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THEATRE NEWS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY

Posted by:	Richard Connema 07:15 pm EDT 03/30/14

NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER ANNOUNCES 2014-2015 SCHEDULE Features West Coast Premiere of “the terrific comedy with an unprintable name”, Cock the Bay Area Premiere of Charles Busch’s Die Mommie Die! a powerful, all-new production of one of NCTC’s biggest hits, Shakespeare’s R&J the return of nctc’s most popular puppet musical, Avenue Q two West Coast Premieres of acclaimed new dramatic comedies, Harbor and From White Plains Jon Robin Baitz’s Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Other Desert Cities the lush historical comic drama, Compleat Female Stage Beauty — Last night, at a special Season Announcement P arty for subscribers, donors, artists and press, New Conservatory Theatre Center Founding Artistic Director Ed Decker announced the 2014-15 Season. Regarded nationally and internationally as San Francisco’s Premier LGBQI and Allied Theatre Company, NCTC will continue the company’s commitment to brave, dynamic, and sophisticated programming that speaks to the humanity in all of us. “This season features another fantastic year of premieres, revivals and our best-selling musical of all time,” says Decker. “And the intimate setting at NCTC puts you so close to the action that you catch every glance, whisper, and soaring moment.” NCTC’s 2014-15 Season opens with the West Coast Premiere of a “terrific new comedy with an unprintable name,” according to Ben Brantley in The New York Times. Cock by Michael Bartlett caused a critical sensation when it premiered at London’s Royal Court in 2009, going on to win a Laurence Oliver Award, and equal praise upon its New York premiere in 2012. As the New York Post declared, “Never mind its provocative title: Cock is wonderful!” When John and his boyfriend take a break, the last thing he expects is to meet the woman of his dreams. This “exhilarating … robust and rollicking” new play (The New Yorker) takes a playful, candid look at sexuality, identity, and our obsession with certainty. Adds Variety, “With the exception of Oscar Wilde, quarreling lovers are never as articulate and entertaining as they are in Cock, Mike Bartlett’s Battle Royal of wit and persuasion.” In October, NCTC welcomes back the Hollywood kitsch and camp hilarity of Charles Busch with the Bay Area Premiere of Die! Mommie, Die!. After the great success of Charles Busch’s The Divine Sister at NCTC in 2013, NCTC presents the play L.A. Times calls “very nearly illegally entertaining.” The time is the 1960’s and fallen pop singer Angela Andrews is trapped in a corrosive marriage with her film producer husband. Desperate to find happiness with her young lover, Angela murders her husband, leaving their two children to avenge his death. Part Greek tragedy, part Hollywood kitsch - this is Charles Busch at his best! Die, Mommie, Die! premiered in Los Angeles in 1999, was adapted into a film in 2004 and later premiered in New York at New World Stages in 2007. In November, a reimagined classic is reimagined once more, as NCTC revives a powerful, all-new production of one of its biggest hits, Shakespeare’s R&J by Joe Calarco. We raise the stakes on this “electrifying” (Entertainment Weekly) and “vibrant, hot-blooded adaptation” (The New York Times), as it returns to our stage set in a small classroom of a repressive developing nation, where revealing who you are is still a crime. Shakespeare comes alive when four adolescent school boys break the rules and secretly reenact Romeo and Juliet - the timeless story of dangerous forbidden love. Shakespeare’s R&J won enthusiastic acclaim upon its New York premiere in 1998, repeating its tremendous success with celebrated runs in London’s West End, Australia, Tokyo, and cities all over the U.S. NCTC previously produced R&J in a hit production staged in 2002. This new production continues NCTC’s commitment to plays that champion social justice and a shared humanity. As hailed by Variety, R&J is “inspired in its exploration of passion and repression in both Shakespeare’s time and our own.” This holiday season, get ready for more outrageously delightful songs and charmingly naughty puppets, as NCTC presents the return of its sold-out, record-breaking hit Avenue Q. This “fresh and delightful” production (SF Examiner) won over critics and audience alike, with Talkin Broadway declaring after seeing the NCTC production, “I have fallen in love with Avenue Q all over again!” Avenue Q is the laugh-out-loud, Tony Award-winning musical that tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. Once there, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the