The latest reviews and critic recommendations from Santa Barbara.
A community's point of view is expressed through the local art scene, and Santa Barbara's On The Verge Festival promotes underrepresented points of view by producing theatre by female playwrights, LGBTQIA playwrights, and playwrights of color.
While concepts in High Society may have been viewed as 'kitschy' when the play premiered two decades ago, in the age of Instagram stars and The Real Housewives, these characters, who are charming in their relative innocence as compared to the shameless celebrities of the information age (even our pr
'Stupid Fucking Bird,' which runs this weekend and next at various locations throughout Santa Barbara, offers a self-aware, fourth-wall-indifferent show with a wicked sense of humor.
There's a lot to unpack from director and professor Simon Williams' production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, the Brecht epic that expands a parable into a detailed exploration of how well human kindness fares in a lawless land of political upheaval within a universe marked by an stylistically absur
Elaine Gale's one-woman show, One Good Egg, offers Santa Barbara a frank conversation about gender and the female experience.
Lit Moon's highly stylized version of 'Richard III' is strangely appealing (albeit disjointed and inaccessible—especially for those without a fairly thorough grasp of the narrative).
In the UCSB Department of Theatre and Dance's production of Mr.
The earthy aesthetic of this production suits the pastoral lifeblood of the play.
Lydia, a soothsaying stranger, is an immigrant from Mexico who works as a live-in maid for the Flores family.
'Hard Rain: A Theatrical Protest' offered a workshop view of six new dramatic renderings of the American experience in this time of political turbulence.
Ensemble's production of Chapter Two, Neil Simon's 1977 living-room comedy about a second marriage, tackles the problems that come with an obsession with the past.
Sinner/Saint is not an indictment of the Christian community--it's a bittersweet and genuine storytelling experience that offers the most vulnerable aspects of the Christian-LGBTQ reconciliation movement: anxiety, denial, desperation for approval, sadness, forgiveness, and healing.
MACBETH Brings Smoke and Mirrors and Projections to the Nightmare in Scotland.
Elements Theatre Collective Presents: 'In a Word' Since the disappearance of her son two years ago, Fiona has created a narrative of her version of events born from grief, regret, and the guilt of unspoken relief of being freed from the burden of a special needs child she was not equipped to handle
'Much Ado About Nothing' is a Shakespearian comedy that plays, essentially, on the idea that gossip is a bitch.
Litmoon's production captures the resounding void of the Wingfields' desperation.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a play with enjoyable moments and talented performers.
Devised, written, directed, and performed by Jeff Mills, Erica Flor, and Madelyn Robinson: Proboscis Theatre's recent efforts, 'Bloody Beautiful' and 'Strap-On,' are intimate and provocative works that delve into personality manifestation.
Interesting, overlapping personal narratives tell slightly different stories, making the whole story strong, but mysterious in the little places of ambguity.
Based on the title, one might assume that Joshua Harmon's 'Bad Jews' is a play more specifically rooted in Judaism that it actually is.
A provocative, modern, and intimate play about the processes of troubled, magnificent minds, 'Proof' provides the sweet relief of calm moments amongst a hailstorm barrage of trauma.
Deep in Texas, the Montgomery women of Cedar Creek come together to empty their ancestral home of their ailing mother's belongings before selling the property to developers.
“In The Next Room,” illustrates how the mass availability of technology paves the way for social change.
Death of Kings weaves Richard II, Henry IV (parts 1 and 2), Henry V, Henry VI (parts 1, 2, and 3), and Richard III, into a fast-moving onslaught of conflict and mayhem that ceaselessly emphasizes the play's theme and title: the succession of royal lineage via death, murder, and dethronement.
'Into the Woods' reframes well-known fairy tales into a single narrative that brings characters from beloved stories together in an inclusive universe for a re-envisioned adventure.
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TRADITION TRANSFORMED: RACHMANINOFF, BRITTEN & BAIK Hahn Hall (10/08-10/08) |
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Seminar San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre (4/02-4/18) |
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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre (6/11-7/03) |
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Ragtime Rubicon Theatre Company (10/21-11/08) |
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Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading: Nickel & Dimed San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre (4/23-4/24) |
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Buyer & Cellar The New Vic (10/07-10/25) |
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Murder For Two Rubicon Theatre Company (5/12-5/30) |
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A Year With Frog And Toad Clark Center For The Performing Arts (11/19-11/21) |
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The Lehman Trilogy Rubicon Theatre Company (3/24-4/11) |
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Gutenberg! The Musical! San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre (10/09-11/08) |
