THE GOAT takes the stage for 3 shows only, get ready for ORLANDO auditions and SEASON TICKETS are available NOW!

Where did the year go? I know, it's hard to believe, but this weekend we'll present the FINAL SHOW of our 2014/2015 Season, an Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading of Edward Albee’s THE GOAT (or Who is Sylvia?) What an amazing show to end a fabulous season!

Winner of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play, THE GOAT is a tragically comical play with a simple, albeit deeply disturbing premise: a married man falls in love with a goat. Once his wife finds out this sordid truth, all hell (and a lot of vases) breaks loose.

I can't wait to see this play this weekend and not just because it marks the final show of an amazing season here at the Little Theatre, but because it is going to be awesome. You know why? Because THE GOAT is directed by the amazing and very funny Jill Turnbow and features the awesome talents of David Norum, Polly Firestone-Walker, Daniel Freeman and Anthony Hernandez - that's why! You've got three chances to see this stellar cast in action: Friday at 7 pm and Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm.  Click HERE to choose your performance and purchase your tickets online. Seriously, don't miss our final UBU show of the season, you're going to love it!

"Meet Virginia Woolf's Orlando, your typical Elizabethan Man: a favorite of the Queen, madly in love with a Russian Princess, fleeing an Archduchess, and waking up one fine day in Constantinople to find he has become, of all things, a woman..."

AUDITIONS for our first Ubu's Other Show Staged Reading of the 2015-2016 Season will take place this Sunday, June 21 from 5:30-7:30 PM.  ORLANDO was written by Virginia Woolf and adapted by gifted playwright Sarah Ruhl. The staged reading will be directed Anet Carlin. Actors are asked to come to auditions prepared with two 30 second monologues. You can find out more on our website HERE. Orlando will run for three shows only, August 7-8.

And just in case you didn't get the memo....SEASON TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE!  And trust me, they are flying out the door. We have an incredible season lined up for you beginning in August with the delightful comedy SYLVIA and running through early next July with BYE, BYE BIRDIE!  If you don't want to be left standing in line at a sold-out show, with your name on a waiting list -- as many of you did for THE MUSIC MAN, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE and so many of our shows during the 2014/15 Season -- then buy your tickets now!  Season Ticket holders are guaranteed the Best Seats at the Best Price. Guaranteed.

Click HERE to find out more about our 6 SEASON SHOWS, 7 UBU'S OTHER SHOE STAGED READINGS, 4 AFTER HOURS COMEDIES, 2 ACADEMY OF CREATIVE THEATRE educational shows, 1 SPECIAL HOLIDAY SHOW, 1 BEST OF NO SHAME and of course...CABARET. Then click HERE to download an order form and place your order today via phone, fax or walk-up.  Online sales for season subscriptions, along with all of our "a la carte" shows, will begin on Monday, June 22.

AND finally, watch for a special announcement early next week when we launch our brand new, beautiful, easy-to-navigate website at slolittletheatre.org, courtesy of our friends at SUBPLOT STUDIO.  Don't worry, I'll definitely let you know when it's ready to go - I can hardly wait!

Have a great weekend everyone - see you at THE GOAT!

~Patty

The 2015-2016 SEASON BROCHURE will be in the MAIL on Thursday! Buy your SEASON SUBSCRIPTION early to ensure the BEST SEATS!

Here it comes. The news you've all been waiting for! Or at least I've been waiting for it, and I hope you have as well. Your season brochure will be arriving in your mailbox this week!  It's chock full of great shows for your entertainment and edification (or something like that!) We'll also have a big ol' stack of them, complete with season subscription order forms, in the lobby this weekend for your reading pleasure.

WELCOME TO THE 2015/16 SEASON!

For our 69th Season (Can you believe it?! 69 years!!) we're giving you MORE of the theatre you LOVE!

That's right, for ONE low subscription price, you'll enjoy SIX award-winning, awesome season shows. Save up to 15% when you buy all six!

