The many faces of SANTALAND's Crumpet the Elf and BEST OF NO SHAME adds another performance!

Tis the season to be jolly...or something like that. You know, just looking at these photos makes me giggle, so I can't wait to see this show again this weekend. Kevin Harris will be taking the stage for the second year in a row in THE SANTALAND DIARIES, a hilarious look at the madness which is the Christmas season, especially when you're playing an elf in New York's Macy's department store. The popular one man show was adapted by Joe Mantello from the David Sedaris story which details his real life experiences working as an elf in Macy's Santaland in the late 1980's. Sedaris first read the essay on National Public Radio's Morning Edition in 1992 and it was his first major break as an author and as a radio personality. Our show is directed by Suzy Newman and you're gonna love it!

You only have 7 chances to see this very funny and heartfelt one-man show, so get your tickets NOW to ensure your seats. Last year's production sold-out every performance, so don't delay!  The show is part of our AFTER HOURS @slotheatre late night comedy series and runs December 12-21, Fridays and Saturdays at 9:45 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. There will also be one Thursday night show, Dec. 18 at 9:45 pm. All shows immediately follow our mainstage production of A CHRISTMAS STORY. Click HERE for details and to get your tickets today!

If you've always wondered what this late-night, once a month, wild and crazy thing we call NO SHAME THEATRE is all about, NOW is your chance to find out! After four years and hundreds of fabulous, original 5 minute performances, we have put together an evening we're calling THE BEST OF NO SHAME THEATRE, featuring performances of some of our favorite pieces from our monthly No Shame gatherings. On Friday, December 26 at 7 pm, you can experience the BEST of No Shame, without having to stay up past your bed time!  And because the demand for tickets has been so high, we've added a special Encore performance at 10:30 pm!

If  you're a die-hard fan of No Shame and you already have tickets for the 7 pm show, but would rather switch to the traditional 10:30 pm time, we'll be happy to exchange your tickets for you. Just call the box office at (805) 786-2440 and they'll take care of it. Your exchange could make it possible for someone who can't handle the late night time-frame to experience No Shame for the very first time. And isn't that what the holidays are all about - giving unto others?

Wishing you warmth and a happy song to keep you dry on a rainy night in California. Hope you enjoy this clip celebrating that wonderful "California dew." Speaking of which, you can get your tickets NOW to our version of the classic musical right HERE. 

Cheers!

~Patty

Farewell PICASSO, adieu FROST/NIXON, au revoir MADDY SINCLAIR and hello SPELLING BEE!

Jamie Foster Photography

Ah well...farewell to PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE. Now that the cast of this beautiful show has taken its final bow we can share a couple of photos of surprise scenes without posting a spoiler alert too. Great cast, awesome set and fabulous direction. I know I've said it before, but I'm really going to miss this one.

Jamie Foster Photography

Yep. "Elvis" has left the building, but not without scoring two solid weeks of sold-out shows and leavin' 'em laughing as he went. Hope you all enjoyed this show as much as I did, sparkly gold glitter, twinkle lights and all.

Danielle Dutro Photography

FROST/NIXON had two nearly full houses last week as our UBU'S OTHER SHOE STAGED READING series continues to break new ground in the high quality of its performances and in attendance. The cast of 10 actors included three of our talented PICASSO actors, who decided to do "double-duty" performing in both shows. Toby Tropper went from playing Pablo Picasso to David Frost, while Cameron Rose transformed himself from Albert Einstein to James Reston, and Tom Ammon shed his character of Gaston to become Nixon aide Jack Brennan. Next up for Ubu?  ANNA IN THE TROPICS, directed by Leo Cortez.

We also said au revoir to MADDY SINCLAIR after her final performance on Sunday. What a show!  Congratulations Maddy on a stellar premier and we can't wait to see what's next for you. Our AFTER HOURS @slotheatre late-night comedies are off to a great start thanks to this talented British comedienne. So what's next, you may ask?

RyLo Media Design

Glad you asked! This Friday we will celebrate Halloween night with NO SHAME THEATRE! If you like LIVE, ORIGINAL, FREE late-night theatre, come on down for what is sure to be a one-of-a-kind All Hallows Eve. When NO SHAME and HALLOWEEN collide, you never know what might happen. The doors open at 9:30 pm, we'll accept your original five minute scripts at 10 pm and the show starts at 10:30 pm. Need a giggle before Friday?  Click HERE to see RyLo Media Design's NO SHAME HALLOWEEN video.  BOO!

CAL POLY ARTS is making a very special offer for friends of the Little Theatre: a 10% discount on any full-priced ticket to the Globe Theatre's performance of KING LEAR at the PAC on November 18th!  Performed by members of England's Globe Theatre and starring James Marcell (Geoffrey from Fresh Prince of Bel Air) this show is a must-see for lovers of Shakespeare and great theatre. Here's how to get your discount:

Click HERE for the Cal Poly Arts show page, then click "BUY TICKETS" and enter the promo code: GLOBE to receive your discount. Order online or by calling (805) 756-4849.