internet sexpert), Lucy the Slut (need we say more?), and other colorful types who help Princeton finally discover his purpose in life. The Bay Area Reporter exclaims, “A big smiley face quickly throw its net over NCTC’s Decker Theatre and keeps the audience happily entrapped” – and just in time for the holidays! In January, NCTC presents the West Coast Premiere of the incisive and intelligent new play, Harbor by Chad Beguelin. All hell breaks loose when fifteen-year-old Lottie and her ne'er-do-well mother drop in unannounced on the beautiful Sag Harbor home of Kevin and his young new husband, Ted. The bonds between kith and kin are tested in this alternating biting and touching comedy about the constant shifting meaning of family. Chad Beguelin is the Tony-nominated lyricist/librettist of Broadway’s The Wedding Singer, lyricist for the hit musical adaptation of Elf, as well lyricist/librettist for Disney’s new Broadway production of Aladdin. Harbor premiered at Westport Playhouse, followed by a New York production at Primary Stages. Variety raves Harbor is “witty and tender” and adds, “The characters in Chad Beguelin’s comedy-drama are hopelessly – and sometimes hysterically – adrift as they seek safe havens in relationships, family, and career. But the harbors here are built on shifting sands in this wickedly funny play.” After the success of its San Francisco Premiere of The Paris Letter by Jon Robin Baitz, NCTC brings Baitz’ Putlizer Prize Finalist and Broadway blockbuster, Other Desert Cities, to the intimacy of NCTC’s Decker Theatre. Greeted with unanimous praise on its premiere at Lincoln Center Theatre in 2009, Other Desert Cities has gone on to garner raves in productions across the country, being hailed as “funny, fierce, and immensely entertaining” by New York Daily News, "a witty, deeply enjoyable family drama” by The New York Times, and praised by Newsday as “the play we have been waiting for Baitz to write!” In the play, Brooke announces to her prominent Republican parents she is about to publish a memoir on an explosive chapter in the family’s history, drawing a line in the Palm Springs sand and daring them all to cross it. As Baitz brings dysfunctional family drama to blazingly witty and gripping new heights, NCTC’s intimate Decker Theatre brings the passion, drama, and superbly crafted blow darts of wit closer to the audience than ever. Next, NCTC presents the West Coast premiere of the piercing and profound new drama From White Plains – “a poignant and balanced look at the psychic bruises of teenage cruelty" (Time Out New York.) Michael Perlman wrote From White Plains in collaboration with the original cast: Craig Wesley Divino, Karl Gregory, Jimmy King and Aaron Rossini. Proclaimed a “gripping and full-blooded drama” by NYTheatre.com when it premiered at Pershing Square Signature Center in New York, From White Plains explores the limits of our ability to forgive. When a young director receives international recognition for a film based on his experience of bullying in high school, he names the real life bully in his acceptance speech. The two lives that once intersected in high school, are now publicly tangled together by social media. The New York Times declares From White Plains “bristles with suspense. There are lives hanging in the balance here, playing out in arenas both painfully intimate and glaringly public.” From White Plains will also tour Northern and Central California as part of NCTC’s Pride On Tour, playing Modesto, Fresno, Grass Valley, and expanding to a new, fourth city to be announced . NCTC wraps up its 2014-15 Season with the battle of the sexes taking center stage in the San Francisco Premiere of the sumptuous and wildly theatrical comedic drama Compleat Female Stage Beauty by Jeffrey Hatcher. In 1661, London’s most renowned leading lady is a man named Edward Kynaston. He's the toast of the town until one night, when an unknown woman illegally takes the stage. Instead of stopping the show, King Charles II changes the law and allows women to act. By the stroke of a pen, Kynaston discovers his world is turned upside-down. Compleat Female Stage Beauty was the basis for the 2004 film Stage Beauty, directed by Richard Eyre, and has been hailed as a “world class, clever” comedy by Variety and an “intimate psycho-sexual backstage historical comedy. Splendidly theatrical, it's a witty allusive game with some feeling payoff, to boot" by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. NCTC’s 2014/2015 Season is supported in part by Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, James Irvine Foundation, Fresno Regional Foundation, The Bob A. Ross Foundation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, NCTC Producer’s Club and our