Cabrillo Music Theatre's CINDERELLA Runs 7/23-8/1

A pumpkin turns into a carriage, mice become horses, and a young girl becomes a beautiful princess when Cabrillo Music Theatre's production of CINDERELLA weaves a spell on audiences at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Locally produced exclusively for Southern California audiences, CINDERELLA opens on Friday, July 23rd, and performs until Sunday, August 1st, at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Based on the timeless fairy tale, this incarnation of CINDERELLA was written directly for television by composer Richard Rodgers and Lyricist/Librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. Starring a young Julie Andrews, CINDERELLA aired live on CBS in 1957, and was later remade in the 1960s with Lesley Ann Warren in the title role. A later version starred Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, and Brandy in the title role.

Cabrillo Music Theatre's new production will feature two-time Emmy-Award winner Sally Struthers as the Fairy Godmother who makes "impossible things happen." Joining her is fellow television & theatre favorite Marcia Wallace ("The Bob Newhart Show," and an Emmy-winning voice on "The Simpsons") as the Stepmother. They join a cast of 45 and a full professional orchestra to enchant audiences of all ages.

"What could be more dazzling than the sparkle, glow, and ‘Happily Ever After' of RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA," says Carole W. Nussbaum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cabrillo Music Theatre. "And Sally Struthers will only add to the excitement. The ‘All in the Family' star will have audiences endlessly laughing when she spreads her own special magic on our production of CINDERELLA!"

In addition to Sally Struthers and Marcia Wallace, RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA features Broadway and Southern California theatre favorites Norman Large and Christina Saffran Ashford as the King and Queen. Rising stars Melissa Mitchell and Derek Klena portray Cinderella and the Prince in Cabrillo's glamorous new production.

Cabrillo Music Theatre's OUTREACH program expands with CINDERELLA. Thanks to community support, youngsters from the Blind Children's Center will attend performances, and enjoy the wondrous beauty of CINDERELLA. Additionally, Cabrillo will play host to students from the Southern California Schools for the Deaf, at a specially designated signed performance. Cabrillo Music Theatre maintains its commitment to bring the magic of theatre to young people in Southern California.

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA performs July 23rd through August 1st, and will be directed by Cabrillo Music Theatre's Artistic Director, Lewis Wilkenfeld. Heather Castillo will choreograph, while Steven Smith musical directs. Lloyd Cooper will conduct the Cabrillo Music Theatre Orchestra. Transformation Special Effects will be designed by Adam Bezark, whose work can be seen in Universal Studios at "Terminator 2 3D," "Jurassic Park," and "The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man." RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA is perfect entertainment for the entire family, and is recommended for all ages.

ABOUT THE STAFF

Lewis Wilkenfeld (Artistic Director/Director of Cinderella) brings 30 years of theatre experience to his position as Artistic Director of Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks, CA. Under Lewis' leadership since 2006, Cabrillo Music Theatre was recently rewarded with 18 Ovation Award nominations, and six wins, the most of any theatre company in 2008. Lewis has directed fourteen CMT shows during the last decade, including recent productions of Little Shop of Horrors, The King and I, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and The Music Man. His production of Bye Bye Birdie! was named Ventura County's Production Of The Year. Additionally, Lewis' work has won him a Drama Logue Award (The Wizard of Oz, starring Cathy Rigby), a Robby Award (Gypsy! at the Lawrence Welk Resort Theatre), and an AriZoni Award (Beauty and the Beast, Phoenix Theatre). Lewis' work has been featured in seven productions for the Musical Theatre Guild in Los Angeles, six for the Welk Resort Theatre in Escondido, as well as productions at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista, Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, the Norris Theatre in Rancho Palos Verdes, Utah Musical Theatre, and Theatre Under the Stars, in Houston, TX. Lewis' past experiences include casting for film and television, teaching audition and acting technique in Southern California and around the country, and working in the development of new musicals for future productions. As a representative of Cabrillo Music Theatre, Lewis sits on the Theatre Department Advisory Boards of Moorpark College and Los Angeles Valley College. Lewis is member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers' Society and Actors' Equity Assn.

HEATHER CASTILLO (Choreographer). Previous Cabrillo credits include The King and I, starring Deborah Gibson (Choreographer), Guys and Dolls (Hot Box Dancer), Annie, (Dance Captain), West Side Story, (Graziella). She is also proud to be the Choreographer for the Kabrillo
Kids. Other Choreography credits include Seussical, Street Scene, E-$cape, The Fix, Anything Goes, Urinetown, La Celestina, City of Angels, Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, and A Connecticut Yankee. Her concert works Everyone Deserves a Happy Ending, Corporate Machine, and Disconnect have earned her critical acclaim. Future projects include: Choreographer for Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermosa Beach Playhouse), Choreographer for Rent (Moorpark College), Choreographer for 1940s Radio Hour (CLOofSBC). She has also performed for Buena Vista Special Events, Disney, Universal Studios, and Saban Entertainment. Her Documentary, "Nice Work If You Could Get It: Dancing Ensembles in the Golden Age of Movie Musicals, 1940-1965" is currently in production. Heather holds an MFA in dance from UC Irvine, where she is the dance consultant for the BFA program in Musical Theater.

