
PRIEST traditional male
Extra street people of means
Auditions for The Beggar's Musical Saturday Aug 13 at IC Public Library Meeting Room B
Combined Efforts in Partnership with the Iowa City Community Theatre (ICCT) is casting The Beggar’s Musical.
Crowded alleyways and tenements near a shipyard are the setting for this adaptation of John Gay’s, The Beggar’s Opera, written by Janet Schlapkohl. A large collection of diverse characters, from the ribald, licentious, wicked and corrupt, to the foolish, tricky, and charming, offer an uncompromising look at society from its underbelly. Directed by Shay Lilienthal.
Auditions will take place Saturday August 13, 2022. Auditioners should be prepared to do a brief side read from the script and sing a small bit of a song. The reading will be provided at the auditions; please choose a song excerpt – any song you are comfortable singing is fine.
The Beggar’s Musical will be performed in the ICCT theater October 21, 22, 23, and October 28, 29, 30* at the ICCT Theater.
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Place: Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room B.
Update: this has been postponed for unforeseen circumstances: Special Free Event at Hancher with our own dancers and singers
The dance company will perform in support of an upcoming free event at Hancher, March 30, 7:30 pm:
An Evening with Judy Heumann: Internationally Renowned Disability Rights Advocate with Senator Tom Harkin, Champion of the Americans with Disabilities Act
More information at https://hancher.uiowa.edu/2021-22/judy-heumann
Tickets are free but may run out, so call the box office soon. Bri Swope has some set aside for Combined Efforts, if you are interested contact ken.gayley@gmail.com
2021 Newsletter!
Supporting Black Businesses
Five Fifths: All Things Black Business
Five Fifths is a platform built on the idea that every person is exactly that, a human being deserving of liberty, respect and most importantly opportunity. Equal opportunity is an ideal rooted in the foundation of The American Dream, and our goal is to provide just that, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, class, or political affiliation.
The reality of our history means that certain groups and people have been overlooked, overshadowed, forgotten and restrained because of factors out of their control. Our objective at Five Fifths is to uplift those very people and to highlight the many great things being done by members of those communities today.
Juneteenth!
Celebrate and Honor
Today we celebrate Major General Gordon Granger’s arrival in Galveston, Texas to deliver the news that the war was over, and ALL SLAVES WERE FREE.
Today we celebrate that our friends and neighbors are able to live freely.
Today we also remember those who didn’t make it.
We honor those who chose the sea. We honor those forced down by those sworn to protect them.
While today is a celebration we must never forget that Black Lives STILL Matter. Slowly we make progress, one protest at a time. But we must dismantle the systems built to hold black people, and people of color, down. The movement is less trendy as the weeks progress but the work must still be done. This is a movement, not a moment; a marathon, not a sprint.
We must honor those before before us and those taken too soon, with REAL SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE. Today is a great day for Breonna Taylor’s killers to be arrested. While one officer was fired, it is not enough; the union allows them to be rehired. Two officers were placed on “administrative reassignment”, which again, is not enough. They were all complicit in Breonna’s murder and deserve the repercussions that accompany such a crime.
While some companies have started doing so, Juneteenth should be a paid federal holiday.
Educate
Here are some articles about the significance of Juneteenth, what it is, and why it’s important.
Support
Check out our George Floyd post for additional resources and ways to support the cause.
DACA and the DREAMers
Our Support
Another awesome ruling from the Supreme Court yesterday! DACA recipients were awarded a reprieve and can continuing living and working in the United States as well as renew their status, and new applicants are able to apply.
We stand with and in support of all DACA and DREAMers recipients. Those brought to the US as a child deserve to live and thrive in the country and world that they’ve known and grown up in.
At Combined Efforts, we are committed to creating, providing, and upholding a safe space for all of our members, staff, and supporters.
In case you missed our last two posts, we WILL NOT tolerate discrimination based on race, sex, identity, disability, or anything else. Discrimination is not acceptable and we will not allow it. Thanks! Be a good person!
The News!
Resources!
