PLAY ON! soars through tech, SEASON TICKET sales approach the tipping point, and GOOD PEOPLE auditions are coming. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre,

Play On! Flights of Fancy from Shakespeare to Broadway spent the weekend in technical rehearsals. 30 numbers, 200+ light cues, 150+ costumes, all working in perfect harmony to bring this original dance spectacular to life on the Little Theatre stage. What a fantastic way to begin the Little Theatre's 68th season! For those of you new to our organization, Suzy Miller has created, directed, and choreographed some of the Little Theatre's most memorable (and successful!) musicals, including: Razzle Dazzle, Best of Hollywood, and Shimmy, Shake, Shine! We are so happy to have her back at 888 Morro Street with an all-new musical. Play On! opens this Friday, July 4 and plays Thursday-Sunday through Sunday, July 27. Get your tickets today by clicking HERE.

We are experiencing unprecedented season ticket sales since our 2014-2015 season brochure landed in mailboxes 2 weeks ago- several performances are already sold out through season ticket sales alone! In order to offer an adequate amount of single tickets to patrons for every production, we may be forced to end season tickets sales soon. If you are considering becoming a subscriber in 2014-2015, do it now while sales are still open and good seats are still available. The final production of last season, A Chorus Line, sold out shortly after it opened. Don't be left out next season- click HERE to choose your dates, seats, and begin your story with the Little Theatre today!

Good People the first season production of our 68th season, is holding open auditions on July 14 and 15th at the Little Theatre. We are thrilled to have David Carey Foster travelling to the Central Coast to direct this award-winning script. Check out all of the audition requirements/details by clicking HERE. All auditions dates for the entire 2014-2015 season are listed HERE, as well. We have an incredible season planned, so, we hope to see some new faces at auditions!

Thanks, everyone! Have a great week!

-Kevin

Board Meeting

The regular meeting of the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre Board of Directors will be held at 6 PM on June 25, 2014 at the Little Theatre

Click here to view the agenda.

Annual Meeting and Elections

Annual Meeting/Board Election

The only matter of official business for our annual meeting this year is the board election, so our annual meeting will be a virtual one, conducted online—or by mail or visiting the box office, if you prefer. Ballots in the board election are due June 27. Click here to vote.  However, mark your calendars and save August 17 for our annual Open House and Volunteer Recognition party!  It will be 5 to 8 PM at the Little Theatre.

Special Election

In mid-July, we will be holding a separate, special election to amend the Little Theatre's Articles of Incorporation.  The Little Theatre incorporated in 1952 as a "membership organization." Currently, you automatically become a member if you do any of the following:

• Purchase a season ticket
• Donate $25 or more
• Are part of the cast or crew for a show
• Do volunteer hospitality duty at three performances of a show
• Have been awarded Life Membership by the Board of Directors

Today, nearly 600 people are members of the Little Theatre.  As you can imagine, it has become quite a challenging task just to maintain an accurate, up-to-date roster of members and their contact information! Being a membership organization with so many voting members also makes it difficult to manage the business of the Little Theatre efficiently. For these reasons, the Board of Directors is recommending we amend our Articles of Incorporation to remove voting memberships. Click here to learn more about the Special Election.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to post them here or send them to boardofdirectors@slolittletheatre.org.

Farewell to A CHORUS LINE, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY takes the stage this weekend, PLAY ON! moves into the theatre, and SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS are flying out the door. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre,

Our record-breaking run of A Chorus Line ended on Sunday evening- 24 sold out performances! What a fantastic cast and crew! Thank you so much for the many, many months of work you dedicated to the theatre in order to bring this production to life for our community. Be sure to catch Zach Johnson (director and choreographer) in PCPA's summer production of Oklahoma! Musical Director Lacey McNamara is already working on her next production: our Academy of Creative Theatre summer production of Cinderella! Tickets for Cinderella go on sale June 22.

August: Osage County, the final staged reading in Ubu's Other Shoe's 10th anniversary season, plays for two night only: June 20 and 21 at 7:00 PM. Sales for Friday night are closed, so, be sure to get your tickets for Saturday's show as soon as possible! This one will sell out! Get your tickets by clicking HERE.

One show closes and the next moves into the theatre! Dave Linfield, the Little Theatre's technical director, is busy downstairs building the multilevel set for our Summer Gala Musical: Play On! A Suzy Miller Dance Spectacular.  Taking Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets as her inspiration, Suzy has crafted yet another high-energy, dance-filled, musical comedy spectacular! The title is taken from Shakespeare’s comedy, Twelfth Night, where Duke Orsino declares: “If music be the food of love, play on!” You’ll find yourself singing along, tapping your feet and shouting for more as Suzy and her company of dancers treat you to flights of fancy from Shakespeare to Sondheim and beyond! You can choose your seats and secure your ticket instantly online by clicking HERE.

