Shakespeare Orange County Sets Summerfest 2015 Lineup

Shakespeare Orange County (SOC) will officially launch its Summerfest 2015 at the Garden Grove Amphitheatre on June 13 with a classic radio comedy performed by an all-star cast.

The season, the second under Artistic Director John Walcutt, continues through October 30 with full productions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It, Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, John Slade's acclaimed I Sing Walt Whitman, an encore presentation of last season's sold-out hit Trieu Tran (Unplugged), a new play reading, and a new Friday Night Film Series.

In 2014, Walcutt rejuvenated SOC with a mission "to use theatre to build bridges between generations and the 76 languages spoken in our community." The relationships with cultural groups initiated last season are deepening this summer with additional partnerships, some as co-presenters, notably the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA).

The outreach has paid off with increased attendance and a more diverse audience from across Orange County. According to Walcutt, the 2014 audience of 5,000, up from a previous annual average of 2,700, was made up of 81% first-timers. OC Weekly called his debut effort the "Best Theatre Season in OC" and the Orange County Register named him "Most Influential" in arts and culture for how he "fundamentally changed and expanded the theatre's focus, drawing in new audiences."

June 13: A Star-Studded Reprise

The season officially kicks off June 13 with a Celebrity "1939 Radio Show and Gala." The script, an original from the days of live radio, will be performed by an all-star cast including Rene Auberjonois, John de Lancie, Seamus Deaver, Robert Hays, Kurtwood Smith, Nikki Soohoo, Joe Spano, Tamlyn Tomita, Trieu Tran, JoBeth Williams, and Stephanie Zimbalist, with more expected to join the line-up.

Tickets begin at $25 and include the silent auction. A special "Dine with the Stars" VIP package, including pre-show dinner with the entire cast, is available for $500. Dinner is at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.

Three Full Theatre Productions

Romeo and Juliet opens July 11 and continues through August 1. Shakespeare's most famous love story, set against the backdrop of two feuding families, becomes an opportunity to celebrate cultural diversity. Co-directors Walcutt and Associate Artistic director Mike Peebler have cast Trieu Tran (HBO's "The Newsroom") and Nikki Soohoo ("The Lovely Bones") as the Montague and Capulet families' star-crossed lovers.

"While Vietnamese and Mexican cultures will be realistically represented," Walcutt says, "the play's friction is based in families, which are already intermingled, and not in ethnic differences. The production reflects that larger message. It is produced in association with VAALA, the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), and Relámpago del Cielo, the 50-year-old folklórico group from Santa Ana. Relámpago will be performing live onstage, for instance at the party Romeo crashes. It will be Juliet's quinceanera, where the guests join in traditional quinceanera dances. It's going to be very exciting."

Romeo and Juliet runs July 11-August 1, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. There will be discounted previews July 2, 3, 9 and 10. Tickets are $15, $25 and $40.

As You Like It, directed by Peter Uribe, will move Shakespeare's beloved comedy about finding love and freedom from France to Elizabethan England. The production's Renaissance Faire theme will engage audiences even before the show begins, with musicians performing in the amphitheatre's park.

In this beautiful play about the nature of love and the love of nature, Shakespeare creates one of his greatest female characters, the headstrong Rosalind. Banished from court, she heads into the Forest of Arden. Disguised as a man for safety, she will win the heart of the man she loves while matching wits with some of the Bard's cleverest creations, including the melancholy Jacques and the foolish Touchstone.

As You Like It runs August 15-29, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. There will be discounted previews August 13 and 14. Tickets are $15, $25 and $40.

Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance is a romantic comic opera featuring wonderful wordplay and soaring scores. Frederic has just turned 21 and fulfilled his obligations to a band of pirates. No sooner has he found true love with Mabel, daughter of the Major General, than the pirates try to reel him back on a technicality. Peter Uribe directs.

Pirates of Penzance opens September 12, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. through September 26. There will be previews September 10 and 11. All seats are only $20.

Two One-Man Shows

I Sing Walt Whitman is John Slade's one-man musical celebration of America's great poet. The full-length play with music is drawn from Whitman's poems and other writing as well as remarks recorded by his friends. Slade has created a sly, whimsical, and funky evening of unforgettable language and toe-tapping music.

I Sing Walt Whitman will be presented on August 23 and 30 at 7 p.m. in SOC's Mike Fountain Stage. All seats are only $20.

Trieu Tran (Unplugged) was a highlight of SOC's 2014 Season. It is the concert version of Tran's critically acclaimed Uncle Ho to Uncle Sam, which recounts his harrowing escape from Vietnam with his mother in 1975, and his subsequent difficulties adjusting to the sometimes hostile environments of Canada and the U.S. His salvation would come when he fell in love with a teacher and, through her, with theatre. Last year's SOC performance was Tran's first for a largely Vietnamese American audience and as Walcutt recalled, "it was one the most moving nights I've ever spent in a theatre. Everyone should see this show."

Trieu Tran (Unplugged) will be presented on September 20 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are only $20.

A Staged Reading of 'For Bus'

On September 27, SOC will present a staged reading of For Bus, a new play by Chicago playwright Bill Hoffman. The reading represents another area of SOC's continuing evolution, as it ventures into play development with a peek at a play it hopes to premiere during its Summerfest 2016 Season.

"This exciting young playwright is the talk of industry inner circles," says Walcutt, whose participation in the reading will be his only onstage appearance in 2015. "This play is the follow-up to his first, Drift, which was quickly scooped up by the producers of the Oscar-winning Crash."

Film Stars Under the Stars

A series of six "Friday Night Films" is also being launched this season. First up, as prelude to SOC's Romeo and Juliet, will be Franco Zeffirelli's classic 1968 Romeo and Juliet on June 27. The remaining screenings will be held on the five Fridays in October. Those titles include Shakespeare in Love on October 2 and a special Halloween treat, Theatre of Blood starring Vincent Price, on October 30. The October 9, 16 and 23 titles are to be announced.

The films will be projected on a big screen on the amphitheatre stage, beginning after dark at 8. General admission tickets are $10.

Tickets, Information, and Social Media

Discounted packages and single tickets are now available through the Shakespeare Orange County website, www.shakespeareoc.org. Go to http://shakespeareoc.org/2015-season/ for an overview and direct links to purchase.

Thanks to generous support from Macy's, SOC is offering two "rush ticket" programs to help make theatre affordable for everyone: On Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 7 p.m., "7 at 7" offers remaining seats for that night's performance for $7; and Thursdays are "Pay What You Want" for all remaining unsold seats one-half hour before curtain.

The Garden Grove Amphitheatre is located at 12852 Main St, Garden Grove, CA 92840. Parking is available on the street and in a nearby lot. For more information contact info@shakespeareoc.org or call 714-636-3729.

To post a comment, you must register and login.