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THEATRE NEWS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY

Posted by:	Richard Connema 02:03 am EST 11/02/14

Theatre Bay Area presents The TBA Awards The First Annual Celebration Monday, November 10, 7 p.m.    Come share in a celebration of outstanding achievement in professionally oriented theatre in the Bay Area at the inaugural presentation of The TBA Awards. This exciting and long-awaited ceremony recognizes the work of theatre artists throughout the region as selected by their peers and other industry professionals. The ceremony is the result of a year’s worth of preparation and will become a highlight of the annual fall theatre season. It is an evening for the theatre community and its supporters to come together in joyous recognition of the richness and diversity of talent in one of the top theatre centers in the country. Don't miss the very first one! Early ticket buyers also have the opportunity to purchase $10 tickets to the exclusive after-party at nearby Ruby Skye. (Party starts at 10:00 p.m. Quantities are limited.) Description Date Price Availability Theatre Bay Area Awards Mon Nov 10 2014 - 7:00 PM $35.00 - $125.00 FOR TICKETS GO TO www.tickets.act-sf.org/online/TBA ######################################## Driving Miss Daisy and Wizard of Oz add dates at Cinnabar – Cinnabar Theater, the beloved professional theater in Sonoma County, has another two hits on its hands. Its current production of Driving Miss Daisy is so popular that it’s been extended for an extra week, and its upcoming youth production of The Wizard of Oz is selling so well that two performances have been added. Here are the details on these exciting shows: Driving Miss Daisy: extended through November 8 Audiences and critics are raving about the actors in Cinnabar’s latest show. Laura Jorgensen, Dorian Lockett, and John Browning star in a heartwarming and humorous production of the poignant script that won the Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award. Performances have been added at 8 PM on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8. Directed by Nathan Cummings, Driving Miss Daisy is generously underwritten by Dick and Edith Kapash with Frank Schomer. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for ages 21 and under. The Wizard of Oz: two shows added Follow the yellow brick road to enjoy this classic musical live on stage... starring your favorite munchkins! Cinnabar’s Young Rep doesn’t go over the rainbow until November 28, but tickets are already being snatched up faster than a tornado – so extra performances have been added at 7 PM on Sunday, December 7 and Sunday, December 14. With stage direction by Michelle Pagano and music direction by Sandy Riccardi, The Wizard of Oz is underwritten by Clyde and Kim Schultz. Tickets are $10 for youth and $15 for adults. Reserve seats online at any time by visiting cinnabartheater.org, or call the box office at 707-763-8920 between 10 AM and 3 PM on weekdays. Tickets may also be available at the door, but reservations are recommended as Cinnabar’s shows often sell out. Cinnabar Theater is located at 3333 Petaluma Boulevard North, just off Highway 101 and only minutes from historic downtown Petaluma. There’s ample parking up on the hill… and a friendly herd of goats grazing in the neighboring field. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 707-763-8920 or visit cinnabartheater.org. ##################################### Celebrate the holidays at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts featuring a diverse range of award-winning entertainers and shows –As an integral part of Sonoma County’s community and a premiere performing arts venue in the Bay Area, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts (50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa) features a wide range of culturally-diverse entertainment for everyone this holiday season. Tickets and information for all Center shows are available through Wells Fargo Center for the Arts online at wellsfargocenterarts.org, by calling 707-546-3600, or in person at the ticket office at 50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa (open daily, noon to 6pm). The holidays get off to a rousing start Sunday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m. with The 9th Annual Chris-MIX night of acoustic music starring American Authors, Uncle Kracker, The Voice 2013 Runner Up Jacquie Lee and more. Not just a night of music, but in the true spirit of the holidays, this performance is a fundraiser to fight cancer with a special on site silent auction for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tickets are $30 and $20. Seasonal festivities continue Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. with the acclaimed San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus performance of Home for the Holidays! The performance, billed as an extravaganza, features traditional favorites along with some new works including a stunning world premiere, by Ola Gjeilo, one of the America’s most prominent contemporary