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Modern, Comic Masterpiece “Noises Off” at Towngate Theatre

Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre, the Ohio Valley’s leading community theater, opens its 2017-18 season with the sidesplitting farce “Noises Off.”

It will be staged September 22, 23, 24, 29 & 30.

Considered the funniest farce ever written, “Noises Off” is a slapstick play within a play. Michael Frayn’s brilliantly crafted script offers a backstage look at a hapless troupe of actors as they attempt to stage a dreadful comedy called “Nothing On.” Backstage and onstage chaos ensues. Characters forget lines, swill whiskey, miss cues and fumble with props as their sanity slowly unravels.

“Noises Off” was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and has been keeping audiences rolling in the aisles since its debut in 1982.   Oglebay Institute director of performing arts Tim Thompson said Towngate is happy to bring the community a well-deserved night of laughter.

“Sometimes there is no better treat than to spend an evening laughing for two hours straight. And that is what audiences will experience with this show,” he said. “It is a chance to forget about personal stresses and troubles in the world, if even for only a short time.”

A Great Cast Will Make You Laugh

Community theater veteran John Reilly directs Towngate’s production of “Noises Off” and has assembled a cast of remarkable local actors who bring this uproarious comedy to life through their hilarious portrayals.

Cast members are: Kim Brown, Vera-Barton Maxwell, Josh DeBeni, Eric T. Dutton, Dee Gregg, Vincent Marshall, Meghan Ross, Brendan Sheehan and Frank Wilson.

“I do not believe I have ever worked with a cast so hard working and dedicated to a production. Each is creative and imaginative; each of them is a problem-solver. What I have had to do is to fine-tune what they come up with—clarify, emphasize the funny bits. Each of them has a wonderful sense of a commitment to communicating with joy the absurd in life,” Reilly said.

“What’s all the more remarkable is that most of them have “real-life” jobs that are time-consuming and stressful. Farces are exhausting and ‘sweaty’ endeavors. And this group gives and gives and gives. Remarkable. And the design and technical staff at Towngate has been equally creative and supportive. A genuine pleasure to work with.”

Comedy and Farce Reflect Our Humanity

While it is mainly a farcical comedy, theatergoers can see more than just laughs in “Noises Off.”

“Some people see farces as just silly—as fun or just worthless. But everything that genuinely entertains us has truth in it—otherwise it has no worth. Every farce deals with people trapped in a machine going awry into chaos and we watch their desperate attempts at trying to maintain some kind of order. A metaphor for life,” Reilly explained.

“In Act One, the director reins them in and gives them guidance. During Act Two, they are performing the same scene, but the director is now embroiled in their lives and has no control. In Act Three, still performing the same scene, they are lost in their personal issues and the director has the least clue as to how to fix it. If one wanted to, one could see it as an image of what happens to life when it loses its shaping force (God?), its unifying principle—when ‘the center cannot hold’—anarchy is loosed upon the world. And the audience laughs because they’re on the outside looking in and sees how absurd humans can be.”

Towngate Offers Something for Everyone

Towngate is the premiere venue for community theater in Wheeling, providing an intimate theater experience with talented local actors performing in a variety of though-provoking, heartwarming, comedic and historically significant works from renowned playwrights and talented newcomers.

Thompson encourages everyone to check out a show at Towngate. And gives special encouragement to those who have never experienced community theater before.

“When watching a stage production, you are transported into a different world. You can escape from reality and feel the energy created by sharing an intimate space with actors and fellow theatergoers.  Live action happens right before your eyes. And there’s no app for that,” he said.

He added that theater is a social experience meant to be shared with one another.

“So, bring your family and friends and meet new friends, too. Most importantly, support your local actors, directors, stage managers, set and costume designers. They spend months working to bring characters and stories to life. You’ll be impressed.”

A church-turned-theater, located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District, Towngate serves as an entertainment destination for residents of Wheeling, the Upper Ohio Valley and beyond.  In addition to community theater, Towngate also offers poetry and spoken word performances, children’s theater, ballet, improvisational comedy and live music.  Towngate is also home to the Wheeling Film Society and features changing art exhibitions in The Gallery at Towngate. Children and adults can enroll in theater classes year-round.

Get Tickets

Evening performances of “Noises Off” take place at 8 p.m. September 22, 23, 29 & 30. A matinee performance takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday, September 24.

Purchase tickets for this show or any Towngate show in advance at www.oionline.com, by calling 304-242-7700, or at the door, if available.

Thank You to Our Sponsor

Shaeffer & Madama, Inc. sponsor this production of “Noises Off.”  Corporate and individual philanthropy enable Oglebay Institute to present hundreds of arts, nature and history programs each year.  For information on sponsorship opportunities, call 304-242-4200.

Appraisal Fest Continues: Free Downsizing Workshop Saturday, Sept. 16

By Laura Jackson Roberts

Every year in September, Oglebay Institute hosts its annual Appraisal Fest. It’s a time for digging deep into boxes and basements, attics and antiques. I’m no stranger to clutter. In fact, I think many of us have a touch of hoarder in us when it comes to family heirlooms. But what are those old silver spoons worth? How much could you sell that hand-sewn quilt for? And did that clock really come over on a boat from Germany in 1850?

Tim Luke and Greg Strahm can answer these questions. They’re The Appraisal Guys. Tim appeared on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow and Cash in the Attic, and together they own TreasureQuest Appraisal Group. If you’ve found something in your house, they’re the guys who can give you the skinny.
Cash in the Attic?

