John Strand (book and lyrics) and Dennis McCarthy (music) incorporate flavors not only of vaudeville but of ragtime, light opera and barbershop quartet in their adaptation of the classic farce by Eugene Labiche set in early 1900s New York. Stefan Novinski helms the hilarity with musical direction provided by Dennis Castellano.
A Noise Within (ANW) presents AWAKE AND SING!, an American classic by CLIFFORD ODETS, opening Saturday, March 20 and closing Sunday, May 23, 2010 (previews begin Saturday, March 13), directed by Andrew J. Traister. Featuring veteran actor Len Lesser (Jacob), who is well known to contemporary audiences at Seinfeld's 'Uncle Leo' and highly regarded ANW Resident Artists Deborah Strang (Bessie Berger) and Joel Swetow (Myron Berger), the play also features Alan Blumenfeld (Uncle Morty), Molly Leland (Hennie Berger), David Lengel (Sam Feinschreiber), Daniel Reichert (Moe Axelrod), Adam Silver (Ralph Berger) and Alan Waserman (Schlosser).
A tuneful, funny musical score meets a giant man-eating plant when Cabrillo Music Theatre's production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS devours the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. One of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time, with a hit movie and a Broadway revival to its credit, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS takes root on Friday, April 23rd, 2010, and blossoms until Sunday, May 2nd. Locally produced exclusively for Southern California audiences, performances take place at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.
A Noise Within (ANW) presents AWAKE AND SING!, an American classic by Clifford Odet, opening Saturday, March 20 and closing Sunday, May 23, 2010 (previews begin Saturday, March 13), directed by Andrew J. Traister. Featuring veteran actor Len Lesser (Jacob), who is well known to contemporary audiences at Seinfeld's 'Uncle Leo' and highly regarded ANW Resident Artists Deborah Strang (Bessie Berger) and Joel Swetow (Myron Berger), the play also features Alan Blumenfeld (Uncle Morty), Molly Leland (Hennie Berger), David Lengel (Sam Feinschreiber), Daniel Reichert (Moe Axelrod), Adam Silver (Ralph Berger) and Alan Waserman (Schlosser).
A Noise Within (ANW) presents AWAKE AND SING!, an American classic by CLIFFORD ODETS, opening Saturday, March 20 and closing Sunday, May 23, 2010 (previews begin Saturday, March 13), directed by Andrew J. Traister. Featuring veteran actor Len Lesser (Jacob), who is well known to contemporary audiences at Seinfeld's 'Uncle Leo' and highly regarded ANW Resident Artists Deborah Strang (Bessie Berger) and Joel Swetow (Myron Berger), the play also features Alan Blumenfeld (Uncle Morty), Molly Leland (Hennie Berger), David Lengel (Sam Feinschreiber), Daniel Reichert (Moe Axelrod), Adam Silver (Ralph Berger) and Alan Waserman (Schlosser).
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle announced the winners and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2008. The 40th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony took place Monday, March 16 at the historic El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, and was co-hosted by Vicki Lewis and Wenzel Jones.
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2008. The 40th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, March 16 at the El Portal Theatre, thanks to the generous donation of the El Portal's management. The theatre is located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood. Tickets are $40; $5 off if purchased in advance via PayPal. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a catered reception (with no-host bar) and silent auction. The show commences at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the Awards show can be reserved from the LADCC's website, at www.ladramacriticscircle.com
South Coast Repertory will revive the musical play Indian Summer, one of the theatre's most popular Educational Touring Productions, for travel to Southland elementary schools Jan. 21 - April 4, 2009. There will be a free public performance at SCR on Jan. 26.
Set in the mid-19th century, Indian Summer is based on the true story of a young boy who grows up with a Native American tribe. The play directly supports California K-6 State Frameworks for History-Social Science, English-Language Arts and Visual and Performing Arts.
John-David Keller directs the show written by Richard Hellesen with music and lyrics by Michael Silversher. Indian Summer features Matt Bartosch, Daniel Behnke, Eagle Young and Ellen D. Williams. Bartosch and Behnke are recent graduates of SCR's Professional Intensive Program. Sets and costumes are designed by Angela Balogh Calin. Kathleen Allison is stage manager.
