A lot has happened for me in the last 20 years - I got married, moved (from England) to Sacramento, had three (count-em!) kids and changed jobs. Enough to make my life interesting and full. One thing I left behind in 'Blighty' was my love of acting. Before coming to America, I had trod the boards in various roles, none of them remunerative sadly but all of them stimulating and fun. Fast Forward 20 years and things seem to have settled down a little. The kids are all at school, my commute is three miles each way and my circle of acquaintances has never been larger. Time then, to branch out again..... My two oldest children have been in several 'pay to play' theatrical shows, mainly at the

The audience booed the villains and cheered the good guys, cued by the piano keys played by Musical Director John Cocuzzi Saturday during Sacra-Melo's production of "It's A Wonderful Life" aboard the Delta King. Sacra-Melo, a combination of the words “Sacramento” and “melodrama,” is a musical parody playhouse, co-founder Gary Winterholler, 46, said. He and his wife, 46-year-old Cammie Pavesic, started it in January. "I have done some work for another theater in town, and I loved it. I went and auditioned for the next show, but they did not cast me, and I said, ‘Let's start our company,’ " Winterholler said. The first musical parody Sacra-Melo performed was the "Phantom of the Opera," wh

El Dorado Musical Theatre held auditions Monday night for the classic Broadway musical, "42nd Street". Set in 1933, "42nd Street" tells the story of a chorus girl, Peggy Sawyer, who gets the chance to become a leading lady after the fading diva, Dorothy Brock, is injured before opening night of her Broadway show. Fresh off their multiple Elly Award wins and their critically acclaimed production of "Disney's Beauty and the Beast", El Dorado Musical Theatre drew a crowd of 53 local actors and actress, all between the ages of 13 and 22. Don't let age fool you. El Dorado Musical Theatre is far from your run-of-the-mill youth theatre group. Many of the performers are seasoned professionals, w

[Jim Krall’s six year old daughter has just been kidnapped] ...from her own birthday party in front of his family and friends-and no one seems to care but him. Alone in his devastation, Jim Krall sets out on a nightmarish quest to find his child. This obsession will lead him into a world of Dark Pool investments, DNA manipulation, String Theory, time travel and alternate realities...   It started with Sam. Sam was a graduate of Natomas Charter School. He was bright and creative and bored. He isn’t any of those things anymore. Last year he took his own life. Now he is an inspiration. Rick Gott is an actor. Rick Gott is a teacher. He was Sam’s teacher. He sees a lot of students gra

Big Idea Theatre’s production of “The Pillowman” opened Thursday night and led its viewers through a dark and sometimes painful statement about the importance of storytelling and art. The play, directed by Kirk Blackinton, is an adaptation of the 2005 Broadway hit by the same name. Set in a totalitarian police state, the dark play chronicles the interrogation of Katurian Katurian, a brilliant writer with a tortured past. He and his older brother, Michal, who suffers from a form of mental retardation, are being held on charge of the murder of several young children. The two cops, Tupolski and Ariel, are attempting to tie Katurian’s stories to the killings. Many of his stories portray grue

Age is nothing but a number. Nine-year-old Claire Elizabeth, “A Place Called Sacramento” film festival script winner, is living proof of that. The premiere of her film, “The Chozen” will be at 1 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K St. There will be a $10 fundraising charge for Access Sacramento the night of the premiere only, and after that, all films will be up on the site where people can view them for free. “In 2000, Access Sacramento, (a nonprofit company) started training folks on how to use digital equipment because most independent small films were using video production instead of film,” said Access Sacramento Executive Director, Ron Cooper. “The idea was to create a loca

A condition of being human is the ability for deep, contemplative, private thoughts and emotions. We've developed ways of communication to express the thoughts that are rattling around in these big heads of ours- but these words we've created only work when and how we use them. There is no true way to ever really know what is going on inside someone else's head, no matter how close we are to them. I find this to be the theme behind Neil LaBute's play, In A Dark Dark House. An intense tale of the relationship between two 30 something year old brothers who are in two very different places in their lives. A tale where one man sets out to chase down the demons that have been haunting his brot

I don't care much for RENT.  I know I know, everybody loves that show.. I don't.  There are many reasons I don't like the show, but I'm not here to hop on my soap box and tell you them.  I would instead like to tell you about a truly nice honest theatre experience that I recently had. The performance was a fundraiser for cancer research and having only one performance didn't require the actors to be completely off book.  In the footsteps of reader's theatre, the actor's carried scripts on stage! Though most scripts were used very little.  I heard that they had less than 10 rehearsals and for that- they sounded great!  Well except for the house speaker being blown and tinny (the fault of t

Starring Deni Scofield as Luba, a three time veteran of love lost. Lady and the Clarinet is an evening of self reflection done through comedic banter with a hired clarinet player (Christopher Cook), who is to set the mood for the evening with a new mystery man. It isn't long until he finds himself professionally and politely trapped in the corner of a house with a woman spiraling down the vortexes and rabbit holes of her past loves. I found all three of the leading men who were played by David Chernyavsky, Mark Ettensohn, Dennis Ray to be charming and lovable in unique and different ways. There were plenty of opportunities for an honest laugh and it was easy to see why each man was cast i

