Happy Holidays!

Hello all!

The snow has really been coming down these past few days, and it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! The cast and crew of "The Miss Firecracker Contest" have been hard at work for the past couple of months between school and rehearsals. As fall semester comes to a close, everyone will take a break before returning with full force and excitement next January. The next time I write for you we will be in the final stretch leading up to performances. To all of our college students, good luck with finals. Happy holidays everyone, and have a great winter break! 

See you in 2017!

Adrianna Bail

CSS House Manager

Meet the Props Masters!

Scottie Deming

Isabella Rostrepo-Toro

Meet the CSS Theatre’s propmasters, Isabella Rostrepo-Toro and Scottie Deming! These ladies are responsible for finding and making all of the props for the various productions throughout the theatre season. Props are crucial to the success of a performance. If you attended a performance for “The Diary of Anne Frank”, you most likely saw how full the set was. Every room had pictures on the walls, books on the shelves, and miscellaneous items everywhere that made it entirely convincing that you were sitting inside the Frank’s household. Many hours of work go into finding and creating props. Special attention is given to the date of the prop to ensure that they are all time period appropriate. Whether or not a prop will match the others is also taken into account. Next time you come to see a production at CSS, pay close attention to the props on the set - the detail put into them will astound you!

As always it is a pleasure to blog for you.

Have a great week!

Adrianna Bail

CSS House Manager

Right Back At It!

Right Back At It!

After stuffing ourselves full of turkey and other Thanksgiving favorites, the CSS Theatre is back at it! With only a few more weeks until holiday break, everyone is working as hard as they can to get ready for The Miss Firecracker Contest. Here are a few interesting facts about the play in the meantime!

In 1980, The Miss Firecracker Contest was first produced in L.A. and later was performed in New York City. It was extremely successful off-broadway. The Miss Firecracker Contest was so popular that it was actually made into a movie! In 1989 the movie was produced and was directed by Thomas Schlamme. The playwright of this play is an extremely talented woman; Beth Henley is known for winning the Pullitzer Prize for her play Crimes of the Heart. Pretty impressive, right?

Come see why this show has been so well received by critics and audiences alike February 2017.

Thanks everyone!

Adrianna Bail

CSS House Manager

Healy, Patrick. “Miss Firecracker to Open on Broadway.” Arts Beat. The New York Times Company, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

“The Miss Firecracker Contest.” Wikipedia. MediaWiki, 13 Oct. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

The Holiday Season has Begun at the CSS Theatre!

Our Christmas elves have been hard at work decorating for the holiday season!

The Christmas season is nearly upon us, and as such, we have been very busy getting into the holiday spirit. With a few weeks before Christmas break, the cast of "The Miss Firecracker Contest" is fitting in as many rehearsals as they can. Meanwhile, we at the CSS Box Office are preparing for the show, and are practicing our artistic abilities in decorating! With Thanksgiving only a couple of days away, we will all be taking a short break, but will be back at it next week. From all of us at the CSS Theatre, have a fantastic Thanksgiving break, and a great kick-off to your holiday season.

Seasons Greetings!

Adrianna Bail
CSS House Manager

Are You Ready for The Miss Firecracker Contest?

Rehearsals are under way! 

The cast for The Miss Firecracker Contest have started preparing for what is going to be an awesome show. Though performances may be a few months away, it is bound to fly by quickly and the cast could not be more excited. Here's a plot description to get you excited too!

"Winning the Miss Firecracker Contest is all that stands between Carnelle Scott and leaving Brookhaven in a blaze of glory. Carnelle interacts with her zany group of relatives and friends on her path to victory and the salvation of her tarnished reputation. Through complications and unexpected turns of events, she concentrates on leaving behind the past and turning toward a brighter future. A long running success Off-Broadway, The Miss Firecracker Contest highlights Beth Henley’s ability to mingle humor with wisdom and downright hilarity as she illuminates life in small-town Mississippi."

As you can see, it looks like it will be a fun, hilarious show. Performances will be in February 2017, and I will be posting more updates on the rehearsal process soon! Have a great week everyone!

Adrianna Bail

CSS Theatre House Manager

As "The Diary of Anne Frank" Comes to a Close, CSS Theatre Looks Forward to Upcoming Production 

This past weekend the CSS Theatre finished its run of performances. Thank you to everyone that attended, for it was a great turn out! The cast and crew did an amazing job, and the show was truly moving. "The Diary of Anne Frank" truly set a high bar for the rest of the show season here at CSS, but we have no doubt that the next two shows will be fantastic as well.

Auditions for the upcoming show "The Miss Firecracker Contest" were last week, and it looks like we have another great cast ready to give it their all for spectacular performances this February. While the last show "The Diary of Anne Frank" was more of a drama, "The Miss Firecracker Contest" will be quite the change as it is a comedy. It's bound to be a fun show!

I will be posting updates periodically on the progress for the next show to keep you all in the loop, so stay tuned! Thanks!

