DRAMA ASSOCIATION OF ROSSMOOR
  • WELCOME
  • NEWS/EVENTS
  • CLASSES +
  • PERFORMANCES
  • ORGANIZATION
  • DAOR Scholarship
  • IN REMEMBRANCE
  • PHOTOS
    • DAOR Members Out & About
    • 2026 Gathering
    • 2025 Holiday Party
    • 2025 Playwrights' Choice
    • 2025 Grand Horizons
    • 2025 Quartet
    • 2025 Flamingo Court
    • 2025 Island of Beyond
    • 2025 Gathering
    • 2024 Holiday Party
    • 2024 The Clean House
    • 2024 Annual Mtg
    • 2024 Music Man
    • 2024 The Skin of Our Teeth
    • 2024 Homecare
    • 2024 Social Security
    • 2024 Your 2 Cents: “Friends and Mothers"
    • 2024 Gathering of the Company
    • 2023 Holiday Party
    • 2023 Your 2 Cents: “The Haggle"
    • 2023 Sylvia
    • 2023 Annual Mtg
    • 2023 Interview with an Icon
    • 2023 Voice Class
    • 2023 Act II Improv
    • 2023 Singin' in the Rain
    • 2023 Silent Sky
    • 2023 Spring Into Poetry
    • 2023 Scholarship Award
    • 2023 I'll Eat You Last
    • 2023 An Inspector Calls
    • 2023 Your 2 Cents: “Triple Play”
    • 2023 Gathering of the Company
    • 2022 Holiday Party
    • 2022 Tiny House
    • 2022 Annual Mtg
    • 2022 Fifty Years of British Comedy
    • 2022 Singalong -Annie Get Your Gun
    • 2022 Proof
    • 2022 Sweet Delilah Swim Club
    • 2022 Friends with Disabilities
    • 2021 Fall for Poetry
    • 2021 Shakespeare Comes to DAOR
    • 2021 On With The Show
    • Photos 2020
    • Photos 2019
    • A Doll's House, Part 2
    • Oklahoma singalong
    • Broadway Bound
    • Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
    • 2018 Our Town
    • Photos 2017 - 2018
  • PERFORMANCES 2025
  • PERFORMANCES 2024
Annual Gathering of the Company

Monday, January 12
2:00 p.m.
Fireside Room, Gateway
Free


Members of the Drama Association of Rossmoor (DAOR) will preview the club’s 2026 programs on all aspects of the theater arts at the annual Gathering of the Company on Monday, January 12 at 2 p. m. in the Fireside Room at Gateway.

The DAOR Artistic Committee will highlight the coming year’s lineup of new Naked Stage productions, inter-active classes, and other social events. The Gathering is an opportunity to meet new members, hear from first-time volunteers about what that participation meant to them and discover ways to help make theatrical dreams come true. Entertainment and refreshments will be included in the program. Team Trivia will pair members to discover fun tidbits about the club’s history and current dramaturgical activities.

 ALL  Rossmoor residents are welcome! If you’re curious about what the Drama Association offers to members, this is the time to come and hear about our upcoming year’s offerings. For information, please call Gay White at (925)899-1885.​

​​
Curtain Up!

Playwrights’ Choice: Seven Plays in Search of an Audience
Friday and Saturday, November  21 and 22
2:00 p.m.
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
Free
​
Curtain Up!
​

"My Will and My Life" by Harry Cronin
Friday and Saturday, November 15 and 16
2 p.m.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
$5 donation to the DAOR/Jean Wilcox Scholarship fund.


The one-person play highlights the impact of the ministry of Father Mychal Judge, the first officially identified victim of the 9/11 tragedy in New York and features area-based actor John Tranchitella, directed by critically acclaimed director Shannon Nicolson. Tranchitella appeared in Rossmoor last November with his moving portrayal of John F. Kennedy in “JFK: A Remembrance.”

Father Mychal Judge was a Franciscan priest and chaplain for the NYC Fire Department. He has been called the “Saint of 9/11”. The story is told by George, a New York City fireman and 9/11 first responder, who was with Father Mychal when he was killed in the collapse of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. A closeted gay man, George recounts how Father Mychal helped him on his raw emotional journey filled with sorrow, redemption, and ultimately hope.

