SARAH has a wonderful weekend, PROOF flies through tech, and A DELICATE BALANCE is off and running. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good afternoon friends of the Little Theatre,

The Academy of Creative Theatre (our year-round training program for young performers at the Little Theatre presented a wonderful staged reading of Sarah, Plain and Tall this weekend. Audiences loved watching these incredible young actors work on this great play. ACT Staged Readings (directed by Kerry DiMaggio) benefit our scholarship fund for ACT classes, allowing low-income families enroll their children in the program. Thank you to everyone for coming out to support this important program. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Sarah, Plain and Tall!

Proof, the fourth mainstage production in our 67th anniversary season, began technical rehearsals this weekend. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play, directed by Teresa Thuman, begin dress rehearsals on Monday night. This production is going to be extremely powerful (and Dave Linfield's set is amazing.) You can read more about the play and reserve your tickets by clicking HERE.

The 10th anniversary season of Ubu's Other Shoe (the staged reading program at the Little Theatre) continues with Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance, directed by Jill Turnbow. We have assembled a great cast- rehearsals begin tonight. There are only two chances to see A Delicate Balance: May 2 and 3 and 7:00 PM. Be sure to stick around for a talkback with the cast and crew after the first performance. Get your tickets today by clicking HERE.

Thank you for your continued support of our organization! Have a wonderful week, everyone!

-Kevin

Our ACT students stage a reading of SARAH, PLAIN and TALL, the Pulitzer Prize winning PROOF opens next Friday and A CHORUS LINE is simply sensational!

"Did Mama sing every day?" Caleb asks his sister Anna.

"Every-single-day," she answers. "Papa sang, too."

Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes from Maine to the prairie to answer widower Jacob Witting's advertisement for a wife and mother. "I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall."

This Friday and Saturday, the talented young students of our Academy of Creative Theatre will present a staged reading of the beloved Newberry Award winning story by Patricia MacLachlan. Kerry DiMaggio directs this delightful stage adaptation by Joseph Robinette, and trust me, our ACT students are going to knock this performance out of the park.

Does that photo ring a bell? I loved the mini-series Sarah, Plain and Tall starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken, but mostly because the story just captured my heart. I'm looking forward to hearing the story again with our students on Friday and I hop you can join us. All proceeds from ticket sales will support scholarships for our Academy of Creative Theatre participants so, not only can you enjoy a great staged reading, you'll be supporting young theatre artists too!

SARAH, PLAIN and TALL

Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29 at 7 pm
Sponsored by Rhonda O'Dell

CLICK HERE for more information and tickets. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - OPENS NEXT WEEK!

It's almost here. Director Teresa Thuman and the cast of PROOF go into tech rehearsals this weekend and the show opens next Friday, April 4th at 7pm. This riveting drama will keep you glued to your seats, wondering what new surprise will grab you around the next corner. The mystery and poetry of mathematics and the tragedy of mental illness take center stage in this Pulitzer Prize winning play. 

"A wonderfully funny, ambitiously
constructed work..." 

- Variety

But remember, this is NOT just heavy drama and tears. Like all the best dramas, the laughter comes quickly and easily while the depth of emotion and the intricacy of the story will keep you enthralled.

"Combines elements of mystery and surprise 

with old-fashioned storytelling... 

a smart and compassionate play of ideas." 

- NY Daily News

This show features the talents of a stellar cast: Gwendolyn Gay, Alyson Wren, Nathan Emmons, and Tom Ammon and is generously sponsored by Catherine & Richard Luckett and Maryellen & Michael Simkins. I'd recommend buying your tickets early for this one. Once word gets out, there won't be an empty seat in the house. 

Need I say more? This show is going to be the musical event of the year! And let me tell you, I'm obviously not alone in my excitement because our center section is already full for several performances and the sides are going fast! Give in to temptation and buy your tickets TODAY. A CHORUS LINE is "one singular sensation!"

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~Patty

P.S. Don't forget NO SHAME THEATRE this Friday at 10:30 pm! It's the most exciting and original night of theatre on the Central Coast and you can only experience it right here at the Little Theatre!