ACLU Rights - English
What to do if ICE shows up - twitter thread with 11 different languages
LGBTQIA+ Supreme Court Ruling!
Our Support
In case you haven’t heard, this week the Supreme Court has been handing out some rulings left and left.
The first ruling we’d like to celebrate is the ruling that members of the LGBTQ Community are protected under the Civil Rights Act and cannot be fired for their sexual orientation.
Here at Combined Efforts, we are committed to providing a safe space for all of our members, staff, and supports to express themselves however they want to. HOWEVER, keep in mind that we will not tolerate discrimination based on race, sex, identity, disability, or otherwise.
Again, Combined Efforts is a safe space.
The News!
Here are some articles to read if you need more information!
Resources!
George Floyd Protests.
BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.
Combined Efforts believes in absolute inclusivity and we stand with you.
Silence speaks volumes and we will not be silent. All individuals are welcome at Combined Efforts, but we will not tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind. Ever.
We fully support the peaceful protests and police reform! Police are not above the law and those responsible for taking victims’ lives must be held accountable for their actions.
TIPS FOR PROTESTING SAFELY
If you are sprayed with tear gas, DO NOT use milk. It can cause an infection. Instead use 3T baking soda per 8 oz of water in a spray bottle.
If you wear contacts, wear your glasses to protest. Tear gas may cause permanent damage when contacts are involved.
Wear your mask and social distance as much as possible. Your mask will help with you anonymity and we’re still in a pandemic.
Wear clothing without logos and cover your tattoos. This helps with anonymity.
Try not to post on social media while you’re protesting. Wait until it’s over. This will help keep locations less traceable.
Try not to post others’ faces. This will help maintain anonymity for others, especially black folx and those speaking out or putting their bodies in between others.
Turn off face or touch ID on your phone while you’re out and make sure your lock code is more complicated and harder to guess. Police won’t be able to unlock your phone.
Stay safe and help each other.
ACTION AND OTHER RESOURCES
Changes Afoot!
Recap!
Combined Efforts is undergoing many changes in our 18th season!
From producing our first digital piece to new leadership, we’re tackling it all.
In case you missed our coronavirus update, all in person events and rehearsals are postponed or cancelled until the pandemic has subsided.
New leadership is here!
In January, we officially welcomed our new Artistic Director, Bri Atwood!! Hi, Bri! Welcome!
In May, we officially welcomed our new Managing Director, Sujit Singh!! Hi, Sujit! Welcome!
As we welcome new leadership, we must say thank you to old leadership. Founder and former managing director, Janet Schlapkohl has stepped away from her active board member status. Thank you for everything, Janet, and thank you for your continued support.
We must also thank Mary Vasey. Mary has been with Combined Efforts since the early beginnings and we are grateful for her warm presence and support. Thank you for your continued support, Mary.
Up Next!
We are upping our digital game!
The year 2020 seems like a perfect year to really focus on moving forward. With the pandemic, now we have no choice. CE’s leadership team is working on bringing our regular programming to you. We’re looking at bringing dance, choir, and our writer’s group to Zoom! Stay tuned for emails about class times!
As always, thank you for your continued support!
CE Leadership Team
Updates and Coronavirus.
Welcome to our new website! Thanks for visiting us!
2020 has presented Combined Efforts with many changes. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many more. When we began our 18th season in January with Leap!, we had no idea it would be our last major event in front of an audience. We had two huge projects in the lineup for this spring. Our dance company was to perform their first major stand alone production. Our theatre company was to produce an adaptation of the Beggar’s Opera as well as a documentary about the process.
Our groups thrive and succeed in a face-to-face environment. Many of our members are also in the high risk community for the novel coronavirus.
Our members’ health, safety, and wellbeing are of utmost importance to us. We are broken hearted to announce that we are forced to suspend in person rehearsals, and live performances for the coming months.
We are hopeful that this outbreak will be turned into an opportunity to push Combined Efforts forward!
Thank you for your continued support.
Bri Atwood, Artistic Director