Old Globe Celebrates Their 75th With an Open House 6/13

Old Globe Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced an Open House event that begins the Globe's year-long 75th Anniversary celebration. The free event will take place on Sunday, June 13 between 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and feature performances, backstage tours, costume displays, sword fighting demonstrations, bagpipes and Elizabethan dances. Presiding over the Open House will be Queen Elizabeth - played by Old Globe Associate Artist Marion Ross. For additional information, visit www.TheOldGlobe.org.

Shakespeare was first produced at the Globe in 1935 as part of the California Pacific International Exposition and has been central to the Globe's mission since that time. During the two years of the Exposition, the Globe presented abbreviated versions of Shakespeare's plays performed in repertory. One of the fair's most popular events was "Dancing on the Green" where the Shakespeare troupe would perform Elizabethan-era dances on the lawn in front of the theater. With a nod to its past, the Globe will once again present short scenes from Shakespeare's plays and Elizabethan dancing at the Open House event.

To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Shakespeare in Balboa Park, Adrian Noble, the acclaimed director and former head of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is serving as the Artistic Director of the 2010 Shakespeare Festival. Noble will direct King Lear (June 12 - Sept. 23) and The Madness of George III (June 19 - Sept. 24). Presented in repertory, the Festival will also include The Taming of the Shrew (June 16 - Sept. 26) directed by Ron Daniels.

Ongoing events throughout the day will include Kids Crafts with the Rad Hatter, face painting, Fern Street Circus performances, giveaways - and free popcorn.

The Open House schedule is as follows:

9:30 a.m. Backstage Tours of The Old Globe's three theaters begin. Tours leave every 10 minutes and last 20 minutes.

10:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony begins with the Procession of Queen Elizabeth and welcome remarks by Lou Spisto.

10:30 a.m. Elizabethan Dancing on Copley Plaza.

10:45 a.m. Bagpipe Performance on Copley Plaza.

11:00 a.m. Sword Fighting Demonstration.

11:45 a.m. Scenes from the Globe's Shakespeare Festival plays performed by the repertory company in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

12:40 p.m. Sword Fighting Demonstration.

1:00 a.m. Elizabethan Dancing on Copley Plaza.

1:15 p.m. Final Backstage Tour departs.

1:45 p.m. Closing Remarks on Copley Plaza.

In addition to the Shakespeare Festival productions, the 2010 summer season also includes the World Premiere of the Broadway-bound musical, Robin and the 7 Hoods (July 14 - Aug. 22) directed by Casey Nicholaw with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen, and the West Coast Premiere of The Last Romance (July 30 - Sept. 5), a romantic comedy by Joe DiPietro starring television icon, Marion Ross. Tickets to the Globe's 2010 Summer Season are currently available by subscription only.

SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS offer substantial savings with special subscriber benefits. Subscriptions can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623] or by visiting the box office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Subscriptions to the Globe's Summer Season range from $75 to $365. Five-play packages range from $146 to $365. Four-play packages (Festival plus musical) range from $117 to $309. Shakespeare Festival packages (3 plays) range from $75 to $225. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and younger, seniors and groups of 10 or more.

LOCATION: The Old Globe is located in San Diego's Balboa Park at 1363 Old Globe Way. There are numerous free parking lots available throughout the park. Valet parking is also available ($10). For additional parking information visit www.BalboaPark.org.

CALENDAR: Golda's Balcony (4/28-5/30), The Whipping Man (5/8-6/13), King Lear (6/12-9/23), The Madness of George III (6/19-9/24), The Taming of the Shrew (6/16- 9/26), Robin and the 7 Hoods (7/14-8/22), The Last Romance (7/30-9/5).

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theaters and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for 75 years. Under the direction of Executive Producer Louis G. Spisto, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the 580-seat Old Globe Theatre, the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre and the 612-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 300,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theater's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Catered Affair, and the annual holiday musical, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theaters across the country.

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