San Diego Repertory Theatre Announces FInal Dates and Casting for 2009-2010 Season

San Diego Repertory Theatre is excited to announce the casting and final dates for the 2009-2010 Season. The season will begin October 3 - November 1, 2009 with the audacious musical LONG STORY SHORT, a 50-year love story featuring the music of GrooveLily. Up next, celebrate the holidays with the Devil November 14 - December 13, 2009, during THE SEAFARER, a comic drama about four friends who spend an evening with the Prince of Darkness himself. From January 9 - 31, 2010, San Diego will be blown away by boom, a cataclysmic comedy about a young marine biologist and his preparation for the world's end. Next, America's premier Latino comedy troupe CULTURE CLASH returns to the Lyceum Theatre February 18- March 7, 2010, with its astonishing portrait of America in all its 21st century diversity during CULTURE CLASH IN AMERICCA. From March 21 - April 11, 2010, the Rep will present the workshop production of A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO, Herbert Siguenza's new one-man show which pays homage to one of the greatest and most controversial artists of the 20th century.

San Diego Repertory Theatre recently added one more show to this year's lineup - the Reduced Shakespeare Company's classic comedy THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged). This fast-paced journey through the beloved bard's greatest hits will play at the Lyceum from June 11-20, 2010. The season will close with The17th Annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival, from June 1 - 22, 2010.

 

LONG STORY SHORT
October 3 - November 1, 2009
Opening Night/Press Night: Friday, October 9, 2009 at 8pm
The Lyceum Space
Ticket Prices: $34-53 (Student Discount $18)

Embark on a beautiful musical journey through one couple's extraordinary 50-year relationship during LONG STORY SHORT. Written by Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda from the sensational pop band GROOVELILY, is a whirlwind musical illustrates the love affair between an Asian girl and a Jewish guy, both living in Southern California. Featuring a live band under the musical direction of Mark Danisovszky, LONG STORY SHORT begins with a blind date and goes all the way to old age in one exotic song-filled evening! Directed by Kent Nicholson, this touching and unforgettable musical is an intimate, must-see event if you love theatre, music and love.

The Rep is happy to announce that the role of Hope will be played by Melody Butiu, an in demand actor based in Los Angeles who recently appeared in mainstage productions at South Coast Rep, The Actors Theatre of Louisville and The Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles. She was last seen at San Diego Rep in the world premiere musical CELEBRATION OF THE LIZARD. Playing the ever-romantic Charles is the musical theatre tenor Robert Brewer acclaimed for his performances as the leads in BATBOY and Sondheim's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, and as Hank Williams in LOST HIGHWAY.

THE SEAFARER
November 14 - December 13, 2009
Opening Night/Press Night: Friday, November 20, 2009 at 8pm
The Lyceum Stage
Ticket Prices: $29-47 (Student Discount $18)

Experience a touch of the devil during Christmas with THE SEAFARER, a one-of-a-kind comic-drama that has become a holiday hit on American stages from New York to Seattle since its Broadway debut in 2007. Directed by the award-winning Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, this rousing drama recounts the story of four lifelong friends who get drunk on Christmas Eve and end up making a bet with Beelzebub. Written by one of Ireland's most celebrated young playwrights, Conor McPherson, THE SEAFARER transports audiences to Northern Ireland, a magical part of the world where the natural and the supernatural, ghosts and ghost stories live side by side with the hard-living working man.

The Seafarer will feature a powerhouse of talent from Southern California: Armin Shimmerman, who starred as Quark on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and played the Fool in the Rep's KING LEAR - plays the belligerently funny Richard Harkin. Ron Choularton, winner of eight San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Awards and Patte Awards for Best Actor, will be Richard's secret-laden brother Sharky. Paul Kruse of the Rep's THE THREEPENNY OPERA plays the bumbling sidekick, Ivan, who has been locked out of his house by his wife for Christmas. Jeffrey Meek, applauded for his starring role as Mac the Knife in THE THREEPENNY OPERA, plays the small town hustler Nicky. Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse - most recently seen in the title role in KING LEAR and the Father in PROOF, appears as the Prince of Darkness in disguise, determined to go "home" with the biggest prize possible.