The Ubu’s Other Show Staged Reading series will feature SEVEN plays from all over the world and when you buy all seven, you'll save 16% off the regular price!

The popular After Hours @slotheatre late night comedy series will feature FOUR side-splitting comedies. Buy all four and save 25% off the regular price!

PLUS ~ Enjoy ONE fabulous, one-of-a-kind Gala Musical (Come to the Cabaret, old chum!) ONE very special Holiday Show (You'll shoot your eye out!) ONE unique Best of No Shame evening of original work (plus 10 more live, late-night shows throughout the year) and TWO Academy of Creative Theatre student productions, beginning with the wonderful PIRATES OF PENZANCE opening on July 17th!

We have so much to share with you this year and we can’t wait to get started. Join us as a subscriber this season and don’t miss a moment of the journey!

Click HERE for your sneak preview of the entire season on our website and click HERE to download a season subscription order form.

Did you know that we have averaged 92% capacity houses for the entire 2014-15 Season?  

Not just once or twice, or just the musicals and comedies. Nope. Every single show this year has enjoyed near capacity or completely SOLD-OUT houses for their entire run. THE MUSIC MAN is a great example -- there are only about 10 seats left in the final 10 shows remaining in the next two weeks! Sure, we do pretty well for our wait list (if you don't have tickets yet, give it a shot!) but do you really want to stand outside and wait?

There's a better way. BUY A SEASON SUBSCRIPTION and enjoy these great benefits:

Guaranteed seats for all shows.

Best Seats in the House.

Save 12-25% off the individual show prices.

Easy to exchange.

Priority Seating every single time.

Check out our new season brochure and fall in love (like I have!) with the 2015-2016 Season! If you don't get your brochure by Monday, shoot me an email and I'll make sure to send you one.

Happy Wednesday everyone!
~Patty

An opening weekend special for BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE, AUDITIONS on Sunday and the 15/16 Season Brochure will arrive soon!

Join us for opening weekend of Jill Turnbow's critically acclaimed one-woman show BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE and get a special opening weekend discount. We need your help to spread the word about our final After Hours show of the season so we're offering $10 tickets to build the buzz. Just click HERE for tickets, enter promo code: iraq and you're in at half the price. Take advantage of this early bird discount THIS WEEKEND ONLY and come see this show!

THE CRITICS AGREE
BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE is based on Jill's real-life experiences entertaining the troops during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. She relates this personal story with dry humor, hilarious details and all the skill of a seasoned stand-up comic. Jill has performed this show to rave reviews in Los Angeles, New York, Montreal and even here at the Little Theatre for a limited run three years ago. This is comedy worth staying up late for, and a theatrical experience you don't want to miss!

Theatermania.com:
"Every three days, 950 military personnel came aboard to be entertained; they were nearly all men, some of whom had been stationed in the desert for up to a year. After much of the boat's female staff quit, Turnbow was left with only 20 other women, outnumbered 50 to one, sharing sole responsibility with one other (male) comic for standing before the rowdies to make them laugh." (Click HERE for complete review.)

Backstage.com:
"...an affecting show, starting out in the mood of standup comedy and becoming a heartfelt recollection...[Turnbow] avoids any political assessment of that battle, but paints an engrossing picture of the toll of war on ordinary soldiers, ending up as a salute to their courage and patriotism." (Click HERE for complete story.)

Yep. We're talking the real deal here. Click HERE to pick up your half price tickets for this weekend only, Friday and Saturday at 9:45 pm (note the change in time!) and Sunday at 7 pm immediately following THE MUSIC MAN. 

Our first main stage season show of the 2015-2016 Season will be SYLVIA: a modern romantic comedy about a dog, the couple who adopts her, and the comedy that results. Auditions for this wonderful show by A.R. Gurney will be held this Sunday, May 31st, beginning at 4:30 pm.  The director is David Carey Foster, who directed our production of GOOD PEOPLE last season. You can find out more about the show, the characters and download sides for the auditions HERE. Don't miss your chance to be a part of our season opening comedy!