Last year, I got a chance to dig into my own attic and visit The Appraisal Guys at their Cabela’s appraisal event. You can read about how I brought several old toys to Tim, and how the little metal train would have been worth $500 if my son hadn’t ripped the wheels off as a toddler. (As it is today, it won’t fetch more than $50.) This year, however, I got the chance to be on the other side of the table, to be the Appraiser’s Apprentice and sit between Tim and Greg to watch the process through their eyes. This year, it was a very different experience.

On Saturday, September 9, people wheeled in their items in carts and wagons. The moment when an item arrived, hidden beneath in a moving blanket or bubble wrap, thrilled me. We saw paintings and rings. We saw quilts and vases. Early in the day, Tim inspected Wheeling resident Ginger Aulick’s stuffed doll from the Gasoline Alley comic strip. He told her where and when the doll was made and a little bit about its composition. On my other side, Greg appraised an ice chest made in Wheeling by House & Herrmann, a popular department store that burned down in 1917 in one of the city’s most destructive fires. The chest was ornately carved and lined with zinc. Its owner, Tammy Gasaway of Martins Ferry, had been moving it around the house for years. Though it didn’t turn out to be a million-dollar find, the piece meant something to her, and therein lay its real value.

Strange Finds

Tim’s favorite item came to the event wound tightly in bubble wrap. As Wheeling residents Robert and Deborah Troeger rolled it in on a dolly, we noticed a long metal rod protruding from the top of the item. Bit by bit, the bubble wrap came off, revealing an angry face, an ornate costume and, eventually, the body of an enormous theater puppet holding a shield.

“This is Sid,” they said. “He was a gift for our son from an antique dealer.”

Tim was fascinated. He determined that “Sid” was a Continental Blackamoor rod puppet, likely of Sicilian origin, circa 1890. It would have been used in a theater, and handlers used the rod to make it move or dance. Tim got a photo with Sid and the Troegers.

From Joy to Disappointment

Still, not everyone came away smiling. Though it doesn’t happen often, occasionally Tim and Greg encounter a visitor who doesn’t like their valuation. Many people have been told by family that their item is valuable, or that it’s older than it is. Sometimes they’ve done their own research and come up with a different value. Such was the case at Cabela’s on Saturday when a visitor wasn’t satisfied with their appraisal and gave Greg a hard time. He wasn’t phased. Clearly, it wasn’t his first encounter with a disappointed treasure hunter. I asked Greg how often that sort of thing happens.

When Your Kids Don’t Want Your Stuff?

“You’ll have that sometimes,” he said and went on to explain that people bring in their items for different reasons. Many people are just curious about a piece, while others hope to make a sale. And while eBay has made it easier to sell such items, it’s also saturated the market. Anybody can be an auctioneer, these days.

Additionally, Greg and Tim have noticed a trend with antiques: a generational bottleneck of stuff. My generation—the Gen X’ers—stands to inherit the china, glassware, and antiques our parents have so lovingly collected or inherited from their own parents. The problem? We don’t really want them. Yes, I love my great-grandfather’s clock and will always treasure it. But that German painting? That creepy clown doll? That thing I call simply “the weird green dish?” Nah. What would I do with this stuff? Younger generations have begun to appreciate a minimalistic lifestyle and a de-cluttered existence. Some even build tiny houses.

So, what’s a baby boomer to do when the kids and grandkids show no interest in the family collection?

Deal With Your Stuff

Tim and Greg can help. They spend most of September in Wheeling each year for AppraisalFest, and for the rest of the month will be hosting helpful events, including a free Downsizing Workshop on Saturday, September 16. And while it may sound like an intervention, it’s designed to help people get started with their stuff.

“We give them steps on what you need to do,” Tim said. “First of all, we have the conversation.” Downsizing means thinking about why you’re holding onto things, what they might mean to you, and whether you value the item itself or simply the memory it represents. Such things may feel overwhelming, so the guys will be talking participants through it.

“A lot of it is being able to give people the information so that they know how to begin or what to begin,” Greg said. The workshop will include helpful tips and decluttering tricks as well as how to deal with stuff, whether it’s a via sale or a donation. Tim and Luke will be joined by a panel of experts including Charlotte Pyle, auctioneer at Joe R. Pyle Complete Auction & Realty Service, Joshua Rogers, estate attorney, and Anne Koegler, elder advocate and resource coordinator.

Meet the Appraisal Guys

If the thought of downsizing worries you, you can spend the prior evening getting to know The Appraisal Guys at HAMMERED, a social hour and auction that benefits the Mansion Museum. You’ll find like-minded people there who share an appreciation for antiques, collectibles, and amazing finds. At the auction, you can bid on an exclusive collection of wines, jewelry, accessories, fine foods, gift baskets, dining experiences, resort packages and more.

Appraisal Fest 2017 continues Saturday, September 23 with an Opera Brunch at the Mansion Museum. Brunch will be prepared by Chef Greg Strahm while attendees hear selections performed by Pittsburgh Opera artists. This will be your last chance to visit with The Guys until they return next September.

In between social events, Tim and Luke will be conducting in-home appraisals. Last year, my family enjoyed our visit to the Cabela’s appraisal event so much that we scheduled a home visit. We broke out the fine china, the fancy glassware, and the horsehair chairs. We had high hopes for a wooden mallard until its head fell off in Greg’s hands. If you have a house full of treasures, Oglebay Institute will send the guys over, though you may want to hide the decapitated duck decoys in the closet.