GOOD PEOPLE opens next Friday, PICASSO begins rehearsals, RAFFLE PRIZE WINNERS and LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

Where has the summer gone? Our first mainstage Season Show of the 2014-2015 Season opens next Friday. GOOD PEOPLE is "A masterwork of the comedy-drama genre." (Backstage) "Enthralling...utterly gripping...Remarkable." (LA Times) Written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, the play is set in South Boston and features a collection of authentic "Southie" characters who will make you laugh, cry and think about "the struggles, shifting loyalties and unshakable hopes that come with having next to nothing in America." The show is directed by David Carey Foster. You can read his Director's Notes about the show right HERE.

While many of you will be enjoying the last weekend of summer at the beach,  our talented crew will be putting the final touches on the set, lights, sound and more that will make GOOD PEOPLE come to life onstage next weekend. Set designer Dave Linfield does amazing things with our little stage.

Photos courtesy of Jamie Foster Photography

From a back porch in Chicago for PROOF, to a medieval monastery in INCORRUPTIBLE, a twinkle-lit cabaret in SOME ENCHANTED EVENING, and a kingdom where "dreams come true" in CINDERELLA, Dave Linfield works magic here at the Little Theatre for every single show we do. Our production of GOOD PEOPLE will somehow take us from a kitchen in South Boston, to an upscale doctor's office, to a fancy living room in Chestnut Hill and a church bingo hall, all in the course of two hours on our little stage. Come and see the magic next weekend! Click HERE to make your reservations today.

Rehearsals for our next mainstage Season production began with a read-through of the script last night. Steve Martin's PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE will take the stage on October 10th. Pictured above are two of our talented cast members: Cameron Rose and and Toby Tropper. Recent graduates of PCPA, Toby and Cameron will take on the iconic characters of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in this very funny show, directed by Suzy Newman. 

And what's the BEST way to ensure the BEST seats at both of these wonderful productions, plus three more stellar shows between now and next June?  Purchase a SEASON SUBSCRIPTION!  Time is running out to make sure you're not left standing outside in the cold when one of our productions is SOLD OUT. Season tickets start at just $99 for five incredible shows. Click HERE for more information and to purchase one of the few remaining seats available for subscription sales! Great seats are still available, but they won't last long! And while you're on our website, check out all the amazing shows available in our UBU'S OTHER SHOE series of staged readings and our NEW AFTER HOURS @slotheatre comedies, also available at season subscription discounts.

Finally, I just want to make sure you know that there is always one lucky raffle basket WINNER chosen for every single show on our stage. Rita bought a fistful of raffle tickets and won the lovely gift basket offered during our production of PLAY ON! In addition to some awesome treats and tschotskes donated by our gift-basket-maker extraordinaire Arlene Sackman, Rita also won two bottles of OPOLO wine and an overnight stay at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. Clyde won our CINDERELLA basket, which included tickets to the San Luis Obispo Symphony's POPS BY THE SEA, which takes place at the Avila Beach Golf Resort this very weekend! Many thanks to our generous donors who make these gift baskets possible, and remember: you can't win unless you buy a ticket! Be sure to check out our GOOD PEOPLE gift basket when you see the show.

We'll be thinking about you enjoying the beach and barbecues this weekend, while we enjoy our own special brand of fun: creating live, local theatre right here at your San Luis Obispo Little Theatre.

Have a great holiday weekend and we'll see you next weekend for GOOD PEOPLE!

~Patty

CINDERELLA takes a final bow, our VOLUNTEERS rock, we've got a Raffle Basket WINNER, more AUDITIONS and GOOD PEOPLE is next, right here at the Little Theatre!

That's right. We've reached the final weekend of our magical production of Cinderella. If you haven't seen it yet, you'd best make your reservations soon. There are only a handful of tickets remaining for our 4 shows this weekend. CLICK HERE to make your reservations today.

We've received some wonderful stories in the local press about this delightful Academy of Creative Theatre show. Simply click the links to read the New Times review, a Times-Press-Recorder profile of our talented, young Cinderella, Cali Singleton, and a very nice feature story in the Adobe Press.

