Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "theatre"

The Beatles are in town! Broadway Sacramento's "Rain" delights--for one week only.

2011-12-28T18:27:09Z

Travel back through time with Broadway Sacramento's Rain, a Beatles tribute show that began as an offshoot of the Broadway production of Beatlemania. Rain ran on Broadway for 300 shows and 8 preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City and has also been a hugely successful national tour for years. Together longer than the Beatles, Rain has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance.

This multi-media show begins by taking us away to a time when four young men stepped on stage at the Ed Sullivan show and changed music as we knew it. Rain chronicles the journey America took with the Beatles, showing us footage of screaming fans, interviews, and historical happenings that changed us all.

Looking around the room, I saw three generations of Beatles fans, all singing along, dancing, and screaming like it was 1964. When it came time for the last number to be performed, I didn’t want the show to end. And neither did anyone else, Rain went on to perform two encores.

This show is the next best thing to seeing the Beatles. Who knows, you might just learn a new song or two!

Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles continues at the Community Center Theater through January 1. Show times: Wed 8pm; Thurs 2pm & 8pm; Fri 3pm & 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm.

The Broadway Sacramento season continues with West Side Story (Jan 24-Jan 29), Mamma Mia! (March 13-March 18), Million Dollar Quartet (April 17-April 22), and Wicked (May 23-June 17).

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Written by Sacramento365.com Intern, Aimee Steffen
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Sacra-Melo: A musical parody playhouse aboard the Delta King

2011-12-02T04:55:40Z

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," which premiered Sept. 30 and ran for 12 shows.

"It comes from vaudeville, that kind of stand-up comedy and burlesque wrapped into one," Pavesic said of musical parody melodrama. Sacra-Melo's musical parody melodramas come with live music played by Cocuzzi, which she said is an important part of their performance and something that is unique to Sacra-Melo.

With a cast and crew of 16 people for their current show "It's A Wonderful Life," the Sacra-Melo actors all agreed that their company is best described as a family.

The characters in the play interact with the audience during the show, addressing phones that ring or spilled drinks, and add those elements as ad-lib comedic material.

"We get to play with the audience, and we get the elimination of the fourth wall," Winterholler said. "You are an actor when you're sitting in the audience."

Sacra-Melo’s improvisational style means the actors are not “married to the script,” Winterholler said. They have the opportunity to ad-lib, depending on the situation presented during their shows.

Saturday's show was no exception.

When one of the stage curtains failed to open, Gian Montesini, 44, playing the role of Mr. Potter, said, "The beauty of live theater," as his reaction to the curtain failure.

The audience laughed at the blunder – something that would have been catastrophic for traditional plays, but with Sacra-Melo, it was an opportunity for some laughs.

"It's not your traditional musical theater that has been done to death, your traditional fluff comedy that has been done to death or your thought-provoking Shakespearean plays," Montesini said.

Director Cindy Lopez, 35, said Sacra-Melo fills a gap that is missing in local theaters. Winterholler added that they are the only musical parody playhouse in Northern California.

"This is pure fun and pure entertainment," Lopez said. "We're not gonna try to make anybody cry."

Some of the cast for "It's A Wonderful Life" were also cast members of their production of "The Phantom of the Opera," while some were selected during an audition Lopez held in October.

A lot like any other family, Winterholler said that being part of Sacra-Melo had trials and tensions, but also a lot of love, which had cast members coming back despite hectic, and at times stressful, rehearsals. They had four weeks of rehearsal for "It's A Wonderful Life."

"It's super cool, and it feels like we all fit in together," said Jaya Dardick, who at age 11 is the youngest member of the cast.

Winterholler said that it is a collaborative effort with all the members to come up with their jokes.

"Everybody that you see here is everybody. We don't have extra people. We do our set changes ourselves … (and) extra bits of cooperation bring us together even more," Actress Bethany Hidden-Cauley, 27, said. This is her first production with Sacra-Melo.

Not all actors are comfortable or can do very well with the type of environment at Sacra-Melo, Montesini said. "It takes that kind of actors to fit in, and that's why we’ve become family, because we're weird like that.”

"How many times have you watched a theater in a boat?" Montesini asked. He said that Sac-Melo's location at the Delta King adds to the overall experience in watching the show.

Click here for more information about Sacra-Melo, ticket prices and show schedules.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at UC Davis: photos

2011-12-02T00:46:42Z

Tom Stoppard's 1960s play Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead finishes its run at the UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance tonight through Saturday at the Main Theatre in Wright Hall.

Michael Barakiva, Granada Artist-in-Residence at UC Davis, directs the absurdist comedy that elevates two minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet to central roles. The play features witty fast-paced dialogue and philosophical ponderings that involve meaning, being, and knowing. “There are times when things make sense and there are times when you’re transported from one space to another and reality bends to accommodate desire or fear,” Barakiva notes. “We're using Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Lorca's traveling band of actors as inspiration,” he continues. “It's somewhere between Shakespeare and Beckett.”

Remaining shows: Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 1-3 at 8 p.m. Main Theatre, Wright Hall, UC Davis
Purchase tickets: 530.754.2787, or toll-free 866.754.2787 or http://tickets.mondaviarts.org
More information: http://theatredance.ucdavis.edu or http://facebook.com/ucdtheatredance

Note: photos were taken during a dress rehearsal Wednesday night. Thank you to the director, crew, and cast.

Jim Brickman to perform at the Crest Theatre Nov. 4

2011-10-19T06:01:20Z

World-renowned pianist and songwriter Jim Brickman will perform at the Crest Theatre Nov. 4 with musical guests Anne Cochran and Benjamin Utecht. Brickman, who also sings at his concerts, said he will be performing romantic melodies, a few Christmas songs, but no breakup songs – that’s just not his style.

"The Gift," "Valentine” and "Love of My Life" are just some of his famous love song compositions.

He has collaborated with various musical talents, including Martina McBride, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Bolton and Lady Antebellum.

"You have to find your own voice, because if you sound like someone else, then there's nothing unique about you," Brickman said.

His distinct style of music comes in the form of inspiration, romance, calm and emotional moments. Something he does not do are breakup songs. He said he likes to promote hope in his music.
Brickman began playing piano at age 5 and did not come from a musically inclined family, but he said his family has always been supportive of his love for music.

In high school, he played with a band performing at weddings. It was not until he moved to California in his late 20s from his hometown of Cleveland when he started getting recognition – a couple years after sending his sample music to radio stations and recording companies.

Since then, Brickman, turning 50 this November, has produced six albums that received gold and platinum status and two Grammy nominations. A gold status is awarded for an album with more than 500,000 units in sales and platinum status is awarded for an album with more than 1 million units in sales, according to the Recording Industry Association of America website.

"I think it’s something that comes naturally. I don't think it’s something you attain or grow into," Brickman said when asked about when he fell in love with music. "In my case, it’s much a part of me like learning to talk."

Playing live is his absolute favorite, he said. He does not have any rituals or special preparations before performing live in his concerts. Instead, he assesses the environment by using the first song he plays as the barometer if the mood of the audience is energetic or calm.

Brickman has performed many times in Sacramento, and the Crest Theatre was the venue of his first performance in this city.

"I always loved that neighborhood in downtown with all the restaurants, and I always have a great time." Brickman said. "I haven't been there in a long time, and I'm really excited to introduce the audience to my special guests."

In his upcoming concert, he will be performing with special guest artists Adult Contemporary Singer Anne Cochran and Pop Singer Benjamin Utecht. Brickman said he enjoys collaborating with other musicians and letting them bring their own style to his songs.

"It’s always a lot of fun. I think sometimes people think it’s going to be a recital or quiet,” Brickman said. “It's actually joyful and sometimes very lighthearted and funny, and there’s a great variety, from the hit songs, a couple of new ones, a little of Christmas, and great guests.

"I sing quite a bit in the shows as well,” he added, “so I think people don't expect as much singing, and I don’t think they expect it to be as lighthearted as it is."

The concert will begin at 8 p.m., and ticket prices range from $30 to $65 and are available at tickets.com. The Crest Theatre is located at 1013 K St.

"The Pillowman" amazes audience on opening night

2011-09-24T06:16:25Z

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 gruesome descriptions of children being murdered.

The cast did an outstanding job at bringing life to the play. Scott Divine and Brian Harrower, who portrayed Ariel and Tupolski, respectively, had incredible chemistry and brought real depth to their characters.

Ariel, a hardened brute of a policeman who frequently beats Katurian, becomes surprisingly empathetic as the play progresses. In a final conversation with Katurian, Divine’s acting shone as his character’s abusive past is slowly unravelled.

Harrower also brought much to the stage. His character’s relaxed demeanor contrasted the intensity of Divine’s, and the communication between the two was often hilarious. During several scenes, Tupolski would repeatedly click his pen, adding a kind of background music that built energy and suspense.

“The acting was superb,” said Gregory Smith, an audience member. “I was blown away by how powerful it was.”

Shawn B. O’Neal, who played the older brother, Michal, was perhaps the highlight of the night. His performance as a mentally-challenged individual was deeply moving.

The character’s innocence in light of his terrible predicament was powerful enough to elicit laughs and tears from the audience. While locked up with his brother, Katurian, Michal frequently complains of his “itchy butt.” Then, without missing a beat, the character begins to describe terrible acts of murder, which shocked the audience.

“My emotions were all over the place,” said Justine Romeo, who said she enjoyed the show.

Benjamin T. Ismail, who played Katurian, was brilliant in his performance. In the beginning of the interrogations, his fear seemed genuine as he worriedly begged to know the reason for his arrest.

The chemistry he shared with O’Neal was very touching. When Katurian and Michal were locked in prison together, the realization of Michael’s wrongdoings starts a feud between the brothers.

But despite their argument, Katurian ends up telling Michal a story as he falls asleep in his brother’s lap for what may be the last time. When the tender moment between the two brothers took a dark and unexpected twist, several audience members were wiping away tears.

The play also featured Ruby Sketchley as the mother, Jes Gonzales as the father, and Josephine Longo playing all of the children.

After the show, many audience members raved about the play.

“It has everything you want to see in a play,” said Eric Orosco, who attended the play. “It will make you laugh, it will make you feel awkward, it will pull your heartstrings and make you want to look away.”

C. Quinn, another attendee, agreed. “I was quite taken aback by how it was portrayed,” she said. “I’m still feeling a bit high (from it).”

“This theatre is definitely worth looking into if you’re into having your mind blown,” added Quinn.

“The Pillowman” will be playing at Big Idea Theatre through Oct. 15. The theatre is located at 1616 Del Paso Blvd. Admission is $15 and discounts are available for seniors, students and children.

The Big Idea Theatre’s website states that the show is “intended for mature audiences only.”

In A Dark Dark House

2011-07-07T09:57:16Z

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 brother, and winds up facing down the shotgun barrel to his own.

Younger brother Drew (played by Ben Moroski) finds himself overwhelmed by his ego and fast lived self-centered life that has poisoned the relationships with his wife and kids. Now in a rehab facility, we open on a scene between Drew and his big brother Terry (played by Dan Masden) who comes to visit and try to aid in recovery.

Both actors are challenged to play with some major societal taboo's. Terry boldly walks down a shakey social line, dealing with situations and emotions that just... aren't appropriate- but are very real to this world. The play ends in a manner that leaves you wondering whats next.

As rose amongst the thorns, Kelly Daniells does a wonderful job playing the delightful and charming high school aged manager in a town’s local putt-putt place and compliments this cast of 3 perfectly.

If you're looking for a merry night out on the town fraught with fits of laughter I can't recommend this play- In A Dark Dark House. In fact a good rule for life would be if ever you see a title to anything with the word "dark" used as an adjective twice to name any place other than "in a dark dark comfy warm nook full of love, rainbows and cuddly unicorns" I would never assume the thing is going to be a chipper experience.

If you're seeking a much rarer and deeper theatrical experience with beautiful moments of honest humor, and characters that will truly affect you and how you feel- this is definitely it.

I would love to congratulate first time director Alysha S. Krumm on her successful directorial debut! And mega props to Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly for building a super awesome set that supports the story beautifully!

Resurrection Theatre does it again, keeping things fresh with another awesome play completely different from the one before it! For show dates and ticket info check out http://www.resurrectiontheatre.com/ . Add them to your Facebook or twitter (@resurrectweets) and be kept up on all their goings on.

Disclosure: I'm honored for this to be the third show I've been Resurrection Theatre's photographer. I've worked with, or seen most of the production staff and actors from past shows in our community.

TFO Presents- Zombie Walk

2011-07-06T17:19:24Z

Did you know Sacramento's very own Trash Film Orgy (TFO) is credited with being home to the first organized Zombie Walk? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_walk#History

The summer season is trigger for these midnight movie Trash Film Orgy fans, who descend like a mass migratory bugs filling the hallways and seats of the Crest theatre. Though their year round numbers never fully deplete, once their season starts you see them multiply exponentially for 6 consecutive Saturdays at midnight.

The Zombie Walk is the yearly kickoff event for their TFO summer show season which has been growing ever since! Literally hundreds of "people" (if you can still call them that) converge on the midtown piercing shop Sub-Q at 1715 I street. Though the walk officially starts at 10pm people mostly gather from 9pm on. There will be some limited make up available for the un-undead on sight, but seriously people- who doesn't need their own zombie make up kit? If you don't have one by now is the time to start assembling one!

The organized events take place all evening, but the first of the night is also the first of its kind ever and it starts waaay before the 9pm rally that most people do. 6pm local and talented make up FX artists meet and face off to compete for a professional 2011 season contract with the infamous local haunt- The Callson Manor!!! The finalists will be announced at 9pm, but the winner won't be announced until the TFO stage show at the Crest later in the evening.

At 10pm everyone takes to the streets of Sacramento, weaving hordes of the undead through already large Second Saturday crowds. Literally hundreds of zombies come out every year for this.

The walk is free, and super family friendly- unlike the evening with TFO at the Crest which is strictly 18+.

At 11pm the masses migrate to the Crest Theatre at 1013 K Street where The DEAD Party starts! Doors swing wide for the opening night of the 11th Annual Trash Film Orgy season, featuring the classic film Return of the Living Dead. All Seats $10 – but zombies get $1 off regular admission!! Like all TFO movies, there will be stage shows, game booths, and silliness amuck. So bring 10 friends, and come make some new ones!

Even though this event happens every year, it only happens once a year- so don't miss this.

‘King of Shadows’ revealed by Big Idea Theatre

2011-07-02T05:15:22Z

Though many find comfort in the familiar, there’s also an enjoyable thrill that only a bit of change can provide. Big Idea Theatre’s “King of Shadows,” which opened Thursday, finds a great balance using a familiar plot in a modern-day setting for an interesting theatrical experience.

I parked at the front of the building which faced closed business doors and a large locked gate. I was convinced that somehow this was the wrong location. As I frantically called around for someone to give me directions, I saw just behind me a small sign designating the location as Big Idea Theatre.

As I turned into the alley and parking lot area of the business, I was pleasantly surprised by the small art-filled courtyard that greeted me before I reached the box office. And I hoped that the play I was about to see would be just as pleasant and as magical as the location felt and how it sounded on paper. I was not disappointed.

“King of Shadows” centers on Jessica (Gina Williams), who is a graduate student studying teenage runaways in hopes of discovering a way to help them. In her pursuit of their perspectives, Jessica meets Nihar (Andrew Perez).

In their interactions, Nihar reveals a whole other world, a mythical world, ruled by evil demon-like creatures known as the King of Shadows and The Green Lady, who are hunting San Francisco’s homeless population in search of him.

As Jessica and the audience are deciding how much of the story is real or fantasy, Jessica’s police officer boyfriend, Eric (Brian Harrower), is adamantly against her desires to be helpful but her younger sister, Sarah (Josephine Longo), instantly connects with the young storyteller.

While the play takes place in modern-day San Francisco, the urban thriller incorporates enough talk of demons, supernatural fog, other realms and magical portals that you could be forgiven if you thought it was happening in the days of old with the great Merlin.

At one point, Jessica even compares Nihar’s seemingly tall tale to William Shakespeare’s famed “A Midsummers Night’s Dream” plot.

The set was both simple and detailed. Designed to fold and slide out, it was able to illustrate a number of different locations throughout the play with the scenic art-covered walls. The lighting followed suit, supporting the fantasy-versus-reality battle in the play with subtle and supportive spot lighting.

Last but not least, the four actors of the piece were all animated, making the unbelievable questionably believable and at the very least allowing the audience to trust in the sincerity of each character.

It was an intimate viewing. The small theater was filled with about 30 people Thursday night composed mostly of friends and family as well as a few regular patrons, all there supporting the company on opening night. The audience was very receptive and made for an even more enjoyable show.

Though the audience does not get to see much of the grand stories described by Nihar played out on stage, the play is well-written, and the audience remains engaged, wondering what will happen next and if it is all just one big extravagant lie.

In the end, with all these factors combined: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s words, the actors’ execution and the simple yet detailed stage decorating, envisioning it all was not difficult. One could even say it came surprisingly naturally.

For audience member Nicole Smith, there supporting her friend, Robert Perez, the whole play was “surprisingly sweet.”

So, if you’re looking for more than your average Shakespearean play, definitely check out Big Idea Theatre’s latest.

“King of Shadows” will run through July 23, starting at 8 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Ticket prices range from $13 to $15.

For more information on “King of Shadows” and Big Idea Theatre, click here.

One-night performance of RENT to benefit the American Cancer Society

2011-06-23T00:05:50Z

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 the Benvenuti Performance Center- not the production.)

Between the scripts in hand and minimum choreography, I really enjoyed the casual feeling of the show. It didn't feel like they've been rehearsing every week night for 6 weeks, and yet they still had the chemistry and ability to hold their audience. I was completely entralled, even found myself feeling emotional a couple of times. I can't stress enough- I really don't care for the show so it really suprised me how into it I was.

The stark stage had only elevation platforms set up which fit in with the over all feel of the show. Lighting was completely acceptable, with only a few dark spots and rough scene transitions. Costumes- wow, so much plaid in the ensomble! I loved it. I thought everyones clothes looked comfortable and character appropriate.

Let me sum this up, there was very little choreography, the house speakers were ok at best, the set was completely minimal, lights were good but not spectacular, sound mixing was sometimes rough (this was definitely a difficult show to mix- especially with minimal rehearsals) and I personally don't really care for the script... yet having said all of this, I walked out of there feeling like I just experienced something beautiful and rare in our community.

Not only was everyone in the cast was having fun and engaged on stage, but so was the audience! So many names and faces of the industry were there tonight, and all ready to share a beautiful concert and donate to a great cause! I've seldom felt so familiar with such a large show crowd.

I think this the perfect example of lame script, low rehersal time, low tech support, and just having an excellent cast come out and rock it! I would like to thank Asclepius Productions ( http://apshows.org/apshows.org/Welcome.html ) and congratulate the cast and crew on a very enjoyable show, I feel very honored to have seen it.

Lady and the Clarinet

2011-06-22T23:17:43Z

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 in his role. The comfort and chemistry shared between all 5 of these performers on stage can be felt by the audience.

A wonderful show directed by Kara Ow. This is a nice peek into this womans psyche as she trips down memory lane, trying to find the love lessons that should be reaped. I loved the interactive instrument on stage and believe it was the perfect soundtrack- way better than a cello (inside joke, go see the show.)

Student Review of 'Tommy' Opening Night

2011-05-22T19:10:05Z

The Who’s ‘Tommy’

Opening Night

UC Davis Wright Hall Main Theatre

Thursday, May 19, 2011

With an impressive cast of young performers, “Tommy” lives up to its past Broadway reputation in this UC Davis reproduction. The musical drama is not an easy feat—it is a rock opera composed completely of musical numbers, all of which are performed live on stage and accompanied by a live band.

The story, tragic in many ways, is quite appealing. It captures the early childhood of a young boy named Tommy, and follows him throughout a series of family-induced trauma. The powerful message of hope and belief is clearly portrayed by the end of the play, as Tommy overcomes his struggles and emerges as a world hero.

A pleasant surprise is the vocal abilities of each actor. Each performer delivers his or her musical numbers effortlessly. The songs, reminiscent rock ’n’ roll scores from the ’60s English rock band The Who, are sure to emit some toe-tapping from the audience.

The costumes are terrific throughout the entire production. Each piece is assembled to appropriately represent the elapsed decades in both of the show’s acts, and they will certainly generate some fashion nostalgia among any Baby Boomer audience members.

The entire set resembles a large pinball machine. This is a clever dynamic of the production, and each of the set’s pinball elements are utilized throughout the show. The set has also been designed to mechanically rotate actors and props between scene changes—a theatrically innovative and pleasing presentation for theatergoers. A large screen simultaneously displays projected images according to each scene change. Although this is an obvious technical component of the play, it does not distract from the rock opera’s retro feel.

The concept of “rock opera” may blur the lines of music genres, but do not be skeptical. UC Davis’ Theatre and Dance Department has successfully created a melting pot of theatrical and musical entertainment. Audience members will be satisfied to know they are getting their money’s worth for this well-rehearsed show, as they leave the theater humming the catchy tune of “Pinball Wizard” the entire way home.

Antigone

2011-05-17T03:41:51Z

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 law forbids both burial and administering any religious rights- upon pain of death. This edict was laid on the land by Antigone's own Uncle Creon, now acting King of Thebes.

So many things are so right about this production. Beautiful lights, set, story, actors and actresses, well directed and crewed. I can absolutely and whole heartedly recommend this production to the more sophisticated theatrical audience in the mood for an impactful and moving theatre experience.

At the California Stage

1723 25th street (25th & R)
Sacramento, CA 95816 Remaining Show Dates:

Friday, May 20 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 21 8:00 PM

Friday, May 27 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 28 8:00 PM

For More Information:

http://koltruncreations.com/

(916) 454-1500

I will not play at tug o' war....

2011-05-08T15:32:06Z

When I was growing up, my parents played me Shel Silverstein tapes constantly. I had this old, beaten up copy of a selection of Where the Sidewalk Ends, and it seemed like I always had it with me. When I was 16, my dad had me listen to “Freakin’ at the Freaker’s Ball” and “I Saw Polly in a Porny.” He thought it was funny. I thought it was devastating.

As I grew I learned to accept Shel for who he was, and not just a fallen angel as I had at 16. I learned that he was and is one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. His biting satire of adults, politics, social institutions and sex made clear to readers that things in this world are crazy and often fetishistic, and we need to not only accept them but embrace them.

Resurrection Theatre, helmed by director Benjamin T. Ismail, decided to bring us An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein and the results are nothing short of a hilarious night of naughty, titillating and, most importantly, enigmatic theatre.

The cast consists of a ragtag bunch of local faces and some new surprises. The play is made up of 10 vignettes that range from a swindling “Watch and Dry” shop owner (Ben Miller) to a man (Jes Gonzales) telling his daughter (Heather Marie Judkins) that she’s getting a special birthday present… sort of. The wonderful thing about these scenes is that not one misses the mark. Each piece has awesome give and take amongst actors, who all seem to be in perfect sync.

Bright spots within the production were Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly as a smarmy auctioneer selling a woman (Laura White, who plays a hilarious ‘Teller’ to Heatherly’s ‘Penn’) in “Going Once” and a blind down-on-his-luck bluesman who owns the world’s only talking dog (Jouni Kirjola).

The set is an awesome minimalist design, using cutouts of Silverstein’s famous black and white ink and paper doodles. This coupled with poems read by the author and Guaraldi-style jazz for scene changes made for a bright, inebriated, kinky night of entertainment, guaranteed to change anyone’s view of The Giving Tree’s author.

MAX’S RATING: 9/10

An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein runs Thursday-Saturday (8 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) through May 29 at the Wilkerson Theatre in the R25 Arts Complex. For more information on tickets and location click here.

Moms offered free Shakespeare on Mother's Day

2011-05-05T18:25:17Z

Are you looking for a fun free afternoon of comedy to entertain mom on Sunday? The Roseville Theatre Arts Academy, housed in the historic Roseville Theatre, is offering moms free admission (with one paid admission), to the Sunday, May 8 matinee performance of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The classic Shakespeare comedy about the adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors, and their interactions with mischievous fairies – is staged underwater in Atlantis – it is Shakespeare submerged. The production opens May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and continues Friday-Saturday 7:30 p.m. and Sundays 2 p.m. through May 21 at the historic Roseville Theatre, 241 Vernon St., Roseville. $10 general (moms free with a paid admission on May 8). For more information call (916) 772-2777.

Disclosure note: Gary Giacomo is a volunteer with the nonprofit theatre group Roseville Theatre Arts Academy.

City loans California Musical Theatre $300,000

2011-04-28T01:17:51Z

The struggling California Musical Theatre in Sacramento will receive $300,000 from the city to help it stay afloat.

The Sacramento City Council unanimously decided Wednesday to loan the amount to the theater over the next three years. The theater can withdraw the money in $50,000 increments each quarter until the $300,000 total is reached, according to a report by city staff. The money will go toward the theater’s operations.

California Musical Theatre runs Music Circus, the Broadway Series and Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

“It’s an important piece of downtown,” Councilman Jay Schenirer said, referring to the theater. The business the theater brings to downtown is “incredibly important,” he added.

The city is taking $300,000 from its Community Center Theater Renovation Project for the loan.

Councilwomen Sandy Sheedy and Angelique Ashby noted that the money for the loan is designated for the arts and cannot be used in the city’s general fund.

When the theater withdraws money from the loan during a fiscal year, it must pay back the city the amount plus interest by June 30 of that fiscal year, according to the city staff report.

The theater cannot receive a bank line of credit because of its financial situation, the staff report said.

Still, the theater provides benefits to the city, according to the report. The theater employs more than 550 people, and pays $800,000 to the Sacramento Convention Center in rent annually, the report said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Big Idea Theatre presents modern "Measure for Measure"

2011-04-11T03:41:27Z

Big Idea Theatre’s latest production, William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” directed by Kirk Blackinton and Katie Chapman, opened Friday.

The play is a lesser-known bit of the canon, often put in the category of “problem play” as it fits neither the specific parts of a comedy nor a tragedy. The plot is divided between the struggle of the play’s antagonist, Angelo, played by Jeffrey Lloyd Heatherly, and the nun-in-training Isabella, played by Gina Williams. The play covers moral ground of a more philosophical nature with Isabella’s plight being the question, “Should she commit an act against God to save a life?”

Set in Vienna, the production takes interesting liberties with the stage, creating a back-alley slum to show the degradation of the city under the soft rule of Duke Vincentio, played by local heavyweight Blair Leatherwood. With movable chain-link fences, the set proved to be as malleable as the villain’s own moral scruples, and made the action flow nicely.

Heatherly plays with the inner turmoil of lust to a fine degree, making his soliloquies pop out memorably. Williams also takes her role well as the nun, fighting back and forth about the choice she must make and the consequences that arise after. Leatherwood’s job as puppetmaster becomes two parts of a whole as he moves back and forth between the sovereign and a lowly clergyman who instigates all the hijinks behind the scenes.

As for comic relief, the audience is never far from laughter as Lucio, played by Big Idea staple Brian Harrower (who also had a hand in set design), brings the irreverent ever-further by making Shakespearean witticisms even more accessible. His realizations at play’s end make for audience guffaws.

The production incorporated hard rock music into the set, with dark songs of want and angst peppering the already grunge-heavy stage before the show and during scene changes.

While the production had a few slow points, it still emerged as a fine production to showcase a new angle on the play.

MAXWELL’S RATING: 9/10

Local Theatre Company Benefits from BPP Bequeath

2011-04-06T02:00:56Z

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 now.”

Tracy added that she was glad BPP was able to do that before she pulled up stakes and moved back to the “clams of her childhood” in Portland Maine. She and her husband, John Kreutzberger will be making the move towards the end of April.

The quirky theatre company produced many Sacramento regional premieres in its run from 1994 to 2009. In 1996, BPP brought an original one-act performance piece called Dancing with Desire: A Poetic Fandango with the Erotic and the Bawdy, based on erotic poetry from ancient Sanskrit to modern Latina writers, to the 50th Anniversary of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. The balancing act between bringing new ideas in theatre and performance to Sacramento and keeping the doors open had always been a tricky one for BPP.

Some notable examples of world and regional premieres would be BPP’s productions of Reckless by Craig Lucas (’97), Hamlet ESP by Paul Baker (’98), Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches (‘98) and Part Two: Perestroika (‘99), Orestes 2.5 - Tracy’s adaptation of Orestes (02), The Al Hamlet Summit by Sulayman Al-Bassam (06) and Symphony of Rats by Richard Foreman (08).

Janis Stevens A Tour De Force in "Master Class"

2011-03-22T05:37:17Z

Maria Callas died more than 33 years ago yet her recordings still set standards in the opera world. Famous for her temper, rivalries with fellow divas and her longtime affair with Aristotle Onassis, she was hot copy in the press while alive and long after her death.

She had a tough life before her triumph as an one of the most revered figures in opera of all time. She lived and studied in Greece through World War II.

Callas had her premiere at the La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy, considered to be the most prestigious opera house in the world in December, 1951. Seven years later, she was let go. She died at a young 54 years of age. Maria Callas was the consummate diva.

Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally (“Love! Valour! Compassion!,” “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” “The Ritz”) wrote “Master Class,” a fictional play based on the master classes taught by Callas at the Juilliard School in 1971 and 1972. A master class in the classical sense is a class taught by an experienced performer of specific art, here opera performance, to already experienced students. The class is taught one-on-one with other students observing.

This sets up a nice theatrical structure with the audience of “Master Class” serving as the students observing a master class for this performance.

The set by Stephen Jones (“Mauritius,” “Humble Boy,” “Proof,”) is a theater stage with a grand piano on one side, side chair and table at the back and a tall chair and music stand on the opposite side. The tall chair and music stand could be a throne for the diva. Theater curtains grace the back and sides of the stage.

The first scene opens with a stagehand nonchalantly sweeping the floor. The accompanist for the class enters and sits nervously at the piano waiting for Miss Callas to enter.

And enter she does, immaculately dressed in designer label clothes and accessories. She immediately begins addressing the audience as if they are attending her master class. “No applause. We're here to work.” she says.

When the first student enters she soon learn she is in for the Callas treatment.

When Callas finally allows each student to perform their piece she drifts into a flashback of her personal life and her life on the stage.

Janis Stevens' portrayal of Maria Callas is a revelation. She truly inhabits the character. It is astounding to watch. It becomes very easy to see how Callas got her reputation. Callas’ sense of humor comes though along with impatience, understanding and insight. Demanding one minute, apologizing (sort of) the next. We learn not to necessarily believe what she says as much as what she does.

During the flashbacks Stevens not only portrays Callas but also Onassis - voice, vulgarities and all.

This is not Stevens' first portrayal of a powerful but insecure, troubled performer. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award in 2006 for her portrayal of Vivien Leigh in “Vivien” off-Broadway which she reprised at Sacramento Theatre Company in the 2007-2008 season. She is in rehearsal at STC portraying Emily Dickinson in the “Belle of Amherst.”

Janis Stevens is an artistic associate, teacher and an excellent director at Capitol Stage. She directed “reasons to be pretty.”

The rest of the cast does a good job. The singers' performance audibly improves as Callas works with them. It must be remembered that to even be allowed to attend a master class with an artist of Maria Callas’s stature a student would already be very good.

Wendolyn Cooper is the first soprano named Sophie. Cooper has a music degree from Yuba College. She performs and teaches voice lessons in Marysville. She is very believable as as a young student who finds the master threatening but still learns from her.

