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THEATRE NEWS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY

Posted by:	Richard Connema 03:33 pm EST 01/19/14

Word for Word announces two readings in January and February 2014. The first reading is the script unveiling of “36 Stories by Sam Shepard” on Monday, January 20 at 6:30 pm at Z Below. The second reading is an Off The Page staged reading of a short story from author Edward P. Jones’ “All Aunt Hagar’s Children” short story collection on Monday, February 10, 7 pm at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco Tickets: by donation Tickets: 866.811.4111 or at www.zspace.org February Off The Page staged reading “All Aunt Hagar’s Children” by EDWARD P. JONES Directed by Stephanie Hunt. Reading: Mon. Feb. 10, 2014, 7 pm At: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California, San Francisco 94118 Tickets: $15 Tickets: www.jccsf.org ###################### From the creators of “SF Follies” and “Forever Broadway” comes a new musical revue celebrating the contemporary Broadway musical. A dynamic showcase filled with comedy, dance and beautiful music. Casting singers ages 18-60. Auditions: Sat. Feb. 1st. 3-4:30pm. King George Hotel. 334 Mason St, San Francisco, CA 94102. For more info, or to make an appointment to audition, please visit: www.sffollies.com ################################### – Emily Keeler, San Francisco Arts Education’s Artistic Director, announced today that the San Francisco Arts Education Project’s 2014 musical is Li’l Abner, the 1956 Broadway musical featuring music by Gen De Paul and lyrics by the great Johnny Mercer. Li’l Abner runs for eight performances beginning Saturday, February 14 through Sunday, March 2, 2014 at the Eureka Theatre (215 Jackson Street, San Francisco). Tickets ($15 for students and seniors; $25 general admission) are available by calling City Box Office at 415.392.4400 or online at www.cityboxoffice.com. Tickets for the Players’ Family Benefit Reception and Closing Day Party on Sunday, March 2 at 1:00 p.m. are $40 for general admission and $20 for student and senior admission. Ticket price includes drinks, hors d'oeuvres and dessert and benefits the San Francisco Arts Education Project. Danny Duncan, a Master Artist with the San Francisco Arts Education Project since 1991, is once again directing the Players’ show. Duncan is working with SFArtsED musical director Michael Mohammed, vocal directors Alex Stein and Ben Malkevitch and choreographers Natalie Greene, Erin Hewitt and Emily Keeler. The set is designed by the technical theater students at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (RA SOTA) under the guidance of the program’s co-director Paul Kwape and the school’s resident artist Jenny King Turko; Tiersa Nureyev is creating the costumes. Jeffrey Hyche, an alumnus of the Players, is the stage manager, and SFArtsED’s apprentice program with RA SOTA provides opportunities for high school students to design and build the set and operate the light and sound boards for the production. Based on the comic strip by Al Capp, Li’l Abner debuted on the Broadway stage 1956 with a sterling score by Mercer and De Paul featuring the songs “If I Had My Druthers,” “Jubilation T. Cornpone” and “The Country’s in the Very Best of Hands.” Perhaps the most memorable aspect of that original production was the musical staging and choreography by the legendary Michael Kidd. The movie version of the Broadway show was released in 1959 and featured many members of the original cast. Li’l Abner runs Saturday, February 15 to Sunday, March 2, 2014 at the Eureka Theatre (215 Jackson Street, San Francisco). Show times are Saturdays and Sundays February 15 through March 1 at 2 p.m.; Fridays, February 21 and Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Players’ Family Benefit Reception and Closing Day Party on Sunday, March 2 at 1:00 p.m. are $40 for general admission and $20 for student and senior admission. Ticket price includes drinks, hors d'oeuvres and dessert and benefits the San Francisco Arts Education Project. Regular tickets ($15 for students and seniors; $25 general admission) are available by calling City Box Office at 415.392.4400 or online at www.cityboxoffice.com. # ################################ Opening Night: April 15 —Marin Theatre Company, in association with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, announced today that, due to brisk ticket sales, MTC has extended August Wilson’s Fences by eight performances. Directed by Derrick Sanders and featuring actors Carl Lumbly, Steven Anthony Jones and Margo Hall, the production will run for 36 performances, from April 10 through May 11. Opening night is Tuesday, April 15. Based in Mill Valley, MTC is a 47-year old professional nonprofit theater that is a destination for exhilarating performances, inspired new American plays and powerful theatrical experiences. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, a 33-year-old San Francisco-based African-American theater company, has included Fences as part of its 2013-14 subscription series, which also includes productions at A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, San Francisco Opera and SF Playhouse. ########################## Main Stage West in Sebastopol announces 2014 Season of Plays - Main Stage West in Sebastopol (MSW) announces an exciting and eclectic season of plays both classic and new for 2014. Starting the year off is the political thriller Yankee Tavern by Stephen Dietz. This “edge-of-your seat” drama, running Feb. 7-23 and directed by MSW Artistic Director Elizabeth Craven (Mauritius, Exit the King), is brimming with mystery and intrigue. In a New York dive bar five years after 9/11, a young couple (Ilana Niernberger, Tyler Costin) find themselves face-to-face with a mysterious stranger (John Craven) who turns what seem like harmless conspiracy theories into a continuous stream of surprising and dangerous revelations in an eye-opening look at the events that forever changed our country. Also starring Anthony Abate. Following in March is the one-man tour-de-force, Underneath the Lintel by Greg Berger. Starring John Shillington and directed by John Craven (The Memory of Water), Underneath the Lintel takes place on an inauspicious morning at a Dutch library where the librarian makes an unexpected find in the overnight return box: a much mistreated Baedeker's guidebook,123 years overdue. The librarian, who has never left his native town of Hoofddorp, zips from China to Australia, Germany, and America in his search for the missing miscreant, all the while having the time of his life. Underneath the Lintel runs Mar.13-30. In April, MSW is pleased to share the California premiere of Si Kahn’s musical tribute, Mother Jones in Heaven. Elizabeth Craven directs the indomitable Mary Gannon Graham (Patsy Cline, Shirley Valentine) as the invincible Mother Jones in this one-woman musical by the legendary songwriter and activist, Si Kahn. In this loving portrait, Mother Jones wakes up in heaven which, to her surprise and delight, turns out to be an Old Irish Pub. There she meets a trio of Celtic musicians who spend the evening recounting events of her life through song and yarn. Mother Jones in Heaven runs Apr. 25-May 11. T.I.C. (Trenchcoat In Common) By Peter Sinn Nactrieb, is the truly hilarious comedy playing June 13-29. In a summer devoid of friends, money and fun, a teenage girl starts a blog about her apartment building and the strange characters inhabiting it. She begins to pry deep into the lives of her eccentric and mysterious neighbors, sharing her research online. But the deeper she goes, the more secrets emerge, and what begins as a lark quickly becomes dangerous. A comedy about privacy, voyeurism, the nature of “family” and a father and daughter trying to connect. Stay tuned for more information regarding special opportunities to meet the playwright himself! Directed by Sheri Lee Miller (The Weir, The Tempest). MSW next offers up none other than Hedda Gabler, the beautiful and amoral anti-heroine in Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama of the same name. “She’s mean at the beginning and even meaner at the end,” according to Christopher Isherwood of the New York Times. But wait! Is Hedda not fully justified in her behavior, as a brilliant woman living in a limiting and narrow-minded world? The debate over Hedda is as topical today as when it was written in 1890. Hedda Gabler is directed by Elizabeth Craven and stars Ilana Niernberger as the passionate Hedda. Running Sept. 12-Oct. 5. Autumn brings the 2013 Tony Award-winner for Best Play, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, by Christopher Durang. This hilarious riff on Chekhov has won every major theatrical award. In it, middle-aged Vanya and Sonia share a home in Bucks County, PA, where they bicker and complain about the circumstances of their lives. Suddenly, their movie-star sister, Masha, swoops in with her new boy toy, Spike. And what would a Chekhov send-up be without a family home in jeopardy of being sold off? Sheri Lee Miller directs this loony caper which runs Oct. 23- Nov. 15. political who-dunnit from Jon Robin Baitz that balances fierce comedy and riveting family drama. A blockbuster hit of the 2011 Broadway season, Other Desert Cities tell the story of a high-level political family whose daughter, Brooke, comes home for the holidays with the unwelcome news that she has written a tell-all memoir that is sure to rip the politically divided clan apart. Elizabeth Craven directs this twisted Christmas offering, playing December 