composers. Add to the music appearances by Santa, his elves and reindeer, a 1980s nativity scene and an ugly sweater parade for a wild evening. Tickets are $50, $40 and $25. More images of home are evoked on Tuesday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m., when the Center rings with the celestial voices of multi-platinum Irish singing sensation Celtic Woman as they present Home for Christmas-The Symphony Tour. The festive performance features music from the renowned all-female music ensemble’s second Christmas album, Home For Christmas, including holiday favorites “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Silent Night.” Tickets are $85, $75 and $59. This is the 10th anniversary season of the Symphony Pops Series, as the Santa Rosa Symphony and Wells Fargo Center for the Arts present one of the most popular musical series in Sonoma County. Sunday, December 14 at 3 p.m., brings the beloved Symphony Pops: A Very Merry Holiday Pops featuring Five By Design concert to the community. This year the Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor Michael Berkowitz will be joined by renowned vocal quintet Five by Design for an afternoon of inspiring and multi-cultural holiday music ranging from traditional to swing to rock. The theater will reverberate from the novel pairing of the Symphony with Five by Design’s distinctive sound embracing unforgettable melodies, lush harmonies and swinging rhythms. Tickets are $80, $61, $50, and $37. On Friday, December 19, at 7 p.m., the Center presents one of its signature annual events: Posada Navideña. For the eighth consecutive year, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts celebrates the diversity of Sonoma County with this presentation featuring traditional Mexican folkloric dance and music. Part of the Rodney Strong Vineyards Dance Series, this replication of the authentic Posada celebrations in Mexico, is performed by dancers and musicians from Sacramento’s renowned Ballet Folklórico de Sacramento portraying the “Pastorella” (pilgrimage) made by Joseph and Mary before the birth of Christ. Tickets for the Posada are $10 for adults and $5 for children. The ticket price includes family-friendly arts and crafts starting one hour prior to the show, a post-show Posada celebration that includes food, music, and the traditional Posada procession. It wouldn’t be holiday time without a Nutcracker performance and the Center has a special show for the whole family with Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker returning on Saturday, December 20 for two shows at 3:00 pm and 7:00 p.m. Forty world-class Russian artists, giant puppets, life-sized Matrushka Dolls and a growing Christmas tree, reinvigorate the cherished Tchaikovsky ballet. Tickets are $74, $54, $43.50 and $33.50; Platinum package is $181 and VIP tickets are $108 An enduring show that marks the season is The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show which plays the Center Sunday, December 21 at 8:00 p.m. Making their debut in Santa Rosa, these multi-Grammy Award winners are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. This performance features selections from their upcoming Christmas album along with Christmas classics and other highlights from a 70 plus year career. Tickets are $ 35 and $28. Festive times abound at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts throughout the month of December with a varied mix of other entertainment options including An Evening with Garrison Keillor (Dec. 3), A Night with Chrissie Hynde (Dec. 4), Brian Regan Live Comedy Tour (two shows Dec. 5), Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes (Dec. 11), and American Idol’s Phillip Phillips in concert (Dec. 12). Tickets and information for all Center shows are available through Wells Fargo Center for the Arts online at wellsfargocenterarts.org, by calling 707-546-3600, or in person at the ticket office at 50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa (open daily, noon to 6pm). ################################### CROWDED FIRE THEATER ANNOUNCE ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP TRANSITION – Crowded Fire Theater (CFT), one of the Bay Area’s most innovative and critically acclaimed producers of new plays, today announced an upcoming change in leadership. After six seasons at its helm, Marissa Wolf will be leaving the position of Artistic Director at the end of Crowded Fire’s 2014 Season. Wolf took over artistic leadership of the company in 2008 after founding Artistic Director Rebecca Novick’s departure a year prior. She heads the company along with CFT Managing Director Tiffany Cothran. Executive Producing Director “I know I speak for the entire Board when I say how lucky we have all been -- board, staff, resident artists, and the Bay Area theater community -- to have had Marissa as a colleague and inspiration,” said Board Chair Peter Glazer, upon hearing of Wolf’s planned departure. “People of her talent and grace are rare in this business, and we are thrilled to be able to send her into the next phase of what will be, without question, a