Board Meeting

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

Click here to view the agenda.

SPRING has SPRUNG at the Little Theatre! PSYCHOPATHIA this weekend, SARAH, PLAIN & TALL is up next!

In the spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of... argyle socks?!!

(With apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Locksley Hall)

This weekend, Ubu's Other Shoe will boldly go where no Ubu has gone before. Well...not really. But it is a delightfully funny, deliciously naughty staged reading. Erin Messer, the new Arts Editor at New Times, has written a nice little piece about it in the paper today. You can read it HERE.

PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS is written by John Patrick Shanley, author of the Academy award-winning  MOONSTRUCK and the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning DOUBT: A Parable. So, even though it's a story of a man who can't "perform" without his father's argyle socks in the room, you KNOW it's got to have more to it than that. And it does. Directed by Lisa Woske and featuring the talents of Jonathon Shadrach, Gregg Wolff, Maggie Coons, Deborah Bertling and John Geever, Psychopathia Sexualis is more than just another brilliantly funny show.

"Shanley has written what on the surface is a deft boulevard comedy, but one with thought-provoking depths." —NY Magazine 

But don't take NY Magazine's word for it, come on down to the theatre this Friday or Saturday and check out our UBU's Other Shoe Staged Reading of PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS. There's a talk-back with the cast and the director after Friday's show and tickets are only $10 ($7 for students!) But you'd better hurry, we sold out our last UBU Staged Reading! CLICK HERE to get your tickets today.

Speaking of Spring, happy first day of! Do you know how I know it's spring here at the theatre? Things get super busy! There's never a dull moment. Yesterday afternoon and evening, we had rehearsals going on for Teen Monologues, Sarah, Plain & Tall, Proof and A Chorus Line. Not to mention ACT After School Theatre Classes!  And next week, we'll have Spring Break Theatre Camp here all week.  I'll bet you had no idea this little building could hold that many people and rehearse and perform so many things all at once!

But getting back to my main point, next weekend, March 28-29, the young and talented students of our Academy of Creative Theatre program will be presenting a staged reading of their own!

SARAH, PLAIN & TALL

Adapted by Joseph Robinette
From Patricia MacLachlan's
Newberry Award Winning Novel

This heartwarming, historical story will be directed by Kerry DiMaggio and features the talents of Elizabeth Tharp, Conner Allen, Mia Ritter, Sienna Ritter, Jed Authier, Campbell Ellery, Alexis Rosinsky and Zoe Peach-Riley. You can CLICK HERE for more information and tickets. If you've never seen one of our ACT shows, you're really missing out, so come check it out next week! 

Now, back to spring at the theatre. As you know (if you read this blog) I sometimes stay a little late in  my upstairs office. Just catching up, you know. And spring is the absolute best time to do that. On Tuesday night, the cast of A Chorus Line was rehearsing in the rehearsal room and Musical Director Lacey McNamara was really putting the cast through their paces. Let me tell you, Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen sounded absolutely fabulous! I can't wait for that show! Word to the wise: get your tickets EARLY for this one. The center section is already full for almost every performance. 

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Before A Chorus Line takes the stage, PROOF by David Auburn opens on April 4th. Directed by Teresa Thuman and featuring a brilliant cast (Gwendolyn Gay, Alyson Wren, Nathan Emmons, and Tom Ammon) this Pulitzer Prize winning drama will knock your socks off. (Oops, socks again!)

"Combines elements of surprise with old fashioned storytelling...a smart and compassionate play of ideas." - NY Daily News

Don't put it off. You can CLICK HERE to get your tickets for this Pulitzer Prize winning drama today.

Finally, a bit of sad news along with all the good. The arts lost a wonderful friend this week. Ann Ream, the driving force behind public art in San Luis Obispo, passed away last weekend after 11 long years of battling cancer. If you like public art in SLO, including "Bee Bee Works His Magic" which is located right outside the Little Theatre, you have Ann to thank. Rest in peace, lovely lady, and thank you.

