Annie Baker's CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION Comes to Santa Paula Theater Center

The Santa Paula Theater Center will present Annie Baker's CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION from September 1st - October 8th, 2023 on their Mainstage at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 pm on Sundays. CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION won the 2010 New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the 2010 Obie Award for Best New American Play. It was voted one of the top ten plays of 2009 by The New York Times, Time Out, and the New Yorker. Tickets are $24 for Adults and $22 for Seniors, Students and Military and can be purchased online at www.santapaulatheatercenter.org or by calling 805-525-4645 or emailing sptcbox@gmail.com. Tickets are also available at the door the day of the performance for any unsold seats.

 

The cast includes Victoria McGee as Marty, William Hubbard as James, Amber Shea Hodge as Lauren, James James as Schultz, and Shelby Dickinson as Theresa.

 

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION will be directed by Brian Robert Harris with Leslie Hackel Nichols and Jessi May Stevenson producing. The design staff supporting the production are Leticia Leticia Aguilar Mattson as Stage Manager, Allan Noel as Sound Designer, Gary Richardson as Lighting Designer, Mike Carnahan as Scenic Designer, Barbara Pedziwiatr as Costumer, and Carlita Mead as Props Mistress.

 

THE STORY: When four lost New Englanders who enroll in Marty's six-week-long community-center drama class begin to experiment with harmless games, hearts are quietly torn apart, and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. A beautifully crafted diorama, a petri dish in which we see, with hilarious detail and clarity, the antic sadness of a motley quintet.

 

Critics have raved about this award winning play. The NY Times declares it “...an absolute feast. CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION is the kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and bright-eyed with the desire to spread the word. The play traces the lives of a handful of small-town Vermont residents who gather each week for an acting class taught at the local community center. By the play's end we seem to see to the very bottom of these souls, and feel how the artificial intimacy of the acting class has shaped their lives in substantial ways.” Variety states “…orchestrated with a subtlety and unfailing naturalness that make the play's small revelations disarming and unexpected. The characterizations display a miniaturist attention to detail that goes down to the bone… Baker is never blind to their weaknesses and faults, yet regards them all with a warm, empathetic eye.” BackStage acclaims “Smartly, sneakily, Baker gives us the rare theater centric play that's not self-obsessed. CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION is about real people exploring their lives through tiny leaps of faith and creativity.” Associated Press touts “Baker develops her characters slowly through their interactions each week in class, which is the only place we see them. Naturally, their real, offstage lives gradually infiltrate the classroom, revealing insights and transformations both humorous and heartbreaking." The Village Voice exclaims "Reverberates with seduction and sorrow... the play's final scene is devastatingly gentle."

For more information and to order tickets for CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, visit the Santa Paula Theater Center website at THE 39 STEPS by a Patrick Barlow November 10-December 17. The wearing of masks while inside the Santa Paula Theater Center is optional, though highly encourage for the safety of our patrons, actors, and staff.

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