The second soprano, Sharon, is portrayed by Bay Area actor Laura Piper who holds a Bachelor's and Master's of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Sharon is so intimidated by Callas that she runs off the stage. She later returns and Piper demonstrates the soprano’s willingness to have the courage not only to learn from the master but to stand up to her.

Ian Cullity plays the tenor, Tony, who comes on all swagger and confidence. Shortly in to Tony’s performance Callas stops him. There isn’t anything she can teach him. Callas has become very emotional at this point. Tony it seems has learned about the emotion of what he is singing about. Sadly the audience doesn't get to hear more of Cullity’s beautiful voice. Those who were lucky to hear Cullity at STC’s Cabaret series know how good he is. He also performs at Artistic Differences Theatre Company.

Michael Wiles' performance as Manny the accompanist would have to be described as very sweet. While properly respectful of Callas, his Manny is not threatened by her. Wiles is also a very good pianist. Wiles is also the musical director of “Master Class.”

He has appeared at Capitol Stage in “Someone Who Will Watch Over Me” and "Fat Pig.” He has appeared on stages throughout Northern California and elsewhere. Wiles has been the musical director and accompanist of more than 70 productions.

Andrew J. Perez plays the stagehand who remains unimpressed by Callas. Perez has been recently seen on Sacramento stages in “Urinetown” (Flying Monkey Productions) and "Junie B. Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” at B Street Theatre.

“Master Class” is directed by Capitol Stage producing director Jonathan Williams. A founder of Capitol Stage, Williams is also a great actor and very creative set designer. Here he shows off his directing talent.

The staging, supporting actors and especially Janis Stevens’ performance as Maria Callas make this an outstanding production. We not only learn about Maria Callas, we experience Maria Callas.

"Master Class" runs through April 10th. For more information and tickets, visit www.capitalstagecompany.com.

Review: Eight Views of the Tower Bridge

2011-03-10T07:11:43Z

Sacramento City College's theater department, City Theatre, presents a program of eight short plays at the West Sacramento Community Center "Black Box" Theatre, at 1075 West Capitol Boulevard. The plays all center on Sacramento's iconic Tower Bridge, ranging from the historic to the fantastic.

Because the City College's campus theater is currently undergoing renovation, they have moved their 2011 program to the "Black Box" Theatre, a new facility in West Sacramento. This location provides a most fitting setting for plays with this subject--chances are good that those who attend will cross over or pass within view of the Tower Bridge on the way to the theater.

Eight playwrights composed short one-act plays inspired by the bridge, but each evening is just half of the total program, with four plays per night--Program A and Program B. This review is of Program B (I didn't get a chance to see Program A.)

"Fishing on the Sacramento River", the first play of Program B, introduces the audience to the history of the Tower Bridge via a family fishing together within sight of the bridge. The family's patriarch tells stories of when he worked on the bridge and details of its inaugural day, while his family alternately battles, bonds and tries to catch a fish.

"The Mason Jar" is the story of a group of eccentric friends on a short trip to the Tower Bridge to pay tribute to an old friend, and on the way, make a new one in an unexpected place.

"The Bridge Committee" is a fantasy explanation of the Tower Bridge's origin, portrayed by a group of strange creatures from beneath the earth's surface, attempting to restore their dwindling powers of levitation.

"Roland of the River" is a day in the life of the Tower Bridge's first bridge operator, and a resident of the nearby riverbank, and the bridge operator's lunch.

All of the plays are comedies, featuring a lot of well-delivered and snappy dialogue and more than a few laughs. The student actors were all quite skilled, and the play seemed without technical flaw--if anyone flubbed a line, they covered it well enough to be unnoticed by the audience. Costumes and props were simple and minimal, relying mostly on the audience's imagination to make up for a junior college props budget, but enhanced by projections of the Tower Bridge on the back wall of the theater. There is some adult language and one simulated gunshot in the production, but nothing particularly shocking. All of the stories were themed around bridging the distances between people--between family members, between friends in conflict with each other, between strangers on the street, and between communities who must work together for a common goal. The Tower Bridge's beauty, classic design, utility and history are all acknowledged and celebrated, but all are secondary to the bridge's purpose--to span a gap, and allow people safe passage to the other side.

This weekend is the last weekend of the play's run: schedule is below.

Eight Views of the Tower Bridge: A Local Playwrights Festival

West Sacramento Community Center Black Box Theatre, 1075 West Capitol Blvd., West Sacramento

Program A: March 11, 8:00 PM, March 12, 2:00 PM

Program B: March 12, 8:00 PM, March 13, 2:00 PM

Tickets are $15 general and $12 discount (student ID, seniors, disabilities and SARTA members) for Friday and Saturday evenings, $13 general and $10 discount for Saturday and Sunday 2 PM matinees.

http://www.sacramento365.com/event/detail/441129192/Local_Playwrights_FestivalTower_Bridge_Eight_Views_of_the_Tower_Bridge

Guild Theater to host Found Footage Fest

2011-03-02T06:45:23Z

Found Footage Fest, a screening featuring odd and obscure videos compiled by curators Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, will be presenting its latest collection on Sunday at the Guild Theater in Oak Park.

The showing is a guided tour through a collection of 75 funny clips and segments with Prueher and Pickett explaining when and where they found each piece of footage, along with other commentary to put each set into context.

“Sometimes it’s a standalone clip, and sometimes it's a montage,” Prueher said. “Home videos, training videos, exercise videos, this is the stuff that wasn't mean to be shown to the public.”

Now in its seventh year, they are taking the show back on the road and presenting their new screening, called “Volume 5.”

“We started by showing them to friends,” Prueher said. That was back as early as 1991. By 2004, when a more elaborate collection was built, Prueher and Pickett thought they could do something more with it.

“We thought we could take this thing we do with our friends and put it in a movie theater,” Prueher said.

After curating an initial set of videos, they held the first showing in 2004, and in 2005 made a national tour using it. Since then, they have still been collecting off-the-wall videos and compiling new footage packages for each year of the tour.

This marks the fifth year Found Footage Fest has come to Sacramento and the third year it is being sponsored by Movies On A Big Screen.

Movies On A Big Screen is the brainchild of Sacramento Locals Robert McKeown and Deann Little, who became tired of independent features or films, such as Found Footage Fest, skipping Sacramento.

“We started it in 2006,” McKewon said. “We wanted to play movies that hit other metropolitan areas but didn't get to Sacramento.”

This led to the start of a weekly film series with “Cocaine Cowboys,” a documentary about the Miami drug trade.

When Prueher and Pickett approached McKeown through e-mail in 2008 about hosting Found Footage Fest, it seemed a perfect fit.

“They approached us, and we wanted to fill that gap,” McKeown said.

Preceding the headlining Found Footage Fest, there will be a 25-year anniversary showing of the cult-classic “Heavy Metal Parking Lot.”

“Heavy Metal Parking Lot” is a short documentary directed by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn that was filmed in a concert arena parking lot in Maryland before a 1986 Judas Priest concert. It was originally a video bootleg that acquired a cult following until finally, in 2006, it gained an official release.

This year’s fest will feature clips from self-hypnosis videos on how to be a better lover, how-to videos on ventriloquism, and a compilation of exercise clips, some of which feature Cher and the American Gladiators.

The videos shown are “cream of the crop,” Prueher said. “We save the best stuff for the live shows.”

Found Footage Fest begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are $10. The Guild theater is located at 2828 35th St.

Resurrection Theatre presents "Macbeth: Resurrected"

2011-02-28T00:20:09Z

Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, “Macbeth,” has just been given a new pair of legs on which to stand, and the timing couldn’t have been better. With recent discussions coursing through National Public Radio concerning the role of the female military leader, Resurrection Theatre director Benjamin T. Ismail decided to cast a woman in the traditionally male role, and the results are fantastic to watch.

Played in modern dress, the traditional roles of Macbeth and Lady M. as husband and wife are adapted into daughter and mother, and the play of persuasion and bitterness makes as much, if not more, sense than the play traditional. This is apparent in two vastly important plot-points: Macbeth’s romantic feelings toward Banquo and her mother’s ability to instill guilt and allegiance by way of maternal “disappointment.”

An interesting point of notice for the play was the overt use of poppies, a symbol often associated with sleep or death. These come out as a gifted pendent given the newly titled Mackers and also as the flower in the witch’s hand at play’s end. It’s also hinted within the play that Macbeth’s vision of the witches might be from substance abuse, which points again at the poppy.

Local actor Tygar Kicks stars as the innocent turned malicious title general/king, and her performance, the last as a community theater actor to boot, sheds new light on the protagonist beset with guilt and impassioned violence. Margaret Morneau plays Macbeth’s now mother, and leads the role with the iron fist that is loosened and lost as the play progresses. Her indignation is palpable and her madness is harrowing.

Other casting plusses are Jouni Kirjola who plays the unfortunate Banquo, and the witches, played by Gay Cooper, who also plays the Porter, Scott Divine, who also plays Macduff, and Gina Williams, who also plays Rosse, make a fine addition with all of their lines recorded and warped into an eldritch echo made for a fine bout of supernatural ambiance. King Duncan, played by Jes Gonzales, brings a touching lovability to the doomed monarch, and the king is also the reason that in this Shakespearean universe women are allowed to lead on the battlefield.

The set gave an excellent portrayal of things to come; brick walls covered in patches of white, but having boulders shown through bedecked with moss. The columns, which were too frequently moved by extra witches, brought a sense of flexibility to the settings, but often drew attention from the action.

The play runs from through March 19 with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. For more information visit Resurrection Theatre’s website.

MAX’S RATING: A MOUTH AGAPE, A THOUGHTFUL REASSESSMENT AND A DAMNED SPOT

Photos courtesy of David Garrison

'Mystery Spot' to premiere at California Stage

2011-02-22T02:29:36Z

Santa Cruz’s Mystery Spot is a place where the laws of physics don’t appear to apply, and California Stage is looking to recreate some of the illusions in its original play, “Mystery Spot,” which opens March 12.

“I thought it would really be fun to have a play based around the Mystery Spot and thought it would be kind of fun to recreate the optical illusions,” said Playwright Steve Lyons, who graduated from San Juan High School and attended Sacramento State.

In the play, main character Dingo is an Oroville native who moves to Santa Cruz and majors in women’s studies so he can pick up college girls. To fund his womanizing, he gets a job at the Mystery Spot.

Several of the optical illusions from the Mystery Spot had to be worked into the play, and the set design uses diagonal lines that trick the audience members’ eyes to give them a feeling of actually being at the Mystery Spot.

For one of his classes, Dingo has to read the work of Sylvia Plath, a heroine in the feminist movement who committed suicide in her early 30s.

“Eventually, Sylvia is sent back to Earth from the afterlife, told to go back and deal with some unfinished business – namely the fact that she killed herself,” Lyons said. “She ends up at the Mystery Spot and is befriended by Dingo.”

Getting a play from writing to production is no easy task, Lyons said, adding that he began work on “Mystery Spot” in 2006, and it is just coming to production five years later.

“I talked to B Street (Theatre) two years ago, and they said they just can’t do a new play,” Lyons said. “They were very nice, but said it was out of the question. Same with Sacramento Theatre Company.”

He added that Capital Stage had done one premiere of an original play in seven years, but California Stage routinely does new work, albeit on a smaller budget.

“They have the guts to take on new work and do it,” Lyons said. “They are an under-appreciated gem in Sacramento.”

California Stage Director Ray Tatar said the play was a perfect fit for his stage.

“I chose the play because it’s set in California, and it deals with locations in California,” Tatar said. “A lot of writers don’t use California locations to literary effect, and this does perfectly.”

The other reason Tatar chose the play?

“It’s extremely funny, and it’s also very touching,” he said. “We just laughed our heads off.”

He said the dialogue is well-written, and actors naturally pick it up with ease, but there were some difficulties in staging the play.

“The difficulties were with the scenes where we have tours in the Mystery Spot,” Tatar said. “We do have to do a couple of illusions you can see at the Mystery Spot.”

Set Designer Lynne Perry said working on the set was a collaborative effort between her, Lyons and Tatar.

“The best part was doing the research,” she said. “I read an article about the various illusions and visited the Mystery Spot.”

She added that the sets need to trick people’s brains so the illusions can be pulled off, and careful use of lines and simulating artificial horizons are key to doing that.

“For instance, if there’s a diagonal line going from low to high, and two people are standing in it, one looks taller than the other, even though they’re not,” Perry said.

In theater, all sets are illusions to some extent, Perry said, adding that creating the set for “Mystery Spot” was not necessarily more difficult, but it was more interesting.

“The set is more like a character,” she said. “It’s usually more of a background, but here it is very much a part of the play.”

Lyons said he hopes to see the play succeed in making the audience laugh, but not just for himself.

“I always feel very nervous for the actors,” said Lyons, whose plays have been performed in major U.S. cities and even as far as London. “Typically, I seem to write comedies, and if it doesn’t work, it’s embarrassing and humiliating for these actors.”

“Mystery Spot,” however, has already received critical praise, having been selected for the 2008 Ashland New Plays Festival and winning first place in the 2010 Actors Theatre of Santa Cruz Full Length Play Contest.

The play opens March 12, with shows at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays until April 10.

Tickets are $20.00 for general admission, $15.00 for seniors, students, and SARTA members. Groups of six or more get in for $12.00 each.

California Stage is located at 2509 R St., and there is no late seating. For reservations, call 451-5822 or order online.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

B Street Theatre Moves Confidently into 2011 with $200,000 Grant from Bank of America

2011-02-07T19:00:35Z

One of Sacramento’s leading theatre companies is enjoying some positive financial news during a time of economic uncertainty for the region’s arts scene. B Street Theatre was awarded a $100,000 check from Bank of America during the theatre’s weekly staff meeting last Thursday afternoon. The check is the first half of a $200,000 grant provided by Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

“We are pleased to support the B Street Theatre’s extensive outreach to children in our region. We selected B Street Theatre because of their professional leadership, thoughtful programming and the impactful work they do in schools and hospitals throughout our community, said Lori Rianda, Market Manager at Bank of America for the Sacramento region.

Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative has a multi-tiered program of support for the arts in neighborhoods around the globe. The organization believes that contributing to a climate where innovation flourishes will revitalize communities and help economies grow.

Buck Busfield, the theatre’s producing artistic director, said the money will be used to build staff and program infrastructure.

“Like so many other nonprofits around the country, we’ve had to operate on a very small budget the last several years. Money has been tight and we made cuts to programming as a result. Bank of America’s grant allows us to have better financial footing as we move into 2011,” Busfield said.

The theatre plans to resume a full slate of programs in 2011 including four family series productions, four shows in the B3 series, and seven productions in Mainstage.

The Bank of America grant is not the only thing looking up for B Street Theatre. Designs are complete for a new, two theatre building on 27th Street and Capitol Avenue. A capital campaign is currently underway to raise the remaining $9.2 million needed to begin construction in 2012. In the meantime, ticket sales at the current location have improved significantly since a year ago. This year the organization has sold over 350 Mainstage subscriptions compared to this time last year. The strong sales are indication the theatre’s 20th Mainstage season may be one of its most popular yet.

“Subscriptions are affordable yet the caliber of actors and the quality of the shows they select are surprisingly good and professionally done,” said Jaime Wilson, a B Street Theatre Mainstage subscriber. “We are always entertained, engaged and keep talking about the plays well after the final bow.”

B Street Theatre is currently showing The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow on Mainstage, and their newest family series show production, The Young Abe Lincoln. Written by B Street veteran, Jerry Montoya, The Young Abe Lincoln presents the adventures and trials that shaped the childhood of the 16th president of the United States of America. Ticket prices and show times are available at www.bstreettheatre.org.

Disclosure: Lesley Miller is the Director of Public Relations for 3Fold Communications. B Street Theatre is a client of 3Fold.

Best selling author Kim Edwards speaks as part of CA Lectures circuit

2011-01-23T00:48:03Z

Widely acclaimed author of “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” and more recently ”The Lake of Dreams” Kim Edwards spoke at the Crest Theatre on Thursday as the fourth author of the California Lectures’ 2010-2011 season. Her work has been praised for its wit, humanism and realistic settings as well her innate ability to transport her reader to exotic locales and accept them implicitly in the story.
Her second and most recent novel, “The Lake of Dreams,” came fast on the heels of the breakout success she achieved with her freshman effort, “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” which spent an awesome 122 weeks on the New York Times Best-seller List, 20 of which were spent at number one.
The lecture, which was more of an interview, comprised of the guest, Edwards, her interviewer, noted author Susan Kelly-Dewitt, two chairs, a sparse table and two goblets filled with water. Both had soft, lilting voices that floated over the audience with their talk.
While the discussion covered a large part of her sudden success with her first novel, Kelly-Dewitt also brought the discussion around to her first collection of short stories, the highly acclaimed “The Secrets of a Fire King,” and, in more detail, her recent January release “The Lake of Dreams.”
The story centers on Lucy Jarrett, who returns to her childhood home in the fictional Lake of Dreams, N.Y. to find that her brother is attempting to erect high-end real estate, and she reignites a relationship with her first boyfriend. The twist comes when, haunted by her father’s untimely death during her youth, that she discovers a hidden note and, with it, family secrets.
The story is made more timely, also, by the use of one of the characters seeing the 1910 occurrence of Haley’s Comet, something that Edwards says made her think about it as a “a really interesting way to tie an intergenerational novel together.”
“Haley’s Comet comes every 76 years,” she said, discussing how she was able to link it to the passing of the comet in 1986. “It’s about the span of a human life, roughly speaking. I felt it could really work.”
The latter was the main focus of the evening, with Edwards displaying her intricate and detailed knowledge of everything from stained glass to blown glass, from concentric circles in a historical sense to the importance of personal letters throughout time.
As a writer that plays with thematic imagery, her work can be seen as prosaic in its descriptive flare and ability to conjure a vivid scene in the reader’s head with only words. Not only this, but she lets the story work for itself, and through it adds layers without creating kinks.
“As a writer, I think that the imagery of a piece, of a story, or a novel has to be organic to that story,” Edwards said, “I never really set up thinking, ‘I’m going to use water imagery,’ because if I do that, I found for myself that it just really takes the life out of the story. With this book, once I understand the imagery is coming from the story, I try to work with it.”
Throughout the evening Kelly-Dewitt had passages picked out for Edwards to read. Her tone of voice was soft and lyrical and matched the feeling and density of her prose. While the book is not difficult to pick up, a shortsighted reader might miss the simple calligraphy of words Edwards knits her stories with.
The California Lectures series will continue with Amy Bloom on Feb. 23 and Terry McMillan on March 24. For more information, visit here.

Disabled actors shine in local theater productions

2011-01-13T02:06:35Z

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 jobs he’s gotten outside of the organization as being direct results of the training and experience gained in the repertory.

“It’s all because of the Short Center Repertory,” he said. “I am disabled, but I’m not going to let that slow me down and keep me from acting.”

He’s been at the Short Center Repertory since 1995, and the group’s founding director, Jim Anderson, said his attitude is typical of all the approximately 75 disabled actors who have held roles in its plays.

Founded in 1988, The Short Center Repertory was inspired by one of the numerous advocacy groups for the disabled started by Mary Short, who was the wife of a California state senator who co-authored the Lanterman Act. That legislation, signed in 1969, gave disabled people the same rights to services as non-disabled people, Anderson said.

It is affiliated with the nonprofit Developmental Disabilities Service Organization, according to Anderson.

“Our basic mission is to get actors with disabilities into the mainstream as much as possible,” Anderson said. “There just aren’t many opportunities for actors with disabilities.”

Anderson said the most rewarding aspect of working with disabled actors during the past 23 years has been watching the actors develop their skills and stand behind the repertory’s mission.

“The arts make people grow, not just intellectually, but in the breadth of their personality,” he said. “People develop confidence in themselves.”

And according to Ray Tatar, artistic director of the California Stage Theater Company, that confidence is well-founded.

“The acting is always professional,” he said. “I’ve seen their shows for years, and they tend to do challenging play choices. The last show I saw of theirs was an adaptation of a book called ‘Gilgamesh.’ It’s a 5,000- to 6,000-year-old story. The adaptation that Jim (Anderson) and his folks did was terrific.”

Tatar added that Anderson both mentors and directs the Short Center Repertory actors, which is unusual in a professional theater company.

“In most professional companies, the actors are already trained, but Jim (Anderson) does a lot of training, too,” he said.

The current play, “Extensions,” is a two-person play with Hillebert and Regina Brink, who has been blind since age 3.

“If I could make money doing performing arts and not doing a day job, that would be great,” Brink said. “It’s really hard to get auditions and opportunities, so it means a lot to me to get to perform here.”

Brink said she has been performing since age 2, and in “Extensions,” she plays a person with sight.

“I walk the stage before we start so I know exactly where everything is,” she said. “When you see me, I’m up and about and looking around. You wouldn’t know I was blind.”

She said playing cards – used as props in the play – have Braille writing on them so she knows which ones to use.

“It’s about two old Vaudeville actors waiting to get a call from an agent,” Hillebert said. “It’s comical at the beginning and heartwarming at the end.”

Anderson said the play, by Murray Schig, is a dark comedy about aging and isolation.

Showings of the play are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 30 at the California Stage, 1723 25th St, where most of the group’s performances are held.

Admission is on a sliding scale, $5 - $20, depending on what people can pay.

Anderson said he prefers to let theatergoers decide for themselves what they can pay rather than come up with several different discount levels.

“We don’t want to turn anyone away,” he said.

Anyone wishing to get involved with the organization – either as an actor or as a volunteer – can e-mail Jim Anderson at scr@ddso.org.

Image one: Brian Hillebert and Jim Anderson, by Brandon Darnell. Photos of “Extensions” courtesy Jim Anderson.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

"Murder, I like murder"

2011-01-11T01:00:06Z

“Murder, I like Murder.”

Imagine, you’re trapped inside with six strangers and someone has just been murdered. What would you feel? Whatever your basic instincts, you probably find a bit of an allure in the trap. That is the basic premise of the Studio Theatre’s production of “The Mousetrap.”

Originally written in 1952 by the master of the mystery whodunit, Agatha Christie, “The Mousetrap” paints a seemingly odd but reasonable scenario until the unthinkable, or rather, the unexpected occurs; the old and brash retired magistrate Mrs. Boyle is murdered.

Through a clever maze of subtle twists and turns, it seems everyone (from the loving Mr. and Mrs. Ralston to the retired Major Metcalf and the graceless Miss Casewell, and don’t forget Sgt. Trotter or the oddly idyllic Christopher Wren and eccentric Mr. Paravicini) is guilty of something that traps them from the inside.

At the end of every performance, the cast makes a formal plea to keep the play’s conclusion a secret.

“The Mousetrap” is hailed as the longest continuously running theatre production ever, starting in November 1952 at London’s West End Theatre, and now continuing at the Studio Theatre.

Located at the corner of 10th and R streets, the small but lively theater is run by Bob and Ro Productions.
The company is the creation of Bob and Rosemary Gould. Their story is a unique one with a rich and dedicated history that began over 27 years ago.

“We were both in ‘The Odd Couple’ together and that was in 1983, and that was really the beginning of everything we did,” Rosemary said. “We began the Magic Circle in 1987, and that was in Roseville.”

But with growth and seeming disagreements with the board of directors, the Goulds decided to part ways and begin their own enterprise.

Passionate and welcoming, Bob and Rosemary have a silent pride to their non-profit.

The company’s one-year anniversary is coming up on Jan. 22, and they still have a lot of steam with five more productions to come by the end of August.

Extensions performance explores many dimensions

2011-01-11T00:59:10Z

“When is the phone gonna ring? When is someone gonna call us of their own free will and volition?” came a cry from the California Stage complex at 1723 25th Street.

This and other antics brought small thunders of laughter and amused chuckles in the Short Center Repertory’s Saturday night performance of “Extensions.”

“‘Extensions’ is a short absurdist piece,” the reportory’s Jim Anderson said. “It was written by Murray Schisgal, who was a writer around the ’70s, and while Beckett, Ionesco were doing their thing, Schisgal was the sort of American representative.”

Starring Brian Hillebert and Regina Brink as Bob and Betsy Abbott, “Extensions” is a one-act, one-scene full-length piece. It’s a place where nothing really happens, but the two aging vaudevillians entertain themselves. That’s the sublime of this dark comedy, two show people living out their own theatrics and jokes for themselves.

What stands out the most is what the Short Center Repertory represents. Founded in 1988, the intimate space was created with a mission of training and featuring actors with disabilities.

“We wanted to showcase unique talents, not disabilities,” assistant director Caverly Morgan said. “But we also wanted to teach the audience about disabilities.”

Though The Short Center Repertory seats a meager 28 people, so much happens in that space. There seemed to be a silent energy and understanding, with the actors’ presence filling the room to make it more real, more lively.

Anderson and Morgan both spoke of the repertory’s efforts to stay afloat for 23 years. Anderson, as founder and director, noted one of the struggles being, “How do we get the word out?”

Despite this, Anderson Morgan and its small batch of actors and volunteers refuse to give up. Their next project, to begin after “Extensions,” is one collaborating with the homeless population, supported by a grant the repertory received.

“Extensions” is a performance piece full of charisma, ridiculousness and hilarity.

“It has a resonance with both the characters and in other dimensions with what we do here,” Anderson concluded at the reception after the performance. “And the play — that is why I chose it — it kind of speaks to me.”

for information and running times check the California stage Website.

Holiday Display at 10th & K

2010-12-09T21:06:04Z

Sacramento County Historical Society's holiday display at 1001 K Street formally opened on November 26, but its operation continues through the beginning of the New Year and it attracted attention from passersby even before the display formally opened.

The display uses figures originally built by the Gaffney Display Company in the 1950s, used in Breuner's Department Store holiday display windows. This tradition began in Sacramento in 1934, continuing until 1974. Gaffney figures were used throughout the Breuner's chain, but have been absent from K Street for decades. More information on the historic Breuner's displays can be found in this article:

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/40096/Department_Store_Holiday_Display_for_K_Street

Construction of the display started in early November, utilizing the talents of a team of volunteers. Some were SCHS members with experience in museum display construction and art. Local artists involved with the "Matrix Arts" organization lent their talents. Some filmmakers from local film company TFO Productions took some time off from producing their new feature "Planet of the Vampire Women" to lend a hand. And some were just Sacramentans willing to help out. Mark Gaffney, owner of the figures and the still-operating Gaffney Display Company, provided the figures and his expertise in setting up the display. About 60 individuals, businesses and organizations contributed funds and materials to the display project, both through our online Indiegogo fundraising effort, solicited donations, and an appeal to Historical Society members.

The project, located in the dramatic corner window of Sacramento's landmark 1946 Roos-Atkins building, combines the historic figures with a newly designed setting entitled "Winter in the City." Set in approximately 1910, the display portrays a Sacramento streetcorner, with a department store and movie theater inspired by Sacramento buildings demolished long ago (the Edison Theater and Weinstock-Lubin department store that once stood on the 400 block of K Street.) A Sacramento streetcar, returning from Oak Park, is located on the K Street side. A family is transfixed before the store window, the parents appreciating the holiday lights while the kids detail which of the toys inside the window they want. A young couple exits the movie theater, hailing the streetcar for a ride home. A bell-ringing Santa, inspired by the "Volunteers of America" fundraising Santas, stands on the corner welcoming passersby. The display is intended to portray the era when K Street (and downtown Sacramento) was the shopping, entertainment and transportation hub of the Sacramento Valley, as well as a densely populated urban neighborhood that was busy day and night.

The display operates from 11 AM to 11 PM on weekdays, and on weekends the lights and animated figures keep running until 2:00 AM. The display will remain in operation until the first week of January 2011, when the figures will be returned and the lumber used to create the display will be donated to a local theater company.

This Saturday, December 11, the Sacramento Old City Association and SCHS will host the quarterly Preservation Roundtable across the street at 1000 K Street, inside the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. The Preservation Roundtable includes updates and information from local history and preservation organizations, and runs from 9 AM to noon. The featured speaker of this quarter's Preservation Roundtable is Mark Gaffney, who will talk about the history of the Gaffney Display Company and their involvement with the Breuner's animated window displays, as well as the story of this year's holiday display. The presentation will end with a visit to the display site at noon.

Sacramento Preservation Roundtable

Saturday December 11, 9 AM-12 PM

1000 K Street (Cosmopolitan Cabaret), Sacramento

(Photos 1 and 2 by William Burg. Photos 3-11 by M. Parfitt. Photos 12-14 by Gretchen Steinberg.)

Local theater teacher gets kids out of their shells for the holidays!

2010-12-09T04:16:33Z

Theater has always been a form of art native to children. Watching them play and create their own games and stories has been a staple of the family tradition, and more than a few parents have taken the opportunity to canonize these moments on YouTube.

Cynthia Speakman, a local actor and teacher with the Sacramento Metro Arts Commission, has been in the game for over a decade, working with children to improve their performing skills and ability to be outgoing and expressive.

"I think it's very natural for kids to act because they have an enormous need to communicate to others," says Speakman. "Even the kids who aren't extraverted want to be more confident, and for parents it's a remedy of sorts for getting [their kids] out there when they see them as 'too shy.'"

Speakman always emphasizes the idea of the storyteller in her after-school programs, and says that what gets kids going more than anything else is their ability to not only be in a story, but also to see how one is made.

"I think that's what theatre should be about when you're a little kid," says Speakman, "how a story is put together in a visceral way, and how to communicate verbally so you can get through those presentations that you're going to have to do your whole life!"

Over her career as a teacher, working in the multi-purpose rooms of many local elementary schools such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Crocker Riverside, she has taught over 2,000 children and young adults the mystique and fun of the stage.

One of her more recent students, Will Block, 15, played the role of Puck in the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival's 2010 production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." His younger brother, Tom Block, 13 and another of Speakman's students, played Wally Webb in City Theatre's production of "Our Town."

"Some of my students have gone on to do bigger things with their acting," says Speakman. "The majority of my students have more confidence, and that's what I'm after."

When she's not teaching children the joys of theater, she enjoys performing in a local troupe called StoryVoices, a group of spoken word artists who create theme based programs for fundraisers and benefits. She also performs as a guide for Hysterical Walks, a walking tour of Old Sacramento.

Her most recent program is a workshop that stimulates cultural awareness in kids. The children come together at the California Stage and throughout the three day camp they conceive, write, rehearse and perform vignettes for family and friends about what New Year's celebration is like in other countries.

The workshop will take place over the break between Christmas and New Year's. The workshop is from Tuesday, Dec. 28—Thursday, Dec. 30, and last from 9 a.m.—3 p.m.

For more information about classes, contact Cynthia Speakman. For more information on the workshop, visit here.

PHOTOS:

1. Cynthia Speakman (Courtesy of Studio 24)

2. Speakman performing for an audience during a Hysterical Walk

3. StoryVoices (from left to right: Marni Webb, Jan Ahders, Cynthia Speakman, Claire Lipschultz

Must See, Openings, Closings and Continung Shows

2010-12-05T00:42:12Z

MUSIC

Last Chance/Must See

Tonight 8 p.m. - Tord Gustavsen & Solveig Slettahjell: Natt I Bethlehem - Mondavi Center Vanderhoef Studio Theatre

Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen has established himself as an heir to jazz legends like Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. Solveig Slettahjell is a strikingly talented vocalist little known on this side of the Atlantic. The two collaborated with trumpeter Sjur Miljeteig on Natt I Bethlehem, a meditatively beautiful Christmas album recorded live in the Nativity church in Bethlehem. The Mondavi Center is presenting the U.S. premiere of this special holiday trio.