Coming soon to a mailbox near you: the 2015-2016 Season brochure!  If all goes well, all the news that's fit to print about our upcoming 69th Season will land in your mailbox this weekend (or early next week at the latest!) We're giving you MORE of the theatre you LOVE with SIX season shows, SEVEN Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Readings, FOUR After Hours comedies, TWO Academy of Creative Theatre student productions and ONE fabulous Gala Musical, namely CABARET, celebrating 50 years of performances in 2016. You can take a sneak peek at all the shows AND download a season subscription order form right HERE. Season Subscriptions are only available for mail, phone or walk-up purchase (using the form provided) right now. SLOLT staff will fill subscriptions in the order they are received, giving priority seating to renewing subscribers and donors until June 22nd, when online sales will begin. Your season tickets will be sent to you in late June/early July.

Don't get stuck in line waiting for tickets on a sold-out show next year, SUBSCRIBE NOW to ensure your first choice of dates and seats!

The nearly sold-out run of THE MUSIC MAN continues this weekend with shows on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You can click HERE to check availability and buy your tickets online. If we're sold-out, don't despair!  Arrive one hour before show time and place your name on our waiting list. We'll do our best to get you in to see this heartwarming, classic musical!

Thanks for your support of the Little Theatre. It's been an amazing season and we look forward to sharing more great theatre with you next year and an exciting future ahead!

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Patty

New Times "BEST OF", the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin', RAPTURE BLISTER, BURN next Tuesday and JILL TURNBOW!

The annual New Times Best Of poll results are in and you've done it again! Thank YOU for voting us the BEST LOCAL THEATER GROUP for six years running!  In the words of New Times outgoing Arts Editor Jessica Pena:

"SLO Little Theatre isn't just a place to see plays in San Luis Obispo. It's an institution. Since 1947, it's been a consistent source of quality theatre, running more shows than any other theater group on the Central Coast. 'The staff and board of the Little Theatre feel that it's our responsibility to produce the widest variety of theatre possible,' said Kevin Harris, Managing Artistic Director. And that's no lie. This year alone, the Little Theatre has produced a beloved musical, a contemporary drama, and a daring one-woman show. It may be 'little' in name, but not in ambition."

Thank you New Times readers and Little Theatre fans! We promise we'll keep doing our best to bring the magic of live theatre to downtown San Luis Obispo this year, and for many years to come. Speaking of which...

Here it comes. The season finale musical for our 2014-2015 Season. THE MUSIC MAN! Director Zach Johnson, Music Director Lacey McNamara, an incredible production staff and crew and this talented cast of 28 local actors have been working hard for almost two months putting this fabulous show together and it's almost here. This Tony Award winning musical (five Tonys, including Best Musical!) opens this Friday night and you'll kick yourself if you miss it! But if you're going to see it, you'd better hurry, there are less than 200 seats remaining for sale in the entire five-week run! So, what are you waiting for? Click HERE to get your tickets today!  (Hint: Thursday nights are probably your best bet for the best seats and you can also try our waiting lists at the door!)

Tuesday and Wednesday nights may not seem like the usual time to consider going to see a play, but when you've got an amazing staged reading like RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN playing, it's not only a good idea, it's absolutely the best idea I've heard in a long time. Number 8 in our 2014/15 Season of Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Readings is a contemporary comedy by Gina Gionfriddo.  RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN tackles feminism’s foibles in what The New York Times called an, "intensely smart and immensely funny," new play. Director Jenny Shaheen and her talented cast of five local actors will bring Gionfriddo's comedy to life in a staged reading Tuesday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 20 at 7 pm. The price is just $10 and there will be an audience talk-back after Tuesday night's performance. Click HERE for your tickets!

