Being Thankful, #GivingTuesday and the Holidays are ALMOST here!

The Little Theatre will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, as our staff and volunteers celebrate with family and friends, but we'll be right back at it over the weekend, making sure that A CHRISTMAS STORY is ready to open on Friday, December 5th!

We wish all of you a joyful, thankful holiday as well, followed by a restful weekend, and perhaps a little shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday? And then comes Tuesday...

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. It's an idea whose time has definitely come!

So, on December 2, while we rehearse 4 different upcoming shows, build sets, hang lights, and generally do our best to present great live theatre for the Central Coast, we are also going to be GIVING THANKS FOR YOU,  and for your support as volunteers, audience members and generous donors. 

And as you weigh your end-of-year giving options, we hope you'll keep the Little Theatre in mind. Your generous gifts support:

• Adventurous, thought provoking, high quality entertainment
• Creative educational programs for children through our Academy of Creative Theatre
• A nurturing and challenging artistic home for local artists
• An expressive voice for our community

Support the theatre you love with your gifts of time, talent or treasure on #GIVINGTUESDAY. There are so many different ways you can give!

VOLUNTEER

Onstage, backstage, in the box office or in the lobby!

BUY A GIFT CERTIFICATE

Live theatre makes a great holiday gift! 

MAKE A DONATION

Your donation at any amount makes a difference.

BUY A TICKET FOR A SHOW!

A Christmas Story opens on December 5th!

Thank you for your support that ensures the "show will go on" for many years to come. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Giving Tuesday and we'll see you for A Christmas Story next week!

Happy 6th anniversary to our M.A.D., SPELLING BEE final weekend, AUDITIONS and the HOLIDAYS are coming!

We had a bit of a celebration at last night's Little Theatre board meeting. November 19th marks the date when, six years ago, Kevin Harris took the helm at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre. It's been an amazing six years, marked by off the chart growth both artistically and organizationally. In the words of our board president, Bryce Engstrom:

"I am simply in awe of how much Kevin Dale Harris has managed to accomplish as Managing Artistic Director at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre in his six years with us. Dude, you rock. Happy anniversary."

Thanks Kevin. We're looking forward to what the next six years will bring!

It's almost time for "The Last Goodbye." What a run it's been!  Many, many  thanks to the amazing cast and crew of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE for all of their hard work and heart bringing this great show to the Little Theatre stage. Performances this weekend are sold-out, but you might still be able to catch the BEE if you arrive one hour before show time and get your name on our waiting list. You've got five more chances: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm. We can usually squeeze in 8-10 people, so give it a try! You'll be glad you did!

Congratulations to the cast and crew of ANNA IN THE TROPICS, who enjoyed two full houses this week as well. Thank you Leo Cortez and the amazing cast pictured above for bringing us such an insightful, beautifully written drama as our third Ubu's Other Shoe staged reading. Mark your calendars now for our Ubu #4, MISS WITHERSPOON, taking the stage on December 16 and 17.

Here it comes... the show you've all been waiting for:  SINGIN' IN THE RAIN!!  Auditions are this Sunday, beginning at 4 pm. Don't miss your chance to be a part of this delightful musical! Check out all the details HERE, bring your tap shoes and we hope to see you on Sunday !

This December, we're unwrapping a double feature of holiday hilarity that you won't want to miss! Be sure to make your plans now to attend the classic holiday comedy, A CHRISTMAS STORY and our late-night version of holiday good cheer, THE SANTALAND DIARIES. Some shows are nearly sold out already, so make your reservations today and share your holiday with good friends at the Little Theatre!

The holidays and the future here at the Little Theatre look very bright indeed and we are so very thankful for your support both off and on the stage. We hope you'll share the fun, share the joy, share the laughs and the music and the warmth right along with us this holiday season and in the new year.  Have a great weekend and we'll see you soon!

SPELLING BEE cruises to the final curtain, ANNA IN THE TROPICS takes the stage, A CHRISTMAS STORY preps for tech, and BEST OF NO SHAME is coming! This week at the Little Theatre!

Good morning friends of the Little Theatre,

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee finished up another weekend of sold-out performances this afternoon; there are only five more chances to see this "hilarious musical comedy!" There are only a handful of tickets available for the final weekend, so, don't delay: click HERE and secure your seats immediately online. Once it's gone, it's gone!

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Anna in the Tropics plays for two nights only: Tuesday and Wednesday, November 18 and 19 at 7:00 PM. This Ubu's Other Shoe staged reading, directed by PCPA guest director Leo Cortez, is part of our 11th season of Ubu. Our staged reading have been selling out this season (thank you Ubu subscribers!), so, make sure your seats will be waiting for you by clicking HERE. Click HERE to see a great short interview with playwright Nilo Cruz.