At last night's performance Tord Gustavsen dazzled the audience with his performance on the piano. Solveig Slettahjell's ethereal voice was perfect. Sjur Miljeteig's breathy trumpet was the crowning touch. The fact that a lot of the words were in Norwegian and some Swedish did not detract but in fact increased the enjoyment of the music. This jazz is very accessible. The carols sung in English were not only beautiful but performed in a way that it is unlikely you have ever heard before. The Vanderhoef Studio Theatre is tranformed into a high end jazz nightclub.

Info,Tickets and video clips

THEATRE

Last Chance

Tonight 8:00 B Street Theatre B3 Series "Well" by Lisa Korn

Korn has a hot new show on Broadway. See the last show of this critically acclaimed and popular previous work. Staring popular B Street actress Elisabeth Nunziato and the wonderful Polly Adams.

Tickets and info SacPress review

Opening

Tonight 7:00 Sacramento Theatre Company

HOLIDAY PRODUCTION: A CHRISTMAS CAROL
by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Richard Hellesen Original Music by David de Berry
DECEMBER 3-DECEMBER 26, 2010 (Main Stage) Sacramento Theatre Company's own musical version returns. Charles Dickens' immortal tale of redemption is a heart-warming treat for the whole family.

Wednesdays at 7:00
Thursdays at 12:30 and 7:00
Fridays at 7:00
Saturdays at 2:00 and 7:00
Sundays at 2:00

Appropriate for All Ages Tickets and info SacPress preview

Tickets and info

Continuing

At Sacramento Theatre Company

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT* by Bill Manhoff
Through DECEMBER 19, 2010 (Pollock Stage)
Journey back to San Francisco in the 1960's and meet Doris and Felix, the most mismatched couple since oil and water - but their mixture will produce laughter, longing and a few surprises !

Wednesdays at 12:30 and 6:30
Thursdays at 6:30
Fridays at 8:00
Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00
Sundays at 2:00

Tickets and info SacPress review

At Capital Stage

Every Christmas Story Ever Told [And Then Some] by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald and John K Alvarez. A fast, fond, and furious look at the holiday traditions we all remember, and a few we’d like to forget. From Tiny Tim to the Grinch, from Frosty to It’s a Wonderful Life, nothing is spared in this rollicking tour de farce!

Through Jan. 2 Tickets and info SacPress review

At B Street Theatre

"Northport Cottage" by Buck Busfield

When a desperate young woman climbs into QD's car and demands a ride, little does he know her destination is 384 miles north...and 20 years in the past.

Through Jan. 2 Tickets and info SacPress review SacPress preview

At B Street Theatre Family Series

“Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” by children's playwright Allison Gregory based on Barbara Park’s very popular Junie B. Jones children’s book series.

Sat @ 1pm and 4pm Sun @ 1pm and 4pm Extended through December 31! Added shows at 1pm and 4pm during that whole week between Christmas and New Years. (New Year's Eve schedule is 11am and 2pm.)

Tickets and info SacPress review SacPress preview

At Cosmopolitan Cabaret

"Suds: the Rocking 60's Musical Soap Opera" by Steve Gundersen, Bryan Scott and Melinda Gild.

Loaded with good clean fun, bubbling energy and some of the ’60’s greatest pop hits, Suds is the delightful story of a young woman and her guardian angels who come to teach her about finding true love in, of all places, a laundromat.

Through January 9, 2011

Tickets and info SacPress review

'Hinterland' plays with sound and soul

2010-12-04T00:59:31Z

Tucked away in the University of California, Davis, campus Wednesday night was the first of four days showing the play, “Hinterland.”

“Hinterland” is a two-part, two-hour play written, directed and adapted for the stage by artist-in-residence Lucy Gough.

A British playwright, Gough writes for the BBC drama “Doctors” as well as many other projects. Her artist-in-residence project, “Hinterland,” opened with the seats partly filled, largely with students.

“Hinterland” is a radio-theater drama melded from two separate pieces to explore one concept – the soul. Opening with the piece, “Mapping the Soul,” it ran for 50 minutes until intermission. “Mapping the soul” is a strange blend of surrealism and realism.

In the performance, Gough noted, “There are so many edges being blurred, and I love edges, hence the title ‘Hinterland.’ ”

In “Mapping the soul,” an atypical one-act, you see those lines blurred. She matches radio soundscapes and flamboyant dialogue with the simple stage sets of theater, as well as the song and dance of the soul.

“I thought it would be interesting to find a way to pull this radio play and stage play together and to create a new drama out of them,” Gough said.

“Mapping the soul” follows a 19th-century anatomist in search of the physicality of the soul by dissection of the brain and heart. He finds nothing.

It bounces back and forth with another plotline, juxtaposed, yet strangely perpendicular: The dialogue of a genome scientist lost in time and space, between life and death, declaring there is no soul, but eventually finding that the soul, element-less, exists as a sort of blind faith.

What is unique is not just the conception, but also the soundscape creation. The sound is live, as if on the air, to match the dialogue, creating the imagery that only storytelling radio can deliver.

“When the live audience witnesses the sound of the brain dissection being created by something like a cabbage being sawn up,” Gough said, “what does this do to their imaginations?”

Yes, sawn-up cabbages, water splashing in a bowl, ripped-apart pumpkins and more, the soundtrack is not automated or pre-recorded. It is as much a discourse, a script; as much vulnerable and alive as the actors. It’s very Beckett-esque, a tale exploring the soul and unknown, lacking in the absurd factor but fully delving into the sublime of the individual.

The second half continued with the namesake play, “Hinterland.” Its sound becomes more modern with dialogue sung hip-hop style backed by vocal break beats and an electric guitar. It’s a little more confusing, a little more lost as it plays with a scriptural and magic realism setting with poets, wolves and Adam and Eve.

After the performance, there was a brief discussion of the soul. There were varying perspectives between the cast and spectators speaking of its existence or its shape. In all, the play presented what was attempting to be clarified or understood afterward: The soul may be matter-less, existing in the dark on the edge of the unknown.

The Sun came out Friday Night

2010-11-15T04:48:24Z

Inside the bright lobby, there gathered a small crowd of all ages, eagerly awaiting the Friday night grand opening of "Annie," performed and produced by the Davis Musical Theatre Company (DMTC).

The classic "Annie" tale takes place in 1933, in Great Depression-era New York. This two-hour, two-act musical at the DMTC is the life and times of a little red-haired orphan named Annie who runs away and eventually finds herself in the mansion of Oliver Warbucks, a billionaire tycoon.

This production was the season's second by the nonprofit theater. Though a relatively small community theater space, which survives on donations, ticket sales, light concessions (a recent liquor license has added a little boost) and the all-volunteer staff, DMTC thrives on its spirit and passion.

The performance opened with a simple stage setting: seven beds, bare and worn. Almost immediately the orphans began their playful trickery. But within a few minutes into their play, the bold and bright voice of Annie lit up the dim and simple setting.

Annie, played by Mariah Maldanado, has only been singing for a few years but beams the youthful confidence of much more. It helps that she was backed by a live orchestra performing all the tunes.

Another notable performance was by Michael Cross as the character Oliver Warbucks. His beaming and loud voice was the perfect juxtaposition to Annie’s light tones throughout the dialogue and songs.

Performed toward the end of the first act was the large and enthusiastic number, “N.Y.C.,” highlighting the streets of New York. Emboldened by Warbucks' booming presence, it transformed into an almost full-cast sing-along.

Yet, as the scene finished and moved on, it brought us back into the orphanage with Miss Hannigan, the evil and kooky orphanage director, only to see more awkward song and dance that lacked the splendor and care of the other scenes. It was almost painful to hear the words of “Easy Street” sung, a number about easy money and easy living. Despite this, at one point in the orphanage setting, Miss Hannigan berates the orphans, saying, “Do I hear happiness in here?” which brought laughter to the crowd. It seemed almost directed to the audience, a community ask-and-tell.

Something unique about the entire experience was the obvious social and historical commentary
embedded within the play. Scene three walks us through the obscured and forgotten Hooverville
camps, slums and villages created by the down and out, the unemployed of the Great Depression. A commentary of Depression-era circumstance and unity was a snubbing of the nose to Herbert Hoover through song and dance. As the ensemble performed on, one could hear the children whispering, “Who’s that? Who’s Hoover?”

One mother of three noted, “The community needs this. This is great, a community theater space accessible to those who want it.” She continued by noting that the “hard-knock life” for Annie may be a metaphor for our times now, Her need for a family, our need to unite and press on. A child and a nation trying to find itself.

Annie’s will, though small on stage, is a lesson charged with a metaphorical bridge from then to now.

Sacramento Opera Performs at Hot Italian

2010-11-14T07:36:49Z

It was fitting that a fundraising event for the Sacramento Opera was held at the Hot Italian located at 16th and Q Streets. The Sacramento Opera will begin its 30th Anniversary Season in Sacramento continuing the Opera movement begun in Italy during the 16th century. The event hosted by Hot Italian was free and open to the public. It was held to raise funds for the Sacramento Opera. This eventIt included a live auction and raffle prizes.

A live opera performance by 4 operatic singers was the highlight of the evening. Donations were taken at the door and tickets were given to those that donated and a raffle was held later to thank them for the donations. The biggest prize however was watching and listening to the magnificent voices of the Sacramento Opera singers who performed.

Sacramento Opera General Director Rod Gideons introduced me to Sue Miller who has been a Sacramento Opera Board member since 1999. We talked about the upcoming Sacramento Opera season. Two to three performances for each opera are scheduled for this year. Orlando, Magic Flute and The Postman Always Rings Twice are scheduled for this year. Several of the main cast members from Orlando performed at The Hot Italian.

Sue was busy all night making sure things went smoothly. She went on to say that the prizes for the raffle and live auction were donated by community individuals that enjoy opera. “It’s always nice that Hot Italian is so supportive of the arts”, Sue said as we talked about the site for this fundraiser. “These operas are held at the Sacramento Community Center”, said Sue and indicated that there are usually around 3 opera performances a year with different matinee times for each. She is also a volunteer at different venues.

All the talk about Hot Italian pizza being the best was confirmed by yours truly. Complimentary pizza was available to those that attended the event. Pizza was taken from its trays as soon as it was put down on the table. The slices I was fortunate to taste were delicious.

Other volunteers walked around talking about the operatic season and selling tickets. Lilia Sanchez was one of the volunteers who talked me into purchasing some. She has been a volunteer in the Opera Guild for about a year now. She went on talk about her volunteering efforts and those of others who give of their time. Several of the raffle prizes were handmade crafts that were donated by volunteers. Lilia and other volunteers helped this event raise funds and their worksmanship showed their dedication.

Adam Saake, as always, was on hand to help promote this event held at Hot Italian. Vy Nguyen was also on hand and was very helpful in spotting shooting opportunities. In a friendly contest they’re both bidding to be Mayor of Hot Italian.

(Adam Saake, Vy Nguyen)

Several cast members of Orlando were on hand to perform for those in attendance. Soprano Antoni Mendezona (Dorinda) started off the evening with an aria. Images of heaven came to mind as she sang. I think that if or when I go to heaven an opera singer will welcome me in, that has been in my mind since childhood. Antoni’s voice was just beautiful as she carried each note. Everyone stood and enjoyed her performance and showed their appreciation as she ended her set.

(Antoni Mendezona)

Diana Tash who will perform the role of Medoro in the Orlando opera followed. Someone mentioned that she started off as a soprano but switched to mezzo around eight years ago. Orlando will be an enjoyable experience, once the first show begins next Friday, November 19, 2010, if Diana’s singing is any indication.

(Diana Tash)

Performing, as the magician Zoroastro, in Orlando is Dean Elzinga who took the spotlight after Diana Tash’s performance. Dean is a bass-baritone singer and his voice came across quite elegantly. His performance made the evening’s Experience the O come to life.

(Dean Elzinga)

Finishing off the operatic performance was soprano Celine Ricci. She will be in the role of Angelica and is making her Sacramento Opera debut with Orlando. Her voice was just sensational as she performed during the evening. People often forget that Operas can be fun and funny. Celine’s performance incorporated both aspects and sang with gusto as she mingled with the audience during her performance. This was a nice ending to the performances and was enjoyed by all.

(Celine Ricci)

Children in the audience enjoyed this performance as much as adults. Some of the children in attendance were dressed in their Sunday best and were treated to a great performance.

The libretto for Orlando will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. All performances are conducted at the Sacramento Community Center Theatre on 1301 L Street. The Sacramento Opera also has various education and outreach programs scheduled. Aficionados can also log on to their website and sign up for their newsletter.

Photos (David Alvarez):

1 - Vy Nguyen, Rod Gideons 2 - Sue Miller (in the middle) 3 - Lilia Sanchez (on the right)

4 to 8 - Volunteers and Cast Members

9 to 11 - Opera Loving Children

12 to 15 - More Opera Loving Members

16 to 19 - Raffle and Live Auction Winners

20 - Celine Ricci

New Helvetia Theatre Presents [title of show] – A Northern California Premiere Opens Friday

2010-10-03T19:41:48Z

Have you ever hung out with a friend and all of a sudden decided to write a musical and the next thing you know, you and that friend, along with two other friends are performing that very musical on Broadway. Well it really happened…really!

Following a sold out, critically acclaimed and award-winning run on and off Broadway, New Helvetia Theatre, Sacramento’s newest professional theatre company, is proud to present the Northern California premiere of [title of show], written by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen and directed by Erin Island. [title of show] opens this Friday, October 8 and continues through October 30, 2010. This limited 4 week engagement will play at the Artisan Theatre, 1901 Del Paso Boulevard in Sacramento.

[title of show] is a fun musical that takes place over three frantic weeks during a steamy New York summer. Four friends scramble to create an original musical to submit to the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Battling insecurity and frustration, overwhelmed and underpaid, these struggling actors find inspiration in their friendship and in the deep love of theatre that brought them together.

The musical is a hilarious, self-reflective documentary of sorts. When Hunter Bell and Jeff Brown’s festival submission of [title of show] led to an Off-Broadway run, then to the Great White Way, they incorporated their amazing journey right into the show, from brainstorming in the writers’ living room to their opening night on Broadway.

Director Erin Island is best known for her work at B Street Theatre where she directed The Swan and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as well as stage-manage the Mainstage Series. In 2009, she co-directed New Helvetia Theatre’s tick, tick…BOOM! With Artistic Director Connor Mickiewicz.

New Helvetia is making a name for themselves bringing to Sacramento region a broad spectrum of American musicals and plays, from the country’s best known and emerging artists. Since its inception in January 2009, its critically acclaimed productions have included Celebration, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, tick, tick…BOOM!, and the Regional Premiere of It’s Only Life.

The company was recognized in the 2009 Best of Sacramento in Sactown Magazine. In the June 2010 issue of Sacramento Magazine founder and Artistic Director Connor Mickiewicz was featured in the publication’s “15 People to Watch”.

The talented cast of professionals includes Jerry Lee as Hunter, Connor Mickiewicz as Jeff, Kiera O’Neil Anderson as Heidi, Melinda Parrett as Susan, and Graham Solbelman as Larry.

Performances are Thursday and Friday at 8:00pm and Saturday at 2:00pm and 8:00pm. General Tickets are $25 and $15 for persons 30 and under and can be purchased online at http://www.newhelvetia.org or through New Helvetia’s Box Office at (916) 469-9850.

Big Idea Theatre presents "Dinner with Friends"

2010-09-27T07:45:17Z

Big Idea Theatre opened their latest production, “Dinner with Friends” by David Margulies, this weekend, with a tightly cast group of actors and a little something extra for the audience to think about.

The play, set in contemporary East Coast America, revolves around two couples going through the ecstasy of love and the agony of heartache. The first couple, Gabe and Karen, is a perfect pairing of kindred souls, and the other, Tom and Beth, is a volatile combination of miscommunication and loss.

The four players of the evening come together as a malleable unit, working off of each other’s slightest affect. The director, Kirk Blackinton, brings a great play to life through four talented actors and the result is nothing shy of endearing. In addition to a great show, the audience gets an added bonus.

Each performance, the people playing the characters swap, so one night Scott Divine could be playing the passive culinary Gabe, and the next he might swap with Brian Harrower to play the midlife-crisis-ridden escapist Tom.

The same with the ladies: The first night Shannon Mahoney would play the chatty Karen, the next night she would trade with Beth Edwards to play the ramshackle artist Beth.

Big Idea Theatre is offering a special promotion for this production. Since they have four different configurations of actors, they encourage audience members to attend multiple times, each additional time at a $5 reduction in price. That means if you see this play four times, the last time is free.

The production boasts sets that change drastically from one scene to the next, albeit sometimes a little slowly. Each set has its own nuance, its own style and flair. The catty-wompus bedroom transitions into a lovely living room complete with love seat and serving platter.

The four actors work together, swapping passion for disgust for romance, and all commingle into a cohesive whole. The four lovers go through love in its dawn, midday and dusk with heart-wrenching honesty and produce a piece of work that many audience members will be hard-pressed not to empathize with.

The show runs through Oct. 23. For more information, visit here. (link - http://www.bigideatheatre.com/BIT/2010_Season/Entries/2010/9/24_Dinner_With_Friends.html)

MAX’S RATING: A GREETING HANDSHAKE, A GOODBYE KISS AND A TRIP TO MARTHA’S VINEYARD

MacDonald's Best of Broadway returns; will reprise audience faves in 'Shining On'

2010-09-14T02:21:35Z

photos by Barry Wisdom

Imagine being happily married for 36 years – more than three decades of bliss blessed with talented children and grandchildren. Along the way, you’ve earned the respect and love of your community, and while there have been a few tumultuous years marred by major moves (and even war), things seemed like they would continue forever.

Then, out of the blue, you hit a rough patch when financial problems create a wedge between you and your beloved spouse. Money and even friends become scarce, and before you know it, you’re in a trial separation.

Ultimately, the financial problems are resolved, but the time apart and the fear of history repeating raises real concerns over whether getting back together is a good idea. Do you reunite because you miss your partner? Do you get back together for the sake of the kids?

That was the scenario facing David MacDonald, whose “longtime companion” – the Sacramento arts institution known as Best of Broadway – went bust in 2008 after having the bad luck to add a second venue and expand its performance schedule at the onset of an economic downturn.

Though MacDonald’s beloved all-singing, all-dancing (and out-of-debt) revue returns this year with a “best-of” production opening Sept. 17 at the Fair Oaks Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre, the Greater Sacramento area’s Ziegfeld is still concerned that the confidence he and his board have in the community’s love for musical theater is not folly.

“We saw attendance that was less than half of what it was in 2007,” said MacDonald, who staged the inaugural BOB as a fundraiser for Family Promise at Hiram Johnson High School in 1973. “We had had so many requests for more performances in 2007, that we doubled the number for 2008.”

In 2007, MacDonald had already added Rocklin’s Whitney High School as a satellite venue, having established Luther Burbank High School as BOB’s Sacramento base in 2001.

MacDonald, who liked the idea of continuing to provide a major arts event in Placer County, was optimistic about the growth of locations, shows and cast members. There certainly were all the indications, with as many as 1,000 community singers, actors and dancers of all ages lining up to audition, standing-room-only houses and glowing reviews.

“It would have been great,” he said, “if not for the economy.”

“We didn’t dream it would affect the show the way it did,” he continued, recalling 2008’s plummet in ticket sales. “There was a real fear thing happening in August and September.”

The result was vacant seats both in Sacramento and Rocklin, and an empty war chest for MacDonald’s 2009 campaign. It killed him to make the announcement that – for the first time in more than three decades – the show would not be going on.

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was not put on a show last year,” he said. “But until we could pay our way out of indebtedness and get back on an even keel, it wasn’t a legitimate possibility to put on another show.”

“We weren’t sure if we were ever going to mount a show again. But in the back of my mind, if we ever could figure a way back, we would.”

It took two years, a tightened belt, a scaled-down cast, shorter schedule and another change of venue as well as a tried-and-true “best of” program to make it happen, but MacDonald and his board decided to go forward and stage a comeback, albeit a cautious one.

“It’s a big, big difference,” MacDonald said.

No longer able to afford the rising costs associated with renting public-school theaters, MacDonald had to find an economically feasible space for BOB 2.0, symbolically titled “Shining On.”

“Our feeling was we needed to find a new home and center ourselves at one location,” MacDonald said.

That new home, the Fair Oaks Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre, came with a new, like-minded partner in the form of the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival.

“The Fair Oaks Theatre Festival related to us,” MacDonald said, “and the partnership kind of fit the needs of both our organizations. So, we’ve made Best of Broadway a co-production between the two of us, sharing resources.”

Like any new relationship, this new theatrical ménage-à-trois doesn’t come without compromise. Challenges presented by the move to the amphitheater’s outdoor stage include a smaller performance area and backstage space, a sound system with an increased vulnerability to radio interference, lighting that won’t be 100 percent effective until sundown and a load-in date just four days prior to opening.

“It’s a quick turnaround,” MacDonald said, noting that the schedule was dictated by the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival’s run of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” which runs through Sept. 12. “Normally we have three weeks of onstage rehearsal time.”

“We could have put another week of rehearsal in, but doing that pushes us further into October, which presents more of a weather problem.”

While veteran BOB-goers will find much has changed since the curtain fell in 2008, they will still find MacDonald’s commitment to introducing Sacramento audiences to little-known, but award-winning musical-theater numbers, along with showcasing standards from the American Popular Songbook, is still firmly center-stage.

“On stage, people will find a hybrid of materials used over the last 10 years,” MacDonald said, “highlights and real strong segments from shows past that have been revamped.”

Composed of 60 numbers divided into 11 segments over two acts, BOB and its 120-member cast will offer theatergoers a whirlwind tour of musical-theater history, including numbers from the familiar (“The Band Wagon,” “Babes in Arms,” “Roberta”) and the obscure (“Four Guys Named José and Una Mujer Named Maria,” “Boogie Nights,” “A Tale of Two Cities”).

“And there’s a small segment from the show ‘King,’ based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr.,” MacDonald said. “It’s always a goal to do a section that’s inspirational and that has a positive message for the community.”

“We’re also doing a bit from the show, ‘We Will Rock You,’ based on the music of Queen.”

MacDonald acknowledged that not every stage musical will stand the test of time, but that even in a turkey of a show there are sometimes giblets of greatness in the form of beautifully written songs with “tremendous musical content and great dance possibilities” that can garner standing ovations as stand-alone numbers in a cabaret or revue.

“I have a tremendous love for Broadway theater,” MacDonald said. “It’s a policy of mine to visit New York every year and see eight or nine shows in a week’s time. I’ve made it a goal of mine to study and research as much musical-theater background as I can, and I want to introduce people to new experiences in theater.”

Among those who have been inspired by MacDonald’s presentations over the years have been young cast members who have since graduated to Broadway and beyond.

“I’ve been lucky to have seen some very talented people in the show over the years,” said MacDonald, dropping the names of such former cast members Luke Hawkins (Off-Broadway’s “Cirque du Soleil: Banana Shpeel”), Rebecca Riker (“A Chorus Line” national tour), Teal Wicks (the L.A. and San Francisco productions of “Wicked”) and “Drop Dead Diva” star Kate Levering (a Tony nominee for the 2001 Broadway revival of “42nd Street”) as just a few of the BOB vets who’ve made careers on stage and screen.

MacDonald said that despite the new interest in musical theater that the Fox series “Glee” has generated, the number of people auditioning this year was down – a fact he attributes to having skipped a season, as well as a lack of funds for advertising.

The majority of this year’s cast members are returning members, MacDonald said, with maybe 30 percent set to make their BOB debut in “Shining On.” A diverse group, MacDonald said the show’s cast members, who range in age from 14 to early-70s, are “super, super strong” and are excited to bring back Sacramento’s late-summer theater tradition.

“One of the really neat things is some of my best performers are back – they’re rallying,” said MacDonald, who mentioned singer-dancer Kathryn Skinner as one of those who are pulling double duty to participate.

A Bay Area-based airline pilot by day, Skinner – the daughter of local bandleader John Skinner – makes “a tremendous effort to work around her schedule so she can be a part of our show,” MacDonald said. “She’s an amazing singer and dancer and delivers a very solid opening number.”

Another frequent-driver is Cheylene Della Maggiore, a California State University, Chico, dance student who commutes from Chico daily to rehearse and perform. “She’s been performing for us since she was 8,” MacDonald said.

“When we didn’t do a show last year, I would get e-mail from her every week asking, ‘When are we going to do it?’”

Another veteran cast member, Randy Solorio, was also ready and willing to join in the comeback. Solorio, who made his BOB debut when he was 15, is now a Sacramento State University assistant gymnastics coach who also acts, dances and models professionally.

“Randy has been tremendous in assisting the choreographers in developing lifts for the dancers,” MacDonald said.

“Though we’ve undergone some changes, I want folks to know that this year’s production is every bit what it used to be,” MacDonald said. “The difference is we’re adding the stars in the sky along with it.”

“People who haven’t seen it before will be absolutely amazed,” he said. “People who have seen it will be thrilled to death that we’re back.”

___________________________________________________

JUST THE FACTS

WHAT: “Shining On,” the 2010 edition of David L. MacDonald’s Best of Broadway musical revue

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17, 19, 24-26, Oct. 1-3

WHERE: Fair Oaks Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre, 7991 California Ave., Fair Oaks.

WHO: Produced and directed by David L. MacDonald; choreographed by Sam Williams, Sara Rewinkle, Tonya Kageta and Kourtney Spenser; musical direction by Erik Daniells; choral direction by Corey Rickroab; vocal coaching by Jennifer Miles-Peek

HOW MUCH: $15-$20

INFO: (916) 436-6344; bestofbroadway.org

‘Wizard of Oz’ singalong transforms Crest Theatre to Land of Oz

2010-08-24T04:23:52Z

Lions and tigers, and bears, oh my! were fortunately not present at the Crest Theatre this past Sunday — but Dorothy’s, tin men (and women) and even munchkins sure were.

Outword media, an extension of Outword Magazine, collaborated with the Crest Theatre to host a “Wizard of Oz” singalong, with nearly 400 people in attendance.

On stage before the show, children marched in a parade to show off their costumes. Each child received two tickets to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus.

Children were not the only ones to dress up. An adult costume contest showed off more Dorothy’s, an apple tree, a tin woman with her own WD-40 oil and, of course, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Carol-Agnus Pantages, 5, won best costume overall for her Tin Man getup by audience applause. She received a ruby slipper with a $100 cash prize. Second place went to Carol Curtis, 6, for her Cowardly Lion costume.

General Manager for the Crest Theatre, Sid Heberger dressed in the best of 1939 Kansas: Dorothy’s tornado-blown farm house, complete with the shiny ruby slippers of the Wicked Witch of the East protruding from below.

“It’s quite cozy in here: It’s got cable, a Jacuzzi, even a minibar,” Heberger said.

The cardboard box took Herberger a day to make, and was converted from a puppet stage for a comedy show.

This is the second annual singalong from Outword and the Crest. Last year’s was the movie “Grease.” The first film was such a success that they decided to make the singalongs an annual event.

“I just can’t wait to see what we cook up for our third annual,” Herberger said. “Hopefully it doesn’t require me wearing a giant box.”

Along with the costumes, preshow events included karaoke to “Wizard of Oz” songs to warm up for the film, tornado trivia and Emerald City, Ruby Slippers and Yellow Brick Road-flavored popcorn available for purchase.

Carrie Tedrick, Wendy Hill and their children Aiden and Addison came dressed as a “same-sex munchkin family.”

“It’s fun that things are happening on the weekend, during the day and that they’re kid-friendly,” Hill said. “There aren’t that many events where we can bring our kids and dress up as a family.”

Frank Palmer of Outword media, marketing and events said he wanted to have an event at the Crest for the community.

“It’s important to have things for families and kids and support them,” Palmer said. “It’s very important to have a sense of community spirit.”

Pictures by Renae Getlin

Eight Week Screenwriting Class Starts New Session

2010-08-05T06:36:33Z

   As the first generation of novice Sacramento screenwriters are about to “graduate” from the rigorous twelve-week training intensive, a second session is about to begin. From August 24th through November 9th, Los Angeles writer-actor-producer Gary Weinberg will once again guide Sacramento students through the ins and outs of the art of screenwriting in his class called Screenwriting: An Eight Week Intensive. Students who take the class will learn the craft and the business of screenwriting, with an emphasis on how these manifest in the current Los Angeles film and television industry.
   Screenwriting: An Eight Week Intensive will begin with the basic elements of narrative, and then move on to story structure, screenplay and teleplay formatting, and how to write great dialogue and develop strong characters. Weinberg will also present different options that students have for getting their work seen and produced, and will discuss the “unwritten” rules that can help, or hinder, their screenwriting efforts.
   The goal by the end of Screenwriting: An Eight Week Intensive is for each student to have a completed screenplay. The class runs four consecutive weeks from August 24th through September 14nd, and then every other week until November 9th. This format affords students time to actually write a finished screenplay or teleplay.
   As Weinberg says, “I know what it’s like. As busy, creative people, our lives can be extremely hectic. This is why I have designated the ‘off Thursdays’ in the second half of the class as ‘writing nights.’ Students are not required to show up in class, explicitly so they can spend the evening writing their screenplays instead.”
   And Weinberg is there to help them along the way. “I will be available for students
--in person, by phone, and by email--to help with any questions or challenges they might encounter as they transform their ideas into finished scripts. They won’t be writing alone.”
   It all helps, as many of Weinberg’s current students attest. Michelle Giles of Elk Grove says, “What has been a wild dream until now, appears possible with this class. Gary wraps years of experience in just a few weeks.” Kristen Mackey of Roseville agrees. “The class gave me so much insight…especially in how much I have to learn. But now I’m ready.” Lori Kane of Rancho Cordova was equally effusive. “Gary’s class is extremely informative, fun and creative. I would encourage anyone--from beginner to an expert--to take the class.”
   Co-founder of the film production company Generation Next Media, LLC, Weinberg is an actor, writer, producer and composer. As a screenwriter, Weinberg’s commissioned scripts include Ninja Nun for Cimero Productions and Magical Planet for Bloom From Within. He wrote and directed a pilot for the episodic TV series The Asylum, currently in pre-production as a web series. For Alpine Pictures, Weinberg co-produced the comedy LA Twister, was managing partner for the teen comedy, Daze of Summer, and associate producer on their current film Dorothy of Oz with Dan Akroyd and Jim Belushi. A member of Screen Actors Guild, Weinberg has been seen in national commercials, independent films, network TV, classical and contemporary theatre, concerts, and more. Television and film credits include Dick Wolfe’s Arrest and Trial, and feature films Miriam and My Sweet Suicide. Weinberg was a member of the improv troupe The Lost Marbles, which played regularly at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He performed in numerous northern and southern California venues such as Wolfpack Theatre Company and Write Act Repertory in Hollywood, and Sacramento Theatre Company and Garbeau Dinner Theatre in Sacramento.
   Screenwriting: An Eight Week Intensive will be offered Tuesday nights from August 24th through November 9th at the Tangent Art Gallery, 2900 Franklin Blvd in Curtis Park, adjacent to Coffee Garden, at the corner of 4th Avenue and Franklin Blvd. Classes will run 7-9:30 pm.
   For information on Screenwriting: An Eight Week Intensive please contact Gary Weinberg of Generation Next Media at (818) 458-6637 or at cpmaurice@hotmail.com. For more information on Generation Next Media, LLC, please visit www.GenerationNextMedia.org.