Our final After Hours @slotheatre late night comedy show of the 2014/15 Season will hit the Little Theatre stage on May 29th. We are thrilled to present actress and comedienne Jill Turnbow in her one-woman show BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE. In hilarious and heartwarming detail, the show details Jill’s experiences as a stand-up comic entertaining the troops during the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Imagine a huge cruise ship moored in the Persian Gulf, brought there to offer “R&R” for troops in the region. Then imagine a young, female, stand-up comic, 27,000 men and an open bar. The result? In Jill's own words: "I had a pretty good time."  We promise you will too. There will be six shows only running Fridays and Saturdays at 9:30 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. I'd recommend you get your tickets NOW to ensure your seats. And you can do that right HERE.

Photos by Danielle Dutro McNamara Photography

We're heading into an exciting opening weekend!  Hope to see you at THE MUSIC MAN!

~Patty

THE MUSIC MAN: Under Construction. RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN: In Rehearsal. CANCELING CABLE: In Los Osos Friday. 2015-2016 SEASON: On the Way!

We are definitely UNDER CONSTRUCTION this weekend at the Little Theatre. The sounds of a tablesaw, electric drills and hammering mingle with the smell of paint and the voices of volunteer set builders. At the same time, the lobby is full of young voices chattering away as the Academy of Creative Theatre holds auditions in the rehearsal room for THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE; and then, if you hang around until about 6 pm, you can catch a Barbershop quartet warming up out front for Music Man rehearsals. I know, you've heard it before and you'll hear it again: it gets pretty busy around here during the week, even when there's no show scheduled for the weekend!

These are the happy faces of the children featured in The Music Man. Winthrop, Amaryllis, Gracie and Zaneeta posed with their young friends and neighbors during a break from rehearsals. In a little over a week, they'll be dancing across the (completed) stage set, in costume, singing The Wells Fargo Wagon!   Under the skillful hands of director Zach Johnson, the show is coming together bit by bit and will open next Friday night, May 15th. Seats are filling up fast, so I'd recommend making your reservations sooner, rather than later. Not kidding! You can do it right HERE, right NOW.

And no sooner do we open THE MUSIC MAN, but our 8th Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading of the season will take the stage mid-week for two shows only, May 19 & 20 at 7 pm. Director Jenny Shaheen has assembled a cast of real pros for Gina Gionfriddo's RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN, including Marilyn Blake, David Norum, Robin Kirk Wolf, Joan Pederson and Ashley Moses. This fast-paced, witty comedy explores the continuing fallout and evolution of the feminist movement. You can read an interview with the playwright about the play HERE. 

You don't have to wait for the weekend to enjoy some live theatre, you know! Join us for a mid-week dose of UBU and enjoy a staged reading of RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN. You can get your tickets for just $10 right HERE. 

If you missed it before, don't miss it again! On Friday, May 8 at the South Bay Community Center in Los Osos, We're Canceling Cable (And Other Empty Threats) will be resurrected as a benefit for the Monarch Grove PTA. This hilarious look at parenthood is directed by Jill Turnbow and features the talents of Gregory Gorrindo, Alicia Klein, Katie Gucik and Nathan Emmons, with piano accompaniment by Mark Pietri. Original sketches, monologues, and songs explore the hilarious, sometimes cringe-worthy moments that take place on sidelines of soccer fields, behind closed doors of parent-teacher conferences, and within our own living rooms. Get your tickets HERE! (This show features adult language and situations; not exactly appropriate for children.  But why would you bring them? This is your time.)

Are you ready? Are you set?... Then GO!  Plans for the exciting 2015-2016 Season are moving forward rapidly and you are going to LOVE what we have planned for our 69th Season here at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre!  Season Subscriptions will be available for purchase beginning May 22, but YOU can take a sneak peek at the entire season schedule right HERE. If all goes well, our season brochure will hit your mailbox right around May 27th. What's that? You're not on our mailing list?!  Well, we can't have that. Click HERE to email me and I'll make sure that you get all the news that's fit to print about next season. You won't want to miss a minute!

