MID-MONTH THEATRE OPENINGS ON THE CALIFORNIA CENTRAL COAST

BroadwayWorld.com brings you theater recommendations from San Luis Obispo's own Curt Miner.

I don't know about you ... but I'm still wondering where Christmas and New Years went - and as I look at the calendar, I'm already seeing that Elvis' birthday has come and gone, and that the middle of the month will be upon us this weekend.  But even though Elvis has "left the building" again, so to speak (can you believe the King would have been 75 this year?!) - the theatres here on the California Central Coast haven't gone anywhere, and are anxious to bring you some quality live entertainment.

Up north in Paso Robles, the Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) are proud to present their next production, Oliver, January 15-30, at the Templeton Performing Arts Center.  (Photo by Chris Skanes; L-R: Tabatha S. Skanes, Cori Walker, Andrew Magie as Oliver, Matthew Scott, and Caitlin Ruscki).  As stated on their website:

Pioneer Players is dedicated to providing an environment that nourishes and encourages the art and value of live theatre through awareness and participation in all aspects of stage production. Our mission is to contribute to the community's cultural development through quality stage productions and related educational offerings. Participation in our organization is open to all interested community members regardless of financial contribution. Our aim is to provide an opportunity to participate in, to enjoy a sincere interpretation of, to be entertained by, and to learn from our collective theatrical endeavors.

Pioneer Players is active at community events, providing entertainment at venues such as parades, the Vine Street Showcase, Mid-State Fair, and civic and service clubs. In addition, we offer a free performance to students of the community on the final dress rehearsal of each major production. Tickets are donated to support philanthropic activities and our volunteers contribute numerous hours to other theatres, schools, and churches in support of their productions.

Our primary objective is to mount productions emphasizing the highest attainable production values, given our budget and technical capabilities, in order to increase the size and scope of our theatrical offerings. We intend to produce full seasons of a variety of genres including our mainstay of musical theatre, straight plays, youth theatre, reader's theatre and musical revues

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org) completed a successful remount run of their popular summer musical Always ... Patsy Cline at the Spanos Theatre on the Cal Poly campus this past August.  Stay tuned for details concerning their next show (and where it will be held ... possibly somewhere in Paso Robles?).

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org), located in Cambria, will present a production of Jean Kerr's heartwarming comedy Finishing Touches January 15 through February 28.

The God Is Still Speaking Players (check them out on Facebook or at www.sloucc.org) held auditions for a collaborative effort with Bent Angel Productions on a readers' theatre production of 12 Angry Men on January 12 & 13 at the United Church of Christ in San Luis Obispo, with performances scheduled for February 19-21.

The San Luis Obispo Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) will present a children's theatre production of A Little Princess January 15-31 [PERSONAL NOTE: caught the Saturday matinee of this show and it was delightful!].  Preliminary auditions for Sherlock's Last Case (as in Sherlock Holmes) will be January 17 with performances scheduled for May 28 - June 20.  A readers' theatre production of The Washing Place by Devin Wallace, who will also be directing, will have a single performance on February 5.  And then the next installment of the theatre's ongoing Legend Series, Swingin' with Sinatra, opens February 19 and runs through March 21.   

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com), also located in San Luis Obispo, completed a successful presentation of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning production of RENT at the Spanos Theatre on the Cal Poly campus in October.  Auditions for Seussical have been held, with performances scheduled for February 20 - March 14 at Unity in San Luis Obispo.  And then on January 27, auditions will be held for Bye Bye Birdie, which will be presented at the Spanos Theatre on Cal Poly campus March 26 - April 3.

Performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include Frederick Swann on the Forbes Pipe Organ on January 17, Ted Neeley in the title role of the National Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar on January 18 (I've got MY ticket!), the Kronos Quartet on January 20, and the Moscow Circus on January 25.

At the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande, Yesterday - A Tribute to the Beatles will have 2 performances on January 30, and the legendary Shirelles will be in concert on February 6. 

In Oceano, The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville (www.americanmelodrama.com) recently closed their Holiday Extravaganza, and after a bit of a well deserved break, will present I Hate Hamlet January 21 - March 7.

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre's (www.smct.org) next production will be Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, with performances scheduled for February 5-27.

And last but not least, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org), the Central Coast's Resident Professional Theatre Company, has just completed their run of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria (it was absolutely magical - hope you had a chance to see it!).  Their next production will be William Shakespeare's Macbeth, opening on February 18.

So, there you have it - any number of new shows opening, with some VERY talented casts eager to entertain you ... so what are ya' waitin' for?!

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

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