Steven Smith (Musical Director) has conducted over 100 musicals from operettas such as The Student Prince, to Evita, A Chorus Line, and Ragtime. He has conducted the West Coast premieres of Merrily We Roll Along (LA Drama Critics Award), Assassins, Sunday in the Park with George (LA Drama Critics Award), and A Man of No Importance (LA Drama Critics Award). He spent 4 years at Berlin's Theatre Des Westins where he conducted the European premiere of Grand Hotel, Follies, The Blue Angel, and La Cage aux Folles. He conducted the premiere of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane at Houston's TUTS, Parade and Wild Party for Musical Theatre Guild as well as several tours of Porgy and Bess in Europe.

ADAM BEZARK (Transformation Special Effects) has created special magic effects for a theatre production exactly one time before this: 21 years ago, when he created the pumpkin-to-coach transformation sequence for the Long Beach Civic Light Opera's 1989 production of Cinderella. In non-magical life, Adam is a writer, director and designer of spectacular rides, shows and attractions for theme parks, world's fairs, museums and special events. His work includes Epcot's nightly Illuminations spectacular, Terminator 2: 3D, "JAWS: The Ride," "Jurassic Park" and "The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man" at Universal Studios; the Atlanta Olympic Ceremonies; the Hong Kong Handover Celebration; and over a 100 other spectacular productions around the world (www.bezark.com). But Adam enjoyed the Cinderella experience so much 21 years ago that when asked to create a new version of the "Impossible" transformation sequence, he was only too happy to sign up for the challenge again.

ABOUT THE CAST

Sally Struthers (The Fairy Godmother) is a two-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner for her performance in the groundbreaking series, "All in the Family." She starred in the Fox television series, "9 to 5" and her own CBS series, "Gloria." Her recurring roles include the CBS comedy, "Still Standing," and the CW's highly acclaimed, "Gilmore Girls." Sally was "heard" as the voice of the teenage dinosaur Charlene Sinclair in the ABC prime-time series, "Dinosaurs." She is also the voice of Pebbles Flintstone on the, "Pebbles and Bam-Bam," cartoon series and the lead female character on the popular Disney cartoon, "Tailspin." Struthers' television movies include: "A Gun in the House," "And Your Name is Jonah," "The Great Houdinis," "Hey, I'm Alive," "In The Best Interest of the Children," "Deadly Silence," "My Husband is Missing," and, "Intimate Strangers." Sally co-starred in two legendary motion pictures in the 70's: "Five Easy Pieces," with Jack Nicholson and, "The Getaway," with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. She was featured in two independent films: "Out of the Black," and, "A Month of Sundays" with Rod Steiger. Sally made a cameo appearance for actor/writer/producer Mario Van Peebles in the Sony feature, "Baadassss!" Sally's first two Broadway forays were in Wally's Café with Rita Moreno and Jimmy Coco and in Neil Simon's female version of The Odd Couple with Brenda Vaccaro. For three years she starred as Miss Mamie Lynch on Broadway and on tour in the Tommy Tune production of Grease. In the 20th Anniversary National Tour of Annie, Sally played the coveted role of Miss Hannigan. Sally was named Best Actress by the Los Angeles Artistic Director Theatre Awards for her role as Louise Seger in the musical, Always, Patsy Cline, a true story based on the relationship between Seger and Cline. She also won the 2003 Ovation Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Agnes Gooch in the Los Angeles production of Mame. She has also starred in regional productions of Hello Dolly, Anything Goes, The Fifth of July, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, and The Full Monty. For thirty years, Struthers has worked tirelessly to help the hungry and uneducated children everywhere. She has visited these children in the United States and many Third World countries, and has filmed numerous public service announcements and documentaries on their behalf. Because of her devotion to children and animals, Sally has received numerous humanitarian awards. Her best reward, however, is her darling daughter Samantha.

