Wyoming County Cultural Center at the Dietrich Theater 


Newsletter for April 11, 2014 
570-836-1022
Now Showing at the Dietrich 
(Click on Movie Posters for Showtimes and Synopses.)
Rio 2 Captain America: Winter Soldier
Noah
Coming Soon to the Dietrich 
(Click on Movie Posters for Showtimes and Synopses.)
August: Osage County Heaven Is For Real
Some Like It Hot
The Laramie Project -Live Theatre! 
The Laramie Project - Live Theatre. At the Dietrich Theater on April 11 & 12 at 7:00 p.m. & April 13 at 2:00 p.m.
At the Dietrich by Hildy Morgan     
     So.  The daffodils are poking their heads up above the still semi-frozen earth,  yawning, looking about at the geese flying over, hearing the spring birds trilling and, yes…screeching…their welcome to the warmer breezes.  The deer that survived the great fall hunt as well as the brutal winter that would follow are  out in huge herds now, chowing down on the newly minted grass.  So, even though the thermometer still hasn’t pushed itself much past fifty degrees (as I write this on a Monday), still the signs are there, that spring, bless it’s lime green and bright yellow heart, will soon be upon us!
     Which means the Dietrich bus trip is upon us, too.  Do give a call to 996-1500 to book your seat on May 7, to go into New York and walk about, have lunch, see a great musical and eat dinner at the fabulous Carmine’s.  If you’ve never been on a bus trip with us, let me tell you what a hoot it is – we all have the best time!  People have time on their own before the play, to shop or lunch where they would like, then we go to the theater and then we all eat together, family style, at Carmine’s.  It is a great fun day and we  come home exhausted but so happy.  Oh yeah, you probably would like to know the name of the play, right? Well, it’s the hilarious Kinky Boots!  There was a movie made of Kinky Boots in 2006 and it’s totally endearing, about a shoe factory that saves itself by creating sexy, shiny, gorgeous high-heeled boots for a certain segment of the population.  It is so much fun, I highly recommend it, but no matter how good the movie is, the show is always better.  So, again, give them a call at 996-1500 and make your reservation for a perfect spring day in the Big Apple.
     Finally, I want to talk about The Laramie Project, the  play jointly put on by Keystone College and The Dietrich Theater.  The play is co-directed by Jane Honchell of Keystone and our own Jennifer Jenkins.  I can’t encourage you enough to come and see it.  Although it sounds as if it would be too sad to bear, there is actually a great deal of humor in it, and you will find yourself laughing throughout the production. The actors do a terrific job (there’s not a bad apple in the bunch!) portraying various folks in the town of Laramie, commenting on the murder of Mathew Shepherd.  The hate crime which happened in October of 1998 instantly became a media sensation and the townsfolk, most of whom  lead ordinary lives, suddenly found themselves smack-dab in the middle of  one of the most sensational and cruel crimes of the century.
     The play  is all factual – the characters are real people and the dialogue is exactly what they said. It is so interesting to see how things changed, how people changed in the year following Mathew’s death and the trial of the two men who murdered him so barbarically.  No one felt good about what had happened.  People came to see that language and how we use it (you know, that teaching that homosexuals are evil, that it is the devil’s “lifestyle”, that they are so very different form heterosexuals) – those words and beliefs can have terrible, terrible consequences.  And they did on that cold October night in Wyoming.
     Times have changed a good deal since 1998.  There is so much acceptance now even of gay marriages, so much acceptance that our sexuality isn’t a choice, but that we are born to it, that our fate lies not in our stars, but in our genes.  Still, there is a lingering viciousness, a vituperative speech, a meanness toward those not exactly like us that is encouraged by some churches and politicians, amplified by the lazy media, and so, so hurtful to the targets of the hate.  Are things better now?  Most assuredly.  Could such a crime happen again? Sadly, yes, it could.
     So thank you Jennifer and Jane for putting on this superb production. Please do come see it – the actors and the directors have worked so very hard on this and it is superb. It will make you laugh and cry.  And mostly  it will make you think. 996-1500 to reserve your seats. And Sunday after the  play there will be a question and answer session with the cast.  Hope to see you then.
     See you at the Dietrich.
Live at the Dietrich by Erica Rogler 
American actress and acclaimed acting teacher Stella Adler once said that, “The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation.”  In 1998 when Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten, tied to a fence and left to die because he was gay, I was a sophomore in college.  I remember at the time not being able to grasp how this could happen.  One month after Shepard’s murder, Moisés Kaufman and the Members of the Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, where this hate crime occurred, and conducted hundreds of interviews with the inhabitants of that town.  From their interviews, journal entries, and published news reports, they did exactly what Stella Adler said theatre was meant to do.  They told the truth about life and a horrific hate crime with the play The Laramie Project.
Keystone College’s and the Dietrich Theater’s co-production of The Laramie Project will be performed at the Dietrich Theater this weekend on Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 13 at 2:00 p.m.  After the final performance on April 13, Dr. Marnie Hiester and Dr. Jim Calderone of Misericordia University will lead an audience discussion about the play’s content and the cast and crew member’s thoughts on the play. We hope you can join us.  It is a truly moving and beautiful play.  Tickets are $10 each, $5 for students and seniors.  They can be reserved by calling 570-996-1500 and will be available at the door. 
Speaking of theatre, the Dietrich is planning a bus trip to Broadway in May!  I can’t wait.  We are going to experience the sights and sounds of NYC, see the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots and enjoy a family-style Italian dinner at Carmine’s.  Sounds like fun! Right?  We will be going on Wednesday, May 7.  The bus will depart the Dietrich at 8:00 a.m. and will return around 11:00 p.m.   Tickets are $225 each and include a ticket to the show, bus and dinner (including tips and tax), plus a contribution to the Dietrich.  It should be a grand time.  Space is limited.  Call the Dietrich now at 570-996-1500 to sign up. 
We are also celebrating the Month of the Young Child with special activities for you and your family this month.  On Saturday, April 26 at 11 a.m., acclaimed storyteller Fiona Powell will be at the Dietrich to spin magical tales at her spinning wheel.  She will share engaging and interactive stories from around the world.  This event is a wonderful opportunity for all ages so please come out!  I could listen to Fiona tell her whimsical tales for hours.  Admission is free thanks to a sponsorship by Sarah Sidorek.   Tickets will be available at the door or you can reserve them by calling 570-996-1500. 
For young children, the Dietrich is also hosting Songs and Games for Tots on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. with Bill Frye this month.  Children ages 2 ½ to 5 years old and their accompanying adult will sing familiar songs and learn new interactive tunes as well.  Admission is free.  We would like to thank Toni Hockman for underwriting this series.   We are also offering Preschool Pottery & Sculpture classes on Thursdays through May 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.  Admission is free.  Call the Dietrich for more information about these and other Dietrich offerings.   
60 E. Tioga St. | Tunkhannock, PA 18657 US
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