Jonathan Fox News

New York Mandarin Playback (NYMP), the first Mandarin-speaking playback theatre in New York City, celebrates its 3rd anniversary by acting out the stories about metropolitan living experiences in the improv show BETWEEN THIS CITY AND ME

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the fifth and final show of its 40th Anniversary Season, the heartwarming play DANCING LESSONS, written by Mark St. Germain and directed by Saundra McClain. DANCING LESSONS begins previews on Thursday, June 13, opens on Saturday, June 15 at 8:00pm, and runs through Sunday, June 30, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.   

Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) announces its 2019-20 Season of plays. ETC's 41st Season is the company's seventh year at The New Vic in downtown Santa Barbara, and features a thrilling selection of extraordinary works, including William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, a radio play version of the beloved holiday story It's a Wonderful Life, a musical adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, the West Coast premiere of the Broadway play American Son, and an inspirational pop and jazz musical about the legendary Rosemary Clooney. ETC's 2019-20 Season will build upon the momentum of its successful and celebratory 40thAnniversary 2018-19 Season.

This high-school-musical season, I got a sneak peek at Santa Barbara High's 'Matilda: The Musical,' with a tour of the innovative set. It's a found-art, craftsy manifestation of the outlandish imagination of 'Matilda' author Roald Dahl. If you didn't read Matilda as a child, get ready for an underdog story featuring an extraordinary girl who inspires her fellow classmates to rise against the oppression of their terrifying headmistress, 'The Trunchbull'.

Ensemble's production features many of the interesting aspects of this search for identity: a grumpy grandpa with a dark secret; an old Ukrainian woman who's mind has been warped by trauma and isolation; an underdog translator with a tenuous mastery of English; and an emotionally clumsy college kid who mistakes the trauma of his family for personal depth. But the adaptation from novel to stage is clunky, clouding an otherwise dramatic origin story.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the fourth show of its 40th Anniversary Season, the Southern California premiere of the stunning and wildly popular novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, adapted by Simon Block and directed by Jonathan Fox. EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED begins previews on Thursday, April 11, opens on Saturday, April 13 at 8:00pm, and runs through Sunday, April 28, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the fourth show of its 40th Anniversary Season, the Southern California premiere of the stunning and wildly popular novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, adapted by Simon Block and directed by Jonathan Fox. EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED begins previews on Thursday, April 11, opens on Saturday, April 13 at 8:00pm, and runs through Sunday, April 28, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

See brand new photos from TIME IT IS: TO MUSIC, a new musical to be presented at Theater For the New City April 4th-28th.  

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the fourth show of its 40th Anniversary Season, the Southern California premiere of the stunning and wildly popular novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, adapted by Simon Block and directed by Jonathan Fox.

Full casting has been announced for TIME IT IS: TO MUSIC, a new musical based on the 1999 award-winning hit off-off-Broadway play, TIME IT IS.

On March 1, 2019, Opera Santa Barbara presented it's first Russian opera, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's EUGENE ONEGIN. The opera was premiered in Moscow in 1879 but was not played in the United States until 1920 when the Metropolitan Opera performed it in Italian.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the third show of its 40th Anniversary Season, one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, written by Arthur Miller and directed by ETC founding artistic director Joseph Hanreddy. DEATH OF A SALESMAN begins previews on Thursday, February 7, opens on Saturday, February 9, and runs through Sunday, February 24, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the third show of its 40th Anniversary Season, one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, written by Arthur Miller and directed by ETC founding artistic director Joseph Hanreddy. DEATH OF A SALESMAN begins previews on Thursday, February 7, opens today, February 9, and runs through Sunday, February 24, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.    The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play is a haunting and moving portrait of a man whose belief in, and pursuit of, the American dream ends in tatters. 

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the third show of its 40th Anniversary Season, one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, written by Arthur Miller and directed by ETC founding artistic director Joseph Hanreddy. DEATH OF A SALESMAN begins previews today, February 7, opens on Saturday, February 9, and runs through Sunday, February 24, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.    The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play is a haunting and moving portrait of a man whose belief in, and pursuit of, the American dream ends in tatters. 

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the third show of its 40th Anniversary Season, one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, written by Arthur Miller and directed by ETC founding artistic director Joseph Hanreddy. DEATH OF A SALESMAN begins previews on Thursday, February 7, opens on Saturday, February 9, and runs through Sunday, February 24, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

2019 is looking to be a season of exciting, provocative performance art that features a variety of voices. Here are my top picks for the nine shows of 2019 that shouldn't be missed (in order by date).

ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) presents the third show of its 40th Anniversary Season, one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, written by Arthur Miller and directed by ETC founding artistic director Joseph Hanreddy. DEATH OF A SALESMAN begins previews on Thursday, February 7, opens on Saturday, February 9, and runs through Sunday, February 24, 2019 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.    The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play is a haunting and moving portrait of a man whose belief in, and pursuit of, the American dream ends in tatters. 

Opera Santa Barbara (OSB) celebrates its 25thanniversary on Saturday evening January 26, 2019, with a GALA CONCERT and spectacular party honoring Marilyn Gilbert who co-founded the company with the late Nathan Rundlett. The event will begin with a champagne reception for all ticket holders before the 6:00 pm concert.

Elvis has indeed left the building! ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) has announced the second show of its 40th Anniversary Season, THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE, written by Matthew Lopez, directed by Jenny Sullivan with choreography by Jamie Torcellini. THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE begins previews on Thursday, December 6, opens on Saturday, December 8, and runs through Sunday, December 23, 2018 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

Elvis has indeed left the building!  ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY (ETC) is thrilled to announce the second show of its 40th Anniversary Season, THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE, written by Matthew Lopez, directed by Jenny Sullivan with choreography by Jamie Torcellini. THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE begins previews on Thursday, December 6, opens on Saturday, December 8, and runs through Sunday, December 23, 2018 at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.