brilliant career. Now we are left with the exciting task of taking Crowded Fire into its next adventure with Marissa's tenure as our model of artistic excellence, professionalism, integrity, and mutual trust.” Under Wolf and Cothran’s leadership, Crowded Fire has grown significantly, more than doubling its budget, securing a critical new Equity contract for union actors, and deepening support for new play development through the formalization of The Matchbox: Commissioning and Development Program. Foundation support has increased as well. CFT is known for taking bold artistic risks and supporting artists, including emerging playwrights, early in their careers. Recent producing successes commissioned and developed at CFT under Wolf’s tenure include The Late Wedding and The Hundred Flowers Project by Christopher Chen, and The Taming by Lauren Gunderson. National playwrights with whom the company has premiered work in the Bay Area include Thomas Bradshaw, Christina Anderson, and Young Jean Lee. Wolf will depart in December at the close of the company’s 2014 season and following Crowded Fire’s annual Matchbox Reading Series, introducing four new plays in progress to Bay Area audiences. During the Matchbox Reading Series the company will announce its 2015 mainstage season selected by Wolf, her last official act for a company that will bear her mark for years to come. “Expect fearless and arresting programming with some familiar faces and a host of new artists as well,” says Cothran of the upcoming season. “The Crowded Fire team of Resident Artists are gearing up to deliver powerhouse productions representing an array of diverse voices in 2015, in other words, a quintessential CFT season!” Wolf is leaving San Francisco for the newly created Director of New Works position at Kansas City Rep. Crowded Fire is working with a transition management consultant to assist the Board of Directors in the hiring of a new Artistic Director in a national search, the details of which will be announced next month. A Search Task Force is in place, led by Board Chair Glazer, which includes representatives of the Board, Staff, and Resident Artists. In the interim, Cothran will assume the role of Executive Producing Director and oversee operations, in consultation with the Board of Directors, as the company moves into its 2015 season. “Marissa is leaving us with an amazing new line-up in place and a noteworthy legacy upon which a new artistic leader can build,” says Cothran. “This is an incredible opportunity for a new Artistic Director, and also an exciting opportunity for us as an organization continuing to grow. Change is a powerful and exhilarating force and everyone at Crowded Fire is eager to begin this new chapter. ################################### AURORA THEATRE COMPANY DEDICATES ARTWORK TO FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR – Aurora Theatre Company celebrated the remarkable life of its founding Artistic Director, Barbara Oliver, with the unveiling of the Barbara Oliver Bas Relief on Tuesday, October 28 in the Nell and Jules Dashow Wing at Aurora Theatre Company. An intimate crowd gathered for a champagne toast and reception to honor Barbara’s legacy and to unveil the beautiful bronze sculpture by artist Fred Parhad, which will be placed on permanent display in the entry lobby at the Aurora. The artwork was commissioned and gifted to Aurora by Venus and Narsai David. A veteran actress and director, Barbara Oliver was an instrumental figure in Bay Area theater for more than 40 years. She co-founded Aurora Theatre Company in 1992 and was its Artistic Director until stepping down in 2004. She passed away peacefully in her sleep this past May at the age of 85. In attendance were Barbara’s son Søren, daughter Anna, sister Alda, and brother in law Donn Morgan. Also in attendance were veteran Bay Area actress and director Joy Carlin, former Board presidents Carolyn Weinberger, Alison Teeman, and Grace Fretter, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Tony Taccone and Managing Director Susie Medak. Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross read remembrances about Barbara written by Dunbar Ogden, Professor Emeritus of Dramatic Art at UC Berkeley followed by a heartfelt toast from Narsai David, who unveiled the plaque. Guests shared memories about the early days of Aurora Theatre Company and of Barbara as a force in the Berkeley theater community. The event was catered by Berkeley eatery Gecko Gecko with wine provided by Narsai David. “It was my honor to host this gathering of Aurora friends and Barbara Oliver’s friends and family for the unveiling of the Barbara Oliver bas relief plaque,” said Aurora Artistic Director Tom Ross. “This generous gift to the theater from Venus and Narsai David is another heart-warming reminder of Barbara’s impact on the Bay Area theater community. It was wonderful to listen to so many varied reminiscences from both theater-goers and theater-makers celebrating Barbara and her magnificent legacy.” ###################################

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