individual donors. Subscribers get the best seats at the best prices for every show in the season. Eight-show full-season subscriptions are available now, as well as a seven-show package, without Avenue Q, and a 4-show Sampler, with a choice of any 4 shows in the season. Subscribers have first access to Avenue Q tickets, and save up to 25% off single tickets, have access to the best seats, receive hassle-free ticket exchanges, and save 50% on guest tickets. Subscriptions can be purchased at nctcsf.org/subscribe or by calling the Box Office at 415.861.8972. Singles tickets for the 2014-15 Season will go on sale to the general public June 1st, 2014. Fulfilling its vision of theatre as a community event, NCTC will expand community accessibility by offering a limited number of Pay-What-You-Wish tickets for every preview performance in the new season. ############################# AURORA THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2014-15 SEASON Acclaimed intimate theater to present Pulitzer-nominated Bay Area Premiere from Gina Gionfriddo; West Coast Premiere of recent off Broadway hit; Bay Area Premiere of Nicky Silver Broadway hit; Classic American trilogy from Pulitzer Prize-winner Lanford Wilson; Bay Area Premiere of Lisa D’Amour Obie-winning hit; Addition of sixthproduction to the season – Berkeley’s acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company proudly announces the lineup for its 23rd season. The company opens the season, dedicated to the memory of playwright Lanford Wilson, with the Bay Area Premiere of Obie-winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo’s Pulitzer-nominated comedy RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN, directed by Desdemona Chiang. The company is also poised to present the West Coast Premiere of Fraser Grace’s off Broadway hit BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE, directed by Jon Tracy and featuring L. Peter Callender. Barbara Damashek returns to Aurora to direct the Bay Area Premiere of Nicky Silver’s viciously hilarious Broadway hit THE LYONS, featuring Ellen Ratner. Aurora Theatre Company pays homage to Lanford Wilson with “The Talley Trilogy.” Acclaimed actress and director Joy Carlin directs the first entry in this series of three interrelated plays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning TALLEY’S FOLLY, to be staged in the company’s second stage performance space, Harry’s UpStage, located in the Nell and Jules Dashow Wing. “The Talley Trilogy” continues with FIFTH OF JULY, helmed by Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross and featuring Craig Marker. As a special addition to the 23rd season, and completing the trilogy, Aurora will present readings of Wilson’s rarely performed play TALLEY & SON directed by Jennifer King. Aurora Theatre Company closes its 23rd season with the Bay Area Premiere of Lisa D’Amour’s wicked Obie-winning satire DETROIT, directed by Josh Costello. The regular season will be staged August 2014 through July 2015 at the intimate Aurora Theatre in the downtown Berkeley arts district. For single tickets ($32-$60) or subscriptions ($155-$305), the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org. Subscriptions on sale March 27. Single tickets on sale for subscribers July 29 and on sale August 5 to the general public. ####################################### BAY AREA CABARET PRESENTS KAREN MASON IN “SECRETS OF THE ANCIENT DIVAS” AT THE FAIRMONT’S VENETIAN ROOM Sunday, May 18, 2014 ) – Bay Area Cabaret concludes its Tenth Anniversary Season by presenting the award winning Karen Mason in her new show, “SECRET OF THE ANCIENT DIVAS.” A performer who has mastered both playing starring roles on the Broadway stage as well as projecting her own presence in intimate cabaret settings, Ms. Mason now comes to San Francisco for a performance in homage to her personal idols, including iconic singers Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, and Peggy Lee. Ms. Mason will perform at the historic Venetian Room of The Fairmont San Francisco, 5pm, Sunday, May 18, 2014. Tickets ($48) are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400. Karen Mason first rose to prominence in Chicago before conquering New York and Broadway. Most notably, she originated the part of Tanya in the original Broadway cast of Mamma Mia! Other Broadway appearances include playing Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, performing nearly 300 shows over a span of three years, and assuming the role of Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray. Ms. Mason also received rave reviews for her recent portrayal as The Queen of Hearts in the original Broadway production of Wonderland. After starring Off-Broadway in her own show Karen Mason