Country Gate Players will open it’s 2006 theatre season with The Music of Our Lives: Country Gate at 35, a musical revue featuring songs from various shows produced by the company since its inception in the early 1970’s. The show will be presented March 11, 18 and 25, 2006 at 8:00 p.m., as well as, March 26, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. The performances will be presented at the Country Gate Playhouse, 114 Greenwich Street, Belvidere, New Jersey.

The retrospective revue reveals itself through the lives of a fictitious married couple, over the course of the past four decades. The musical numbers are performed as a chronology of the times, and are annotated with cultural milestones, and events shaping Country Gate’s evolution. The large cast includes many Country Gate veterans as well as a large contingent of newcomers to the theatre.

The most longevity, among the cast, is shared by Sal Marchello, of White Township and Bill Scurato, of Harmony Township. The two were involved in the charter production of the group, Never Too Late, in 1972. Other seasoned performers include: Frank Delmore, of Wind Gap; Rosemary Kumma, of Phillipsburg; Debbie Lockwood, of Hackettstown; Brenda Kull, of Oxford; Marilou Tshudy, of Belvidere, and JoAnn Mazza, of Stroudsburg.

Other adult cast members include: Jill Erwin, of Belleville; Joyceann Raffa, of Belvidere, Brian McAfee of Bethlehem, Gwenn O’Donnell, of Annandale, Judy Perry, of Milford; Scott Reyes of Hackettstown, Chelsea Scurato, of Wind Gap, Juliet Dunham of Pocono Pines; Dave Miller, of Trexlertown; Vinny Foti, Stewartsville; Becki Lieberman, of Pen Argyle; Allison Buntemyer, of Washington; and Roy Bjellquist, of Phillipsburg. The Easton environs is represented in the show by Shari Lee, Maria Stein, Deb Jacoby, Tom Korp, Pete Lake, as well as Gary and Beth Crivellaro.

The production also utilizes an energetic youth ensemble which includes Betsy Mazza, of Stroudsburg, Scott Crivellaro of Easton, as well as, Alyssa Glueck, Jenney Tammera, Keri Race, Jenna Tshudy, Carolyn Wilkerson, Alicia Stemler, Hannah Yeley, and Nicole Palmasano, all of the Belvidere area.

The show is under the direction of Gina Scurato, of Harmony Township, with musical direction by Tierney Jory, of Bangor.

All seats for The Music of Our Lives: Country Gate at 35 are reserved at $15. and are available by calling Country Gate at (908) 475-1104 or by logging onto the theatre website at www.countrygate.org