June 2012 - Mid Month Matinees and SO Much More on the California Central Coast!

As we come to the middle of June and continue to move ever closer to the OFFICIAL beginning of summer, I trust your plans will include attending some productions at any of the several theatre and live performance establishments that make their home here on the California Central Coast!

The Great American Melodrama (www.americanmelodrama.com) in Oceano is proud to present Gunsmokin’ or, All Riot’s on the Western Front.  Written by Ben Millet and adapted by Jordan Richardson, this rootin’, tootin’ musical spoof is set in the wild, frontier American West, during a time of strong, fearless, courageous men.  However ... this is not the story of those men.

When New York journalist Nathaniel J. Wilson (Steven Freitas), stumbles into the small town of Rooster Punch in search of a story on the Wild West, he finds two local ladies, Kit (Molly Laurel) and her feisty sidekick, Patty Poundcake (Crystal Davidson), desperately trying to figure out how to save their town.  Local saloon owner Perky LaPett (Kat Endsley) is conspiring with her bartender and whipping boy, Jimmy (Alex Sheets) and the unscrupulous gunslinger, Owen Caldwell (Philip David Black) to buy up the town and sell it for big money to the railroad company.  At the town meeting held by the easily swayed Mayor Maynot (Kraig Kelsey) and dimwit Deputy Laverl Kimball (Von Cleve Lewis), the townsfolk are surprised when a new sheriff, “Slim Jim Coltrane,” unexpectedly arrives in town to save the day.  Who is this stranger?  Will he succeed or will the villains win out?  Under the direction of Adrian Balbotin, with set design by Brian Williams, costume design by Renee Van Niel, and lighting design by Tim Seawell, Gunsmokin’ is loaded with laughter and full of opportunities to boo and hiss the villains and cheer the heroes as they attempt to save the town of Rooster Punch!

Following Gunsmokin’ at each performance is the TGAM Wide World of Sports Vaudeville Revue.  Are you looking for high flying acrobats, javelin throws and 400 yard dashes?  Well, you won’t find them in this group of “athletes!”  But what you will find is a grandstand full of song, dance and comedy in a hilarious look at the world of good, old All-American sports, directed by Jake McGuire, with musical direction and accompaniment by Mark Pietri.

 

This evening (or afternoon matinee) of comedy, music and dance opens June 14 and plays through September 15.  Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4 and 8pm, and Sundays at 6pm.  Beginning July 12 this show will run on alternate performances with the Melodrama’s second summer production, From Rags to Riches. 

The Melodrama’s in-house snack bar features great food and drinks served before the show and during intermissions.  Tickets are $18 to $22, with discounts available for groups, seniors, students, active military, and children.  For more information or to make reservations call the Melodrama Box Office at 805-489-2499.  The Great American Melodrama is located on Highway 1 in Oceano, just three miles south of Pismo Beach.  The Melodrama has been providing professional family entertainment on the Central Coast since 1975.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org) in Cambria will present Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks June 22 – July 29.

The Theatre at the Cambria Centerfor the Arts (http://artistsofcambria.com/cambriapac/index.html) will present DRAMARAMA - Youth Acting Classes June 4-28.

The REC Foundation in Paso Robles is sponsoring a production of Man of La Mancha, directed by Cynthia Anthony and Jacob Shearer - auditions on June 19 & 20 [NOTE: leading roles of Aldonza, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza have already been cast] at the Centennial Park Live Oak Room, 6-9 PM (rehearsals start in August, performances September 21 & 22).  Call Jacob at 805-975-5023 for more information. 

The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival (http://centralcoastshakespeare.org/) will present The Tempest, July 12-28, at River Oaks Amphitheatre in Paso Robles.  And be sure to plan on attending a special fundraiser screening of "Shakespeare in Love" at The Galaxy Theatre VIP Lounge in Atascadero, 5:30 - 8:30 PM. 

Templeton Performing Arts Center of the North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation (http://www.northcountyperformingarts.org/) in association with Class Act Dance will present SYNERGY, a summer dance recital, on June 23.

SLO Little Theatre’s (www.slolittletheatre.org) current mainstage production, The House of Blue Leaves, directed by Jill Turnbow, will run through June 17 (NOTE: Saw the opening weekend Sunday matinee and this is a wonderful show with an amazing cast!).  Auditions for The Marvelous Wonderettes will be June 18 & 19 (performances August 31 – September 23), and next up on the mainstage schedule is My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, running June 29 – July 22. 

And be sure to check out the Academy of Creative Theatre’s (http://www.slolittletheatre.org/pages/classes) children & youth theatre opportunities for this spring and summer!

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com) will present their summer musical, Grease, June 22 – July 8, and their Grades 1-10 Summer Camp/Performance Class production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr in early August.

Next up for The God Is Still Speaking Players (https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/92718528887), is a summer musical production of Snoopy – auditions July 16 & 17, performances August 31 - September 9.

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include Dance Obispo’s Student Showcase on June 24, and Leslie Jordan on July 7.  

Murder In Mind Productions (www.murderinmind.com) will present Pirates of Pirates Cove opening July 1.

Exit Pursued By a Bear (https://www.facebook.com/events/405235212833014/) will present Much Ado About Nothing and Titus Andronicus, running in repertory in parks on the Central Coast 2 weekends in August - stay tuned for specific dates, times and locations.

The Spot (https://www.facebook.com/#!/hit.the.spot) will present the Poetic Justice Project’s (http://poeticjusticeproject.org/) Planet of Love June 8-17, School of Performing Arts Recital July 13 & 14, and Taylor Murphy-Sinclair’s one woman show I Can’t Draw a Heart and Other Episodes July 20-29.

Upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) include Coastal Dance and Music Academy’s Rhythm Nation on June 24.

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, will present Little Women, the Broadway Musical, June 14 - July 1 at the Solvang Festival Theater and The Rivals June 21-30 in Santa Maria (July 5-22 in Solvang).

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) recently closed The Battle of Shallowford – stay tuned for details on their next production!

The Lompoc Civic Theatre's (www.lompoccivictheatre.com) upcoming summer production of tick, tock … BOOM! will run August 3-19.

So, whatever else you may have on your summer entertainment schedule, I trust you will want to include attending a sampling of the performances at some of the live entertainment and theatre venues here on the Central Coast of California!

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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