The house was packed for our 2014 Open House and Volunteer Appreciation BBQ last Sunday! After noshing and mingling in the lobby, we all sat down in the theatre to enjoy a look back at the 2013-14 Season on the big screens. The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the annual Volunteer Awards. We LOVE each and every one of our volunteers but every year there are a few in the crowd who go above and beyond the call of duty. This year's honorees included (clockwise from upper left) Lester Wilson (receiving his award and a hug from Kerry DiMaggio), Ryan Loyd (pictured with Kevin Harris), Carol and Ron Burkhart (pictured with Elaine Fournier and Dave Linfield) and Jamie Foster, (pictured with yours truly, Patty Thayer.)  Thanks to all of our incredible volunteers for helping to make this the best little theatre on the Central Coast!

Speaking of winners, CONGRATULATIONS to Rita Sumabat, the lucky winner of our lovely raffle basket from our July production of Play On!  Rita stopped by to pick up her loot on Thursday and we snapped her picture. The winning ticket for our Cinderella raffle basket will be drawn on Sunday, August 24 following the final performance. Good luck everyone! 

AUDITIONS!!!  Did you hear me? I said AUDITIONS for this lovely, little musical, to be directed by Dana Shaheen, will take place this Sunday and Monday. Click HERE for all the details and come on down and give it a shot. You never know, right? You can also click HERE to get your tickets NOW.

Last, but not least, it's GOOD PEOPLE!  There are just two more weeks until opening night of this award-winning comedy/drama. You can read director David Carey Foster's Director's Notes about the show by clicking HERE, and you can reserve your seats right now by clicking HERE. (Quick tip: our new Thursday evening performances have the best seating still available!)

Enjoy your weekend everyone! And I hope to see you again soon right here at the Little Theatre!

~Patty 

CINDERELLA packs the house, AUDITIONS this week, and GOOD PEOPLE heads toward tech. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre,

Our Academy of Creative Theatre summer production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella played to full houses all weekend long! What a treat to see so many young theatre-goers (many in costume) come to the Little Theatre and enjoy this classic musical. There are only a handful of tickets left for the final weekend of performance. Read about the show and reserve your tickets instantly online by clicking HERE.

Did you know that all of the performers that you see onstage at the Little Theatre are volunteers? This season, we producing 25 plays! That's a lot of volunteers! All of our auditions are open (no roles are precast), so, there are a ton of opportunities for you to take the stage (no matter what your skill level.) Auditions for the Ubu's Other Shoe staged readings of Take Me Out and Frost Nixon take place tonight and next month, respectively. Auditions for our upcoming musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee take place next week. You can always get the latest audition information by clicking HERE.

Good People, the first season production of the Little Theatre's 68th anniversary season, opens in just over two weeks! This award-winning play, directed by David Carey Foster, follows Margie,who has just been let go from yet another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, Margie thinks an old fling who has made it out of Southie might be her ticket to a fresh new start. But is this apparently self-made man secure enough to face his humble beginnings? Margie is about to risk what little she has left to find out. With his signature humorous glow, Lindsay-Abaire explores the struggles, shifting loyalties and unshakable hopes that come with having next to nothing in America.

This wonderful cast includes: Elaine Fournier, Christopher Riordan, Natalia Salsbury, Anita Schwaber, Patty Thayer and Gregg Wolff.

Get your tickets to Good People by clicking HERE.

Thank you for your support of the Little Theatre! We couldn't do it without you!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

-Kevin

Just 2 more weekends of our magical CINDERELLA, auditions for TAKE ME OUT and SPELLING BEE are coming up and GOOD PEOPLE is on its way!

"Indeed, it is possible for a cast of children to perform a lovely play!" --Adriana Catanzarite, New Times

It seems like we just started our magical journey to the kingdom where dreams come true and it's already almost over. There are just 8 more performances of our summer Academy of Creative Theatre musical CINDERELLA. This is a show for kids of all ages. And yes, I'm talking to you! You're going to love this show, whether you're 5 or 95!  Take a look at what New Times had to say about the show HERE. Then, you'd better hurry and make your reservations HERE because this one is selling out. We had full houses for every show last weekend and we hope to see you here this weekend!

"A funny and troubling look at athletes and identity...Take Me Out is a dynamic, involving play." --Donald Lyons, New York Post

Do you like baseball? Do you like being on stage? Are you a guy? Then, come on down to auditions for Take Me Out next Monday and Tuesday at 6 pm. Director Daniel Freeman is looking for about 10-12 men for this award-winning Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading. Not only that, he could really use a couple of guys who can speak Spanish, and even one who can speak Japanese. Click HERE for full descriptions of the cast and more information about auditions, then come on down!

