Oregon troupe to strut its stuff

From left, Jered Ryan, Dawn Yard, Matt Richardson, and Sara Ledzianowski rehearse for The All Night Strut.

Oregon Community Theatre winds up its season with The All Night Strut, an extravaganza of music from the 1930s and '40s.

Denise Goldsby directs Sara Ledzianowski, Matt Richardson, Jered Ryan, and Dawn Yard in a musical journey through the Depression, World War II, and post-war boom.

Featured are the works of, among others, Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Cab Calloway, and George and Ira Gershwin, including "In the Mood," "Tuxedo Junction," "As Time Goes By," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "Minnie the Moocher," and "Fascinating Rhythm."

"The All Night Strut" is scheduled at 8 p.m. today, tomorrow, and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium of Fassett Middle School, 3025 Starr Ave., Oregon. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Information: 419-691-1398.

Director Cornel Gabara presents Sam Shepard's Action tomorrow evening in the University of Toledo's Center for Performing Arts. Set in a vaguely post-apocalyptic time, Action follows two couples, trapped in an isolated cabin, as they struggle to create a holiday meal with limited food supplies and no indoor plumbing.

Overwhelming boredom (all forms of mass media have ceased) and fears over an uncertain future begin to take their toll with absurd and sometimes hilarious results.

The drama also will be presented at 8 p.m. Sunday in the Jewel Box Theater in New York City before heading to the 7th International Festival of Drama in Debrecen, Hungary.

The cast comprises Pete Cross as Jeep, Nikki Soldner as Liza, Tyree Troutman as Shooter, and Nicole Corpus as Lupe.

Among members of the crew are Todd Alexander, Zachery Durnell, and Kevin Little. The seven students will be traveling to Hungary for the festival performance.

"Action" is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Studio Theatre of UT's Center for Performing Arts. The performance is free, but a $10 donation is requested to help defray travel expenses. Information: 419-530-2202.

Mary Chase wrote Harvey in 1944, and the play has delighted theater audiences ever since.

Northwest Ohio gets another turn to enjoy the antics of Elwood P. Dowd and his best friend, Harvey, a 6 1/2-foot-tall white rabbit that happens to be invisible, when the Williams County Community Theater opens the play tonight in Montpelier.

Theron Steinke directs the comedy, which stars John Overberg as Elwood; Mary Beth Snider as his sister, Veta Simmons, and Rachel Beevers as his niece, Myrtle Mae.

Others in the cast include Chris Avell, Glyn Buntain, Megan Clark, Joe Curry, Keith Day, Trudy Day, Jan Delaney, Ray Drewyor, Cathy Dukes, Shirley Goldsmith, Karen Grieser, and A.J. Schweitzer.

The Williams County Community Theater presents "Harvey" at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through May 7 in the Montpelier Playhouse, 501 South East Ave., Montpelier. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students. Information: 419-485-3861.

●For its first family talent show and musical revue, Orphan Productions has chosen a salute to Broadway, featuring members of the casts of the troupe's productions of Annie Warbucks, Seussical, Cinderella Kids, Dear Edwina Junior, and You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Maumee Indoor Theater, 601 Conant St. Admission is $2 for adults; it's free for those 21 and younger. The box office opens 30 minutes before each show. Information: 419-824-0106.

●The Fort Findlay Playhouse closes out its 2005-06 season with a production of the Patrick Dennis comedy, Auntie Mame, directed by Vicki McClurkin, an adjunct theater professor at the University of Findlay. Nancy Wilkins plays the free-spirited Mame Dennis, whose devotion to her young nephew brings about all sorts of adventures.

Performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturdays and 5 p.m. Sundays through May 6 in the playhouse at 300 West Sandusky St., Findlay. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at the Arts Partnership, 618 South Main St., Findlay. Information: 419-422-4624.

● The advanced acting class at the University of Findlay presents Shakespeare's Histories, an Original Adaptation through tomorrow in Grimm Theatre of the university's Egner Center for the Performing Arts.

The adaptation comprises Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV (parts 1 and 2), Henry V, Henry VI (parts 1, 2, and 3), and Henry VIII. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students. Information: 419-434-5335.

Contact Nanciann Cherry at: ncherry@theblade.com

or 419-724-6130.