Category Archives: theater

Broadway Hit “A Few Good Men” Continues Playing at Xenia Area Community Theatre

For ticket information, click here.

“Much Ado About Nothing” Bargain Matinee on Saturday

X*ACT’s production of William Shakespeare’s very funny comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing,” is finishing up a two week run this weekend with evening shows on Friday and Saturday and matinees on Saturday and Sunday.

X-ACT’s talented and innovative Director, Lisa Howard-Welch, has set this production in the early 1920s with period costumes and music, so this will be different than any other “Much Ado” that you may have seen before. The Much Ado About Nothing Video is very modern…. Rumor Has It.

A Synopsis: Benedick and Beatrice are engaged in a very “merry war”; they are both very glib and proclaim their scorn for love, marriage, and each other. In contrast, Claudio and Hero are sweet young people who are rendered practically speechless by their love for one another. By means of “noting” (which sounds the same as “nothing,” and which is gossip, rumour, and overhearing), Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero at the altar. However, Dogberry, a Constable who is a master of malapropisms, discovers the evil trickery of the villain, Don John. In the end, Don John runs away and everyone else joins in a dance celebrating the marriages of the two couples.

General Admission for the rest of the weekend is $15; $12 for Students and Seniors. Shows are at 7:30 PM on Friday and Saturday evenings June 22, & 23. Matinee is Sunday, June 24 and Saturday, June 23 at 3 PM. The show runs about 2+ hours with an intermission. Get tickets on-line at X-ACT.

Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Coming Xenia Theater June 15

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4zsuB0CUZw&w=560&h=315]

Go to the X-ACT’s website for tickets and additional information about the play.

This June 15-24 production is being sponsored by Tiffany Jewelers located at 179 W. Main Street and the opening Gala fundraiser is sponsored by The Cafe Ole located at 131 N. Allison Avenue.

“The Fantasticks” Still Playing April 20-22

“The Fantasticks,” the long-running comedic musical, opened its two-week run at the Kettering Health Network Theater on April 13. X*ACT (Xenia Area Community Theater located at 45 E. Second St.,) is producing this well known show, written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. The timeless musical fable, filled with romantic excitement, adventurous abductions, singing, and dancing boasted almost 17,000 performances during its epic run off- Broadway from 1960 through 2000.

Linda Troy directs this rendition, with choreography by Daryl Copeland and music provided by Sheri Snell. The story tells of two teen neighbors who have fallen in love, unbeknownst to their parents, who are hatching a matchmaking plan to get the two young lovers together – complicating a situation already in the making. The twists and confusion of this setup by the characters causes a must-see show for the entire family. This production gave us such classic tunes as “Try to Remember” and “Soon Its Gonna Rain.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DASr7Ud5NO0&w=560&h=315]

The cast is from Yellow Springs, Spring Valley, Xenia, Miamisburg and Dayton. The Asst. Director is N. Lynn Brown, lighting and sound is provided by technical director Harry Woosley with Mike Frazier at Sound and Steve Edwards and Ron Goble providing set construction for this riddling romp.

Performances run on April 20 and 21 at 7:30 pm and April 22 matinees at 3 pm. Tickets are $15 for general admission: $12 for students and seniors.

For further information or reservations, contact X*ACT at (937)372-0516 or get tickets early at www.XeniaACT.org.

October Baby Thanks: Hope for Orphans

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYDm_Gj-sac&w=560&h=315]

X*ACT Presents the Celebrity Old Time Radio Show

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuTpB_b0zxE&rel=0&align=right&&w=267&h=211]

Comedy! Drama! Old Fashioned Commercials! The Xenia Area Community Theater, Inc. is proud to present it’s third Old Time Radio Show with Xenia Mayor Marsha Bayless, various educators, county and city officials, community leaders and X*ACT actors portraying Jack Benny, Helen Trent, The Bickersons and Father Knows Best. Also presented will be two one-act Reader’s Theater productions. Epistles: Letters From Beyond, an original play by Rick Sivers and Fourteen by Alice Gerstenberg will both be performed by Jim Harworth, a local businessman and Hollywood actress Julia Nickson who has appeared in many movies and television series.

