New Tampa Players
The Amish Project
By Jessica Dickey
The Amish Project is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., a Concord Theatricals Company
“Something about them makes you wonder-
What am I?
Could I Be -
More?”
— The Amish Project by Jessica Dickey
Please silence your cell phones. There is no intermission during this performance.
Produced with the Generous Support of
Meet the Artists
Michele McCarty Bronson
Michele McCarty is thrilled to be in her third production with New Tampa Players and is so grateful for this experience. Michele spends most of her time behind the scenes as the Middle School Theater teacher/director at Carrollwood Day School, but loves to occasionally make appearances on stage, herself. In her seventeen years living in the Tampa area you may have previously seen her on stage in Acorn Theater’s production of A Glass Menagerie, New Tampa Players productions of Willy Wonka and Quilt, Carrollwood Cultural Center’s production of Oliver, and Innovocative Theater’s production of A Shayna Maidel. Michele would like to extend her thanks to her director, Derek Baxter, for trusting her to tell this story. She would also like to extend all of her love and appreciation to her husband, Tom, and her children for supporting her through the process of becoming seven different people. She promises that she will stop acting so crazy when all of this is over.
Derek Baxter
Derek Baxter is thrilled to be directing The Amish Project and the first production in NTP’s newest performance space, Uptown Stage. Derek currently serves as Artistic Director for NTP and has previously directed The Little Mermaid and The Amazing Arts Challenge. He has over 35 years in the entertainment industry working as a child on Nickelodeon shows All That and on Kenan & Kel. He attended CAP21 and The Experimental Theatre Wing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He has worked events across the world with Feld Enetertinament, Disney Entertainment, the Aerial Angels, and Forbidden Broadway. His directing career began over 15 years ago, and has worked locally with Eight O’Clock Theatre, Carrollwood Players, and Spanish Lyric Theatre. Derek would like to thank the ‘rents, friends and family, and this small but mighty cast and crew.
Production Team
Director: Derek Baxter
Production Manager: Joshua Eberhart
Stage Manager: Joshua Eberhart
Lighting Setup: Craig Hartfield
Lighting Design: Joshua Eberhart
Sound: Derek Baxter
Set Construction: Keith Postle
Costumes: Shelley Giles
Props: Barbara Trax
House Managers: Craig and Janine Hartfield
A Message from the Director:
First and foremost I want to thank you. Thank you for coming out to support New Tampa Players, the arts, and live theatre specifically. We are so thrilled to be opening our brand new performance space, Uptown Stage, and have so many exciting plans in store for the space and New Tampa Players. I don't want to say too much about The Amish Project, the show speaks volumes itself. I ask that you allow these characters to speak to you this evening and take the lessons taught and learned in this script with you and release something you might be holding emotionally that could be holding you back from living your best, fullest, and happiest life. I ask you only to keep looking.
-Derek Baxter, Director
A message from the President:
I am filled with gratitude. There are community and professional theatres all across the country that have closed their doors in the past year, some here in the Tampa Bay area. It has been an immensely difficult year for art, especially live performance, and not even these words do that hardship justice.
Through the dedication of NTP’s board, volunteers, and donors, we have been able to open Uptown Stage. We do not take this for granted.
Thank you to our board members who in the midst of a very difficult situation where the path forward could not be seen worked tirelessly through the past year to ensure NTP’s success. Thank you to the volunteers who worked to pivot and create safe programming and fulfill our mission over the past year. Thank you to the donors, without whom NTP would not be financially healthy today. Especially, thank you to the generous anonymous donors who provided the match donations throughout 2020 and 2021 to challenge our community to support NTP. Thank you to Michele, Derek, Joshua, Craig, Shelley, Barbara, Keith, Carlyn, and Janine who have had the unique task of creating the first production at Uptown Stage during these unprecedented times.
Thank you to you, our audience who are here, present supporting New Tampa Players and live theatre.
-Nora Paine, President of New Tampa Players
Thank you to all of our volunteers for all of their hard work to make this production of The Amish Project possible.
