The reviews are in...congratulations to the cast and crew of THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES!

Happy Thursday friend of the Little Theatre,

Critics from the Tribune and the New Times attended the opening weekend of The House of Blue Leaves and the reviews are in. Thank you to Joan Crowder and Anna Weltner for your balanced, thoughtful reviews.

"...a tour de force theatre piece...fueled with surprises and laced with satire and irony. A masterfully written play- the Little Theatre cast takes it from amusing to gripping, to even more."

                                                                                                  -The Tribune

Click HERE for the New Times review.

Get your tickets now for The House of Blue Leaves by clicking HERE. The production runs through June 17.

Have a great day, everyone!

-Kevin

Why do certain artists resonate with you? I blame Paula Abdul.

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre!

Ever wonder why you're personally drawn to a specific director, actor, writer, musician, sculptor, etc? While subjective taste is certainly a factor, your own historical and environmental experiences with the artist's work plays a crucial role. This is why my respect for David Fincher is extremely personal.

Fincher, best known for stylish, violent, technical masterpieces (Se7en, Zodiac, The Game, Fight Club) started his career as a production assistant, learning every aspect of film-making from the trenches. While I knew that he had sharpened his skills directing music videos in the late 80's and 90's, I had no idea which videos he created. I recently discovered his videography. No wonder his movies speak to so many people my age.

He directed THIS.

And THIS.

Remember THIS?

THIS really made my heart beat fast in junior high.

Aerosmith hired him to create THIS.

Fincher's next project is rumored to be a new version of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for the Walt Disney Company.  

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

-Kevin

STAR WARS turns 35 and James Earl Jones continues to tell people that he is their father.

Happy 35th birthday to Star Wars. Happy 81st birthday to James Earl Jones. To see Mr. Earl Jones deliver one of the most famous lines in movie history, click HERE. Sorry David Prowse. NO respect.

Please put the helmet back on.

Want to see what James Earl Jones has been up to lately? Click HERE to find out and feel lazy.

Want to see what James Earl Jones was doing about 5 years before Stars Wars came out? Click HERE and get lost in his eyes.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

-Kevin

50 years of Shakespeare in the Park. Thank you, Joe Papp, for never taking, "NO," for an answer.

Click HERE to check out this amazing slideshow of happening at the Delacorte in Central Park.

OPENING NIGHT of HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES!

Happy, happy opening to Jill Turnbow and the wonderful Cast/Crew of The House of Blue Leaves. Come see the show tonight and stay for the opening night party. Then stay AGAIN for NO SHAME THEATRE at  11:30 PM. Don't miss a moment of what's happening at the Little Theatre!

Take it away, JERRY.

Have a great Friday, everyone!

-Kevin

CHAOS (theory) erupts at the Little Theatre. It's all Goldblum, all of time!

Welcome to middle of the week actor adoration! My to-do list is really piling up today, so, here are some my favorite clips from everyone's favorite lanky actor, Jeff Goldblum.

That's a lot of hair.

Goldblum began his movie career playing a thug in Death Wish, but most audiences learned his name when he played Michael Gold in Lawrence Kasdan's amazing The Big Chill. Click HERE to see a fan's tribute to the film and some classic Goldblum-isms.

Too sweet for you? Goldblum teamed up with horror auteur David Cronenberg on The Fly in 1986. Click HERE to see the trailer.

Too gross for you? Check out Goldblum as a hapless BLUE alien. (Bonus points...the other two aliens are played by a very young Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans.) Strangest part about this clip; why can't Geena Davis keep her robe closed? Why. Click HERE to see what I'm talking about.

Make too much sense for you? Try following this- Goldblum explains the chaos theory in 1993's Jurassic Park. Click HERE to watch. Then freak out when you realize that this movie will be 20 years old next May.

Still want more? HERE'S a montage of some of the greatest Goldblum moments. Enjoy.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

-Kevin

HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES opens in just four days! Get your tickets now!

Don't miss this wonderful cast perform John Guare's House of Blue Leaves, opening this Friday, May 25 and playing through Sunday, June 17. Get your tickets today by clicking HERE.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

-Kevin

HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES opens, NO SHAME afterward, and our 2012-2013 season announcement is happening soon! This week at the Little Theatre...