Have a lovely first weekend in spring everyone. And I hope to see you at a show soon!

~Patty

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING fades away, SEXUALIS enters tech, PROOF gets a porch, and A CHORUS LINE starts music rehearsals. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good morning friends of the Little Theatre!

What an amazing closing weekend of Some Enchanted Evening, our annual winter fundraising production. We had four full houses enjoying over 30 classic American showtunes written by the incredible Rodgers and Hammerstein. It was a great run! Thank you to everyone who came out to support our organization over the last five weeks!

There's never any down time at the theatre. Two hours after the final bows of Some Enchanted evening, our technical director, Dave Linfield, had laid down the enormous back porch onstage for our upcoming production of Proof. 5 hours after the show ended, all of the carpet in the theatre had been pulled up and sections of our stage floor had been rebuilt and replaced. Yesterday, as the walls of the Proof set appeared for rehearsal that evening, lights were being taken down and refocused for the Ubu's Other Shoe staged reading of Psychopathia Sexualis, playing this Friday and Saturday at 7:00 PM. Read more about the play and get your tickets by clicking HERE.

There are only two mainstage production left in our 67th anniversary season. Proof, directed by visiting director Teresa Thuman, has moved into the theatre and is rapidly heading toward opening on April 4! Do you have tickets to this Pulitzer Prize-winning play yet? Good seats are disappearing- get your today by clicking HERE.

We're finishing up 2013-2014 with another Pulitzer Prize winner: A Chorus Line takes the stage on May 16! Director/choreographer Zach Johnson (Oklahoma, The Sound of Music) returns to the Little Theatre to helm this fantastic musical. Tickets are going to go fast for this one (the center section is nearly sold out for every performance) so get your today by clicking HERE.

Thank you for your continued support of our organization. Have a wonderful, week, everyone!

-Kevin

ACT SPRING BREAK CAMP gears up and ENCHANTED EVENING throttles down. It's the FINAL WEEKEND folks!

That's right. It's almost over. This is the FINAL WEEKEND for SOME ENCHANTED EVENING, our Rodgers & Hammerstein extravaganza! A good friend of the theatre informed me that we went from "hearts to clubs." You know...we opened on Valentine's Day and we're closing on the day before St. Patrick's Day. We've gone from "love" to "luck" and now it's time for this lovely, little show to say goodbye. I will miss it though. I can't stop singing Rodgers & Hammerstein songs!

If you haven't seen this delightful musical revue yet, this is your last chance. CLICK HERE for your tickets before they're all gone. You know how it is on closing weekend....it's going to be absolutely PACKED!

Looking for something fun for your kids during the upcoming spring break? Look no further!

ACADEMY OF CREATIVE THEATRE

SPRING BREAK CAMP

March 24-28 ~ 9 am-12 pm

Designed for ages 8-13 | Taught by Katie Mack

It's an entire week of theatre games, improvisation, music and character work for young performers! Students will explore a play, and their imaginations, to create characters and understand the basics of acting. Your kids will have fun while being active, creative and making new friends!

Tuition: $150
Scholarships are available.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

From the author of DOUBT, MOONSTRUCK and 

JOE VS. THE VOLCANO

PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS

by John Patrick Shanley

Directed by Lisa Woske

Don't miss our next Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading on March 21-22 at 7 pm. It's "a salty comedy about men and their befuddlements and a shrink who may just be the personification of evil."

Featuring: Jonathon Shadrach, Gregg Wolff, Maggie Coons, Deborah Bertling and John Geever

CLICK HERE FOR INFO & TICKETS

Attention Ubu's Other Shoe Season Pass Holders:
Our last Ubu show was a complete sell-out, so please call the box office at (805) 786-2440 to exchange your pass for a ticket to ensure your seats!

Happy Birthday, Edward Albee. Age 86.

Director Jill Turnbow has just cast the next Ubu's Other Shoe staged reading of A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1967. More news on our cast soon. But for now, enjoy this clip from the 1973 film featuring Katherine Hepburn, Paul Scofield, Lee Remick, Joseph Cotten, Kate Reid and Betsy Blair. Wow.  

