As Summer Ends, New Shows Begin on the California Central Coast

As we OFFICIALLY bid farewell to Summer and welcome the start of the Fall season - we also bid farewell to a number of shows that have recently closed, and welcome several that have started or are about to start their runs here on the California Central Coast. 

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) presents The White Liars and Black Comedy through October 2.

The White Liars
How many times have we told a lie, only to regret it later on?  White Liars, written by British playwright Peter Shaffer, explores this commonly used literary theme and more.
Set in Grinmouth-on-Sea, a resort by the sea during the 1960s, White Liars is a stark portrayal of how seemingly harmless lies can unleash a catastrophic chain of events, ultimately leaving its participants shaken and hurt.

Black Comedy
In one hilarious act, the action supposedly in the dark is illuminated.  Lovesick and desperate, sculptor Brindsley Miller has embellished his apartment with furniture and objects d'arte "borrowed" from the absent antique collector next door hoping to impress his fiancee's pompous father and a wealthy art dealer.  The fussy neighbor, Harold Gorringe, returns just as a blown fuse plunges the apartment into darkness.  Unexpected guests, aging spinsters, errant phone cords, and other snares impede his frantic attempts to return the purloined items before light is restored [PHOTO: From back - Alan Foster as Harold Gorringe and Iain Freckleton as Colonel Melket; middle row - Katie Cornell as Carol Melket, Josh Cornell as Brindsley Miller, and Cherish Fry as Clea; front row -  Kelly Greenup as Miss Furnival].

Wait Until Dark will be their next show with performances Novermber 19 - December 11.

The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org), the Central Coast's Resident Professional Theatre Company, located on the Allan Hancock College Campus in Santa Maria, has just closed the final production of their 2010 Summer Season - the world premiere of Invierno by José Cruz González, based on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale.  The theatre will open its 2010/11 season with a production of Peter Pan November 4 - December 23 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria.

The Great American Melodrama (www.americanmelodrama.com) in Oceano will present its annual Fall/Halloween show, which this year will be Trudy and the Beast ... or The Creature from the Black Lagoon, September 23 - November 14.  Each performance will be followed by a "Zombie Vaudeville Revue."  

Ryan Cordero (rccor385@gmail.com) and Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook) present Forever Plaid, directed by Natalia Berryman, with Musical Direction by Mark Robertshaw and Choreography by Stacy Estrada, through October 3 at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande as part of their inaugural season of 4 shows.

In addition to Forever Plaid, Last Five Years is tentatively scheduled for production in November, Drowsy Chaperone in Feb/March of 2011, and Crazy for You in August 2011.

Other upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) include the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition September 30, Carlene Carter October 1, the Central Coast Follies World Tour October 7-10, Richie Havens October 11, and folk icon Judy Collins October 14.

Murder in Mind Productions (http://murderinmind.com) will present Pirates of Pirates Cove at the Spyglass Inn, located at 2703 Spyglass Dr in Shell Beach, through November 7.  Reservations are required.

Auditions for SLO Little Theatre's youth Academy of Creative Theatre production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be October 5 & 7 (by appointment) with callbacks on October 9.

SLOLT's next mainstage production will be Leading Ladies, directed by Leticia Velex, October 8-31.

The RadioActive Players radio presentation of Oblomov, a play adaptation by Julia Britton of an Ivan Goncharov 1859 novel, directed by Gene Strohl, will air on KCBX on Monday, October 11, at 7:30 PM. 

The God Is Still Speaking Players recently closed their production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown.  Next up is auditions on October 19 and 20 for a staged reading of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, directed by Chrys Barnes in collaboration with Bent Angel Productions, with performances on November 20 & 21.

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include international guitar sensation Benise September 29, Steve Martin October 6, and comedienne Paula Poundstone on October 7.

Actors are needed for Atascadero's annual Tent City Celebration on October 16, commemorating the town's founding nearly a century ago.  If dressing up in early 20th century period costumes and being part of this historical reenactment of sorts sounds of interest - or if attending such an event sounds like fun, go to www.colonydays.org for more information, or contact event organizer, Ken Mallett, at KMallettOnStage@Yahoo.com

The Theatre at the Old Grammar School (TOGS) in Cambria closed Rosann Balbontin's Bridging the Gap on Septemmebr 5.  Contact Theatre Director, Jeff Mar, at KRKJFRZ@aol.com to find out what their next project will be.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org), also located in Cambria, closed their production of Finishing Touches on February 28.  The theatre was closed for a time while it installed a new fire sprinkler system - but it reopened its doors with Just 45 Minutes From Broadway for a limited engagement Sept 3-5 to help the theatre retire the loan it took out to complete the installation of its new sprinkler system.  Auditions for their next production will be announced in the near future.

The Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) finished a successful run of Oliver at the Templeton Performing Arts Center in January.  Recently, they presented a "special project."  Always ... Patsy Cline, at Centennial Park in Paso Robles for 2 performances on September 17 & 18 with Amanda Baker as Patsy and Jill Turnbow as her friend Louise, along with a 5 piece band.  Stay tuned for what they'll be doing next! 

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org) is looking for a new place to call home ... got any suggestions?  Details concerning their next show are still TBD (and where it will be held).

The Summer season may be drawing to a close - but there is still a nice assortment of live entertainment options available to theatre goers as we head into Fall ... so how about an afternoon or evening on the town to help support the performing arts on the beautiful California Central Coast?

Curt Miner ... your BroadwayWorld.com guy on the ground with the California Central Coast theatre "news & views" 

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