A Surprising Interpretation of Shakespeare's "Othello"

2010-07-14T18:14:27Z

A liberal dramatic license was taken by director Luther Hanson in the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival production of “Othello.”

Set in Venice of the late 1920s, the jazz music and dance numbers from that era are incorporated into the costumes and include women in flapper outfits and men wearing knickers, suits and straw Panama hats reminiscent of the styles of that period.

The military uniforms of Iago, Cassio and Othello appear as if they had been raided from the closets of Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington after they completed the filming of the movie “Glory.” The final surprise was the glittering outfit of the duchess ironically named “The Duke.”

The principal players included Gregory Jolivette, whose interpretation of Othello was full of life and very authentic. Rod Breton’s Iago was convincing but without the depth of depravity I would have liked. Kirsten Meyers held her own as Desdemona and displayed a lovely voice during the “Willow” song. Christine Nicholson had just the right display of moxie and attitude as Emilia. Tim Sapunor could have displayed much more emotion as Branbantio, but his opportunity for effectiveness probably suffered from the edits that seem to have cut his lines considerably from the original play. Justin McCoy was a little stiff, and he would be well served to bring a bit more passion to his role as Lodovico. Anthony Person did all he could with the role of Montano. The surprise was the casting of Jason Oler as Roderigo. His interpretation was well done, as he did not appear to be a complete dupe.

By casting a black man in the role of Roderigo, the contrast between the fair-skinned European suitors of Desdemona and dark-skinned Moor with whom she eloped was missing from the outset of the drama. The racial slurs against Othello and the negative references to his heritage were spoken, but not truly felt.

Therefore, the element of racism that I believe Shakespeare intended as an integral aspect of Othello was considerably downplayed if not missing entirely in the production. However, after I set aside my personal biases and expectations, I can honestly admit that I was entertained and walked away believing the production conveyed the themes Shakespeare intended to express on the subjects of loyalty, betrayal, revenge, jealousy, marriage and love when he created the “Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice.”

Music Circus opens for 60th season

2010-07-06T05:14:51Z

The big top is flying up as the Sacramento Music Circus returns to the Wells Fargo Pavilion for its 60th anniversary season and 500th production.

The seven-show 2010 season opens July 9 with Monty Python's "Spamalot" and closes Aug. 29 with "42nd Street."

As always, season ticket holders contribute to the show selection by filling out surveys sent by the Music Circus months prior to the season opening. The highest-rated shows are selected assuming Music Circus can obtain rights to the show. This year "Funny Girl" was the second highest-rated show on the survey, which marketing director Christopher Bower described as "surprising."

"If there is something we're maybe on the fence about but it surveys so well, then we definitely want to do it," Bower said.

Mayor Kevin Johnson will be speaking at the July 14 performance. Johnson will address the 60th year anniversary as well as how important Music Circus is to the community.

The 60th anniversary should be a celebration in itself. The company will not host any special ceremonies or galas, outside of having the mayor as a speaker. The goal for this year is to continue putting on beautiful musical theater shows and regain attendance.

"We've definitely taken a hit (from the economy)," Bower said. "We used to average around 94 percent (capacity) from '99 to 2008. In 2009 we did 74 percent."

This year he remains "cautiously encouraged" as indicators thus far have shown 2010's numbers should be higher, especially because some performances are already sold out.

"We're still here. We're still putting on good shows," he said.

Tickets can be purchased from the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office located at 1419 H St. Ticket prices range from $41 to $53 for single shows. Three-show packages can also be purchased for $135. Children under 4 are not admitted. For more information visit californiamusicaltheatre.com.

From the California Musical Theatre press release, the 2010 Music Circus season shows include:

"Spamalot"
July 9-18
Adapted from the screenplay "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," Spamalot is one of three premieres for the Music Circus. The show won three Tony Awards in 2005, including Best Musical and was nominated an additional 12 times. The performance tells the tale of King Arthur and the Round Table.

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"
July 20-25
The biblical story of Joseph, much like "Jesus Christ Superstar" (and from the same creators), features varying styles spanning country and rock'n'roll. The script will be the newest London revised version. Also, never done before, the Sacramento performance will include a chorus of 50 children.

"Oklahoma!"
July 27 - Aug. 1
Returning after a six-year hiatus, "Oklahoma!" is back for its 13th production at the Music Circus. The renowned musical follows the travels of one of America's remaining frontiers as it marches into statehood. "Oklahoma!" has captured patriotic and pioneering spirit for over 60 years.

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"
Aug. 3-8
The second of the three premieres for this year's season. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", based on the film by the same name, features two swindlers attempting to rob a vacationing woman in the beautiful French countryside. A 10-time Tony Award-nominated show.

"Funny Girl"
Aug. 10-15
Originally performed by Barbra Streisand, "Funny Girl" returns to Sacramento after 18 years. The autobiographical performance is of Fanny Brice and her rise from lowly comical singer to stardom. The show has been nominated for eight Tony Awards.

"The Marvelous Wonderettes"
Aug. 17-22
"Wonderettes" is the third of the three premiers for the 2010 season. Opening off-broadway in 2008, the original New York cast members return to their roles as four high school girls at prom, discussing big-time dreams of the future. The show is set in 1958 Springfield.

"42nd Street"
Aug. 24-29
The 1981 Tony Award-winner hasn't been to Sacramento since 1999. On 42nd Street, one dream-filled girl learns to shine as she is given the opportunity to star in a musical hit about movie musicals and Broadway classics.

All photos courtesy of Christopher Bower of the California Musical Theatre

Sac Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

2010-07-05T02:06:09Z

The Sacramento Shakespeare Festival kicked off its 25th year with "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by David Harris, and the result is a great retelling of an old story.

The production is set in 1890s bohemian Athens -- with liberties taken, such as with the costumes -- and incorporates absinthe into the mix. A beautifully lit set, designed by Stephen Jones, illustrates characters' lives in and out of the dream.

The action moved along at a good pace, but raucous music from a birthday party across the street dampened the evening's energy.

The first act was a bit sluggish and the timing off, but the actors found their footing after the intermission. The gags were quick, witty and well executed, the characters locked into their arcs and the finale was marked by laughter.

Highlights of the production were Jes Gonzales as an uproarious Bottom/Pyramus, Julian Sandoval as a deep-throated Flute/Thisbe and young Will Block as an ebullient Robin Goodfellow/Puck/Philostrate. But the biggest treat in the play was Jenna Cedusky as Helena, bringing vigor and slapstick to her role as the tall lover.

An addition to the show was live music played by portrait faeries who seemed more like opium fiends than flittering pixies. While the four original pieces written by Zach Sapunor for the show tied in nicely, it felt like the actors could have used more time to get comfortable with the songs.

A couple of strange choices in the production: an oddly hyperactive John Reilly as Theseus and the king of the faeries, Oberon. The role was played by Rick Eldridge, who had a "Twilight"-like sparkle to his chest.

MAX'S RATING: A LAUGH, A GUFFAW AND A RUDE MECHANICAL.

The play runs through July 31, with "Othello" on alternate nights. For more information, visit here

The B Street Theatre's "Spacegrrls"

2010-06-12T03:00:09Z

A lesbian metallurgist, a psychotic psychiatrist and a power-hungry physicist all walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What is this, a joke?”

Not quite. The characters in the B Street Theatre’s latest production, “Spacegrrls” by Sharon Eberhardt, which opens today includes all of the above characters and many more.

The show itself is witty, and plays on gender themes to great effect. The plot focuses on the first all-woman team of astronauts going to an international space station. The only catch is that they are represented by a shallow cosmetics company and must perform commercials while on the station.

The cast consists of interns for the 2009-2010 B Street Theatre season, and many proved their chops during this, their annual intern showcase. Unfortunately on preview night, the girl playing “Tiffany” (Kristin Wolf) had an injury, and in her stead went the director of the play, Erin Island, keeping the pace up even though she had script in hand.

Shining spots of the production are the hilarious founder of the cosmetics company, played by Katie Walters, and the one-liner Russian, Stephanie, played by Tygar Hicks. Both have wonderful timing, and keep the pace up to a feverish level with plenty of material to go on from the script.

The only real difficulty with the show is the huge amount of scene changes that slows the pace immensely. Perhaps an area dedicated to the secondary sets might move things along. As it stands, the actors and dialogue are frequently interrupted by light cues and loud, energetic music.

That being the biggest qualm, the show is very funny and has some interesting points to make on life, existence and gender. Eberhardt’s words come off occasionally as a little trite and cliché, but the girls (and one gent, played by Brian Rife) play their parts to the letter.

The show plays at the B Street Theatre at 7 p.m. on June 11, 12, 14, 18 and 19. Call (916) 443-5300 for reservations.

MAX’S RATING - A CHUCKLE, A LAUGH, AND A HANKERING TO LISTEN TO SPACE ODDITY.

Picture courtesy of Maxwell McKee

First R25 Festival

2010-06-07T03:36:27Z

The local R25 art center at 25th and R streets celebrated its first “R25 Festival” over the weekend, hosting puppet shows in Spanish, an enormous necktie collection, and silent and open art auctions.

The complex, opened in 1994 by local artist Dennis Wilkerson, is home to three theaters, a poetry and art center and 14 artists' lofts.

The festival had multiple acts on on a small stage made just for the weekend. Performances included stunning monologues, a folk trio and a local theatre company performing songs from its recent shows.

“I love it that this is a complex filled with art and theatre,“ said Christine Nicholson, a local director. “It has three theaters! In one space! And almost all the time there’s something in every space.”

Ray Tatar, complex facilitator and artistic director of California Stage, said he was excited to show off the art in the complex.

“You have a thriving arts community here,” he said. “The art here really has an interesting range.”

All pictures courtesy of Maxwell McKee

Dance Company brings Broadway to Oak Park

2010-06-03T09:27:43Z

The 34th Street Dance company put on another high energy performance last Saturday at the Guild Theater. The theme was Fiat Lux, which is Latin for "let there be light. The show wrapped up with a tribute of dance routines to the late Michael Jackson, along with a heart felt and tearful ceremony to the seniors graduating from the company.

“Our mission is to use dance as a tool to build community and develop each dancer as a creative thinker, dance technician, and a leader” said Sheila Coleman, the founder and director of the company. The company trains in modern, hip-hop, and contemporary movement forms and for seven years, has shared its passion for dance with audiences all over California. The Sacramento-high based company is proudly led by Coleman , assistant director, Janay Hood, and dance coach and 34th SDC alumna, Rachel Hylton.

To view the photo gallery of the performance Click Here (photos by Ray Johnson/Npaphoto.com)

For more information on the 34th Street Dance Company, please visit Sheila Coleman's Facebook page

By Ray Johnson/Npaphoto.com

B&B Wine Country Getaway to Benefit KVIE

2010-05-13T00:09:44Z

On May 21 through 23, KVIE Public Television and a group of Amador Wine Country businesses will host a bed and breakfast-wine country getaway fundraiser to support KVIE Public Television. The all inclusive getaway was created to showcase some of the best locations in the Amador region to visit. The fundraiser includes a two night stay at the 1862 National Historic Landmark St. George Hotel, a tour of Black Chasm Cavern, lunch at Cooper Vineyards, wine tasting at Montevina Winery, an exclusive dinner prepared by chef Randall Selland of The Kitchen and Ella Dining Room and Bar, a raucous murder mystery dinner featuring the Volcano Theatre Company, and more. Your host will be KVIE’s Rob Stewart of Rob on the Road, who will be taping a special segment of his series during the excursion.

Proceeds from the event provide critical funding to help KVIE’s efforts to offer outreach and literacy services to the community and the creation of local programs that let everyone in our community explore our region, meet its people, journey through history, and share the stories that make Northern California a great place to live.

For more information and to view rooms in the St. George Hotel, visit kvie.org/getaway.

Broadway Sacramento Little House on the Prairie, the Musical

2010-04-16T06:03:31Z

Laura Ingalls Wilder's personal story of her and her family's homesteading in the Dakotas, as a musical, has been expanded into a great American story of hard work and overcoming the odds to settle the Great Prairies.

This production harkens back to musicals such as “Paint Your Wagon,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and even the masterpiece “Oklahoma!” Although there is no composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II here, the production is very solid musical theater.

It would be difficult to find someone not familiar with the stories. As a fourth grader, I had the stories read to me in a rural Washington country schoolroom shared with my second-grader sister. It was the highlight of my day to listen to Mrs. Preuss read of a time that I now know was not that distant. Laura Ingalls Wilder was still alive at the time. A younger generation grew up watching Michael Landon's television adaptation, which ran from 1974 to 1983 and is still in syndication.

“Little House on the Prairie, the Musical” has a rousing score by Academy Award winner Rachael Portman. Donna Di Novelli's lyrics are integral in moving the story forward. The book by Rachel Sheinkin, while painting a broader scope, still stays very close to Wilder’s original story.
Michele Lynch's musical staging strongly evokes that of the earlier musicals cited above. It becomes believable that the pioneers would break out in song and dance in response to what is happening to them. Lighting, scenic design and costuming by Mark McCullough, Adrianne Lobel and Jess Goldstein respectively create a sense of the wild, open prairie. Especially the lighting. Creative use of sparse set pieces creates the feeling of the inside and outside of the structures the settlers are building on the prairie. Direction by Francesca Zambello (Disney Broadway, "The Little Mermaid") moves the action on at fast pace.

All of the principal actors in “Little House on the Prairie, the Musical” are musical theater vets, even 10-year-old Anastasia Korbal, who plays little sister Carrie. Steve Blanchard's wonderful voice and great acting is the Pa of your imagination. Kevin Massey and Alessa Neeck as Almanzo and Mary do great jobs on their respective solos. Kate Loprest plays Nellie Oleson, a character who gives comic relief typical in musical theater. Yet she handles her solos beautifully. It is easy to imagine Loprest in a previous role as the evil Amber Von Tussle in the Broadway production of “Hairspray.”

The role of the central character, Laura, is a difficult one. Laura starts being the wild child who thrives on the family's moving time and again westward, most like her Pa. She grows into a serious young lady going off to teach school, raising money to send the now-blind Mary to the school for the blind. And in the end, she must be believable as the woman who marries the love of her life, Almanzo. Kara Lindsay pulls this off like the veteran she is.

She appeared as Laura Ingalls in the original Guthrie Theater production of “Little House on the Prairie, the Musical.” She is a joy to watch and listen to as she portrays Laura's growth and transformation.

Melissa Gilbert plays Ma, another major character. She does not have the same strong voice of the other principals. Fortunately, she only has one major solo she needs to carry. But what she lacks in singing quality she more than makes up for in acting skill, warmth and charm.
Her Ma is an equal partner to Pa in demonstrating the wisdom, love and affection, for both their children and each other, and the partnership needed to raise a family as homesteaders on the prairie. Having played Laura in the television series, she is also the spiritual link of the “Little House” iterations.

For families that have children who are not familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder's “Little House” books “Little House on the Prairie, the Musical” is an excellent introduction. A wonderful afternoon or evening at the theater could easily be followed up with an introduction to reading starting with “Little House in the Big Woods.” Heck, it's a great family show on it's own.

And for the rest of us? For Broadway Series fans who found “Chicago” somewhat risqué, never mind “Spring Awakening,” this is your show. While “Little House on the Prairie, the Musical” may not be the next great American musical, it is a great show with a wonderful story, high production values and excellent performances that can be enjoyed by all.

"Little House on the Prairie, the Musical" California Musical Theater, Broadway Sacramento At the Comunity Center Theater April 14-25 Tickets $18-$65 Wells Fargo Pavillion Box Office, 1419 H Street, Sacramento Comunity Theater Box Office, 1301 L Street, Sacramento by phone (916)557-1999 Tickets.com www.BroadwaySacramento for more information

Big Idea Theatre's "Richard III"

2010-04-14T23:43:05Z

In the first four history plays that William Shakespeare penned, by himself or with the aid of multiple writers, he brought us "Richard III", and showed a monarch at the height of power, corruption and finally the downfall of such a king.
Big Idea Theatre’s latest production of the tragedy opened last Friday, and while the play itself is engaging, some performances and an uncut script brought the pace to a crawl more than a few times.
WIth a cast of 12, most playing at least two parts, the play fits a multitude of colorful characters within the small black box theatre.
The shinning points of the production made the whole better, especially the talented and enigmatic Brain Harrower (Richard of Gloucester), whose only fault seemed to lie in his choice of being the only one using an English accent.
Other bright spots were Nina Breton (Queen Margaret/Young York) and Justin Munoz’s vibrant performances (King Edward/Richmond/Lovell).
The play, uncut, is well over three hours without an intermission. Such a play is generally edited for a modern audience, and unfortunately the director, Justin Chapman, felt it unfit to cut more than a few lines.
Unfortunately, the length of the play mixed with some performances, namely those of Carrie Joyner (Queen Elizabeth) and David Fox (Clarence/Dorset), made it a bore to sit through, especially the scenes where they were the focus.
The play, when it finished, gave the audience more than one reason to cheer at Richard’s death, since it marked the end of not only the tyrant but also the play.

Next season of Broadway Series announced

2010-04-06T18:44:59Z

Tony Award-winning musical "In the Heights" as well as the recent Disney revival of the classic "Mary Poppins" are among the six touring shows that will come to Sacramento between September 29 and June 19 of next year. For the first time in producing organization California Musical Theatre's 22 year history of bringing Broadway shows, all six of the shows will be Sacramento premieres.

Along with "In the Heights" and "Mary Poppins," this season's shows will include the dance spectacle "Burn the Floor," the seasonal "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" and two new shows based on films: "9 to 5," based on the Dolly Parton movie and "Young Frankenstein," based on the Mel Brooks comedy.

Ticket subscriptions for the shows will go on sale next Monday, April 12. Current season ticket holders will get first shot, and the Wells Fargo Pavillion Box Office will take orders for new subscriptions at the same time.

According to a press release from CMT, "Season ticket buyers will be receiving their DEEPEST SUBSCRIBER DISCOUNT EVER - an average of over 17 percent - meaning that every renewing subscriber will be paying less for the 2010-11 season. Six-show subscription packages are $96.90 to $338.20. Five-show packages (not including "Cirque Dreams Holidaze") are only $81.90-$285.60. Season tickets available only at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street, Sacramento, or by calling (916) 557-1999. For more information and complete prices for our season tickets, visit www.BroadwaySacramento.com. For groups of 12 or more (both single-show and subscriptions), call (916) 557-1198 beginning Monday, April 12."

Descriptions of the six shows follow, from the California Musical Theatre press release:

BURN THE FLOOR
September 29-October 10, 2010

The international dance sensation Burn the Floor visits Sacramento direct from its record-breaking run on Broadway! You've seen ballroom dance on shows like "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance." Now, with Burn the Floor, you will feel, live on stage, all the passion, the drama and the sizzling excitement of 20 gorgeous champion dancers, in a true theatrical experience, a performance with a grace and athleticism that The New York Times calls, "Dazzling!" From Harlem's hot nights at The Savoy, where dances such as the Lindy, Foxtrot and Charleston were born, to the Latin Quarter where the Cha-Cha, Rumba and Salsa steamed up the stage, Burn the Floor takes audiences on a journey through the passionate drama of dance. The elegance of the Viennese Waltz, the exuberance of the Jive, the intensity of the Paso Doble - audiences will experience them all, as well as the Tango, Samba, Mambo, Quickstep and Swing. Burn the Floor-it's Ballroom. Reinvented.

For more information, visit the Burn the Floor page at www.BroadwaySacramento.com or visit www.burnthefloor.com.

IN THE HEIGHTS
November 3-14, 2010

"In the Heights," winner of four 2008 Tony Awards including best musical!, is a sensational new show about chasing your dreams and finding your true home. With an amazing cast, incredible Tony Award-winning dancing and a thrilling Tony Award-winning score, "In the Heights" is an exhilarating journey into a vibrant Manhattan community - a place where the coffee is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. Experience the next chapter of the classic American story at the most joyous and exciting musical on Broadway. Find out what it takes to make a living, what it costs to have a dream, and what it means to be home..."In the Heights."

For more information, visit the In the Heights page at www.BroadwaySacramento.com or visit www.intheheightsthemusical.com.

CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE
December 29, 2010-January 2, 2011

From the creators of the groundbreaking Broadway hit, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, comes a new holiday musical of season's dreamings hailed by the New York Daily News as..."charm, sparkle and talent by the sleighload" and "a jaw dropping winter wonderland" by the Atlantic City Press. Created and directed by Neil Goldberg, Cirque Dreams Holidaze is an original new musical extravaganza filled with spectacle, imagination and whimsical dreams. Ornaments come to life as costumed characters who perform astonishing feats that celebrate the holiday season and showcase pageantry, ingenuity and breathtaking artistry. An international cast of acrobats, aerialists, singers, dancers and musicians fill this Cirque Dream on stage, in the air and while dangling from a 24 foot tall magical tree. Add to that the pomp, cirque-umstance and amazement of gingerbread men flipping through the air, toy soldiers skillfully marching on thin wires, snowmen daringly balancing, icemen sculpting powerfully, penguins spinning, puppets caroling and reindeer soaring high above a landscape of holiday wonderment and you will see why Cirque Dreams Holidaze makes the perfect gift of entertainment. With over 100 dazzling costumes, an original musical score and some holiday favorites, Cirque Dreams Holidaze will have audiences of all ages mesmerized with its memorable tribute to the holiday season.

For more information, visit the Cirque Dreams Holidaze page at www.BroadwaySacramento.com or visit www.cirqueproductions.com.

9 TO 5
March 9-20, 2011

"9 to 5: The Musical" is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This new musical comedy, direct from Broadway, is based on the hit movie and features Dolly Parton's original hit title song along with her new Tony Award® -and Grammy-nominated score. The book is by Patricia Resnick (co-writer of the original screenplay). "9 to 5: The Musical" tells the story of three unlikely friends who conspire to take control of their company and learn there's nothing they can't do - even in a man's world. Outrageous, thought-provoking and even a little romantic, "9 to 5: The Musical" is about teaming up and taking care of business... it's about getting credit and getting even ... and it's about to open in Sacramento.
For more information, visit the 9 to 5 page at www.BroadwaySacramento.com or visit www.9to5themusical.com.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
April 13-24, 2011

The classic Mel Brooks movie is ALIVE...and it's headed here! You'll have a monstrously good time at this spectacular new production, winner of the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award and the Broadway.com Audience Award for best musical! Don't miss the sensational cast delivering all your favorite moments from the classic film, plus brand-new show-stopping numbers for the stage, including "Transylvania Mania," "He Vas My Boyfriend" and "Puttin' on the Ritz." This wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that's Fronkensteen) as he attempts to create a monster--but not without scary and hilarious complications. The brains behind the laughter is mad genius and three-time Tony winner Mel Brooks himself – who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the book – along with his record-breaking team from The Producers: five-time Tony-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman and three-time Tony-winning writer, Thomas Meehan.
For more information, visit the Young Frankenstein page at www.BroadwaySacramento.com or visit www.youngfrankensteinthemusical.com.

MARY POPPINS
June 2-19, 2011

Beginning in June 2011, the world's most famous nanny will arrive in Sacramento. Combining the best of the original stories by P. L. Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film, the Tony® Award-winning "Mary Poppins" is everything you'd hope for in a Broadway musical-and more. Produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, the show includes such wonderful songs as "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "A Spoonful of Sugar," Let's Go Fly a Kite" and, of course, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." The New York Daily News hails "Mary Poppins" as "a roof-raising, toe-tapping, high-flying extravaganza!" Let your imagination take flight at this perfectly magical musical!
For more information, visit the Mary Poppins page at www.BroadwaySacramento.com or visit www.marypoppinsonbroadway.com.

Chicago opens to a full house

2010-03-12T06:19:51Z

Greed, corruption, exploitation, murder and, of course, some good, old-fashioned razzle dazzle. Opening tonight at the Sacramento Community Theater to a sold-out audience, "Chicago" shows that all the world is a con game and the stage is the biggest scam of them all.

Set in the decadent 1920s, "Chicago" tells the story of Roxie Hart, a bored, philandering housewife, who dreams of one day seeing her name in lights and murders her lover when he decides to walk out on her. Gut-bustlingly played by veteran actress Bianca Marroquin, Roxie is sharp-tongued, crude and best of all has you rooting for her until the curtain closes.

Brenda Braxton’s interpretation of the bawdy Velma Kelly was exquisite. Her voice was big, her dancing was slinky and her Velma was dead-on (pun intended). John O’Hurley’s Billy Flynn is not to be missed. His singing was wonderfully awful, as it should have been, and from the time we meet him onstage in “All I care about,” you are already seething with desire to see more of his TMZ-esque, dare-I-say marketing schemes. O’Hurley is a truly gifted actor and performer, and he proves it in this revival tour of "Chicago."

Like the song says, ''Long as you keep 'em way off balance, how can they spot you got no talents?'' Crazy talk! This cast has talent oozing out of its writhing hips, and if there is any sense in Sacramento’s theater lovers, they will exult in this fabulous display and, quite frankly, indulge in all that jazz!

“The Lies Begin when we lift the Pen…”

2010-02-20T01:18:43Z

FICTION
by Steven Dietz
at Capital Stage

There’s an old adage in theatre that audiences attend with ‘a willing suspension of disbelief’. That is to say that they willingly set aside the truth and accept the fact that Peter Pan can fly even though the wires holding him up are plainly seen. That applies to theatre, film, and especially literature. But what if we believe every word we read? Can fiction become fact? Is something true simply because we believe it? In 2003 author James Frey wrote a memoir of his struggle with addiction called ‘A Million Little Pieces’. He was lauded as a troubled genius with a brilliant future, and America loved him. When the truth came out that a portion of the book (in fact, only one incident) didn’t really happen, we felt betrayed; so much so that we salivated when Oprah Winfrey ripped him a new one on national TV. The truth hurts, but lies can be devastating.

Linda and Michael Waterman, played by Janis Stevens and Eric Wheeler, are two novelists. He’s a Hollywood success story who considers himself a hack, and she’s a self proclaimed ‘one hit wonder’, having written one successful book followed by a stream of failures. Their marriage thrives in an environment of verbal wordplay and no illusions as to each other’s talents. You could see them forty years from now, strolling along the banks of the Seine in Paris, pleasantly squabbling about their pet topic-the greatest rock-and-role vocal performance of all time. She’s a Janice Joplin fan and he’s a John Lennon supporter. That’s how they meet in act one, and how they SHOULD spend the rest of their lives together-squabbling. But instead, Linda is diagnosed with a brain tumor “the size of a plum” and is given three weeks to live. She wants to spend that time really getting to know her husband, getting down to his core. She wants to read Michael’s journals.

They’ve both kept a series of journals over the course of their 15 years together but neither had any desire to read the other’s before, whether out of respect or fear, but probably a little of both. Michael reluctantly turns over his journals, boxed in an antique captain’s trunk in chronological order with a laminated index under the lid, and leaves her to her reading.

After plodding through Michaels florid verbosity, acted out with comedic vigor by Eric Wheeler, Linda reads about Michaels meeting with Abby Drake, a woman he meets at a writer’s retreat shortly after Linda’s one successful book was published. Abby is a peculiar young woman with an intense stare. Stephanie Gularte plays her with an almost magnetic attraction. You’re not quite sure if she wants to rip his eyes out, or just ask him a question. But the attraction is there, and Linda reads of their affair for the next twelve years.

Janis Stevens (and I’ll say this right up front-I’m a Janice Stevens FAN) is an amazing presence on stage; cool, sophisticated, with a vulnerability seething just below the surface. Her husband’s betrayal strikes a devastating chord, and her attempt to hide her own ‘fiction’ is a tangible weight on her shoulders.

Eric Wheeler as Michael changes flawlessly from the flowery prose of his journal scenes to his devastated reality. He’s a man who’s about to lose his best friend and no matter what he does he can only make it worse. Eric plays a likeable, funny guy who only lies to himself. He also reminds us that this isn’t just a drama. He makes the tragic bearable with his charming presence.

Stephanie Gularte as Abby soars through a very difficult role. She has every beat, every quirk of this woman down to a T. This is important because you have to pay attention to what Abby does to understand and put all the pieces together later. Fortunately, Ms. Gularte makes this easy for us; you can’t help watching her every move.

‘Fiction’ is a complicated and sophisticated piece of theater. It deals with how we see ourselves, and how we wished others saw us. Do we remember what actually happens or do we remember what we wished actually happened? It’s also something of a ‘who-done-it’. It’s a piece where every sentence is a clue and every beat is an ‘A-ha’ moment. At the end of the night you have this adrenalin rush and you can’t just go home; you and whoever is with you HAVE to go get coffee and compare notes.

Fiction plays through February 28 at Capital Stage on the Delta King Riverboat in Old Town Sacramento, 1000 Front Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 http://capstage.org/

Review: Camellia Symphony Orchestra Season Opening

2009-11-23T09:51:36Z

On Saturday November 21, 2009, Camellia Symphony Orchestra opened its 2009/2010 season with the program titled “Prodigies from St. Petersburg” featuring three Russian composers, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Sergey Prokofiev conducted by Music Director Allan Pollack.

This was my first time listening to Camellia Symphony Orchestra. Being a community orchestra, the sound, harmony and overall quality of the musicianship were impressive.

The night’s first piece was Overture on Three Russian Themes by Rimsky-Korsakov based on three Russian folk songs. The entrance of the first movement with the string section took us to a scene of pastoral and joyful Russian villages right away.

Starting with somewhat Beethoven like harmony, the score moves to more Russian and folk song like melodies. The work is not often recorded and I am more familiar with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture that uses the same theme. The sound of the orchestra nicely projected to the space of the Memorial Auditorium.

Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1 introduced more complicated forms and tones. Shostakovich dedicated this concerto of four movements to cellist Mstislav Rostropovich who memorized the work in four days.

The first movement opens with the Cello’s quick staccato chased by the string section. This sense of urgency keeps us alert almost like a driving scene from Hitchcock’s film North by Northwest. Then following is the slower second movement, Moderato. The beginning is melancholic. Then it develops into more sweeping and grandiose theme.

Tonight’s soloist, Burke Schuchmann who is a former principal cellist with the Sacramento Symphony was dynamic and versatile in his performance especially during Cadenza. With the beginning theme coming back during the cadenza in accelerating tempo, the cello was swiped into the orchestra and moved to the dramatic and fast fourth movement Allegro con moto.

Mr. Schuchmann chose Le Cygne (The Swan) by Camille Saint-Saëns for an encore, the night’s only piece composed by non-Russian. He mentioned that it was dedicated to his father’s 93th birthday. This elegant and exquisite melody took us to a lake where a white swan floats and moves through the surface.

The final piece was Symphony No. 5 by Sergey Prokofiev consisting of four movements.

The slow opening leads to the glorious climax. The following second movement is a fast scherzo, playful and darkly humorous. It reminds me of Prokofiev’s ballet music like Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. Imagine ballet dancers with pointe shoes sweeping through the stage with quick steps. The lyrical and slow third movement is followed by breathtaking fourth movement Allegro Giocoso. Series of cheerful, energetic, and exhilarating tones turns into madness toward the end.

Camellia Symphony Orchestra played these demanding pieces beautifully. Particularly the brass section was strong. The wonderful performance is a result of many hours of practice and rehearsals.

