Phil Bandy and Dave May  in
"A Tuna Christmas"
 and more  ...
Poncan  Theatre
    December,  2011
Newsreel Logo 1
MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW for these UPCOMING  EVENTS 

NOV 25th and 26th
at 7:30
NOV 27th at 2:00,
"A Tuna Christmas" starring our very own Phil Bandy and Dave May in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas

DEC 1st and 2nd at
7:30, Final performances of "A Tuna Christmas" ... still time to enjoy the show!       

DEC 3rd
: NOTICE! The December Poncan Opry is postponed into next year!  The Opry is a great show, however, it would have been difficult to compete with the  OSU-OU football bedlam series game!

DEC 6th: 7:30 FREE concert brought to you by the Ponca City Arts and Humanities Council  "The Great Big Band" - Swing and Sway with the Holidays!

DEC 16th and 17th: 7:00
A special Seasonal Sensation "A Live Holiday Revue" presented by Inciardi School of Dance and Evans Children's Academy of Performing Arts!

Mark these dates on your 2012 calendar now!

FEB 4th: The Poncan Opry returns for the 8th and final performance of the season.

MAR 1st, Thursday, Franc D'Ambrosio's "Hollywood" songs from the silver screen

APR 19th, Thursday, The Perfect Gentlemen in "A Night of Vaudeville"

MAY 10th, Thursday, The Alley Cats, one of the best hip-hop groups in our area
 
 OUR SEASON SPONSORS 

ConocoPhillips


Eastman National Bank

Evans and Associates


Fred Boettcher Law


Head Country Food Products

Ponca City Energy

Ponca City Publishing Co.

Ponca City Tourism

Quality Water Systems

 
Quick Links

Upcoming Performances

About Us and Our History

PURCHASE TICKETS


Contact Us
THE PONCAN THEATRE
104 East Grand Ave.
Ponca City, Oklahoma 74601
580.765.0943

Office Hours, M-F from 1-5

Visit our web-site at
The Poncan Theatre


The NEWSREEL has gone GREEN in an effort to save printing and mailing costs.  Please pass along any comments or suggestions to Charles Hall (volunteer) at: [email protected]


IF you would like to read past issues of the Newsreel visit the Poncan Theatre web-site - click here!  


 
Greetings!,
 
OK, Phil Bandy and Dave May won't be charged for murder, but they will slay a lot of folks with their hilarious performance
of "A Tuna Christmas" ... the funniest show you'll ever see!!    
 

Tuna Christmas Poster 

  

This is the perfect fun-filled night out for families or groups during the holiday season.  It will be presented Thanksgiving weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so if you have relatives coming to visit you can take them to the Poncan for a great evening of hilarity.  "A Tuna Christmas" is set in the fictitious small town of Tuna, Texas where the "Christmas Phantom" is up to his old tricks of destroying Christmas yard displays all over town during the Tuna radio station OKKK annual yard display contest.

 

The thing that makes "A Tuna Christmas" unique is that all of the characters of Tuna are played by only two actors.  Dave May and Phil BandyThe Poncan Theatre production utilizes veteran actors Phil Bandy and Dave May who are both reprising their various roles for their third production of "A Tuna Christmas".

 

Director Doobie Potter said, "Phil and Dave are perfect for these roles.  It takes actors who are capable of not playing just one person convincingly, but several different people, men, women and children.  There is a great comic chemistry between Phil and Dave that will have the audiences rolling in the aisles."    

 

Performances are November 25th & 26th at 7:30 and November 27th at 2:00, and the final performances are December 1st and 2nd at 7:30.

 

 ============================================  

 

DECEMBER 16th and 17th at 7:00 PM  

A very special Seasonal Sensation  

"A Live Holiday Revue"  

   

Don't miss this feel-good, family-friendly Christmas variety show brought to you by Director Suzanne Kem (of Inciardi School of Dance) and numerous volunteers and performers who are all donating their time and efforts for the benefit of the Poncan Theatre! The "Seasonal Sensation" will be presented in the traditional format of NYCs Radio City Music Hall - where a movie is preceded by a live musical revue!

 

The Wee Rocketts, a line of very young dancers, will warm your hearts as they appear on the Poncan stage for the first time. Rudolph will also be kicking up his heels on stage, so bring your family and enjoy the show, and help benefit our historic Poncan Theatre during this holiday season.
    



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEHIND  THE  SCENES  QUESTION  OF  THE  MONTH  .  .  .  .

