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The Potomac Theatre Company is gearing up for its three-weekend performance run of "Scrooge — the Musical," a rendering of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" set to song.
According to Potomac Theatre Company board member Elie Pisarra-Cain, the adaptation of the classic tale stays true to the original themes. "It's a fun show – it's happy and it's sad," said Pisarra-Cain said. "Everything starts out ‘Bah-Humbug' and it ends with ‘God bless us every one."
Preparations and rehearsals for the performance have taken about two months, Pisarra-Cain said. One of the main roles, Tiny Tim, is played by a young girl – Bethesda resident Adrienne Kafka, 10. Kafka tucks her hair into her hat for the role, Cain said. "She was the first one to know her whole role, within the first week," Cain said.
Music, of course, plays an integral part to the show, and the performance is accompanied by a live orchestra. Pisarra-Cain said she hopes the show will leave audiences in the holiday spirit. "Whenever there's music in a show, you always have a lighter step as you leave, just because it's fun," Pisarra-Cain said.
The performances will take place at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays from Nov. 21 to Dec. 7 at the Blair Family Center for the Arts, located on the campus of the Bullis School, 10601 Falls Road, Potomac. Tickets are $20, and $18 for seniors and students. Groups of 10 or more will receive a group rate at a discount of 20 percent per ticket, though tickets must be prepaid. Reserved groups will be seated together. For more information about the performance, or to purchase tickets, call 301-299-8571.
Residents pitch in
for county Community Service Day
An estimated 1,500 people participated in the county's annual Community Service Day weekend Oct. 25 and 26, volunteering with about 50 nonprofits on projects ranging from creek cleanups to clothing collections.
What made this year's event a particular success were the collaborations and partnerships with student groups, according to Kathleen Meany Stobie, events coordinator for the Office of Community Partnerships with the Montgomery County Volunteer Center.
In addition to project sites around the county, centers were set up at Montgomery Blair, Gaithersburg and John F. Kennedy high schools, where students took the lead in organizing community service projects, including directing younger children in making crafts for hospital patients, collecting food and clothes for the needy and preparing thousands of Student Service Learning informational portfolios for distribution. The next major county-organized community service day is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, which is set for Jan. 19.
For more information about volunteering through the county Volunteer Center visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteer or call 240-777-2600.
Stand up and speak out
A local chapter of an international nonprofit group wants Potomac residents to know that they don't have to spend a fortune to improve their speaking and presentation skills. The Tally-Ho Toastmasters, a local chapter of the Toastmasters International, is a group that aims to make participants more confident with their oral communication abilities. The group meets at 8 p.m. the first and third Mondays of each month at the Potomac Community Center, located at 11315 Falls Road in Potomac. The club is free and open to newcomers. Other local clubs also meet in Gaithersburg, Rockville and Germantown. At the meetings, participants are given strategies to improve their speaking skills, practice in front of a group based on a series of guidelines, and given supportive feedback. For more information about the group, email steven.naron@gmail.com.
Ice rinks to hold a
‘Keep your Neighbors Warm Skate'
Gather your new or gently used winter clothes—coats, hats, scarves, gloves and other items—and bring them to Wheaton Ice Arena or Cabin John Ice Rink on Friday for a donation skate-a-thon. There will be three sessions at both ice rinks: One from 12:30-2:30 p.m., another from 4:30-6 p.m. and one from 8-10 p.m. Admission and skate rentals is $3.50 with any donation. Clothes will be distributed to area charities. The Wheaton Ice Arena is located at 11717 Orebaugh Ave. and the Cabin John Ice Rink is located at 10610 Westlake Drive.
Support a local barista
A Potomac Starbucks barista will be among the many artists displaying their work at Avant-Grande 2008, Washington's exhibition of visual art and spoken word performances by Starbucks baristas.
The event will spotlight more than 40 works of art as well as the performances. At the exhibition, Antonio Goicochea, a barista from Potomac, will display a drawing entitled "Guardian Angel Watching Over Me." The evening, which will feature cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, will benefit SOL y SOUL, Arts for Social Change, a nonprofit geared at supporting and inspiring artists of different backgrounds. Experience the "art behind the apron" from 7-9:30 p.m. Monday at the House of Sweden, 2900 K Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C. Tickets are $20. Visit www.starbucksavant-grande.com for more information.
How to raise
a happy child
The Parent Encouragement Program, a Kensington nonprofit, is gearing up to sponsor a local appearance by Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a parenting author and psychologist who will speak about strategies to raise happy and independent children. The speech, entitled the Five Keys to Raising Motivated, Positive, Capable Kids, will be held from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Bullis School Blair Family Center for the Arts, 10601 Falls Road, Potomac. The speech will draw on themes from Hallowell's book, "The Child Themes of Adult Happiness." For more information about attending, call 301-929-8824 or visit www.
PEPparent.org.
This column is for you. Send press releases, news tips and other information to Erin Donaghue by phone to 301-280-3007, by e-mail edonaghue@ gazette.net, by fax to 301-670-7183 or by mail to 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