For over 40 years, SCR's Educational Touring Production has introduced children to theater by commissioning original musical plays which deal with important issues and making them available to Southern California elementary schools during the winter and spring. The tour reaches nearly 35,000 school children each year. Some of them will be experiencing live theater for the first time. Others will discover that their parents (or even their grandparents) saw the show when they were in elementary school.
South Coast Repertory starts off the New Year with the World Premiere of You, Nero, a comedy by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Freed. Commissioned by SCR, You, Nero imagines a meeting during the declining years of the Roman Empire between Scribonius, a put-upon playwright, and Emperor Nero, the all-powerful, narcissistic arbiter of art. The Roman romp stars Danny Scheie as Nero and John Vickery as Scribonius. Produced in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre and directed by Sharon Ott,You, Nero will run from Jan. 4 through Jan. 25, 2009 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Low-priced previews are available from Jan. 4 through Jan. 8. Opening night is Jan. 9. Press night is Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7:45 p.m. Tickets to You, Nero may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.
South Coast Repertory starts off the New Year with the World Premiere of You, Nero, a comedy by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Freed. Commissioned by SCR, You, Nero imagines a meeting during the declining years of the Roman Empire between Scribonius, a put-upon playwright, and Emperor Nero, the all-powerful, narcissistic arbiter of art. The Roman romp stars Danny Scheie as Nero and John Vickery as Scribonius. Produced in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre and directed by Sharon Ott,You, Nero will run from Jan. 4 through Jan. 25, 2009 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Low-priced previews are available from Jan. 4 through Jan. 8. Opening night is Jan. 9. Press night is Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7:45 p.m. Tickets to You, Nero may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.
South Coast Repertory kicks off the 2008-09 Season with the World Premiere of its first commissioned musical: An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville.
South Coast Repertory kicks off the 2008-09 Season with the World Premiere of its first commissioned musical: An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville.
Single tickets for South Coast Repertory's 45th Season will go on sale Monday, August 11.
Single tickets for South Coast Repertory's 45th Season will go on sale Monday, August 11.
At South Coast Repertory's Annual Meeting on July 30, Board President Larry Higby presented an assessment of the 2007-08 Season and introduced a new slate of officers for 2008-09, headed by incoming President Wylie Aitken. The unanimously elected executive committee will lead the theater during the 45th Season (September 1, 2008 - August 31, 2009), which will be a landmark for South Coast Repertory and its founders David Emmes and Martin Benson, America's longest-running co-artistic directors.
Collected Stories, one of South Coast Repertory's most successful commissioned plays, will replace the previously announced Daniel Sullivan-directed King Lear as the final production of South Coast Repertory's 2008-09 season. Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize nominated play about two women writers at opposite stages of their careers will run May 15 through June 14, 2009 on the Segerstrom Stage. King Lear will open SCR's 2009-10 season.
'We are delighted to have this opportunity to revisit one of Donald's most celebrated plays and reintroduce it to Southern California audiences,' said Artistic Director Martin Benson, who will direct the revival.
Collected Stories received its World Premiere in 1996 on SCR's Second Stage. After its New York premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club, Collected Stories received a commercial Off-Broadway run, and the Los Angeles production at the Geffen Playhouse was subsequently filmed for PBS. Since then, Collected Stories has been produced throughout the U.S. and the world.
'Although we've had to postpone King Lear due to an unexpected conflict with Daniel Sullivan's spring schedule, we're happy to be able to replace it with Donald's engaging play,' said Producing Artistic Director David Emmes. 'Fortunately, Dan will be able to direct King Lear in the fall and we gain an exciting way to open our 2009-10 season.'
In addition to Collected Stories, Margulies is the author of four plays that were commissioned and premiered by South Coast Repertory: Brooklyn Boy and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sight Unseen, which received Broadway productions, and Shipwrecked! An Entertainment - The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont as Told by Himself. Dinner with Friends, which had its West Coast Premiere at SCR, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize.
LOCATION: South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theater Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive.
CALENDAR: An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville (9/5-10/5), dead man's cell phone (9/21-10/12), The Heiress (10/17-11/16), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (11/7-11/23).
PHOTO EDITORS: Digital images of South Coast Repertory productions are available at www.southcoastrepertory.com/photos.html.
Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR's more than 400 productions, 107 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Julianne Argyros Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.
King Lear will crown South Coast Repertory's 45th season under the direction of Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.
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