This is an exciting week for local kids, teens and adults who love theatre and are interested in acting, with a few new educational programs and events launching in the area. Here are the details:

New Drama/Acting Classes

The Community Arts program at the Woodland Presbyterian Church located at 401 S. 42nd Street is starting an eight-week (Feb. 7 – March 27) drama class on Thursday afternoons, 4:00-5:00 p.m. and children ages 5-14 are welcome to participate. Kids will play drama games, learn acting techniques and perform in a culminating production. A donation of $20/participant is suggested to help cover program costs. To register or for more details, please contact Carol Shih at carol.shih@woodlandpres.net.

Theatre and Me, LLC (Facebook page), a new company providing training and development for kids, teens and adults in the performing and creative arts, i.e. theatre, dance, voice, etc., is holding an Open House/Information Session about their upcoming classes on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m., at Dreaming Tree Music (4721 Pine St.). For more information, contact Marcus Siler at theatreandmewithmarcus@gmail.com.

New Kids Show at Curio

Curio Theatre has prepared an exciting new show for kids: Hansel and Gretel, the beloved fairy-tale by The Grimm Brothers was adapted for the stage by Rosemary Fox and will run on Saturdays at 2 p.m. on Feb. 9, 16, 23 and March 2. Tickets ($10) are available here.

Reuben Mitchell.

Reuben Mitchell, an inspiring 31-year-old actor, was riding his motorcycle on the 3900 block of Woodland Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. on November 12 when he struck a car that was making a u-turn. He died later that evening from the injuries sustained in the accident (source: Philly.com). Reuben was cast to play the role of Magnus in an upcoming Curio Theatre show, Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound.

Mourning Reuben’s death and after some difficult decisions, the theatre administration decided to cancel the first weekend of previews scheduled for November 29 – December 1 but to go on with the main production run. Josh Browns who knew Reuben well will be filling the role.

“It’s been a real tragedy for the entire Philadelphia theatre community,” says Curio’s Managing Director Gay Carducci. “Though, we have known Reuben for quite some time, The Real Inspector Hound was going to be the first show that Reuben would have done with us. After much thought we decided to continue on with the show, as we believe Reuben would have wanted us to do.”

The December 5 performance will be held in honor of Reuben, and all of the proceeds that evening will go to his family in an “effort to help them during this trying time.”

The Curio Theatre Company, a favorite West Philly theater spot, is premiering Stoker’s Dracula adapted and performed by company member Josh Hitchens. The seventy-minute adaptation, previously seen at the Philly Fringe Festival, the Independent Voices Festival, and many other venues, re-imagines Stoker’s chilling vampire tale as a one-man show, with Hitchens inhabiting twelve distinct characters, just in time for Halloween! As an added bonus, Hitchens acts out the famous vampire tale using nothing but Stoker’s original text from the novel for dialogue.

Performances include late-nights tonight and tomorrow at 10:30 p.m., as well as October 30 and 31 at 8:00 p.m. at the theater, located at 4740 Baltimore Avenue. Tickets ($15) can be purchased online or at the door.

– Kelly Lawler

The Runner Stumbles cast members Isa St.Clair (Sister Rita) and Steve Carpenter (Father Rivard). Photo by Kyle Cassidy.

West Philly’s Curio Theatre Company begins its eighth season this Thursday with The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt. First produced on Broadway in 1976, The Runner Stumbles is based on a true story that happened in 1911 at a Roman Catholic parish in rural Michigan. It is a long-awaited project for director and Curio co-founder Gay Carducci.

“It’s a play about a crisis of faith, with a hint of mystery,” she says. “It’s been speaking to me since I saw it done 20-some-odd years ago. And it’s always a piece that I loved and wanted to bring back again.”

The cast features Ryan Walter, Rachel Gluck, Harry Slack and Artistic Director Paul Kuhn, all of West Philadelphia, as well as Aetna Gallagher of Wallingford, Liam Castellan of Center City, and introducing Meridian Lowe, a student at Masterman High School and one of the first students in Curio’s educational program.

The show runs October 11 to November 10 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., in the Calvary Center at 4740 Baltimore Ave. Tickets are $15-20 ($10-15 for preview performances). For more information and to buy tickets, visit this page.

Curio Theatre is hosting a Benefit Gala and an auction to raise funds for Curio’s new, second stage located in the basement of the Calvary Center. The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 15 at St. Francis DeSales (47th and Springfield) and will include a live and a silent auction, an open beer and wine bar, a meal catered by The Gold Standard Cafe, and live jazz music from Dr. Ketchup. Tickets are $50 (adults), $45 (students/seniors), $90 (couple), $450 (table/10 tickets). If you would like to donate an item to the auction, please call (215) 525-1350.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit this page.

The Curio Theatre Company has announced their 2012-2013 season and it will knock your socks off! It is rich in suspense plays, comedy, and also includes a world premiere by Curio’s Artistic Director Paul Kuhn. The new season begins October 11 with Milan Stitt’s The Runner Stumbles. Here’s the full show schedule:

The Runner Stumbles
By Milan Stitt
Directed by Gay Carducci
October 11 – November 10, 2012

The Real Inspector Hound
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Dan Hodge
November 29 – December 29, 2012

Equus
By Peter Shaffer
Directed by Liz Carlson
January 17 – February 16, 2013

Madville
By Paul Kuhn
Directed by Rosemary Fox
March 14 – April 13, 2013

The Hound of the Baskervilles
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson
Directed by Paul Kuhn
May 2 – June 1, 2013

Tickets are available on the Curio Theatre website. You can also subscribe to the season and see all five shows for the price of four.