Jean Stapleton News

As the commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War continues, 2013 is especially important to the historic town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as this July marks 150 years since the Battle of Gettysburg, often considered the turning point in the Civil War. In recognition of the place Gettysburg holds in history, Totem Pole Playhouse is partnering with Gettysburg College's Majestic Theater in a special co-production of the acclaimed one-act drama, The Road from Appomattox on the stage of the Majestic from July 10 through July 21. Tickets are on sale now.

JOHN PUTCH'S follow up film to ROUTE 30, entitled ROUTE 30, TOO! will have a special event screening on April 4TH 2013 at the ALAMO DRAFT HOUSE in Winchester, VA.

The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, the only accredited acting studio in the Greater Washington Area, announced today that, on Monday, Feb. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m., it would host an informative interview and Q&A with Hollywood director/producer John Putch that's open exclusively to DC-area actors and acting students. Tickets for the event are $70 and available through Brown Paper Tickets at JohnPutchNCDA.brownpapertickets.com. ($10 discounts are available for members of the Actors Center, the Actors Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA and Conservatory alumni and faculty.)

Sometimes the career you end up with is quite different from what you originally intended. Such is the case with Sue McMurtray. Although a career in show business was not one of her original intentions, McMurtray is retiring as Managing/Marketing Director at South Central Pennsylvania's famous Totem Pole Playhouse, after 28 years. Before McMurtray became a fixture at the summer theater she attended nursing school, became an x-ray technician and eventually ran the historic Penn National Inn, located nearby the Totem Pole Playhouse, between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

Audiences don't want to miss this rare experience to spend an evening with one of America's favorite stars, Sally Struthers. Struthers will appear at the playhouse in SIMPLY: SALLY STRUTHERS, an intimate evening with the Emmy-winning actress...in words, song stories and laughter. Struthers will perform May 8th through May 12, 2013 and is limited to just under 2,000 tickets.

A Christmas Carol may be a theatre staple throughout the holiday season, but the John W Engeman Theatre of Northport, Long Island, has decided to switch things up a bit. Mark Rampmeyer, director of the Engeman's upcoming production, has taken time out of rehearsals to chat with us to give us a sneak peak.

Among the over 300 individuals who gathered this week to honor the late PR Icon, Dale Olson, with an exhibit at the Hollywood Museum and former offices of make-up wizard, Max Factor, included Ruta Lee, Valerie Harper, Garry Marshall, George Schlatter, JoAnne Worley, Kate Linder, Jackie Joseph, Patricia Barry, Ann Jeffreys, Barbra Van Orden, Theodore Bikel, Ilene Graff, Ben Lanzarone, Leonard Maltin, Renee Taylor, Karen Sharpe-Kramer, Martin Wiviott, Hunter and Stan Frieberg. Scroll below for photos from the event.

The Dallas Opera has announced that mezzo-Soprano Susan Nicely will portray twentieth-century culinary icon Julia Child in composer Lee Hoiby's BON APPÉTIT! The one-act operetta, with a libretto by Mark Shulgasser and support from The Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs, is based on two episodes from Julia Child's popular cooking show in which she concocts a chocolate cake.

A celebrated list of industry elite will gather to honor one of Hollywood's greatest cheerleaders - Dale Olson. The Actors Fund and The Hollywood Museum (formerly The Max Factor Museum), will host a memorial for one of the entertainment industry's greatest publicists and industry insiders, who passed in early August. A lobby exhibit will be designed to highlight the remarkable career of the man who many have referred to as the guardian of the Golden Era of Hollywood.

On August 29, Totem Pole Playhouse announced that without $250,000 by October 1, it might not have a 63rd season. Two weeks later, it appears that there may yet be another season en route.

As the curtain goes down this year on Totem Pole Playhouse's 62nd consecutive summer season, the local theatrical mainstay faces a cloudy future in which the curtain may not rise again for a 63rd season.

A celebrated list of industry elite will gather to honor one of Hollywood's greatest cheerleaders - Dale Olson. The Actors Fund and The Hollywood Museum (formerly The Max Factor Museum), will host a memorial for one of the entertainment industry's greatest publicists and industry insiders, who passed in early August. A lobby exhibit will be designed to highlight the remarkable career of the man who many have referred to as the guardian of the Golden Era of Hollywood.

Dale Olson, One of the entertainment industry's greatest Publicists passed away this morning, August 9, 2012, at the Burbank Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center after a long battle with cancer. He was 78.

The beginning of any actor's career is full of uncertainty and anxiety, and brings up many questions that can't be answered right off the bat: Will I get the fame? Will I get the awards? Will I have a long and fulfilling career, or even get to join the union? But before those questions are answered, there's a simpler, more immediate question: will I ever get a job? That question was answered quickly for actor Jackie Robinson, who takes to the stage in Totem Pole Playhouse's fifth offering of its summer season, Almost, Maine, running July 31 through August 12, 2012.

The beginning of any actor's career is full of uncertainty and anxiety, and brings up many questions that can't be answered right off the bat: Will I get the fame? Will I get the awards? Will I have a long and fulfilling career, or even get to join the union? But before those questions are answered, there's a simpler, more immediate question: will I ever get a job? That question was answered quickly for actor Jackie Robinson, who takes to the stage in Totem Pole Playhouse's fifth offering of its summer season, Almost, Maine, running July 31 through August 12, 2012.

Nancy Johnston will replace Allyce Beasley and co-star with Lynne Wintersteller in Kari Floren's two-hander Revisiting Wildfire about two college roommates, best friends for life, who re-unite after thirty years, which begins previews Off-Broadway tonight, June 1.

Nancy Johnston will replace Allyce Beasley and co-star with Lynne Wintersteller in Kari Floren's two-hander Revisiting Wildfire about two college roommates, best friends for life, who re-unite after thirty years.

Meet the Sycamores - the delightfully eccentric family at the center of the action in the madcap comedy classic, You Can't Take It With You. They revel in day-to-day occurrences such as collecting snakes, making fireworks in the basement, and practicing ballet steps in the parlor. When their daughter Alice, decides to invite her conservative boyfriend's family to dinner, they promise to be on their best behavior. However...! Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and adapted into an Academy Award winning film, this beloved comedy has been a perennial favorite to theatre-goers for more than 70 years.

Allyce Beasley and Lynne Wintersteller began rehearsals today as two college roommates, best friends for life, who re-unite thirty years later in Revisiting Wildfire by Kari Floren, directed by Eve Brandstein.

Meet the Sycamores - the delightfully eccentric family at the center of the action in the madcap comedy classic, You Can't Take It With You. They revel in day-to-day occurrences such as collecting snakes, making fireworks in the basement, and practicing ballet steps in the parlor. When their daughter Alice, decides to invite her conservative boyfriend's family to dinner, they promise to be on their best behavior. However...! Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and adapted into an Academy Award winning film, this beloved comedy has been a perennial favorite to theatre-goers for more than 70 years.