"Putnam County is that rarity of rarities, a super-smart show that is also a bona fide crowd-pleaser." --The Wall Street Journal

Guess what?!! It's time for another musical! Auditions for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by Dana Shaheen will take place on August 24 and 25 right here at the Little Theatre. This delightful musical will hit the Little Theatre stage in November, so check your calendar, warm-up your singing voice and come on down!  Click HERE for more details, character descriptions and other instructions (scroll down the page for information about Spelling Bee.) You can even download the sides you will be asked to read from at auditions, so you can be fully prepared to give it your all.

And while you're on our AUDITIONS PAGE, check out all the dates for auditions for the rest of the season. This is going to be one heckuva year at the Little Theatre, with auditions for shows taking place almost every two weeks! So, go to our website and scope out all the great shows planned for our 2014-15 Season and plan your schedule NOW to participate in at least one show this year. Come on, you know you want to. This is YOUR year!

"A masterwork of the comedy-drama genre." --Backstage
"Enthralling...utterly gripping...Remarkable." --LA Times

Rehearsals are in full swing for this amazing comedy-drama written by award-winning author David Lindsey-Abaire. If you're a fan of Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Readings, you may remember seeing this show on our stage as a staged reading in 2012. It was so successful and such a moving show as a reading, that the artistic team included it in our mainstage season this year. The show is directed by David Carey Foster, an experienced actor and director who you may have seen onstage a few years ago at PCPA or The Great American Melodrama. Now, you're more likely to catch him on The Mentalist or Dexter. We're thrilled to welcome him as director of our season opening show for our 68th Season here at the Little Theatre.

If you're NOT a season ticket holder (and you still can be by clicking HERE!) we recommend getting your tickets early for GOOD PEOPLE, opening on September 5th. Click HERE for more information and tickets. (Please note: Good People includes strong language and is suggested for mature audiences.)

And now, just because I love it so much, I'll leave you with a clip from the Broadway musical version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA.  One of my favorite moments in our production features Fairy Godmother Bella Yaguda and Cinderella Cali Singleton singing IMPOSSIBLE, complete with pumpkin carriage, dancing horses, an adorable footman carrying glass slippers and best of all, a magical dress transformation.  Click HERE to see it happen on Broadway and I hope you'll join us this weekend for our delightful young actors' version of this delightful tale of dreams-come-true. Have a wonderful weekend!

CINDERELLA has a magical (sold out!) opening weekend, GOOD PEOPLE takes the stage, and AUDITIONS every week through August! Only at the Little Theatre!

Good morning friends of the Little Theatre,

What an amazing opening weekend for our Academy of Creative Theatre production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella! The cast and crew of young performers brings this classic, magical musical to life on our stage. All four performances were full this last weekend, but there are plenty of great seats available for future shows. Read more about the play and order your tickets by clicking HERE. Cinderella is a perfect way to introduce the power of live theatre to you child (or grandchild!) Share the magic before it disappears forever!

Now that Cinderella is open and running, our next mainstage show, Good People, can take the stage during rehearsals. This season the Little Theatre is producing 25 plays- most of the time, there are 5-6 productions in various stages of rehearsal/performance simultaneously using our home at 888 Morro Street. Good People will rehearse on the Cinderella set until it turns back into a pumpkin after its final performance on Sunday, August 24. The set for Good People will be constructed before the evening rehearsal on Monday, August 25. The production opens just 11 days later on September 5. You can read more about our season opener, Good People, and get your tickets by clicking HERE.

25 plays require 200+ actors. This season, we have auditions at the Little Theatre an average of once every two weeks. There are incredible opportunities for actors of all ages and skill levels. Tonight (Monday, 8/11/14) is the final night of auditions for Steve Martins hilarious comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile directed by Suzy Newman. Check out all of the audition details HERE. Next week (8/18, 8/18) we'll be having auditions for the Ubu's Other Shoe staged reading of Take Me Out, directed by Daniel Freeman. The week after that? It's time to find the cast of the fantastic musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by Dana Shaheen. You can see all of our audition details (and dates for the entire year) by clicking HERE.

