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Flat Rock Playhouse is pleased to announce a continuing partnership with the Historic Courthouse and
Downtown Hendersonville with two additional productions proposed for the Courthouse in 2010. The County
Commissioners have given approval for the Playhouse to present Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men in the early
fall and will consider the Playhouse’s request to present a new adaptation of the classic film Miracle on 34th Street at their next meeting in early September.Following the Commissioners’ meeting where A Few Good Men was approved, Producing Artistic Director Vincent Marini commented, “The Playhouse staff and board are thrilled that the Commissioners recognize the positive impact that our last production of 12 Angry Men had on downtown businesses. Following the success of that show, the Playhouse began meeting with Downtown Hendersonville, Inc. to discuss the reaction of the business community to the 5,000 people that the Playhouse brought to Main Street during the month of July. The feedback was so universally positive that the theatre’s staff and Board began working with Downtown Hendersonville, Inc., the Historic Courthouse staff and the Heritage Museum to discuss ways of building on the momentum of the first show and continuing to develop strategic partnerships between local merchants, city and county government, and area non-profits, including The Playhouse. These two new proposed shows are the culmination of that work. I am so thankful that the Commissioners had the foresight to renovate the Historic Courthouse and could not be more excited about the incredible backdrop the building will provide for these two innovative productions.”
A Few Good Men was written by Sorkin when he was 28 years old and working as a bartender at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. Most of the show was written on cocktail napkins as Sorkin prepared for the inevitable "intermission rush" at the bar. The show eventually appeared on Broadway in 1989 where it ran for close to 500 performances before transferring to the big screen in the form of an enormously successful film.
Miracle on 34th Street, from the novel by Valentine Davies, will be onstage November 17 through December
19, pending approval by the Commissioners. When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is
institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real
thing. Capture the spirit of Christmas as Flat Rock Playhouse presents an ambitious adaptation of this much-
beloved story in the Historic Henderson County Courthouse. Kris Kringle is the personification of good will and
holiday spirit. As Macy's holiday Santa, he enchants children and shoppers so completely that he is deemed
dangerous by fellow employees who question his competency and plot to ruin him. A young girl's belief in
Santa and the magic of the holiday is at stake in a climactic courtroom decision that attempts to answer the
question, "Is Kris Kringle really Santa Claus?" This hilarious, tender and charming show for the entire family is
a Christmas treat that is being revived and re-imagined by Flat Rock Playhouse for a brand new generation of
theatre-goers. v
Senator Tom Apodaca, who attended the earlier Playhouse production at the Courthouse this summer, offered his insight, “12 Angry Men was a fantastic show. The effect on downtown Hendersonville was awesome. I congratulate Flat Rock Playhouse for a great experience and overwhelming success." Mayor Barbara Volk added, “My husband and I attended the final performance of 12 Angry Men. We had heard how great it was, and we concur. It was thought-provoking and well done, as are all of the Flat Rock Playhouse productions. I was pleased that you were able to do this on Main Street. I’m sure it was a boon to our local merchants and restaurants.” Karen Shirlin, the Executive Director of Downtown Hendersonville, Inc., also agreed, "Downtown Hendersonville welcomes the business that Flat Rock Playhouse has brought Downtown and we look forward to a long and lasting relationship with our State Theatre." In addition to productions at the Courthouse, a new exhibit entitled “Flat Rock Playhouse – A Legacy” will soon be an ongoing feature at the Heritage Museum. The exhibit pays homage to the State Theatre of North Carolina – its leaders, its productions and its unique historical significance to Henderson County. The displays, designed by the Playhouse Production staff in cooperation with Playhouse Board members Dede Recker, Sonja Waddell and Chris Ricker, will feature photographs, theatrical equipment, costumes, and props from throughout the six-decade history of the Playhouse. The exhibit will trace the development of the Vagabond Players from a small group of transient artists to a nationally recognized regional theatre that welcomes over 100,000 patrons a year to its theatrical and educational programming. Because of the vision and hard work of Heritage Museum staff members Tom Orr and Tabitha Brockus, what was initially a small project, has grown into a comprehensive multi-media exhibit that fills an entire room– a fitting tribute to the millions of patrons, actors, students, technicians, and volunteers who have helped create this unique theatrical haven in Western North Carolina.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue, by Neil Simon is onstage October 27 through November 21. Right on the heels of a successful West End revival starring Jeff Goldblum, FRP presents Neil Simon’s brilliantly observed and award-winning comedy about a man at his breaking point. This bittersweet comic masterpiece follows a New York couple unraveling under the pressures of city life. Mel Edison can't sleep, and in the middle of a heat-wave his air- conditioning is broken. His neighbors won't shut-up, his job is hanging by a thread, and there is a gang of burglars on the prowl. As things go from bad to worse, Mel heads for a meltdown and his loyal wife Edna is left to pick up the pieces. The Prisoner of Second Avenue is a warmly-textured and affecting portrait of the solidarity of marriage in the face of life’s ongoing adversities. Onstage December 1 through December 23 is A Christmas Carol, adapted by Christopher Schario and based on the story by Charles Dickens. The Playhouse wraps up the season with an enduring holiday classic! As a young boy is reading A Christmas Carol for the first time, an enthusiastic cast of characters spring from his imagination, bringing the story to life. Focusing on Dickens’ language, humor and warmth, this charming rendition tells the classic story of one man’s redemption. The world of Scrooge, Fezziwig and Tiny Tim comes alive, igniting holiday spirit for young and old.