The orchestra provides wonderful musical experiences to Sacramento community and is highly valuable. While the auditorium is a large space, there were a lot of empty seats. Perhaps, schools can plan a class trip to experience and appreciate music at a live performance. They only have three concerts a season and the performance is excellent. I hope more people in Sacramento community will take advantage of this opportunity and enjoy the future performances.

Program: Prodigies from St. Petersburg

Overture on Three Russian Themes, Op28, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 107, Dmitri Shostakovich

Allegretto
Moderato
Cadenza
Allegro con moto

Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, Op. 100, Sergey Prokofiev

Andante
Allegro marcato
Adagio
Allegro giocoso

Thistle Dew Theatre offers drama and dessert

2009-11-12T03:58:02Z

You might have heard of Sacramento's dinner theaters: Suspects Dinner Theatre aboard the Delta King, Tommy T's Comedy and Dinner Theatre and the recently closed Garbeau's Dinner Theatre.

So after attending dinner theater, why not stop by Sacramento's only dessert theater?

"As far as I know, we're the only one in the world," said Thomas Kelly, Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre owner, founder and artistic director.

Kelly, now a retired copy/printshop owner, was a playwright for about 20 years before he opened the theater in 1996. In 1992, he and his wife Eleanor Lediard purchased the 1894 Victorian, 1901 P St., where the theatre is housed.

"It had been a drug house before we got it, totally trashed," Lediard said. "It took us a year to remodel it (into) a very small theater with 39 seats, as far as I know, the smallest theater in Sacramento."

Lediard, a family law attorney, has a law office on the top floor of the house, while the main floor of the Victorian sits slightly above ground. The theater is located on the bottom floor, about three feet below street level.

Shows take place Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. Exact times and dates can be found here.

About three years ago, needing "new and good material," Kelly started a Monday night playwright group which critiques plays and offers new wordsmiths community assistance. Now, with nearly 80 active members, each meeting averages about 25 playwrights, and five playwrights in the group have had 12 plays published by Massachusetts-based Jac Publishing.

Being able to help Sacramento's budding playwrights is Kelly and Lediard's proudest achievement of the theater, the married couple said. The theatre now shows exclusively original works by local playwrights.

Currently playing is The Trials of Clarence Darrow, produced by the playwright group several years ago. Written and performed by Paul Hauck, the play depicts the life of lawyer and American Civil Liberties Union leader, Clarence Darrow.

"It's very interesting," Lediard said. "I'm kind of biased because I'm a lawyer, but it's really of interest because the issues it deals with - social equality and civil rights - are all current issues.

Next month, the theater will feature Kelly's original work Wake up, Jay! It's Christmas!, winner of four 2006 Elly Awards including Best Overall Production. Given out by the Sacramento Area Regional Theater Alliance, the Elly Award honors outstanding achievements in the local theater community.

"It's (about) two family pets, a cat and a brand new puppy, left alone Christmas eve," Kelly said. "The puppy just goes berserk, has a lot of fun and kids really enjoy it because the puppy just has a blast."

As for the desserts, Kelly recommends the apple pie and the chocolate cake, the two most popular of five dessert offerings. Desserts come with coffee or tea.

Ticket prices are $25 per person and seats must be reserved by emailing thistledewplaywrights@yahoo.com or calling (916) 444-8209.

Those who wish to join the playwright group should view information here. Those who want to audition for plays should view information here.

Award Winning Actor/Educator to Offer Classes

2009-09-28T22:42:35Z

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 klrubin@gmail.com.

Rubin should be well known to Sacramento and San Francisco area theatre patrons as she has performed at Capitol Stage (she opens in the premiere of SPEECH & DEBATE by Stephen Karam on October 2), B Street Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, The Purple Onion, Café OFF Market, and at Glide Memorial Church. She is also a playwright with several shows to her credit and the solo show, Insides OUT!, which she has performed from San Francisco to New York City in various venues.

Rubin has a 10-year background teaching acting, vocal work, scene study, text analysis and character development including a two year stint at UC Davis teaching undergraduate students. She has a BA in Theater and Dance from Amherst College and an MFA in acting from US-Davis. She is the recipient of the Edward Poole Lay and the Roland Wood awards for the creation of new work for the theatre.

“My gift is in my ability to intuit and see what is happening both internally and externally for individual actors”, said Rubin. “I can effectively articulate what processes I think might help to create a more functional moment on stage. That is to say, I can see what is happening internally for an actor on a relatively subtle level, and I have an ability to articulate what I think could happen differently for THAT actor such that the scene might work better, or the intimacy might grow, or the actor might "get it," or the honesty of the scene might reveal itself more fully.”

In New York, she studied acting at The Wynn Handman Studios at Carnegie Hall and in Los Angeles, she studied The Viewpoints and Suzuki Actor Training with Anne Bogart's SITI Company. Rubin made her television debut as a law student on A&E's 100 Center Street with Alan Arkin. Her writing credits also include two plays commissioned by the Health Education Department at UC Davis and she is developing her second solo show, tentatively titled “Windows In, Indecision Collision”.

"Graham-a-Rama" provides unique cabaret experience

2009-09-10T03:44:16Z

Graham-a-Rama, a weekly cabaret show put on by local music director and pianist Graham Sobelman, was only planned to run a few weeks. But after the success of the first few shows in February, Sobelman has continued the show nearly every week since then, has guest appearances confirmed as far out as January and will continue the show until it "runs its course."

It has gained somewhat of a cult following, selling out nearly every show. Most of the audience has been to multiple shows, Sobelman said.

Graham-a-Rama, one of the few cabaret shows in the grid, is a mix of original music, standup comedy, musical theatre and rock 'n' roll covers. The instrumentation consists of Sobelman on a grand piano, a bass player, a drummer and occasionally a guitar player.

"Maybe that's why it's done so well," Sobelman said. "There's nothing else like it."

Each show has different scripted portions with local guest vocalists using a number of costumes and props including an inflatable sheep, and also an improvised crowd participation element including trivia, mad libs and sing-alongs.

It started with a group of musical theatre friends hanging out — Sobelman has been playing piano for musicals in the area since 1994 — taking songs and performing them out of context. Sobelman became friends with theater actress and singer Nancy Zoppi (who will perform in Graham-a-Rama this Sunday), whose father, Bobby Zoppi, helped provide the Geery Theater as Graham-a-Rama's venue.

The theater, located at 2130 L St., is housed in a green Victorian and only holds 49 seats. It's such an intimate performance, during one of the shows, audience members were asked to sit on stage as a nod to the musical Spring Awakening, Sobelman said.

So far Sobelman has staged 25 Graham-a-Ramas, sharing the stage with about 40 guests and performing over 400 songs. The show has received media attention nearly every local media outlet including The Sacramento Press, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento News & Review, and Capitol Public Radio.

"I'm happy with how it's been," Sobelman said. "I never take anything for granted, and I'm not expecting it to sell out every week."

"I've enjoyed every single show, but obviously I like working with Nancy Zoppi," he said. Sunday will be her fourth time with Graham-a-Rama."

Graham-a-Rama is impressive in its juxtaposition of serious songs with standup comedy. One moment you might be laughing, and the next thing you know, a performer is singing a sad song about unrequited love.

One of the funniest moments, Sobelman said, was during a performance of the ballad "The Sun and I" (click link for video) from the musical Hot Mikado. About 20 seconds into the song with the audience totally silent, an audience member "who was out of her element," wearing a ton of jewelry and sporting a fake tan, stood up and left the theater, he recalled.

The audience (and performers) erupted in laughter.

In subsequent shows, "Ms. Jangles" as she is known now, has become a recurring character in skits. Re-enactments of the whole episode have also taken place.

"We make fun of everybody," Sobelman said. "But we don't set out to offend anybody."

Tickets can be purchased here for $14.50. Mature audience are recommended.

Photographs courtesy Tony Sheppard.

The Green Room - the College Musical is coming to a close!

2009-09-04T20:57:18Z

There are two more performances for The Green Room - the College Musical at the California Stage on September 4th & 5th at 8:00 p.m. In addition some great articles and reviews in the local press, audience members have raved about the talent of the actors and the quality of the production. Several audience members have returned with friends 2 or 3 times.

The Green Room is a new backstage musical illustrating the journey of four best friends determined to make it out of the Green Room and onto the Broadway Stage. Featuring the Songwriter's Guild of America's Award-Winning song "It's All About Me"

Sweet Dreams from Backstage: www.sacbee.com/entertainment/story/2104870.html#none

With 'Room'.... to Grow: www.sacbee.com/124/story/2104812.html

Tickets are available online in advance with a $5.00 - $7.50 discount off the door price and are available online at: www.fodproductions.com

The Green Room - the College Musical extended!

2009-08-27T02:02:40Z

The Green Room - the College Musical has been extended through September 5th!

Remaining performances are August 27th, 28th 29th, September 4th & 5th at 8:00 pm

Ticket savings of $5.00 - $7.50 per ticket is available when tickets are bought online in advance.

Tickets are available at http://www.fodproductions.com

Local Playwright Gets New Work Reading

2009-08-21T01:31:55Z

The money’s gone, the Vineyard must be sold, but Lucy Ravine and her brother Leo are living in the glorious past, not in 1980s California Wine Country. Ann Tracy’s “The Vineyard” is an adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”, a story of rural development, lost love, losing your home and how absurd people can be when facing change. This Playwrights Collaborative workshop reading of “The Vineyard” is set for 7 PM, September 6, 2009 at the Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815. The event is free but donations are gratefully accepted.

Tracy is not only a playwright, but also an actor, director and artist. She founded Beyond the Proscenium Productions in 1994, where she directed dozens of world and regional premieres. She has written nine scripts, seven of which have been produced in California. She is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, alumnae of the Directors Lab West and a member of the Dramatists Guild.

She was the first female voice on the air at KTLK, Denver in 1977 as an overnight radio news announcer. This first job in radio news led to a ten-year career as a broadcast journalist in the Denver, Milwaukee, San Jose and Sacramento markets. Ann is also an artist working in the digital and video mediums. Her fine art has been exhibited from Japan to Maui to New York City. In 2003 her work, “Stop” was included in the catalog of the “Violence Against Women”, Group 78 Amnesty International show, Tokyo, Japan. Her digital painting “Message 3” appeared in the 2008 edition of American Art Collector.

The Playwrights Collaborative is an organization of writers, actors, directors and others interested in the theater, working together to promote the development and production of new plays in Sacramento and elsewhere. Through a cooperative process of peer review, Playwrights Collaborative assists in making plays ready for production and helps in finding suitable venues where shows might be performed. For further information or if you have a play you would like workshopped, contact Gary Agid, chairman, at gary@agid.com (916-383-9267).

The Green Room is a hit!

2009-08-13T23:23:04Z

The Green Room - the College Musical opened on Friday, August 7th at The California Stage to rave reviews!

If audience reactions are any indication, The Green Room is going to be a hit musical in Sacramento this summer. Audiences on Friday and Saturday night gave the cast standing ovations and gave accolades to both cast and crew about how much they enjoyed the production.

Special guests for the opening night performance included Chuck Pelletier (Lyrics & Music), C. Stephen Foster & Rod Damer (Book) and Dion Hunter who is producing a short run of the show in Orange County later this year. Chuck, Stephen and Rod arrived a day earlier than their scheduled appearance of August 8th when they were to participate in a Q & A with the audience after the performance. The songwriter and playwrights could hardly contain their excitement and how pleased they are with the current production, citing how impressed they are with the cast, the video & photography elements and the over-all quality of the production.

The Q & A covered how The Green Room came into existence from it's first incantation as a one-act play that was converted into a one-act musical and then expanded into the show that is currently being produced as well as their thoughts on the current production and plans for the future.

The Green Room - the College Musical stars Courtney Parks, Jacob Montoya, Jessica Goldman and Lafras le Roux

Performances are Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Thursdays August 20th & 27th at 8:00 pm with an additional performance at midnight on Saturday, August 22nd. The California Stage, 2509 R Street.

General admission tickets are $20.00 in advance/$17.50 student/senior when purchased in advance online or $25.00 at the door (cash only).

Tickets are available at: www.fodproductions.com

Elly Awards Celebrate Sac Theatre

2009-08-09T01:04:59Z

The Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance (SARTA) will announce the nominations for the most outstanding theater performances of 2008-2009 at its Elly Nomination Party, said SARTA office administrator Benjamin T. Ismail. Sacarmento City College will host the celebration on Aug. 9 from 6 to 10 p.m.

Held and named in honor of the late Eleanor McClatchy, a devoted patron of local arts, the Elly's are in its 27th year. On Sept. 20, SARTA will honor the winners with a ceremony at the Crest Theatre. Tickets are $25 general admission, $20 for group rate and SARTA members. They go on sale Aug. 10 and can be purchased by calling SARTA's office or the day of at the Crest box office.

There are seven categories from which theatre members are nominated: comedy, drama, educational musical, educational play, musical, original works, young people's musical, young people's play. Within each category, awards are given to the best in costume design, direction, lead actor, lead actress, lighting design, overall production, set design, supporting actor and supporting actress.

The judging is done by theatre members and enthusiatsts referred to by SARTA as "super-volunteers." Judges cannot be involved in any theatre company in the category they are judging, said Ismail, and usually have backgrounds in theatre. There are five judges in each category, and each of them may attend between a minimum of 15 and maximum of 45 shows during the year-long season.

This year's event will be arranged so that the first two hours focus on the awards to the educational categories while the last half focuses on the adult and musical categories. Some of the night's highlights, said Ismail, will be the performances from musical-nominated companies.

"All the best musical nominees bring their shows back together and they do a performance, Ismail said."[The process is] very similar to the Tony's."

The performances are as full-production as possible, Ismail said, including full costume, make-up, choreography, sound quality, and theatrical lighting. Besides putting on a dazzling show, the Elly performances allow for company member to reunite and redo the number that got them noticed.

"What's really cool is you will get casts of 30 people who all come back to do the Elly's," Ismail said. "Its a fun reunion opportunity for these casts."

Being nominated for an Elly is no walk in the park. According to Ismail, there are around 50 shows in each category and for awards like supporting or lead actor/actress, there can be two or three leads per show. Therefore, the five nominees for each award have gone up against hundreds of people, Ismail said.

"It's a very competitive award—I mean musical judges go to a show a week," Ismail said. "A lot of theatre happens in Sacramento so it's quite an award to even be nominated for. There are so many things you go up against."

While the Elly's offer prestige for theatre companies and entertainment for the general population, the award ceremony also facilitates a wider purpose of bringing together participants, lovers and new talents of Sacramento theatre.

"I think it's a really great opportunity for unification among over 100 theatres, to get to know other people and showcase what we've done for the past year," Ismail said. "SARTA has really worked so that Elly's meet the needs of the community in offering different aesthetics and styles."

Ismail said Elly attendees can expect not only to see talented people performing the best and most exciting numbers of the year, but also to learn what productions may interest them in the future.

"People will really enjoy getting to see, especially in musical category, what has been going on in the community," Ismail said. "You get to get excited about the next season, get to see what's available. Also, you get to see and hear from a lot of new companies coming up. There has been 10 or 15 new companies nominated this year."

"Its a review of the year when you think about it, it's quite a fun thing," Ismail said.

For more information, Click Here for SARTA's website.

The Green Room Opens Friday August 7th

2009-08-05T21:48:01Z

The Green Room - the College Musical is set to open this Friday at the California Stage in Sacramento.

Starring Courtney Parks, Jacob Montoya, Jessica Goldman & Lafras le Roux, this edgy and funny musical is sure to entertain Sacramento audiences. The Green Room was presented for a short run in Hermosa Beach in May to audience acclaim and great reviews.

Director Kevin Caravalho has brought some interesting elements to the production that incorporate video and photography to assist in telling the story of Divonne, Cliff, Anna & John as they live through their years in college and try to fulfill their apirations of going to Broadway.

The music & lyrics by Chuck Pelletier span a wide range of musical styles and are quite unique and entertaining. Comedian C. Stephen Foster is responsible for many of the comic elements in the script. Chuck and Stephen will be attending the performance on August 8th and engage in a Q & A session with the audience following the performance.

Friends of Dorothy Productions have been working on presenting the Northern California premier of The Green Room - the College Musical in Sacramento since January of this year. They are excited to see all of the hard work by everyone involved come to fruition and to see the production take the stage.

The Green Room - the College Musical opens at The California Stage (formerly known as The Space) on August 7th & runs through August 29th. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Thursdays August 20th & 27th at 8:00 pm and Saturday August 22nd at both 8:00 pm and midnight.

General admission tickets are $20.00 or $17.50 for students/seniors when purchased in advance online or $25.00 at the door (cash only).

For more information, tickets and cast & crews biographies, visit http://www.fodproductions.com

Friends of Dorothy Productions (916) 534-7496

Sac Film and Music Festival turns 10

2009-07-21T03:32:49Z

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the Sacramento Film and Music Festival opens its doors again Friday night at the Crest Theatre on 1013 K st.

The 10-day event features films of all topics ranging from amateur to professional quality created by people from and outside the city of Sacramento.

"It's not seen as a particular type of film festival, such as the gay and lesbian festival or the French festival," said Sid Heberger, manager of the Crest Theatre. "It encompasses all types of films and genres from horror to documentaries, to short films and features and competitions specifically for this festival."

Founded in 2000 by current co-director Nate Schmel and now Los Angeles film editor Evald Johnson, the festival’s creation was originally only two students at Cal State Northridge wanting to provide their hometown with a broad music and film festival. Although it wasn't easy, both men committed to the project and spared no expense in the process, costing them more than they had bargained for going in.

"After a couple years of going to college together, we got a couple projects to show up in Sacramento because we were both from here," Schmel said. "So we decided to put together a festival of music and film, and that's how we started it. We probably lost about $25,000 the first year because we did two theaters at the Crest and we had paid for some bigger bands to come from Los Angeles, and we lost a lot of money on that. That was a very steep learning curve for us."

The two men then decided to provide a more community-based product in the festival's second go-round, with production costs much more manageable for the event than before, but still in the negative. Although the festival was a success, Johnson decided to head a different direction the following year and began working in Los Angeles editing reality shows, leaving a void in event planning and directing that Schmel needed to fill in order to keep the show going.

"It was the third year that Tony (Sheppard) and Laurie (Pederson) began to step in and be other co-directors of the festival," Schmel said. "Since that third year, we've been able to break even. We don't make a lot of money doing the festival, but we don't lose any, either. The goal's to show a bunch of really good films in town and to highlight ones you might not see at other places. They're talented filmmakers, and they deserve some coverage."

Once the festival's staff and recognition began to expand in its fourth year, Schmel was able to work with Sheppard and Pederson to create many unique programs that helped define the annual festival's identity. Expectations began to form in the attending public's eyes as more interactive programs were formulated to further engage the community, something Heberger said added a new element to the event.

"They've really done a great job creating community and national partnerships to strengthen the festival," Heberger said. "Programs like the 10x10, Filmmaker Challenge, Sac Music Seen and the opening night local film have really contributed a lot to the experience."

Suggested and instituted by Sheppard and now one of the most anticipated features of the festival, the 10X10 program gives anyone the opportunity to create a 10-minute film in the span of 10 days. This extremely limited time period allows participants to rely on creativity and teamwork to deliver the best product possible by deadline, with awards given for the best films the day they're presented. To read a previous article about the 10X10 competition, click here.

There are very few constraints outside of the allotted time, something that Sheppard said has made for some very interesting productions over the years.

"We had one mythical film that we couldn't play because the content was so extreme that I cannot begin to describe it," Sheppard said. "And this year, for the first time, we actually had someone shoot a documentary. So there's always something that comes along that's a little bit different."

Film Festival Lineup

Opening this year's festival on Friday night is a ticketed reception catered by Rubio's restaurant, partnered with opening remarks and presentation of the 2009 Film Arts Service Award. Capping the night off is a screening of the local film "Sensored," starring Robert Picardo, which was filmed entirely on the revolutionary Red One ultra-high definition digital camera that Sheppard said "...not even Hollywood is using yet". Following the film will be an after party for the cast and crew at the nearby Cosmo Cafe.

Saturday's festivities begin with a locally produced film called "Rivers of a Lost Coast," a documentary about the diminishing steelhead fishing culture in Northern California. Also screening is "Running of the Sahara" and a biographical documentary on the life of blues musician Floyd Lee. The night ends with one of the most anticipated annual events, the Sac Music Seen music video program, where local bands and filmmakers combine their efforts to create music videos specifically for the festival.

"It's one of the most unique programs out there," Heberger said."Having local filmmakers and bands to work together to make music videos has been a great experience for them and the people watching them."

On Sunday, the spotlight will revolve around an international showcasing of world short films and a feature film from India. Closing the day will be Friends (With Benefits), a love story surrounding the sexual relationships that form between six close friends.

Monday kicks off with a documentary about straight and gay marriages entitled "Inlaws and Outlaws." Following the film is a concert of songs specifically for the festival on the Crest's main stage.

The headline event on Tuesday is a film focusing on justice and injustice within California, coupled with a personal testimony by a woman who suffered years of extreme abuse before retaliating by murdering her husband. "Do As I Say," a local documentary that cites examples of politicians who say one thing and do another, will finish the evening's festivities.

Wednesday will focus on films and shorts produced specifically from Northern California, followed by the feature film, “Nightbeats.” In conjunction with the Parlare Eurolounge, all proceeds for the evening will go to the Capital Film Arts Alliance.

Thursday’s films and shorts will all be presented by students from the Art Institute of California.

Friday's schedule will consist of an exclusive sneak preview screening of "Paper Heart," starring Charlene Yi and Michael Cera, a story of elusive love. The feature movie, "Boppin' at the Glue Factory," and other short films round out the night's showings.

On Saturday, those who missed "Rivers of a Lost Coast" will get a second opportunity to see the documentary. Other documentaries and shorts will follow the second showing, followed by the much-anticipated 10X10 Filmmaker Challenge projects. The 10-minute clip presentations will be followed by a question and answer period with the makers of the films, something that Sheppard said always provides a little entertainment.

“Sometimes we show things a little rough around the edges because it's on a budget,” Sheppard said. "And some people in the audience are like, 'Oh my God, what do we have to do to be sure that this wins the best documentary academy award, because this is the greatest film we've seen.' It’s always interesting to see how the crowd responds to all the films.”

Wrapping up the festival on Sunday is “The Power of the Powerless,” a documentary concerning the rise and fall of communism in eastern Europe, particularly in Czechoslovakia. More short films will also be presented, with a recap of the best moments from the last 10 years as the finale of the 10-day festivities, along with an awards ceremony. There will also be an after party at Parlare on 1009 10th st. to close out the night.

More information regarding times and prices of all events spanning the 10-day festival can be found at sacfilm.com

'Altar Boyz' harmonize in comedy

2009-07-16T06:30:50Z

Move over, Jonas Brothers. There’s a new boy-band in town and they’re determined to save the souls of Sacramentans.

The off-Broadway musical hit "Altar Boyz" opened last Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Pavilion and kept the audience laughing and toe-tapping the entire 90 minutes.

The comedic story of five Catholic boy-band members, as passionate about saving souls as they are about their clothes being glitzy, will run through Sunday.

The group leader Matthew (Devin DeSantis), "sensitive" Mark (Jamison Scott), street-smart Luke (Ryan Nearhoff), "Latin lover" Juan (Andres Quintero) and the Jewish, yarmulke-sporting Abraham (Tim Dolan) are a talented cast that keep the audience laughing, line after line.

Using the "Sony DX 12 Soul Sensor," the boys attempt to sing and dance their way to salvation of the 999 souls in the audience that need it. The numbers fluctuate throughout the musical until it’s down to four and the boys struggle to save the final few as well as keep their group together despite solo offers.

The audience is invited to join in the action, too. In the Pavilion’s courtyard, ticket holders are invited to confess their sins on an index card. During a "confession session," the boys read several sins out loud and attempt to absolve them with humorous solutions and naughty double entendres.

Juan helps one audience member who covets her neighbor's ass (donkey) by suggesting she feed it a carrot in hopes that she might be allowed to pet or even ride it. Luke tells another that although his girlfriend might be "Mary Magdelicious," he should save his virginity for later.

The audience can’t help but clap their hands to the rhythm of catchy lyrics like "Who needs a G-E-D? I got my B-I-B-L-E!" and songs like "Jesus Called me on my Cell Phone." But don’t worry, the Altar Boyz reassure, they didn’t incur any roaming charges.

The boys make light of religious topics with pop-culture references abounding, discussing Lethal Weapon and Luke checking into rehab for "exhaustion," and subtly poke fun at boy-banders with over-the-top dance performances (conga line, anyone?) and serenading.

The somewhat-flamboyant Mark tells the audience of his struggle growing up and feeling different while being harassed by "thuggish Episcopalians." The audience is ready for a confession of his sexuality when he admits to an entirely unexpected confession.

Audience members of all faiths can appreciate the lightheartedness of the religious-themed musical, and comedy aside, the cast are more than talented in the vocal and acting departments. Dolan, Quintero and DeSantis have all held roles in various tours of "Altar Boyz."

Photos courtesy of California Musical Theatre and Charr Crail.

The Green Room - the College Musical Northern California Premier

2009-07-16T04:27:26Z

The Green Room - the College Musical opens at The California Stage on August 7th starring Courtney Parks, Jacob Montoya, Jessica Goldman and Lafras le Roux. The Green Room is a new backstage musical illustrating the journey of four best friends determined to make it out of the Green Room and onto the Broadway Stage. Premiering in Hermosa Beach Beach in May 2009 to audience acclaim and great reviews, Friends of Dorothy Productions is proud to present the Northern California premier of this new musical with a rocking score and witty dialogue.

Music and lyrics by Chuck Pelletier
Book by C. Stephen Foster and Rod Damer

Directed by Kevin Caravalho
Musical Direction by Jane Viemeister
Choreography by Terri Taylor

The California Stage
August 7th - August 29th
Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 pm
Thursdays August 20th & 27th at 8:00 pm
Saturday August 27th at midnight

“The Green Room is an entirely enjoyable musical bonbon…”
Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA

“A bright, beaming cherub of a fledgling musical…”
Philip Brandes, LA Times

For more information visit www.fodproductions.com
To view cast photos and preview some of the songs, visit www.myspace.com/fodproductions

Dinner for the Arts takes off

2009-07-01T17:57:53Z

The first weekly Dinner for the Arts had a great start Tuesday evening at Headhunters. It is becoming a weekly event that will give local arts organizations the opportunity to promote their productions or events and reach out to new audiences. The event strives to put the spotlight on local arts organizations and artists and to promote the arts in Sacramento.

Sacramento entertainer Courtney Parks was the hostess for the evening, Performing were Courtney, ICUP Comedy Troupe, Hot Pot Street Team Belly Dancers and LaFras LeRoux.

Dinner for the Arts will feature local theatre companies, dance troupes, singers and other artists each week. In addition to live entertainment, each performance will also feature local artists giving live demonstrations in various mediums such as painting, jewelry-making, metal-work and many others.

The Kennedy Gallery Art Center offered wine bottles with a handmade touch to the labels .

For more information about this activity, contact
Friends of Dorothy Productions at
Phone: (916) 534-7496
E-mail: friendsofdorothyproductions@gmail.com
Web site: http://www.fodproductions.com

Photos | Kati Garner

Dinner for the Arts kicks off on June 30th

2009-06-29T22:46:04Z

Dinner for the Arts will kick-off on June 30th at 7:00 pm on the patio at Head Hunters. Join host and entertainer Courtney Parks and special guests ICUP Comedy Troupe, Hot Spot Street Team Belly Dancers and featured vocalists. The event will also feature live art demonstrations.

Dinner for the Arts is an event that will give local arts organizations the opportunity to promote their productions or events and reach out to new audiences. The event strives to put the spotlight on local arts organizations and artists and to promote the arts in Sacramento.

There is no cost for the event but reservations are required. Reservations are limited to 50 people. Featured drinks include the Judy Garland, Liza's Martini, Sinatra's Manhattan, Bernadette's Red Apple and the Elphaba.

For reservations, please contact Friends of Dorothy at (916) 534-7496 or friendsofdorothyproductions@gmail.com.

Sacramento is filled with music & talent this weekend...

2009-06-25T23:28:03Z

Summertime is here and Sacramento is stepping up to the plate! Sounds like it's going to be a scorching weekend at upwards of 100 degrees but the music and entertainment events are equally as sizzling! With a nice mix of free and low cost things to do as well as a few splurges, June is going out with a jam packed weekend! Browse this list to find plenty of opportunities to laugh, feast & learn along with local talent & tons of live music. It's sure to keep you and yours entertained all weekend long...

