UP NEXT!  

Our 2009 Fundraiser 

Yesterdays emerged on the scene almost 17 years ago in the early 1990's. A project spanning nearly two decades, the members of Yesterdays pursued a tireless effort to reproduce classic tunes as close to the original studio recordings as possible.   From paying dues early on in small clubs, starting gigs at 12 midnight and clam jams to venues like Mothers, Club Bene, The Birch Hill, The Globe Theater, The Middle East and The Electric Factory, Yesterdays has matured both musically and spiritually.  Desire and passion to re-create such memorable epic pieces drew the members deeper into the music.  Yesterdays  quickly saw that their ideas had gotten bigger, their desire had gotten stronger, and the answer was in Theaters.  

OUR 2008 SEASON:

ANGEL OF MUSIC - A Midsummer Serenade with Crista Orefice

When: August 17th 2008 - 4pm
Location: The Historic Darress Theatre - 615 Main Street, Boonton, NJ

Join us Sunday afternoon for this eclectic presentation of songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Grobin, Simon & Garfunkel, Jeff Lynne and others...

"Crista has a lovely voice... and is capable of wonderful things!" --Michael Crawford, Star of Phantom of the Opera
 
"Crista Orefice has a voice with the clarity of Swarovski Crystal."  --Pamela Agatino, friend of Simon Cowell

Featuring Special Guest Tenor Gregory Cilmi

THE ME NOBODY KNOWS
Music: Gary William Friedman
Lyrics: Will Holt
Book: Robert H. Livingston, Herb Schapiro, Stephen M. Joseph

Directed by Laura A. Rizzo
Co-Directed by Gregory Cilmi
Musical Direction-Abigail Lumsden
Choreography by Carrie Nagy

Produced in part by a grant from Orange Board of Education, Orange, NJ

"These are children's voices from the ghetto. In their struggle lies their hope, and ours. They are the voices of change."

Four performances! August 7-10, 2008

LOCATION: Roy Arias Theatre II, 9th Ave, between 43rd and 44th St., NYC

Inspired by the anthologized writings of nearly 200 New York City students, aged 7 through 18 and subtitled "Children's Voices From the Ghetto"; Stephen M. Joseph, a teacher, edited the collection, which the children had written about their feelings and their neighborhoods. According to Mr. Joseph, they wrote "for keeps" and "like it is." At odds with a squalid setting and a cynical, materialistic view of the world, themes of hope and renewal emerged. To guarantee uplift, samples from the students' work were interwoven with a ground-breaking score that combined rock music, classical fugues, early rap and jazz.

Critics were overwhelmingly impressed by the vitality, passion, honesty and powers of observation shown by the young writers, as they painted a moving but sometimes ugly picture of inner city life, and there were hit records by The Staple Singers ("This World") and The Fifth Dimension ("Light Sings").

We are pleased to announce the following cast:

RHODA - SOBRUNA VASTEY
LILLIAN - JESSICA BROWN
CARLOS - MARQUIS TYREE
LILLIE MAE - MAKKEDAH LICHON MILLER
BENJAMIN - TERRILL BRASWELL
CATHERINE - KATARINA SPUNGEN
MELBA - SHERLITA MARLO MCCANN
LLOYD - YUSEF ALI HARRIS
DONALD - ODE G. 
CLOROX - DAVON TARIQ DIEHL
WILLIAM - BLAIR STAFFORD
NELL - REGINA SHIELDS
ENSEMBLE: 
LOOPY - LE'ANDREA JOHNSON
RITCHEL - RITCHEL AWOYERA
DASHEAN - MICHAEL SMITH
VICTOR - VICTOR ANDERSON

All Performances will be held at the Roy Arias Theatre in Manhattan and a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit Children's Hunger Fund.

LORO KIDUL

The mysteries of the Middle and Far East come to life for ONE NIGHT ONLY in "LORO KIDUL, a Celebration in Dance."

On June 22, 2008 at 6pm, The Temple Goddess dancers and featured guest artists will bring to life the tale of NYAI LORO KIDUL, the legendary Javanese Goddess of the sea.  Her story is one of a beautiful maiden, who controls the violent waves of the Indian ocean.  Depicted as a mermaid and going by several names, Nyai Loro Kidul has the ability to change her shape several times a day, and thus gives the waves an appearance of serenity and of destruction at any given moment. Told through the art of bellydance and featuring a spectacular light show, this event will be held at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, NJ and a four-course meal will be served which includes an appetizer,dinner,soda,dessert,and coffee/tea.  SEATING IS LIMITED!  Tickets are $50.00 and can be purchased online or at the door. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 917-501-8759. 

