Art Manke News

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment have announced their 2016-2017 season of shows.

Critics and audiences agree -THE MONSTER-BUILDER is smashing! Due to popular demand, Aurora Theatre Company announces a second extension of the Bay Area Premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist (Freedomland) Amy Freed's THE MONSTER-BUILDER for an additional 6 performances. Art Manke makes his Aurora directing debut with this viciously funny comedy featuring Danny Scheie (The Mystery of Irma Vep), Rod Gnapp (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity), Nancy Carlin (Hysteria), Thomas Gorrebeeck (The Eccentricities of a Nightingale), Maggie Mason (Magic Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse), and Sierra Jolene. Originally extended through December 13, THE MONSTER-BUILDER now plays through December 20th (added performances: Tuesday, December 15, 7pm; Wednesday, December 16, 8pm; Thursday, December 17, 8pm; Friday, December 18, 8pm; Saturday, December 19, 8pm; Sunday, December 20, 2pm) at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-52) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Critics and audiences agree -- THE MONSTER-BUILDER is smashing! Aurora Theatre Company announces that it will add an additional 7 performances of the Bay Area Premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist (Freedomland) Amy Freed's THE MONSTER-BUILDER.

Aurora Theatre Company presents the Bay Area Premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist (Freedomland) Amy Freed's THE MONSTER-BUILDER. Art Manke, who directed the World Premiere of THE MONSTER-BUILDER at Portland's Artists Repertory Theatre in 2014, makes his Aurora directing debut with this viciously funny comedy featuring Danny Scheie (The Mystery of Irma Vep), Rod Knapp (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity), Nancy Carlin (Hysteria), Thomas Gorrebeeck (The Eccentricities of a Nightingale), Tracy Hazas, and Sierra Jolene. THE MONSTER-BUILDER plays November 6 through December 6 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-60) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Aurora Theatre Company presents THE SUBMARINE SHOW, a two-person theatrical adventure featuring Slater Penny and Jaron Hollander. This special fall presentation plays for 10 performances only tonight, October 14 through 25 at Harry's UpStage, located in the Nell and Jules Dashow Wing at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets (General $28; VIP reserved seating $32; subscribers receive a $2 discount) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Aurora Theatre Company presents the Bay Area Premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist (Freedomland) Amy Freed's THE MONSTER-BUILDER. Art Manke, who directed the World Premiere of THE MONSTER-BUILDER at Portland's Artists Repertory Theatre in 2014, makes his Aurora directing debut with this viciously funny comedy featuring Danny Scheie (The Mystery of Irma Vep), Rod Knapp (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity), Nancy Carlin (Hysteria), Thomas Gorrebeeck (The Eccentricities of a Nightingale), Tracy Hazas, and Sierra Jolene. THE MONSTER-BUILDER plays November 6 through December 6 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-60) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Critics and audiences agree -MUD BLUE SKY soars! Aurora Theatre Company announces that it will add an additional 5 performances of the Bay Area Premiere of the company's season opener, Marisa Wegrzyn's (Hickorydickory, The Butcher of Baraboo) MUD BLUE SKY. Aurora Artistic Director Tom Ross (Fifth of July, A Bright New Boise, This Is How It Goes, Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance) helms this profoundly compassionate, fiercely witty new play, featuring Jamie Jones (Gidion's Knot, Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance), Rebecca Dines (The Homecoming, Widower's Houses), Laura Jane Bailey, and Devin O'Brien. MUD BLUE SKY plays now through October 3 (added performances: Tuesday, September 29, 7pm; Wednesday, September 30, 8pm; Thursday, October 1, 8pm; Friday, October 2, 8pm; Today, October 3, 8pm) at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-50) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Aurora Theatre Company presents THE SUBMARINE SHOW, a two-person theatrical adventure featuring Slater Penny and Jaron Hollander. This special fall presentation plays for 10 performances only October 14 through 25 at Harry's UpStage, located in the Nell and Jules Dashow Wing at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets (General $28; VIP reserved seating $32; subscribers receive a $2 discount) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Critics and audiences agree -MUD BLUE SKY soars! Aurora Theatre Company announces that it will add an additional 5 performances of the Bay Area Premiere of the company's season opener, Marisa Wegrzyn's (Hickorydickory, The Butcher of Baraboo) MUD BLUE SKY. Aurora Artistic Director Tom Ross (Fifth of July, A Bright New Boise, This Is How It Goes, Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance) helms this profoundly compassionate, fiercely witty new play, featuring Jamie Jones (Gidion's Knot, Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance), Rebecca Dines (The Homecoming, Widower's Houses), Laura Jane Bailey, and Devin O'Brien. MUD BLUE SKY plays now through October 3 (added performances: Tuesday, September 29, 7pm; Wednesday, September 30, 8pm; Thursday, October 1, 8pm; Friday, October 2, 8pm; Saturday, October 3, 8pm) at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-50) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