Thursday 6.25

Theatre: Hedwig and the Angry Inch -- $25
Where: Artisan Theatre (1901 Del Paso Blvd)
When: 8pm (also showing Fri & Sat nights this week)
Why: This is the last weekend to see it if you haven't already...New Helvetia Theatre is a brand new theatre company in Sacramento. Founded in January of this year, NHT is “committed to the preservation and rebirth of the American Musical…By unearthing forgotten gems, exploring classics, and producing new works, the company seeks to enrich the community through productions of creativity and depth”. Directed by Matthew Schneider, “Hedwig” is New Helvetia’s first production. This rock musical is the story of Hansel, an East German boy who has undergone a botched sex change operation and becomes "Hedwig." After being left by “her” husband, Hedwig forms a band called "The Angry Inch." It may go without saying that this show is definitely intended for mature audiences only- leave the kids at home.
Details

Friday 6.26

Music/Fundraiser: Celebrate The Arts at Special Concert in the Park -- $Free
Where: Cesar Chavez Park
When: 5pm-9pm
Why: This week join the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) at a special Friday night "Concerts in the Park"!! This arts awareness event is part of the regular Friday night concert series, however SMAC is inviting Sacramento arts groups to participate by hosting booths that feature their organization. This is a great opportunity for arts groups to introduce concert go-ers to their organization, make new contacts and raise awareness for the arts! There will be over 25 Sacramento arts organizations represented, a lively art raffle, good food & fun- all accompanied by the lush and festive sounds of Mumbo Gumbo & The Nibblers. Donations will be accepted to support the arts and arts education programs for our youth. Plan to visit the booths, participate in the raffle and have a great time!
Details

Music Festival: In The Flow Festival --$Various ($20 Wristband for all 3 days- some shows are free)
Where: Along Broadway
When: 6pm-10pm (also Saturday, 11am-9pm & Sunday, 11am-8pm)
Why: The In The Flow Festival is a Sacramento celebration of jazz and creative music, art and local businesses. Over the course of the weekend, an array of talented musicians will be performing at various venues along Broadway. Beatnik Studios, a trendy new photography studio/gallery that operates under a collaborative philosophy; Java Lounge, an unconventional coffee house serving pizza, beer & wine along with live music & art; R5 Records, an eclectic records store with great staff & live music and Comedy Spot, where you can go for a good laugh every Fri & Sat night. Some of the performers include: Harley White Jr. Orchestra, Tony Passarell's Thin Air Orchestra, Byron Blackburn Trio, Darren Johnston and Devin Hoff, Alex Jenkins' Sound Immersion, The Alegria Quartet as well as many other groups from the Sacramento and Bay Area. Check ‘em out!
Details

Comedy: David Allen Grier -- $15
Where: Punchline comedy Club
When: 8:30pm & 10:30pm
Why: If you grew up as a teen in the 90’s, and maybe even if you didn’t, you should be familiar with the show “In Living Color.” If not, you missed out! David Allen Grier was one of the hilarious cast of the show that helped put the likes of Jim Carrey and the Wayans Brothers on the map. Grier is currently the Star and host of Chocolate News on Comedy Central and is also known for being the 3rd host of Loveline with Dr. Drew. He is only in town for two nights so try to make it!
Details

Film & Video: MOBS presents, Guest of Cindy Sherman -- $5
Where: Guild Theatre (2828 35th Street)
When: 7pm & 9:30pm
Why: Here is MOBS’s synopsis: “Filmed over the course of 15 years and including interviews with a veritable who's who of the art and entertainment world (including Roberta Smith, Ingrid Sischy, John Waters, Robert Longo, Carol Kane, David Furnish, Danny DeVito, Molly Ringwald, and Eric Fischl), "Guest of Cindy Sherman" paints a vivid picture of a New York art scene increasingly driven by money and fame. H-O also tackles-with more than a bit of humor-the role his own fragile ego plays in his relationship with Sherman. The end result is a witty, illuminating look at celebrity, male anxiety, and art.” I was not disappointed with my last visit to MOBS, a definitely unique cinema experience!
Details

Music: Albino -- $10
Where: Marilyn’s on K (10th & K St)
When: 9pm
Why: This 10 person ensemble band brings Sacramento some West African Funk! They call it Afrobeat. In addition to the funk, they mix a little politics and protest along with unity & community to reflect some of the current events affecting us all…What better way to spread the word than through music, right? Being the diverse and eclectic city it is, Sacramento is a perfect place for Albino.
Details

Saturday 6.27

Music Festival: Sammies Award Show & Music Fest -- $FREE
Where: Cesar Chavez Park
When: 3pm-9pm
Why: Music stages, SAMMIES Awards, Beer garden, dunk tanks, carnival games, awesome vendors, and more bands to be announced! So far the bands include: Category 7, Silver Darling, Sol Peligro, Agent Ribbons, Alak, Be Brave Bold Robot, Righteous Movement, Dog Party, Justin Farren, Light Rail, Arden Park Roots, The Other Poets, DJ Shaun Slaughter and Sister Crayon. This event is part of 2009 SAMMIES - Honoring the best musicians in the Sacramento area.
Details

Art: Sacramento Potters Group Annual Show -- $Free
Where: Shepard Garden and Art Center
When: 10am-4pm
Why: The group's annual show and sale is back! One day only at McKinley Park. Come and buy yourself a nice present or find that perfect early holiday or birthday gift for a special someone. There will be a wide variety of clay sculpture, pottery, glass art and metalwork along with wheel throwing demos throughout the day.
Details

Music Festival: Baby Boomer Music Fest-- $10 at door/ Kids 10 & under Free
Where: Sacramento Convention Center
When: 11am-7pm (also Sunday, 11am-5pm)
Why: The name says it all! With Classic Cars, live music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and over 100 exhibitors this event focuses on the good memories, the nostalgia, the dreams and the needs of America’s “Baby Boomer” generation. Musicians will include the Woodstock icon, Country Joe McDonald, and a list of major tribute bands performing the music of the Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Elvis, Santana, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and others. There will be Inspirational Speakers and Seminars convering important and valuable topics relating to finance, health and energy. Exhibitors reflect the needs and interests of the Boomer generation, including health & fitness, finance and investments, arts & crafts, wineries and restaurants. And to top it off, know that you’re support our youth with 10% of the proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento.
Details

Food & Wine: King of Feasts -- $50 general/$45 members/$60 Day of event
Where: Sacramento Zoo
When: 5:30pm-8:30pm
Why: Everyone loves to go to the Zoo! I can’t think of a better time to visit the animals than when there are over 50 restaurants, wineries & breweries dishing up food & drink for you to enjoy along the way! 3 of my favorite things in one place! Don’t forget to don your “safari” attire (Because all Sacramentans are sure to have this in their closet…) to fit in with your “Wild” surroundings. You will also be entertained with live blues by the Rhythm Vandals. An all around feast fit for a King (in this case-of the jungle)!
Details

Food & Wine: Gourmet Cooking Class With Chef Linda -- $20
Where: Arden Hills Resort & Spa
When: 11am
Why: Eating healthy foods can be fun and exciting, too! Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa is proud to offer monthly gourmet cooking classes designed to tempt your palate with interesting new and delicious meal ideas. On the menu this month is elegant and easy Asian Vegetable Rolls and Summer Fruit Compote with Orange Honey Sauce. Mouth watering yet? It will be! Learn to cook, live and eat well, reserve your space today.
Details

Sports & Rec: Urban Dare Adventure Race -- $100/team or $40 per person
Where: Starting point, MVP Sports Grill
When: Check-in, 11am; Start, 12pm
Why: Urban Dare is the team race that’s part photo hunt, part trivia and part dares. The challenge is to be the first team to cross the finish line after successfully completing checkpoint dares and getting required photos. Teams of 2 must solve clues to find checkpoints throughout the city. To move on they must take photos or perform dares to earn passport stamps. You can run. Walk or use public transportation, however bikes are not allowed. The winner receives a 3-Day Royal Caribbean Cruise next February where they
will compete in Super Dare with a first prize of $5000. Additional prizes will be awarded for best picture & best costumes. The remaining proceeds from this event help raise money to fight breast cancer. Do you dare to take the Urban Dare? This dare may result in some great prizes and guarantees a full day of fun!
Details

**There are so many other things happening on Saturday: Art classes & Featured Tours at the Crocker Art Museum, Pops in the Park Family Concert Series, Family Fun Program at the California Auto Museum & many more…find them all at Sacramento365.com.

Sunday 6.28

Kids & Families: Sacramento Street Scenes -- $Free
Where: Old Sacramento
When: 10am-6pm (Every Sat & Sun through August)
Why: The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation in collaboration with the City of Sacramento is proud to introduce a new Street Scene Program beginning this month. Calling upon the talents of musicians, jugglers, storytellers, re-enactors, volunteer fire fighters, artisans, and even some burros, Old Sacramento will offer free, family-friendly and historically educational entertainment every Saturday and Sunday June through August. This Sunday there will be Storytelling, Children's Games, Bowling- Gold Rush Style, Juggling, & Shootouts!
Details

Sports & Rec: WWE- The Bash -- $17.50+
Where: Arco Arena
When: 4:45pm
Why: It’s been 8 years since the last time the World Wrestling Entertainment came to Sacramento. If you’re a wrestling fan, this is your chance to see your favorite superstars from RAW, SMACKDOWN & ECW all under the same roof on the same night! Some of you may smirk but I know that there are some WWE (or maybe the old WWF) fans out there! Show them some Sacramento support!
Details

Keep in mind that all of these events and many more can can be found on Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events. If you have an event you would like to add to Sacramento365.com, visit the website. Its easy and free to add your events! Also, if you want to mention an event that I didn't squeeze into this little article- add it to the comments below! Have a great weekend!!

Review: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

2009-06-19T21:08:17Z

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
New Helvetia Theatre

By Tony Sheppard
Capitol Weekly

This column normally focuses on film, but occasionally something else comes along that warrants attention. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” the first full production of the New Helvetia Theatre, is one of those. Familiar to many from the film adaptation or prior stage productions, “Hedwig” tells the story of a transgendered East German who undergoes a botched sex change operation in a bid to emigrate to America. That brief description alone makes it clear that it’s not material that would appeal to all audiences, and it’s certainly not a show for most kids. But this is a phenomenal production of a heartfelt and inherently comedic story of love, loss, and identity.

I am predisposed to think of the character of Hedwig with hair that is as large as her ego. Production stills caused me a slight concern, as this incarnation of the “internationally ignored song stylist” is somewhat toned down in her coiffure. However, the artistic interpretation of both the costumes and sets works wonderfully, with many of the more elaborate set pieces depicted via multiple video screens that are seamlessly incorporated into the performance. With the added involvement of a live video feed we don’t only see Hedwig thrust her head into her mother’s oven, for example, but we can inhabit that small space with her. It’s really an extraordinary confluence of media in a versatile set that might be described as industrial-lite.

Both Christopher Davis Carlisle and Nanci Zoppi seem perfectly cast as Hedwig and Yitzhak, her at times questionably significant other. Their voices are a great match both for the material and for each other. Hedwig’s house band, The Angry Inch, is played by The New Humans. I’ve heard it said that The New Humans’ typical musical style is quite different from the guitar-heavy playing of The Angry Inch. If that’s the case, then they are a truly versatile and talented foursome because they join Carlisle and Zoppi in nailing their respective roles.

Directed by Matthew Schneider, and under the creative oversight of New Helvetia’s Founder and Artistic Director Connor Mickiewicz, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is an exciting and auspicious start for the fledgling theater company. Frankly, their biggest challenge at this point is that they’ve given themselves a tough act to follow.

“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” continues through June 27th at the Artisan, 1901 Del Paso Boulevard, with Thursday performances at 8pm and Friday/Saturday performances at 7pm and 9pm. More details and ticket information can be found at NewHelvetia.org – all seats are $25.

Courtney Parks hosts Dinner for the Arts

2009-06-09T04:59:57Z

Although not quite as well known in Sacramento as her native home of Alaska where she performed the lead roles in many musical theatre productions and sang at political fundraisers and sports events, Courtney Parks’ reputation as an extremely talented vocalist is catching on quickly in Sacramento.

Prior moving to Sacramento Courtney won Spokane Idol and sang live onstage with Beth Hart. Locally, Courtney has performed on Good Day Sacramento as Judy Garland in December of 2008. She also co-wrote and performed a one-woman cabarets titled Under Their Influence: A Tribute to Judy Garland, Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand at The Studio Theatre and It’s All About Me at Badlands Nightclub featuring the award-winning title song from the upcoming production of The Green Room at California Stage. Courtney was also chosen by C. Stephen Foster and Chuck Pelletier, book and songwriters for The Green Room - the College Musical to play the part of Divonne.

Courtney will act as host and entertainer for Dinner for the Arts, a weekly event that will give local arts organizations the opportunity to promote their productions or events and reach out to new audiences. Dinner for the Arts will feature local theatre companies, dance troupes, singers and other artists each week. In addition to live entertainment, each week will also feature local artists giving live demonstrations in various mediums such as painting, jewelry-making, metal-work and many others.

Dinner reservations will be limited to 50 people each Tuesday night. Additional seating for those wishing to see the evening’s entertainment will also be available. Featured drinks include the Judy Garland, Liza's Martini, Sinatra's Manhattan, Bernadette's Red Apple and the Elphaba. There is no cover charge for this event.

The Kick-Off for Dinner for the Arts is June 30th.

Headhunters Patio (20th & K Streets) at 7:00 p.m.

Reservations: Contact Headhunters at (916) 492-2922 until 5:00 p.m the Friday before the show. Friday evenings through Tuesdays, contact Friends of Dorothy at (916) 534-7496.Arts organizations or entertainers wishing to be a part of the Dinner for the Arts entertainment and promotions, please contact Courtney Parks at friendsofdorothyproductions@gmail.com Please type ‘Dinner for the Arts’ in the subject line.
For more information visit www.fodproductions.com

New Helvetia Theatre grows an "Angry Inch"

2009-06-05T04:55:20Z

Swiss explorer John Sutter named portions of Sacramento including Sutter's Fort "Nueva Helvetia" in the year 1840. As of January 2009, Sacramento has a new "New Helvetia" -- only this one is a theater company designed to provide Sacramento with a unique and intimate theater experience and an opportunity to revisit a classic American Musicals.

Its mission: to rediscover hidden gems of musical theater, and to be a birthplace for new musicals and plays. In addition, the theater staff wants to have the educational outreach to build a new generation of theater-goers.

Nonprofit status still pending approval, the group was founded by a young NYU graduate Connor Mikiewicz, who studied musical theater in NYU's CAP21 program, part of the Tisch School of the Arts. On Jan. 17, the group presented New Helvetia's mission and staged its one-night-only debut play Celebration at the Crest Theater. The 1969 play was written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, who created the long-running hit The Fantastiks, and produced and directed by Mikiewicz himself.

Wednesday, June 3 at the Artisan Theater, the young company gave a preview of its first full-scale production, the popular musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, directed by Matthew Schneider, Mikiewicz's friend and NYU classmate. The colorful story shows the life of Hedwig, a transvestite rock and roll singer whose botched sex change operation leaves her (him?) with a "angry inch," while exploring the nature of love between two human beings.

Local four-piece band The New Humans appear as the rock band The Angry Inch and provide comic moments in the musical, fronted by Christopher Davis Carlisle as Hedwig, with additional vocals by Nanci Zoppi. Though the script is usually monologue, a new multimedia element adds video, art and sound effects to the stage's production, and Hedwig engages in dialogue with several video monitors throughout the musical.

The band is a local band, Zoppi is a local actress, the art was produced by local artists and the photographs were shot by local photographers, director Matthew Schneider mentioned in a phone interview.

"So by employing the best of the best from the area, we've really set ourselves up for a strong production just by choosing the best Sacramento has to offer," he said.

"One of New Helvetia's mottos is rethinking theater, and I think we've created a new theatrical experience that a lot of Sacramento is unaccustomed to or unfamiliar with," Schneider said. "A new theater company is a wonderful thing, any new invigorating force in the arts scene should be supported by the community."

Schneider recently worked on White Christmas and Pride and Prejudice as part of a team and as a featured player and has toured in cities across the United States, so when Mikiewicz asked him to direct, he felt that his work including experience with Broadway directors and choreographers prepared him to make his directorial debut.

"It's also a new professional theater company finding its sea legs in the middle of a recession. I think things like this pop up when people really need it the most. In addition to that, I think the story is particularly current at the moment," he added. “I think the project of equal rights for the transgender community is up and coming -- that's really the future of the human rights campaign in America.”

The Artisan Theater is located at 1901 Del Paso Blvd. Hedwig and the Angry Inch plays Thursday at 8 p.m., as well as Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and 9 p.m. June 6-27.

*Photographs courtesy Brian Kameoka/ New Helvetia Theatre

Crazy "cool" events this weekend!!

2009-06-04T22:47:02Z

I can honestly say that I am proud to be a Sacramentan. Even more so since I began working on the events calendar for Sacramento at the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau! I have pretty much lived in the Sacramento area my whole life and never before did I realize that there are so many things going on- all the time! This weekend is packed full of Festivals, fundraisers, music & theatre and hopefully by reading this you are prompted to get out and have some fun! And please do note that there are many more things happening that I may not have mentioned...in order to keep these articles concise, I narrow them down to a few events. Feel free to add events in the Comment section at the bottom of the page if you would like to mention one I didn't add. Happy galavanting...

Thursday 6.4

Comedy: Paul Mecurio w/ Jason Downs & Laura Rosenberg -- $6/$4/$3
Where: Punch Line Comedy Club
When: 8:30pm (Showing thru June 7th-also @ 10:00pm Sat&Sun)
Why: He was a writer for the Daily Show with John Stewart. Not sure if he really needs more credits but heres a few others: Comedy Central Presents, The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Late Night w/Conan O’Brien, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Dr. Katz, NBC’s Late Friday…must be a pretty funny guy!
Details

Art: Sew What? Fashion Show--
Where: Social Nightclub
When: 7pm
Why: Local fashion from Gianna Couture, Marianno Ratto, Stephanie Lozano & more! Hair will be done by Suede Salon.
Details

Theatre: Hedwig and the Angry Inch -- $18-25
Where: Artisan Theatre
When: 8:00pm (Showing thru June 27th)
Why: This is New Helvetia Theatre Company’s first production at the beautiful Artisan Gallery on Del Paso Blvd. New Helvetia is rethinking theatre in Sacramento. Their goal is to “rediscover forgotten gems of the American Musical while re-examining classic musicals and plays”. Directed by Matthew Schneider, Hedwig is about a fictional rock and roll band fronted by an East German transgendered singer. This musical has become somewhat of a cult classic similar to The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a devoted following.
Details

Friday 6.5

Food & Wine: 7th Annual Celebrity Chef Challenge--$50 advance/$60 at the door
Where: California Auto Museum (formerly Towe)
When: 5:30-9:30
Why: Ladies & Gentlemen start your engines & drive on down to the 2009 Celebrity Chef Challenge!! Ride along side event emcees Edie Lambert of KCRA Channel 3 & Dennis Mangers of Darrell Steinberg's Office & your favorite local chefs as they whisk past the competition at the 7th annual Celebrity Chef Challenge.
Competitors will have 45 minutes to turn 5 secret ingredients into 3 power packed dishes right in front of your eyes!!! Fans will be treated to a VIP Food Show, Hosted Beer and Wine, Silent Auction, Raffle & 72,000 square feet of automotive excellence! And the Celebrity Judges are...Guy Farris & Melissa Crowley of Sacramento & Co. & Former State Assembly member Lloyd Levine, New This Year!!!
The finest culinary competition on the West Coast just got a little finer with the addition of the 1st Annual InAlliance Car Show that welcomes all makes and models!
Details

Music: Bucho! at Concert in the Park-- Free
Where: Cesar Chavez Park
When: 5pm-9pm
Why: Free music and family fun! In addition to Bucho, Righteous Movement & Happy Mayfield will be there too. Get there early and bring a blanket to check out the show. The beer garden gets really packed after awhile so its best to get there early- buy two while you’re at it to make it last longer. I haven’t tried the food but there are a bunch of options for eats if you’re hungry too. Afterward, your bracelet can score you discounts a local restaurants and bars.
Details

Music: Freekbass-- $15
Where: Marilyn’s on K (St)
When: 9:00pm
Why: The guys name is really Freekbass. Or at least that’s what he goes by. He studied bass at Cincinnati's School for the Creative and Performing Arts and never looked back. Influenced by the likes of Larry Graham, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Parliament and Bootsy, you may expect this show to have some funk! Along with Freekbass the band consists of a guitarist, drummer and turntablist. Sounds like a show!
Details

Saturday 6.6

Food & Wine: 7th Annual Raley’s Grape Escape -- $40 advance/$50 day of
Where: Cesar Chavez Plaza
When: 4pm-7pm
Why: If you like to mingle with friends and meet new ones while sipping on wines and tasting delicious food from local restaurants all while enjoying the sounds of live Jazz…you gotta check this event out! Over 60 wineries (= 200+wines!) and 40+ restaurants will be serving up tastes of their yummy goods for you to enjoy. There’s also a “Chef's Challenge” presented by the Institute of Technology where 4 local chef’s will compete in two rounds to win. They get 25 minutes and a market basket of fresh produce and a cut of meat to come up with the winning recipe.
Details

Festival: Sierra Stampede Rodeo & Festival -- $10 ($25 for weekend pass)
Where: Central Park Horse Arena
When: 8am (Sat & Sun)
Why: If you've never been to a gay rodeo before, you don't want to miss Steer Deco, Goat Dressing or Wild Drag Race…this amateur rodeo attracts cowboys & cowgirls from across the United States! There'll be horse events, roping, steers, and bulls. The Festival's vendor area will include a beer garden, entertainment food & goodies for sale. Rodeo proceeds benefit Saddle Pals, a division of United Cerebral Palsy that uses horses for therapy. This event is brought to Sacramento and produced by Capital Crossroads Gay Rodeo Association. In addition to the rodeo, there will be kickoff events Thursday & Friday nights and afterparties both Sat & Sunday- A whole weekend of same-sex fun!
Details

Music: Jackie Greene in Concert-- $25 advance/$30 at door (subject to availability)
Where: Fairytale town
When: 6pm-10pm
Why: In celebration of Fairytale Towns 50th Anniversary of bringing “musical merriment” and wholesome family fun to Sacramento Jackie Greene and AKALive will be playing on the Mother Goose Stage. Your ticket is for the music only, however, there will be food & drinks available for purchase. This is a great night to bring the kids out- fun for the whole family! Kids can play and adults can enjoy some great music at the same time.
Details

Family: Pops in The Park Concert Series Kickoff-- $Free
Where: East Portal Park
When: 6pm
Why: The Q-Balls will be entertaining the friends & families out this week at East Portal Park. This six man band plays covers of music from the 60’s-80’s- fun, upbeat music great for both kids & adults. Deidre Fitzpatrick from KCRA3 will be the emcee. More than just a fun night out, Pops in the Park raises money for our under-funded neighborhood parks. Since 1995, proceeds from sponsorship, advertising, as well as the food & beverages sales during the events have been used to enhance our neighborhood parks, bring improvements to the neighborhood, provide youth athletic scholarships and make these events possible. Feel free to bring your own food & drink but do know that if you buy there, your money spent is going to a good cause.
Details

Sunday 6.7

Festival: Fiesta Filipino & Health Fair -- $Free
Where: Jose Rizal Community Center
When: 10am-5pm
Why: The Fiesta Filipino is an annual free event that attracts up to 6,000 people from all over Sacramento and surrounding counties. The event features all-day entertainment, food vendors, arts & crafts, local businesses, career fair and a health fair. Community-based health organizations participate in the health fair and offer various health services to the fair-goers for free.
Details: http://www.sacramento365.com/event/detail/38063

Music: Sunday Jazz Concerts in the Park -- $Free
Where: Grant Park
When: 6pm-8pm
Why: The sounds of Jazz are magical in the summer, especially when they are paired with Sacramento's beautiful parks! These concerts are brought to you by the Traditional Jazz Society of Sacramento and will be held at various parks located throughout Sacramento. Each concert will offer the community a chance to come together and listen to a musical form steeped in history and feature some of the best Jazz for miles. All entertainment is courtesy of the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, with children's activities provided by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Details

Festival: Nike Women's Fitness Festival-- $35
Where: CA State Capitol Park
When: 8am~3pm
Why: Ladies only! This is the largest women’s only event in the region. My understanding is that men can participate, they just can’t compete. So fair game ladies! This event is designed to promote women's fitness and health, along with raising money for critical programs for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. There will be a timed-run for women and a non-timed run/walk for teams and families. Following the races, participants are welcome to listen to live music, visit booths that include salon services, check out the Nike expo, loosen your muscles with message therapists and much more!
Details

Sports&Rec: World Extreme Cagefighting-- $42.50+
Where: Arco Arena
When: 3pm
Why: Sacramento’s very own Urijah Faber, from Ultimate Fitness downtown, is going up against featherweight champion Mike Brown for the title. This is a rematch of their previous clash in 2008. Many claim this fight to be the most anticipated fight in WEC history. I am not much of a fight watcher (I’m a lover! Not a hater…) but I am a big supporter of local people doing big things. Urijah has really made a name for himself in the world of Cagefighting and is known around the world for his lighting-fast hand speed & strong takedowns. Good thing you don’t have to be tall for this sport!
Details

Keep in mind that all of these events and many more can can be found on Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

Which event will you be attending this Memorial weekend?

2009-05-21T00:39:16Z

Although many of the events this weekend do not really reflect the true meaning of the foundation of this holiday, there are still some great things to do! Whatever your plan is this weekend, do take a moment to reflect on what Memorial Day is about and be thankful for our fellow Americans who put their lives on the line for the sake of our country. Just in case you aren't sure as to what Memorial Day is all about and why it is a National Holiday, here is the definition from Wikipedia: "Formerly known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action." So here's to a great weekend and thank you to all those who made it possible!

Wednesday 5.20

Music: Izabella w/ Montana Slim -- $10
Where: Harlow’s (27th & J St)
When: 8pm
Why: Izabella is a dance-inspired rock and soul band hailing from the Bay Area. I haven’t seen them yet but hear they’re great! This is what their website has to say: “This six-piece family of musical explorers is avowed for producing danceable, dynamic grooves. Izabella's live performances exude joy and inspiration for all in attendance. Their unique blend of fist-pumping guitar, funked-out keys, poly-rhythmic beats, and impassioned vocals is unparalleled in the genre. As this musical collective continues to blaze their own trail, they remain in constant connection with their community of fans who ultimately make it all happen.”
Details

Thursday 5.21

Museum: Diverse Perspectives Tour -- $6/$4/$3
Where: Crocker Art Museum (216 O St)
When: 1pm
Why: For those of you out there with wheels to get around on, The Crocker Art Museum will be shining the spotlight on their works at eye-level. This is a special exhibit for wheelchair users and their friends and all are welcome!
Details

Art: Lecture by Catherine Clark-- $5 (Free to CCA members)
Where: Center For Contemporary Art (1519 19th St)
When: 7pm
Why: Catherine Clark, from the Catherine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, will discuss the work in the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento's "The Conundrum of Abundance," an exhibition of paintings by Chester Arnold, Scott Greene, and Julie Heffernan. They all share an affinity for abundance in their paintings. While the imagery differs, the works share a pre or post-apocalyptical narrative that simultaneously embraces this abundance, and questions it. This should be a great, informative event.
Details

Music: Third Thursday Jazz Summer Concert Series -- $10 (Free to Crocker Members)
Where: Crocker Art Museum
When: 5:30-8pm
Why: Guitarist and singer Perry Mills leads his band in playing rock-rooted and jazz-schooled music. Enjoy a spotlight tour during intermission.
Details

Festival: Sacramento County Fair-- $3 (Kids & Seniors Free!)
Where: Cal Expo
When: 10am-10pm, May 21st-25th (10am-7pm on Memorial Day)
Why: The County Fair features competitions showcasing talent from our region, arts and crafts displays, agricultural exhibits, a hypnotist, SPIKE the fire juggler, a carnival with 30 thrilling rides, and of course, an assortment of food ranging from traditional fair favorites to contemporary cuisine. Local bands and musicians will get your summer rockin’ and rollin’ on two stages this year. Each night, talented artists are guaranteed to impress audiences! The Demolition Derby, Roving cowboys, wandering jugglers, hands-on fun with physics and the popular Sunflower Saddle Ranch are the types of entertainment you can expect- It's a surprise around every corner! Individuals, families and groups can enter and participate in contests during the Fair including a Cookie Bake-Off, Potatomobile Races, Gift Wrapping, Memory Pages, Grab Bag Art, Trim-a-Tree and more. Frugal fun for the whole family!!
Details

Friday 5.22

Festival: 36th Annual Sacramento Jazz Festival--$45 ($50 at door)
Where: Old Sacramento/Convention Center
When: May 22nd-25th: Fri, 1pm-11pm; Sat & Sun, 10am-11pm; Mon, 10am-4pm
Why: Jazz music of all types will permeate Old Sacramento and the area around the Sacramento convention center. More than 60 bands at 23 venues, more than 20 nationally-known all-stars, and a dozen featured bands. Special events include a big Friday parade, specialty concerts, a rousing Sunday gospel service and respectful Memorial Day salute to service, and sixteen bands made up of teenage musicians on their own stages.
Details

Music: Wonderbread 5 -- $12
Where: Harlow’s
When: 10pm-1:30am
Why: For over a decade, the unstoppable, international rock and roll party machine known as the Wonder Bread 5 have been thrilling audiences, and exceeding client's expectations around the globe. (And on Saturday you can catch Mercy Me at Harlow’s too!)
Details

Theatre: Let's Go! Musical -- $20/25/30
Where: Crest Theatre
When: May 22nd-24th: Fri-Sun 8pm & Sat-Sun 2pm
Why: "Let's Go" will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions through its inspirational story. With jaw-dropping dance numbers and soulful renditions of your favorite songs, you'll be dancing and singing along with the cast! The performers in Let's Go! have a passion for their art and a desire to be deemed number one. Throughout the first act, the singers and dancers battle to find out who is the best. The magic begins when the rivals realize the only way to be number one is to act as one. United through a tragic loss, the performers come together in Act II and put on a show you'll never forget. Whether you are a fan of Country, R & B, Rock, Gospel, or Hip Hop, this musical has it all! At the end of each show, meet the Let's Go! Cast and hear their real life stories. This is a rare chance to meet the people behind the characters you see on stage and best of all- they’re from Sacramento!
Details

Music: Jackopierce -- $25 ($20 in advance)
Where: Marilyn’s on K (St)
When: 9:00pm
Why: The songs range from acoustic pop (the title-track, "Promise of Summer") to John Mellencamp-tinged country-rock ("Everything I'm Not"). Heartache is ever-present on a Jackopierce record. Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce founded the duo in 1988 and after a decade-long run they decided to call it quits with a sold-out farewell tour 1997. In 2002, they reunited and have played 15-20 shows per year, always to sold-out venues.
Details

Music: Concert in the Park -- $Free
Where: Cesar Chavez Park
When: 5pm-8pm
Why: This week check out Silver Darling, Kris Anaya, & Buildings Breeding (their CD release!) followed by the featured band Two Sheds. Afterward, continue the fun with the “Weekly Concert Crawl” (Post Concert Specials)! Show your concert wristband and receive specials like happy hour pricing on food & drinks every Friday night at local bars and restaurants. Just ask for the Concert Crawl Deal.
Details

History: CARRIED WITH COURAGE: Historic Flags from the Capitol Collection -- $Free
Where: CA State Capitol Museum
When: Mat 22nd-23rd 9am-5pm
Why: This exhibit features a number of conserved Civil War flags from the Capitol Historic Flag Collection. Some of these flags were flown on display on the parade ground, while others have accompanied Californians into battle. Many of the flags to be exhibited have never before been seen by the public. This exhibit is a unique opportunity and will offer the public a once in a lifetime chance to view this remarkable collection.
Details

Saturday 5.23

Dance: Sacramento Ballet's Season Finale -- $38
Where: Sacramento Theatre Company
When: May 23rd & 24th: Saturday 7:30pm, Sunday 2:00pm
Why: The Sacramento Ballet is bringing their year to an end. These two shows will be the final performances for the Ballet’s 2008–2009 Season. Presenting highlights from its recently sold-out performance at the Mondavi Center’s Studio Theatre, these performances will showcase Amy Seiwert's "Well it's not a cry," Nolan T'Sani's "Ballet de Murphy," Molly Lynch's "A Journey" and Jared Nelson's "Jump Jive," along with additional Sacramento Ballet repertory favorites in a powerful display of the creative and artistic excellence that is the hallmark of what Sacramento Ballet’s Artistic Directors Ron Cunningham and Carinne Binda have consistently and brilliantly brought to the stage. Support the SacBallet!
Details

Festival: Handmade Parade-- $1
Where: Giovanni Hall (1333 58th St)
When: 10:00am-5:00pm
Why: Handmade Parade welcomes everyone to come and enjoy a wide range of fine art, folk art and crafts at this semi-annual event- with free craft demos, make & takes, and knitting & crochet demos to boot! The first 200 people there will receive a bag of freebies and discounts from our vendors and sponsors.
Details

Fundraiser: Walk 'N Rock for Kids Benefit-- $donation
Where: Raley Field
When: Walk 8:00am, Concert 8:00pm
Why: The morning will be filled with music at Raley Field and along the route. After the walk, enjoy entertainment, interactive booths, kids activities, more music, food and fun! Bobby Jackson will be the official spokesperson for this event- Don't miss it! Later that evening, Hope Productions and our corporate partners will host an exclusive VIP reception and a benefit concert featuring: Journey! (Tickets on sale) This will be open to the general public. The proceeds from the concert will be divided among the nonprofit partners.
Details

Family: Family Fun Program-- $Free w/ Museum admission ($7/6/3)
Where: California Auto Museum
When: 1:30pm-3pm
Why: Celebrate Mom all month long and make her a special keepsake, a race car themed picture frame complete with your picture next to your favorite Museum car! Just in time for the 93rd Indianapolis 500, you can also decorate your own miniature wooden race car.
Details

History: Memorial Day Ceremony -- $Free
Where: Historic City Cemetary
When: 10am
Why: Join the Historic City Cemetery Committee in honoring veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Music, speakers, color guard and dignitaries guided tours will be featured.
Details

Sunday 5.24

Music: A Fashion Night Stand -- $10
Where: MIX Downtown
When: Pre-party 6pm, Runway 9:30pm
Why: An upscale & fashion forward one night affair showcasing some of the best local fashion & talent rounds out the Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy a runway main event featuring fashions by local boutique Madam Butterfly & local designers of Velvet Leaf, with styling by Suede Salon & showcasing Cast Images runway talent. Stay for the post-show party hosted by 100.5 The Zone until 2:00am. Walk the TwinSoup Pink Carpet, enjoy photo-ops, free swag bags valued at $250+ each, TwinSouptinis & more!
Details

Music: Graham-A-Rama -- $15
Where: Geery Theatre
When: 7pm & 9pm
Why: Join in the fun this weekend with Graham Sobelman as he welcomes Jerry-lee to the set! Also performing are the Graham-A-Rama puppeteers! A fun filled-hilarious time! This humorous display of talent occurs every Sunday at the Geery theatre so even if you can’t make it his week, keep it in mind…
Details

Monday 5.25

Theatre: Tommy the Musical-- $20 ($15 in advance)
Where: Crest Theatre
When: 7pm
Why: Sacramento's own Nancy Zoppi will be playing Tommy's mom- She is the daughter of a good friend of mine and an amazing performer! This show is not to be missed! Presented by Artistic Differences.
Details

Also keep in mind for that the Sacramento County Fair & the Sacramento Jazz Jubille are both continuing through Monday. If you didn't get a chance to go over the weekend, it's not too late!!