Like I told you before, it's a DARK weekend here at the Little Theatre, except of course for major rehearsals, set construction, lighting and sound design. But starting next weekend.... you'll be in major TROUBLE if you don't get your tickets for THE MUSIC MAN soon!

Have a great weekend!

~Patty

Boom! Ubu's COPENHAGEN hits the stage this weekend PLUS 7 more news items that inquiring minds want to know!

Recently seen posted on Facebook:

"There's nothing more exciting than a theatre buzzing with creativity. Tonight at SLO Little Theatre there were dancers in the lobby, singers on the patio, a reader's theatre in the rehearsal room, auditions upstairs, and Music Man principals on the main stage. It's energizing."

Yep. It's true. There's nothing like being at the Little Theatre when it's alive with activity... which is most of the time. You might call us the Little Theatre that could...or the theatre that never sleeps or... well, you get the idea.  So, if this blog post is just a tad long listing everything we've got coming up, I hope you'll understand.

#7 out of 9 Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Readings this season will hit the stage this Friday and Saturday for 3 shows only. Make sure you're at one of them. COPENHAGEN is a Tony Award-winning play that soars at the intersection of science and art. Michael Frayn's engrossing drama is an explosive re-imagining of the mysterious wartime meeting between two Nobel laureates to discuss the atomic bomb. Directed by John Battalino and featuring Michael Siebrass, Nathan Emmons and Debora Schwartz, this one's gonna make you think. Tickets are only $10 and you can get them HERE. 

And right after Friday night's performance of COPENHAGEN, stick around for NO SHAME APRIL! (in May.)  It's live, it's original, it's FREE and it's not your ordinary, run of the mill evening out. Doors open at 9:30 pm, submit your scripts or whatever you've got at 10 pm and the show starts at 10:30 pm. If you've never "No Shamed" it on a Friday night, I highly recommend giving it a try.

The Academy of Creative Theatre will be having auditions for a fabulous, kid-sized version of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE on May 5 & May 7. Auditions are open to young actors ages 7-18 by appointment only. So, if you know a talented young actor, bring 'em on down! You can find out more about audition requirements HERE. The popular Gilbert & Sullivan operetta will run July 17-August 2. Tickets will go on sale in late May.

If you missed the premiere of this hilarious Michael Kaplan comedy on our stage back in January, you’ve got one more chance to see it live onstage with the original cast! On Friday, May 8 at the South Bay Community Center in Los Osos, We're Canceling Cable (And Other Empty Threats) will be resurrected as a benefit for the Monarch Grove PTA. This hilarious look at parenthood is directed by Jill Turnbow and will feature the talents of Gregory Gorrindo, Alicia Klein, Katie Gucik and Nathan Emmons with piano accompaniment by Mark Pietri. Original sketches, monologues, and songs explore the hilarious, sometimes cringe-worthy moments that take place on sidelines of soccer fields, behind closed doors of parent-teacher conferences, and within our own living rooms. Get your tickets HERE! (This show features adult language and situations; not exactly appropriate for children.  But why would you bring them? This is your time.)

We're hiring!  We are in need of a part-time Assistant Technical Director to manage all the technical needs associated with next year's After Hours, ACT and Ubu's Other Shoe shows. Interested? Or know someone who is? You can get all the details on the job right HERE. Interviews will take place the week of May 18th. Come on... trust me, it's a fun place to work. You'll love it!

Back to Ubu's Other Shoe for one quick second: we've got a cast for our final UBU of the season! Directed by Jill Turnbow, THE GOAT will feature the formidable talents of David Norum, Polly Firestone-Walker, Daniel Freeman and Anthony Hernandez. Get your tickets early, folks. That's going to be quite a show. Show runs June 19-20 and tickets are available right NOW, right HERE.

Do you love the the Little Theatre? Would you like to step up your involvement and help to create an exciting future for your community theatre? The Little Theatre is governed by a volunteer board of directors who meet monthly. The Nominating Committee is currently seeking interested members of the community who wish to become more involved in serving this dynamic and successful organization. For more information, please contact boardofdirectors@slolittletheatre.org. 