A DELICATE BALANCE.

Have an amazing weekend.

~Patty

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING "powers" on, PROOF finishes staging, SEXUALIS is approaching, and A DELICATE BALANCE looks for its cast! This week at the Little Theatre!

Good morning friends of the Little Theatre,

Audience members to our Saturday matinee performance of Some Enchanted Evening experienced a true "only in live theatre" moment when the City of SLO suffered a large power outage affecting 6 square blocks in the downtown core. Cast member Danielle Dutro was belting out "Wonderful Guy" when the stage was plunged into darkness. Thanks to our great staff and 80+ extremely understanding audience members, we were able to safely escort everyone into the lobby and offer vouchers to any upcoming performance at the Little. It was great to see so many of those same audience members back at the theatre that evening and the next day to see the performance. (The power was restored to downtown shortly after 4:00 PM, and the show went on!)

The wonderful show, featuring over 30 of the most memorable tunes from the Rodger and Hammerstein catalog, only play for one more weekend. Get your tickets to one of the final four performances by clicking HERE.

Teresa Thuman and the cast of Proof have been staging the production all week. We are so excited about having the opportunity to bring this incredible play to our community. Proof, the 4th mainstage production of the Little Theatre's 67th anniversary season, open in less than a month! Get your tickets to opening night (and stick around for the after-show party) by clicking HERE.

Psychopathia Sexualis, the 6th staged reading in Ubu's Other Shoe's 10th anniversary season, is heading into the final week of rehearsals. Director Lisa Woske has assembled a top-notch cast for this reading. Our last Ubu's presentation completely sold out, so secure your tickets to Sexualis today by clicking HERE.

A Delicate Balance, by Edward Albee, has one more evening of auditions scheduled for this Tuesday at the Little Theatre. Director Jill Turnbow is looking for 6 actors to fill out for the cast. Staged readings have a short rehearsal process and only play for two evenings. You can see all of the audition details by clicking HERE. Read about the play and get your tickets by clicking HERE.

Thank you, everyone, for your support of our organization! We have so much to share with you as we finish out of 2013-2014 season. Don't miss a moment!

Have a wonderful week!

-Kevin

Choreographer Zach Johnson knows how to pass the time during tech rehearsals!

Happy Friday friends!

Tech rehearsals can be tedious affairs. Our current fundraising production, Some Enchanted Evening: the Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein contains over 400 lighting cues, each of which has to be individually worked into the production during tech weekend.

Sometimes you have a bunch of time on your hands.

Zach Johnson, the choreographer of the show, used this time to sketch the cast and crew. Check out the fruits of his labor below!

Greg Gorrindo: "There Ain't Nothin' Like a Dame!"

Danielle Dutro-McNamara: "It Might as well be Spring"

Hunter O'Brien

Jackie Edwards: "Love, Look Away"

Katie Gucik: "Cock-Eyed Optimist"

Kevin Harris

Lacey McNamara

Phil Edwards: "Lonely Room"

Cast Sketch

Only two more weekends to see the human versions of these people perform over 30 of the greatest songs ever written. Get your tickets by clicking HERE.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Kevin

March ROARS in like a LION - So many great shows to enjoy!

There is so MUCH going on this week! Film festivals and art shows, symphony concerts and fabulous theatre going on from Santa Maria to Paso Robles, not to mention Phyllis' Revue at the Madonna Inn! Aren't we lucky? The Central Coast is just chock full of amazing arts and culture. The only problem is how to fit it all into our schedules. Choose from any of the events pictured above for this weekend's entertainment and you'll have a wonderful time!

But of course, if you haven't seen Some Enchanted Evening yet, make plans to do so this weekend or next, because it'll be gone forever on March 16th! Audiences are truly loving this delightful Rodgers & Hammerstein revue and you will too. Click HERE for your tickets NOW - you'll be glad you did!