MainStreet Theatre Company, celebrating its 10th season, is delighted to announce the California premiere of Elephant & Piggie's "We are in a Play!" Art Manke is the Director/Choreographer, with Musical Direction by the show's composer, Deborah Wicks-La Puma. The production will play eight school performances from October 5th - 9th, and open to the public on Saturday, October 10th at 4pm. The strictly limited engagement will run through Sunday, October 25th only.

Aurora Theatre Company opens its 24th season with the Bay Area Premiere of award-winning playwright Marisa Wegrzyn's (Hickorydickory, The Butcher of Baraboo) MUD BLUE SKY.

Aurora Theatre Company opens its 24th season with the Bay Area Premiere of award-winning playwright Marisa Wegrzyn's (Hickorydickory, The Butcher of Baraboo) MUD BLUE SKY.

To celebrate its 10th season, The award-winning MainStreet Theatre Company will be producing three unique productions that celebrate imagination, creativity and the art of performance. Each show in the 2015/2016 season will showcase this idea for a variety of age groups, and all are suitable for children and their families. The season includes two musicals (including a revised script making its Theatre for Young Audiences premiere), a California Premiere, and a collaboration with an award winning Los Angeles based Improv Company.

To celebrate its 10th season, The award-winning MainStreet Theatre Company will be producing three unique productions that celebrate imagination, creativity and the art of performance. Each show in the 2015/2016 season will showcase this idea for a variety of age groups, and all are suitable for children and their families. The season includes two musicals (including a revised script making its Theatre for Young Audiences premiere), a California Premiere, and a collaboration with an award winning Los Angeles based Improv Company.

Critics and audiences agree - DETROIT is smashing! Aurora Theatre Company announces that it will add an additional six performances of the Bay Area Premiere of Lisa D'Amour's (Anna Bella Eema, Airline Highway) wicked Obie-winning satire.

Aurora Theatre Company closes its 23rd season with the Bay Area Premiere of Lisa D'Amour's (Anna Bella Eema, Airline Highway) wicked Obie-winning satire about our uncertain economic times, DETROIT. Josh Costello (Wittenberg) directs this explosive dark comedy, featuring Amy Resnick (Body Awareness, Collapse), Jeff Garrett, Luisa Frasconi, and Patrick Kelly Jones (Metamorphosis), that brilliantly captures our current economic moment. DETROIT plays tonight, June 19 through July 19 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley.

Here is the performance schedule for South Coast Repertory for the four-month period of June through September 2015.

Let's first get this very necessary accolade out of the way: South Coast Repertory's brand new production of Rick Elice's PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is, hands down, one of the most enjoyable, most thrilling, and most engagingly imaginative plays I have seen all season---a fitting capper to the Tony Award-winning Orange County theater's 51st year. This delightfully revised production---which continues performances in Costa Mesa through June 7---re-calibrates the play's hyperactive mixture of mirth and mayhem by further emphasizing its seemingly 'bare-bones' storytelling devices, resulting in one entertaining night of theater that both kids and adults will find endearingly beguiling. Motivated by imagination, I seriously cannot recall the last time I laughed this boisterously and had this much unabashed joy from sitting through a play in quite some time.

This is the story of what happened before Peter Pan met Wendy. Peter and the Starcatcher, by Rick Elice and based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is next up on the Segerstrom Stage at South Coast Repertory. Directed by Art Manke and with musical direction by David O, Peter and the Starcatcher runs May 8-June 7. The show is geared toward adults and children ages 10 years and older. Tickets are now available at www.scr.org.