An Opening Night Gala will feature wine and hors d’oeuvres and a chance to mingle with the actors. The Gala is sponsored by Elmcroft with the food by Nick’s Restaurant. Tickets for Opening Night, March 9th at 7:30pm are $20 each or $35 per couple. Performances of March 10th at 7:30pm and March 11th at 3:00pm are $10 for X*ACT members and $12 general admission. For more information and reservations, call 937-372-0516 or www.XeniaACT.org for online ticketing. X*ACT is located at 45 East Second Street in downtown Xenia OH.

Coming to Xenia Theater: Precious Heart

“Run For Your Wife” Coming to Xenia Theater

“Run For Your Wife” is the story of London cab driver John Smith, with two wives, two lives and a very precise schedule for juggling them both.

Trouble brews when Smith is mugged and ends up in the hospital, where both of his addresses surface, causing the police to investigate.

Having upset his schedule, Smith becomes hopelessly entangled in his attempts to explain himself to his wives and two suspicious police officers.

Run For Your Wives was written by Ray Cooney and directed by Jennifer Sivers-Shrader.

The first show opens on Jan. 13 at 7:30PM and continues showing for two weeks. For all show times, go to http://www.xeniaact.org.

Tickets are available online at the X-ACT box office or by calling 937-372-0516.

General admission is $15 and Senior/Student admission is $12.

‘Powerful New Film’ The Greatest Miracle

The Greatest Miracle, rated PG, opened on December 9 in 63 cities across the country. A list of opening cities and theaters is available now at the movie’s website. The Most Rev. Donald Ricken, Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisc., calls it a “powerful new film,” noting that the 3D animated feature “helps us better grasp the spiritual forces at play in our daily lives.”

The Greatest Miracle tells a story of hope and faith set against the backdrop of mysterious spirits and a religious service many have come to take for granted. In the movie, three people find themselves at the same Catholic Mass because of crises they are struggling to endure. Going to Mass is not new to any of them – but they need assistance to embrace its true meaning. What they experience during that Mass changes all of their lives forever.

“The Greatest Miracle draws the viewer into the Mass by artistically portraying what we as Catholics believe to be taking place, but what we as humans are incapable of perceiving with our earthly senses,” Bishop Ricken said. “May we take from The Greatest Miracle an exhortation to participate more fully and more regularly in the Mass — a tremendous gift to the Church and indeed, to all humanity.”

The Greatest Miracle is directed by Bruce M. Morris. He is the visual writer of the animated hits Pocahontas and Hercules, and earned an Academy Award® nomination for his work on 2009’s The Princess and the Frog.

Oscar®-nominee Mark McKenzie, who orchestrated the score for Dances with Wolves, wrote the score for the film, which earned the 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score — Independent Film/Short/Documentary. McKenzie’s work also includes Men in Black, Spiderman and Ice Age: The Meltdown.

Strong themes of evil make the PG film unsuitable for all ages. Parental discretion is advised.

The RAVE is only theater where the The Greatest Miracle is showing. The Rave is located at 9415 Civic Center Blvd. in West Chester, Ohio.

Velveteen Rabbit Comes to X-ACT December 8-10

“The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams is a classic story for children. Some have called it “How Toys Become Real”. All of us can connect with the passionate connection we had as children with a favorite stuffed animal. In the production at X*ACT the toys enjoy the love of the child and the love of the audience.

Xenia Area Community Theater, located at 45 E. Second St. in downtown Xenia, has been sponsoring children’s productions for over 5 years. This production is for the family with some strong actors returning from main stage productions and summer workshops. Olivia Hampton, Doug McKinley, and Macey and Haven Bradem have participated in many plays. Maria Smith, Hunter and Macie Sparks also have been on the X-Act stage previously.

Directed by Jennifer Sparks, herself an X*ACT veteran, “The Velveteen Rabbit” opens Thursday night, December 8th, with shows on Friday the 9th, also at 7:30 PM. Saturday the show will provide a wonderful ending to the “Hometown Christmas” in Xenia with a 6 PM show. Sunday’s Matinee is at 3 PM.

For ticket information, click on the above picture or go to www.xeniaact.org.