Hello and welcome to Issue 7 of the Members News!  As always, please be sure to let me know if you have anything you would like to include in this forum.  If you want to share a special upcoming event involving our members or something theater related that might be of interest to folks, please send me a note at [email protected].

Let’s start with information from the Winter Membership Meeting that was held on February 19, 2022.  

Our new Board of Directors is:
            President  - Tara Water, Productions Chairperson
            Vice President – Jason Klonkowski, Public Affairs Chairperson
            Secretary – Carol Russell, Education Chairperson (Elected to a 3 year term)
            Treasurer – Mike Gahan
            Props Chairperson – Chris Magee (Elected to fill a 2 year term)
            Costume Chairperson – Janice Sagers (Elected to a 3 year term)
            Facilities Chairperson – Craig Hower (Elected to fill a 1 year term)
            History/Library Chairperson – Kaitelyn Bauer Dieguez (Elected to a 3 year term)
            Membership Chairperson - Carol Charnock
 
Welcome to those new to the board and congratulations to the officers and chairpersons.  
 
Our upcoming season (2022-2023):
 
            Fences – Directed by Craig Hower (runs September 23 through October 9, 2022)
            Hello, Dolly! – Directed by Ben Simpson (runs November 25 through December 18, 2022)
            Twelfth Night – Directed by Rachel Wallace (runs January 20 through February 5, 2023)
            TBD – Directed by Heather Bauer (runs March 10 through April 2, 2023)
            You Can’t Take it With You – Directed by Mike Gahan (runs May 5 through May 20, 2023)
            Ragtime – Directed by Tessa Silvestro (runs June 30 through July 23, 2023)
 
Congratulations to all these great directors and their show.  Keep an eye on the website and Facebook for audition dates!
 
And our One Act entry from 2019 – True Colors, written by our own Kim Bessler – will compete at the Liverpool International Theater Festival in Nova Scotia, Canada in October of 2023!  Best of luck!
 
Also coming up, Port Tobacco Players will be hosting the Maryland One Act Festival on February 10-11, 2023.  
 
Encore Kids will resume next season under the direction of Suzanne Donohue.  Camp Mockabee will run again this year – please watch the website and Facebook for application information and dates for each session.  

We opened our 2021 – 2022 season with a well-received production of 12 Angry Jurors.  In November we put on a musical revue entitled All Together Now!, which was a great fundraiser.  This was followed by a One Act show for Christmas – Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol.  Although a “short” show, it was enjoyed by the audience and got our folks into the Christmas spirit.  January brought an enthralling performance of Macbeth.  We welcomed some new-comers to our performers and saw a lot of new faces in our audience – a win/win for everyone!  
 
March has seen the opening of our first full length musical since our shut down.  Little Shop of Horrors will opened on March 11, 2022 and will run for 4 weekends.  This will also be our first show at full capacity in the theater.  Masks are optional, but you must show proof of vaccination (or negative test result) for audience members.  Get your ticket soon for this great, campy show!
 
Have you seen the new lobby area?  It is beautiful!  The Construction Team Extraordinaire really out-did themselves.  The Art Deco detail work is so gorgeous, and the extended lobby is fabulous.  If you get a chance, come by and see the “new look”!
 
We will be cleaning up several areas in the theater this spring – the props loft, the set building area and the rehearsal hall for sure.  We will need many hands to make the work go quickly.  Dates haven’t been set yet, but we will be putting out an “all call” for help this spring to get a start on clearing out items that we no longer need.  Please lend a hand if you can.  We’ll need folks for everything from going through bins, hauling items to the dumpster, taking inventory of items in the props loft, etc.  Help us get re-organized!!!!
 
There are a couple of new Children’s Theater groups in the tri-county area.  It’s always wonderful to find new opportunities for our young actors and tech stars to learn and shine.
 
The Children’s Theatre of Southern Maryland (located in Calvert County) is up and running.  It’s open to children age 8 through graduating seniors.  For more information, you can check out their website at ctsmd.org.
 
Also in the area is the Actin’ Up Theater Troupe at the Upward Thrive Academy in La Plata.  They offer different sessions during the year for youth and teens, ages 8-17.    For more information, please email [email protected].
 
Remember our membership year ends on June 30, 2022.  If you are a current member, you will be receiving a reminder letter and envelope to renew your membership.  
 
