The Tender Trap by Max Shulman and Robert Paul Smith
Summer - 2003

The Tender Trap

 The Tender Trap by Max Shulman & Robert Paul Smith is another romantic comedy set in the Big Apple. This charming script was turned into a movie featuring  Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds. Charlie is living the ideal life of every man's dreams, or so it seems to Joe McCall, an old married friend of his from Indianapolis. Charlie has an elegant apartment in New York, a good job, and millions of girls -- all eager to bring him food, tidy up his apartment and fall in with his every wish. They are all good-looking, all ladies, and all slightly on the mature side. Joe, who is in New York because he thinks he has found the cure to the common cold, finds himself becoming interested in Sylvia Crewes, the nicest of Charlie's girls. Meanwhile, Charlie finds himself falling for Julie, a girl fresh out of college who is determined to have a man on her own terms. Charlie juggles his girls until one frantic night when he finds himself engaged to both Julie and Sylvia. Finally Charlie manages to get rid of the wrong lady and marry the right one.

The Tender Trap was directed by Michael Buino a graduate of the Northeastern Illinois University Speech & Performing Arts Department. He currently serves as Artistic Director for A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Company; a company he founded with another Northeastern Alum. He has directed over 30 productions in the Chicago area, including many for the Stage Center Theatre (Holiday, Moon Over Buffalo, The Musical Comedy Murders and summer stock productions Table Manners and House on the Cliff.

Cast

Poppy Matson..............Lisa Litberg
Charlie Reader...............Steve Truncale
Joe McCall................  Ron Ward
Jessica Collins.......... Angela Walsh
Sylvia Crewes................ Lauren Grove
Julie Gillis.............. Robyn Accetta
Earl Lindquist.......... Marcus Kamie
Sol Schwartz............. Stephan Madar

  Time: 1955
Place: New York City
Locations: Charlie Reader's Manhattan Apartment

Act 1
Scene 1: 6:00 p.m. Saturday
Scene 2: The following day, 1:30 p.m.

Act 2
6;00 p.m. Saturday, three weeks later

Act 3
The following morning

Production Crew

Director.....................Michael Buino
Stage Manager.............Dan Toledo
Set &. Light Designer..........Robert G. Smith
Costume Designer................William Mayer
Prop Designer/Set Dresser....................Cathy Valladares
Sound Designer........................................Jeng Fong
Light Board Operator....................Dan Toledo
Sound Board Operator.....................Elias Morales
Box Office Supervisor........................Eric Steier
Set/Lights/Props Crew...................Laura Castillo, Eric Cruz, Mitch Fontana,
Sean Harris, Joseph Hertel, Heidi Knapczyk,
Gary Longo, Daniel Ruzicka, Eric Steier,
Dennis Tate & Katherine Villamar

The Tender Trap - Summer 2003
 The Tender Trap - Summer 2003
Lauren Grove (Sylvia Crewes), Steve Truncale (Charlie Reader), Ron Ward (Joe McCall)
 Robyn Accetta (Julie Gillis),
Steve Truncale (Charlie Reader)
The Tender Trap - Summer 2003
The Tender Trap - Summer 2003
Ron Ward (Joe McCall), Lisa Litberg (Poppy Matson), Steve Truncale (Charlie Reader)
 Ron Ward (Joe McCall), Marcus Kamie (Earl Lindquist), Steve Truncale (Charlie Reader), Robyn Accetta (Julie Gillis),
Lauren Grove (Sylvia Crewes)
The Tender Trap - Summer 2003
Ron Ward (Joe McCall),
Lauren Grove (Sylvia Crewes)

Special Thanks To...

To the Speech and Performing Arts Department, specifically Anna Antaramian, Becca Raven Gilmore, & Jeng Fong.  Thank you to Tina Haglund, Ryan Magnuson, Carole Brown  and everyone else who went out of their way to help put this  production together. A very special thanks to all the Summer  Theatre students for their hard work on the set and crews.  Good job guys!
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