BWW Blogs: Holiday Theatre Offerings on the California Central Coast

As the month of December begins, the temperatures here on the California Central Coast have taken a bit of a dip - but there is theatre aplenty to warm the hearts of our audiences for the Holidays!

The North County Dance & Performing Arts Foundation (http://classactdance.com/nutcracker) will present The Nutcracker Ballet at the Templeton Performing Arts Center December 3-5 & 10-12.

This production has come to be cherished by the local community because it is a traditional rendition of the holiday classic appropriate for audiences of all ages.  Professional guest artists, over sixty members of the community, and professional choreographers come together to make this production truly grand.  Cast members train at Class Act Dance Studio in Paso Robles, and dancers in the Paso Robles Chamber Ballet are featured in the leading roles.  Under the direction of Cheryle Armstrong and Klar Picard, this production features brilliant costumes and festive sets to compliment Tchaikovsky's beloved musical score.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $17 for seniors sixty-five and up, and $15 for children under twelve.  Lap-sitting infants age one and under are free.  Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more.  For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com.  For more information, contact Class Act Dance Studio at (805) 239-3668.

The North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation (NCDPAF) is a non-profit organization committed to continued growth and increased awareness of dance and the performing arts within our community.

The Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) presented a "special project."  Always ... Patsy Cline, at Centennial Park in Paso Robles for 2 performances in September.  Stay tuned for what they'll be doing next! 

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org) is looking for a new place to call home ... got any suggestions?  Details concerning their next show are TBD (and where it will be held).

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org) in Cambria has announced that their next production will be The Glass Menagerie, directed by Nehemiah Persoff, with rehearsals beginning in November and performances in January and February.  Contact Mr Persoff at (805) 927-3877 (leave a message) or email the theatre at audition@pewterploughplayhouse.org to schedule an audition.

The Theatre at the Old Grammar School (TOGS), also located in Cambria, closed Rosann Balbontin's Bridging the Gap in September.  Contact Theatre Director, Jeff Mar, at KRKJFRZ@aol.com to find out what their next project will be.

SLO Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) presents Nuncrackers: the Christmas Musical, through December 19.  On December 11, the theatre will host a NO SHAME theatre event at 11:30 PM.

The God Is Still Speaking Players (follow them on Facebook), in collaboration with Bent Angel Productions, has just closed its run of a staged reading of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood.  What's next?  A readers' theatre production of The Diary of Anne Frank is planned for the first weekend in March, and Nunsense Jamboree in September.  Stay tuned for audition dates and details.

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include an evening with General Stanley McChrystal on December 2, Cal Poly's Fall Jazz Concert on December 3, Gilbert Reed Ballet's presentation of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol December 4 & 5, Vocal Arts Ensemble: Joy to the World on December 5, An Acoustic Evening with Jon Anderson December 6, The Nutcracker by The Civic Ballet December 11 & 12, and the Blind Boys of Alabama: Go Tell It on the Mountain on December 16.

Murder in Mind Productions (http://murderinmind.com) will present Golden Girls: Meet Blanche's Niece, at the Spyglass Inn, located at 2703 Spyglass Dr in Shell Beach, December 5 - January 30.

Upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande include Nipomo High School's Wizard of Oz December 2-4, SLO Youth Symphony's Holiday Concert December 5, Arroyo Grande High School's Almost Maine December 9-12, Coastal Chamber Youth Ballet's Babes in Toyland December 11, and A Rita Coolidge Christmas on December 12.

Ryan Cordero (rccor385@gmail.com) and Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook) recently closed their very successful production of Forever Plaid, at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande as part of their inaugural season of shows.  Next up is Drowsy Chaperone - auditions December 13-15, performances April 1-24.

The Great American Melodrama (www.americanmelodrama.com) in Oceano is proud to present their annual Holiday Extravaganza production of A Christmas Carol, along with an original fractured fairy tale and Holiday Vaudeville Revue, through December 31.

The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org), the Central Coast's Resident Professional Theatre Company, located on the Allan Hancock College Campus in Santa Maria, has opened its 2010/11 season with a production of Peter Pan that runs through December 23 in the Marian Theatre.

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) is proud to present Wait Until Dark through December 11.  Their next production, Doubt, will run February 4-26.

So, as you contemplate your Holiday gift giving plans - why not consider the gift of attending a live theatre performance somewhere on the California Central Coast for you or someone on your list?

Curt Miner ... your BroadwayWorld.com guy on the ground with the California Central Coast theatre "news & views"