boom
January 9 - 31, 2010
Opening Night/Press Night: Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8pm
The Lyceum Space
Ticket Prices: $29-47 (Student Discount $18)

Celebrate the beginning of a new year and the end of the world as we know it during boom, the hilarious new comedy that is best described as an apocalypse WOW! Written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, this comedy follows a young marine biologist as he prepares for the imminent end of the world. Directed by Rep Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse, boom is a madcap, heartfelt high wire act that suggests hope is worth holding on to precisely because we don't know what will happen next. Flipping from pants-around-the-ankles comedy to hipster "Twilight Zone" science fiction, this is one end-of-the-world story that will leave you grinning from ear to ear!

A dynamite cast has been assembled for boom! Steven Lone - whose credits include NO EXIT with Diversionary Theatre, THE LISTENER with Moxie Theatre and LA GAVIOTA with Ion Theatre Company - will be making his San Diego Rep debut as the strange, but loveable marine biologist Jules. The role of his bitter companion Jo will be played by Rachel VanWormer, whose credits include BE AGRRESSIVE, THIS IS OUR YOUTH, THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, THE TWO GENTLEMAN OF VERONA at New Village Arts. Audiences will be escorted on the couple's journey through life by Barbara - played by Sylvia M'Laffi Thompson, who recently won multiple awards for her outstanding performance in August Wilson's FENCES with Cygnet Theatre

CULTURE CLASH IN AMERICCA
February 18- March 7, 2010
Opening Night/Press Night: Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 7pm
The Lyceum Stage
Ticket Prices: $29-47 (Student Discount $18)

America's premiere Latino comedy troupe CULTURE CLASH returns to the Lyceum Theatre with its hilarious and provocative comedy CULTURE CLASH IN AMERICCA. Change has come in America. And nobody shows us the intimate details of a more perfect union than Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza, with their out of the box comedic and dramatic entertainment. For over two decades this ensemble of writer-actors have practiced the art of theatrical-social anthropology by digging deep into America's culture to formulate their outrageous brand of "performance collage."

As in all of their memorable comedic sketches, the characters in CULTURE CLASH IN AMERICCA are adapted from real interviews with people from across the U.S. who live radically diverse lives. The troupe's signature use of satire, vaudeville, mime and spoken word dramatizes the voices of the socially invisible and the New Americans, offering a fresh examination of cultures in flux. From Cuban exiles and Haitian immigrants in Miami, to a Puerto Rican political activist in Manhattan, to commies and dot-commers rubbing elbows in San Francisco's Mission District, to expatriates in Tijuana and Ugandan cab drivers in San Diego, these are unforgettable characters who will leave you gasping, laughing and cheering. Since creating this work at our theatre nine years ago, the ensemble has mined the cultures of Washington D.C., San Francisco, Boston and Orange County (adding to their interviews with people from Miami, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and our own San Diego and Tijuana).

CULTURE CLASH was founded in 1984 by Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza. The group has become the country's most popular Chicano/Latino performance troupe, with work ranging from sketch comedy to an adaptation of Aristophanes, to the full length play CHAVEZ RAVINE, to co-writing Frank Loesser's long lost musical SENOR DISCRETION HIMSELF based on a story by the legendary Bud Schulberg. Culture Clash's most notable productions include The Mission, A Bowl of Beings, S.O.S.-Comedy for These Urgent Times, Unplugged, Capra Clash, Radio Mambo: Culture Clash Invades Miami, Bordertown, The Birds, Nuyorican Stories, Anthology, Mission Magic Mystery Tour, Anthems: Culture Clash in the District, Chavez Ravine, Senor Discretion Himself, Zorro in Hell and Water and Power.

