SBCC Theatre Group Presents Alan Ayckbourn's TIME OF MY LIFE July 7-24

For the second summer in a row, we will bring the SBCC Theatre Group back to life in the cozy Interim Theatre on SBCC's West Campus. This year we will present Alan Ayckbourn's dark comedy, Time of My Life, July 7-24.

THE PLAY

First produced in 1992, Time of My Life is the 44th play written by England's most prolific playwright. Mr. Ayckbourn confesses to being a "terrible eavesdropper" in restaurants and it is this habit that led directly to the writing of Time of My Life, a play where the audience members are the eavesdroppers, witnessing the traumas of an apparently normal family. But, as is the case with so many Ayckbourn plays, the story is told in a unique way. In this case, Ayckbourn's twist is to create a play where the past, present and future are revealed simultaneously and intertwined within the course of the evening.

The story revolves around a family dinner at their favorite restaurant organized by successful businessman Gerry Stratton to celebrate his wife Laura's 54th birthday. Their grown sons, Glyn and Adam are also present. Glyn is with his long suffering wife Stephanie; Adam has brought along his new girlfriend, Maureen, an outrageous hairdresser. They are both eager to impress. But too much wine and too many family skeletons intrude on the celebration and the evening ends disastrously.

It is after the dinner breaks up that Ayckbourn's real genius becomes apparent as the play takes off in three different directions simultaneously with all the action taking place in the same restaurant. The parents remain in present time, disclosing secrets and redefining their relationship. The oldest son's story moves forward in time over the course of two years, exposing a troubled marriage and a failing business. The youngest son's story moves backwards in time over the course of two months, revealing the beginnings of a relationship and the joy and hope that come with falling in love. By juxtaposing events from the past, present, and future, Ayckbourn lets the audience know things that the characters themselves may not know, and he encourages us to recognize those moments that make us happy as the moments occurs.

Time of My Life is a challenging play that offers many rewards. The London Times called it "A play by an inspired master craftsman and cunning psychologist working at full stretch: harsh and funny, simple and cunning, generous but unforgiving." We think you will be intrigued and entertained. Please note that the play does contain some brief adult language.
THE CAST

Time of My Life will be directed by Rick Mokler and feature some of Santa Barbara's most recognizable actors: Katie Thatcher, Jon Koons, Brian Harwell, Leesa Beck, Josh Jenkins, Marisa Welby-Maiani and Ed Lee.
Leesa Beck (Stephanie) is delighted to be making her SBCC Theatre Group debut. She can also be seen later this summer in The Cocktail Hour at Circle Bar B Dinner Theatre, where she has previously appeared in I Remember You, Red Herring, and I Hate Hamlet. In addition to her Santa Barbara credits, Leesa has worked in Los Angeles and New York on a variety of plays, short films, television shows, and commercials. She holds a BA in Theatre from Cornell University and an MBA from Pepperdine University, and will begin work on her PhD in Education at UCSB this fall.

Brian Harwell (Glyn) is a product of the SBCC Theatre Arts Program, where he has performed in over a dozen productions. He has also performed locally with Genesis West, Circle Bar B Theatre, Santa Barbara Theatre Company, Happy Destiny Productions, Dijo Productions, Rubicon Theatre, Ojai Art Center, Elite Theatre and Seaside Theatre. Notable roles include Leslie in Seascape, John Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet (Independent Award), Austin in True West (4 Star Theatre Award), Juror #8 (aka "the Henry Fonda character") in Twelve Angry Men, James in The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Independent Award), Bill W. in Bill W. and Dr. Bob, and Mr Webb in Our Town (Independent Award).

Josh Jenkins (Adam) is performing in his third show with the SBCC Theatre Group. Past Theatre Group performances include The World Goes 'Round, and Omnium Gatherum. He has appeared in student and community shows as well, including All InThe Timing, Greater Tuna, and The Lieutenant Of Inishmore with Genesis West. Josh's most recent credit was directing Who Made Robert DeNiro King Of America? for SBCC's Festival of One-Acts. Josh is a theatre student who has been studying at SBCC for the past three years, and he will be transferring to Azusa Pacific University in the fall in order to continue his pursuit of theatre.
Jon Koons (Gerry) has acted in many venues from L.A. to Alaska, where for nine summers he served as artistic director of the Liarsville Hippodrome Theater. He has performed at the Comedy Store and his writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Jon previously appeared with SBCCTG in Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Omnium Gatherum, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Enchanted April, Fortinbras, Expecting Isabel, The Lady and the Clarinet, Fuddy Meers, Wild Oats, Taking Steps, Resident Alien, The Complete History of America (abridged), The Waiting Room, and The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged).

