Baseball is "On Deck" at the Centenary Stage

"'Rounding Third' emerges as more compelling than the average escapist comedy. As Don observes in one of his rare insights, 'The only happy people in the world are the winners.' If that's true, Wallnau, Focht, and Arca must be pretty happy people. "
                                                  Full Review - Nov. 10, 2004
                                                  PETER FILICHIA, Star-Ledger Staff

Photo by Carl Wallnau

Equity Actors Jefferson Arca as "Michael" and Osborn Focht as "Don" in the New Jersey Premiere of ROUNDING THIRD by Richard Dresser at the Centenary Stage Company

“I wanted to win. I really wanted to win!” confides Playwright Richard Dresser about his first experience as a Little League coach for his son Sam’s baseball team, and the incident that provided the inspiration for his humorous and revealing new play, “Rounding Third,” which will make it’s New Jersey premiere at the Centenary Stage Company on November 5.

The two mismatched coaches who end up coaching the same Little League team in “Rounding Third” never agree and yet they are both right, according to the playwright. Don is a tough, hard-working veteran coach who wants to win at all costs, while Michael, a newcomer to the town and to the sport, wants a special activity with his son, who’s never played baseball before. In a tumultuous journey through the season, the two fathers form an uneasy alliance in their efforts to lead the team, from their initial tentative meeting to the climactic championship game.

About The Playwright

Richard Dresser’s plays are widely produced in New York, regionally and in Europe. In New York, he is currently writing the book for the forthcoming Beach Boys musical, “Good Vibrations” which will open in 2005.

Dresser has written extensively for all mediums. His play Below the Belt, a hilarious send-up of the institutionalized employment environment, was a hit at CSC in 2000. Rounding Third, which will appear at CSC Nov 5 – 21st, was performed at the John Houseman Theatre in New York last year with Matt Arkin in the role of Little League coach, “Michael.” His latest comedy, Rounding Third is a humorous look at the world of Little League baseball through the eyes of two mismatched dad-coaches with very different outlooks on life and sports.

Television audiences will remember Dresser from his HBO Series “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,” and “Vietnam Stories.” Among his many West Coast projects, Dresser also worked on The Job with Denis Leary (ABC) and The Education Of Max Bickford (CBS) with Richard Dreyfuss.

The Cast

Two mismatched coaches who end up coaching the same Little League Team - Roundiing Third. (click to larger image)

 
CSC welcomes Equity actors Osborn Focht and Jefferson Arca to portray the roles of Don and Michael. Focht made his Broadway debut in the 1998 Paul Simon play, Capeman. His other stage credits include five seasons with the Opera Company of Philadelphia and five years as a Mervtone with Merv Griffin and his Orchestra. He recently appeared as Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities at the Seaside Music Theatre and in Sweeney Todd at Centenary Stage in Baltimore. In addition to his acting career, Focht is one of the co-creators of the online comic strip, billZbob.

Jefferson Arca has been featured in the John Sayles films “Silver City” and “E-5”, as well as on HBO’s “The Sopranos”. As a stand-up comedian, Arca has appeared in several comedy clubs, including Danny’s Skylight Room and THEATRIX, both in New York City . His stage credits include many New York and regional theatre performances, including Paul in Barefoot in the Park at the Mill Mountain Theatre in Virginia and the lead in Ampersand at the Riverside Stage Company in New York City.
 
 
 

Richard Dresser To Speak At
Centenary Stage Sunday Symposium Series
Sunday, November 14, 2004

Playwright, film, and television author Richard Dresser will be in Hackettstown on Sunday, November 14, and will speak to audiences following the matinee performance of his new play, “Rounding Third” at the Centenary Stage Company.

The Sunday Symposium Series at Centenary Stage Company is an ongoing series of events designed to provide audiences and the public with an inside look at the world of theatre, from panel discussions about the history and genre of plays, to up-close meetings with playwrights, designers and casts of a wide array of new and classic works.

For more information about the Sunday Symposium with Richard Dresser or the CSC Production of “Rounding Third,” call 908-979-0900.

The Sunday Symposium Series and all performances at the Centenary Stage Company are made possible in part through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, PennPAT, ( Pennsylvania Arts on Tour) and American Airlines, the official airlines of the Centenary Stage Company and Arts Guild Members and Sponsors.

Performances

Equity actors Osborn Focht and Jefferson Arca - Rounding Third. (click to larger image)

 
 
“Rounding Third” will be performed Nov 5 - 21 in the Centenary Theatre on the campus of Centenary College in Hackettstown. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 P.M., Sundays at 2:30 P.M., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., with additional matinees on Fri., Nov 5 at 2:30 p.m., Wed., Nov 10 at 2:30 p.m., and Wed., Oct 17 at 11 a.m (student matinee).
 
 
 
 
 

Individual Tickets

Individual Tickets

How to Purchase Tickets
Individual Tickets (and Subscription Purchases, when available) can be purchased through our Secure Online Ordering System or by calling the Centenary Stage Company Box office at 908-979-0900. Tickets are also available at Greene's Beans Coffee Shop on High Street in Hackettstown.