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THIS IS THE HISTORY PAGE OF THE RENO, NEVADA AGELESS REPERTORY THEATRE (ART) ART's own George Randolph and his wife Heppie witnessed a little piece of theater history when they attended the first production of Reader's Theatre in San Francisco. "It was in 1951 that Paul Gregory produced, for the stage, a Readers Theater production of one long scene, 'Don Juan in Hell' from George Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman." No scenery, no props, no lighting effects. Just a shallow stage, black drapes, and four music stands for the scripts. And dressed in formal evening wear...four journeymen stage actors, appearing as the First Drama Quartet. Appearing as Don Juan was Charles Boyer. Agnes Moorhead played Dona Ana. The Father was Sir Cedric Hardwicke. And, as the Devil...and director...was the great Charles Laughton. It knocked 'em dead on Broadway and went on tour. It was 1952 or '53, I believe, when it reached San Francisco with the original cast still intact. The Curran and the Geary theaters stood side by side, twin houses, and Don Juan played one of them. Heppie and I had Sunday matinee seats, way up in the balcony (we spared no expense!). We entered the lobby, clutching our precious tickets, and there, on an easel, was a showcard: MR. LAUGHTON WILL NOT APPEAR AT THIS PERFORMANCE. Standing by the showcard was a gentleman in a tuxedo. Filled with youthful indignation, I marched up to get an explanation for that dismal news. "Very sorry, conflict in schedule, no alternative, the substitute is well rehearsed, has appeared many times, etc." "So, WHO is the substitute?" I demanded. He smiled and replied, "Vincent Price." I should mention, in passing, that the new kid did a great job that afternoon. Before moving to films, Mr. Price had starred on Broadway in "Angel Street", and his stage-sized voice filled the house. As a sleek, smug, suave Satan...he was superb." . . . . George E. Randolph Reader’s theatre, or staged reading, has been a legitimate form of theatre for decades. Ageless Repertory Theatre (ART) began in Reno in 2000 under the direction of Shellee Young, who initially called it Ageless Reader’s Theatre. Shellee was then the director of a group called Theatre in Continuum, a series of workshops designed to further the acting skills of seniors. Shellee saw the potential of producing plays for seniors by seniors, reasoning that plays performed in daytime hours would attract primarily retirees and other seniors. Shellee chose the word Ageless to broaden the appeal of this form of theatre in which actors use a script at all times. Eventually the word Repertory replaced Readers because few people had an inkling of what to expect from a group called Reader’s Theatre. Did people sit around and read scripts for the enjoyment of reading? Well, that too, but NO, the readers perform as actors, interpreting roles with their voices. Costumes and props are minimal, except where they might help define the character, and sets are more often a row of chairs and maybe a table or a telephone. Secondly, repertoire took on more meaning as the group advanced from vignettes to one-act then three-act productions. The first public performance was on May 15, 2001 when a dozen people at Sierra Manor in Sparks gathered to watch three one-act plays. Shellee Young’s play selection for the next four years focused on plays that were adaptable for reader’s theatre. She emphasized literary pieces in which the dialogue was rich and meaningful to senior audiences, so much so that they could forget that the actors were holding scripts the whole time. In January, 2005 Shellee Young left the company to pursue other artistic ventures, and Len Overholser assumed the artistic directorship of Ageless Repertory Theatre. Finding suitable venues for productions is an issue for most small theatrical groups. Ageless Repertory Theatre, early on, formed a union with public libraries and their Friday afternoon performances have been at the Sparks Library since 2002. A core of loyal patrons will not miss a performance at Sparks, citing the comfortable, intimate space and ample parking. Other venues have been churches, senior residences, the Elks Club and the Senior Center in Reno. In 2007 the Laxalt Auditorium inside the Nelson Building, owned by UNR, was made available for ART productions. The group has also performed “on the road,” once in Lockwood and twice in Winnemucca at the historic Martin Hotel by invitation from the Silver Sage Theatre. The group also has a working affiliation with Nevada Shakespeare Company.  Private groups have enjoyed selected productions. Funding is another issue for small groups like Ageless Repertory Theatre.  Royalties are seventy-five dollars per performance, more than that if the playwright is Neil Simon! Funding for royalties, scripts and mailing costs have been met through contributions and, since 2007, from our affiliation with RSVP, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. Ageless Repertory Theatre (ART) strives for variety in its play selection, from classics like Neil Simon’s Sunshine Boys to Del Shores’ Daddy’s Dying, Who’s Got the Will. From silly to sublime, from period pieces to murder mysteries, we’ll tackle any play we think our audience will connect with. While we never forget that laughter is good medicine for us and our audiences, some of our plays deal with serious issues. Audiences enjoyed a recent production of Taking Leave by Nagle Jackson, a tender, yet funny treatment of  Alzheimer’s disease and its effects on family members. Since the summer of 2004 ART has performed to old and new audiences during Reno’s month long ARTOWN festival. In 2006 a highlight for the group was our participation in a program at the Northwest Library called Images: a Photographic Essay which dealt with issues of mental illness. We performed Man Enough by Patty Gideon Sloan and excerpts from Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Cunningham’s The Hours, and Melville’s Moby Dick. In October 2008, ART was invited to front the Reno Pops Symphony as they played a composition by Peter Boyer entitled Ellis Island, the Dream of America. Seven members of the ART troupe interpreted and narrated the words of immigrants coming to America in the early 1900’s via Ellis Island. [Upcoming Performances ] [Past Performances] [The Players]] [ART History ] [Director's Corner ] Please direct questions to:lromjo@charter.net URL of this document: http://webpages.charter.net/agelessrep/history.html