Luis Alfaro's AESOP IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA to Open MainStreet Theatre Company's 2013-14 Season, 10/26

The MainStreet Theatre Company is delighted to announce its 2013/2014 season - the 8th for Rancho Cucamonga's resident company for children and families. The three-show season includes a world premiere, a west coast premiere, and a family friendly musical, all based on children's literature. All three shows will be performed in the company's home, the beautiful City owned and operated 536 seat Lewis Family Playhouse.

The season opens on October 26th with the World Premiere of Aesop in Rancho Cucamonga by Luis Alfaro. MainStreet Theatre Company commissioned this adaptation of Aesop's Fables with a generous grant from the James Irvine Foundation. "My intention was to find a way to share stories that would be relevant to the thousands of school children who pass through our theatre's doors every year, many of whom are of Latino Heritage", said MainStreet Producer Mireya ("Murry") Hepner. "I had this idea of taking these classic, morality tales which everyone thinks they know, and making them relevant for today's children. I approached director Robert Castro and Luis, and was thrilled when they both embraced the idea, and agreed to take a stab at it!" The team decided early on to update the stories, but also to set them here in Southern California - and specifically in Rancho Cucamonga, where the theatre is located. They've been going into the community to unearth stories of the Tongva (the native people who have been in the area for thousands of years), as well as the large Mexican-American population who arrived as early as the 1700's. Using local history and native animals as a jumping off point, this adaptation of Aesop's Fables will be sure to surprise theatre goers of all ages! Aesop in Rancho Cucamonga is also supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Luis Alfaro, who was born and raised in downtown Los Angeles, is a multi-award winning Chicano writer/performer known for his work in poetry, theatre, short stories, performance and journalism. He's the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and is the 2013 Joyce Foundation Fellow. It was recently announced that he will be the first Playwright-in-Residence in the eighty year history of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the largest repertory theatre in the United States. His plays have been produced at regional theatres throughout the U.S., the Americas and Europe.

Director Robert Castro is known for his stylized movement and highly visual approach, and will be back for his 6th production for MainStreet. His work has been mounted at some of the premier regional theatres and performance schools in the nation, including the Santa Fe Opera, the Mark Taper Forum, and the La Jolla Playhouse. In addition to his own productions, Robert Is a frequent collaborator with some of the towering figures of the American stage, such as director Peter Sellars. His distinctive interpretations of classic children's stories for MainStreet include Dreams of Anne Frank, Ferdinand the Bull, Treasure Island, A Wrinkle in Time and Aladdin's Luck. Aesop in Rancho Cucamonga will reunite these two unique artists, who last collaborated on Ladybird at The La Jolla Playhouse in 2002.

From February 1- 16, 2014, MainStreet will produce the family-friendly The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, based on the popular book by JefF Brown. It tells the story of Stanley Lambchop, a normal boy in all respects, who wants to do something amazing. One night, the bulletin board above his bed falls right on top of him - and he wakes up flat! This fun musical follows Stanley's adventures around the globe as he mails himself to places he's always dreamed of, including Hollywood, Paris and Honolulu, until he finally finds his way back home and becomes a three-dimensional boy once more. It has a book by Timothy Allen McDonald, with music by Timothy Allen McDonald, Jonathan K. Waller and David Weinstein and Stephen Gabriel, and lyrics by Timothy Allen McDonald and Jonathan K. Waller. It's perfect for families with children ages 5 and up. MainStreet will be doing some activities in conjunction with the play, such as a contest to encourage children to mail their own "Flat Stanley" to friends and relatives around the world. Kevin Cochran will direct, with Musical Direction by Janice Rogers Wainwright. This will be Kevin Cochran's first show for MainStreet. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning Grove Theater Center.

The final show of the season is the West Coast premiere of Roald Dahl's The Magic Finger, adapted by English playwright David Wood. Similar to Matilda, it's a story about a girl who has special powers, and what happens when she uses them. Lucy's powers are unleashed when she gets angry, and she really can't control it. Once, the Magic Finger turned her teacher into a cat! So when she meets the Gregg family, who think that hunting is fun, it's really not her fault when her Magic Finger takes over and the Greggs find themselves turning into birds. It's when the ducks they've been hunting move into the house that things start to get really interesting! David Wood's brand new adaptation captures all of Roald Dahl's quirky humor while making you wonder what it's like to see the world from another point of view. The Magic Finger will be directed by Abigail Deser, who directed MainStreet's productions of Lily's Purple Plastic Purse and Honus and Me. The Magic Finger runs from May 2-18, 2014.

All three productions will run for three weeks each, with performances on weekends for family audiences, and weekday morning performances for school groups. Single tickets are $18.00 for Adults and $16.00 for children up to age 12, and seniors 60 and older. New this season are the "Foundation Family Flex Packs", where tickets are only $12.00 if they're bought in packs of 4 or more for the same performance. The Rancho Cucamonga Community and Arts Foundation will also continue to support "Foundation Family Saturdays" for the opening performance of each show.

An intimate, 536-seat venue, the Lewis Family Playhouse is the crown jewel of the three-acre, 89,000-square foot Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. The complex is conveniently located off the I-15 at Foothill Boulevard, as a major anchor of Victoria Gardens. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, with free parking available.

For More Information - For additional information or to purchase tickets on-line, please visit www.lewisfamilyplayhouse.com or call the Lewis Family Playhouse Box Office at (909) 477-2752 or (877) 858-8422.

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