These events and many more can can be found on Sacramento365.com, the year-round source for Sacramento events.

Controversial Play opens in Sacramento Friday

2009-05-11T21:44:41Z

Beyond the Proscenium Productions (BPP) joins the Jewish Voice for Peace (http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/) and the Palestinian American Congress (http://www.pac-national.org/) in presenting the California Community Theatre premiere of "My Name is Rachel Corrie". Karen Nylund directs this controversial play, based on the diaries and email of the peace activist and college student, who was bulldozed to death in the Middle East, beginning May 15th at the Threepenny Theatre, behind the gray fence at 25th and R Streets in Midtown Sacramento.

Tickets are $18 general admission and $15 students, seniors, military and SARTA members. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Seating is extremely limited so reservations are required. Please email contact@beyond-pro.org or call 916-456-1600.

More Stuff to do in Sacramento

2009-04-13T20:50:23Z

I missed last week, but here's a big list of stuff coming up this week. Lots going on this coming week -and this only a sampling!

Ongoing:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Live Theater
Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 PM; Sundays, 2:30 PM through May 9, 2009
Admission: General: $15.00; Students/SARTA: $12.00 (April 17-19, all tickets are only $10.00!)
Big Idea Theatre
1616 Del Paso Blvd
Sacramento, CA
(916) 960-3036
http://www.bigideatheatre.com

A comedy that includes scenes from Hamlet involving the prince's two unwitting friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and combines them with a "Waiting for Godot" sensibility, resulting in a thought provoking show and a knee-slapping good time.

SPCA Spring Book Sale
Saturday, April 18 - Sunday, April 26, 2009
Mon-Sat: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sun: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Admission: Free
Marketplace at Birdcage
6123 Sunrise Blvd
Citrus Heights, CA
(916) 383-7387, ext. 9103

Features thousands of new and used books at dog-gone great prices! The sale, one of the largest book sales of its kind in Northern California, will include 40 categories, including fine and rare books, fiction, children and teens, mystery, adventure, science fiction, biography, history, westerns, art, reference, business, cultural issues, foreign language, humor and home and garden

Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mahogany Urban Poetry Series: Seth Walker
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Queen Sheba Restaurant
1704 Broadway
Sacramento, CA
http://mybmsf.com/mahogany/

The notorious Houston poet comes to Sacramento!

Thursday, April 16, 2009 and Friday April 17, 2009
The Davis Feminist Film Festival
7:00 PM reception/8:00 PM show
Admission: Students: $12.00 single night/$20.00 both nights; General: $18.00 single night/$30.00 both nights (slightly cheaper if purchased in advance at The Beat)
Veterans Memorial Theater
203 E 14th St
Davis, CA
http://femfilmfest.ucdavis.edu

The Davis Feminist Film Festival is a grassroots festival of short films featuring filmmakers from around the world. Mixing narrative, documentary, and experimental styles, the films focus on issues of gender and sexuality often missing from mainstream media and highlight the links between local, national, and international social struggle.

Friday, April 17, 2009 - Saturday, April 18, 2009
Indian Arts & Crafts Market
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Admission: General: $2.00; Youth (6-17): $1.00; 5 & Under: Free
California State Indian Museum
2618 K St
Sacramento, CA
Indian artists and crafters from all over California will participate. Items to fit every budget include: artwork, jewelry, hand-crafted dolls, baskets, soapstone and elkhorn carvings, drums, decorated gourds and more.

Friday, April 17, 2009, Saturday, April 18, 2009, Friday, April 24, 2009
Keith Lowell Jensen Live CD Taping
Doors at 7:00 PM, Taping Begins at 8:00 PM
Admission: $10.00
Luna's Café
1414 16th St
Sacramento, CA
http://rockass.net

Keith Lowell Jensen, co-headliner of The Coexist? Comedy Tour, featured guest on Brian Malow's Science Comedy Tour and one of Sacramento's best known comics will spend three nights taping original material at Luna's Cafe in downtown Sacramento for an upcoming CD.

The taping is divided into three categories over three nights, club comedy, atheist/religious themed comedy and the third night will be the wild card leaving room for KLJ to riff, ramble and if need be, totally make an ass out of himself because he already has two nights of tape so to heck with it right?

The venue is small. This will sell out, so advance tickets are the only way to guarantee a seat. They can be obtained at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/55720

Saturday, April 18, 2009
R5 Records Celebrates Record Store Day with a Rock n' Roll Garage Sale, Live Music and More!
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Admission: Free
R5 Records
2500 16th St
Sacramento, CA
http://www.r5records.com

R5 will be hosting live music, a Rock n' Roll Garage Sale and swap meet, and offering refreshments, giveaways and lots of other surprises from 9am to 5pm. R5's entire inventory will also be at sale price for the entire day. KSSU, the on-campus station at Sac State will also be on hand hosting the "Big Vinyl Spectacular" featuring live DJ sets throughout the day. Guest DJs include Shaun Slaughter, Trina Latrine, Danny Secretion, Nick Brunner and others.

The Rock n' Roll Garage Sale will take place in R5's parking lot facing the Tower Theatre. Vendors will be selling used vinyl, music memorabilia, posters, toys, buttons and more. The vendors are all private individuals or small businesses selling at garage sale prices.

During the day students from the Met School, a charter school within the Sacramento Metropolitan School District, will be staging raffles to raise funds to build the music program at their school. As a further aid to this venture R5 will be collecting new and used musical instruments for the Met School throughout Record Store day.

Record Store Day is a national celebration of local independent music retailers. Now in it's second year, RSD came about as a way to spotlight the wide range of music and services offered by independent music retailers.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Screening: Trembling Before God
2:00 PM
Admission: $5.00 suggested donation
Congregation B'nai Israel
3600 Riverside Blvd
Sacramento, CA
(916) 446-4861
http://www.bnai.com

The acclaimed 2001 documentary chronicling the struggles of gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews who are trying to integrate their sexual orientation into their faith, even as some have been abandoned by their families. Also showing is the short sequel Trembling on the Road, a documentary about the controversy, protests and dialogue that has accompanied screenings of Trembling Before God in Jewish communities around the world.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Poetry with Traci Gourdine & Quenton Duval
7:00 PM
Admission: $5.00 donation
Time Tested Books
1114 21st St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 447-5696
http://www.timetestedbooks.net

Quinton Duval is the author of three books of poems: Guerrilla Letters, Dinner Music, and Joe's Rain. He teaches English and Creative Writing at Solano Community College and is the editor and publisher of Red Wing Press.

Traci Gourdine is a poet whose work has appeared in Calliope, ZYZZYVA, and other small magazines. She is the co-editor of "Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming," a collection of work by young American Indian writers. Her letters to poet Quincy Troupe have been anthologized in the book "Letters to Poets." He currently teaches English at American River College.

Monday, April 20, 2009
Author: Andrew Sean Greer
Doors: 12:15 PM; Reading at 1:00 PM
Admission: Free
CSUS University Union
6000 J St
Sacramento, CA
http://www.csus.edu/union

The bestselling author will discuss his work and will read from The Story of a Marriage, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. His newest novel, The Story of a Marriage, is a lyrical story about love and longing, and the political, sexual and racial tensions set against the backdrop of the early 1950s. Greer also is the author of The Path of Minor Planets, How It Was for Me and The Confessions of Max Tivoli. A lecture preview will be at 12:20 with Sac State English professor Sheree Meyer.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Safe Ground Rally
2:00 PM
State Capital, South Steps
http://www.sacloaves.org/SafeGround/
Rally to help benefit and legalize a safe campground where homeless folks can live and have running water, bathrooms, and trash services until proper shelters can be provided.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Support Local Growers: Farming as if Nature Matters Inspiring Panel Discussion
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Admission: General: $15.00; Co-op Owners: $10.00; Children Under 12: $5.00
24th Street Theatre
2791 24th St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 455-2667
http://www.sacfoodcoop.com
Featuring Trini Campbell, Riverdog Farm; Gretchen Ceteras, Blue Heron Farm; Annie Main, Good Humus Produce; Gena Nonini, Marian Farms; Bu Nygrens, Veritable Vegetable, and Judith Redmond, Full Belly Farm.
A benefit for Soil Born Farms and the Good Humus Land Preservation Project.

Thursday, April 23, 2009
Sacramento Ballet Dancers' Event
7:00 PM
Admission: $10 advance; $15 at the door
Vizcaya Mansion
2019 21st St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 552-5800
http://www.saveoursacballet.com

The dancers have organized an evening of fun with performances by the ballet, live music by Camerata Capistrano, the CSUS Baroque Ensemble, wine, food, fundraising games, and a silent auction with inexpensive and luxury items such as a signed Greg Kondos print, a weekend at a Tahoe cabin, and a delta cruise. Come hang out with the company and support the ballet at the same time!

Get up, get out & do something

2009-04-06T07:28:53Z

Week 14: April 6-12, What have you got for us?! Better be good...

Monday 4.6

Class: Nutrition and Cancer Survival: An evening with Marlene Marcello-McKenna

If you or someone you know has been touched by Cancer, you may want to hear what this woman has to say.Marlene Marcello-McKenna is a nutritional consultant and educator. She is also the author of When Hope Never Dies. Marlene is a 23-year cancer survivor of malignant melanoma. Her extraordinary road back to health has baffled the medical establishment. The National Cancer Institute has researched her recovery and decided that further study was warranted, i.e., The Best Case Series of Macrobiotic Survivors. A guest on TV and radio, McKenna has also been featured in Ladies Home Journal and Your Health magazines. To compliment her presentation, samples of whole food from Synergy Chef Collaborative will be available as well.

Location: Healthy U (4120 S. Market Ct.).Time: 6:30. Cost: $10. Info: (916) 482-8123.

Music: Papa Grows Funk

Start the week off right! This band’s tight grooves re-define the funk-jam band. As described on the website: “Tethered by the slinky Hammond B3 and gravel pit vocals of bandleader John "Papa" Gros," the band is a "who's-who" of New Orleans' best musicians. They shell it out New Orleans-style, paying homage to the tradition through Gros' sparse but rhythmic style offset by Yamagishi's blazing guitar. One is treated to a booty shaking set of Mardi Gras funk, original material, improvised jams and fresh interpretations of New Orleans classics. These five musicians seamlessly shift gears while never losing the essential groove.”~Marilyn’s

Location: Marilyn’s on K (10th & K St.).Time: 8:30pm. Cost: Info: (916) 446-4361

Tuesday 4.7

Food & Wine: Brainstormer Pub Quiz

Rather than catching happy hour at your regular spot and going through the same routine of gossiping about your workday and spending too much money, try out a pub quiz! Gather a team for a chance to win great prizes and exercise your mind with fun trivia while enjoying some friendly competition. Don't have a team? Join up with other brainiacs at the bar! An even bigger bonus? Complimentary appetizers are served from 6-7pm on trivia Tuesday's. Hope to see you there!

Location: 3 Fires Lounge (15th & L St.). Time: 6:00pm. Cost: $4 drinks. Info: (916) 267-6807

Workshop: "Leaving a Legacy" Writing Workshop

You work, you play, you spend time with your loved ones…but do you ever take the time to really share your beliefs with those closest to you? This special writing series can help assist you in writing your own thoughts and dreams. If you haven’t done it yet, what better reason than this to get your dreams on paper.

Location: Arden Hills Resort Club. Time: 6:30pm. Cost: $20per class. Info: (916) 482-6111

Wednesday 4.8

Food & Wine: California Cheese, Olive Oil and Sparkling Wine Class

Artisan Pairings inspired by ancient times. Discover the decadent and rich world of artisan cheese paired with real extra virgin olive oil. Laura Martinez, author the "The Everything Cheese Book", takes you through an exploration of California's superb artisan cheese and olive oil industries while dipping ancient and timeless food pairing principles. Learn how these ancient foods are produced, where to find them, and how to inspire your own inner cook to create delicious and surprising pairings.

Location: C’est Le Cheese(1127 15th Street). Time: 6:30. Cost: $45. Info: (916) 761-7674 (Penthouses at Capitol Park)

Music: Fall out Boy

While widely considered to be a pop punk band, Fall Out Boy is often described as emo (emotional hardcore) style music. Forming in 2001, they achieved Double Platinum status with their major label debut in 2005 and have continued on to collect many Awards (and fans) along the way.

Location: Memorial Auditorium (15th & J St). Time: 6:30pm. Cost: $37.50. Info: (916) 808-5291

Thursday 4.9

Club/DJ: Chris Lake

Globally recognised as one of the most exciting, forward thinking and cutting edge producers on the scene, Chris Lake's rare ability to create tracks that fuse elements of house, electro and techno has not been lost on his fellow peers. His innovative productions continue to receive wave after wave of support from such luminaries that include Sasha, Danny Howells, Justin Robertson, Sander Kleinenberg and Carl Cox, whilst Pete Tong leads the way in championing the unique sound that has established Chris as one of the world's elite.

Location: The Park Ultra Lounge (15th & L St). Time: 7:30pm. Cost: $27. Info: (800) 225-2277

Friday 4.10

Theatre: The Dinner

The Dinner has been described by audience members as deliciously funny, and relates to the challenges of couples everywhere in the high-tech, competitively fast-paced world of the 21st century. The only difference is the The Smith’s and Jones’ are gay. The Dinner is about love, friendship, and mutual respect... with lamb and a little mint sauce of course! A portion of the proceeds will benefit Marriage Equality USA.

Location: Geery Theatre (2130 L St.). Time: 8:00pm. Cost: $15/$12. Info:

Comedy: Anti-Cooperation League

This is a long form improv show featuring the Sacramento Comedy Spot cast members. Watch as they creatively weave improv scenes together in a fast paced, high energy, improv comedy show that starts with an audience member's wallet or purse! This show is followed by Canada's Favorite Hypnotist: Another comedy show from the semi-warped mind of Brian Crall. Audience members are "hypnotized" and do wacky things onstage for prizes. Quite an entertaining evening.

Location: Sacramento Comedy Spot (1716 Broadway). Time: 9:00pm. Cost: $10. Info: (916) 402-4757

Saturday 4.11

Holiday: Easter Bonnet Promenade

Put on your Sunday best and join the ladies and gentlemen of the past in a leisurely Easter stroll. Ladies, wear your fine bonnets, and gentlemen, don't forget your hats. Bring the whole family down to witness this fine vision of how our ancestors used to celebrate the holiday.

Location: Sacramento History Museum. Time: 12:00pm. Cost: Free. Info:

Family: Second Saturday!! For Families

Get inspired by the dragons, elephants and horses shown in Crocker’s collection, and create a mixed-media sculpture of an animal.

Location: Crocker Art Museum. Time: 12:00-3:00pm. Cost: Free with admission. Info:(916) 808-1182

Music: Britney Spears: Circus

Oops she did it again! I know, so original. But this girl keeps coming back! If you haven’t made it to one of her shows yet, this young lady (?) is known to put on a show. If anything, go for the opening act: The Pussycat Dolls. A must see show for anyone into beautiful women dancing and singing all night. Ladies, this would be a great night out with your girlfriends…and hey, why not for the guys too? They are sure to enjoy the show…

Location: Arco Arena (1 Sports Parkway). Time: 8:00pm. Cost:$37.50+. Info: (916)928-6900

Sunday 4.12

Outdoors: Sacramento Antique Faire

Outdoor antique and collectible marketplace held every 2nd Sunday rain or shine. Hundreds of antique dealers from throughout Northern California selling furniture, textiles, architectural pieces, jewelry, cultural pieces, china and glassware, garden accessories, rugs, art and collectibles of all kinds will be on hand with their quality goods.

Location: 2300 21st St. (Under Freeway).Time: 6:30am-3:00pm. Cost: $3. Info: (916) 600-9770

Theatre: Last Resort Trailer Park

In spite of the way most of them seem to enjoy having a brew and a blowout down at Bubba’s, the barbecue place on the highway, they don’t really cause much trouble. But strait-laced trailer-park manager Rhonda (Gloria Jones) does have plenty to look down her nose at, especially when Deputy Hank Trimble (Charley Cross) comes around asking questions about the live-in boyfriend of one of her tenants. Sheperd’s script presents a minor mystery—who was it that stole a truck and broke into a house on the nice side of town—as a means to unleash the sort of womanly friendship, laughter-through-tears comedy familiar to fans of plays and films like Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes. This is no comedy of manners, but rather a hoot at the lack of them, and further proof that local playwrights have at least as much to offer as our local actors.

Location: Thistle Dew Theatre (1901 P St). Times: 2:00pm. Cost: $20. Info: (916) 444-8209

Find these events and many more at www.Sacramento365.com, the Year-Round Source for Sacramento Events!

Get up, get out & have fun

2009-03-31T22:43:08Z

Week 13: March 31-April 5

So after a few weeks of experimenting with this Storyline, I’ve decided to tweak things around a bit.

Quandary: My initial concept of highlighting an event a day was in response to those flighty and exasperated comments like: “There’s nothing interesting going on in Sacramento” or even more so the: “There’s nothing to do on Mondays (or any other day of the week that doesn’t seem to offer anything new)”.

7 Days, 7 things to do was my attempt to address this boring complaint of the non-creative, unimaginative types. Not to say that I haven’t been there myself! Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t until I started to get out a little bit that I really became aware of the vast array of truly great events going on- all the time! The limitation I set for myself to only cover one event a day proved difficult when there happened to be multiple events on a single day. How could I choose which one to cover when they are all cool events?

Solution: Get up, get out & have fun! will be a weekly article featuring events every day of the week. Not a day will be left out but neither will any great events. That being said, if none of these events catch your eye, there are still many more that I didn’t mention, so check out Sacramento365.com for more ideas.

Drum roll please…..

Tuesday 3.31

Save Our Sacramento Ballet Week!! (This is a week-long event)

It is no secret that the enormously talented dancers of our beloved Sacramento Ballet have been affected by economic downturn in the past year. Local businesses have graciously lent a helping hand by participating in the ballet’s “Ballet Business” program. These businesses will donate a percentage of their proceeds on certain days to help support the Sacramento Ballet. Play your part in this valiant effort by visiting one (or all!) of these businesses:

March 30 - April 4: Firefly Salon and Boutique will be donating 10% with mention of S.O.S. Ballet week. Located at 5539 H St.
March 31: Zuda Yoga Classes. Zuda Yoga is located at 19th & O St. Check their website for a schedule.
April 1 - 4: ARareity Jewlery and Art Glass Gallery will be donating 20% of all sales. Located at 1021 R St.
April 4: Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill: donating 20% of sales with presentation of their flyer (Click HERE to download a printable version of the flyer). Valid at Natomas, Truxel Road location only.
April 4: Heavenly's Yogurt, will be donating 30% of all sales.

Wednesday 4.1

ROOTBEER

No, I am not referring to the bubbly soda likely consumed in ridiculous amounts during your childhood adventures at Chuck-E-Cheese. ROOTBEER is the joint efforts of Pigeon John & Flynn Adam resulting in musical mayhem. As self-described on their myspace page, this is what you can expect: “With an even more upped-tempo vocal cadence dancing on top of beatscapes that awaken even the hippest of skeptics, the music will make you jump up like a chimpanzee. An unbelievably charismatic live show, mixed with the most infectious hooks you've wrapped your ears around in quite some time, Rootbeer slaps a smile on your face that you simply can't contain.”

Location: Blue Lamp (N St. & Alhambra). Time: 9:00pm. Cost: $10. Info: (916) 455-3400

The Waybacks

As unpredictable as the city they come from (San Francisco), The Waybacks are an eclectic mix of music from classic folk & bluegrass to a soulful honky tonk. Their most recent album is their first entirely original album complete with a fiddler and mandolinist.

Location: Marilyn’s on K (10th & K St). Time: 8:30pm. Cost: $15adv, $18 door. Info: (916)446-4361

Thursday 4.2

Jim Lehrer

Most recently known as the executive director and anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, and he has been the moderator for 10 nationally televised debates among candidates for the presidential elections. Jim Lehrer is the acclaimed bestselling author of both fiction and non-fiction books, including 18 novels, two memoirs and three plays. He has been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, honored with the National Humanities Medal, elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science, and has won two Emmys. I found it interesting to find that he is a Bus enthusiast! I didn’t know there was such a thing! Maybe he can advocate for Sacramento to have a better public transportation system…

Location: Crest Theatre (13th & K St). Time: 7:30pm. Cost: $27. Info: (800) 225-2277

David Crow

David Crow has rapidly gained a foothold in the standup comedy scene. From his first road trip a few years back to headlining some of the best clubs across the country. In 1996 he was chosen to open for President Clinton when he spoke to over two thousand supporters at the Paramount Theater in Seattle (Hello? He must be funny…) Most recently he has hosted the 1 hour special on Showtime, Crooked Finger. Catch him live this weekend!

Location: Laughs Unlimited (1201 Front St). Time: 8:00pm. Cost: $10. Info: (916) 446-5905

Friday 4.3

Massaging for Medicine

Come out and support a great cause. Troy Goings, a local certified massage therapist, is attempting to raise $10,000 dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and at the same time get into the Guinness Book of World Records by massaging for 20 hours straight. He needs your help. Troy will be offering ten minute chair massages for donations of any amount. All money that is donated will go to the St. Jude's Children’s Hospital. Come out and get a chair massage and hang out. KSFM 102.5 as well as Good Day Sacramento will be there broadcasting. Sandwiches will be available courtesy of Beach Hut Deli from 12:00-1:00pm. There will be raffle tickets for sale for some really great prizes. It should be a lot of fun. Hope to see you there!

Location: Adora Bella Day Spa (1470 Eureka Rd.). Time: 5:00am-2:00am. Cost: Donations welcomed! Info: (916) 541-6914

Bank of America: Free Admission Days

Check out the California Museum for Women History and the Arts courtesy of Bank of America. Museums On Us sponsored by Bank of America provides free admission on the first weekend of every month. Being a Bank of America customer may finally pay off! Bring your BofA ATM or credit card and a photo ID and get in for free.

Location: California Museum (10th & O St). Times: 10:00am-4:00pm. Cost: Free Info: (916) 653-7524

Saturday 4.4

Earth Fest- Party for the planet!

It’s a party for the planet! Learn how to protect and preserve the earth with environmental, wildlife and conservation organizations, a recycle raffle, rummage sale, games, crafts and face painting. During the day, visit Wildlife Wagons to explore animal bio-artifacts; participate in storytelling and activities in the Discovery Room; come face-to-face with the outreach animals; or listen as keepers present enrichment talks in the afternoon.

Location: Sacramento Zoo (3930 West Land Park Drive). Time: 9:00am-4:00pm. Cost: $6.50-$9.50. Info: (916) 808-5888

Theatre Performance Month

A month-long festival of live stage performances for the entire family, featuring Puppet Art Theater, the Fairytale Town Troupers, and other Sacramento-area theater companies. All performances are matinees and will take place indoors in the Children's Theater on Saturdays and Sundays. This week Tomas and the Library Lady is the feature at the Next Stage Theatre for Young Audiences. See their website for the remainder of performances in April.

Location: Fairytale Town (3901 Land Park Dr). Times: 12:30pm & 1:30pm. Cost: $4.50 (Kids under 2- Free). Info: (916) 808-7462

Sunday 4.5

Salsa Night

If you're tired of sitting on your couch and watching Dancing With The Stars, get up and learn to do it like they do! Del Campo Studios conducts a FREE beginning Salsa dance class every sunday night at Harlow's. You don't even need to have a partner! There are plenty of newcomers to stumble over so you won't have to be embarrassed. Try something new! After the class, two DJ's will be keep you dancing to latin music through the night.

Location: Harlow's (28th & J St). Times: 7:00pm-12:00am. Cost: Free. Info: (916) 441-4693

Ross Hammond

Gotta love the coffee house live instrumental sessions! Grab a cup of Joe and enjoy some music. Old Soul is tucked away in the alley between 17th and 18th and L and Capital Streets. Its a cool, brick warehouse turned coffee roasting facility and coffee house. Jason is the coffee connoisseur (you may know him from the original Naked Lounge) and Tim is the baker and pastry extraordinaire. Good people that you are sure to have a good time with! A nice way to spend a lazy sunday if you ask me.

Location: Old Soul Coffee Co (17th & L). Times: 10:30am. Cost: Free. Info: (916) 443-7685

And so goes another fun filled week in Sacramento brought to you by Sacramento365.com. Hope to see you out on the town!

More Stuff to do in Sacramento

2009-03-24T20:36:10Z

Ongoing:

African American Currents: Contemporary Art from the Bank of America Corporate Collection
Art Exhibit
Tuesday - Friday 12 Noon to 6 PM; Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM through March 28, 2009.
40 Acres Art Gallery
3428 3rd Ave
Sacramento, CA
(916) 456-5080
http://www.40acresartgallery.org

Featuring 75 works of art from the world-renowned Bank of America corporate collection. The exhibit includes work by artists Jean Michel Basquiat, Lorna Simpson, Martin Puryear, Sam Gilliam, Faith Ringgold and Beverly Buchanan.

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition: The Way We Worked
Through May 17, 2009
10 AM - 5 PM
Admission: Adults: $8.00; Ages 6-17: $3.00; 5 and under: Free
California State Railroad Museum
111 I St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 323-9280
http://www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org

The Way We Worked demonstrates the enormous changes the workplace went through between the mid-19th century, when 60 percent of Americans made their living as farmers, and the late 20th century. The traveling exhibition features 86 photographs from the National Archives focusing on the history of work in America and documenting work clothing, locales, conditions and conflicts. The exhibition is part of a 14-city national tour.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Live Theatre
Thursday, 6:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, 8:00 PM; Sunday, 2:00 PM Through March 29.
Admission: General: $15.00; Students, Seniors, CSUS Employees: $12.00; Children: $10.00
CSUS Theatre
6000 J St.,
Sacramento, CA
(916) 278-4323

A window washer with no business experience becomes CEO of a major corporation. No, it’s not the latest Wall Street scandal, but the plot of Sacramento State’s production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The 1962 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical comedy is based on a book by Shepherd Mead.

Thursday, March 26, 2009
Gina Sicila
9:00 PM
The Torch Club
904 15th St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-2797
http://www.torchclub.net

Just 23 years old, Gina Sicilia has already made a name for herself in the blues world. Her debut album, Allow Me To Confess, earned her a nomination for best-new artist debut at 2008s national Blues Music Awards. Once again she displays impressive range and depth as both a singer and a writer; she again penned most of the material herself while also leaving the impression that she is going to get even better with age. With her alluringly husky alto, she is tough and assertive with a vintage sound; she covers jazz, R&B, oozes sexiness, and is open-heartedly vulnerable.

Thursday, March 26, 2009
Dance Party with dj Larry Rodriguez
9:00 PM
Admission: Before midnight: $3.00; After midnight: $5.00
Old Ironsides
1901 10th St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-9751
http://www.theoldironsides.com

If you like to dance, and you somehow aren’t already familiar with Larry Rodriguez’s dance parties – well, you really should get acquainted with them. Great music spun by a great guy (who’s aka Flower Vato)!

Friday, March 27, 2009
Bobcat Goldthwait
8:00 PM and 10:30 PM
Admission: $20.00
Laughs Unlimited
1207 Front St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 446-5905

Is a synopsis really necessary?

Saturday, March 28, 2009
Jazz Gitan
7:00 PM
Admission: Free
Java City
1800 Capitol Ave
Sacramento, CA

Hot Club Django Guitar Jazz!

Saturday, March 28, 2009
ICUP
8:00 PM
Admission: $8.00
Capitol City Hotel Ballroom
2600 Auburn Blvd
Sacramento, CA
http://www.icupcomedy.com

ICUP combines 100 percent improvisational comedy with audience participation and their own sketches. Special guest comedian Keith Lowell Jensen from the Coexist Comedy Tour.

I usually try to only include the Sacramento area, but this sounds too geek-cool to ignore:
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Atari Party 2009
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Admission: Free
Yolo County Library - Davis Branch
315 East 14th St
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 757-5593

Fans of classic video games and computers will gather to celebrate three decades of Atari — the brand that brought video games into the mainstream. More than 200 games from the 1970s through the 1990s will be available to be played.

Sunday, March 29, 2009
Luvtaxi at R5
5:00 PM
Admission: Free
R5 Records
2500 16th St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 441-2500

Original Latin beat music featuring Celia Hernandez, Jamie Zuniga and Alex Angel and the Taxi riders.

Monday, March 30, 2009
Sacramento City College !X Ethnic Theatre Performance
7:30 PM
Admission: Free
1719 25th St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 979-9706

The Sacramento City College !X Ethnic Theatre Workshop integrates various forms of art (playwriting, poetry, music, dance, visual art) with race, ethnic and gender studies. The mission of the Ethnic Theatre Workshop is to: develop artistic expressions of diverse experiences; encourage community development through participation in the arts; and promote educational equity at Sacramento City College.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Double Feature - Watch Horror Films Keep America Strong and I Was a TV Horror Host
6:45 PM (I Was A TV Horror Host begins at 8:30 PM)
Admission: $8.00-$10.00
24th St Theater
2991 24th St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 452-3005

For 14 years, from January 1971 through September 1984, Creature Features ranked in the Nielsen ratings as one of the most popular TV shows in San Francisco Bay Area television history. To those who grew up watching with family members and friends, the mixture of host commentary and classic and not-so-classic horror movies remains a nostalgic memory. Bob Wilkins' wit and unusually droll personality and John Stanley's celebrity interviews and satiric minimovies are all part of Watch Horror Films – Keep America Strong, a full-length documentary journeying back through those years.

Plays with I Was a TV Horror Host: a collection of interviews with famous celebrities who at one time or another paraded through the KTVU studio, home of Creature Features. It's a fascinating array of characters from the world of movies, TV and literature: stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, Christopher Lee, Ray Bradbury, Leonard Nimoy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Whoopi Goldberg, director Joe Dante, Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden, Martin Sheen, producer Roger Corman, comedian Rodney Dangerfield, Max Von Sydow, Rick Baker, Robert Bloch, Mamie Van Doren, and Bob Wilkins.