The play and Tranchitella’s performance received “Best in Fringe” at the San Francisco Fringe Festival. The work raises such profound issues that the actor Tranchitella will join the audience for a short 20-minute talk-back after each performance.

The Rev. Harry Cronin, who died in April, 2022,had a varied career as a priest and in the theater. He was a prolific playwright, director and teacher. His many awards included the James H. Mitchell Memorial Award for playwrighting from the University of Notre Dame; a McKnight Foundation Graduate Theater Fellowship at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis; a fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts; and two Los Angeles Drama-Logue Awards.


While no reservations are necessary, the show is being performed as a benefit for the DAOR/Jean Wilcox Scholarship for Theater Arts, and a minimum $5 donation will be appreciated.
​


Mamma Mia Sing-Along
Friday, July 18
5:30 p.m.
Diablo Room, Hillside
Free
Reservations Required by July 16
Reservations
​Rossmoor residents and guests are invited to a sing-a-long with “Mamma Mia”, the 2008 jukebox musical based on the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA, to be shown on the big screen in the Diablo Room at Hillside on Friday, July 18, beginning at 5:30 p. m. with a bring-your-own picnic dinner.  The event is sponsored by the Drama Association of Rossmoor (DAOR) and is free, but reservations are required. The program will feature movie trivia at 6 p. m., followed by the film at 6:15 p. m. Lyrics will appear on the screen.

See Meryl Streep in overalls on a magical Greek Island; see Christine Baranski’s high kicks on a beach; hear Colin Firth and his little guitar ballad; and hear Pierce Brosnan in a rare singing performance. Dress in leisure costume and sing along to “Take a Chance on Me”, “Souper Trouper” and ABBA’ #1 hit signature song “Dancing Queen”.

Along with the bring-your-own picnic dinner, attendees should also bring their own adult beverages, plates, utensils and cups.  DAOR will provide water, as well as dessert at halftime.

Please make reservations at rossmoordrama.com by July 16 to allow for adequate seating. 

For questions, call (925) 899-1885.


Berkeley Rep Docent Talk
​
Wednesday, May 21
10:30
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
Free
Click for more information ...
​DAOR - Jean Wilcox Scholarship
​

Award Ceremony
Saturday, May 10
2:00 p.m.
Stanley Dollar Clubhouse
Free


​The Drama Association of Rossmoor  will present the 2025 Jean Wilcox Scholarship for Theater Arts to Olivia Friedenreich, a senior in the Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies (TDPS) at the University of California Berkeley.Friedenrich, whose concentration is directing, will receive the scholarship at an awards ceremony on Saturday, May 10, 2 p.m. at the Stanley Dollar Clubhouse.

The scholarship is given annually to a college student who has shown great potential in the theater arts and wishes to pursue further training.  This is the fourth award in partnership with the UCBerkeley TDPS programs and the 13th since the scholarship program was established. It is funded by the proceeds of DAOR’s Naked Stage productions.  This year’s scholarship amount is $4,000.

Friedenrich recently completed her senior capstone, directing the first act of “Top Girls” by Caryl Churchill. She is one of only four students selected each year to direct a TDPS Workshop production. Previously at TDPS, she served as assistant director or dramaturg for a number of shows.  Outside the department she has directed Antonio Caldara’s “The Card Game” for the Handel Opera Project in the summer of 2023 and “Outside Mullinger” by John Patrick Stanley for a student theater group last spring.
           
“The production of “Outside Mullinger” is one of the best productions I have seen at UCBerkeley,” said Laxmi Kumaran, undergraduate academic advisor and continuing lecturer.  “Olivia is deeply interested in the nature of human relationships and how human connection can be presented on stage. She likes to engage with works that ask big questions about life and allow the audience to form their own answer.”
           
At the ceremony, Friedenrich will present a short monolog and talk about her directing process and the kinds of plays she is drawn to.  Speakers will include Kumaran; Gay White, president of DAOR; and Jean Wilcox, a founder of DAOR and for whom the scholarship is named. David Wilcox is chairman of the DAOR Scholarship Committee.  A jazzy Power Point presentation will feature highlights from DAOR’s history and some of the past recipients of the scholarship.  Refreshments will be available.
           
“Attendees at these scholarship award events have always been captivated by the joyousness and entertainment values of the occasion, said White. “Our board and membership believe that awarding this scholarship to a deserving college student studying theater arts is one of the most important things it does.” 
 