Good theatre truly touches the soul, it taps into something deeper inside of us than our everyday hum drum lives have to offer. Antigone accomplishes this beautifully. A timeless telling of a classic story. The actors are dressed in a time neutral fashion, the set simple, and there are almost no props- leaving our actors nothing to hide behind. Bold and brazen they bare their hearts and their stories for the audience. This is the story of Antigone, daughter of Odepius, is masterfully narrated by an enchanting Greek Chorus who lays out the events of Antigone as she attempts to secure a respectable burial for her brother Polyneices, even though he is considered a traitor to Thebes.  The la

It was September 2009 when Beyond the Proscenium Productions (BPP) announced that they were closing the doors and not producing anymore. Founder and artistic director Ann Tracy has spent the last 19 months dealing with all the paperwork that is involved in dissolving a nonprofit. When all was said and done, there was actually money left over! The board voted to donate the money to Big Idea Theatre (BIT) on Del Paso Blvd. “There was some sentimentality involved”, Tracy said. “Especially since we spent many years with offices and rehearsal spaces on the Boulevard and have performed in the same theatre that BIT is now using. Many of the folks that worked with BPP are also involved with BIT

When Brian Hillebert was 7 years old, he was hit by a car and left in a coma. His awakening was considered a miracle, but doctors said he would never walk again. Today, the 40-year-old not only walks, but is a lead actor for a local theater company. The Sacramento-based Short Center Repertory is a theater company working mostly with disabled actors, and Hillebert – whose mobility on his right side remains impaired – is one of the stars in “Extensions,” which runs through Jan. 30. “I originally wanted to be a professional wrestler, but that was too much,” Hillebert said. “I got started in stand-up comedy, but I got tired of the rotten tomatoes, so I started acting.” He attributes acting

All the world’s a stage at the Sacramento Theatre Company’s 2010 summer camp. STC is currently hosting its eighth annual program for children in first through ninth grades. From improvisation to audition techniques, scene study to puppetry, students are able to learn about theater life from all angles. Jeremy Gray first attended the camp in 2005. “I was a nervous, prepubescent boy,” Gray said, explaining his initial apprehension with the stage. “But the camp really introduces you to theater and focuses on stage presence.” Now Gray is a dedicated actor in STC’s Young Professionals Conservatory, a rigorous theater training program for middle and high school students. Gray is also an inte

You might not know it, but Sacramento is a growing market in the entertainment industry. It has it all: actors, directors, models, artist management, production studios and acting coaches. "If you talk to somebody on the street, the general public doesn't know we have an entertainment industry," said Cody Dorkin, actor and founder of Studio 24. "I've been working in the industry since I was a little kid. I've lived up here in Sacramento the entire time, pretty much, and I had no idea what the industry actually held in Sacramento. I think people would be surprised to know that there are probably over 40 entertainment companies in Sacramento." Studio 24 will host the First Annual Entertain

Wagner Media Group presents a reading of its latest film project, For the Love of Ivy, Sunday, January 17th at the Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento at 2 pm. For the Love of Ivy is a bi-racial love story, told in flashbacks, that begins a few days prior to the arrest of Rosa Parks, on December 1st, 1955. The central character, Ivy, is a young black maid who has impressed Tyler Madison and his wife June, who have just moved to a small Southern town from the more liberal North. Author John Wagner has made his story very topical by framing it with scenes of President Obama being sworn into office in the beginning and the end. We see Ivy as an elderly woman who can’t believe

When answering a personal ad promising ‘a night that will change the course of mankind’, expect a few disappointments. When Jo and Jules hook up in B Street Theatre’s current production of ‘Boom’, written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, their disappointment in each other is the highlight of their evening. Jo, played with an angry intensity by Sarah Aili, wants the human connection she’s never had…or, rather, she wants to have had a human connection; best get it over with! Jules, played by Peter Story, has a bit loftier goal. He wants to be the savior of all mankind and the father of all future generations! One small problem though; he can’t really…um…perform. “ But”, he’s quick to point out, “it’

It doesn’t matter if you’re an actor with lots of experience, or a newbie just testing the waters, actress Katie Rubin has got you covered in her eight-week studio scene study class. Rubin’s class, which starts October 11th and runs through November 29th, is every Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm at California Stage, 1719 25th St (at R St.) in Midtown Sacramento. Rubin’s class uses Meisner and other acting techniques in that it will start with a group exercise and then students will present scenes. The cost is $200 for the entire session or $25 per class. A $25 discount is available if students prepay prior to the start of the session or if they bring a friend. For more information email Rubin at

Derek Byrne is a new student to the art of improv. Below he shares his experiences with acting, comedy and what it's like to learn improv from Brian Crall at The Comedy Spot. I've taken classes and workshops, but the bulk of what I've been doing recently is with Brian Crall at Sacramento Comedy Spot on Broadway. Most of my studying has been there. I just came to Sacramento go to college and ended up staying. I've been here for 18 years, since 1990. I've been doing acting for the past 8 eight years. Mostly dramatic stuff commercials, six or seven plays, a few local films, Elsa Letterseed, Bad Faith, Dreams Awake, Make it Happen, I do voice overs and industrials. I've always had an intere