All are welcome to this fun-filled evening of middle eastern performances and for those who want to keep the party going, Open Dancing will be presented immediately following the show; hipscarves and other souveniers will be available throughout the night.

OUR 2007 SEASON

"MARRIAGE IS MURDER" By Nick Hall
Mar 29, 2007 8:00 PM - Apr 8, 2007 8:00 PM
Performed at Access Theater -
380 Broadway, 4th floor - Two blocks south of Canal Street at the corner of White Street
Directed by JoAnn Oakes, SSDC
Starring: Perry Award winning actress Christie Oakes as Polly Butler and Gregory Cilmi as Paul Butler

Ex spouses Paul and Polly Butler write murder mysteries together. They act out the crimes in Paul's apartment: poisoned food and drinks, alibis and fingerprints, bodies in a trunk and bodies all tied up, daggers, guns and even an axe all contribute to the hilarity. Nobody gets hurt, but their egos take some hits as they find that their marriage was mixed up with their work. There are many fast paced comic twists as they attempt to outdo and surprise each other and they learn that marriage, like murder, is in the details. The final witty complication is a real murder which they and the audience will have to solve. This murderously funny two character comedy runs for two weeks only, with a special Easter performance benefitting Smile Train.

“Six Degrees of Separation” by John Guare
Produced in association with the C.A.G.E. Theatre Co. and Hudson Shakespeare Company 
Mar 15, 2007 8:00 PM - Mar 24, 2007 8:00 PM
Performed at Access Theater -
380 Broadway, 4th floor - Two blocks south of Canal Street at the corner of White Street

Directed by Jon Ciccarelli
Assistant Directed by Leticia Diaz.

Starring:
Michael Hagins - Paul
Susan Mirwis - Ouisa
Dan Burkarth - Flan
Timothy J. Cox - Larkin
Elizabeth Yokam - Kitty
Gerry Kirschbaum - Geoffrey
Alice Starr McFarland - Tess
Roy Aialon - Trent
David King - Woody/Rick
Manny Liyes - Doctor Fine
Lauren Kelston - Elizabeth
Dan Zimmerman - Doug
Michael Rhett - Hustler/Ben

Winner of the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Play and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. No subject is left untouched in this comic, fast-paced and affecting piece. The title refers to a statistical theory which states that any two people in the world can be connected through only six other people. The play is an examination of the threads of chance that link one person to another. Inspired by a true story, the play follows the trail of a young black con man, Paul, who insinuates himself into the lives of a wealthy New York couple, Ouisa and Flan Kittredge, claiming he knows their son at college. Paul tells them he is the son of actor Sidney Poitier, and that he has just been mugged and all his money is gone. Captivated by Paul's intelligence and his fascinating conversation (and the possibility of appearing in a new Sidney Poitier movie), the Kittredges invite him to stay overnight. But in the morning they discover him in bed with a young male hustler from the streets, and the picture begins to change. After kicking him out, Ouisa and Flan discover that friends of theirs have had a similar run-in with the brash con artist. Intrigued, they turn detective and piece together the connections that gave Paul access to their lives. Meanwhile, Paul's cons unexpectedly lead him into darker territory and his lies begin to catch up with him. As the final events of the play unfold Ouisa suddenly finds herself caring for Paul, feeling that he gave them far more than he took and that her once idyllic life was not what it seemed to be.

OUR 2006 SEASON:

 
"DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA" By John Patrick Shanley
Oct 16, 2006 8:00 PM - Oct 22, 2006 9:30 PM
Performed at ALTERED STAGES.
212 W. 29th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

Starring Gregory Cilmi and Leticia Diaz
Directed by JoAnn Oakes, SSDC
Original concept by David Braucher

The setting is a rundown bar in the Bronx, where two of society's rejects, Danny and Roberta, strike up a halting conversation over their beer. He is a brooding, self-loathing young man who resorts more to violence than reason; she is a divorced, guilt-ridden young woman whose troubled teenage son is now being cared for by her parents. Danny, whose fellow truck drivers call him "the beast," seems incapable of tender emotion, while Roberta, who is still haunted by the memory of an ugly sexual incident involving her father, is distrustful of men in general. And yet, as their initial reserve begins to melt, and they decide to spend the night together, the possibility of a genuine and meaningful relationship begins to emerge—the first for both of them. In the end there are no facile, easy answers, but thanks to the playwright's skill and compassion, both characters are able to probe within themselves to find an exorcism and forgiveness that, while painfully achieved, offers the hope of a future touched, at last, with more than the bitterness and loneliness that had been their lot before their fateful meeting.