Get your tickets to The House of Blue Leaves today! Click HERE to reserve your seats instantly online. Click HERE to learn more about the show.

Want to have a great evening? Come to the opening night of Blue Leaves this Friday night, stay for the opening night party, and then stay (again!) for NO SHAME THEATRE at 11:30. Do you know about NO SHAME THEATRE? Click HERE to discover the history of this movement. Click HERE to read the Tribune's article about our NO SHAME.

Stay tuned to see our 2012-2013 season announcement...coming soon!

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Kevin

The Board of Directors will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, May 22nd at 6pm at the Little Theatre.  View the Agenda

Robert LePage has great hair...and he's really, really smart.

Have you ever had trouble interpreting a speech from a classic text? Maybe you're focusing on the wrong things. "Real" doesn't actually exists in the theatre. To focus on "making it real" is a wrong-headed, subjective exercise which invalidates and ignores the contributions/gifts from the playwright and the inherent artificiality of the stage. LePage explains it better.

Click HERE.

It's a sneeze-fest, BOOM explodes on our stage, and THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES cruises into the final stretch. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre!

It’s May and it’s starting to feel like summer outside. This means that the Little Theatre is going to heat up during rehearsals and performances. Please remember to keep all doors to the outside closed when the air conditioner is on. Also: stay hydrated! It’s the best way to beat the heat and the most effective way to remain healthy (a plague has made its way through the halls of the little Theatre over the last two weeks. It seems to have run its course, but remain cautious!) Or, you can just lots and lots of cheese, like THIS GUY told me to every Saturday morning in the 70’s.

Congratulations to the cast, crew, and director of Boom! Brent Keast put together a wonderful Ubu’s Other Show presentation that had the audience screaming from laughter on Friday night. Thank you to everyone for making this fantastic production possible and for bringing it to life on our stage. It was the most fun I’ve had at an apocalyptic story since THIS.

We had our light hang/cueing session for House of Blue Leaves on Saturday afternoon, and the show is looking great! We’re recording the live piano music for the transitions on Thursday and should be ready to go into dress rehearsals next week.

Registration is still open for the Academy of Creative Theatre Summer Camps. Check out all of the awesome stuff that Kerry is planning HERE.

Auditions have wrapped up for My Way, and we’ll be able to announce our cast soon. This summer fundraiser will be choreographed by Zach Jonson (Oklahoma!) and musical directed by Stephen Tosh (My Generation, Gypsy.) We are planning our first read-through/rehearsal this weekend.

Thank you for everything that all of you do to make this theatre work. As always, please let me know if there’s anything the Board or staff can do for you to make your time with us more rewarding and enjoyable.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

BOOM opens tonight...plays for two nights only!

Hello friends of the Little Theatre,

Don't miss your chance to see Peter Sinn-Nachtrieb's wonderful play, BOOM. This readers' theatre presentation is directed by Brent Keast, and plays for two nights only: Friday and Saturday May 11 and 12 at 7:00 PM.

Get your ticket HERE.

Happy Friday, everyone!

-Kevin

Middle of the week actor worship: Linney alert!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre,

It's time, once again, to focus on an artist who has many, many things to teach us (although, as you can see in the clips below, she would be the first to shrug off any such accolades.) Let's take a look a Brown/Julliard-educated actress, Laura Linney.

Linney's breakout role (in film) was in the 2001 Sundance winner, You Can Count on Me. This unbelievably heartbreaking movie, written and directed by playwright Kenneth Lonergan (This is our Youth.) This must-see film also introduced Mark Ruffalo to cinema audiences. Check out the trailer HERE. If you haven't seen it, DO.

Have 37 minutes to spare? Check out Linney on Inside the Actor's Studio HERE. You might recognize Lipton from his breakout role of Zod in Superman 2.

This is not James Lipton.

Check out another great movie, The Savages, featuring Linney starring opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman. Click HERE to see the trailer.

Linney has won 3 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, and has a theatrical resume that staggers your mind. It's almost enough to forgive her for THIS.

