Parson's Nose Theater Sets 2015-16 Season

Parson's Nose Theater, led by Artistic Director Lance Davis, announces its 16th anniversary season of classic theater in Southern California.

"This year, we're talking about the power of family, the power of belief," says Mr. Davis. "Belief in religion, belief in money, belief in love, belief in friendship, belief in country...what do you believe in? Five timeless comedies, by our finest writers, that will make you laugh and make you think. The kind of moment where you stop your laugh to say, 'Whoa! What did he say?'. George Bernard Shaw's Androcles and the Lion asks what's worth dying for. Dickens' A Christmas Carol asks what's worth living for. Molière's The School for Wives suggests that it's extremely foolish to even try to stem a young girl's love. Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows shows the power of 'family' through a rat, a mole, and a badger on an English riverbank. And the compendium As You Were: Stories for GIs in WWII offers a treasure box of 'home' for boys and girls serving their country in 1943.

"With the addition of our community programs - The Reader's Theater Workshop and the PNT Academy reading of Our Town - we look forward to an exciting year and hope you'll 'pay what you will' to join us!"

The company's season presents two Reader's Theater Series performances and three Full Productions. The Reader's Theater Series includes December's A Christmas Carol and The Wind in the Willows in March 2016. The 16th Season begins with a Full Production of Shaw's Androcles and the Lion opening in October and running through November, followed by Molière's The School for Wives in January and February 2016, and concluding with As You Were: Stories for GIs in WWII in April and May. All Reader's Theater and Full Productions are original adaptations by Parson's Nose Artistic Director, Lance Davis, who also will be doing an original translation of The School for Wives.

Parson's Nose presents their 2015-16 Season with a mixture of readings and full productions. Performed readings are presented one weekend only, allowing audience members to be introduced to a play they haven't read before, or to enjoy a performance where the language and characters are the focus without the distraction of costumes, props, and sets. Full productions will have a 7-8 performance run, including sets, costumes, and props, but keeping those elements to a minimum so that the story doesn't get lost in the spectacle.

Parson's Nose is also happy to announce that they will continue selling their entire season - both Reader's Theater and Full Productions - as "Pay What You Will". Says Davis, "It's essential that all people have the opportunity to hear the works of some of the greatest writers in history. Thanks to our generous supporters, we can keep all of our shows affordable - no one is ever turned away because they couldn't afford a ticket."

Parson's Nose Theater's 2015-2016 Season: The Five Plays

Androcles and the Lion by George Bernard Shaw
Full Production
Previews: October 24-25, 2015
Runs: October 31, November 7, 8, 14, 21, 22, 2015

Shaw's whimsical retelling of Aesop's fable of kindness. Romans vs. Christians. What would you die for?

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Reader's Theater Series
December 19-20, 2015

Parson's Nose's annual celebration of the English language when we revel in Dickens' own words, the delicious description of Victorian London we skimmed in high school but now can enjoy over a cup of wine or cocoa.

The School for Wives by Molière
Full Production
Previews: January 30-31, 2016
Runs: February 6, 13, 14, 21, 28, 2016

Old Monsieur Arnolphe is determined to create "the perfect wife", uneducated and devoted. He keeps his orphaned ward, Agnes, completely isolated and uneducated until their marriage. Agnes, however, now of age, has other plans.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Reader's Theater Series
March 19-20, 2016

An allegorical story of an idyllic England before The Great War. Mole and Ratty and Badger and Toad share adventures along the River Bank in a time of character, loyalty, respect, and kindness.

As You Were: Stories for GIs in WWII compiled by Alexander Woollcott
Full Production
Previews: April 16-17, 2016
Runs: April 23, 24, 30, May 1, 7, 8, 2016

Knapsack stories and songs for our service men and women, including...

The Duke and the Dauphin by Mark Twain
Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
The Declaration of Independence
Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Dana
The Skylight Room by O.Henry
I Hear America Singing!

Tickets for all Parson's Nose Theater readings and full productions are "Pay What You Will" however reservations are strongly encouraged. Tickets are available by calling 626.403.7667, visiting http://www.parsonsnose.com, or by emailing parsonsnose@mac.com.