Sings Broadway, Beatles, and Brian, Ms. Mason went on to receive an Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in And The World Goes ‘Round as well as a Drama Desk nomination for her portrayal of Rosalie in the Off-Broadway revival of Carnival. In addition to receiving critical acclaim for her appearances on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and on television, Ms. Mason has also achieved a record-breaking career in cabaret, earning an astounding ten Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs Awards, including the award for Major Female Vocalist six years in a row, securing her position as one of New York’s most sought-out cabaret singers. This past summer Ms. Mason received rave reviews for her London Cabaret debut. Bay Area Cabaret was founded ten years ago by fifth generation San Francisco native Marilyn Levinson as a not-for profit organization. Through its concert series and wide-ranging outreach activities, BAC aims to expand the definition of cabaret and broaden the audience for intimate entertainment, offering Great American Songbook entries from Harold Arlen and Stephen Sondheim to Jonathan Larson and Stevie Wonder. Past seasons have featured Sutton Foster, Barbara Cook, Marvin Hamlisch, Christine Ebersole, Chita Rivera, jazz vocalists John Pizzarelli, Stacey Kent and Jane Monheit, Rent stars Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, and the high school vocal competition Bay Area Teen Idol. For Bay Area Cabaret patrons, The Fairmont San Francisco offers a delicious buffet dinner in the Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar for $40 (plus tax and tip), plus four hours of free parking for all who dine in the Laurel Court. For more information, visit www.bayareacabaret.org. ############################################# CENTER REP ANNOUNCES 2014-2015 SUBSCRIPTION SEASON Center REP’s 2014-2015 season includes two musicals, a west coast première, a fresh new adaptation of a classic Italian comedy, the holiday favorite: A Christmas Carol, one of the world’s greatest American thrillers, and two Off Center productions. -- Chevron, The Diablo Regional Arts Association, and The Lesher Foundation are once again proud sponsors of Center REPertory Company, the resident professional theatre company of the Lesher Center for the Arts, as it announces the company's 48th subscription season. Running from August 29, 2014 to June 27, 2015, the season will be continuing Center REP’s programming to include eight productions to be performed in all three theatres of the Lesher Center for the Arts. The diverse season moves from a sensational Doo-Wop musical to one of the greatest American Thrillers; from a West Coast premiere of a comedy about ‘books and the people who love them’, to a refreshing new translation of a classic Italian comedy; from a beloved Cole Porter masterstroke to Center REP’s classic holiday tradition for the entire family. A variety of subscription packages, ranging from $140 to $762, can be purchased by calling 925-943-SHOW. The season will kick off with LIFE COULD BE A DREAM (August 29 – October 5, 2014) Written and Directed by Roger Bean. "Just for the tunes alone and that thrilling four part doo-wop harmony, I want to see this show,” said Center REP Artistic Director Michael Butler, “It's going to be very exciting to hear Derek Keeling and this top Bay Area All-Star cast take it on. I’m also very excited to have Roger Bean, the creator/director of the massive hit The Marvelous Wonderettes, here to helm this production." LIFE COULD BE A DREAM features such seminal '60s hits as: “Fools Fall in Love,” “Tears on My Pillow,” “Runaround Sue,” “Earth Angel,” “Stay,” “Unchained Melody,” “Lonely Teardrops,” and “The Glory of Love.” Next comes DEATHTRAP (October 24 – November 22, 2014) by Ira Levin. In the tradition of REP’s The Mousetrap and Sleuth, this ingeniously constructed thriller packs gasp-inducing surprises and spontaneous laughter into two hours of nerve-wracking adrenaline and tension-smashing hilarity. “The suspense of Agatha Christie and the laughs of Neil Simon," said Mr. Butler, “One of my acting teachers at Juilliard, Marion Seldes, was in the original Broadway production and we all got to see a preview of Deathtrap. Wow, does this play work!” Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (December 11 – 21, 2014) heralds in the holiday season with colorful costumes and delightful music. Directed by Center REP Managing Director Scott Denison, the annual feast for the eyes and ears includes stunning special effects as the curmudgeonly Scrooge learns that it is better to give than to receive. Center REP starts off 2015 with THE BOOK CLUB PLAY (January 30 – February 28, 2015) written by Karen Zacarias. What if your book club was being filmed for a documentary by a famous Danish filmmaker? How would you behave? That’s the scintillating set up in this hilarious new comedy about books, the people who love them, and what can happen when friends start reading between the lines. "This will be a West Coast premiere and it's always exciting to introduce audience's to a new work,” said Mr. Butler, “especially one as canny and funny as up and coming playwright Karen Zacarias' new play." Next up is MISTRESS OF THE INN (April 3 – May 2, 2015), Carlo Goldoni’s rapturous and sharply hilarious 18th Century comedy. Mr. Butler shared, "I've wanted to do this great Goldoni comedy for some time now - its story of a smart woman trying to run a business makes it the 'Lean In' of the 18th Century - way ahead of its time. Director Timothy Near is creating a fresh new adaptation." Written in 1750, this battle-of-the-sexes comedic caper, considered one of Goldoni’s masterpieces, was centuries ahead of its time. Don’t miss this fresh new World Premiere adaptation by the director of the REP hits Noises Off, Sweet Charity and Rumors. Center REP closes the mainstage season with ANYTHING GOES (Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter; Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse) May 22– June 27, 2015. "Great Cole Porter tunes,” smiles Mr. Butler, “One of the best American musicals of all time." Including Cole Porter favorites: “I Get a Kick out of You,” “It’s Delovely,” and of course, “Anything Goes.” In addition to its six-show mainstage season, Center REP’s season also includes its popular Off Center series. Designed to present new, challenging works to its audience, the Off Center series has been a hit with audiences for the past five years. “For the 2014-15 Off Center season we’re exploring comics, comedians, clowns and comedy, but through the lens of some of the fringes of that world,” said Michael Butler, “I’ll never forget going to the renowned Moscow Circus in the last days of the Soviet Union. In between the equestrian acts and the dancing bear, was the clown act. No red noses and painted white faces. This was old world European circus. Two old men, hobos really, wordlessly using tragedy to reduce us to tears of laughter. It was comedy of existentialism and it was the funniest, most movingly hilarious sad thing I’ve ever seen. It was brilliant theatre.” “This fall,” Butler continues, “we’re presenting Sara Moore, the brilliant San Francisco-based clown and her Thrillride Mechanics troupe in Wunderworld, a stunning new re-imagining of the Alice in Wonderland story. Told through music, dance and her “hyper-comical Theatre of Human Animation,” Wunderworld tells the story of an 80-year old Alice drawn back down the rabbit hole for yet another adventure. It is exquisitely wistful, heartbreakingly hilarious theatre.” “In the spring, we bring you the phenomenal Improv Playhouse, San Francisco’s premiere improvisational comedy troupe. Improv Playhouse specializes in that most difficult of comedy high wire acts – long form improv. Each performance is entirely unique thanks to the suggestions solicited from the audience and each performance is an entire play – completely improvised! These folks are truly the Jedis of comedy.” For more information on the 2014-15 season and to purchase subscriptions, call 925-943-SHOW or go online to www.centerrep.org ######################################## TWO NOTED DRAMATISTS INSPIRED BY EUGENE O’NEILL TO BE FEATURED AT PLAYWRIGHTS’ THEATRE AT TAO HOUSE IN DANVILLE A classic drama by one of America’s most notable dramatists, and a work by a prominent Bay Area playwright, will be featured in May as part of the Eugene O’Neill Foundation’s Playwrights’ Theatre series at Tao House in Danville . Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, winner of several Tony Awards for Best Play Revival on Broadway, will be presented on Sunday, May 4 at 2:00 p.m. in the Old Barn at the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site in Danville. On Sunday, May 18, the Eugene O’Neill Foundation will feature Octavio Solis’ contemporary drama, El Paso Blue, at 2:00 p.m. in the Old Barn. Staged by long-time Bay area director and actress Joy Carlin, A View from the Bridge is a classic story of a man’s tragic struggle between is personal passions and his obligations to his community. Following the performance there will be a post-show discussion with the director and cast. “Like O’Neill, Arthur Miller attempts to bring the power of Greek tragedy to the modern theatre by substituting an “everyman” for what would have been a king. The goal being to bring the power of tragedy to our everyday lives,” says O’Neill Foundation Artistic Program Director Eric Fraisher