And last, but certainly not least, there are two more shows on the way! So, mark your calendars and get your tickets NOW as we race toward the finish line of our jam-packed 68th Anniversary Season! THE MUSIC MAN will march into the theatre on May 15th with all 76 trombones (kind of...) and you can get your tickets HERE.  The Ubu's Other Shoe comedy, RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN runs two nights only and you can get tickets HERE. 

Phew!  I know that was a lot for one blog post, but as our friend on Facebook said: "There's nothing more exciting than a theatre buzzing with creativity!" Come on down and join the fun. Whether you're onstage or off, there's nothing like live, local theatre.

Cheers!

~Patty

P.S. The 2015-2016 is coming soon! We'll be publicly announcing the entire line-up in the next week and tickets will be on sale in late May. Can't wait to share the excitement with you!

Are you ready to ROCK 'N ROLL?! (PLUS...have you seen THE DUELING CAVALIER?!)

Tom Stoppard's explosive masterwork about love, politics and rock 'n roll takes the stage this weekend as the sixth show in our Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading series. ROCK 'N ROLL is directed by Leticia Velez Ericson and features 13 exceptional local actors: Robin Kirk Wolf, Creston Cooper, Micaela Morgan, Gregory Gorrindo, Michael Siebrass, Rosh Wright, Katherine Blauvelt, Gerald Manata, Jonathan Shadrach, Frank Moe, Tony Taylor, Debora Schwartz and Kate Kravets. If you love ROCK 'N ROLL, history, comedy, drama and great theatre, don't miss this one. Besides it's only $10!  Friday is currently sold-out, but tickets are still available for two shows on Saturday, March 21st at 2 pm and 7 pm. But I'd act quickly if I were you! Click HERE to get your tickets today.

Director John Battalino is looking for three, just three, very talented actors to take on the challenge of COPENHAGEN, Michael Frayn's Tony Award winning play about an event that occurred in Copenhagen in 1941, a meeting between the famous physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. The third character in this intimate drama is that of Bohr's wife Margrethe Norlund, who was a very important part of his life and work. Auditions will take place on Sunday, March 22nd at 6 pm. Actors will be asked to read from the script. The show will run May 1 and 2, 2015. Find out more about auditions HERE.

And don't miss this Academy of Creative Theatre student-acted staged reading of CYRANO on March 27 & 28 at 7 pm right here at the Little Theatre. The classic tale has been adapted into an engaging three-person staged reading for young actors, and our young ACT actors -- Jed Authier, Penny DellaPelle and Trevyn Wong -- are awesome!  The reading is directed by Kerry DiMaggio, ably assisted by student director Elizabeth Tharp. Tickets are just $10 and benefit the scholarship fund for the Academy of Creative Theatre. Get your tickets HERE!

And if you're having withdrawal pangs, since the closing performance of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN last weekend, have I got a treat for you! Ryan Loyd of RyLo Media Design has made the brilliant films he created for our popular production available on YouTube!  Both The Royal Rascal and The Dueling Cavalier can now be enjoyed by all, in the comfort of your own office or living room. Ain't it awesome?! 

So, I will leave you now to enjoy the silliness of these films --- one silent, one...not so much --- and I hope to see you this weekend for ROCK 'N ROLL!

Click HERE for THE ROYAL RASCAL

Click HERE for THE DUELING CAVALIER

"Yes, Yes, Yes!  No, No, No!"

Enjoy!

~Patty

Happy Closing Weekend to SINGIN' IN THE RAIN! That's 16 shows down, 9 more to go before we're done with the 2014/2015 Season!

What a glorious feelin'! It's been an amazing run for the cast and crew of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and we are going to be so sorry to see it go. Just five more performances and this singing and dancing spectacular will be gone forever - but certainly not forgotten! All seats are currently SOLD-OUT, but if you haven't yet seen this lovely show, we encourage you to give our waiting list a shot. Arrive one hour early, give your name to box office staff and we'll do our best to seat you at show time! Our remaining shows are Thursday (tonight) at 7 pm, Friday at 7 pm, Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm and Sunday at 2 pm.

