Future Fungus New - October 2023
"Bloody Murder" opens next week!
"Bloody Murder" opens next Friday October 13 and will be performed at the Dassel History Center on October 13 - 15 and 20 - 22. The show will be performed on the third floor so seating will be limited and tickets are going fast, get yours now!
Following the Sunday October 15th matinee performance the cast and crew will hold a talkback session for any audience members that would like to learn more about the show or the process of making theatre.
A group of the usual British murder-mystery types gather for a weekend retreat at the sumptuous country estate of the esteemed Lady Somerset. There's the major who served in India; the inebriated, fading actor; the innocent ingénue; the exotic lady in red; the mysterious Chinese gentleman; the rich dowager aunt and her faithful maid and worthless nephew. Suddenly, one of them dies of poison! Well, of course. Oh, what fun! But wait . Her Ladyship refuses to summon the police! She says she won't go through all this, again. All what, again? And why were they all invited here in the first place? Is this actually just another formulaic, all-too-predictable mystery story? Or is it something diabolically: different? Agatha Christie meets Pirandello, as characters rebel against their author. It's bloody murder.
PLEASE NOTE: Cap guns are fired on stage during the production and produce a loud bang.
A few rehearsal images from "Bloody Murder" Nicole Miller, Brandon Densmore, Maia Carnicom, Brian Bauman, Isaac Olson, Ron Hungerford, and Rick Wyman pictured.
Audition Info for “Nuncrackers”!
Director Dave Metcalf announces auditions for "Nuncrackers" By Dan Goggin.
Auditions will be held at the Dassel History Center on Monday October 16, at 6 PM and Saturday October 21, at noon.
Auditions will be done with cold readings from the script, please prepare a song that shows your vocal range and bring your schedule and conflict calendar through December 17.
The Little Sisters of Hoboken are here to make your holiday season merry and bright! All the nuns you love, plus Father Virgil and four students, take the stage to celebrate the season with warmth and hilarity.
We are looking for one male, age mid 20's-early 30's and four children (2 boys, 2 girls) age 7-13.
Performances are December 8, 9, 10 and 15, 16, 17.
Mike Ackerman - In Memoriam
On September 21 our FungusAmongus family sadly lost a mainstay of our acting company. Mike Ackerman was an amazing actor and a wonderful human being. He has left behind a legacy of heartwarming performances and warm-hearted friendships.
Serving as the long-time Cokato barber, he became a master of conversation, always engaging his clients and his friends in intelligent discussion on any topic. His ultimate focus seemed to center upon sharing genuine interest in everyone’s opinion and everyone’s “story.”
On the stage, he served as that great example of “how to do things right” for every actor, novice or veteran who ever had the pleasure of working with him and watching him craft a role. He was diligent and precise, with meticulous attention to detail. He would spend hours practicing – on his own – the tiniest bits of minute stage business, such as: the most efficient way to make a sandwich onstage.
Mike’s comic timing was impeccable, his onstage shenanigans were hilarious. One of my favorite, most memorable moments in all my years of theatre occurred during a dress rehearsal for a play called “The Prince, the Wolf and the Firebird”, a comic spoof of Tchaikovsy’s “Firebird” ballet. Mike, portraying a penniless, down-and-out Russian king meets and instantly falls in love with an aging princess who, as a teen, was abandoned on her way to be married to a foreign prince – and has waited at the same crossroad for decades with no other company than her three dolls. Amorous sparks flew as King Afron (Mike) gazed into feckless Princess Moushksa’s (a mustachio’d Jon Benson’s) eyes. It was a Tim Conway-Harvey Korman break-up moment that had the entire cast and crew gasping in laughter for nearly 20 minutes.
Though masterful at comedy, he could also bring folks to tears, as he did in his portrayal of Ron Huber in “The Ice Fishing Play” as a widower tortured by memories of the loss of his wife, his brother and his own will to carry on all alone.
Perhaps Mike’s greatest assets, though were his overwhelming kindness and his ability to make others feel comfortable and important.
Mike will be remembered by his theatre family as a man who infused every role just as he infused his life: with dignity and grace; With a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eye.
We all will miss you terribly, Mikey.
With love and fond memories,
Dave Metcalf
P.S. You will find below a list of all the plays Mike Ackerman performed in for the various D-C area theater companies. Please take a moment to look through the titles to find performances you may have attended – and recall a happy memory he may have inspired. And Smile. We dedicate our 2023 - 2024 season to Mikes memory.
Mike Ackerman’s Shows for D-C Audiences
1975 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow……The Pastor
1982 Little Mary Sunshine……………..General Fairfax
1983 You Can’t take it With You……….Martin Vanderhof
1985 Fools………………………………Doctor Zubritsky
1985 Peter Pan………………………….Mr. Darling
1986 Two By Two………………………Shem
1987 Something’s Afoot………………..[DIRECTOR]
1988 The Foreigner……………………..Charlie Baker
1989 Ducks and Lovers…………………Professor Weiner
1991 Noises Off…………………………Lloyd Dallas
1992 Annie………………………………Fred McCracken (and others)
2008 The Ice Fishing Play………………Ron Huber
2009 More Fun Than Bowling………….Mister Dyson
2012 Arsenic and Old Lace …………….Dr. Einstein
2015 The Romancers……………………Blaise
2016 Fiddler on the Roof……………….The Constable
2017 The Voice of the Prairie…………..The Jailer
Our 2023 - 2024 season marches on!
In case you missed it we have announced our full 2023 - 2024 season!
October 2023: Bloody Murder by Ed Sala
December 2023: Nuncrackers by Dan Goggin
Winter 2024: The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Summer 2024: Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
So many ways to have fun with FungusAmongus!
You don't need to be on stage to have fun with FungusAmongus. For example, we're always looking for:
AV Club members - learn to run sound or light for our shows!
Stage Managing / Crew Members. Do you want to help behind the scenes with the magic that goes on during the show? Help manage the stage and with set during our productions!
Treat wranglers. Could you bake some yummy bars for us to serve at intermission? Could you serve those treats and coffee at our shows?
Stud sensors. Can you drive a nail, or paint a wall, or perhaps work some interior design magic? Our set-building crew is looking for you.
Get started by contacting us through our website or social media channels.