Season Brochures began arriving in mailboxes last week and season ticket sales are way up from last year at this time. Haven't received your brochure? Click HERE and email me your street address and we'll make sure one gets out to you this week. Renewing subscribers receive priority seating until June 22 at midnight. Be sure to get your order form to us soon and never hear the words "SOLD OUT!" again! Click HERE to download and print a season ticket order form. Don't miss a moment of our 68th anniversary season. Become a subscriber today!

Thank you, everyone, for your support of the Little Theatre! Have a wonderful week!

-Kevin

Happy Friday the 13th!

A very late post from me on this beautiful Friday the 13th!

Phew!  It's been a busy week and in case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard the news, we are completely, absolutely, incredibly SOLD-OUT for this final weekend of A Chorus Line! It's been a heckuva run for this amazing show. Kudos to all involved, particularly this dedicated cast and crew.  Happy closing weekend everyone!

If you haven't yet seen this fabulous show, you MIGHT still have a chance. Show up an hour before curtain, sign up for the waiting list, have a glass of wine and cross your fingers. GOOD LUCK!

Speaking of shows selling out, our final Ubu's Other Shoe staged reading for the 13/14 Season is going to be another one. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY takes the stage June 20-21, that's next weekend. If you're an UBU season pass holder, please call the box office at 786-2440 to reserve tickets for either Friday or Saturday night. Online sales are no longer available for Friday night but a limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Remember, this is general seating, so please arrive early! You can still reserve your Saturday night seats by clicking right HERE. 

And if you want to avoid being disappointed by sold-out shows next season?  You know what to do. BECOME A SEASON SUBSCRIBER!  Best seats, best price, most flexibility, and you'll never hear the words sold-out again. Click HERE for all the details about our jam-packed 2014-2015 Season. You can also download an order form, print it out and send it in. Do it today. You'll be very glad you did.

Ohhhhh...so that's why the 101 is so crazy today!!  Cal Poly graduation is this weekend, so be careful out there folks. San Luis Obispo is packed to the max!  If you're coming to the theatre this weekend, get here early for good parking. If you're not coming to the show, and can avoid downtown SLO this weekend? DO IT!

Have a sensational weekend everyone!

~Patty

Board Meeting

The regular meeting of the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre Board of Directors will be held at 6 PM on May 28, 2014 at the Little Theatre

Click here to view the agenda.

A CHORUS LINE heads toward the finish line, the inaugural PIANO BAR AND CABARET packs the house, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY enters tech, and SEASON TICKETS are now on sale. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre!

A Chorus Line wrapped up its fourth weekend of sold-out performances; for the first time during the run we had to turn wait-listed patrons away. The easiest way to never the words "SOLD OUT" again is by becoming a 2014-2015 season subscriber. There are only 5 more chances to see A Chorus Line- you can check out our wait-list procedures by clicking HERE. Congratulations to Zach Johnson, Lacey McNamara, and the entire cast/crew of this Pulitzer Prize-winning musical. Have a wonderful closing weekend!

Our inaugural PIANO BAR AND CABARET took place last Friday! From 10:00 PM-1:00 AM the Little Theatre lobby was completely transformed into a the Centrals Coast's only cabaret/piano bar venue! The lobby and patio were packed with enthusiastic music-lovers who enjoyed 12 incredible singers performing Gershwin, to Sondheim, to Sinatra. to....take your pick! Keep your eyes on the Little Theatre website and facebook page for a complete schedule of upcoming PIANO CABARETS during out 2014-2015 season!

August: Osage County, the final staged reading of Ubu's Other Shoe's 10th anniversary season, plays for two nights only: June 20 and 21 at 7:00 PM. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play is directed by Anet Carlin. Check out the trailer for the original Broadway production by clicking HERE. Get your tickets to the staged reading by clicking HERE.

Today is the day! Renewing subscribers can submit their order forms for priority seating until June 22 at midnight. We have such an amazing line-up to share with you next year: 25 plays, 225 performances, 45 weekends. These shows will sell out, so, secure your seats today by clicking HERE. Order forms will be processed in the order they are received. Any questions about season ticket sales? Email Kevin Harris by clicking HERE.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

-Kevin

ART INSPIRES! The Community Foundation SLO County Funds Scholarships for ACT Students

Janice Fong Wolf of The Community Foundation presenting the check to Education Director Kerry DiMaggio and Managing Artistic Director Kevin Harris with Little Theatre Board members Bryce Engstrom, Wilda Rosene, Michael Simkins and Matthew Cottle. 