Get ready to ROCK 'N ROLL for three shows only on Friday, March 20th at 7 pm (followed by a talk-back with the director and cast) and Saturday, March 21st at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are only $10 for a fully-rehearsed staged reading of this electrifying show by Tom Stoppard. Director Leticia Velez has assembled an awesome cast for this decades-spanning tale of love, revolution and music. Looking forward to getting my monthly "Ubu-Fix" next weekend and if you've never dipped your theatrical toes into our staged reading series, this one's a great place to start. Get your tickets HERE and I'll see you at the show.

Speaking of staged readings....our Academy of Creative Theatre students will be taking the stage the weekend after Rock 'n Roll in an adaptation of CYRANO designed for young student actors. Jed Authier will portray the legendary large-nosed poet Cyrano de Bergerac, Penny Della Pelle will play Roxanne and Trevyn Wong will take on the role of lovestruck Christian (along with many other characters!) The staged reading is directed by Kerry DiMaggio, assisted by student director Elizabeth Tharp. We invite everyone to come and enjoy this timeless story performed as in intimate and engaging staged reading by the talented young members of our ACT educational program. The annual ACT Staged Reading is produced as a benefit for the ACT Scholarship Fund, which exists so that any student with a desire to learn, may participate in ACT's classes and programs.Click HERE for more information and to purchase your tickets today.

The fourth season show in our 2014/15 Season -- TIME STANDS STILL -- will take the stage on April 10th.  Award-winning director Teresa Thuman has assembled an amazing ensemble cast for this intimate and engaging contemporary drama by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Donald Margulies.  Margulies is well known for his tightly constructed contemporary dramas, laced with humor and featuring realistic relationships and situations. Many of you may remember our production of Margulies' DINNER WITH FRIENDS, directed by Lisa Woske, which enjoyed a very successful run here at the Little Theatre in 2012.

Margulies says: "There's a lot of humour in Time Stands Still that leavens its intensity. Audiences laugh in recognition of truths large and small."  You can read more about TIME STANDS STILL, the original Broadway production and Margulies' process in writing the play, in an article from The Economist HERE.  And you can get your tickets for our production of this thought-provoking drama right HERE.

Last, but most certainly not least, mark your calendars for the fourth show in our new After Hours @slotheatre late night comedy series!  Actress Suzy Newman will be taking on the amazing one-woman show THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE. Written by Jane Wagner, and famously performed on Broadway by Lily Tomlin, this is the show that proves "there is life, there is hope and there is certainly comedy."  Opening on Saturday, April 11th and running for eight shows only, we recommend making your reservations early to ensure your seats. SEARCH FOR SIGNS will take place at 9:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 7 pm on Sundays, following performances of Time Stands Still. Get your tickets HERE!

Phew!  Never a dull moment in the land of live theatre. There's another new show around each and every corner. Happy closing weekend to the cast and crew of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN!  And to the rest of you:  come on out to a show at the Little Theatre soon. It's live, it's local and you'll LOVE it!

Cheers!
~Patty

New Show Added for SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, Tom Stoppard's ROCK 'N ROLL is up next and VOTE FOR US!

There are just two more weekends of shows left for our wildly successful gala musical SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. If you haven't seen it yet, you may be in luck! We've just added one additional performance on THURSDAY, MARCH 12TH at 7 PM. Seats are going fast, but if you hurry, you just might make it. Click HERE for reservations. Ready...set...GO! And if you can't make it next Thursday, our wait list is your best bet to get your foot in the door. Arrive one hour early, tell the box office, have a glass of wine and 9 out of 10 times...you're in!