Curtain Up!
​

"Love in the Time of Call I.D." by Rod McFadden
Friday, February 20, 2 p.m.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
Admission is free


"Love in the Time of Caller I.D.," by DAOR member Rod McFadden, will be performed in the Hillside Performing Arts Studio on Friday, February 20, 2026, at 2 p.m.  The play was originally performed by the DAOR back in 2020, during the covid shutdown, when it was the DAOR's first ever "Zoom" play performance.  But "in-person" performances in Richmond, San Francisco, and Miami have proven that the play's humor is best enjoyed live, not online.  So this encore DAOR performance promises to be extra fun.
 
The play is set in 2004, in the early days of the cell phone revolution.  Inspired by 19th century comedies of mistaken identity, but updated to a time when much of our identities are stored in our phones.  Through a series of phone calls, the play follows the machinations and hijinks of six characters trying to create true human connections, but accidental phone swaps keep getting in the way.
 
The performance will feature the acting talents of Martha Hawkins, Gay White, Maria Faer, Mar Leigh Jennings, Rod McFadden, and Joe Costella.
 
Rod McFadden began writing plays in 2009. Since then, his plays have received over 100 productions by independent theaters throughout the country.  He has received awards in national playwriting competitions, and his short play, “One Monkey More or Less” was chosen for publication in the Smith and Kraus anthology, “Best 10-Minute Plays of 2015.”
McFadden is also an experienced actor and director and has been seen by Rossmoor audiences in DAOR productions of “Sylvia,” “Silent Sky,” “Proof,” and “Our Town.”  He has taught DAOR classes in playwrighting, acting, and play analysis.  He has also been a guest lecturer/teacher at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.


Curtain Up!
​

"Based on a True Story ... three short plays" by Rod McFadden
Friday, May 17, 2 p.m.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
Admission is free


The plays are “Curt and Laura: A story of Love and Big Numbers” based on two Bay Area high school students who made a historic discovery in mathematics in the late 1970s; “Of Men and Machines” which shows the amazing accomplishments of Alan Turing who helped the Allies win WWII while also laying the groundwork for the modern computer; and “An Improvident and Extravagant Exercise of Power”, the story of a young woman whose personal needs get her caught up in one of the most significant legal and political issues of the 20th century.

The three plays will be performed by Mar Jennings, Gay White, Ann McCullough, Linda Kelp, Ed Kimak, Kevin O’Byrne, Joe Costella and Rod McFadden.  The plays will be directed by Ed Kimak, Linda Kelp and Rod McFadden.

Rod McFadden began writing plays in 2009.  Since then, his plays have received over 100 productions by independent theaters throughout the country. He has received awards in national playwriting competitions. His short play, “One Monkey More or Less” was chosen for publication in the Smith and Kraus anthology, “Best 10-Minute Plays of 2015”.

McFadden, also an experienced actor and director, has been seen by Rossmoor audiences in DAOR productions of “Sylvia”, “Silent Sky”, “Proof”, and “Our Town”.  He has taught DAOR classes in playwriting, acting, and play analysis.  He has also been a guest lecturer for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.



Berkeley Rep Docent Talk

Wednesday, April 9
10:30 a.m.
Performing Arts Studio, Hillside
Free


​The Docent will talk about Berkeley Rep’s production of HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich, conceived and directed by Moisés Kaufman, and by special arrangement with Tectonic Theater Project, Brian & Dayna Lee, and Sonia Friedman Productions.

In 2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls. Based on real events, Here There Are Blueberries tells the story of these historical photographs — what they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and our own humanity.

This production runs from April 5 to May 11 at the Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley CA 94704.

For information on the Docent Program, call Diana Insolio at 203-530-1891.



​NEWS/EVENTS​
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Playwrights Opportunity

“Your 2 Cents” developmental readings share available space on the third Friday of the month with Curtain Up! and Naked Stage presentations.

Scripts are directed and read by DAOR member talent, and each reading is followed by facilitated feedback from thoughtful, encouraging attendees. Guidelines and an application form are available upon request.
​
CONTACT: Playwrights Coordinator, Edna Hall
[email protected]
925/988-9937​

​Seeking . . . Play Suggestions
and Directors
​for Naked Stage Productions
​

Contact: Kevin O'Byrne
[email protected]

 
DAOR seeks suggestions for plays to be considered for future Naked Stage productions.
Parameters:
  • 4 - 8 actors, seated on stools, with scripts; minimal props or costumes
       (some exceptions, such as Our Town)
  • play must be suitable for Rossmoor audiences
Please include a note explaining your choice.
 