Almost.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

-Kevin

Goodbye, Mr. Sendak...and a little-known collaboration with Tony Kushner

As most of you who have been online today know, Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are and The Soul Kitchen died today at the age of 83. Nearly everyone is familiar with his children's books and illustrations, however, you may not know that Sendak collaborated with Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Caroline or Change) on a children's book adaptation of the opera Brundibar. Later, their version of the story was adapted into a full opera (Sendak contributed the scenic design.)

To hear Sendak talk about this collaboration with Kushner and his remarkable career, click HERE.

To watch a wonderful video of Sendak talking about Where the Wild Things Are, click HERE.

To watch the trailer for Spike Jonze's movie version of Where the Wilda Things Are, click HERE.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!

-Kevin

DINNER WITH FRIENDS breaks Little Theatre records, 888 Morro Street is about to go BOOM, and auditions galore! This week at the Little Theatre.

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre,

Congratulations to the cast/crew of Dinner with Friends on their remarkable 4-week run. Not only was the audience and critical response to the production wonderful, after last weekend’s walk-up sales Dinner with Friends became the most successful drama in the last ten years! Thank you to director Lisa Woske and everyone who worked over the last several months to make the show happen! And a special thank you to show sponsors for Dinner with Friends: Catherine and Richard Luckett, and Maryellen and Michael Simkins- we couldn’t have don’t it without your support.

The Ubu’s Other Shoe presentation of Boom! plays for two nights only: this Friday and Saturday, May 11 and 12 at 7:00. Don’t miss your chance to see Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s mind-bending, hilarious play, directed by Brent Keast. You can get your ticket by clicking HERE. Click HERE to see a trailer for the NEW REP production of BOOM. It is an incredibly fun, inventive script and you do not want to miss it!

Our next mainstage production, The House of Blue Leaves opens in less than three weeks. This hilarious production, directed by Jill Turnbow, follows Artie Shaunessey and the lengths he will go to realize the American Dream. To find out more about the play, click HERE. To watch John Guare talk about how he helped discover Kathy Bates, Carly Simon, and many, many others while making the film Taking Off, click HERE.

Registration is still open for our Academy of Creative Theatre summer camps. Find out about all of the cool stuff that Kerry has planned for our young performers by clicking HERE. Need more information? Contact Kerry by clicking HERE.

We have a full week of auditions coming up this week: this afternoon (Monday, May 7) we will be holding auditions for Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard, directed by Suzy Newman. Auditions will be held from 4:30-6:00 PM. Can’t make it? Missed it? Contact Suzy by clicking HERE to schedule another audition.

On Wednesday we will be holding open auditions for My Way, A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, directed by Kevin Harris. Auditions will be held from 6:00-9:00 PM. For more information/details about all auditions, please click HERE.

 Thank you for everything that you do to make this theatre work. As always, please let me know if there’s anything the Board or staff can do to make your time with us more enjoyable and rewarding.

Have a great week, everyone!

-Kevin

More photos from HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES and the readers of the New Times like us....they really like us!

Happy Thursday friends of the Little Theatre!

I wanted to share some more photos from our House of Blue Leaves photo shoot. The production opens three weeks from tomorrow, and you can get your tickets by clicking HERE.

Alicia Kerns and Bob Larson

Bob Larsen, Angela Hutt, Alicia Kerns, Mary-Ann Maloof, and David Norum

Patty Thayer, Angela Hutt, Rebecca Canfield, and Mary-Ann Maloof

Suzy Newman and David Norum

Suzy Newman and John Carroll

Extra! Extra! The New Times annual BEST OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY issue came out today and the Little Theatre is honored to have been named BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP for the 3rd straight year. Thank you to the readers of the New Times for your support.

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

-Kevin

Want to be a part of a great production? Don't have much time? Little Theatre has an answer for you!

Don't miss your chance to be a part of a ridiculously fantastic play: Tom Stoppard's, Arcadia, directed by Suzy Newman. Auditions take place next Monday, May 7 from 4:30-6:00 at the Little Theatre. Click HERE for all of the exciting audition details.

To see Arcadia's Broadway cast talk about what it was like to work so closely with playwright Tom Stoppard, click HERE.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

-Kevin