Ed Lee (Mr. Chan, Tak To, Ah Yee, Ding Gor, Bun Sok) studied drama at SBCCTG where he was Student of the Year 1999. He received Independent Theater Awards for his roles in The Persians, Rough Crossing, and The Foreigner. He was a tutor for Rick Mokler's acting class many semesters, and this marks his 24th production with SBCCTG. Screen credits range from 2010 US Census TV spots to award-winning student films. A graduate from Caltech, Ed worked for a decade as a software engineer.

Katie Thatcher (Laura) is thrilled to be performing again with her SBCCTG family. She most recently appeared as Lydia in Omnium Gatherum and in The World Goes Round. A former student of the Theatre Arts program, Time of My Life marks Katie's 18th production with SBCCTG. Among some her favorites include Bat Boy: The Musical (Indy Award), The Lady and the Clarinet, Sweeney Todd, Resident Alien (Indy Award), Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, Into The Woods, Parallel Lives (Indy Award) and The Spitfire Grill. Katie has worked with Ensemble Theatre Company, SBCLO, Contemporary Music Theatre and Speaking of Stories, plus a guest appearance on The Hallmark Channel's The Last Cowboy.

Marisa Welby-Maiani (Maureen) is a UCSB graduate student in the Special Education, Disabilities and Risk Studies program. She was last seen in the 2006 production of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged) in the Jurkowitz Theatre. She has spent the last 4 years focusing on earning her bachelor's degree which she completed in 2009, as well as volunteering as a spokesperson for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
THE PRODUCTION STAFF

Rick Mokler (Director) is the recently retired Production Chairman of the Theatre Arts Department. Time of My Life is his 52nd directorial assignment for SBCC Theatre Group. Happily married to Wendy, he's the proud stepfather to two wonderful and accomplished young women, Cria and Alisa.
Mary Gibson (Costume Designer) is the recently retired Director of Costume and Makeup at SBCC and has designed dozens of shows since joining the faculty in 1987. Her professional credits include work at the Milwaukee Rep Theatre, The Old Globe, the San Diego Repertory Theatre, PCPA, and La Jolla Playhouse. Work at these regional theatres covered all aspects of costuming; cutting and draping, crafts, shop management and design. Awards for her designs include a Drama-Logue, two Old Globe Atlas Awards and two and a half Indies. Mary has also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University, and UCSB.
Patricia L. Frank (Scenic/Lighting Designer) is an Adjunct Lecturer, Technical Director and Designer at SBCC. In almost 25 years at SBCC Pat has designed over 50 productions. Her most recent designs include set and lights for Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Moonchildren. She also designed the sets for Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The World Goes Round and Rumors. Pat has also design lights for BASSH, On the Verge, and the New Works dance concerts. Pat was honored with an Independent Award for her set designs for Enchanted April, Private Eyes and Resident Alien and her lighting designs for Bat Boy: The Musical and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). She received an MA in Dramatic Arts from UCSB and an MFA in Visual Arts from the University of North Dakota.

Kody Molitor (Production Stage Manager) is currently a student at SBCC as a Theatre Arts major. He has recently worked as Assistant Stage Manager and Prop Master for Bill W. & Dr. Bob (Happy Destiny, 2010), Production Stage Manager for Reefer Madness: The Musical (Out of The Box, 2010), Assistant Stage Manager for The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Genesis West, 2009), along with performing in, and helping out with many shows at SBHS where he graduated in 2009.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Time of My Life will be performed in the intimate Interim Theatre on SBCC's West Campus, 800 block of Cliff Drive. Performances will be July 7-24, Wednesday through Saturday @ 8pm,

Sundays @ 2pm. The Sunday, July 11, 2pm performance will be live-captioned for the hearing-impaired. Ticket prices are $15 general, $12 seniors and $8 students and can be purchased or reserved by calling the Interim Theatre Box Office at 965-5935. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 1-5pm. Parking is free and adjacent to the Interim Theatre on the West Campus.

 

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