The next issue of the Newsreel (which will be released in February, 2012) will talk about the history of the Will Rogers painting that is in the lobby of the Poncan.  Be the first to respond to this question and win two tickets to a future performance at the theatre:

Name two prominent Ponca City citizens from the 1940s who were connected in some manner to the Will Rogers painting (hint, one person's art collection is in the Ponca City library).

The first correct response sent to the Newsreel at:  [email protected]  wins two tickets to a future performance at the theatre!

Last month, Nancy West Chesson answered the question "Who was the resident theatre artist from the 30s, 40s and 50s?" and won two tickets to a future performance at the Poncan Theatre.  Nancy and her two brothers, Bill and Terry, worked at the theatres for Don and Frances Hall during the 1960s.  (The answer was Earl Sturgis).  Read more about Earl in the Behind the Scenes article below.   

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
Poncan Opry

    SPECIAL NOTICE!  The December PONCAN OPRY has been POSTPONED into next year (February 4th) so everyone can enjoy the OSU/OU bedlam series football game on December 3rd!      

==============================================================  

In Memory, JoAnn Muchmore, February 4, 1937 to November 1, 2011

 

JoAnn Muchmore was remembered during a memorial service at the Poncan Theatre on November 9th.

Jo Ann Muchmore 1996
JoAnn Muchmore 

In 1991, JoAnn returned to Ponca City and indicated one of her principal reasons for returning to Ponca was the "importance of saving the Poncan for generations to come". As Executive Director of the theatre, she provided the leadership that resulted in the second grand opening of the theatre in 1994 following extensive restoration efforts.  

 

During her tenure she started and directed the annual fundraising event "Taste & Tasteless" which she continued to produce for the next 19 years. She was at the helm during the fundraising, restoration and the important early days of re-establishing the theatre to "Bring Back the Magic!"   

 

She will be remembered as a true Friend of the Poncan!       

 
    
 

 

=============================================================

BEHIND THE SCENES .... BEHINDtheSCENES

A bit of history, and remembering Poncan Theatre artist Earl Sturgis.

During the early days of the motion picture industry, theatres employed their own graphic artists to create "lobby art" to promote upcoming films.Shirley Temple Print  The Hollywood studios and promoters provided photographs and the artists would then paint the art for the local theater. Gone are the days of the independent theater artist and what was known at the time as the "exploitation department". Sadly, most of the artwork has been destroyed. Because canvas was expensive, it was reused many times, thereby losing the underlying art work forever.  During WWII, the paper drives often cleaned out the art from theaters. Several years ago, the Poncan Theatre discovered a treasure of lobby art hidden away in the theatre. This unique collection is very rare.  Through the generosity of patrons of the Poncan Theatre, these original works have been cleaned, framed and are displayed in the lobbies of the theatre.  Prints of the historic art work, thanks to the efforts of Roger Hall (Visual Solutions), are on display in the theatre offices and prints (not framed) are available for $15 if you are looking for that special Christmas gift this year! 

 

The local Poncan Theatre artist for many years was W. Earl Sturgis. 
W. Earl Sturgis
He worked as an Art Manager in Joplin, Wichita, and Dallas, before being hired by Fred Pickrel in Ponca City in 1937, working there until he retired in 1955. If you were growing up in Ponca in the 40s and 50's you will probably recall the banners that would span the width of the theatre entrance advertising the movie.  Charles Hall recalls his time at the theatre watching Mr. Sturgis do his magic in the theatre "Art Shop" (which was located on the third floor behind the projection booth.).  The smell of the oil based paint, his paint brushes and paint palettes, and the glitter he would sprinkle on the fresh paint are all special memories of the theatre.  Mr. Sturgis would also occasionally do a portrait or a landscape.  A portrait of Don Hall by Mr. Sturgis is displayed in the theatre lobby, painted in 1948.
  

Earl Sturgis White Christmas Banner
Banner painted by Earl Sturgis, Poncan Theatre Artist
 
Arts and Humanities help support the programs at the Poncan
2012 Grant Funding

 Funding for the Poncan Theatre is provided in part from grants from these organizations. 

 

About Us
The Poncan Theatre is a non-profit organization striving to support the arts in Ponca City and the surrounding area.  Your donations help support the Evans Children's Academy of Performing Arts, the Poncan Opry, the FREE Children's Summer Film Festival, and numerous concerts throughout the year.