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

Everyone's favorite holiday tradition featuring one boy, one BB gun, and one holiday wish opens at the Little Theatre on Friday December 5 at 7:00 PM. A Christmas Story, directed by PCPA guest director Don Stewart, plays for only 14 performances, and many performances are nearly sold out. Be a part of this Little Theatre holiday tradition: secure tickets for your holiday group by clicking HERE.

Since the winter of 2009, No Shame Central Coast at the Little Theatre has played host to over 650 pieces of all original art. Join us on one night only to see exactly what's been going on every 4th Friday of the month at 888 Morro Street! This performance, featuring 20 of the best No Shame submissions from the last 4 years, is not be missed! Our 97 tickets will sell out quickly (there are only about 50 left!) Don't miss this incredible unique and exciting night of original art. Get your tickets by clicking HERE. (Best of No Shame contain adult language and situations. It is recommended for mature audiences only.)

Thank you for your support of the Little Theatre! We're opening 4 shows before the end of 2014. Check out our website, and don't miss a moment.

Have a great week, everyone!

SPELLING BEE is a H-I-T, A CHRISTMAS STORY moves into the theatre, SANTALAND is coming, and MISS WITHERSPOON has a cast. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good morning friends of the Little Theatre,

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened last Friday and sold-out audiences have been rolling in the aisles all weekend long! Don't miss your chance to see this incredible cast/crew bring this Tony Award-winning musical comedy to life on our stage. AND, four lucky audience members gets to participate in the Bee right along with the actors (don't worry, audience participation is on a voluntary basis only.) There are only ten more performances and tickets are nearly gone- pick up yours today by clicking HERE.

The witches, zombies, and jack-o-lanterns have been put away for the year and the holiday music has begun! Do you have your tickets to A Christmas Story yet? This season, our Holiday Production only plays for 12 performances, so, secure your tickets today before the best seats are gone. Relive this timeless favorite live onstage with your family and friends- get your tickets by clicking HERE.

This Holiday season, we're offering up something salty right along with some thing sweet: David Sedaris's The Santaland Diaries returns to the Little Theatre stage for 7 performances only. This production sold out early and played to standing room only audiences last year. Late night performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening begin after A Christmas Story (around 9:40); Sunday evening performances begin at 7:00 PM. Snatch up your tickets by clicking HERE.

Ubu's Other Shoe (the staged reading series at the Little Theatre) is well into its 11th anniversary season; Miss Witherspoon, by Christopher Durang (directed by Kelly Fidopiastis) has auditions last week and we're thrilled to announce that the cast will include: Jill Turnbow, Katie Gucik, Irene Platt,

Nicki Barnes, Jonathan Shadrach, and Valerie Pallai. Read about the play and pick up you tickets by clicking HERE.

We have four shows opening before the end the year- something for everyone! Be sure to check out our website to see everything that we're offering up to the community this season. We couldn't do it without your support!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Kevin

SPELLING BEE is going to rock the house this weekend! Can you spell F-U-N?

The Spelling Bee cast with director Dana Shaheen and stage manager Jo Jackson 

All photos courtesy of Jamie Foster Photography

This week, I got to be onstage again. I was attending a rehearsal of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE and they chose me as an audience contestant. The last time I acted in a musical was... hmmmm... maybe it was NUNSENSE about 20 years ago?  Yikes. At any rate, I spelled two words right and did the Macarena (badly) before being escorted offstage with my juice box prize. Even in a rehearsal setting with only about six people in the audience, it was a blast!

Director Dana Shaheen has gathered together a talented and energetic cast to take on this delightful tale of teenage overachievers' angst in the guise of a spelling bee and they are amazing. But don't be lulled into complacency as you sit in your seat waiting to be entertained. You too might end up being part of the entertainment! A handful of audience members are going to be asked to join the fun onstage every single performance, and whether it's you, your spouse or your next door neighbor, it's all part of the fun and you'll have a blast on or off the stage. I know I did!

Yep. That's them. The talented cast that can sing, dance, spell and make me laugh. ALOT. Come on out to the Little Theatre this weekend and maybe you'll get called on to spell a word and do the Macarena too. Even if you don't, I promise you'll have a great time. Just ask SLO Tribune writer Debby Nicklas, I think she'll agree. Or better yet, you can read her story about SPELLING BEE in today's TICKET right HERE.

Every speller has a unique "technique" to help them spell correctly

I think the rest of today's BLOG can speak for itself. Enjoy a little taste of the show with these great photos by Jamie Foster Photography and I'll hope to see you this weekend, or the next, or even the next here at the Little Theatre. But don't wait too long to reserve your seats, click HERE to get your tickets today !

Chip and Barf "warm-up"

Rona Lisa Peretti introduces the contestants

Marcy gets a "lift" from Rona and Mitch

Leaf Coneybear's parents offer a little support...sort of.

Every contestant's exit gets a grand "good-bye"

Okay. I think that's enough for now. I don't want to spoil the ending or anything. If you want to know who wins THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, you'll have to get your own tickets and come down to the theatre and see for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

Have a great weekend!

~Patty