And finally, mark your calendars for November 7th and the Tony Award winning musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE!  This delightful musical comedy has been called: "Irresistible!" and "Riotously funny!" Directed by Dana Shaheen, the show features the talents of Madison Shaheen, Stephanie Wilson, Caitlin Tobin, Heather Malcolm, Garrett Larsen, Gregory Gorrindo, Mike Mesker, Robin Kirk Wolf and Vincent Lemos.

If you'd like to find out a bit more about the show, click HERE to watch an interview with composer/ lyricist William Finn and Broadway director James Lapine about the original Broadway show. Then click HERE for your tickets before our limited 3-week run is SOLD-OUT!

Happy Halloween Everyone! Hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing you soon, right here at your San Luis Obispo Little Theatre.

~Patty

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Many thanks to director Lisa Woske and the wonderful cast and crew of Miracle on 34th Street for an amazing, record-breaking run! Thank you for making the holidays a little brighter for all the folks who flocked to see your show.

The Little Theatre will be "dark" until January 2nd. The box office will be closed but you can still buy tickets for Pinocchio, Other Desert Cities, Some Enchanted Evening and even $25 Gift Certificates ONLINE.  The box office will be re-open at 11 am on January 2nd.

On Friday, December 27th, FREE NO SHAME THEATRE will be the one exception to our two weeks off here at the Little Theatre. The lobby will open at 9:30 pm, original script submissions will be accepted at 10 pm and exciting, original NO SHAME theatre will take the stage at 10:30 pm. So, get off that couch, write a story or a song or a poem or whatever strikes your fancy and we'll see you here!

Best wishes for a very happy holiday to you and yours. We'll look forward to seeing you next year!

Another weekend of INDEPENDENCE and NO SHAME takes a break till November!

"Evelyn’s not crazy exactly, but she can 

certainly see it from where she’s standing." 

~Anna Weltner in New Times

That pretty much sums up the central character of Lee Blessing's insightful drama, INDEPENDENCE, now playing at the Little Theatre. Brilliantly portrayed by actress Jill Turnbow, Evelyn is the needy and demanding mother of three lovely daughters, Kess (Makayla Dubois), Jo (Alicia Klein) and Sherry (Clara Jane Fulks) who " find themselves bringing out the worst in one another, the way only families can."

Seriously folks, this one's the real deal. A skillfully written drama with heart, soul, humor and "a dash of crazy," this is an incredible show, and you  might just catch a glimpse of yourself onstage. We're all a little crazy, aren't we? Directed by Suzy Newman and beautifully acted by a great cast, you certainly won't soon forget Evelyn, her family, or this play.

We invite you to read the complete New Times review of the show HERE and catch the social buzz about the show on our facebook page HERE.  And of course, you can read more about the play and get your tickets HERE. Do it today and join us this weekend for real, live, theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo.

By the way, this production has been sponsored by some awesome people. Thanks to Tom Stollmeyer at Peak Electric and to a lovely, anonymous theatre-lover who had this to say about INDEPENDENCE: "Wow! A must see. Congrats to all, a truly great production."

THANK YOU!!

Speaking of sponsors and generous people, I'd like to take a minute to thank ALL of our amazing Little Theatre members. This place would NOT exist without your support. Ticket sales alone just won't do it. Your donations keep your Little Theatre performing LIVE, LOCAL, THEATRE on 44 out of 52 weekends every year. You can view a list of all of our very special donors HERE and, just for fun, you can also view our season lobby video HERE. Thanks to Ryan Loyd of Rylo Media Design for putting together a video that not only recognizes our supporters but also gives a great overview of our entire season.

Did you know that you too can become a member of the Little Theatre? For more information and to make your tax-deductible donation today, click HERE. Thank you for playing your part in making live theatre a thriving presence in San Luis Obispo for over 67 years.

That's right. There's no NO SHAME this month. Sorry folks! 

We're taking a break from our monthly Friday night No Shame Theatre in October, partly because of a little lobby construction going on (due to water damage) and partly so we can gear up for a big party next month! On Friday, November 22nd, we'll be back and we'll be celebrating three great years of original, late-night theatre in San Luis Obispo. Mark your calendars and we'll see you then!

And speaking of lobby construction...

The city pipes backed up and we had a bit of a flood last week, so one end of our lobby will be off limits for a while while we dry out and make it beautiful again. Our shiny, new lobby should be completely done in a few weeks. In the meantime, don't let a little dust scare you away! Come on down this weekend to see INDEPENDENCE. We'll take care of you while you're here and you'll love this show.

Best wishes for a great weekend to all. Hope to see you soon!

~Patty