THE 53rd SEASON – 2012-2013

ON GOLDEN POND

YCP TheaterWorks presented Ernest Thompson’s poignant drama On Golden Pond in November 2012 at the Van Cortlandtville School Theater with Richard Troiano directing.

On Golden Pond focuses on the love built over the many years by a dauntless and enchanting couple, Norman (Marshall Moseley) and Ethel (Camille Kaiser) Thayer. They return to Maine to spend their forty-eighth summer together on Golden Pond. On the brink of his eightieth birthday, Norman fears that they may be facing their last summer. Their respite is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of their estranged daughter, Chelsea (Evelyn Voura), her fiancé, Bill Ray (Dave Buscema) and his teenage son, Billy Ray Jr (Martin Rubin-Weiss). When the couple is asked to look after the boy while they vacation in Europe, an unexpected friendship develops and a renewed zest for life in the Thayer family. James R. Wilkinson as Charlie Martin, the local mailman, rounds out the cast.

In this beautifully told story there are many things going on below the surface of Golden Pond, but it is ultimately a story of love, family, and forgiveness. Ernest Thompson’s heartwarming play has been translated into 27 languages and has played in more than 40 countries. It has a universal message and continues to capture the imagination of audiences everywhere.

COME BLOW YOUR HORN

MAMA WON’T FLY

YCP TheaterWorks proudly presented the New York premiere of Mama Won’t Fly by the acclaimed comedy-writing team Jesse Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. Performances were held at the Van Cortlandtville School Theater.

Seasoned director Christopher Arena staged a deliciously funny view of the Southern side of life as played out in a race against the clock. Savannah Sprunt Fairchild Honeycutt (Jacqueline Smith) agrees to get her feisty mother, Norleen (Phyllis Kirigin), all the way from Alabama to California in time for her brother’s wedding. Savannah’s problem: Mama won’t fly. With only four days to make it to the ceremony, this determined daughter has no choice but to drive cross-country in her equally willful Mama’s vintage sedan.

As Savannah steels herself for this hastily conceived road trip, another outrageous complication arises: the bubbly, over-eager bride-to-be arrives unannounced. Hayley Quinn (Maggie Rubin), delighted to finally meet her future in-laws, is convinced that travelling together to her wedding is the perfect way to bond. The folly of her decision quickly becomes apparent when the journey begins and comedic chaos ensues.

Every conceivable-and inconceivable-mishap that can occur does, including the theft of their car and all their clothes, a near-fatal encounter at an underwear museum, the accidental homicide of an ancient Texas relative, a mad dash across the desert in a hijacked eighteen-wheeler and a riotous detour to Vegas that ends in a brawl with an ordained showgirl/minister. A colorfully eccentric ensemble of 21 characters is portrayed by Kathy Colonna, Connie Dyckman, Joel Karpoff, Brian McCallum, Ann Signorelli and Daniel Z. Silverstein. This delightfully wacky family will have you laughing all along their race against the clock.