Last week, the Little Theatre was thrilled to receive a generous $7,000 grant to fund tuition scholarships for students participating in our Academy of Creative Theatre (ACT) educational programs throughout the 2014-2015 Season. The grant was provided through Art Inspires!, a program of The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, funded by the Holser Educational Fund for the Performing Arts.

This generous grant will underwrite need-based tuition scholarships for students participating in our extensive ACT education program, including four summer theatre camps, after-school theatre classes in the spring and fall, a spring break camp and two production classes which offer students the opportunity to participate in professionally-directed full length theatrical productions.

Kerry DiMaggio, Education Director (Photo by Jamie Foster)

All of these programs are managed under the very capable hands of Education Director Kerry DiMaggio. Kerry has been running our ACT programs since 2008. Not only is she a very talented singer and actress herself (She played Maria in The Sound of Music in 2013) but she manages an amazing program. In addition to four summer camps being offered in June and July (sign up HERE!) ACT students will also be spending June, July and part of August rehearsing the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Cinderella as part of our summer ACT production class.The show is directed by Shelagh Garren, with musical direction by Lacey McNamara and choreography by Kelly Fidopiastis. The show runs August 8-24 and we recommend getting your tickets early for this one! (Tickets go on sale June 22.)

ACT Teachers, Directors & Choreographers 2014/15 Season: (L to R) Danielle Dutro McNamara, Lacey McNamara, Kelly Fidopiastis, Shelagh Garren, Kerry DiMaggio, Zach Johnson and Taylor Peters (Not pictured: Lester Wilson; photo by Jamie Foster)

“Participating in theatre encourages creativity and builds self-confidence” says Kerry. “ACT provides a creative, artistic, educational and FUN outlet for children who might not otherwise be engaged with their peers or other important adult role models. This generous grant from the Community Foundation will allow us to expand our programs and our reach in the community. We will be able to offer any child with a desire to participate in our programs the chance to do so, without regard to our costs.”

Many thanks to the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County for this generous gift to our ACT program and to the talented young actors of the Central Coast!

AUGUST 8-24

TICKETS ON SALE JUNE 22

CHORUS LINE is a record-breaker, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is filling up, SUMMER CAMPS registration is almost closed, and ticket sales are open for PLAY ON! This week at the Little Theatre!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre,

Week three of A Chorus Line is complete! 5 sold-out shows made possible because of an incredible cast and crew. Tickets for the production have been sold out for over two weeks- one of the fastest selling shows ever! And now, another milestone reached: A Chorus Line has become the best-selling season show in Little Theatre history! Which production did A Chorus Line pass up to become to the financially successful season show ever?

Last season's closer held the top spot for less than a year! However, I'm sure that the artistic team behind The Sound of Music are too disappointed about losing the title- especially considering that they lost it to themselves. Congratulations to Director/Choreographer Zach Johnson and Music Director Lacey McNamara for breaking your own record! Thank you for bringing your talent and passion to the Little Theatre.

Zach Johnson and Lacey McNamara handle tech week stress extremely well.

Pulitzer Prize-winning family dysfunction is coming to the Little Theatre!

August: Osage County, the final staged reading in Ubu's Other Shoe's 10th anniversary season, plays for two nights only: June 20 and 21 at 7:00 PM. Join us for a talkback after Friday evening's presentation. Tickets for this staged reading will sell out, so order yours today by clicking HERE.

There are only a few days of school left- have you signed your student up for summer camps? Our Academy of Creative Theatre is offering several programs over the summer break for your young performers. There are only a few spaces left for the entire summer, so, if you're interested in having your child spend a summer "in the spotlight", click HERE and reserve your spot today.

Our 2014-2015 season is starting with a bang- Play On! A Suzy Miller Dance Spectacular opens on July 4th and tickets are now on sale! Don't be left out on the waiting list- remember, A Chorus Line sold out in just a few weeks! Get your tickets now for this incredible production created by Emmy Award-winning Suzy Miller and Robyn Metchik. Click HERE to read about the show and to reserve your tickets!

The day is almost here- subscriptions to our 68th anniversary season go on sale next week! If you are a renewing subscriber, you can enjoy priority seating until June 22. After that, subscriptions will be available to everyone! We're so excited about what we have in store for you in 2014-2015- don't miss a moment of it. Become a subscriber and never hear the words "SOLD OUT" again! You can check out our season by clicking HERE.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

-Kevin