Hayes. “Specifically, the use of a narrator in A View from the Bridge functions very much like a chorus would in a Greek tragedy,” added Hayes. A View from the Bridge was first performed in its present form in 1956 in London, and was published with a shorter verse drama (A Memory of Two Mondays) written in 1955. Miller’s play, set in an Italian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn in the 1950s, tells the story of Eddie Carbone, a Brooklyn longshoreman whose incestuous love for his niece, Catherine, leads to his own destruction. Add one -- Octavio Solis—the author of El Paso Blue and nearly a dozen produced plays -- is considered by many to be one of this generation’s most important Latino playwrights. Solis premiered this “modern Western with music” in 1994. He is a writer and director whose style defies formula, examining darkness, magic and humor of humanity with strong honesty and intensity. His dramas draw upon and transcend the Mexican-American experience in ways that cross cultural and aesthetic boundaries. Set in deserts of west Texas, El Paso Blue melds politics, immigration, cultural loss and revenge in a tale of a parole who gets out of jail to learn that his wife has run off with his father. The staged reading at the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site on May 18 will be directed by the Solis and will feature live music specifically written for the play. San Francisco Chronicle theatre writer and critic Robert Hurwitt will interview the playwright in a “talk-back” session with the audience following the performance. Reservations at $25 for each production are available through the Eugene O’Neill Foundation on-line at www.eugeneoneill.org or by phoning the O’Neill Foundation at (925) 820-1818. Seating in the Old Barn at the site is limited. Playwrights’ Theatre is presented by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House in cooperation with the National Park Service. Attendees will be transported to the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site by National Park Service shuttle, departing from the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, 205 Railroad Avenue, Danville. Shuttle details will be provided in advance to reservation holders ################################################## Ray of Light Theatre Announces the Triassic Parq Cast and Production Team The Bay Area premiere will run May 29th-June 28th at the Eureka Theatre in San Francisco -- Ray of Light Theatre, San Francisco’s non-profit musical theatre company, announced the cast and creative team of Triassic Parq. “We have assembled a fantastic cast and team that is up to the challenge of this bizarrely hilarious yet heartwarming show,” said Artistic Director Jason Hoover. “I can’t wait to see what they create.” The cast includes Robbie Cowan (Pianosaurus), Javi Harnly (Mime-a-saurus), Chelsea Holifield (T-Rex 2), David Naughton (Velociraptor of Faith), Lewis Rawlinson (Velociraptor of Innocence), Alex Rodriguez (Velociraptor of Science/Morgan Freeman) and Monica Turner (T-Rex 1/Kaitlyn). Alex Kirschner (director), Robbie Cowan (music director), Dane Paul Andres (choreographer), Annie Dauber (set designer), Joe D’Emilio (lighting designer), Wendy Kaufman (costume designer), Anton Hedman (sound designer), Kevin Pong (props designer), Daniel Cadigan (technical director) and Erik Scanlon (assistant director) comprise the production team. Triassic Parq follows a pack of sexually evolving dinosaurs in a certain prehistoric, Spielberg-inspired amusement park as they struggle with love, faith and science. Written by Marshall Pailet, Bryce Norbitz and Steve Wargo, Triassic Parq won Best Musical at both Los Angeles’ Ovation Awards 2013 and the New York Fringe Festival 2010. Season subscriptions, including the West Coast premiere of Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis’ Yeast Nation (the triumph of life), are on sale now at www.rayoflighttheatre.com. Single tickets will be available soon. Triassic Parq performance dates: May 29th (Preview, 8pm), May 30th (Opening night, 8pm), May 31st (8pm), June 4th (8pm), June 5th (8pm), June 6th (8pm), June 7th (8pm), June 11th (8pm), June 12th (8pm), June 13th (8pm), June 14th (8pm), June 18th (8pm), June 19th (8pm), June 20th (8pm), June 21st (2pm & 8pm), June 25th (8pm), June 26th (8pm), June 27th (8pm), June 28th (2pm & 8pm) Triassic Parq Venue: Eureka Theatre, 250 Jackson Street (at Battery), San Francisco More information at RayofLightTheatre.com ############################################### Berkeley’s acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company, now celebrating its 22nd season, lit up the night on Saturday, March 22 with an evening of heavenly wining and dining at Aurora