Please let me know if you have anything you would like included in the next Members News!  
 
Carol Charnock
Membership Chair

With the current drop in Covid cases in the county, and the rising vaccination numbers, Port Tobacco Players will be revising our current Covid policy. Effective March 10th, 2022 PTP will be adjusting to "Mask Optional" within the building. Our policy will still require all to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours.

Stay healthy, stay safe.

Read more on our Covid policies 

The PTP Board of Directors have decided to go virtual for their next meeting. The meeting will be on Wednesday, January 19th.  If you would like to attend please send an email to Chris at [email protected] for the Zoom link.

Kimberly Ball​ - I have been a member of PTP since 2013/2014.  You’ve never seen me on stage but you have definitely seen me in the Lobby as House Manager for many shows beginning with Death by Chocolate (2014) and most recently for Twelve Angry Jurors and All Together Now.  Throughout the pandemic I have been sitting in on the Board meetings and learned a lot about the workings of our theater.  I, like everyone here, truly enjoy participating at PTP but we also need to remember that this is a business.  I think that I can offer a new voice and would love to be a part of ensuring PTP continues to thrive for many years to come. 

Kaitelyn Bauer Dieguez - has been a member of PTP since 2009 and has participated in 30 of their productions, as well as productions at HBP, NTP, and SMCM, in that time. She has acted, directed, makeup designed, costume designed, set designed, set constructed, and set painted throughout the past eleven years. She has also worked as a counselor for Camp Mockabee on and off since 2010. Kaitelyn has been nominated for four WATCH awards in makeup, one in hair, and one in set design and won makeup and hair in 2015 for PTP's Cyrano. Most recently, she designed makeup for 12 Angry Jurors, directed You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and is playing Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. She has also served as HBP’s WATCH representative for three years. Outside of her local theater community endeavors, Kaitelyn graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland with a BA in English and Theatre in 2015 and then completed the MPS program in Publishing at The George Washington University in 2018. In 2015, she married fellow PTP member Anthony Dieguez, and they have a 2 year old daughter, Willa aka Peach, and 3-month-old son, Sebastian. After working as a copywriter and administrative assistant in real estate, she currently works full time as a mom. As a member of PTP’s board of directors this past year, Kaitelyn has been organizing the library and has started the process of scanning photos and programs from our previous productions. She would like to continue her work on the board and would appreciate your support.

Craig Hower - currently is completing a term on the Board of Directors as Properties Chair. He serves on the Renovation Design Committee, the Construction Committee, the By Laws Committee and is Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee. He has served on the Board twice before, once as Publicity Chair during which he started the For Openers Program, launched our website, revamped and launched The Odeum, did market research to find out who our audience is and how they hear about us and helped us join the Chamber of Commerce to improve our relationship with the businesses of Charles County. When he served as Facilities Chair he worked closely with our Design Review Committee and our various contractors to facilitate the purchase and 1.5 million dollar renovation of our building. He spent the last twelve years working in regional theatre with The Shakespeare Theatre Company and then with Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater. He has previously served for six years on the Board of Hospice of Charles County, ten years on The Maryland Community Theatre Festival Association and currently sits on the La Plata Farmer’s Market Committee and the Keep La Plata Beautiful Committee, specifically on the Arts Work Group. He currently works in Legislative Services for the Town of La Plata.

Chris Magee - 2021 marks my tenth year at Port Tobacco Players, and let me say, what a journey it has been. The last two years have presented this community and our theater family with unique difficulties that no one could have imagined. Yet, regardless of these sometimes complex challenges, I am grateful to serve this theater community. I believe in this organization and want to continue guiding us through what promises to be an exciting new chapter in our proposed role as the new LaPlata Arts District anchor. 
The first time I ran for the board, my stated purpose was to build on my two years of experience on the Facilities Committee by pursuing a more forward-leaning approach to maintaining our physical structure.  Additionally, I wanted to expand, update, and grow our theater for the enjoyment of our patrons. Despite all the setbacks we had in the last 20+ months of a forced pandemic shutdown, I have met that goal. Through leadership, hard work, and the support of our community, we can now meet future challenges on a more solid footing, both physically and organizationally. With your continued support, I will help our theater grow in a positive direction that seeks to serve all of our changing community.

