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<div class="moz-text-html" lang="x-western"><i>NOISES OFF</i> Opens
Friday at Aurora Community Theatre<br>
<br>
<br>
<b>Aurora Advocate, Oct. 29, 2008</b>
<h2>Going behind the scenes of ACT's 'Noises Off'
</h2>
<a href="http://www.hudsonhubtimes.com/news/image_popup/1386473"
onclick="window.open('/news/image_popup/1386473','photowin','width=500, height=700,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); return false;"
target="_new"><img
src="cid:part1.03050807.09040501@auroracommunitytheatre.com" alt=""></a>
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<div class="inline_multimedia">
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<small>Photo
courtesy of Aurora Community Theatre
>From the bottom stair, Don “Arbie” Arbuckle, Chris White, Brian
Diehl,
Kevin Horak, Jennifer Klika, Adam Young, Mia Pesce, Brenda Redmond and
Eric Oswald are featured in Aurora Community Theatre’s production of
the comedy “Noises Off.” </small> </div>
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<div style="margin: 5px;">
<p><br>
</p>
<h2>Going behind the scenes of ACT's 'Noises Off'</h2>
<p></p>
<p>by April Helms<br>
Special Products Editor<br>
Record Publishing<br>
</p>
<p>The typical theater audience comes in to appreciate the action and
talent they see on stage, but may not realize everything that happens
behind the scenes.</p>
<p>"Noises Off," which is coming to Aurora Community Theatre starting
Oct. 31, is one show that takes the audience "behind the scenes" in a
way, as a cast works to rehearse and, later, stage a comedy. The
play-within-a-play is amusing. But the antics backstage, while a
director's nightmare of infighting and mishaps, should leave the
audience in stitches, if one rehearsal I briefly watched earlier this
month is any indication.</p>
<p>"It's the funniest show on the planet," said Chris White, who is
playing Dotty Otley, of "Noises Off." "It's also one of the most
difficult to pull off."</p>
<p>The staff and cast of the Aurora Community Theatre allowed me
earlier this month to come in for a behind-the-scenes look at the
staging of this behind-the-scenes play.</p>
<p>Both White and her husband, Towar Vilas are involved in the show,
although Towar, as stage manager, will be controlling the managed chaos
behind the scenes. White and Vilas, who married in July 2006, both
reside in Aurora.</p>
<p>Barbara Rhoades, the director, said this is the third time she has
directed "Noises Off." The first act of the play covers a rehearsal.
The second act covers opening night, "and by the third act, there is
nothing that can go wrong that wouldn't fit in the show," Rhoades said.</p>
<p>"The actors start sabotaging each other," Vilas added.</p>
<p>Rhoades said that one of the biggest challenges for this show was
the fully rotating set.</p>
<p>"It's really cool," she said. "It's huge. It's one of the most
elaborate sets we've had here."</p>
<p>One side of the set shows the backstage area, while the other side
shows the set used for "Nothing On," the play that the characters in
"Noises Off" are staging.</p>
<p>Don "Arbie" Arbuckle, who helped build the set, said the two-story
set rotates twice in the show. Arbuckle also plays Selsdon on stage.</p>
<p>"We're still fine-tuning and tweaking now," he said during the early
October rehearsal. "It is massively heavy. The trick wasn't so much
about rotating it as stopping it. But we've got it rotating smoothly
now. But we still have to be careful. We had to move some of the
lights. It was an engineering challenge, since the set is
free-standing."</p>
<p>Rhoades said that Arbuckle's wife Jean was one of the volunteers who
helped "dress the set," which included staining the wooden panels for
the "Nothing On" part of the set.</p>
<p>Vilas said another challenge was the number of props needed for this
particular show.</p>
<p>"I help manage the props backstage and make sure everything is in
place," he said. "No one is really offstage in this show, so there is
really no down time for the actors."</p>
<p>White said that Vilas had never worked in community theater before
they met.</p>
<p>"He had been to a few professional performances, but that was about
it," she said.</p>
<p>Vilas said he first got involved with community theater "because it
wasn't fun to be home alone for three months."</p>
<p>"Towar is a great stage manager," Rhoades said. "And now he is on
the board of Aurora Community Theatre."</p>
<p>"A weak moment," Vilas said with a grin.</p>
<p>"Now we've really roped him," White added.</p>
<p>Ticket and show information</p>
<p>Aurora Community Theater will open their 49th season with "Noises
Off" at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Oct. 31 through Nov. 22.</p>
<p>Single tickets at $15 each are available online, including seat
selection, at <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="http://www.auroracommmunitytheatre.com">www.auroracommmunitytheatre.com</a>
or by calling
330-562-1818.</p>
<p>E-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:ahelms@recordpub.com">ahelms@recordpub.com</a></p>
<p>Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3153</p>
</div>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Christine Patronik-Holder
Business Manager
Aurora Community Theatre
P.O. Box 9
115 E. Pioneer Trail
Aurora, Ohio 44202
330-562-1818
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:christine@auroracommunitytheatre.com">christine@auroracommunitytheatre.com</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="http://www.auroracommunitytheatre.com">www.auroracommunitytheatre.com</a>
</pre>
</div>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Christine Patronik-Holder
Business Manager
Aurora Community Theatre
P.O. Box 9
115 E. Pioneer Trail
Aurora, Ohio 44202
330-562-1818
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:christine@auroracommunitytheatre.com">christine@auroracommunitytheatre.com</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.auroracommunitytheatre.com">www.auroracommunitytheatre.com</a>
</pre>
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