NCR Kicks Off 30th Anniversary Season with LEND ME A TENOR

North Coast Repertory Theatre Presents The Premiere Show of NCR's Thirtieth Anniversary Season LEND ME A TENOR by Ken Ludwig and directed by Matthew Wiener

Winner of 3 Tony Awards and 4
Drama Desk Awards LEND ME A TENOR combines a

chain-reaction of mistaken identity, plot twists, double entendres and the constant slamming of many doors to create one of the funniest farces to grace the American stage in the last 30 years. A sensation on Broadway and in London's West End, LEND ME A TENOR pays homage to the madcap screwball comedies of the 1930's, guaranteed to leave audiences howling hysterically with laughter and walking out the door with a warm smile.

Previews: September 7 - 9, 2011
Regular Shows: September 10 - October 2, 2011

Ken Ludwig (Playwright)
Ken Ludwig is an internationally acclaimed playwright whose many hits on Broadway, in London's West End and throughout the world have made his name synonymous with modern comedy. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award, England's highest theatre honor, as well as three Tony Award nominations and two Helen Hayes Awards. His work has been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been performed in at least thirty countries in over twenty languages. His musical Crazy For You ran for over four years on Broadway and in London. Lend Me A Tenor, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and recently revived on Broadway, was called "one of the two great farces by a living writer" by The New York Times. Other plays and musicals include Moon Over Buffalo (Broadway & London's Old Vic, starring Carol Burnett, Lynn Redgrave, Joan Collins & Frank Langella); Twentieth Century (Broadway, starring Alec Baldwin & Anne Heche); The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Broadway); Treasure Island(London, Theatre Royal, Haymarket; 2009 AATE Distinguished Play Award for Best Adaptation); Shakespeare in Hollywood (commissioned by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Helen Hayes Award as Best Play); Leading Ladies; Be My Baby (starring HAl Holbrook and Dixie Carter); The Beaux' Stratagem (adaptation with Thornton Wilder at the request of the Wilder Estate); The Three Musketeers (Bristol Old Vic); An American in Paris; Sullivan & Gilbert; The Fox on the Fairway; The Game's Afoot. His children's play'Twas the Night Before Christmas will premiere this November at The Adventure Theatre. His work has appeared in The Yale Review, and he is writing a book for Crown Publishing entitled How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare. He studied music at Harvard with Leonard Bernstein and theatre history at Cambridge University in England. For more information, please visit www.kenludwig.com.

Matthew Wiener (Director)
This is Matthew's sixteenth season as Producing Artistic Director of Actors Theatre. Since 1993 he has directed over 30 productions for Actors Theatre including: Secret Order, Shipwrecked!, Doubt, a Parable,The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Pillowman, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, Benefactors,Blue/Orange, Sight Unseen, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Angels in America, Spinning Into Butter, Something in the Air, The Archbishop's Ceiling, Hedda Gabler, The Essential Henry V, Below The Belt, and of course, A Christmas Carol. This season he will be helming the swan song of his co-authored adaptation of A Christmas Carol. During his tenure, Actors Theatre has received numerous local awards including Outstanding Arts Organization from Business Volunteers for the Arts, and Outstanding Producing Theatre from the Arizona Theatre Alliance. This year, Matthew received the AriZoni Award for Outstanding Contribution. Matthew came to Actors Theatre from Arizona Theatre Company where he was the Associate Artistic Director for four years. He has also directed and worked at: Phoenix Theatre, Childsplay, Arizona Jewish Theatre Company, North Coast Repertory, The Children's Theatre Company, The Cleveland Playhouse, American Conservatory Theatre, The Whole Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Berkshire Theatre Festival, The Cider Mill Playhouse, and Yale Repertory Theatre. He has served on the Maricopa Regional Arts and Culture Task Force. He was a founding board member of Arizona Theatre Alliance. He has been a guest lecturer at Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Pima Community College, and Scottsdale Community College. Matthew holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, where he was the Artistic Director of the Yale Cabaret. Matthew resides in Phoenix with his wife Marion, and their twin daughters Jordan and Claire.