Carol Russell
I began my relationship with Port Tobacco Players after my retirement.  I volunteered my skills as a seamstress in May of 2014.  It seems as though the costume loft has been a second home ever since.  I have served in the loft in some capacity for all but a handful of shows.  In shows small and large, I have measured, sewn, altered, dyed, laundered, sparkled, repaired, and/or was a dresser.  I took the plunge as costume director for Hairspray and Blithe Spirit in 2016.  In 2019, I costume directed two shows that were WATCH nominated for Outstanding Costume Design:   James and the Giant Peachand Guys and Dolls.  
Meanwhile, in 2015, I stepped right out of my comfort zone  (a gift to my sixty-year-old self).   I auditioned and was cast in the ensemble of Oklahoma and later in A Christmas Carol as Mrs. Fezziwig.  Two years later, I was honored to be cast in Sister Act ensemble.  It gave me the view of the hive of activity and expertise that goes into each and every show.  
It is an honor to be currently serving five months on the PTP Board of Directors since a position was vacated.   
​
I was raised in Prince George’s County.  Undergrad college years took me from Syracuse to Southern California.  Graduate years were spent at UMUC and UMBC. My two bachelor’s degrees are English and Secondary Education.  Master’s degree and doctoral work are in the field of administration.
My thirty-four career years were spent in the Charles County Public Schools and I have been a county resident for thirty-two years.  I have been a teacher, vice principal, principal, and pupil personnel worker.  
Further management and leadership roles have been honed through my membership in Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization for women educators. I served in many chapter committee and officer positions.  As well, I have served at the state level For the Maryland Executive Board as historian and as newsletter editor  I currently am newsletter editor for the Southeast Region

I have learned a respect for community theater in my years at Port Tobacco Players.  It survives on the gifts, backbone, skills, and tenacity of volunteers.   It never seems to sleep and requires consistent tending of both the physical structure and its diverse community of members.  There are small jobs and large ones that support the vision of Port Tobacco Players.  It requires the whole village and that is often a balancing act.  
I was blessed with a career that taught me problem solving, patience, balance, organization, cooperation, compassion, the benefits of hard work, and the importance of maintaining a sense of humor.  It would be an honor to serve in yet another capacity at the theater.  

Janice Nash Sagers - has been a member of Port Tobacco Players since she joined the cast of "The Producers" in 2010, as an ensemble member playing one of the delightful old ladies, and her favorite, a Bavarian singer. She later appeared onstage one other time in 2014's production of "Annie" where she played the cook, Mrs. Pugh. Jan is more comfortable offstage, mostly helping when her son, Quentin Nash Sagers, has designed costumes at PTP. She is always first to volunteer to be a dresser, notably with very complicated and multiple changes, like "The Westing Game", "Hairspray", "White Christmas" & "Sister Act." A newer member of the Costume Guild, Jan can also be found in the loft helping sew costumes (she sewed almost every button on the 1776 jackets the summer of 2016), providing color commentary, or doing show laundry - in such shows as “James & the Giant Peach”, “Boeing Boeing”, “Guys & Dolls” and most recently the fundraising performances of “All Together Now.” She is currently expanding her role in the loft by codesigning costumes for the first time with Carol Russell for the Spring 2022 musical, "Little Shop of Horrors." Not one to shy away from any task, Jan has also helped build, paint, & decorate sets, usher, and also been helpful in providing food for volunteers during rehearsals, shows, strike, and especially during the renovation of the Lobby over the last year & a half. Jan would love to continue to support Port Tobacco Players with a new challenge; on the Board of Directors.

Due to the rise in COVID cases, the Board of Directors of the Port Tobacco Players has determined that it would be safer to hold our winter membership meeting virtually again this year.
 
It is not a decision we have come to lightly, but we don’t want to expose additional people to possible contagion. 
 
We will meet by Zoom on February 19, 2022 at 6 PM.  In order to join the meeting, send an invite request to [email protected].  You will then receive the link to the zoom meeting.
 
Ballots for the elections will be mailed out shortly.  Please bear in mind that you cannot vote and will not receive a ballot if you have not paid your membership dues.  Our membership year runs from July 1 to June 30, so you must have renewed your membership after July 1 to be current.  Bios for the candidates will be posted on the website for your information.  If you would like to receive hard copies of the bios, please let Carol know ([email protected]) or call the box office (301-932-6819).  We can mail you the bios or you can schedule a time to pick them up at the theater.

Can't wait to see you all there!