“In regard to Treasure Island, there are a number of factors at work. First and foremost, now that I have been here a full year, I have had an opportunity to learn quite a bit about our audience. Every regional theater in the country is unique and Flat Rock Playhouse is certainly no exception. Knowing what I now know, I believe that Prisoner of Second Avenue is quite simply a better show for our audience than Treasure Island. Further, this is a very difficult economic time for all non-profit theatres in the country. Because the Playhouse only receives about 1.5% of our annual budget in the form of state funding, development dollars and ticket sales are critical to the theatre’s economic health. While our subscription sales are up over 15% from 2009 and our overall revenue from ticket sales is up over 10%, sales are not strong enough to warrant the large expenditure of critical resources that Treasure Island will require, especially when I now feel it is not the best artistic choice for our audience. Instead of a period action-adventure story, we are now undertaking a very relevant comedy that humorously addresses many of the issues facing husbands and wives in 2010.” “The Playhouse exists, in large part, to serve the community. We believe that the best way we can serve the community for the remainder of the 2010 season, is to bring an additional 10,000 people to downtown Hendersonville and produce shows on our Mainstage of the highest artistic quality that truly engage our patrons. We will be communicating with our subscribers and the ticket buyers of Treasure Island and Christmas Carol to provide them with a variety of options, including the ability to transition seamlessly into the one of the new productions." Tickets sales for A Few Good Men will commence promptly at 10:00 am on Friday, August 20th via the Flat Rock Playhouse box office and online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org. Tickets for 12 Angry Men sold out prior to the first performance, so patrons are encouraged to act quickly to secure seating. For a schedule of these shows, contact the box office of Flat Rock Playhouse at (828) 693-0731 or toll free at (866) 732-8008 or visit our website at www.flatrockplayhouse.org. (Image provided by Flat Rock Playhouse.)
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A Few Good Men is onstage October 6 through October 31. From Aaron Sorkin, the author of television’s The
West Wing, A Few Good Men was a Broadway success long before the iconic film starring Tom Cruise, Jack
Nicholson and Demi Moore. The play tells the story of military lawyers at a court-martial who uncover a high-
level conspiracy in the course of defending two United States Marines accused of murder. As tensions mount
between the three defense lawyers, the play raises the question of what it really means to have honor, dignity
and humanity in an increasingly complex world. A Few Good Men is an engrossing and deeply moving battle
to discover the truth in a minefield of deceit and deception. The Historic Henderson County Courthouse
provides the perfect backdrop for Sorkin’s intense courtroom drama whose first act will begin in the Courthouse
Community Room before transferring to the Courtroom during intermission.
Response to Downtown Productions:
With the addition of the two new shows at the Courthouse, the Playhouse has decided to make changes
to the existing Mainstage schedule. In place of Treasure Island and Alan Menken’s A Christmas Carol,
the Playhouse will present The Prisoner of Second Avenue by Neil Simon and a non-musical version of A
Christmas Carol by Christopher Schario.
When asked why the changes were made, Vincent Marini, Producing Artistic Director responded, “Once
the decision was made to produce shows at the Courthouse, we decided to go with a different version of A
Christmas Carol. With an elaborate musical on the Mainstage potentially running concurrent with a show at the Courthouse, we were concerned that we would not be able to present both productions at the high standard our audience has come to expect. Schario’s version of A Christmas Carol will allow us to devote the
appropriate resources toward the new show at the Courthouse, cast a portion of the show with Playhouse favorites, and present our patrons with a
reduced ticket price.”