Timeline Photos

We're putting the finishing touches on the lighting for the "Twisted Tales" dance concert being produced the next two weekends at ABOB by the Conneaut Arts Center's dance department. Featuring choreography by Theresa Deutsch and Tank Jackson, this concert takes tales from varied authors such as Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe and turns the works into dances. Contact the Conneaut Arts Center for ticket information at (440) 593-5888.

New ABOB meme, courtesy of Jordan Novitsky and Grace Larimer: "We can't scream...we're dancers!!!"

Timeline Photos

This afternoon is your last chance to see ABOB's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!" Show starts at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 students and are available at the door. Next week, the Conneaut Arts Center's Dance Department will be on stage with their Spring Production, "Twisted Tales."

Timeline Photos

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" continues tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at ABOB. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m., Sunday's show is a 2:30 p.m. matinee. Doors open 45 minutes before any performance. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 students and are available at the door or by calling 440-599-PLAY (7529) for reservations.

Timeline Photos

This is just a reminder that today's performance of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is a matinee...doors open at 1:45 p.m. and the show starts at 2:30.

Since we're moving the band pit upstairs for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," it doesn't seem right that the musicians area should be called the "band pit" anymore - after all, they're raised, not in the floor. So, I've decided to rename the musician area...I'm just not sure what to name it. "Musician Mountain?" "Piano Plateau?" "Guitar Grotto?" "Elevated Position from which Flow Melody and Joy?" I dunno. What do you think? Best answer wins a free popcorn and pop!

A reminder... "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" opens Friday on the ABOB stage...call in your reservations now to 440-599-PLAY (7529)! Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:45 p.m.) and Sunday shows are at 2:30 p.m. (doors open at 1:45 p.m.) Adults $10, students $8.

"The Bard" will visit ABOB in September! Arlene's Broadway on Buffalo will make its first foray into Shakespeare in September, when we present the classic comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The show was written by William Shakespeare in 1595/96. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (the mechanicals) who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular works for the stage and is widely performed across the world. Performance dates are September 8-10 and 15-17. Director is Dennis Dixon. Auditions will be announced at a later date.

"Joseph" rehearsal

Some rehearsal photos from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which opens April 21, 2017 at ABOB.

We have gotten some rather disturbing news today and I feel compelled to pass it along to ABOB’s supporters. Apparently, plans to build an O’Reilly Auto Parts store across the street from the theater also include plans to ban parking along our block of Buffalo Street to facilitate semi-truck delivery to the proposed store - trucks expected to run at all times of the day for parts drop-off. The plans for the store also include the typically garish O’Reilly signage and a video message board. Banning Buffalo Street parking is going to affect ABOB: disabled and elderly theater-goers will no longer have nearby parking, and will be forced to travel a block or more by foot to come to shows, effectively barring them from attendance; rehearsals and everyday activities at the theater will be complicated; travel to the theater will become more dangerous; shows will be disturbed by the constant arrival of delivery trucks immediately across the street; and the charming neighborhood we arrived in will be transformed into the equivalent of a strip mall. One of the things we looked at when we located in Conneaut was the fact our block is in a historic district. Across the street from the theater were two beautiful 19th century homes, complementing the historic feeling we intended to keep with ABOB and the accompanying parsonage next door. We’ve invested a lot of money in the theater and made great efforts to preserve the historic character of the building - we’re had hundreds of people appear on our stage and thousands grace our audiences during the nearly three years we’ve been open. The great interest in keeping the Carnegie Library building intact makes me think Conneaut has an interest in preserving the historic downtown character. That’s why it puzzles me that they are apparently planning to blithely toss away a block of the city’s heritage for - of all things - an auto parts store. I’ve got news for them - once that history and those beautiful, architecturally significant houses are gone, they’re not coming back, ever. You can’t maintain a historic district with isolated pockets of houses here and there. You have a commitment to the historical character of the area or you're for progress at all costs - there is no middle ground. Granted, Conneaut is in dire need of business and growth, but it also has much vacant, high traffic building areas which do not require it to sacrifice its downtown history, character and soul. We try to stay out of local affairs, having more than enough to occupy us with just producing high quality shows for our audiences. And despite being neighbors, we have also not received any communication about hearings or meetings on this potential conflict from city officials. So, we’re in a wait-and-see status at the moment…waiting to see what happens and then evaluating our long-term plans and investments in the community accordingly. We will be attending the Conneaut City Council meeting Monday at 7 p.m. to voice our objections to the planned project. We encourage any Conneaut residents concerned about this potential project and ABOB’s future to join us.

Sydne and Melissa are please to announce the cast of 1776. They appreciate everyone's patience during the process. Congratulations! John Adams -- Chris Ross Benjamin Franklin -- Doug Anderson Thomas Jefferson -- Clay Nielsen John Hancock -- David Bucci Andre McNair -- Michael Riffe Charles Thompson -- Mark Pendleton Richard Henry Lee -- Bradley Jewell Dr Lyman Hall -- Jon Rose Stephen Hopkins -- Nik Tressler John Dickenson -- Liam Pal Roger Sherman -- Sean Montgomery Robert Livingston -- Andrew McKillen Col. Thomas McKean -- Jordan Rimpela Cesar Rodney -- Tyler Cogar George Read -- David Jones Edward Rutledge -- Louie Ruane Joseph Hewes -- John Robar Judge James Wilson -- John Mussig Lewis Morris -- Lee Thomas Rev Josiah Bartlett -- Jacob Emerson Samuel Chase -- Michael Mooney Rev John Witherspoon -- Dennis Dixon Courier -- Eric Slayton Painter/Leather apron -- Felicia Leonard Abigail Adams -- Sara Perts Martha Jefferson -- Kayleigh Lascio

We're now soliciting original one-act plays from area writers for our third annual (is that possible?) Collection of One Acts, to be presented in August. The plays should be between 5 and 15 minutes in length and can be mailed to the theater or emailed to hilltopr@broadwayonbuffalo.com. Authors chosen for use will have their original work presented in a professional manner, will received complementary admission and will be given a DVD of the entire, completed production. There is no pay for production rights. It's expected 8-10 of the works submitted will be chosen for production. Message us for additional information.