Ted Barton (Saunders)
Ted Barton is pleased to make his North Coast debut. Immeadiately prior to Lend Me a Tenor he appeared at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum as both Orgon in "Tartuffe" and Master Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Earlier this year he was an Equity Guest Artist at the University of Alabama, playing Ahab in a new adaptation of Moby Dick. He has also worked at Mark Taper Forum, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, California Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Sedona, Foothill Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, Sierra Repertory Theatre, International City Theatre, Warehouse Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Playhouse, and on a national tour of On Golden Pond.

Courtney Corey (Maggie)
Ms. Corey is delighted to be back at NCRT, having performed in Over the Tavern and Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris. She was an original company member of both the Los Angeles and Chicago companies of Wicked, in which she understudied and performed the role of "Elphaba." During her stint with L.A.'s Wicked, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and was featured as "the green girl" throughout the city in a Metro/Wicked Ad Campaign. She has played the role of "Maureen" in both the 1st and 2nd National Broadway tours of Rent. Other credits include: Limelight, Bonnie and Clyde, The Wiz, (La Jolla Playhouse), Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, (The Old Globe), Suds, The Pajama Game (Starlight Musical Theatre), and Shear Madness (MTP at The Theatre In Old Town). Also a director and theatre arts teacher, Courtney recently directed/choreographed Year With Frog And Toad (San Diego Junior Theatre) and Evita (Victoria Gardens Cultural Center/Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga.) Audiences can see her this winter at The San Diego Rep in The Great American Trailer Park Musical. She dedicates this and every performance to her wonderful husband, Matthew, and son, Jack.

Jill Drexler (Julia)
Jill is pleased to be working at North Coast once again. Her credits there include : Buried Child, What's Wrong with This Picture, The Diary of Anne Frank, and The Sisters Rosensweig. Other stage credits include: Foxfire, Ring Around the Moon, Moon Over Buffalo, and You Never Can Tell - Moonlight at the Avo; Torch Song Trilogy, Fit to be Tied (Patte award, Critic's Circle Award),; The Minneola Twins, and Girl Bar - Diversionary; Private Fittings (U.S.) at La Jolla Playhouse;; Painting Churches, Not Now Darling, The Last Night at Ballyhoo, and The Lion in Winter, at Scripps Ranch Theatre; Hysterical Blindness - Backyard at Cygnet; and The Gingerbread Lady - Renaissance at Cygnet. Film credits include: Chapters, Table for Three, The Married Men's Club, Michael Landon, The Father I Knew, The Big Fix (with Richard Dreyfuss), and Dogs (with David McCallum.) Ms. Drexler is the Artistic Director of Scripps Ranch Theatre.

Jessica John (Maria)
Jessica is delighted to return to North Coast Rep where she was last seen as Lucia in A Shayna Maidel. Select San DieGo Productions include Cygnet Theatre (Resident Artist):Private Lives, Noises Off (SD Critic's Circle Award Best Ensemble), Mauritius, Love Song, Desire Under the Elms, Communicating Doors (Patte Award Best Production), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (SD Playbill Award Best Actress), Burn This (SD Critic's Circle Award Best Actress); Moonlight @ the Avo Barefoot in the Park, Ring Round the Moon; Moxie Theatre: Pulp!; New Village Arts: The Playboy of the Western World (Patte Award Best Actress); Backyard Productions: An Experiment with an Airpump and Renaissance Theatre: A View from the Bridge (SD Critic's Circle Award Best Actress). She was named one of the top 50 People to Watch by San Diego Magazine and was featured on screen in such films as Fairplay Pictures' A Plumm Summer and NBC's Homeland Security.

Bernard X. Kopsho (Tito)
Bernie makes his North Coast Rep debut after over 30 years of performing in Southern California theatres. Recent productions include She Loves Me, The 1940's Radio Hour, Heartland and Our Town (Mira Costa College), Cabaret (Temecula Performing Arts), and Rumors (Pacific Coast Players). Favorite productions include the title roles in Sweeney Todd and The Prisoner of 2nd Avenue. Bernie made his feature film debut in last year's critically-acclaimed urFRENZ. A San Diego native, Bernie acts for love alone, and has an interesting life outside the theatre as a professional chauffeur and used-book dealer.