And then be sure to get your tickets early for our next Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading, PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS, on March 21-22. We sold out for our last Ubu show, so don't delay, click HERE for more information and to get your tickets for this hilarious play written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by Lisa Woske.

And of course, there are always AUDITIONS coming up around here too! Director Jill Turnbow is looking for six talented actors for a staged reading of A Delicate Balance to be performed on May 2 & 3. Auditions are this Sunday and the following Tuesday. Get all the details HERE. And while you're there, mark your calendars for auditions for August: Osage County, directed by Anet Carlin, coming up May 3-4. 

Director Zach Johnson just posted the cast list for our big season finale musical A Chorus Line. You can see that cast list HERE and while you're checking it out, go ahead and get your tickets too. Trust me, it's going to be a sell-out!

Whatever you do this weekend, or the next, make sure you come see Some Enchanted Evening before it's too late. 5 performers, 2 pianists, 30+ Rodgers & Hammerstein songs and only 8 chances left to enjoy them all! I'll be here to enjoy the music all day on Saturday, including our special Saturday Martini Night! Hope to see you there.

Cheers!

Patty

Congratulations to the cast of A CHORUS LINE!

Over the last two weeks, nearly 50 actors, singers, and dancers attended auditions for our upcoming season production of A Chorus Line. We are thrilled to announce the cast for this Pulitzer Prize-winning musical:

Roy: Sean Parchejo

Kristine: Melanie Portney

Shelia: Karen “Kaza” Kahn Pearson

Val: Hollie Clark

Tricia: Libby Parker

Mike: Jeff Larsen

Laura: Jennifer Jane

Maggie: Danielle McNamara

Judy: Annika Borg-Sundstrom

Lois: Madison Leah Probst

Don: Raymond Pai

Bebe: Michelle Hansen

Connie: Sara Beth Arroyo

Barbara: Tori Waner

Diana: Veronica Surber

Zach: Gregg Wolff

Mark: Colton Sundstrom

Cassie: Kelly Fidopiastis

Bobby: Travis Nefores

Paul: Gregory Gorrindo

Vicki: Emma Fay

The Board and staff of the Little Theatre and the artistic team of A Chorus Line appreciate everyone's interest in this project and our organization and wholeheartedly encourage actors to audition for future productions. You can see all upcoming audition opportunities at the Little Theatre by clicking HERE.

A Chorus Line runs from May 16-June 15, 2014. Your can get your ticket now by clicking HERE.

Have a great day, everyone!

-Kevin

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING delights, A DELICATE BALANCE is looking for actors, SEXUALIS is on its way, and A CHORUS LINE finishes up two weeks of auditions. This week at the Little Theatre!

Good morning friends of the Little Theatre!

We are having such a wonderful time bringing Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein to the theatre-lovers in the community. Patrons have been loving hearing five remarkable local performers bring over 30 of the most beautiful songs ever written to life on our stage. Our annual winter fundraiser is one of the biggest shows we produce all year; the revenue from this production support all of the arts and educational programs at the Little Theatre throughout the year. You can play your part by purchasing your tickets today! Click HERE to order your tickets instantly online.

Check out this great review from The Tribune by clicking HERE.

Auditions for our next Ubu's Other Shoe staged reading take place on 3/9 and 3/11 at the Little Theatre. A Delicate Balance will be directed by Jill Turnbow and plays for two nights only: May 2 and 3 at 7:00 PM. You can get your tickets by clicking HERE. See a great interview with playwright Edward Albee by clicking HERE.

Speaking of Ubu's Other Shoe, the 6th staged reading in the program's 10th anniversary season play for two nights only: March 21-22. Psychopathia Sexualis, directed by Lisa Woske, is a hilarious comedy written by John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck, Doubt, Joe vs. the Volcano). You can get read more about the play and get your tickets by clicking HERE. 

During the last two weeks, over 40 actors/singers/dancers auditioned to be a part of our upcoming production of A Chorus Line. Director/choreographer Zach Johnson is currently putting together to official "line" which will take the stage on May 16. This is going to be an amazing production- get your tickets now by clicking HERE.

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

-Kevin