There’s good news — and better news — about the Webster Theatre Guild’s production of Shrek the Musical this weekend and next: first, there are still some tickets available, which I found surprising because this is the kind of show, featuring top-tier talent, which will likely sell out.
Next, if you’re an educator or a student, you can get discounted tickets to the matinees on Saturday Oct. 11 and Saturday Oct. 18.
Webster has come to expect amazing productions from the Webster Theatre Guild, and Shrek will be no different. The cast includes 59 incredibly talented dancers and actors, ages 10 through 70+, drawn from respected theater groups from all over the city, including GEVA, Blackfriars Theater, Pittsford Musicals, School of the Arts and our very own Webster high schools.
photos by Samper Images
Directed by Bill Ambler, supported by choreographer Shari Bischoping and orchestra leader Laura Mueller, Shrek the Musical will be presented in six shows, all taking place at Bishop Kearney High School, 125 Kings Hwy South, Rochester:
Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (ASL Interpretation TBD)
Tickets are $20 (plus a handling fee). Educators and students will get a $5 discount for matinee tickets. Click here to get yours now. For the matinee discount, go to the ticket site, put the matinee tickets in your shopping cart and apply the discount code SWAMP5. You can also purchase discount tickets at the door with your educator or student ID.
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Everyone’s favorite ogre is coming to Webster, when the Webster Theatre Guild brings the hugely popular Shrek the Musical to the stage in October.
Rehearsals began the first week of August for this blockbuster production, which will delight young and old alike. The cast includes 59 incredibly talented dancers and actors, ages 10 through 70+, drawn from respected theater groups from all over the city, including GEVA, Blackfriars Theater, Pittsford Musicals, School of the Arts and our very own Webster high schools. Webster Theater Guild president Jim Pringle said that usually the Guild is happy to get 70 people auditioning for a production. But for Shrek, 120 people auditioned, so you know that the ones who made the cut are the cream of the crop.
This is the show they’ve all been waiting for, he added.
Shrek the Musical is being directed by Bill Ambler, supported by choreographer Shari Bischoping and orchestra leader Laura Mueller. It will be presented in six shows:
Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (ASL Interpretation TBD)
All performances will be held at Bishop Kearney High School, 125 Kings Hwy South, Rochester.
Tickets are on sale now for a reduced price of $15 (plus handling fee). Click here to get yours now, because this will almost definitely sell out.
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All shows will be held at Webster Thomas High School, 800 Five Mile Line Rd. Tickets are $20, plus $2 transaction fee if ordered online), and are reserve seating. Tickets will also be available at the door. Click here for tickets.
Community members are cordially invited to Their Light Shines, a Celebration of Remembrance on Tuesday evening Oct. 3, where you can light a luminaria in honor or memory of your loved one(s).
Luminarias can be purchased for $10 each and will benefit the Webster Comfort Care Home in its mission to provide no-cost, compassionate care to the terminally ill and their families.
The Celebration of Remembrance will be held at the Comfort Care Home, 700 Holt Rd., from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 3. Rain date will be Oct. 5.
Our very own Webster Marching Band will host their 37th annual Autumn Fanfare field show and competition on Saturday October 7 at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Rd.
Autumn Fanfare is always a spectacular evening of storytelling through music, marching, and even a little bit of acting. There are always huge set pieces involved to move the music-story forward. This is an awesome opportunity to see what our hometown marching bad has been up to, and be impressed by the incredible amount of hard work these kids put in every year to create a show that will blow you away.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10, available at Herman’s Farm Market (741 Five Mile Line Rd.) and the Webster Recreation Center (1350 Chiyoda Dr.). They can also be purchased for $12 at the gate.
More to come about this.
Don’t forget about the Capital Improvement Project vote on Wednesday, Oct. 11
The Webster Central School District has proposed an $85 million capital improvement project that will impact all 11 schools with zero tax impact for district residents. The project will include renovations and improvements to all of the schools. The project will be voted on by the Webster CSD community on Wednesday, October 11, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School’s gym, 875 Ridge Road.
To learn more about the project and the improvements to each school, click here. You can also sign up to receive periodic communications from the district regarding the project. For details, please visit the capital improvement project news story at www.websterschools.org.
The West Webster Fire Department will hold their annual Fire Prevention Open House on Sunday Oct. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the fire station on Gravel Rd.
The afternoon will include firehouse tours, fire safety displays, equipment displays, live demos, refreshments and more.
There’s no charge, and the entire Webster community is invited. For more information, visit the WWFD Facebook page here.