Also, if you have directing experience and would like to direct a Naked Stage show, please send description of your interest and background (resumes welcome). Mention plays you would like to direct, noting why they would be good candidates for the Naked Stage readers theater format and the Rossmoor community.
 
​​​​​

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​​DAOR Traveling Troupe
Ongoing

Enliven a meeting or program with a theatrical piece performed by our experienced actors. Funny or poignant, these scenes run about 10 minutes. There is no charge for this service, but requests must be made five weeks in advance of event.
Contact:  Gail Wetherbee
[email protected]  or  925-934-6896​


​CURTAIN UP!  PROJECTS 

LET'S PUT ON A SHOW

 
DAOR seeks your ideas and projects

Do you have an original script ready for production?  A published one-act or related short plays presented as a staged or memorized performance?   A program of insight into a playwright, historic era or stagecraft technique? 
 
We are calling these member-driven projects Curtain Up!  They are to run about an hour in length.  Each Curtain Up! project must have a producer. (The producer may not also act as the director.) The producer(s) is responsible for obtaining rights (if applicable) and recruiting a production team. The production team is responsible for casting, rehearsals, props, and costumes. Casting may be done by open audition or invitation.  If the project is a lecture or demonstration the producer will be responsible to act as the liaison with the presenter(s).
 
DAOR will provide rehearsal space scheduling, curtains, sometimes lights, publicity and programs.  Projects will be presented one or two times on a Friday and/or Saturday afternoon. 
 
The Artistic Committee will decide which submissions will be Curtain Up! presentations based on quality, suitability (can we do this given our resources), financial considerations and general interest.

Click below to print Project Proposal form

Fill out the form with as much information as possible and place it in DAOR mailbox at Gateway.
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​Curtain Up! productions ​
are lots of fun ​and
we want you to join in!
​
​Contact Gail Wetherbee
[email protected]

Project Proposal Form
Send information and photos
for DAOR website to: 
[email protected]
  • WELCOME
  • NEWS/EVENTS
  • CLASSES +
  • PERFORMANCES
  • ORGANIZATION
  • DAOR Scholarship
  • IN REMEMBRANCE
  • PHOTOS
    • DAOR Members Out & About
    • 2026 Gathering
    • 2025 Holiday Party
    • 2025 Playwrights' Choice
    • 2025 Grand Horizons
    • 2025 Quartet
    • 2025 Flamingo Court
    • 2025 Island of Beyond
    • 2025 Gathering
    • 2024 Holiday Party
    • 2024 The Clean House
    • 2024 Annual Mtg
    • 2024 Music Man
    • 2024 The Skin of Our Teeth
    • 2024 Homecare
    • 2024 Social Security
    • 2024 Your 2 Cents: “Friends and Mothers"
    • 2024 Gathering of the Company
    • 2023 Holiday Party
    • 2023 Your 2 Cents: “The Haggle"
    • 2023 Sylvia
    • 2023 Annual Mtg
    • 2023 Interview with an Icon
    • 2023 Voice Class
    • 2023 Act II Improv
    • 2023 Singin' in the Rain
    • 2023 Silent Sky
    • 2023 Spring Into Poetry
    • 2023 Scholarship Award
    • 2023 I'll Eat You Last
    • 2023 An Inspector Calls
    • 2023 Your 2 Cents: “Triple Play”
    • 2023 Gathering of the Company
    • 2022 Holiday Party
    • 2022 Tiny House
    • 2022 Annual Mtg
    • 2022 Fifty Years of British Comedy
    • 2022 Singalong -Annie Get Your Gun
    • 2022 Proof
    • 2022 Sweet Delilah Swim Club
    • 2022 Friends with Disabilities
    • 2021 Fall for Poetry
    • 2021 Shakespeare Comes to DAOR
    • 2021 On With The Show
    • Photos 2020
    • Photos 2019
    • A Doll's House, Part 2
    • Oklahoma singalong
    • Broadway Bound
    • Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
    • 2018 Our Town
    • Photos 2017 - 2018
  • PERFORMANCES 2025
  • PERFORMANCES 2024