Here are audition notices for the following shows: “The Rainmaker,” “High School Musical 2,” “How I Learned to Drive,” “Camelot,” “A Thousand Clowns,” “Bastard Nation,” “The Dining Room,” “I Hate Hamlet” and “Veronica’s Room.”

Clarkstown High School South’s director Mike DeLucia (mdelucia@ccsd.edu) is looking for the following items for his production of “Cabaret.”

12-20 Old fashioned chairs
6 Old rotary phones
2 Old wall or desk phones
1 Old cash register
1 Old manual typewriter with case

(Mike: I know that Mark Zizolfo at Port Chester High did “Cabaret” last year. He’s at mzizolfo@portchesterschools.org.)

Anyone else have leads for Mike?

Jack Gremli at Nanuet High School is producing “Fiddler on the Roof” March 13 and 14. 

If there’s anyone out there who has “a house (with a roof of course), a milk cart (no horse needed), any other appropriate scenery, and authentic costumes, costumes, costumes,” Jack would love to hear from you.

I know Blind Brook, Carmel and Pleasantville did “Fiddler” last year. Maybe they’ve still got a shtetl in storage?

I’m introducing a new category here at “In the Wings.” In Swap/Shop, I’ll post items that people are looking for or that they have and no longer need.

Joe Egan, who runs Nyack’s theater program and is a set designer by trade, emailed me to say he has a couple of set pieces he’d like to get out of his storage and into yours. His sets are jaw-droppingly beautiful—I’ve seen them at The Emelin, Nyack and Rye Neck—and he’s selling them “real cheap.”

First up are three books for “Into the Woods.” Joe writes “They are about 7’ tall 4’ wide. The books are Cinderella, Jack and The Bakers. They open up and have writing and a room painted on the inside.”

Joe also is looking to sell a Charlie Brown set and props.

If you have storage, and a small budget, and plan to do “Charlie Brown” or “Into the Woods” in the near future, Joe might be your man. Post a comment here, or email him at josephegan@msn.com.

Six months after abruptly losing artistic director Michael Bush, Mamaroneck’s Emelin Theatre today announced Lisa Reilly as the performing-arts center’s new executive director.

“The Board is excited that Lisa is joining the Emelin as its executive director,” Board of Trustees co-Presidents Mark Ettenger and Seth Kaplan said in a media release. “She brings a successful track record running performing arts centers and we are impressed with her enthusiasm for learning about and becoming a part of our diverse community.”

Some retired teachers travel.

Some retired teachers catch up on their pleasure reading.

Cal Chiang is not one of those retired teachers.

Chiang, a longtime director and choreographer at Mamaroneck High School, has turned his attention to community theater. His latest effort, “Hot Mikado” at Nyack’s Elmwood Playhouse (through Dec. 13), finds an artist at the top of his powers in a production that threatens to blow the roof off the charming little space.

“Hot Mikado” is David Bell’s creative reimagining of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta about an emperor, The Mikado; his son, Nanki-Poo, and the girl he loves, Yum-Yum; the Lord High Executioner, who also loves her, Ko-Ko; and Katisha, the woman who loves the Mikado’s son.

Well, I sent out the first of what will be many emails regarding the winter/spring high-school musicals and directors have already begun responding. I’ll continue to post what I get when I get it, along with things that people are looking for.

Hendrick Hudson is doing The Wizard of Oz March 13, 14 and 15 and director Suzanne Schneider says she and co-director Paula Correale are looking for costumes and sets, so if anyone has a connection email me—pkramer@lohud.com—and I’ll put you in touch with them. Or post a comment below…

Tappan Zee is doing Rupert Holmes’ “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” March 27, 28 and 29.

Ramapo is doing “Oliver!” April 3, 4, 5

Tuckahoe is doing “Once on This Island” March 19, 20 and 21

Byram Hills is doing “42nd Street” March 5, 6 and 7

Eastchester chose “Urinetown-The Musical,” April 17, 18 and 19

Clarkstown South chose “Cabaret,” March 20, 21 and 22

Nyack is doing “Disco Inferno.” I don’t have the dates for that one.

The shows will keep trickling in. When they do, you can see them here.

Hey, if you’ve done one of these shows and want to offer advice, post a comment and let’s start a conversation….

Got a note from Joe Brancato, the plenipotentiary of the wonderful Penguin Repertory Company in Stony Point.

It turns out that the belt-tightening we’re all feeling is hitting the tiny theater particularly hard.

County executive C. Scott Vanderhoef has declined to fund the theater for the past several years, even though they used to receive in the area of $12,000 per year as an arts provider. And even though groups like Riverspace in Nyack and various puppet shows receive funding from the county. And Antrim and Elmwood Playhouses in Wesley Hills and Nyack.