While we’re on that subject, remember that the Webster Volunteer Fire Department always holds its open house during the village’s Trick of Treat Trail, this year scheduled for Saturday Oct. 28. Stay tuned for more information about that.
This is always a great opportunity to stock your home library. Hardcover books are just $1, and paperback books just 50 cents.
Members of the Friends of the Webster Public Library can visit Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. for a first look. Membership in the Friends of the Webster Public Library is required and can be purchased at the door.
The general public sale will be Thursday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to noon. Friday and Saturday are BYOB Sale Days; bring your own bag, and fill it for just $5.
The sale will be held at the library, 980 Ridge Rd. Proceeds from the fall book sale directly benefit library programs, book collections and other special projects.
Our Penfield friends, Schutt’s Apple Mill on Plank Rd., have a couple of fun events planned for this fall.
On Tuesday Oct. 24 (one week before Halloween), Schutt’s will host their Trick-or-Treat at the Farmevent from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. It’s a family-friendly night where you can walk through the orchard on a Trick-or-Treat Trail to find some fanciful jack-o-lanterns and sweet treats. Costumes and flashlights are encouraged.
This is a free event and no registration is required.
On Saturday Nov. 4, Schutt’s will host a Holiday Farm Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from 9 a.m. This is a great opportunity to support 35 local businesses while shopping for personal and gift items.
For more information about both of these events and others, click here. Schutt’s Apple Mill is located at 1063 Plank Rd.
Pumpkins on Parade at the Webster Recreation Center is back, Saturday Oct. 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
This is a one-mile long trail lined with creatively and whimsically-carved jack-o-lanterns. Every year the Rec Center puts this on (this is the fourth annual), it’s been bigger and better, packed with post-trail treats, photo opportunities and more
I’ll be providing more details about this, but for now, start planning your pumpkin carving, because the Rec Center is going to need a LOT of jack-o-lanterns.
Finally, check the flyers below for details about lots of great upcoming programs at the Webster Public Library, including:
the Readers, Writers and Connections program for budding writers
Teen Library Club
National Hair Day storytime
Family Night
a movie matinee
a Halloween craft
line dancing for kids
a clay class for children and parents
The Webster Library is located at 980 Ridge Rd.
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For anyone who enjoys stage performances, song and dance, you’re gonna love these first few weeks of February. No fewer than four stage and concert performances are scheduled, beginning this coming weekend, when Willink Middle School presents Disney’s Newsies, Jr. in three shows on Thursday and Friday Feb. 3 and 4.
Featuring a cast and crew of 100 sixth, seventh and eighth graders, the show is based on the real-life newsboy strike of 1899. It tells the story of Jack Kelly (Nicole Eggleton), a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant, Joseph Pulitzer (Jeremiah Fischer), raises newspaper prices at the newsboys’ expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. With help from reporter Katherine Plumber (Evie Aiezza), the newsies learn that they are stronger united and create a movement to fight for what’s right.
The show is packed with high-energy songs which have become well known to theater-goers and non theater-goers alike, including “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe.”
Shows are Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 4 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Willink Middle School, 900 Publishers Parkway, Webster. Tickets are on sale now on the Drama Club website. Cost is $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors. Children 3 and younger are free.
Also this weekend, on Sunday Feb. 5, our very own Chorus of the Genesee and Rochester Rhapsody will participate in a free concert at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre called “A Taste of Song.”
The concert, presented by the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium, will feature 16 area choral groups. More than 600 singers from local choirs/choruses of all sizes and musical styles will sing in this unique, 75-minute collaboration.
Each chorus performs for five minutes or less in a “prism” arrangement, with ensembles singing from various locations throughout the theater. Groups perform continuously without a break or applause between ensembles.
The Chorus of the Genesee and Rochester Rhapsody will be joined by the Eastman Rochester Chorus, the Genesee Valley Orchestra and Chorus, First Inversion, Madrigalia, the Oasis Community Chorus, the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, and many more. For a complete list and more details, click here.
The concert begins at 4 p.m. at the Eastman Theater, 26 Gibbs St., Rochester.
Next weekend, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday Feb. 9, 10 and 11, Webster Schroeder Musicals will present the ABBA-inspired jukebox musical Mamma Mia!
Chances are you’re familiar with the story, but here’s a short synopsis for those who aren’t:
Young Sophie is readying for her marriage to her fiancée, which will be taking place on a beautiful Greek island where she lives with her mother, Donna. She’d like to invite her father to the ceremony, but problem is, she doesn’t know who he is. After reading her mother’s diary, she invites three men, one of whom she believes is her father. When Donna discovers they’re all on the island, she naturally becomes a little distressed. Emotions run high, but everything works out in the end.