Borealis, the company’s 16th annual benefit, held at The Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. Over 250 guests attended the fundraising fête honoring Paul Templeton (Berkeley), and co-chaired by Deborah Goodman (Berkeley) and Jacquelin Ewing (Walnut Creek); the event raised upwards of $210,000. Funds raised at Aurora Borealis will support Aurora Theatre Company’s outstanding live performances, innovative education program, the Global Age Project new works program, and healthcare and benefits for Aurora artists. Individual tickets to the invitation only event sold for $295, with tables going for $3,500-$7,500. ########################################### Diablo Theatre Company will not present 2014-2015 Musical Season at Lesher Center. – Diablo Theatre Company, one of the premiere producers of musical theatre, announced that they will not be presenting a musical season next year at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. The company, who just closed their 54th season with Guys and Dolls and in January were honored with six Shellie Awards including Outstanding Musical Production for Singin’ in the Rain, can no longer afford to produce main stage musicals at the Lesher Center. “It was a banner year for us and we are very saddened to announce that we will not have a 2014-15 season at the Lesher Center. The costs of producing main stage shows at the Lesher Center have escalated beyond our resources, compelling us to take a year off to retool and evaluate options,” states Sherry Caraballo Dorfman, Board President. She continues, “We hope to produce on a main stage again in 2015-16.” Diablo Theatre Company is not going out of business, but will be taking next year off from the main stage and concentrate efforts on supporting their education programs. Managing Director, Krissy Gray adds, “It has always been the mission of the company to educate the next generation of theatre enthusiasts and so we are excited to take this opportunity to further support and develop these programs.” The company’s acclaimed STARS 2000 Teen Theatre (ages 13 and up) will present eight performances of Thoroughly Modern Millie, July 25 through August 3, 2014, at Diablo Valley College Performing Arts Center in Pleasant Hill. Their youth Performing Arts Academy (ages 6-13) will present two performances of Peter Pan Jr. on August 2, 2014, at the Village Theatre in Danville, in addition to offering classes and workshops in triple threat technique – singing, dancing and acting. The company will also continue to rent rehearsal space, costumes, props and sets. ################################## Ninjaz of Drama presents ROMEO and JULIET by William Shakespeare Ninjaz of Drama is very proud to present the greatest romantic tragedy the world has ever known! Staged in contemporary Verona, Italy, this immortal classic will be played three quarter in the round at the intimate Phoenix Theatre in San Francisco’s theatre district next to Union Square. http://www.phoenixtheatresf.org/ Featuring Ross Neuenfeldt as "Romeo" and Nicolina Akraboff as "Juliet" and Federico Edwards, Lynn Sotos, Karl Schackne, Antonette Bracks, Lisa Darter, Fabien Ferhani, Paul Seliga, David Richardson, Lana Rae Jarvis Directed by Rey Carolino Tickets on Sale now Preview May 1, Thurs 8pm Press Preview May 3, Sat 3pm Thurs-Sat 8pm May 2, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23 May 11, Sun 3pm matinee May 24 Sat 3pm matinee PHOENIX THEATRE 414 Mason Street, Suite 601 San Francisco, near Union Square (near Powell St BART Station, Muni) $20 General Admission $15 Students, Seniors, TBA Members Reservations (415) 509 8656 Cash at door only. No credit card sales at door. Buy tickets on-line at Eventbrite.com http://www.eventbrite.com/e/romeo-and-juliet-tickets-10747053727 Handicapped accessibility thru Ruby Skye Night 420 Mason Street available only on: Saturday May 3. Thursdays May 8,15. ###################################### CENTER REP PRESENTS THE RETURN OF: Ella, the Musical Starring Yvette Cason* Two Weeks only June 25th –July 6th Book by Jeffrey Hatcher Conceived by Rob Ruggiero & Dyke Garrison Musical Arrangements by Danny Holgate Directed by Robert Barry Fleming , Center REPertory Company Artistic Director, Michael Butler is pleased to announce that due to unprecedented public demand and universal critical acclaim, Ella, the Musical will return to the Lesher stage for a two week limited engagement. “Yvette Cason’s performance of Ella Fitzgerald is one of the great theatre transformations I’ve seen,” says Michael Butler, “When she goes out on the high wire that is scat singing, we’re in awe not only of the great Miss Ella’s vocal innovations, but also of Ms. Cason’s mind-boggling singing ability.” It’s only fitting, that