Do you Hear What I Hear? MV’s New Sound System
Frank Calsbeek of Old Pueblo Theatrical Systems installing the new speakers
Andrea Molberg
A new sound system is being installed at MountainView. On behalf of the entire community, Community Circle Players (CCP), SaddleBrooke’s theatre troupe, so compellingly presented the need for the Sound Replacement Project to the SaddleBrooke TWO Board and Finance Committee that their reply was, “Not only do we [SaddleBrooke] need it, we need it now!”
As CCP explained, the new $32,000 MVBR sound system will be used by visiting speakers and presenters, dance and exercise groups, charity fashion shows, golf luncheons, HOA board and committee meetings, fundraising events such as for Senior Village and Pet Rescue, singing groups, religious services, educational lectures, and hearing-challenged residents at any MVBR event.
The updated, digital, state-of-the-art system replaces an antiquated, jerry-rigged analog one with limited outputs for amps and speakers. The 20-year-old system required cables for most connections, presenting a tripping hazard for residents and employees, and the two house speakers in Ballroom East could serve only a small area of the room, leaving many areas, especially in Ballroom Center and West, without adequate sound. Making matters worse, the T-Loop system for the hearing impaired wasn’t fully utilized and worked only with handheld microphones, not the house speakers or wireless mics.
Yet to be added to the hearing enhancement system is a WaveCAST system, costing approximately $1,800. Most new hearing aids have Bluetooth rather than coils. While the T-Coil Loop approach works with an antenna in the floor, best serving the carpeted areas of MV Ballroom, the WaveCAST approach for augmenting sound works through smartphones. WaveCAST transmits on Wi-Fi, gets picked up by smartphones, and is transmitted to hearing aids via Bluetooth.
Hopefully, funds to install this WaveCAST approach can be found, because the equipment is in stock and can be installed in minutes. CCP has offered to provide training and setup help for those with aids and phones who would be interested. Ideally, phone connections would be there in time for the upcoming March dinner theatre.
CCP is committed to making sure sounds are of high quality for all SaddleBrooke events, including Community Circle Players’ productions. Thank you, CCP, for requesting sound enhancements benefiting all of SaddleBrooke.
Cast Chosen for the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre!
Jay Schweitzer and Susan Sterling react to each other during auditions while Lydia Strickland studies what she has to say next.
Elizabeth Mastro faces Pete Frank and Marilyn Ginther as they audition for the role of one of the three spirits—laughter abounds!
Andrea Molberg
Who’s in the “Who Done It?” which playwright Joh Mann describes as “full of murder, mystery, and mayhem”? Auditions for the Community Circle Players (CCP) March murder mystery dinner theatre production of Spook Light Legacy were held in early January.
Director Shawne Cryderman, Assistant Director Al Weigel, and Producer Connie Ward delightedly report that they have chosen the cast: Peter Frank as Mr. Goodrest, Susan Sterling as Mrs. Goodrest, Liz Houser as Helen (the housekeeper), Mark Albrecht as son Hiram Goodrest, Marilyn Ginther as Hiram’s wife Anita, Elizabeth Mastro as daughter Lizzie Goodrest, Carol Henry as Lizzie’s friend Betty, Jay Schweitzer as Michael, Jim Burke as Theodore, Lydia Strickland as Fanny, and Mark Peterson as narrator Dr. Banker.
New to CCP are Mark Peterson and Elizabeth Mastro, plus Jill and Ken Jepson who will be handling props.
What’s the storyline? A dilapidated hotel’s elderly innkeepers, the Goodrests, are trying to decide who should take over the business, which has been in their family for more than 100 years. Spook Light Hotel has quite a history and its share of resident ghostly spirits. To give their father the information he needs to put the right person’s name in the will (plus weed out the good from the evil), the adult Goodrest children are invited home for a dramatic family gathering. A murder occurs.
CCP productions are always a crowd favorite, so mark your calendars for an evening of intrigue, comedy, and the opportunity to solve this murder mystery! Performances will be held six nights from March 25 to 31 (no show on Tuesday, March 28) in the SaddleBrooke TWO MountainView Ballroom.
Ticket sales will be online and begin Wednesday, Feb. 15, via the SaddleBrooke TWO Calendar of Events website. The “no lines and no waiting” process lets your computer mouse do the work. Simply go to tickets.saddlebrooketwo.com and find Spook Light Legacy. The cost of the live show, three-course meal, and processing fee is $59. After lengthy deliberation, CCP raised prices for the first time in six years “because we want an excellent, delicious, enjoyable meal in this economic time of inflation.”
Thanks to the Sound System Replacement project, the new system is compatible with the T-Loop for those with hearing issues. Because of the way that the T-Loop is hardwired into the building, the “best” T-Coil Loop areas of the MV Ballroom will be closer to the walls, as opposed to the center of the room. For more information, please contact CCP cofounders Susan Sterling at [email protected] or Shawne Cryderman at [email protected].
See you there!
The Tributaries Are Returning to DesertView Theatre
Mindy Ronstadt, Ann Vernon, The Tributaries, and Barry Swartzberg
Barry Swartzberg
Last April, the Tributaries rocked the DesertView Theatre, playing to a sold-out auditorium for over two hours in a benefit concert for the Oracle Schools Foundation. This talented group had an enthusiastic audience dancing in their seats and in the aisles, singing along, tapping their toes, and clapping to the music! The concert ended with an energetic crowd giving the band a well-deserved, standing ovation.
The band will be playing an all-new concert, consisting of a medley of songs from the many tribute shows they perform, such as Woodstock; the Eagles; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Linda Ronstadt; Simon & Garfunkel; and Good Morning Vietnam, and more. (Mindy Ronstadt, niece of Linda Ronstadt, is part of this talented group.) In addition to their great vocals and mesmerizing guitar work, the band pays homage to the artists and bands they are showcasing by sharing interesting bits of trivia about them. So, even if you have attended one or more of their shows at the Gaslight Music Hall or elsewhere, this will be an experience you won’t want to miss!
Tickets are now on sale for this April 16 concert. You can purchase them in person at the SaddleBrooke TWO Administration building, online through the DesertView website, or by calling 520-818-1000, Ext. 4.
Not only that, but the concert benefits the Oracle Schools Foundation, which helps fund the preschool and other educational programs at the Mountain Vista School in Oracle to ensure that these students have unlimited opportunity to succeed.