The play features tons of popular ABBA songs, including “Money, Money, Money,” “Thank You for the Music,” “Dancing Queen,” and of course “Mamma Mia.”
Mamma Mia! will be presented on Thursday, Friday and Saturday Feb. 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance on Saturday at 2 p.m. Reserve tickets are $14 each and are available now. Click here to purchase.
Webster Schroeder High School is located at 875 Ridge Rd.
And last but not least, also on Feb. 10 and 11, the Webster Theatre Guild will present “The One-Act Play that Goes Wrong” as part of a dinner theater at the Penfield Recreation Center.
Both the Saturday and Sunday shows will begin with a pasta dinner at 6:30 p.m., followed by the performance. Tickets are $25. The event is a fundraiser and proceeds will help fund scholarships for graduating high school seniors and support the staging of upcoming musical theater productions.
I wrote a much more complete blog about this yesterday, so click here for more information.
The Webster Theatre Guild will explore the answer to that question when they present “The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong,” a dinner theater fundraiser scheduled for Friday and Saturday Feb. 10 and 11.
The comedy, written by Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayers and Henry Lewis, follows a fictitious amateur British theatre troupe through the opening night of a murder mystery production where everything that can go wrong does. Nonetheless, the show must go on, despite the hilarious consequences.
The “dinner and a show” will be held on Friday and Saturday, February 10 and 11 at the Penfield Community Center, 1985 Baird Rd. Both evenings will begin with a sit-down pasta dinner at 6:30 p.m., followed by the show. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased in advance by clicking here.
If you own or work at a local business, how about having a night out for the staff and sponsor an entire table? Your $200 donation will include six tickets and table recognition. Interested businesses should call (585) 678-1158 to make reservations.
Proceeds from the dinner theatre fundraiser will go towards funding scholarships for graduating high school seniors and for supporting the staging of upcoming musical theater productions.
The Webster Theatre Guild could really use our support on this. Thanks to several scheduling conflicts, they weren’t able to produce their regular musical last October, so they’re hoping to recoup some of that lost revenue with this show.
I think I’m going to make it a date night with my husband. How about joining me?
Don’t forget that Friday night Aug. 26 is the next Family Games Night!
This month’s event is brought to you in part by the Webster PTSA, who’ll have a table there with some stuff to help your kids get ready for the upcoming school year.
There’s always tons of fun things to do for both kids and adults at these FREE, family-friendly events including sidewalk chalking, giant street games like Giant Jenga, Giant Connect Four and cornhole. You can even grab dinner from Carl’s Pizza Kitchen while you’re there, plus there’ll be live music.
The Family Games Night happens on West Main St. in the Village of Webster from 6 to 9 p.m.
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UMC Webster, 169 East Main St., will be serving up a community pasta dinner on Saturday Aug. 27 in their Fellowship Center from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Children’s activities wil be provided.
There is no cost for the dinner, but donations will be accepted, and participants are being asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the church’s food pantry.
The Webster Theatre Guild is holding auditions for thier upcoming production of Annie on Sunday Aug. 28 and Thursday Sept. 1.
Auditions will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 1130 Webster Rd. (Rt. 250) in Webster, from 5 to 7 pm for children, 7 to 9 p.m. for adults both days. You only have to attend one day of the auditions. Callbacks will be on Saturday Sept. 3 at 9 a.m.
Show dates are Oct. 14, 15, 21 and 22.
Click here for more information and to download your audition packet.
The Webster Hope, Inc. (formerly Hope Ministry) Garage Sale is back this year, scheduled for Wed. Sept. 14 through Sat. Sept. 17 at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Rd. Webster.
Donations will be accepted on Sunday Sept. 11 from 11 am. to 3 p.m. and Monday Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Murphy Hall at the church. Please no large donations. Items that cannot be accepted are listed here on the website.
Hours for the sale will be:
Wednesday Sept. 14, 6-8 p.m. (sneak peek night), admission $5 per person
Thursday Sept. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to noon (everything HALF PRICE)
For a preview of some of the items that will be for sale, check out the Webster Hope Facebook page. Proceeds from the sale will benefit low-income households in Webster.
Also coming up in September, the Schutts Apple Mill Fall Kickoff event on Saturday Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This is a great family event with bounce houses, a petting zoo, a magic show, photo booth, live music, wagon rides, a cider demonstration, fried-cake eating contest and much more. It’s free to attend. Click here for more information.
Schutts Apple Mill is located at 1063 Plank Rd.
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And make sure to put this one on your calendar.
The Village of Webster’s September 11 Memorial Ceremony will take place on Sunday Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, North Ave. (Rt. 250).