4-21. All performances are at Main Stage West, located at 104 N. Main St. in Sebastopol. There is plenty of free public parking nearby. Tickets are $25 general admission, $20 for seniors (65+) and $15 for people under 30. Thursdays are pay-what-you-will. Tickets may be reserved by calling 707.823.0177 or purchased online at www.mainstagewest.com. Money-saving subscriptions are also available. ############################## Center REPertory Company is proud to announce its new “First Look” program thanking US Military personnel and US Veterans and active college students with $15 tickets. What the “First Look” Ticket Program is:Michael Butler, the Artistic Director of Center REPertory Company, the resident professional theatre company at the Lesher Center for the Arts, today announced its “First Look” discount ticket program. The dual purpose of the program is to encourage Bay area college students, faculty and staff to experience live theatre and to thank United States military personnel and veterans for their service. Who is eligible: All two and four year college students, faculty, and staff with a school ID or any active military or veterans with appropriate ID are eligible to purchase up to a pair of $15 tickets to any Preview or Opening Night performance of a Center REP production. When does it begin: The first production to inaugurate this program is Center REP's upcoming Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris. Home is where the heart – and history – is. Jokes fly and hidden agendas unfold as two vastly different generations of characters tip-toe the delicate dance of social politics. Two seminal events – 50 years apart – are at the crux of the conflict in the same North Chicago house. This rich and lightning-quick comedy is every bit as provocative as it is entertaining – as it cleverly spins the events of A Raisin in the Sun into an unforgettable new story about race and real estate in America. The eligible performances for the “First Look” discount are Friday, Jan. 31st at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1st at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2nd at 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 4th at 7:30 p.m. TICKET INFORMATION: For more information go to CenterREP.org or call 925.943.SHOW (7469). You can also visit the LCA Ticket Office at 1601 Civic Drive or the Ticket Office Outlets at Barnes & Noble in Walnut Creek and the Downtown Walnut Creek Library. ########################### California Shakespeare Theater Appoints Rebecca Novick as New Director of Artistic Engagement —California Shakespeare Theater has announced the appointment of Rebecca Novick to the post of Director of Artistic Engagement., This new position, part of the organization’s senior leadership team, will expand Ms. Novick’s ongoing work with the Triangle Lab to focus on developing Cal Shakes involvement with all its constituents—artists, audiences, donors, students, board, and community partners—toward the goal of deepening relationships and integrating Cal Shakes into the lives of everyone we reach. “I am beyond thrilled that Rebecca is taking on this vital new role with the organization,” says Cal Shakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone. “She brings a unique voice to the table as we focus our work over the coming years to connect Cal Shakes more deeply to our communities. As the Triangle Lab has been an extraordinary catalyst for questioning assumptions and methodologies in how we work, the work in Artistic Engagement will help strengthen our relationships with audiences up at the Bruns, partners in the communities, and students who participate in our Artistic Learning programs.” “As an artist I’m always looking for the opportunity to bring my twin passions for social justice and theater-making together, and this new position gives me the chance to investigate what happens when a theater asks itself how to matter more to its community,” adds Rebecca Novick. “As Director of the Triangle Lab I led experiments exploring how to engage artists more deeply in community life; in this expanded role I am honored to be charged with weaving together how we make theater and how we build community.” ####################### OSF RECEIVES $7,000 GRANT FOR ENGAGEMENT OF NEW AUDIENCES Oregon Arts Commission 2014 Arts Build Communities grant will support development of Community Conversations project to increase Latino engagement Ashland, Ore.—Ashland, Ore.