Bay Area Premiere of TO MASTER THE ART & More Announced for Contra Costa Civic Theatre 2022-23 Season

Contra Costa Civic Theatre today announced its 63rd Main Stage season, which includes a reimagined classic musical, the Bay Area premiere about a cultural icon, a quirky comedy from the writer/producer of the Hulu hit series "Only Murders in this Building," and a unique look at America's melting pot at the end of the 19th century.

"For my tenth anniversary season with CCCT, I wanted to focus on stories that foster joy," says Executive Artistic Director Marilyn Langbehn. "People gather for lots of different reasons. The reasons usually fall into two categories, either a chance to experience something new or the chance to connect with something that brings comfort. I believe theatre can offer all of those things and more; our season offers a place to gather and experience the joy of discovery and reconnection."

CCCT opens the season with Lerner and Lowe's fantastical masterpiece, Camelot, in a specially-adapted eight-person ensemble version by David Lee, with new orchestrations by Steve Orich. An idealistic young King Arthur hopes to create a kingdom built on honor and dignity, embodied by his Knights of The Round Table. His Ideals, however, are tested when his lovely queen, Guenevere, falls in love with the young Knight, Lancelot, and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. Based on The Once and Future King by T.H. White, and featuring a richly romantic score that includes "If Ever I Would Leave You," "I Loved You Once in Silence," and the title song, Camelot plays September 9-October 9, 2022.

Just in time to launch the holiday season, CCCT presents the story of the legendary French Chef, Julia Child, in the Bay Area premiere of To Master the Art by William Brown and Doug Frew from November 4-December 4, 2022. From the French bistro where Julia Child fell in love with food to the kitchen table where she recreated everything learned during cooking class, to a room where her husband Paul was grilled by U.S. agents about alleged Communist contact, To Master the Art is the story of a larger-than-life culinary icon and her remarkable spouse as they struggle to find themselves as Americans abroad.

Spring is coming and there's a tiger on the loose from the local zoo in Tigers Be Still by Kim Rosenstock, playing March 3-April 2, 2023. Sherry Wickman has recently earned her masters degree in art therapy only to find herself moving back home with her family, sending out countless résumés, and waiting for the job offer that never comes. Unemployed and overwhelmed, Sherry retreats to her childhood bed and remains there until an unexpected employment opportunity gives her a renewed sense of purpose and hope. Now if only her mother would come downstairs, her sister would get off the couch, her very first therapy patient would do just one of his take-home assignments, her new boss would leave his gun at home, and someone would catch the tiger that escaped from the local zoo, everything would be just perfect.

Rounding out the season is Tintypes, conceived by Mary Kyte with Mel Marvin and Gary Pearle, from April 21-May 21, 2023. This Tony-nominated, nostalgic musical revue offers snapshots - tintypes, if you will - ­of America in its last Age of Innocence. This musical melting pot of changing times blazes to life in a tuneful, high-spirited brew of popular songs from 1890 to 1917, performed by five archetypes of the period: Anna Held, the beautiful music hall star; Emma Goldman, the notorious socialist; Susannah, a black domestic based on Ziegfeld's pioneering male star, Bert Williams; a Chaplin-esque immigrant; and the outrageous Teddy Roosevelt, the youngest man ever to be elected President of the United States.

Tickets for CCCT's 2022-23 season go on sale to the public on June 1 at www.ccct.org. All performances take place in-person at the theatre, 951 Pomona Ave (cross street Moeser) in El Cerrito. Free parking is available in the adjoining lot and on the street. COVID protocols for attending the in-person performances are updated regularly and are available on the theatre's website at www.ccct.org/safety.

Celebrating its 63rd season in 2022-23, Contra Costa Civic Theatre (CCCT) embraces the notion that theatre is a vital part of a healthy community and serves its citizens best when it provides a welcoming home for all people who value the power of storytelling. Established in 1959 by Louis and Bettianne Flynn and a group of dedicated volunteers and under the artistic direction of Marilyn Langbehn for the past ten years, CCCT is proud to provide entertainment and education to the El Cerrito and East Bay communities that help it to thrive.

September 9-October 9, 2022

LERNER & LOEWE'S CAMELOT

Don't let it be forgot...

Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Music by Frederick Lowe

Based on The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Book Adapted by David Lee

New Orchestrations by Steve Orich

November 4-December 4, 2022

TO MASTER THE ART

Bay Area premiere

Adventure. Romance. Food.

by William Brown and Doug Frew

original score by Andrew Hansen

March 3-April 2, 2023

TIGERS BE STILL

An offbeat comedy

by Kim Rosenstock

April 21-May 21, 2023

TINTYPES

the Great American Songbook comes to life

conceived by Mary Kyte

with Mel Marvin and Gary Pearle