The next Ubu's Other Shoe Staged Reading will take the stage March 20-21 for 3 Shows Only: Friday at 7 pm and Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm. We are extremely proud to present Tom Stoppard's groundbreaking, mind-blowing drama ROCK 'N ROLL. It is 1968 and the world is ablaze with rebellion, accompanied by a sound track of the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Clutching his prized collection of rock albums, Jan, a Cambridge graduate student, returns to his homeland of Czechoslovakia just as Soviet tanks roll into Prague. When security forces tighten their grip on artistic expression, Jan is inexorably drawn toward a dangerous act of dissent. Back in England, Jan's volcanic mentor, Max, faces a war of his own as his free-spirited daughter and his cancer-stricken wife attempt to break through his walls of academic and emotional obstinacy. Over the next twenty years of love, espionage, chance, and loss, the extraordinary lives of Jan and Max spin and intersect until an unexpected reunion forces them to see what is truly worth the fight.

If you love Stoppard, get your tickets now- this is going to be an amazing staged reading of an absolutely brilliant play. Click HERE to reserve your seats today.

Let's do it again! The Little Theatre has been voted the BEST LOCAL THEATER GROUP in the annual New Times Readers Poll every year since 2010 and BEST PLACE TO SEE A PLAY at least three times over the past ten years.  If you've enjoyed a show here in the past year, or two, or three, and if you LOVE our intimate downtown space in downtown SLO as much as we do, then take a minute and let New Times know! Pick up a copy of this week's New Times or click HERE to fill out this year's poll online. The deadline is March 16th at 5 pm.

We just finished three full nights of auditions and call backs for our season finale musical THE MUSIC MAN!  Stay tuned to this page and we'll let you know the latest news on director Zach Johnson's fabulous cast as soon as the list is posted!  In the meantime, here's another taste of this classic show - just to whet your appetite!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
~Patty

Time for New Times "BEST OF...", THE MUSIC MAN needs a cast, NO SHAME hits Friday and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is breaking all records!

Let's do it again! The Little Theatre has been voted the BEST LOCAL THEATER GROUP in the annual New Times Readers Poll every year since 2010 and BEST PLACE TO SEE A PLAY at least three times over the past ten years.  If you've enjoyed a show here in the past year, or two, or three, and if you LOVE our intimate downtown space in downtown SLO as much as we do, then take a minute and let New Times know! Pick up a copy of this week's New Times or click HERE to fill out this year's poll online. The deadline is March 16th at 5 pm.

AUDITIONS - SUNDAY, MARCH 2 @ 6 pm

The next big musical on the Little Theatre stage is a little slice of Americana, one of the most popular musicals ever to hit Broadway, with some of the best lyrics ever written by that one-hit wonder of musical theatre Meredith Willson. Yes, I'm talking about THE MUSIC MAN and we are looking for a talented cast of actors, singers and dancers of all ages who want to help us make some real  TROUBLE, right here in River City!  Remember, as Professor Harold Hill says: "an idle brain is the devil's playground." So, get busy learning a song, dust off those acting chops and get down here to the theatre this Sunday night for AUDITIONS!  Click HERE for all the details on available roles and audition requirements, then click HERE to get inspired by the incomparable Hugh Jackman. :)

If you've been before, I don't have to tell you what it's like. If you haven't... you have to see it to believe it. NO SHAME CENTRAL COAST will take over the Little Theatre stage once again this Friday night, February 27th. Doors and Bar open at 9:30 pm (Admission is FREE!) Script submissions at 10 pm. Show starts at 10:30 pm. Be a part of one of the most exciting nights of live, original theatre on the Central Coast. Click HERE for all the details and I'll see you on Friday night!

Yep. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is breaking all records for ticket sales and is pretty much SOLD-OUT for the next three weekends. But don't despair!  The best bet is to place your name on our waiting list at the box office one hour before show time and then cross your fingers. There are always a few empty seats at show time and you just might be one of the lucky ones sitting in one of them. Really. This show is worth the wait, so come on down this weekend and give it a shot!

It's a glorious feelin'.... and I hope to see you here this weekend!

Cheers!
~Patty