— The Oregon Arts Commission (OAC) has awarded a $7,000 grant to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s (OSF) Cultural Connections program to support the development of Community Conversations, part of OSF’s new engagement model with Latino communities in Portland and the Rogue Valley. Community Conversations is one of 26 arts-based projects in Oregon to receive a 2014 Arts Build Communities grant from the OAC. “Community Conversations is rooted in OSF’s rich history as a community-oriented arts organization,” said Audience Development Manager Freda Casillas. “Our long-term emphasis on relationship-building through the Cultural Connections program has resulted in lasting and effective partnerships with Latino organizations in Southern Oregon, and this generous Oregon Arts Commission grant will allow us to strengthen our relationship with Latino communities outside the Rogue Valley.” Through the Community Conversations project, OSF will offer improved Spanish open-captioning technology to increase the number of accessible performances, establish baseline metrics for program evaluation, and offer community dialogue with artist and activist Luis Alfaro, OSF’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Playwright-in-Residence and Community Conversations facilitator in partnership with Casillas. Community Conversations is just one example of OSF’s over-arching mission to be a place of meaningful engagement for all communities. Through extensive and ongoing outreach to new audiences, OSF seeks to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience the value of theatre. OSF has reached a broad cross-section of individuals, professionals and families diverse in age and socioeconomic background thanks to relationship-building that started in the late 1990s and has intensified since 2008 under Artistic Director Bill Rauch’s leadership. Year-round Cultural Connections programming targets diverse communities, including Latino audiences, through playwright discussions, bilingual advertising and social media, free and discounted tickets, public play readings in Spanish, Spanish open-captioning of selected performances, community presentations and events hosted by Latino actors and artists, partnerships with 15 community agencies, and through CultureFest and the Latino/a Playwrights Project, which alternate every other year. ############################ O’NEILL FOUNDATION AWARDS GIVEN TO CLAUDIA NEMIR & ROLE PLAYERS ENSEMBLE It was a festive evening as the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House, celebrated its 45th year, and extended honors to an individual and an organization that have contributed significantly to the O’Neill Foundation’s success in recent years. Honored were Claudia Mauzy Nemir of Alamo, and Role Players Ensemble of Danville at a gathering Thursday, January 16 in the Eugene O’Neill Room of the Crow Canyon Country club in San Ramon. Claudia Mauzy Nemir, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors for twelve years, and Board President in 2005 and 2006, was awarded the Foundation’s Open Gate Award, which honors those who have served as director of the Foundation and whose dedication and service has enhanced the memory of Eugene O’Neill. “Not only was Claudia a staunch supporter of the Foundation,” said Board Member Trudy McMahon, “but Claudia, using her insights as a retired banker, was instrumental in fundraising for the O’Neill Commemorative which is now located in Front Street Park, across from the Library in downtown Danville.” In 2010, Claudia Nemir was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Contra Costa Commission for Women, honored in the category of “Women Contributing to the Arts.” She is a former member of the Walnut Creek Arts Commission, past president of the Danville-Alamo AAUW, past chair of the Discovery Center, and past president of the Diablo Theatre Company. Claudia Mauzy Nemir is a fifth generation Contra Costa resident, and remembers when the O’Neills built Tao House in the Danville hills in 1936, having visited it as a child with her with her parents. She was also friends with the Richard Carlson family who acquired Tao House after the O’Neill departed in 1944. The Eugene O’Neill Foundation also honored Role Players Ensemble of Danville with the Partnership Award in recognition of cooperative efforts to perpetuate the life and literary contribution of Eugene O’Neill as America’s only playwright to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and four Pulitzer Prizes. “With Role Players fine production efforts, local audiences have had an opportunity to see many of O’Neill’s notable plays performed at the Village Theatre in downtown Danville,” said Foundation President Robert J. Sehr in presenting the Award. “In recent years, Role Players has produced The Hairy Ape, All God’s Chillun’ Got Wings, Mourning Becomes Electra, and at last September O’Neill Festival, Anna Christie. This partnership has enabled the O’Neill Foundation to further extend its efforts to promote the legacy of the playwright we honor.” #########################

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