Craig Hartfield
Amish Heritage Foundation
Carrollwood Players
Jill Ricardo
James Cass, Picture This of Palma Ceia
Support Live Theatre
Thank you so much for supporting New Tampa Players, the arts, and live theatre through your presence tonight. As NTP reopens and recovers from COVID, your financial support is crucial. With reduced seating, your support can help bridge the gap between ticket sales and operating and production expenses, keeping us financially healthy and able to provide diverse and accessible performing arts opportunities.
About Uptown Stage
Welcome to Uptown Stage, New Tampa Player’s new space! For your safety and the safety of those around you, please wear a mask while you are inside Uptown Stage. Restrooms are located in the main mall near Burlington Coat Factory. Maps are provided at the front of the theater.
Thank you so much for supporting New Tampa Players and live performance!
Join us for the rest of our summer season!
Motherhood Out Loud
When entrusting the subject of motherhood to such a dazzling collection of celebrated American writers, what results is a joyous, moving, hilarious, and altogether thrilling theatrical play. Utterly unpredictable, Motherhood Out Loud shatters traditional notions about parenthood, unveils its inherent comedy and celebrates the deeply personal truths that span and unite generations.
Motherhood Out Loud reveals with illuminating insight the humor, raw emotions and rocky roads we experience in life.
Bloom
Following the death of his father, 15-year-old Daniel and his mother, Lisa, are forced to move to unfamiliar Flint, Michigan. After a violent outburst at his new school, Daniel’s social worker, Michelle, suggests he spend a week working with her father, Bobby, an urban gardener of several abandoned lots in the middle of the city. A week soon turns into a few months, and, as the two men spend the summer tending the gardens, they begin to plant some much-needed hope in a neighborhood plagued by blight and help each other heal some old wounds. A finalist at the Write Now Festival and a winner of the Aurand Harris Memorial Playwriting Award, Bloom is a coming-of-age story about grief, gardening and growing up.
Polkadots:
The Cool Kids’ Musical
Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical with book by Melvin Tunstall III, music by Greg Borowsky, and and Books, Lyrics and Original Music by Douglas Lyons, follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the “Squares Only” small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot in an all Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers. From daily bullying to segregated drinking fountains, Lily’s quest seems hopeless until she meets Sky, a shy Square boy whose curiosity for her unique polkadot skin blooms into an unexpected pal-ship. Inspired by the events of The Little Rock 9, Polkadots serves as a colorful history lesson for children, reminding them that our individual differences make us awesome, not outcasts.
Upcoming Auditions
Bloom
Auditions will be on Zoom on Sunday, May 23rd from 6PM-9PM and will involve cold readings from the script. Once you have submitted the Google form, we will send you the Zoom link and your audition time. It is recommended that those auditioning log into Zoom via desktop or iPad, as cold readings on a phone may present challenges.
The Audition Form can be found at: https://forms.gle/5DQuca7jRSYQRubx7
Rehearsals will begin in early June and will start on Zoom. Rehearsals will move to in person rehearsals at Uptown Stage near USF on June 5th. Rehearsals will be on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 7-10 PM with the occasional Saturday or Sunday afternoon. All standard social distancing protocols will be in place for rehearsals and performances.
Mandatory Tech Rehearsals are July 11th - 15th.
Mandatory Performance Dates are July 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25
Polkadots:
The Cool Kid’s Musical
Auditions will be via video submission. Through the link in this form, please submit a video of yourself singing 32 bars, along with yourself performing a 1 minute monologue. Submission Deadline is May 19th. Callbacks will be on May 23rd from 1PM-4PM.
Rehearsals will begin in early June and will start on Zoom. Rehearsals will move to in person rehearsals at Uptown Stage near USF on June 20th. Rehearsals will be on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 7-10 PM during late July and August with Saturday or Sunday afternoons during the months of June and early July. All standard social distancing protocols will be in place for rehearsals and performances.
Mandatory Tech Rehearsals are August 15th-19th.
Mandatory Performance Dates are August 20th, 21st, 22, 27, 28, and 29th
This show is appropriate for all ages.