Albert Park (Bellhop)
Albert Park is excited to be in his first production at North Coast Repertory Theatre. The native San Diegan has portrayed Steve Song in the one-man show GAM3RS at 10th Avenue Theatre, Émile Schuffenecker in The Musical Paul Gauguin at Asian Story Theater, Wang Chi-Yang in SDAART's production of Flower Drum Song at La Jolla Playhouse, Rabbit in Year of the Rabbit at Asian Story Theater, HYH in Yellow Face at Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company, and Lefty in SDAART's production of BFE at La Jolla Playhouse. He can also be seen in a number of short films and has had two of his animated films screened at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Albert is a graduate of UC Berkeley and lives with his wonderful wife, Jenny, in North Park, where he mildly tolerates their two cats. Mildly. He wishes to thank Matthew Wiener, the cast and crew, David Ellenstein and North Coast Rep for a truly memorable experience.

Jacque Wilke (Diana)
Jacque is thrilled to be back on stage at North Coast Rep! Local theatre credits include: Mistletoe, Music, and Mayhem and Suzette in Don't Dress for Dinner (North Coast Repertory Theatre) Madi in Fair Use, Barbara Ellen in The New Century and Anita Bryant in Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins (Diversionary Theater), Nell Gwynne, Lady D, and Maria in Or, (MOXIE), The Girl in The Seven Year Itch and Susan in The Heidi Chronicles (New Village Arts), Patsy in Side Man (Bang Productions), Cecily in The Break-up Breakdown (Circle Circle Dot Dot), Helen/Terri/Hilda in He Said, She Said (Laterthanever). She is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where she was the recipient of the Academy's Charles Jelinger Award for Best Actress.

Christopher M. Williams (Max)
Christopher has performed in several shows for NCRT including: The Chosen (Danny); Don't Dress for Dinner (Robert); The Nerd (Axel); Dracula (Siward); The Uneasy Chair (Darlington); A Shayna Maidel (Duvid); The Tempest (Ariel). He has stage managed and co-directed for NCRT, as well: The Smell of the Kill (SM); Tuesday's with Morrie (SM); King of the Moon (SM); Glorious! (CD); Asher Lev (CD). Other theatres Christopher has worked with include: Arizona Theatre Company, Phoenix Theatre, Actor's Theatre, Southwest Shakespeare, AZ Jewish Theatre, New Village Arts. He will be directing Visiting Mr. Green this season for NCRT. He is also Artistic Director of the newly formed Oceanside Theatre Company.

WHEN:
September 10 - October 2, 2011
Previews: September 7 - 9, 2011

WHERE:
North Coast Repertory Theatre
987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive
Solana Beach, CA 92075

TIME & PLACE:
1930's

RUN TIME:
Act One: 1hour
Act Two: 45 minutes

INTERMISSION:
There will be one 15 minute intermission.

TICKET PRICES:
$32 - $49

HOW TO BUY TICKETS:
Tickets for Lend Me A Tenor are available only at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Suite D, 92075. For ticket information or reservations call (858)-481-1055 or visit www.northcoastrep.org. Box Office hours are Noon to 4pm daily and Noon to Curtain day of shows. Preview tickets are $32.00, Opening Night tickets are $49, Saturday evening and Sunday Matinee tickets are $43.00, Wednesday - Friday & Sunday evening and Saturday Matinees are $39.00. Student/Seniors and Military save $3.00 and Subscriber single tickets are $5.00 off.

SHOWTIMES:
All Previews are at 8:00pm. Regular showtimes are Wednesdays at 7:00pm, Thursday - Saturday at 8:00pm with Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00pm and Sundays evenings at 7:00pm.

ABOUT NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE:
North Coast Repertory Theatre is a professional equity theatre founded in 1982. Celebrating its thirtieth season, North Coast Rep has received critical acclaim from media and audiences alike. With the fifth largest operating budget of non profit theatres and employing the third most Actors' Equity Association members (the union of professional actors and stage managers) in San Diego, North Coast Rep continues to produce high quality, award winning theatre and has evolved into one of the area's leading performing arts organizations. Located in Solana Beach, California, NCR not only draws its audience from the North County region, but 50% of its audience base resides in metro San Diego and throughout Southern California. Recognized for the quality of its work and its commitment to quality, this season will be performed on the Blakistone Stage, newly dedicated to North Coast Rep founders Olive Blakistone and her recently departed husband Tom, who passed away in March of 2009.