It's Time to Celebrate! Come celebrate the Little Theatre's 2013-2014 season with the people who made it possible: YOU!  Our 300+ volunteers who generously gave of their time in so many ways during our 67th season! Please join us to celebrate the old and ring in the new. It's a great way to see old friends, make new friends, remember all the great moments of last season and have a blast! WHEN:   SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 @ 5 PM   WHERE: SLO LITTLE THEATRE, 888 MORRO ST. SLO   WHAT:   2014 OPEN HOUSE & VOLUNTEER                APPRECIATION BBQ featuring:                     Annual Volunteer Awards                ▪  A Look Back at 2013-14 on the Big Screens                ▪  Delicious BBQ, Wine, Beer & Soft Drinks                ▪  Fun, Friends & Laughter! It was a great 2013-2014 season. Let's celebrate the great times and the fantastic shows we enjoyed last season and start building the excitement for the 2014-2015 Season featuring  25 shows, 225 performances on 45 out of 52 weekends! Please CLICK HERE to RSVP and we hope to see all of you there!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

-Kevin

It's Possible! CINDERELLA opens Friday Night, AUDITIONS on Sunday, Subscriptions are SELLING OUT, and so much MORE -- this week ONLY at the Little Theatre!

Photos by Jamie Foster Photography

"Impossible! For a plain, yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage. Impossible! For a plain, country bumpkin and a prince to join in marriage....Impossible! Things are happening every day!"

The classic story of dreams-come-true will light up the Little Theatre stage this weekend, as our Academy of Creative Theatre students present Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA! This delightful production has been adapted specifically for young actors, but it still includes all your favorite tunes from the original, beloved musical. It's the perfect show to share with your kids, your grand-kids, nephews, nieces, and kids of all ages, from the very young, to the young at heart!

August 8-24

Fridays & Saturdays @ 7 pm
Saturdays & Sundays @ 2 pm

Directed by Shelagh Garren
Musical Direction by Lacey McNamara
Choreography by Kelly Fidopiastis

Featuring:

Cali Singleton, Conner Allen, Alexx Ascencio, Jed Authier, Kaylee Beardsley, Isaac Capp, Penny DellaPelle, Abby Dorman, Isabella Grznar, Riley Hutcheson, Sophia Lea, Zoe Piette, Serafina Regusci, Maddie Smith, Elizabeth Tharp, Bella Yaguda and Veda Yaguda.

Tickets: $13 Students / $20 Adults

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY

Just one more reminder that if you've been waiting for just the right time to come on down to the theatre and audition for a play?  THIS IS IT! There are auditions happening almost every two weeks this year in our most ambitious season to date. This weekend, it's the hilarious Steve Martin comedy, PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE. Next week, we're in a need of a few good men for Richard Greenberg's TAKE ME OUT. But there's more! CLICK HERE to see details about auditions for these two shows, PLUS future audition dates. It's going to be an exciting season here at the Little Theatre and you need to play a part in it!

Subscriptions are still available for these five awesome shows, but if you want to guarantee the BEST SEATS, at the BEST PRICE, with the MOST FLEXIBILITY on exchanges?  You'd best hurry on down to the box office to get yours now! We have already sold more season tickets than we sold for the 2013-14 Season (which was also a record breaker) and we're approaching that magical number where we'll have to cut off our subscription sales in order to ensure there are enough seats to meet the demand for individual tickets throughout the year. Don't be left outside standing in line for tickets when we inevitably sell out your favorite show. Come on in out of the cold and become a member of our subscriber family! CLICK HERE for more information and to order your season tickets online.

Got kids? We've got GREAT CLASSES for them!  The Academy of Creative Theatre is now registering for Fall After School Theatre Classes for children ages 5-18. From our beginning "Drama Kids" class to our advanced "Improv II" and "Acting" classes, all ACT programs are taught by experienced, professional teaching artists and take place in a lively, nurturing and FUN environment. Worried about tuition costs? Don't be. Thanks to a generous grant from the Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, we have generous scholarships available for your child. CLICK HERE for more information about classes and to register online.

Courtesy of Jamie Foster Photography

Whatever you do this weekend, enjoy it! And remember that nothing is impossible...things are happening every day!

Come see Cinderella - you'll love it!

Special Election Results

The balloting period ended at midnight last night, and we wanted to let you know that the proposed amendments were approved.

181 ballots were cast, which is a return rate of 29%.

YES votes 95%
NO votes    5%

The Board of Directors extends special thanks to everyone who participated in this important process!

CINDERELLA is opening, GOOD PEOPLE begins rehearsals, PICASSO is auditioning, and SEASON TICKETS are almost gone! This week at the Little Theatre!

