October 2021
Jerry Argetsinger, director, consults with cast members D. Scott Adams (Dr. Montague) and Jessica Giordano (Eleanor) at the first rehearsal for "The Haunting of Hill House." Photo by Rachel Brill.
The Haunting of Hill House Opens Oct 29
We are very excited to finally be taking the stage again as we open our fall show, The Haunting of Hill House, on Friday, October 29 for seven performances. Directed by Jerry Argetsinger, The Haunting of Hill House was adapted by F. Andrew Leslie from the novel by the acclaimed writer, Shirley Jackson. The drama is an exploration of the mysterious and the psychological as a group of paranormal researchers (Dr. Montague, Eleanor, and Theodora) gathers at a mansion, Hill House, to explore rumors that it is haunted. The three researchers are joined by the mansion’s housekeeper (Mrs. Dudley), the heir to the mansion (Luke Sanderson), and the lead researcher’s wife (Mrs. Montague) and her assistant (Arthur Parker). Each tries in their own way to uncover Hill House’s secrets, but does the mansion have its own agenda?
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The cast features some new Players as well as some veterans:
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D. Scott Adams as Dr. Montague
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Andrea Daszkiewicz as Mrs. Montague
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Jessica Giordano as Eleanor
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Nicole Iaquinto as Theodora
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Jose Ortiz as Luke Sanderson
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Wendy Webster as Mrs. Dudley
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Andreas Gabriel Woerner as Arthur Parker
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“This is the perfect show for the Halloween season,” says Argetsinger. “We are planning a lot of thrills and chills for the audience. We know they’ll have a lot of fun being scared.”
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All performances are at the Penfield Community Center, 1985 Baird Rd., in Penfield. Performances are on Oct. 29, Oct. 30, Nov. 5, Nov. 6, Nov. 12, and Nov. 13 at 8:00 p.m. There is a matinee on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 2:00 p.m.
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Tickets are on sale online, by phone at 585.340.8655 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, and in person at the Penfield Community Center. Tickets are $14 in advance and $17 at the door. Group rates are available for groups of ten or more.
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Following Broadway’s example, audience members will be required to wear masks that cover nose and mouth while in the Penfield Community Center. Audience members’ parties will be socially distanced.
The Penfield Players are looking forward to continuing their 2021-2022 season with two productions – one opening in February and the other in April 2022. In February, we will resume performances of our popular Readers’ Theatre, a series of staged readings. On Saturday, February 25, and Sunday, February 26, enjoy an afternoon of laughs at the American premier of one of the most popular comedies in Northern Europe for the past 300 years, Ulysses of Ithaca. Ludvig Holberg’s satire of Homer’s epic of the Trojan Wars is performed as common farce and it will keep you laughing from start to finish. This new translation was made by our own Jerry Argetsinger, whose translations of Holberg’s comedies have been published for over 30 years. Both performances take place at 2 p.m. in the Community Room and they are free and open to the public. Donations will be gratefully accepted. Auditions for this production will take place in January. Please watch our Web site, penfieldplayers.org, and our Facebook page for details.
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In April, we open our second main stage show of the 2021-2022 season, Art of Murder. This play by Joe DiPietro (author of one of our most popular shows ever, Over the River and Through the Woods) continues the season’s theme of mystery and suspense, but with a good deal of comedy thrown in for extra measure. An art dealer, one of that dealer’s most profitable clients, and the client’s wife are not what they seem in this fast-paced story of double-dealing (pun intended). Mary Ellen “Mel” Blanchard directs. The show opens on Friday, April 29 and continues for seven performances over three weekends, including a matinee performance on Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. as well as an evening performance on that same day. All performances will be in the stage of the gym in the Community Center. Stay tuned for details!
Ulysses of Ithaca and Art of Murder Open in 2022
Volunteers Needed for The Haunting of Hill House
Volunteers are needed for The Haunting of Hill House. We can use help at the Penfield Community Center, 1985 Baird Rd., Penfield, NY, in any of the following areas. Contact us at penfieldplayers@gmail.com if you are interested.
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Load-in and set build starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 23 and/or set build and decoration starting at noon on Sunday, October 24. Drop in any time before 4 p.m. and stay for as long as you are able. Pizza and soda provided at lunch time on Saturday. Anyone who volunteers receives one comp (free) ticket to see the performance of their choice of “The Haunting of Hill House.”
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For our performances on Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 29 and 30, Nov. 5 and 6, and Nov. 12 and 13 at 8 p.m., and at our matinee on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m., we need help in the following ways.
House manager
Box office
50/50 raffle table
Concessions (we are only selling bottled water and Penfield Players polo shirts)
Ushering
Plan to arrive about 45 minutes before show time. No experience needed; any necessary training will be provided. And you get to see the show for free!
Susan Marino (left) and Rebecca Walton paint the set for Males Order Brides, our spring 2006 production.
Photo by Liz Gill.
Penfield Players Reunion Picnic in August Was a Great Success
Thirty-five Penfield Players and guests turned out for our revival of the annual summer picnic on August 22nd, 2021. Participants from as far back as the 1970s joined relatively new Penfield Players for an afternoon of conversation, friendship, community, and good food at the shelter at Veterans Memorial Park in Penfield. Wendy Webster, our social chair, premiered our new Penfield Players polo shirts, which will be available for sale at all performances of The Haunting of Hill House, and Richard Kendrick, board president, announced our 2021-2022 season. In addition to the upcoming show, The Haunting of Hill House, we will be performing Ulysses of Ithaca as a Readers’ Theatre production in February, and we return to the main stage with Art of Murder on April 29 for seven performances. Jerry Argetsinger, board member and chair of play selection, provided a preview of our upcoming show, and Ron Dufort, our historian, announced the completion of a comprehensive list of all Penfield Players productions going back to our first season in 1965-1966, Building on the success of this event, we expect to host another summer picnic in 2022. We hope you’ll join us.
Penfield Players board members model the new Penfield Players polo shirts at their September 2021 board meeting. The shirts will be on sale at The Haunting of Hill House performances. Back row, l to r: Dean Amsler, Ron Dufort, Jerry Argetsinger, Nick Daszkiewicz, Richard Kendrick, Liz Gill. Front row, l to r: Andrea Daszkiewicz, Elizabeth Saunders, Wendy Webster, Sandra Lowe-Dusel, Lee Kirk, and Susan Marino. Not pictured, board members Christoper Woods Marlin and Vikki McElroy. Photo by Dean Amsler.
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