Thursday, April 2, 2009
Community Discussion on Local Media
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Admission: Free
Coloma Center Auditorium
46230 T St
Sacramento, CA
http://www.AccessSacramento.org

Sacramento area residents, media professionals and media consumers are invited to attend a community discussion on local media to consider these topic areas:
Public Affairs
Diversity
Political Coverage
Community Input
Broadband Internet Access

Sacramento Media Group and California Common Cause with Access Sacramento invite interested individuals, community organizations, local media outlets and elected officials to participate in a community discussion designed to hear opinions, stories and suggestions about our local media. The new presidential administration wants to create a more democratic media system and promote universal access to communications technologies. The evening offers an opportunity to share ideas that can contribute to these goals. It will also help us better understand how well our local media: print, television, radio and Internet, serve their audiences.

Week 11: 7 Days, 7 Things to do

2009-03-17T21:47:06Z

And so begins the eleventh week of 2009. Sacramento continues to surprise us with great events all week long!

Week 11: March 17-24, Check out:

Tuesday: Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

There is a day full of festivities in celebration of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. Don your green garb and join the fun! 100.5 The Zone will be broadcasting live at Brew it Up on 14th and H Street. Enjoy Celtic & Irish music all day with dining & drinks specials starting at 11:00am. Live music by Mother Mayhem will begin at 9:00pm and you may even catch a glimpse of the Jameson and SoCo girls while you're there! Be sure to head down to Old Sacramento for the 13th Annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Old Sacramento. The parade starts at 6:00pm but check out the pre-parade entertainment starting at 4:00pm. Then, Get Your Irish Up! with a block party at De Vere's Irish Pub and MIX downtown. L Street will be closed between 15th and 16th Streets. This is an all day event starting at 10:00am featuring: Irish bagpipes, Gaelic dancers, classic Irish food, full bars serving fine Irish whiskey, and over 30 beers on tap. Music by Tainted Love will begin at 8:00pm. Get your tickets today for $20 at De Vere's or MiX. Call (916) 231-9947 for more info. There will also be plenty of specials and entertainment around town. Some participants include: Streets of London, Golden Bear, Marilyn's on K, Capitol Dawg, Cosmo Cafe, Bistro 33 Midtown and many others!

Wednesday: Broker's London Dry Gin Mixology Competition

Come to the Lounge on 20 to witness this bartending showdown! Ten of the Sacramento's most creative and talented mixologists (aka bartenders) will be competing to make the "Best" cocktail. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 winners. Onlookers and fellow cocktail connaisseurs can enjoy a specialty priced cocktail menu all night (including $5 Broker's Gin cocktails) along with a Broker's Gin tasting table. The doors open at 5:00 and the competition begins at 6:00pm so get there early! Lounge on 20 is located at: 1050 20th Street, Suite 100 (20th & K). (916) 443-6620

Thursday: Crocker Cinematique: The Cup

Explore your understanding of Buddhism with this special evening! Sponsored by the Crocker Art Museum, the Cinematique program features films reflective of current exhibits at the museum. The most current exhibit is Buddha which runs through April 19th. The Cup is a film about the challenges of the Lama, head of the monastery, in teaching the word of Buddha in a rapidly changing world. Dr. Maria Jaoudi, Professor of Humanities and Religious Studies at Sacramento State, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward on the spiritual dimensions, concerns and values of Buddhism portrayed in the film. Held at the Sierra 2 Center, Curtis Hall at 2791 24th Street. Free with admission to the Museum. Call (916) 808-1182 for reservations (required). If you haven't seen the exhibit yet, pre-screening tours of Buddha will begin at 5:45pm at the Crocker Art Museum.

Friday: Sacramento State Festival of the Arts

Sponsored by the Sacramento State School of the Arts, this event features various media and artists showcasing their talents. There will be performances and shows to include jazz, theater and dance, poetry and lectures. The event begins Wednesday, March 18 and continues through Saturday, the 21st. Many of the events are free, others range from $8-$15. On Friday, Check out: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, put on by the Department of Theatre and Dance. Show starts at 8pm and costs $15 General Admission, $12 Students/Seniors, $10 Children (although recommended for teens and up). Held in the Capistrano Hall at Sac State, 6000 J Street. (916) 278-5155

Saturday: Journee de la Francophonie

French language isn’t just for Parisians! The Alliance Française de Sacramento is hosting this fun filled day to celebrate the languange and culture of the French speaking peoples across the globe. Take a trip around the world in one day with dancing, movies and lectures for the whole family to enjoy. $5 for non-members, $2 for members, children 14 and under are free. The Alliance Francaise de Sacramento is located at 1721 25th Street. (916) 453-1723

Sunday: Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

If you are one of those people who never really understood the notoriety of the prose and productions of William Shakespeare, the Sacramento Theatre Company has got the play for you. This abridged version of Shakespearian works is performed by three actors who humorously perform all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in less than 2 hours! Acclaimed as “wildly funny” by the Los Angeles Times and “the funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime” by the Montreal Gazette. Lovers of Shakespeare alike will undoubtedly find this show equally entertaining. Prices range from $15-$46. Sacramento Theatre Company is located at 1419 H Street. For tickets visit the box office or call (916) 443-6722.

Monday: Strong Women, Powerful Financial Strategies Seminar

In honor of Womens History month, Ameriprise Financial is holding this special financial workshop geared towards women at Borders Bookstore of Sacramento. As per their website, "The rules of financial planning are different for women. This informative seminar will focus on how you can: Gain control over your finances, make informed financial decisions and protect the people and things you love the most." This is a free event. The seminar begins at 7:00pm so get there early to reserve your space! Located at 2339 Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Find these events and many more Sacramento events at Sacramento365.com.

Capital Stage Founders to Star in American Buffalo

2009-03-13T20:13:43Z

David Mamet's breakthrough 1977 tragicomedy, American Buffalo, is about to receive a Sacramento revival at Capital Stage on Friday, March 27, 2009.

Performances for American Buffalo will begin with three previews on Saturday, March 21 at 7pm, Sunday, March 22 at 2pm, and Thursday, March 26 at 8pm, and will open on Friday, March 27, 2009 at 8pm. Performances continue through April 26, 2009. Showtimes will be Thursdays - Sundays as follows: Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 7pm , and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets prices range from: $24-$32. Discount tickets are available as follows: Preview tickets: $15; Thursday student tickets: $12; Sunday matinees senior tickets: $18; Group rates available for groups of 15 or more. Tickets are currently available at the Capital Stage Box Office, 916-995-5464 or online at www.capstage.org. The Pilothouse Restaurant offers a specially priced menu for theatre patrons; Pilothouse reservations can be made through the box office.

In a cluttered, run-down Chicago junk shop, three small-time crooks plot to steal a valuable buffalo nickel. As the heist unravels, the men's frustration and paranoia intensify. This groundbreaking American play weaves humor and menace throughout an emotionally charged struggle for identity and dominance. Capital Stage co-founders, Peter Mohrmann and Jonathan Rhys Williams play the now-famous duo of Donny and Teach and are joined by Capital Stage newcomer, Joseph Baldridge as young Bobby. The Times called David Mamet "the finest American playwright of his generation" and the New Yorker called Buffalo his "first masterpiece.". The Observer writes "This play is a parable about the US - not in the journalistic way but quietly, ... of a true work of art"

American Buffalo is directed by Janis Stevens who directed last season's critically acclaimed Capital Stage production, Fool for Love.
This production contains strong language and is intended for mature audiences.

More Stuff to do in Sacramento

2009-03-11T02:58:02Z

Ongoing:

Kenney Mencher and Joe Santos at Elliott Fouts Gallery
Art Exhibit
Tuesday - Friday 11 AM to 6 PM; Saturday 11 AM to 4 PM; Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM through April 3, 2009.
4749 J St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 736-1429
http://www.efgallery.com

Works by controversial and enigmatic artist Kenney Mencher, whose paintings were removed by San Francisco's Hang Gallery with the gallery director referring to them as "perverted" in 2003. He also had four of his paintings removed from the California State Teachers Retirement System building in 2004 after a handful of employees stated they made them uncomfortable. Along with Mencher, watercolorist Joe Santos has his newest pieces, "Signage" on display.

Last Resort Trailer Park
Live Theatre
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays Through April 11, 2009
Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre
1901 P St.
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 444-8209
(call for reservations - it's a small theatre)
http://www.thistle-dew.net

The not so everyday life of Nadine, Buk, Charlene, Rhonda and Hank at the down and out last resort trailer park on the outskirts of a small town in Nevada.

Big Idea Theatre presents Hamlet
Live Theatre
Sundays, 8 PM through March 29, 2009
Admission: $15
1616 Del Paso Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 960-3636
http://www.bigideatheatre.com

This streamlined version of Shakespeare's classic hand-wringing tragedy is the perfect material for Big Idea Theatre's budding company of actors.

Friday, March 13, 2009
Capturing History: David Hume Kennerly
12:00 Noon
Admission: Free
CSUS
Library Gallery
6000 J St
Sacramento, CA

Featuring historical photography by David Hume Kennerly, from Vietnam to the Obama inauguration. Kennerly will speak at noon, followed by a reception at 5:30 PM.

Friday, March 13, 2009
Sac City Rollers Present "Friday Night Fights"
Doors at 7 PM/Bout at 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10 Advance/$15.00 at the door
Foothill Skate Inn
4700 Auburn Blvd
Sacramento, CA
http://www.saccityrollers.com

Join the Sac City Rollers women's roller derby league as we kick off our 2009 season on Friday, March 13th! Our two intra-league teams the Ruge Girls take on the Sweaty Betties as we present "Friday Night Fights!" Beer garden, raffle prizes and Revolution Twirl Club perform at half-time! Come check out the fastest growing sport around and see women's roller derby up close and personal!

Friday, March 13, 2009
An Evening of Poetry at Carol's Books
6 PM - 9 PM
Admission: Free
Carol's Books
1913 Del Paso Blvd
Sacramento, CA

An evening of poetry featuring poet Lawrence Dinkins accompanied by local musicians.

Saturday, March 14, 2009
Sell Out, Buy Out
Admission: Free (but bring money to buy cool stuff!)
3 PM - 10 PM
Bows and Arrows
1712 L St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 444-3606
A huge art and fashion bazaar featuring local designers which takes place four times a year.

Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Spillit Quikkers with The Stinky Devil String Band
9 PM
Admission: $5.00
Fox & Goose
1001 R St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-8825

Two sets from the rootin'-tootin', high-fallutin', non-pollutin', rip-roarin', shiv-shavin', new-fangled, old time, bona fide, good time, string band!

Sunday, March 15, 2009
Time Tested Books Poetry Series 2009: Doug Blazek
7 PM
$5 Requested Donation
Time Tested Books
1114 21st St
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 447-5696
http://www.timetestedbooks.net
books@timetestedbooks.net

Small press pioneer Douglas Blazek will give a rare reading of his work.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sacramento Ballet: Inside the Director's Studio
6 PM
Admission: $15.00
Sacramento Ballet Studios
1631 K St
Sacramento, CA
(916) 552-5800
http://www.sacballet.org

See your Sacramento Ballet Dancers up-close and working hard on new works created for the Modern Master's Abbreviated program.

Thursday, March 19, 2009
Classic Spanish Language Love Films: Like Water For Chocolate
7 PM
Admission: Free
La Raza Galeria Posada
1022 22nd St.
Sacramento, CA
(916) 446-5133

"Like Water for Chocolate" by Alfonso Arau, shows the connection of Love, Lust and Food in Revolutionary Mexico. Nominated for a Golden Globe, this was the most popular Spanish-language film of its time. Seating is limited.

Please note:
This is not meant to copy the concept of Rachael’s post in any way. I had been talking with Sac Press folks last week about doing something along these lines, and I hope that at a minimum, our event picks will complement each other. What does matter is – get out and attend some of the cool stuff that happens in Sacramento!

This Week: 7 Days, 7 Things To Do

2009-03-09T23:49:41Z

This storyline is simple. We all know that there are 365 days in a year, 52 weeks in that year, and 7 days in each week. Sacramento365.com aims to showcase this artistic & cultural city's events, 365 days a year. If you ever feel like there is just nothing interesting to do in this great city or you're tired of doing the same things all of the time, my hopes are that these articles will inspire you to explore what Sacramento has to offer and realize the diverse & interesting place we call home. There is something unique going on every day! Every week I will outline an event a day for that week for your enjoyment. Get out of your comfort zone & try something new.

Week 10: March 10-16, 2009, Check out:

Tuesday, March 10: Metro Expo 2009

Organized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, Metro Expo 2009 is a Business-to-Business networking extravaganza! Visit one of the 200+ exhibitors and hob-nob with the decision makers of over 1500 regional businesses. The event begins at 12:30pm with Opening Ceremonies followed by sales, education, and networking workshops throughout. The event ends with a networking reception from 5:00-7:00pm. Tickets for the full event are $30/members and $45/non-members. Tickets for the reception only are $15/members and $25/non-members. Location: Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street, (916) 808-5291.

Wednesday, March 11: Karaoke @ Townhouse Lounge

Does this weather make you feel like singing the blues? Lately you might be feeling like you want to get up and dance! Either way. there is nothing like a night of karoake to get your spirits up! Check out the TownHouse lounge every Wednesday and Saturday nights to witness some local talent (likely along with some less talented folks...) and maybe try a song or two for yourself. Located at 1517 21st Street.

Thursday, March 12: The Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Capital Public Radio's 30th Anniversary Celebration: a dance concert with The Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Held at the Memorial Auditorium, the concert begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are $25 a person. Reserve your seat before tickets are gone! Call (916) 278-8900.

Friday, March 13: Camellia International Folk Dance Festival

A festive, entertaining day filled of ethnic folk dance performances and workshops. Held @ Sac State. Tickets range from $7 for individual shows/workshops to $25 for the full event. (916) 923-1555.

Saturday, March 14: Eat Mochii to Help save the Sacramento Ballet

Treat yourself to a tasty cup of frozen yogurt at Mochi Yogurt this Saturday and they will donate 20% of the proceeds to help save the Sacramento Ballet! As part of the Second Saturday Art walk, Body sculptures, DJs and artists will be present from 6pm to 10pm. Mochii Yogurt is located at 1530 16th Street (corner of 16th and P Streets). (916) 441-2601.

Sunday, March 15: Graham-O-Rama Cabaret

Join Graham Sobelman and his weekly guests for an all around good time! This week Tristan Rumery & Christina Day star in "We're Seriously Irish". Enjoy live entertainment with singing, comedy and encouraged participation from the audience! This show is not for the conservative crowd- expect lots of racy humor and adult content. $15 a person- cash only, at the door (also get a $5 off coupon for the next week's show!). Held @ the Geery Theatre, 2130 L Street. (916) 798-6352.

Monday, March 16: Thistle Dew Playrights Workshop

If you are interested in participating in bringing new plays & musicals to Sacramento (i.e. Thistle Dew Theatre...) and have Monday nights free, check out the Playrights Workshops held at Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre every Monday night. They call it "Monday Evenings at Seven". Bet you can guess what time it starts. This is a FREE workshop where readers, writers, theatre critics, directors, producers, actors, and theatre aficionados are invited and welcomed. Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre is located at 1901 P Street, (916) 444-8209.

Sacramento365.com wants YOU to get out and see a show, visit an exhibit, take your family or friends to a festival... basically, just get out there and discover all the amazing things happening throughout our community... 365 days of the year! And if you're a visitor, we hope you'll find plenty of reasons to stay an extra day or two and see why Sacramento is such a great place to live and visit. See you next week...

*** If you have an event you would like to promote on Sacramento365.com click here to enter your event/venue/organization information. It's FREE to do and does not require a login account or password***

Capital Stage sets 'The Scene'

2009-02-06T03:55:26Z

Do certain members of our society purposefully set out to destroy others, or are certain people hardwired for self destruction? That’s a question director Stephanie Gularte leaves tantalizingly open in Capital Stages’ stunning new production of ‘The Scene’ by Theresa Rebeck.

In Rebeck’s play, a recent transplant from Ohio, Clea, has come to New York to seek her fortune and hit ‘the scene’; a round of parties given and attended by celebrities, the well-to-do, and everyone who’s anyone. Clea, played with enthusiastic glee by Elena Wright, meets up with out of work actor Charlie, played by Scott Coopwood, and sets him and those he’s closest to on a path that will forever change their lives.

The play is a four person ‘quartet’, with Christina Anselmo as Charlies’ overly capable wife Stella, and Ken Figeroid as his seemingly nebbish best friend Lewis, rounding out the composition. What strikes this reviewer is that this production doesn’t ask us to judge these people, nor does it apologize for their actions. What we’re given is a snapshot in time with a few hard facts about character, cause, and affect. In less capable hands, all this play would be about is a bitch and her victims, but the director has chosen to let us decide for ourselves. For instance, Clea is called stupid by everyone on stage, including herself, but is she really stupid? She sounds stupid, she acts stupid, but director Gularte found something in her that’s not. Is she so stupid she sounds intelligent? Or so intelligent she sounds stupid? You really start to wonder.

Scott Coopwood as Charlie gives a sharp performance filled with rhythm and depth. He’s the backbone of this production, and plays the audience like a master violinist. He makes us truly believe that we’re witnessing the implosion of not only a marriage, but his very reality. His journey begins with cynicism in act one, and ends in the truly surreal.

Charlie is a failure surrounded by success. His wife Stella is a television producer who pays the rent on their apartment, and doesn’t let Charlie forget that she wears the pants in the family. Christina Anselmo plays Stella with warmth and humor, so that we like her even as she rips her husband’s psyche to shreds.

That’s what makes this production so exciting; these are four pretty horrible people, and yet you can’t help liking them. We’re asked to compare our own actions, and dare to judge these people. There are no villains, no heroes; just snapshots in time.

The Scene runs through February 22nd on The Delta King river boat. 1000 Front Street in Old Sacramento. (916)379-5051

Garbeau's Dinner Theatre fighting to stay open

2009-02-05T21:26:27Z

Garbeau's Dinner Theatre, at 27 years the longest-running dinner theatre in the area, has announced that it will close its doors in March if it can't raise $100,000 to meet its rent in the historic Nimbus Winery building on Hazel Avenue at Highway 50.

The owners of the theatre, which is currently presenting a tribute to Frank Sinatra called "My Way," have said that they have been unable to renegotiate their lease with their landlord. Declining ticket sales in the current economy have made making the rent impossible, co-owner Mark Ferreira said in a press release.

The ownership has announced a last-ditch campaign to raise the money, asking supporters to buy season passes or gift cards. If the theatre fails, those who buy season passes will be able to use those tickets at the B Street Theatre and other local theatres.

For more information on purchasing passes or tickets for the current show, which closes this Sunday (Feb. 8), visit www.garbeaus.com or call (916) 985-6361.

The theatre's next, and possibly last, show is "I Love You Because," a new musical about dating in the new century. It opens Feb. 13, just in time for Valentine's Day. A special V-Day package, including four-course candlelit dinner and show, is available for $75 per person.

Sexy, Scathing Comedy To Have Sacramento Premiere at Capital Stage

2009-01-22T22:49:56Z

If you have ever done something despite your better judgment, maybe chose to follow the crowd instead of following your gut to avoid hard, emotionally painful work, then you will understand Charlie, the provocative and complex protagonist in Theresa Rebeck's fierce, edgy, raw and scathing new comedy The Scene opening at Capital Stage on Friday, January 23, 2009.

The Scene will make its Sacramento premiere with three preview performances on Saturday, January 17 at 7pm, Sunday, January 18 at 2pm, and Thursday, January 22 at 8pm, and will open on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 8pm. Performances will continue through February 22, 2009. Showtimes will be Thursdays - Sundays as follows: Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 7pm , and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets prices range from: $24-$32; Pilothouse Dinner & show packages and Sunday Brunch and show packages are available. Discount tickets are available as follows: Preview tickets: $15; Thursday student tickets: $12; Sunday matinees senior tickets: $18; Group rates available for groups of 15 or more. Tickets are currently available at the Capital Stage Box Office, 916-995-5464 or online at www.capstage.org.

The Scene, is what Rebeck calls a "perverse retelling of (W. Somerset Maugham's) Of Human Bondage." The lives of four New Yorkers on the fringes of the entertainment industry are explored in this shrewd and racy comedy centered around Charlie, an out-of-work actor and his TV producer wife, Stella. When Charlie meets Clea, a gorgeous knockout - fresh off a bus from Ohio - his life is turned upside down. Using the surreal world of Manhattan party goers as its background, Theresa Rebeck's The Scene examines the empty narcissism of American pop culture. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called The Scene "the most accomplished and rewarding play in the 2006 Humana Festival."

Capital Stage Artistic Director, Stephanie Gularte directs actors Christina Anselmo, Scott Coopwood, Ken Figeroid, and Elena Wright.

This production is intended for mature audiences.

About Capital Stage
Capital Stage Company's mission is to be a dynamic leader in the evolution of the contemporary live theatre landscape in the Capital region and to passionately engage audiences in the art of live story-telling with bold, innovative plays performed by professional artists, in an intimate, up-close setting. With a strong commitment to expanding the base of working artists in the greater Sacramento region, we shall develop a company of actors, directors, writers, designers, and technical staff who are dedicated to bringing dynamic productions of contemporary and classic plays to our community.

Oklahoma! ... okay.

2009-01-20T02:39:08Z

Yesterday I went and saw Oklahoma! at Magic Circle Theatre in Roseville. I have seen many shows at Magic Circle, and I was even in A Chorus Line there. They pump out a lot of musicals and often have a lot of talent in their shows.

Oklahoma! is Rodgers and Hammerstein's first Musical. It has never been one of my favorite musicals, and think it has issues. Regardless, I am just going to review this specific production.

The full house starts with a corny yeehaw lead by the director Brent Null, but c'mon this is Oklahoma! so I was down. The curtain reveals the typical set I have seen for every production of this show ever (the technical aspect is where Magic Circle has always fallen short sadly). Then Curly (Tevye Ditter) begins the show with a great voice, but when he began to speak his diction was poor and my friends and I lost a lot of what he was saying in the beginning. Aunt Ella (Patty Lewis) does a good job throughout the play and is very committed to her character. Laurie (Katie Veale) was very good playing the sweet and innocent character, although this was starting to look like the Wizard of Oz for a minute because Laurie comes on wearing a Dorothy outfit on the farm, odd. But this play was definitely already enjoyable. Will Parker (Nicky Garcia) did a great job, good voice, good acting, but sadly he was just not the type for the character and was miscast. Ado Annie was one of the highlights and has a really powerful voice. The ensemble starts to trickle in and much more energy is brought to the stage, the pace picks up, the ensemble was pretty solid. By the time Curly is in Judd's smoke house the play has a certain intensity it was lacking in the beginning, and Curly was much more on now. Judd (Jeffery Heatherly, who I previously saw as Tateh in Ragtime and was my favorite thing in the show) does not disappoint and has some very intense moments and makes you sympathize for poor Judd Fry.

Which brings us to the dream sequence ballet, my favorite part of the show. Emily Cook plays "Dream Laurey" and performs a piece that starts out very poignant and beautiful, she is a natural Dancer. The sequence gets muddled when the guys come in without conviction and riding invisible horses and "two steppin", the choreography was an issue throughout. Although some moments had very good elements, it was across the board very simple (step, pivet, step, grab your belt and cowboy hat and spin, and you're done).

Another highlight is Ali Hackem(Ryan Adame) great character, perhaps my favorite part, and Gertie(Monica Wright) who has a laugh I cant attempt to recreate or describe and is a very fun part of the show. The orchestra lead by Jennifer Vaughn was on, I have never been disappointed with any orchestra at Magic Circle.

This is a fun show with some weird casting, great voices, some great characters, sub par choreography and costumes(one bright orange shirt that stood out way too much), a solid ensemble, and a few real good numbers("I can't say no!", "Lonely Room", "Oklahoma"). See it if you get a chance, it is worth seeing. And I am a huge supporter of local theatre, so everyone should try to see it for at least that reason.

Run through February 7th Fri-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. At the Roseville Theatre in Roseville. http://mcircle.org

Is Tower and Crest Closing Still a Threat?

2009-01-20T00:06:55Z

It has been a topic of discussion in the area for years, could the Tower and Crest Theaters have to close? With new giant movie chains in the area and the economy how it is, it’s a very real possibility. They have always seemed to be on the brink of closing, the Crest has closed before in the 80s, and the marquee on the Tower reads "savethetowertheater.org". So this threat must be pretty real.

A large banner on the Tower reads "SAVE THE ALHAMBRA", that is; the huge gorgeous theater that the city was unable to buy and save in 1973, it was soon demolished and made way for the Safeway that resides on Alhambra blvd today. The only thing that remains of the Alhambra is a fountain on the south side. Could this be a foreseeable future for our other theaters? Well perhaps if we don't do anything about it.

I admit, I don’t make it out to either as much as I should. Usually only go to Crest for the Trash Film Orgy or Sacramento Film Festival, and Tower even less. But sadly, the last few times I have been have left me feeling disappointed. The Tower has seen better days; it has become rundown and has poor quality projection, seats, and structure in general. I have to believe that if their attendance were up they would have the money to fix it up.

With the news of the Sacramento Ballet being in peril, the arts In Sac could quickly disappear if we aren't careful. If you’re in the mood for something artsy, indie, or foreign, or just don’t feel like supporting big movie chains and you want to help out local buissneses. Come downtown and make sure we keep theaters like this in Sacramento.

A Christmas Carol

2008-12-04T00:47:51Z

Curmudgeons, cripples, and Christmas spirit — what more could you ask for in a traditional holiday play?

After listing some of the local plays currently in production in my last article, I couldn't wait to start seeing some of them for myself. B Street Theatre's version of A Christmas Carol looked like the perfect place for me to begin.

The audience was packed with children, families, and Dickens readers eager to see Buck Busfield's rendition of the timeless classic. The scene opens on Miss Havisham's establishment, where Charles Dickens comes to find his peace, quiet and inspiration.

It's Christmas Eve and he has a day to finish writing his Christmas novel. Amid "humbugs," insults thrown at absolutely everyone, and a general dislike of Christmas spirit, Dickens is established as the play's Scrooge. And what happens to Scrooge in the novel happens to Dickens in the play.

The cast really worked together to produce a polished production that not only entertained the adults, but continually held the attention of the children. Sophisticated dialog and character development were combined with the right amount of over-acting and exaggeration — exercised to carry the message to children — to produce a play fit for the entire family.

Greg Alexander stars as Charles Dickens, making Dickens' whiny, spoiled brat of a character actually quite lovable with his comedic timing and facial expressions. Other roles that really stand out for me are Jamie Jones' portrayal of the aggressive, man-hating Miss Havisham, and Sara Perry's role of Alice as the epitome of Christmas spirit.

Overall, Busfield's version complements Dickens' novel and reinforces the timeless adage of Christmas Spirit.

For more information about B Street Theatre, or to reserve tickets for the show, visit www.bstreettheatre.org.

The play's the thing

2008-12-01T22:49:18Z

You may not be aware of this, but Sacramento is a burgeoning center within the theatre world. There are so many theatres scattered around the downtown area alone, that it can be a bit overwhelming. To help you out, I have researched which shows are currently playing and which shows are coming up within the downtown area.

At the B Street Theatre, two shows are currently running. The first is B Street Theatre Director Buck Busfield's updated version of A Christmas Carol (now—Dec. 4th). The other show currently running is The Seafarer, a play about five drunk Irishmen who begin by playing poker and end up bargaining for their souls (now—Dec. 6).

Playing on the Delta King's Capitol Stage from now until Dec. 28 is Every Christmas Story Ever Told. The play revisits several of the Christmas stories and traditions accumulated over the centuries.

Forever Plaid is still playing at the new Cosmopolitan Cabaret on 10th and K Street. I haven't seen it yet at the Cosmo Cabaret, but I do like this musical. Forever Plaid is mostly music with a bit of quirky commentary. It revolves around a quartet known as "The Plaids" and their long list of 50's-style songs.

If you like musicals and westerns, then you will probably like The Great American Western, playing at the Ooley Theatre on 28th and T Street (now—Dec. 13th). Bruce Guelden's play is a musical spoof on westerns.

I know this is the busiest time of the year for most with the influx of family holidays, but there are some great plays coming up. For example, the Sacramento Theatre Company, located at 15th and H, will soon be running two shows perfect for bringing the family together: La Pastorela, a Mexican Christmas nativity story given from the perspective of the shepherds, and the timeless Cinderella played out with interaction from the audience.

On D Street, Celebration Arts will be running Neat, which chronicles the coming-of-age of a young African American girl (Dec. 12—Jan. 17). Celebration Arts will also hold a Senior Citizen Talent Show, with acts running on Dec. 5th, 6th, and 7th. I personally think this would be a neat opportunity to connect with members of the community, and hope to attend myself.

Lastly, for all the Hedwig and the Angry Inch fans — I know you're out there — the Lambda Players will be putting on a rendition of Hedwig's Rawkin Christmas at the The Studio Theatre located on R Street. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure that, like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, it will be chalk full of transvestites, blonde wigs, and rockin' music.

That should be enough theatre to keep Sacramento going for the season. A season that I, for one, am looking forward to. But where to start? Which theatre company would you suggest? Have you had an opportunity yet to see any of these shows? Are you interested in seeing any of these shows? What kind of plays do you like seeing during the holiday season?

Artistic Differences presents "Assassins"

2008-11-12T21:48:19Z

I was a total theatre nerd in high school. Now, even after a four-year hiatus from the Sacramento theatre scene, I still love it as much as ever. To ease myself back into this crazy realm of all things theatrical, I caught a closing weekend performance of local theatre company Artistic Difference's Assassins. And let me tell you, I was happy that I did.

If you've never seen Assassins in any arena, I encourage you to go. Adapted from John Weidman's book into a Stephen Sondheim musical, it combines history, comedy and musical theatre. The play revolves around all the men and women who have ever attempted to or succeeded in assassinating a U.S. president. From John Wilkes Booth to Charles Guiteau, to Sam Byck in a Santa suit, each assassin gives an account of their assassination attempts and the reasons behind it. My "favorite" assassin is the comically consumer-driven and spacey Sara Jane Moore, who in the show, tries to "shoot" Gerald Ford by throwing bullets at him and yelling "bang!".

Now, I may be a little bit biased due to the fact that some of my old theatre friends are involved in this company, but I thought the show was great. The songs were spot-on, humor and intensity blended together, and a slew of macabre characters were really brought alive. Now whenever I think of Squeaky Fromme or John Hinckley, I will most likely picture them as they looked on that stage.

The actors really worked together to complete the show. During ensemble pieces the cast worked in complete harmony, and during solo acts, the audience's attention was caught and held. I could really feel the emotions of every character — the sad intensity of Polish factory worker Leon Czolgosz, who assassinated William McKinley; the comical frustration of Giuseppe Zangara as he tried to relieve his stomach-ache by trying to shoot F.D.R.; and the unwavering devotion Squeaky Fromme felt for Charles Manson as she attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford.

This is the second show I have seen from Artistic Differences. I am already looking forward to their spring show, See What I Want To See, a play based on three short stories by Japanese writer Ryonosuke Akutagawa.

Now that I am re-established in Sacramento, I plan on re-immersing myself in its theatre world. I'll be writing about it, too, so stay tuned.

Did you happen to catch a performance of Assassins? What did you think? Have you seen any other theatre performances in the downtown area that you enjoyed?

For more information about Artistic Differences, click here.