after kicking off the 2013/14 season that Ella the Musical returns to the Lesher stage conclude it. ########################### New Arts Hub Set to Revitalize Aquatic Park Berkeley City Council Approves Youth Musical Theater as New Tenant After receiving preliminary approval for a lease on two buildings at the southern end of Aquatic Park, Youth Musical Theater Company cemented their move at last night’s City Council meeting where they met with unanimous approval of the lease. The Berkeley-based non profit will begin renovation of the property in cooperation with the Parks and Recreation Department and is set to hold season programming and rehearsals at the space beginning in the fall. 2925-2945 Bolivar will be YMTC’s first permanent space since the inception of the company in 2004. After serving as a yacht clubhouse and bird rescue, the two buildings now leased to YMTC have been vacant for over twelve years and the city has struggled to find a suitable tenant that would aid in efforts to create a safer, community friendly environment in the Park. YMTC jumped at the opportunity to end it’s nomadic existence: “As we have grown over the past ten years, it’s become a challenge to house our rehearsals, classes, scenery, and show-related materials. We are thrilled to have a home of our own,” said Artistic Director Jennifer Boesing. YMTC board member Alison Bernstein, who also serves on Berkeley’s Police Review Commission, spoke about the potential of creating a “youth arts corridor” in West Berkeley with Luna Dance Institute on the north end of Aquatic Park, and YMTC to the south, “It’s all about reclaiming this space for our community.” YMTC provides theater training to students from seventh grade through university level, producing three musicals each season in addition to holding after-school, weekend, and summer training workshops. The company trains more than 200 young performers annually and performs at theaters in Oakland, Berkeley, and El Cerrito.For more information go to www.ymtcberkeley.org or call 510-595-5514. ################################################### ## OREGON SHAKESPEARE NEWS #OSF TO PRESENT READING OF AJAX BY SOPHOCLES Reading of Sophocles’ earliest surviving play to be held April 3 in the Thomas Theatre —The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) will present a play reading of Ajax by Sophocles on Thursday, April 3 at 1:30 p.m. in the Thomas Theatre. The reading is directed by 2014 Phil Killian Directing Fellow Tom Ridgely. More than 2,400 years old, Ajax is the earliest surviving play by one of the greatest dramatists of ancient Greece. It remains a classic and powerful account of war's costs, not in blood and treasure, but in the psychic toll on its survivors. "Ajax is one of the first and most powerful documents we have of the effects of war on the soldier's psyche,” Ridgely said. “With startling candor and insight, Sophocles strips combat of its heroism and glamour and reveals it as an omnivorous beast that consumes both victor and vanquished. And because we receive it in translation, the actual text is surprisingly elastic. Even faithful translations differ widely and each century in a way produces its own Ajax. So rather than confine the play to one voice or one point of view, this reading combines major translations from three different centuries—the 19th, 20th and 21st. The juxtapositions are sometimes jarring, sometimes imperceptible, but always illuminating. I'm eager and curious to hear how this ancient text echoes in our contemporary ears." The Ajax cast includes: Omoze Idehenre (Athena), Ron Menzel (Odysseus), Danforth Comins (Ajax), Brent Hinkley (Chorus), Jennie Greenberry (Techmessa), Benjamin Pelteson (Messenger), Mark Bedard (Teucer), Robert Vincent Frank (Menelaus) and David Kelly (Agamemnon).Tickets for the readings are $12 for the general public, $10 for members and $8 for youth (6-17). Find tickets and information at http://www.osfashland.org/productions/2014-activities-and-events/reading.aspx. Inspired by the legacy of American theatre director Phil Killian, whose work has left an enduring impact on OSF, the four-month Phil Killian Directing Fellowship was developed for early career directors interested in large scale classical theatre and Shakespeare in particular. Each year the Killian Directing Fellow has the opportunity to assistant direct on two productions. Only one such Directing Fellowship is offered each year; selection is determined by a national advisory committee. More information and an application for the Phil Killian Directing Fellowship are available at http://www.osfashland.org/work-with-us/FAIR-fellowships-internships-and-more/fellowships.aspx#Phil Killian.

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