We Give Thanks for the Theatrical Feast on the California Central Coast

As we celebrate Thanksgiving - let us not forget to give thanks for all those who work so diligently to provide us with a variety of quality live entertainment here on the California Central Coast!

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) is proud to present Wait Until Dark through December 11.

From the author of Dial 'M' for Murder comes one of the most famous thrillers of our time.  The New York Post called it "a first-rate shocker!"

A cool-as-ice psychopath smooth talks his way into the home of an unsuspecting woman.  Unbeknownst to Susie, she's harboring a dangerous prize, and he'll use every trick to get it.  Spend an evening on the edge of your seat with the genre Hitchcock made classic.  This psychological thriller probes which frightens us more - the evil you can see coming, or the one you can't?

Their next production, Doubt, will perform February 4-26.

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, has opened its 2010/11 season with a production of Peter Pan that runs through December 23 in the Marian Theatre.

The Great American Melodrama (www.americanmelodrama.com) in Oceano is proud to present their annual Holiday Extravaganza production of A Christmas Carol, along with an original fractured fairy tale and Holiday Vaudeville Revue, through December 31.

Upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande include Everybody Can Dance Ballet's Nutcracker November 28, Nipomo High School's Wizard of Oz December 2-4, SLO Youth Symphony's Holiday Concert December 5, Arroyo Grande High School's Almost Maine December 9-12, Coastal Chamber Youth Ballet's Babes in Toyland December 11, and A Rita Coolidge Christmas on December 12.

Ryan Cordero (rccor385@gmail.com) and Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook) recently closed their very successful production of Forever Plaid, at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) in Arroyo Grande as part of their inaugural season of shows.  Next up is Drowsy Chaperone - auditions December 13-15, performances April 1-24.

Murder in Mind Productions (http://murderinmind.com) will present Golden Girls: Meet Blanche's Niece, at the Spyglass Inn, located at 2703 Spyglass Dr in Shell Beach, December 5 - January 30.

SLO Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) will present their next main stage production, Nuncrackers: the Christmas Musical, through December 19.  On December 11, the theatre will host a NO SHAME theatre event at 11:30 PM.

The God Is Still Speaking Players (follow them on Facebook), in collaboration with Bent Angel Productions, has just closed its run of a staged reading of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood.  What's next?  A readers' theatre production of The Diary of Anne Frank is planned for the first weekend in March, and Nunsense Jamboree in September.  Stay tuned for audition dates and details.

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include an evening with General Stanley McChrystal on December 2, Cal Poly's Fall Jazz Concert on December 3, and Gilbert Reed's ballet presentation of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol December 4 & 5.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org) in Cambria has announced that their next production will be The Glass Menagerie, directed by Nehemiah Persoff, with rehearsals beginning in November and performances in January and February.  Contact Mr Persoff at (805) 927-3877 (leave a message) or email the theatre at audition@pewterploughplayhouse.org to schedule an audition.

The Theatre at the Old Grammar School (TOGS), also located in Cambria, closed Rosann Balbontin's Bridging the Gap in September.  Contact Theatre Director, Jeff Mar, at KRKJFRZ@aol.com to find out what their next project will be.

The North County Dance & Performing Arts Foundation (http://classactdance.com/nutcracker) will present The Nutcracker Ballet at the Templeton Performing Arts Center December 4-6 & 11-13.

The Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) presented a "special project."  Always ... Patsy Cline, at Centennial Park in Paso Robles for 2 performances in September.  Stay tuned for what they'll be doing next! 

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org) is looking for a new place to call home ... got any suggestions?  Details concerning their next show are TBD (and where it will be held).

So, as you make your Thanksgiving plans - don't forget to put attending a live theatre performance somewhere on the California Central Coast on the menu!

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

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