Greetings from the Hamner Theater,

Things have been humming along as we prepare to take Poe & All That Jazz to DC to the Capital Fringe Festival. Performance details are available on the fringe website - as well as our website.

There are many, many shows to take in - make a weekend of it and see as many as you can fit in. Or, if the trip to DC seems daunting, what with gas at $4.00/gallon, come to the Hamner on Thurs., July 10 and see a special benefit preview of the Poe that will go to Washington. This is a slightly different version than the one you may have seen, restaged for the Forum at the Shakespeare Theatre at the Harman Center. It still features Jon Cobb as Poe, Patti Finn as his mother and all her incarnations, Bob Bennetta on piano and Jim Ryan on bass, and is still an intriguing look into the life and mind of one of America's great creative geniuses, begging the question "where is the line between life and art?"

Poe & All That Jazz - Thurs., July 10 at 7:30, special benefit preview performance - donations gratefully accepted to help offset the expense of the trip to the big city.

Coming on July 14 and 15 at 7pm, auditions for the Nelson County Shakespeare Festival's inaugural production of Richard III. See the website for cast breakdown, adapted script and details. Come with 8 - 10 lines of Shakespeare memorized - preferably from Richard III. Actor/manager Mary Coy spearheads this production which will be done according to original practices...curious? Just show up and have your questions answered.

On Sun., July 27 at 8:15pm we will open the tent - quite literally - for a preview performance of Peter Coy's Helen Hayes award winner, A House in the Country. This production is part of the Wintergreen Performing Arts Summer Festival and will run July 28 - Aug. 2 at 8:15pm. Details are available at www.wintergreenperformingarts.org.

Stay tuned for more information about our Community Cabaret coming on August 23 which will be a benefit for skatenelson. See the Black Cat Argyle Team's skate video Pidgeon Babylon, hear T G'sus, the street savior and more...

It may be heating up outdoors but it is always cool at the Hamner...come and play with us or just come and watch...

Cheers,
Boomie

Boomie Pedersen
Co-Artistic Director
The Hamner Theater
434-361-1999