This is always a very moving ceremony, and a great chance to remember those who lost their lives on this terrible day.
After a two-year pause due to the pandemic, the Webster Theatre Guild will return to the stage for five performances of Little Women: The Musical this coming weekend, October 15-17.
Yes, this is the charming story we have all come to know and love. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s life, Little Women: The Musical follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but the publishers are not interested. Her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her that she must do better and write more from herself. Begrudgingly taking this advice, Jo weaves the story of herself and her sisters and their experience growing up in Civil War America.
The original production starred Sutton Foster, who received Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations for her performance. When the Webster Theatre Guild brings their production to the stage, you can expect some equally outstanding performances.
The Webster Theatre Guild’s cast (pictured above) is led by Lyndsey Lord as Jo, Erynn Hill as Meg, Hadley Strelau as Beth, Jennie Gilardoni as Amy and Kate Bond as Marmee. Guild president James Pringle is calling it an “all-star cast.” He wrote,
the actors’ experience runs very deep, having portrayed characters in shows produced by many other community theater groups, including Blackfriars, JCC Centerstage, Pittsford Musicals, RAPA, and, of course, the Webster Theatre Guild. But their acting and vocal training is very impressive, and it’s immediately apparent soon after they take the stage.
Two significant adjustments had to be made for this return performance, thanks to COVID-19. For starters, the ensemble has had to move the production from their normal home at Webster Thomas High School to the JCC’s Hart Theater. In addition, to make sure everyone is safe, all audience members 12 and older will be required to show proof of full Covid-19 vaccination (completed at least 14 days prior to the date of the event) upon arrival. Masks will also be required.
Performances of Little Women will be held on Friday Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday Oct. 16 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Oct. 17 at 2 and 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 to $20 and can be purchased in advance by visiting the Webster Theatre Guild website. The JCC Hart Theater is located at 1200 Edgewood Ave., Rochester.
They’re creepy and they’re kooky Mysterious and spooky They’re all together ooky The Addams Family!
C’mon, admit it. You didn’t just read that last passage. You sang it, because you remember watching the Addams Family television show. And if that’s the case, you definitely want to grab your ticket soon to this weekend’s Webster Theatre Guild production of The Addams Family.
Like the television show, the show is a comedy about a ghoulish American family that enjoys the most macabre things in life and death. Unlike the television show, it’s also a musical, which adds to the fun.
The show originally debuted on Broadway in 2010 with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth in the lead roles of Gomez and Morticia Addams.
The show will take the stage this Friday Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Webster High School auditorium, 800 Five Mile Line Rd. And then it returns NEXT weekend, Oct. 18 and 19.
Tickets can be purchased online in advance (click here), in person the day of the show. Reserve tickets are $15, wit discounts available for groups of 10 or more.
The Webster Theatre Guild invites you to enjoy an enchanted evening with them, as they present the classic musical production South Pacific in six performances this Friday through October 20.
South Pacific is set in an island paradise during World War 2, where two parallel love stories unfold and then are threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war. You’ll recognize several favorite songs including “There’s Nothing Like a Dame,” “Bali Hai,” “Younger Than Springtime,” “I’m Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair,” and “One Enchanted Evening.”
South Pacific was created by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by James Michener. The Theatre Guild press release tells the story:
Nellie, a spunky nurse from Arkansas, falls in love with a mature French planter named Emile. When Nellie learns the mother of his children was an island native, she is unable to turn her back on the prejudices with which she was raised, and refuses Emile’s proposal of marriage. Meanwhile, the strapping Lt. Joe Cable denies himself the fulfillment of a future with a Tonkinese girl with whom he’s fallen in love, due to the same racial fears that haunt Nellie. In the end, Nellie realizes life is too short not to seize her own chance for happiness, thus confronting and conquering her prejudices.
Artistic director George Barberi and musical director Erica Hernandez are joined by choreographer Paula Steffen and a 40-member cast.
South Pacific will be presented at Webster Thomas High School, 800 Five Mile Line Road, at:
7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12
2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13
7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19
2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21
The 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, Oct. 20 will be American Sign Language interpreted.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at webstertheatreguild.org. If available, tickets can be purchased at the door beginning one-hour prior to performance.
I feature the people and places and events that make Webster the wonderful community it is — and throw in some totally-not-Webster-related personal ramblings every once in a while as well.
I love it when readers send me news about the great things happening in their schools or the community, so please email me anytime at missyblog@gmail.com
The Webster Theatre Guild invites you to enjoy an enchanted evening with them, as they present the classic musical production South Pacific in six performances this Friday through October 20.
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