February 3 , 2022 The Beacon • 15
Rogue Elephant Productions excited for summer show
By Josie Sellers
Rogue Elephant Productions brought a new approach to theater to Coshocton last summer and is excited to prepare for more outdoor theater in 2022 .
The production company presented “ I Wish ” featuring an all-children cast and “ Into the Woods ” in August 2021 at Clary Gardens in the amphitheater .
“ Both of them were very well received ,” Mark Kittel from Rogue Elephant Productions said .
“ Into the Woods ” ran for two weekends , and “ I Wish ” ran the second weekend of the adult production .
“ Our hope was that people would want to come see it and stay for ‘ Into the Woods ,’” Kittel said . “ We had a lot of patrons stay for both . ‘ I Wish ’ was the perfect length . It was about 35-40 minutes but still had substance to it . We had a really good cast of kids with a lot of regulars who have been in children ’ s productions at the Triple Locks Theater ,
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which sadly couldn ’ t hold productions through 2021 ( due to COVID ).”
Kittel ’ s family moved here from Albany , New York , and Rogue Elephant Productions based its vision for the amphitheater off a similar way a theater company worked there .
“ They charged admission for chair seating up front , and the amphitheater seating was all free ,” he said . “ There were nights when they were doing popular musicals that their amphitheater was packed all the way to the back . People would be standing because there was no room to sit .”
Kittel said this approach to seating created accessibility and availability to the arts for everyone .
“ For our next performance , the people who sit
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To make sure the amphitheater is not too crowded due to continued COVID concerns , patrons will have to reserve their seats online .
The next Rogue Elephant Productions show being planned is “ Godspell .” It will be performed Friday through Sunday , July 1-3 and Thursday through Saturday , July 7-9 at Clary Gardens . All shows are evening performances , except July 3 , which will be an afternoon performance . Kittel is very thankful for grant funding from the Coshocton Foundation , which is helping make this show possible .
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“ When we did ‘ Into the Woods ,’ we didn ’ t have our 501 ( c )( 3 ) yet ,” he said . “ We were just getting started and didn ’ t have a lot of options for funding at that point . My wife basically fronted the money to cover the licensing cost . We were hoping with ticket and membership payments and donations we could at least break even from the licensing perspective . We won ’ t have that problem with ‘ Godspell ,’ thanks to the Coshocton Foundation covering our entire licensing cost . We weren ’ t expecting them to cover the entire cost . We are very gracious for that .”
Auditions for “ Godspell ” will be held by appointment Tuesday through Thursday , Feb . 15-17 .
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“ We are still hesitant to do a mass group audition ,” Kittel said . “ We want to limit exposure to COVID as much as possible .”
Kittel and Amy Jo Burton will do auditions .
“ We are looking for people to prepare an upbeat rock tempo song ,” Kittel said . “ It can be Broadway or contemporary . They also will do a short cold reading . We want to get a sense of how people act . One of the things about ‘ Godspell ’ is that there is a lot of room for improv and playing around with material . We want to see what people can do on the spot .”
The roll of Jesus is already cast , but they are still looking for five women and four men age 16 and up . Auditions also will be held for musicians to join the live band . To make an appointment , message Kittel on Facebook , email reptheaterohio @ gmail . com , message Amy Jo Burton on Facebook or call Kittel at 740-624-2146 .
Kittel will be the director of “ Godspell ,” the music director is Burton , costume design will be by Mary McMullen and set design will be by Amanda Kittel .
“ We are really thankful that the community came out and supported our first productions in 2021 ,” Mark Kittel said . “ We hope to pack the house for ‘ Godspell .’”
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