Good morning friends of the Little Theatre,

Opening night of Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella is almost here! We had a great weekend of technical rehearsals and are looking forward to sharing this beautiful show with the community! Cinderella is our Academy of Creative Theatre summer production; it a perfect show for families and a great way to encourage your children to appreciate the magic of live theatre. Cinderella is only scheduled for 12 performances, so, click HERE to get your tickets today for this lovely musical.

Rehearsal for Good People, the first season show of the Little Theatre's 68th season, begins rehearsals tonight! We are so happy to welcome guest director, David Carey Foster, to the Little Theatre. We have assembled a wonderful cast for this production, featuring: Patty Thayer, Anita Schwaber, Elaine Fournier, Gregg Wolff, Christopher Riordan, and Natalia Salsbury. Good People rehearses for the next four weeks and open on September 5. You can read more about the play and reserve your tickets by clicking HERE.

Auditions for the Little Theatre 2nd season show, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, will take place on August 10 and 11 at the Little Theatre. This hilarious comedy, written by Steve Martin and directed by Suzy Newman, opens on October 10. Many shows are nearly sold out, so, get your tickets today. Need some ridiculousness to liven up your Monday? Click HERE to watch this classic Steve Martin stand-up act from the 70's. Click HERE to read more about this award-winning play.

Are you still waiting to become a 2014-2015 Little Theatre Season Subscriber? Don't wait any longer- season ticket sales are going through the roof and, for the first time ever, we're going to be forced to cut off sales! This is great news for the Little Theatre, but terrible news for any patrons who don't pick up one of the few remaining subscriptions. Our season show will sell out this year, so, if you never want to be on the waiting list again, click HERE to secure the best seats in the house!

Thank you, as always, for your support of this organization! Have a wonderful week, everyone!

-Kevin

So many shows, so many AUDITIONS! And don't look now, but it's time for CINDERELLA!!

Did you know that when you're producing 25 plays, 225 performances on 45 out of 52 weekends, you end up having auditions almost every two weeks?  It's true. So if you've been toying with the idea of getting back on stage again but just haven't made the leap yet? This is YOUR year!!

"Picasso at the Lapin Agile is Martin's poker-faced-and very funny-riff on the birth of the modern century." -- New York Magazine

Our second main stage show of the year will offer plenty of laughs and lots of fun for nine talented actors and actresses in Steve Martin's PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE, directed by Suzy Newman. All roles are open! The show will run October 10-26.

AUDITIONS: Picasso at the Lapin Agile

Sunday, August 10 @ 4pm

Monday, August 11 @ 6pm

CLICK HERE for audition information

CLICK HERE for tickets!

"An enchanting and enchanted take on baseball... passionately personal and lyrically analytical... an unconditional, all-American epiphany." -- NY Times

Our first Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading of the season will offer a great opportunity for 12 talented actors to flex their acting chops. Director Daniel Freeman is looking for some talented guys to take the stage and talk about baseball in Richard Greenberg's Tony Award winning TAKE ME OUT. The show will run September 26-27.

AUDITIONS: Take me Out

Monday, August 18 @ 6pm

Tuesday, August 19 @ 6pm

CLICK HERE for audition information

CLICK HERE for tickets!

Who remembers watching Lesley Ann Warren in the television version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA? Or maybe your Cinderella was Julie Andrews or even Brandy! Whatever version of this delightful musical you've enjoyed before, you're going to LOVE this one right here on the Little Theatre stage! Directed by Shelagh Garren, with musical direction by Lacey McNamara and choreography by Kelly Fidopiastis, this is a show meant to be shared with the entire family. Our Academy of Creative Theatre students have been rehearsing for two months and they're just about ready to take the stage. Bring your children, bring your grandchildren, or just bring your little ol' self. I promise, you'll leave the theatre smiling, with a song on your lips.

CINDERELLA

August 8-24

Fridays & Saturdays @ 7pm

Saturdays & Sundays @ 2pm

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

Many Thanks to our Show Sponsors
Wilda Rosene, Jockey Person to Person
Craig & Rosemary Canfield

Just for fun, here's one last link, this time from the Broadway version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA. Click HERE to sing along. 

See you next weekend for glass slippers, pumpkin carriages, fairy godmothers, a handsome prince and impossible things happening everyday. 

Have a great weekend! 

~Patty