Long Beach Playhouse Announces 2017 Studio Season

On April 29 Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theatre opens its 2017 season. Opened in 1963, the upstairs space has become The Playhouse counterpoint to the more traditional offerings on the Mainstage. The Studio's proscenium stage in the 98-seat theatre feels intimate and inviting. Although a smaller theatre than the Mainstage there is no less attention given to the quality of its productions.

"We do five shows for the Studio Season," said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. "The season runs from April to November. The rest of the year we open the space to local independent theater groups. It's part of our commitment to the Long Beach arts community."

Like the Mainstage, The Studio closes its season with an all-out musical production. Over the past years, the Studio season has received accolades for taking risks with shows like Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and Spring Awakening. Sean Gray, recently promoted to Artistic Director, curated the season with an eye to selecting shows that have proven track records yet offer room for The Playhouse room to stretch beyond the predictable.

"This season's plays will challenge, haunt, amuse and entertain. They were selected for their messages, their edginess and their ability to present stories which are timeless and yet uniquely suited to the 21st century," said Gray.

This year's shows are:

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike April 29 - May 27

Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play, it is one of the most lauded and beloved Broadway plays of recent years. Employing many comedic themes from Anton Chekov's works, we are treated to an examination of sibling rivalry, redemption, voodoo, and showbiz. When Vanya and Sonia's quiet life is disrupted by their movie star sister Masha's return to the family home, not even Disney can come to the rescue. A collection of hilariously complex characters brings light to the shallowness of ambition, regret, and the cultural decay of American life.

Dead Man's Cellphone June 10 - July 8

An incessantly ringing cell phone disturbs a woman sitting at a café table. She is furious at the owner for not picking up the call, until she discovers he's dead. So begins Dead Man's Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative new dramatic comedy. This work about how we memorialize the dead, and how that remembering changes us, is the odyssey of a woman confronting her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world. This is a show for those who have felt the need for personal attachment in the detached world of cellular communication.

Cowboy Versus Samurai July 22 - August 19

What if the classic romantic comedy, Cyrano DeBergerac, was set in modern day Wyoming? What if the large-nosed protagonist was now an Asian American High School English teacher and his love interest was the beautiful new Asian American teacher with a preference for dating white guys? Will he help his cowboy friend win the girl, or make his own feelings known? With quick-paced banter and witty repartee, this delightful romantic comedy addresses the issues of inter-racial relationships and platonic loyalty. When Travis Park needs to choose between the Asian American and the American within himself, who will win, the Cowboy or the Samurai?

All in the Timing September 2 - 30

This critically acclaimed, award-winning evening of comedic short plays combines wit, intellect, satire and just plain fun. David Ives' collection of six fast-paced glimpses into the eccentricities of life, love, communication, and dating will shine a light at just how absurd our daily lives can become. The characters you will meet are diverse, bizarre, complex and unerringly familiar as the audience is taken on a joy-ride through the human condition - a couple on their first date, a room of creative simians, a tutor of an imagined language, and Phillip Glass are just some of the characters sharing your evening.

Cabaret October 14 - November 18

In the pre-Nazi Germany of the 1930s, decadence is rampant. The raucous entertainment of the seamy Kit Kat Club reflects the lives of those drifters that frequent and perform on its stage. From the enigmatic Emcee, to the wounded Sally Bowles, to a mature couple dealing with the difficulties of the prevalent antisemitism that flourishes around them, these familiar characters will reignite the sense of despair and danger so commonly found in fascist regimes. All balanced with the unforgettable songs of Kander and Ebb, this is a look at history that you can't afford to miss. Come to the Cabaret!

Friday: Adults are $20.00, Seniors $18.00, and Students $14.00

Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24.00, Seniors $21.00, and Students $14.00.

Season Tickets are also available!

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m.Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.lbplayhouse.org or call 562-494-1014.

On April 29 Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theatre opens its 2017 season. Opened in 1963, the upstairs space has become The Playhouse counterpoint to the more traditional offerings on the Mainstage. The Studio's proscenium stage in the 98-seat theatre feels intimate and inviting. Although a smaller theatre than the Mainstage there is no less attention given to the quality of its productions.

"We do five shows for the Studio Season," said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. "The season runs from April to November. The rest of the year we open the space to local independent theater groups. It's part of our commitment to the Long Beach arts community."

Like the Mainstage, The Studio closes its season with an all-out musical production. Over the past years, the Studio season has received accolades for taking risks with shows like Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and Spring Awakening. Sean Gray, recently promoted to Artistic Director, curated the season with an eye to selecting shows that have proven track records yet offer room for The Playhouse room to stretch beyond the predictable.

"This season's plays will challenge, haunt, amuse and entertain. They were selected for their messages, their edginess and their ability to present stories which are timeless and yet uniquely suited to the 21st century," said Gray.

This year's shows are:

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike April 29 - May 27

Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play, it is one of the most lauded and beloved Broadway plays of recent years. Employing many comedic themes from Anton Chekov's works, we are treated to an examination of sibling rivalry, redemption, voodoo, and showbiz. When Vanya and Sonia's quiet life is disrupted by their movie star sister Masha's return to the family home, not even Disney can come to the rescue. A collection of hilariously complex characters brings light to the shallowness of ambition, regret, and the cultural decay of American life.

Dead Man's Cellphone June 10 - July 8

An incessantly ringing cell phone disturbs a woman sitting at a café table. She is furious at the owner for not picking up the call, until she discovers he's dead. So begins Dead Man's Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative new dramatic comedy. This work about how we memorialize the dead, and how that remembering changes us, is the odyssey of a woman confronting her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world. This is a show for those who have felt the need for personal attachment in the detached world of cellular communication.

Cowboy Versus Samurai July 22 - August 19

What if the classic romantic comedy, Cyrano DeBergerac, was set in modern day Wyoming? What if the large-nosed protagonist was now an Asian American High School English teacher and his love interest was the beautiful new Asian American teacher with a preference for dating white guys? Will he help his cowboy friend win the girl, or make his own feelings known? With quick-paced banter and witty repartee, this delightful romantic comedy addresses the issues of inter-racial relationships and platonic loyalty. When Travis Park needs to choose between the Asian American and the American within himself, who will win, the Cowboy or the Samurai?

All in the Timing September 2 - 30

This critically acclaimed, award-winning evening of comedic short plays combines wit, intellect, satire and just plain fun. David Ives' collection of six fast-paced glimpses into the eccentricities of life, love, communication, and dating will shine a light at just how absurd our daily lives can become. The characters you will meet are diverse, bizarre, complex and unerringly familiar as the audience is taken on a joy-ride through the human condition - a couple on their first date, a room of creative simians, a tutor of an imagined language, and Phillip Glass are just some of the characters sharing your evening.

Cabaret October 14 - November 18

In the pre-Nazi Germany of the 1930s, decadence is rampant. The raucous entertainment of the seamy Kit Kat Club reflects the lives of those drifters that frequent and perform on its stage. From the enigmatic Emcee, to the wounded Sally Bowles, to a mature couple dealing with the difficulties of the prevalent antisemitism that flourishes around them, these familiar characters will reignite the sense of despair and danger so commonly found in fascist regimes. All balanced with the unforgettable songs of Kander and Ebb, this is a look at history that you can't afford to miss. Come to the Cabaret!

Friday: Adults are $20.00, Seniors $18.00, and Students $14.00, Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24.00, Seniors $21.00, and Students $14.00.

Season Tickets are also available! Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m.Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.lbplayhouse.org or call 562-494-1014.

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