A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO
March 21 - April 11, 2010
Opening Night: Friday, March 26, 2010 at 8pm
*A Weekend With Pablo Picasso is a workshop production and will not be available for review*
The Lyceum Space
Ticket Prices: $29-40 (Student Discount $18)

As the final coup de theatre, Herbet Siguenza will be performing and painting onstage during the tour de force workshop production of A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO. Though he is best known for his comedic work with Culture Clash, Siguenza was first a visual artist. As a young boy, he was given a photo album of Pablo Picasso at work in his studio. Stunned by the playfulness and creative freedom of the 77-year old artist, he told his mother: "When I grow old I want to live like this man." Now Siguenza, at the top of his game as a theatre artist, brings his writing, acting and visual art skills to an unforgettable one-man show. Directed by Rep Associate Artistic Director Todd Salovey, A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO invites the audience into Picasso's private studio for an intimate and revealing weekend.

Picasso was the first rock star artist. His wild creations gripped the public imagination and forever changed 20th century art. He enraged and engaged the intelligentsia with his flamboyant and controversial opinions. Picasso said, "How can anyone enter into my dreams, my instincts, my desires, my thoughts and grasp from them what I have been about?" Siguenza will attempt such an "entrance," sharing Picasso's proclamations about children, war, creativity, ambition, destruction, cubism, God, love, hate, beauty, friendship, patriotism, eternity, and art as an agent of social change.  Because Picasso said that his art was his autobiography, this new workshop production will include live and projected images of art from Picasso and his contemporaries. Spend "a weekend to remember" that puts the audience inside Picasso's "Le Californie" art studio on the coast of France and inside the creative mind and work of one of the most inspiring artists of modern history.

THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY'S
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged)
June 11-20, 2010
The Lyceum Stage
All 37 Plays in 97 Minutes! An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard's plays, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) was London's longest-running comedy - 10 years at the Criterion Theatre. Praised by the Los Angeles Times as "wildly funny" and by the Montreal Gazette as "the funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime."
Warning! This show is a high-speed roller-coaster type condensation of all of Shakespeare's plays, and is not recommended for people with heart ailments, bladder problems, inner-ear disorders and/or people inclined to motion sickness. The RSC cannot be held responsible for expectant mothers.

SAN DIEGO REPERTORY THEATRE'S 17th ANNUAL LIPINKSY FAMILY SAN DIEGO JEWISH ARTS FESTIVAL
June 1 - 22, 2010
The REP's annual celebration of Jewish creativity in musical, theatre, dance and fine arts will feature San Diego's most popular concert of Jewish music: the Klezmer Summit, an exploration of the South American influence in Jewish music: Una Noche Yiddische, a world premiere play and fundraiser for Jewish schools - Women of Valor; plus Jewish food and much more. The festival is under the artistic direction of REP Associate Artistic Director, TODD SALOVEY.

Performance Schedule*:
Sunday 2pm & 7pm
Tuesday 7pm (During preview week only)
Wednesday 7pm
Thursday 8pm
Friday 8pm
Saturday 8pm (2pm matinees available during selected weeks)
*Please visit www.sdprep.org to verify performance times

Talkin' Theatre with Todd is at 7pm before the Thursday Preview and Sam's Salon is at 7pm the Thursday after Opening. There will also be post-show "Meet the Artists" session with each cast on the Wednesday and Friday evenings following each Opening.

Ticket prices: single tickets $25 - $53; active military and senior discounts available. Student tickets are $18 with a valid student ID. Tickets can be purchased at the REP's box office, 79 Horton Plaza in San Diego, by calling (619) 544-1000 or online at www.sdrep.org. Single tickets will be on sale in mid-July. The box office is open Tuesday thru Sunday from 12pm - 6pm on non-performance days and 12pm - curtain on performance days. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate.

For more information, please see our website at www.sdrep.org. Subscriptions run $68-$282. The REP offers subscribers an extensive package of benefits, including the lowest prices available; free ticket exchange privileges; discounts on individual tickets; and the opportunity to upgrade to a Premier Patron Package which features seating in the best 75 seats in each theatre venue. Premier Patron seating also offers an additional voucher for a friend and free drink coupons for the season.