SO much theatre ... SO little time on the California Central Coast!

OFFICIALLY Summer doesn't end until September 22 - the date of the Fall Equinox ... TRADITIONALLY Summer ends on September 7 - the Monday of Labor Day weekend ... but in actuality, with many schools starting back on August 27 - there are only 2 WEEKS left in this Summer season.  So, if you're gonna' fit one last summertime excursion into the family calendar - time's a wastin' ... but there will be NO time wasted if you use your time to take in one of the current or upcoming live theatre productions here on the heart of the California Central Coast!

In the lovely seaside community of Cambria, the Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org) will soon be bringing the curtain down on its current production of Same Time, Next Year - Bernard Slade's romantic comedy about a clandestine rendezvous over the course of 25 years by a couple who love one another, but are married to other people.  The show closes on August 15 (cast members David Norum and Kelli Rodda pictured above).

In addition to also being in rehearsal for Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery The Mousetrap, which opens September 11, PPP will be holding auditions August 20 and 21 for a readers' theatre production of Homeland Insecurity, as well as hosting 2 evenings of song with Delilah Shank, returning with her show devoted to the romantic music of Edith Piaf, the legendary French singer, and the world of cabaret songs, on August 29 and 30 in the piano bar cafe.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse was founded by Jim and Olga Buckley back in 1976 and is known to many as the "Jewel Box of Community Theatres."  The theatre space with its 61 red director-type chairs, each emblazoned with the name of performers from theatre's past rather than numbers (last time we attended a show, we sat in Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton), and piano bar off of the lobby that doubles as a cozy club room, make for a warm and intimate atmosphere for an evening of quality live entertainment.

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org), also located in Cambria, is currently remounting their recent popular production of Always ... Patsy Cline, which will be presented at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center's Spanos Theatre (www.pacslo.org) on August 29 and 30. 

Inland and north a bit in Paso Robles, the Central Cost Shakespeare Festival (www.centralcoastshakespeare.org) will be bringing their 2009 summer season to a close this coming week with its final 2 performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream on August 14 and 15 at the Outdoor Amphitheatre at River Oaks Hot Springs.

Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org), located on Riverside Avenue in Paso Robles, is currently gearing up for auditions for the first production of their 2009/10 season, Oliver - stay tuned for details!

Down the road in San Luis Obispo, in addition to hosting Houselights Theatre's remount of Always ... Patsy Cline, the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) also offers a number of non-theatrical entertainment opportunities, including Summer Comedy Jam starring Arj Barker (Aug 15), SLO Academy of Dance's Just Dance! (Aug 16), Karla Bonoff (Aug 22), the Glenn Miller Orchestra (Sept 10), Glenn Yarbrough in Concert (Sept 18), and Kathy Griffin (Sept 23).

San Luis Obispo Little theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) will be presenting a readers' theatre production of The Year of Magical Thinking, starring Susan Merson, on August 14.  The first show of their 2009/10 season, The Clean House, opens August 28, and auditions for the second show of the season, Rumors, are on August 24.

In the Village of Arroyo Grande, Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook), under the guidance of director Ryan Cordero, is putting the final touches on The Producers, which will be presented at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) August 21 - September 6 with Dana Shaheen as the money grubbing Max Bialystock, and Jeff Salsbury as the nerdy accountant Leo Bloom.  And then on September 11, the world famous Count Basie Orchestra with multi-Grammy nominated vocalist Nnenna Freelon will play at the Clark Center for one night only.  The following evening, September 12, the up-and-coming bluegrass group Bearfoot will be performing.

The Studio of Performing Arts (www.thestudioofperformingarts.com), also in Arroyo Grande, is currently in its summer schedule of intensives and workshops, with student drama productions of 42nd Street and Alice & Wonderland scheduled, as well as the first full season of 3 productions with their community theater company The Studio Players.

Continuing down the coast, The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville (www.americanmelodrama.com) in Oceano is currently running 2 productions in alternating performances: Gold Fever at the Rough and Ready, and Rip Van Winkle.  Plus, whichever production you see, there is always the high energy vaudeville portion of the performance after intermission that showcases the singing & dancing talents of the entire company to finish off your afternoon or evening of entertainment.

A bit farter south, just across the line into Santa Barbara County, the Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) will open its 50th Anniversary Season on September 11 with a production of Love, Sex, and the I.R.S.

And then at the Central Coast's resident professional theatre company, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org) is into the final 3 shows of its 2008/9 season.  The Music Man will complete its run August 23 at the Festival Theater in Solvang, The Spitfire Grill opened August 7 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria and runs through the 23rd, before moving to Solvang August 28 through September 13, and then they will close out their current season with Distracted August 28 through September 20 at the Severson Theatre in Santa Maria.

There are SO many theatre options here on the heart of the California Central Coast - and in more than one case, there is SO little time before a given option will bring its run to a close ... so jump in and take advantage of these performances before it's too late!

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

 

 

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.