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THEATRE NEWS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY

Posted by:	Richard Connema 05:27 pm EDT 03/23/14

Nominations in for Bay Area Critics Circle Awards Gala May 5th Nominations are in for “Excellence in Theatre” Awards! Go to www.SFBATCC.com to read all 260 nominees for the 60+ awards. African-American Shakespeare, others to be honored The “Excellence in Theatre” Awards Gala of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle will be held for the second year in a row at the California Ballroom, 1736 Franklin Street in uptown Oakland on May 5, 2014, the first Monday in May. “We’ve chosen the First Monday in May to be the annual date for our Awards Gala—and this year it falls on Cinco de Mayo,” said Gala Coordinator John McMullen. “The Awards Gala was a big party last year—often awards ceremonies can be tedious—but not this one!” McMullen added. “All the glitches have been fixed, and we’re ready to rock’n’roll.” To be honored: African-American Shakespeare, Cinnabar Theatre’s Artistic Director Elly Lichenstein, San Francisco Playhouse’s Artistic Director Bill English and Managing Director Susi Damilano (info below).There will be Rock & RB to dance to at the “Dessert, Dance, & Schmooze” intermission with the Tal Ariel Rockin’ Band. Admission includes food and drink: Extreme Pizza (pies & wings) and salad will be served from when the doors open at 5:45 pm till 7:00 pm when the awards begin. Marty Nemko (of KGO’s “Work with Marty Nemko) will be at the piano to provide music during the “Eat & Schmooze” first hour of the evening. Award-winning songstress Leanne Borghesi will call the proceedings to order with a song. Wine is provided by Pat Paulsen Vineyards and beer by Trumer Pils. On the menu is chicken wings and all kinds of pizza (including cheese and gluten free!) from Extreme Pizza. For dessert, apple turnover and coffee. The Critics Circle bestows 60+ awards for directors, dramatic actors, musical theatre actors, designers, music directors, choreographers, specialists, ensemble, production, original script, and touring and solo shows are among them. The awards are for each “size of house” from Equity houses like ACT and Berkeley Rep to mid-size (100-300 seats) such at Shotgun Players and San Francisco Playhouse to under 99 seats like Impact Theatre or The Masquers Playhouse. “The California Ballroom is an art deco jewel just a block and a half from 19th St. BART with lots of free street parking,” noted Barry Willis, president of the SFBATTC. “It’s very accessible and safe. We'll also have patrolling security guards to secure parking and to walk you to your car.” “Last year, the Awards Gala sold out,” Willis added, “so get your tickets early.” There is a reduced rate for nominees and Equity nominees attend gratis by way of a major grant from Actors’ Equity Association, which, along with Theatre Bay Area, co-sponsor the event. Three special awards honor two Bay Area theatre artists and one organization.African-American Shakespeare Company will be honored with The Paine Knickerbocker Award, named for the former theatre critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and presented to an organization that has made a continuing contribution to Bay Area theatre. www.african-americanshakes.org Cinnabar Theatre’s Artistic Director Elly Lichenstein will receive The Jerry Friedman Award, named for the KGO Radio theatre critic who served as SFBATCC president for 22 years. This is a lifetime achievement award given to an individual who has furthered the creativity and growth of theater in the Bay Area throughout his/her career. www.cinnabartheater.org San Francisco Playhouse’s Artistic Director Bill English and Managing Director Susi Damilano will jointly receive the The Gene Price Award, named for the former arts editor and long-time theatre critic of the San Francisco Bay Times and honoring a person who embodies superlative professionalism and passion for Bay Area theatre. www.sfplayhouse.org Theatre companies nominated for their productions or for their theatre artists include: San Francisco: 3 Girls Theatre, 42nd St Moon, American Conservatory Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, Custom Made Theatre Co. , Cutting Ball Theater, Golden Thread Productions, Magic Theatre, Monday Afternoon Productions, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Off Broadway West, Ray of Light, San Francisco Playhouse, Second Wind Productions, SHN, Theatre Rhinoceros, Thrillpeddlers, Tides Theatre, Wily West Productions, Word for Word. North Bay: 6th Street Playhouse, Cinnabar Theater, College of Marin Drama Dept., Curtain Theater Company, Curtain Theater Company & Marin Onstage, Marin Shakespeare Company, Marin Theatre Company, Novato Theater Company, Ross Valley Players, and Spreckels Theatre Company. East Bay: Altarena Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory, California Shakespeare Theater, Center Repertory Theatre, Central Works, Diablo Theatre Company, Impact Theatre, Kneehigh Theatre Company, Masquers Playhouse, Shotgun Players. South Bay: San Jose Rep, TheatreWorks ##################################### OREGON SHAKESPEARE NEWS ######################## Water by the Spoonful Joins OSF Rep Pulitzer Prize-winning play opens in the Thomas Theatre March 30, 2014 —The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will open Quiara Alegría Hudes’s >i>Water by the Spoonful, directed by Shishir Kurup, March 30 in the Thomas Theatre. Preview performances are March 26, 28 and 29. Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize, this beautifully-told story is about Elliot, recently returned from serving in Iraq and now at home dealing with some inner demons that have followed him back. He and his cousin Yazmin are caring for his ailing adopted mother, Ginny, the matriarch of Elliot’s extended Puerto Rican family. Ginny has raised Elliot since Odessa, Ginny’s sister, could no longer care for him. In an apparently unrelated story, a group of recovering addicts are seeking connections in an online chat room. The links between the stories are revealed in time, but each is part of a larger story: disconnected to one degree or another, they all come to find acceptance and healing. When this play opened off-Broadway in 2013 The New York Times critic, Charles Isherwood, wrote: “For a drama peopled by characters who have traveled a long way in the dark, Water by the Spoonful gives off a shimmering, sustaining warmth. Ms. Hudes writes with such empathy and vibrant humor about people helping one another to face down their demons that regeneration and renewal always seem to be just around the corner.” Director Kurup writes of the play, “In Water by the Spoonful, the family becomes the piece that stands in for the whole of American society in all its striving, trauma and addiction. The play attempts to uncover what price this triumvirate exacts from the individual, the family and the society as well as the resilience it fosters.” The cast of Water by the Spoonful features Daniel José Molina as Elliot Ortiz, Nancy Rodriguez as Yazmin Ortiz, Vilma Silva as Odessa Ortiz, Barret O’Brien as Fountainhead, Bruce A. Young as Chutes&Ladders, Celeste Den as Orangutan, and Barzin Akhavan as A Ghost, Professor Aman, Policeman and Ensemble. Scenic design is by Sibyl Wickersheimer, costumes by Raquel Barreto, lighting by Geoff Korf and composer and sound design by John Nobori. Tom Ridgely is the Phil Directing Fellow, and Lydia G. Garcia is dramaturg. Voice and text director is Rebecca Clark Carey, U. Jonathan Toppo is fight director and stage manager is Moira Gleason. OSF gratefully acknowledges the Production Sponsor for Water by the Spoonful, Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards, and Production Partners Sandy Farewell, Harvey and Isabel Kibel and Edward P. Wobber and Linda M. DeMelis. The production runs through June 20 and re-opens from September 4 through November 2. ##################################### California Shakespeare Theater’s “Raise the Roof” Garners Record-Breaking $688K at Annual Gala “Make a Difference” portion of live auction shatters previous record; earns $227K for Cal Shakes’ work onstage, in classrooms, and in communities Launch of the Moscone Permanent Endowment and the Cal Shakes Legacy Circle honor the Theater’s 40-year history San Francisco’s elegant Four Seasons hotel, its ballroom transformed into a mesmerizing swirl of vibrant, electric colors, provided the dramatic setting for California Shakespeare Theater’s 19th annual gala, Raise the Roof, on Saturday, March 15, 2014. Led by Gala Co-Chairs Jean Simpson and Maureen Knight, and Honorary Co-Chair Annette Bening, the event was the most successful in Cal Shakes history, grossing more than $688,500 and welcoming 330 attendees. “What a fantastic way to kick off our 40th anniversary and embark on our next 40 years of building character and community through authentic, inclusive, and joyful theater experiences,” says Cal Shakes Managing Director Susie Falk. “We are tremendously grateful for the support of the individuals and corporations who made “Raise the Roof” such an overwhelming success, and even more thrilled about the impact that this support will enable us to have in the coming months.” Subtly-lit bubble walls by Blueprint Studios and colorful costumes from Cal Shakes performances lined the red carpet, welcoming guests as they mingled, wined, and bid on an array of silent auction items. The lively crowd engaged in a number of good-natured bidding wars for one-of-a-kind packages including private tours of di Rosa, Sausalito’s Marine Mammal Center, and Oakland Museum of California; an Algonquin Roundtable-style luncheon with Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), Robert Mailer Anderson (Boonville), Joe Di Prisco (All for Now), and Cal Shakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone; 18 holes at San Francisco’s exclusive Olympic Club; a cocktail party and private concert at the Getty Mansion; VIP seats to the Golden State Warriors and the San Francisco Giants; a McRoskey Mattress shopping spree; and a signed football by SF 49er’s legendary quarterback Steve Young; to name a few. Following the cocktail hour, the party-goers joined Cal Shakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone and Managing Director Susie Falk in the ballroom to dine on artichoke “velouté” with cilantro, olive oil, and crouton; local baby lettuce salad with pickled beets, breakfast radish, and fresh horseradish vinaigrette; slow-cooked beef short rib with red flint polenta, pickled ramps, chilies, cherries, radish, fava beans, and charred onion jus; and orange bar, hazelnut ice cream, espresso meringue, and lemon curd for dessert. ################################################ UC Berkeley Dept. of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies appoints Philip Kan Gotanda as Professor:Prominent Asian American Playwright Plans to Create Nationally Known Playwriting Program at UC Berkeley Prolific playwright Philip Kan Gotanda has been appointed a Professor in the Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. A groundbreaking figure in American Drama and a champion of stories of marginalized and under-represented communities in America, Gotanda’s works are produced and studied throughout the US and abroad. Gotanda’s plays challenge notions of what the Asian is or is not in America and the world. He investigates themes of American intersectionality, transnationalism, and intergenerational and interracial conflicts. He is also a filmmaker, screenwriter and musician. His films The Kiss, Drinking Tea and Life Tastes Good have all been screened at the Sundance Film Festival. ##############################

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