The exec and his team don’t like that Brancato runs a professional (Equity) house and pays people and reasons that, if they just didn’t pay people, they’d have all the money they’d need.

And now a new blow: Stony Point has informed Brancato that it won’t pony up the $3,000 it was scheduled to give to the 2009-10 season.

Brancato points out that these governmental decisions have a chilling effect on other giving, too.

“Without the ($3,000 from Stony Point) and at least the $12,000 from the county, we are left
unable to say we get such support and outside foundations simply laugh. Why
should they support when our “own” do not.”

Not a great environment in which to try to plan a season. Writes Brancato: “We are in for a bumpy ride, if any ride at all.”

Jacques le Sourd, The Journal News’ man on the aisle for more than 30 years, was laid off yesterday, part of a cost-cutting plan.

I have been Jacques’ reader, his editor and his colleague. There is no one finer than he.

I learned so much from Jacques, about writing and about theatrical criticism. But more important, Jacques taught me how to represent the paper, to be generous with time and to listen thoughtfully.

I remember watching him run a roundtable discussion at Joe Allen before a long-ago theater season. He was deferential, hospitable and eager to include all in the discussion. He was—and is—a true gentleman.

While I didn’t always agree with his reviews, I read every one, even after I stopped being his editor. Nobody, I mean NOBODY, panned a show like Jacques le Sourd. When he praised a show, you knew they’d earned it.

When I edited Jacques, I’d wait till about 1 or 1:30 to call him. He knew I’d be calling, wondering where his review was. He’d answer the phone with a singsong “I’m writing, I’m writing.”

I hope he continues to write. His voice is too important not to be heard.

All the best, Monsieur le Sourd….

I received the following email from a gentleman who attended Jackie Mason’s show on Saturday and didn’t like what he heard. He gave me the OK to publish his email. Here it is:

“My wife & I were invited by friends to see Jackie Mason this past Saturday night at the Peekskill Paramount Center. Prior to going to see his show, I read your article “Make ‘em Laugh” in the weekend section of the Journal News. (Link here.)

Based on this interview article, my wife & I expected to hear a somewhat balanced comedy routine making fun of all of the recent political candidates for president & vice-president. Instead he launched into a one-sided tirade against Barack Obama making it extremely clear what his political views are. He hardly mentioned John McCain & he highly praised Sarah Palin about what a great governor she is & what a great vice-president/president she would have made.

What kind of jokes or humor is this?

He clearly did not put away his emotional thoughts & stick to the jokes. He criticized Barbra Streisand for promoting a certain issue yet he did exactly the same thing. How do I go about getting my money back as he said is my right in your article?

Bill M., Bronx, New York

Hudson Stage will hold a staged reading of Eric Lane’s “Heart of the City” on Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

The reading is directed by Jonathan Silverstein and features Neal Huff, Dan McCabe, Melissa Miller, Joel Rooks and Lori Wilner. A Q&A with the actors, playwright and director will follow the performance at Woodward Hall on the Briarcliff campus of Pace University.

Billed as “a lyrical ode to contemporary life in New York,” “Heart of the City” presents a host of different New York voices.

“Heart of the City”
When: Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Woodward Hall Theatre is at 235 Elm Road, Briarcliff Manor.
Tickets: $10, general admission. No reservations necessary.
Web: www.hudsonstage.com
Call: 914-271-2811.

Anna Becker’s wonderful “Insights & Revelations Performance Series”—at the Rosenthal JCC at 600 Bear Ridge Road in Pleasantville—will give theatergoers a peek at Aquila Theatre’s Off-Broadway adaptation of “Catch-22,” starring John Lavelle (Broadway’s “The Graduate”) as Yossarian.

The performance is Sunday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., on an off night from its New York City premiere engagement. Aquila company members will present scenes from this new adaptation, and discuss the making of this production.

It is directed by Aquila’s artistic director, Peter Meineck, a Katonah resident, who will lead Sunday’s discussion. Afterward, the artists will join the audience in the lobby for a champagne and dessert reception.

I’m going to see “Hot Mikado” at Nyack’s Elmwood Playhouse this week, but they’re already planning other shows — including “A Thousand Clowns,” directed by Claudia Stefany, who was quite good in last year’s Antrim Playhouse production of “Brooklyn Boy.” Here’s the announcement, with character breakdown.

Got the following email today and thought I’d pass it along….

DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2: ON STAGE NOW AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING

Licenses now available for the second show in the hit franchise; HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: ON STAGE has reached over 3,500 licensed productions worldwide

Disney Theatrical Productions announced today that licenses are now available for DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2: ON STAGE via Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney’s licensing partner. Schools, community theatres and professional theatres around the world can now produce the musical in full-length or one-act versions. HSM2: ON STAGE joins the impressive array of titles already available from Disney.