Marcia Wallace (The Stepmother). Prior to her Emmy award winning role as Bart's teacher, Mrs. Krabappel, on The Simpsons, Marcia Wallace was best known as Carol Kester on The Bob Newhart Show and reprised that role when she guest starred as Murphy Brown's 66th secretary, for which she received an Emmy nomination. She recently reunited with Murphy as a member of her breast cancer support group and with her old boss on George and Leo. This season Marcia also guest starred as an angel with attitude on the premiere episode if Teen Angel. Marcia's voice has also been heard on several animated series, films and commercials. New York credits include Calling in Crazy with Jill Clayburgh and the improvisational comedy group, The Fourth Wall, which ran off-Broadway for a year. During this time she studied with the renowned actress and coach, Uta Hagen. While in New York she also started her TV commercial career, and has appeared in over fifty of them to date. Ms. Wallace has also made over fifty appearances on the Merv Griffin Show and first came to Hollywood at his request. In fact, she was cast on Newhart after being seen on a Griffin show in March 1972. In addition to seven years on the Newhart series, she has guested in such shows as Murder She Wrote, Magnum P.I., Taxi, A Different World, and has had recurring roles on Full House, Charles in Charge, and ALF. Marcia is most excited about her art film career (and Meryl Streep is very nervous), which includes My Mother the Werewolf, Teen Witch, Ghoulies Go to College, and the eagerly awaited Space Sluts in the Slammer. Marcia has made regular appearances on the celebrity panels of game shows. Never off stage for long, she toured as Olive Madison in the female Odd Couple. Other stage credits include Same Time Next Year, Twigs, It Had to be You, Supporting Cast, Prisoner of Second Avenue, Plaza Suite, Gypsy, Promises Promises, Born Yesterday, all three roles in Last of the Red Hot Lovers, the geriatric version of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown and, most recently, as Ouiser in Steel Magnolias. In October of 1998, Marcia was featured in a People Magazine cover story on the American breast cancer epidemic along with other celebrities who have survived breast cancer. Today, as a fourteen year survivor, Marcia is a national spokesperson in the fight against breast cancer and was recently honored as "Woman of the Year" by the City of Hope through their "Spirit of Life" award.

Norman Large (The King) is delighted to return to Thousand Oaks, having previously starred in The Sound of Music and Annie for Cabrillo Music Theatre. Norman starred in the original hit Broadway productions of Les Miserables and Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White. Other theatre: The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, My Fair Lady (Zoni Award), Sweeney Todd (Ovation nomination), La Cage Aux Folles (Ovation nomination), Phantom (Ovation nomination), H.M.S. Pinafore (Republic Award), Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, West Side Story, The King & I, Brigadoon, The Secret Garden, Sunday in the Park with George, Chess, etc. He is probably best known as the ruler of the Romulan Empire opposite Leonard Nimoy on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He has sung with symphony orchestras worldwide under such noted conductors as Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein.

Christina Saffran Ashford (The Queen). Broadway: Singin' in the Rain (Kathy Seldon, original cast album), A Chorus Line (Maggie), Sophisticated Ladies (Shoo Shoo), Drood (Rosa Bud/Edwin Drood), Music Man (Zaneeta). Regional: Leads in My Fair Lady, Showboat, South Pacific, Phantom, Jesus Christ Superstar, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sunday in the Park with George, Damn Yankees, The Sound of Music, I Do, I Do, Pajama Game, She Loves Me, My One and Only, Chess, White Christmas, etc. Concerts: Lead chanteuse for Herbie Hancock, soloist with various symphony orchestras and opening for Don Rickles in Las Vegas. Movie vocals: Enchanted, Aladdin, Mulan, 102 Dalmatians, Pocahontas, Hunchback, Lady and the Tramp II, Cinderella, Galaxy Quest, Polar Express, Christmas with the Kranks, The Santa Clause II, etc. Christina is a Founding Board member of Retinoblastoma International, an active member of SGI-USA, and ICAP. She resides in LA with her husband, actor Matthew N. Ashford and daughters, Grace and Emma.

MELISSA MITCHELL (Cinderella) most recently she has performed in CLO of South Bay Cities' productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (One More Angel, Soloist/Wife), Seussical (Bird Girl), Oklahoma!, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Bye Bye Birdie. In the summer of 2007, she performed internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland as Eve/Mama Noah in Children of Eden. Her film/TV credits include: Anger Management, Holes, Star Search (Junior Singer), among others. Alongside performing, Melissa is pursuing a B.A. in Psychology at UCLA.

DEREK KLENA (The Prince) has enjoyed a varied performance career thus far with credits in theater, concert, voice-over, and TV. Favorite roles include: All Shook Up (Chad), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), High School Musical (Troy), Grease (Danny), Bye Bye Birdie (Conrad) and Big River (Huck Finn), where he received the IVTL Award for best Actor in a Musical. He is honored to have performed on "America's Most Talented Kids" and this past season of "American Idol" during Hollywood Week. Derek recently completed his freshman year as a UCLA Bruin.

ABOUT THE PRICING AND SCHEDULE

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA will open on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 and run through Sunday, August 1st. Performances are Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm. A post-show discussion with cast, staff and audience will follow the Saturday, July 24th, 2:00pm performance.

Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Box Office located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks or through any Ticketmaster location or by phone (800) 745-3000. For groups of 10 or more, please call Group Sales, Cabrillo Music Theatre at (805) 497-8613. Ticket prices range from $25-$55. For ticket and theatre information, call (805) 449-ARTS (2787).

Following CINDERELLA, CABRILLO MUSIC THEATRE's 2010-2011 season begins with Happy Days: A NEW MUSICAL (October 22-31, 2010), THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES (February 4-13, 2011), THE PRODUCERS (April 8-17, 2011), and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (July 22-31, 2011).

CABRILLO MUSIC THEATRE performs exclusively at the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Bank of America Performing Arts Center, at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

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