Adrianna Bail

CSS Theatre House Manger

A Belated Welcome Back

A Belated Welcome Back

     It is great to finally be back in the box office. The times have already been quite busy, and we have a fantastic new employee, Adrianna Bail. It is a joy to work with her, and I am sure you will be hearing from her soon enough. 

     This year's line up has a few really great shows in store! The CSS Theatre's first production of the school year is The Diary of Anne Frank. Need I say more? I have abounding confidence in the cast and crew and their ability to do 

justice to the play. 

Show dates include: 

October 27- Student Preview: 7:30 p.m.

October 28-29: 7:30 p.m.

October 30: 2:00 p.m.

November 3-5: 7:30 p.m.

November 8: 2:00 p.m.

Be sure to not miss out on the fantastic 

opportunity to see the actors of CSS at 

their best in this production. Thanks!

Bis dann!

DyAnna Grondahl

CSS Theatre Box Office Manager

Summer is rapidly approaching!

     As much as we drama-junkies enjoy the shelter of our theatre, I must express my sincere excitement for summer. I would like to wish everyone an excellent vacation and I feel it necessary to remind everyone to actually take time and relax. Don't forget to see lots of great shows in your spare time, and soak in the sun while it lasts. 

     The mark of the new school year means a fresh beginning for our seasoned actors, as well as an addition of fresh-meat. Yes, ladies and gents, new actors will be coming into our midst next year, and we are thrilled! So thrilled, in fact, that we are going to put on a freshman-focus show in place of the senior spotlight this year. IT IS GOING TO BE AWESOME. 

      The fall show will occur prior to the freshman focus show, which is TBA. The 2016 Fall show will be absolutely fantastic. It is the classic and tragic- The Diary of Anne Frank. I have high expectations and no doubt that the actors of CSS will pull through and do justice to the powerful text. 

That is all I have for today, and for the summer. Come back in the September for more updates from the CSS Theatre!

                                                                                   Thanks, friends!

                                                                                   -DyAnna G, CSS Theatre Box Office Manager

                      

Until Next Year!

It has been a great year for the CSS theatre. 

     As we look on to the future we are sad to let this year's many graduates go, but also excited for what is to come. The productions of the 2015-2016 school year were unforgettable and set a high bar for what is to come.
     We began this fall with a large-casted musical, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. It was light-hearted and fun. The fun continued through Zara Spook and other Lures. Then we moved on to Boy Gets Girl. The chilling show brought haunting experience to all who attended.
     Now that summer is quite near, we are wrapping up all of our end-of-season tasks- lots of cleaning and regrouping. Though is it is a bittersweet end to another season we are excited for what is to come. The roster for next year's productions are intimidating and exciting. I am sure it will be another excellent year at the CSS Theatre, and I encourage all who wish to pursue a presence in the theatre to go for it. As one of the newbies I can say that so far my experience at the CSS Theatre has been great. I have learned a lot already and have no doubt I will be learning even more.
     It is a pleasure blogging for you, and I hope you all have a terrific summer break.

Thank you for a great year, 

DyAnna Grondahl

CSS Theatre Box Office Manager

#ItIsNotFunny #ItIsACrime

Go to spotlight.css.edu or call 218-723-7000 to purchase tickets to see St. Scholastica Theatre's Boy Gets Girl this weekend Thursday - Sunday

Stalking is a violent act that more often than not results in the disturbance of the victims life and mental well-being.

Buy tickets and come see a dramatic interpretation of a stalking situation. Tickets can be purchased here or by calling 218-723-7000

Stalking is rarely done by a stranger hiding in the bushes. It is usually someone the victim knows and trusts. #Itisnotfunny #Itisacrime

Stalking is a massive problem in American Society today. Let's raise awareness and fight the stigma attached to the crime for so many victims. 

#Itisnotfunny #Itisacrime

We can now officially release the poster for the Spring Show Boy Gets Girl! 

The poster perfectly captures the eerie and terrifying feelings related to stalking in America today. 

The show opens April 15th. We will see you there!

Theresa Bedell is just your average working woman going on a blind date with a random guy her friend set her up with. What happens when she sees no reason to pursue a relationship, but the man feels differently? 

Boy Gets Girl is a fascinating, engrossing, and chilling tale of romance gone wrong and the depths of human emotion. 

The show will open on April 15th at 7:30pm. We hope to see you there.

Zara Spook opens THIS WEEK!! 

For a great time, stop by the CSS Theatre before 7:30pm on Friday, February 12th! 

There is also a free preview February 11th at 7:30

Other show times:

February 13 and 18-20 at 7:30pm

and

February 14 and 21 at 2:00pm

Tickets are: $15 for Adults

$10 CSS Staff/Faculty, Seniors, and Non-CSS Students

$5 CSS Students

Call (218) 723-7000 or go to spotlight.css.edu for tickets now!

"Catch" ya later!

This is Kristina Rootes as Evelyn in the upcoming production of Zara Spook at the CSS Theatre! Costume Designer for the play is Sasha Howell.

You can see the show at its opening on February 12th at 7:30pm!

Others times include:

February 13th and 18th-20th at 7:30pm

February 14th and 21st at 2:00pm