Romance, war, duels, poetry, sacrifice...and an enormous SCHNOZ

The Academy of Creative Theatre will take on a staged reading of the classic tale of CYRANO de BERGERAC this Friday and Saturday at 7 pm, right here on the Little Theatre stage. From Parisian balconies to bloody battlefields, tongue-tied Christian borrows Cyrano's words to woo beautiful Roxane-- but is she falling for Christian's looks or Cyrano's soul?  A cast of three student actors triangulates this classic into a lightning-paced romance of duels, panache, sacrifice-- and an enormous schnoz.

The ACT Staged Reading offers our more advanced student actors a place to "flex their acting muscles" in a more intimate, challenging environment. This production of CYRANO features three experienced ACT actors on stage and one behind the scenes as Assistant Director. All four are under the experienced direction of Kerry DiMaggio, Education Director.

Jed Authier (Cyrano):   This is Jed's 11th show at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre. Previous roles include: Romeo and Juliet (Romeo) and The Little Prince (Fox).  He has also been in all 3 of ACT's staged readings so far!

Penny Della Pelle (Roxanne): This is Penny's fifth show with ACT.  Previous shows include: Cinderella, The Secret Garden, Pinocchio, Shakespeare Shorts

Trevyn Wong (De Guiche, Christian, and several other characters): Trevyn has been involved in countless ACT productions along with two mainstage shows at the Little Theatre (A Christmas Story, The Sound of Music.) This is his second ACT staged reading and you can also see Trevyn in this spring's production of The Music Man as well!

Elizabeth Tharp (Assistant Director): Elizabeth has performed in ten ACT productions, including Shakespeare Shorts (Mustardseed), Cinderella (stepsister) and  last year's reading of Sarah, Plain and Tall.  

The annual ACT Staged Reading is sponsored by Rhonda O'Dell and is produced as a benefit for the ACT Scholarship Fund, which exists so that any student- regardless of their financial background- may participate in ACT's classes and programs. To find out more about what ACT has to offer, including classes, camps and full mainstage productions, contact Kerry DiMaggio or visit our website right HERE.

Hope to see you at CYRANO this weekend.  Training and encouraging young theatre artists is a big part of what we do here at the Little Theatre and besides that... it's gonna be a great show. You can get your tickets right HERE.

“A great nose may be an index of a great soul” 

~Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac

FREE and reduced price tickets are available for ACT's production of THE SECRET GARDEN thanks to Central Coast Funds for Children

The Cast of The Secret Garden | Photos by Jamie Foster Photography

We recently received a generous $1,500 grant from the Central Coast Funds for Children in support of the Academy of Creative Theatre (ACT) production of The Secret Garden which runs January 16-25, 2015. Specifically, the grant underwrites discounted children’s tickets to ALL performances as well as a limited number of free tickets for children and families in collaboration with the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO.) The tickets are being distributed through CAPSLO to families involved in Head Start and other programs for families and children.

Martha (Penny DellaPelle) and Mary (Campbell Ellery)

ACT’s production of The Secret Garden is directed by Shelagh Garren and features 12 student actors from the Little Theatre’s ACT educational program. The classic children’s story, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, centers around Mary Lennox, a young orphan, who is sent to England to live with her invalid cousin and reclusive Uncle Archibald on his mysterious estate. When Mary discovers a hidden, locked garden, her life is changed forever. With the help of the warmhearted maid Martha; Dickon, the boy who understands the language of animals; the crusty gardener, Ben, and, of course, the robin who leads her to the garden, Mary brings both the neglected garden and her family back to life. A magical story of hope, renewal, and the transforming power of love, this heartwarming story is ideal for children and families.

Ben Weatherstaff (Conner Allen)

The Secret Garden runs January 16-25, 2015 at the Little Theatre on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm. The cast includes young actors from throughout the County: Jayda Monreal, Campbell Ellery, Sienna Ritter, Linnea Marks, Brooke Andris, Penny DellaPelle, Elizabeth Tharp, Trevyn Wong, Conner Allen, Zoe Peach-Riley, Raegan Lunceford and Riley Hutcheson.

Dickon (Trevyn Wong) and Colin Craven (Linnea Marks)

“Participating in theatre encourages creativity and builds self-confidence” says ACT Coordinator Kerry DiMaggio. “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 Central Coast Funds for Children enables us to share this production of The Secret Garden, not only with the students performing in the production, but with children and families throughout the county who might not otherwise be able to attend.”

Thank you Central Coast Funds for Children for helping us to share high quality live theatre with children and families from all across the county!

For more information about THE SECRET GARDEN or to make your reservations, click HERE.

Archibald Craven (Riley Hutcheson) and Mrs. Medlock (Elizabeth Tharp)

ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF CREATIVE THEATRE
If you haven't yet heard about the programs of the Little Theatre's Academy of Creative Theatre, it's time you did! ACT provides year-round theatrical training for youth ages 5-18 (kindergarten through 12th grade.) ACT’s after-school programs, summer camps and theatrical production classes inspire young performers and technicians to develop skills which will benefit them throughout their lives, both on and off the stage. Students involved in ACT learn from professional artists in programs designed to help students explore creative self-expression and individuality. Whether our students choose to pursue theatre as a career, as volunteers or as audience members, our hope is their experience at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre will help them to develop a greater appreciation of the theatre arts and a stronger connection to their community.

Sound Operator Ella Harris

SPRING THEATRE CLASSES
ACT is now accepting registrations for its Spring 2015 Theatre Classes.  All ACT classes take place in a lively, nurturing, fun environment and are taught by professional teaching artists who are passionate and skilled at working with young performers.  ACT classes stretch the imagination, encourage teamwork and collaboration, and help students develop listening and speaking skills, all while promoting creativity and self-esteem.

Mary (Campbell Ellery ) surrounded by taunting children 

ACT is offering a variety of classes this spring for all age ranges and levels of experience beginning February 23 and running through April 29. A Spring Break camp will also be available April 6-10. Thanks to a generous grant through The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, generous scholarships are available so that every child with a desire to learn can participate.

Click HERE for more details on spring theatre classes and scholarships or to register your child or grandchild, niece, nephew or neighbor today!

Mary (Campbell Ellery) and Dickon (Trevyn Wong) discover The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden is a delightful show for young and old alike. It's also a wonderful opportunity to introduce youngsters to the joys of live theatre. Just two more weekends of performances remain --- don't miss your chance to see this lovely show! GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

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!

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!