Bay Area Musicals! to Present 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Bay Area Musicals!, the newest non-profit theatrical organization to join the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area arts community, opens its second season with the Tony Award-winning musical comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This thrilling and hilarious musical centers around an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home life, the tweens spell their way through a series of [potentially made-up] words, hoping to never hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming 'ding' of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box. Winner of the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor. Featuring a fast-paced wildly funny and touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and a truly fresh and vibrant score by William Finn, this bee is one unforgettable experience.
Bay Area Musicals! to Present HAIR, 2/20-3/12
Bay Area Musicals!, the newest non-profit theatrical organization to join the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area arts community, continues its inaugural season with the acclaimed tribal love-rock musical, Hair. This generation-defining musical tells the story of Vietnam-era youths awkwardly but exuberantly creating their own rite of passage through the confusion around them. Among them are Claude and Berger - a pair of friends battling against Claude's draft notice, and Sheila, who is in love with both of them, but her politically-active lifestyle leaves her little time to act on her feelings. Ultimately, Claude has to decide if the hippie life is for him or go to Vietnam. With themes of alienation and civil disobedience, Hair illustrates the 60s generation's search for meaning through various 'be-ins,' 'love-ins' and protests. The winner of the 2009 Tony Award for 'Best Revival of a Musical,' Hair features classic hits including, 'Aquarius', 'Hair', 'Going Down', 'Easy to be Hard', 'Good Morning Star Shine' and 'Flesh Failures/Let the Sun Shine.'
HAIRSPRAY Begins Tonight at Berkeley Playhouse
Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater continues their seventh season with Hairspray, directed by Producing Artistic Director Daren A.C. Carollo (Broadway: A Time to Kill; Off-Broadway: bare The Musical; Regional: Diablo Theatre Company, Solano College Theatre, Napa Valley Opera House, Ohlone College, Town Hall Theatre Company, DRAA's On Broadway, El Campanil Theatre, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Missouri Street Theatre, Role Players Ensemble) and choreographed by Alyssa Bond (Diablo Theatre Company, San Francisco State University, Golden State Theatre Productions, and Alameda Civic Light Opera). Previews begin April 23. Show runs from April 25 to May 17, 2015 at the Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. in Berkeley. Tickets are now available through the Box Office, call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit berkeleyplayhouse.org.
HAIRSPRAY to Run 4/23-5/17 at Berkeley Playhouse
Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater continues their seventh season with Hairspray, directed by Producing Artistic Director Daren A.C. Carollo (Broadway: A Time to Kill; Off-Broadway: bare The Musical; Regional: Diablo Theatre Company, Solano College Theatre, Napa Valley Opera House, Ohlone College, Town Hall Theatre Company, DRAA's On Broadway, El Campanil Theatre, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Missouri Street Theatre, Role Players Ensemble) and choreographed by Alyssa Bond (Diablo Theatre Company, San Francisco State University, Golden State Theatre Productions, and Alameda Civic Light Opera). Previews begin April 23. Show runs from April 25 to May 17, 2015 at the Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. in Berkeley. Tickets are now available through the Box Office, call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit berkeleyplayhouse.org.
Chapman University Hosts OC-Centric New Play Festival, Now thru 8/25
OC-centric presents the best of Orange County playwriting… great stories with guts, wit, laughter and drama, brought to life by skilled actors and directors from across the Southland. Two plays igniting the conflicts concerning troubled students and teachers and a pair of plays unfolding the transforming world of the movies make the 3rd annual edition of OC-centric: Orange County's New Play Festival something special. It all happens at Chapman University, which hosts this destination new play event for the third consecutive year. OC-centric is produced in conjunction with Tamiko Washington (Actors Circle Ensemble & Chapman University) and Eric Eberwein.
