By Carol McCracken (Post # 308)
The Silver Stars will raise a (symbolic) curtain on its first reading when it presents excerpts from the “Spoon River Anthology”, Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31st at the historic Eastern Cemetery at the base of the Hill. The reading begins at 6:00 p.m. and lasts about l/2 hour. The director is Denver Rey Whisman. The event is free, but donations would be appreciated.
The Silver Stars is an accomplished group of actors in Portland that meets monthly for the sole purpose of reading a good play. The Silver Stars meet at the Hill home of actress Sue Yandell. “It’s for actors too old to get roles we’d like to play,” said Yandell. “So we read them in my living room and it’s fun.” There are about ten in the group.
The idea is the brainchild of Sue Yandell. She and Denver met this past January at the Hilltop Coffee Shop to discuss the idea. They contacted other actors in the Portland area and the group formed from there. ”It’s for older actors who no longer are chosen for roles they want. The readings are not restricted by age and appearance. Many seniors have short-term memory loss and can’t memorize long parts, so this works for them,” Yandell said over the telephone.
Denver Rey Whisman is a veteran actor for Portland Stage Co. Last season he appeared in “Julius Caeser”, “Peer Gynt” and in the ensemble of “A Christmas Carol.” He was trained at Acorn Studios by Mike Levine. Whisman was a 2008 finalist in the Maine Short Play Festival. Yandell likewise was trained at Acorn Productions by Mike Levine.
The Silver Stars invite the public to attend its premier reading at Eastern Cemetery and hear the stories amid the tombstones from the mythical Midwestern town of Spoon River.
Please call Sue Yandell for more information at 899-1012.
