California Stage Premieres New Comedy MYSTERY SPOT 3/11

Mystery Spot chronicles the exciting young life of Dingo McGraw, a graduate of Oroville High who becomes Women's Studies major at UC Santa Cruz so he can practice his hobby of chasing around girls. To fund his womanizing, Dingo gets a job at the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, "where nothing is as it seems." Dingo becomes convinced that The Mystery Spot is a magical place. His faith is only strengthened when a disgruntled customer sues The Mystery Spot for false advertising. Dingo's efforts to save the Mystery Spot are complicated when he begins receiving visits from Sylvia Plath, who is on the reading list of his "Introduction to Feminisms" class. And Sylvia has her own agenda.

In writing Mystery Spot, Lyons immersed himself in research, studying the odd phenomenon evident at the Mystery Spot, such as balls rolling uphill and pendulums that swing unequally about their axis. The scientific literature clearly explains how the optical illusions of the Mystery Spot trick our brains. "However, when I go to the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, all the science goes out the window and I am convinced that it really does sit at the center of some cosmic vortex," laughs Lyons.

Playwright Steve Lyons graduated from San Juan High School and attended Sacramento State before transferring to UC Berkeley, where he received a degree in electrical engineering. He now directs Playwrights Café, a theatre writing group in Berkeley. His finished works have been seen in theaters throughout the USA and England.

Mystery Spot has won multiple honors, including selection for the 2008 Ashland New Plays Festival. The play also won First Place in the 2010 Actors Theatre of Santa Cruz Full Length Play Contest.

Mystery Spot, directed by Ray Tatar, will be presented by California Stage Theater Company artists including Michele Koehler, William Bergen, Emily Kentta, Bonnie Antonini, Nick Koehler, Jeanette Trimble and Mahlon Greenhalgh.

Mystery Spot previews Friday March 11 and opens Saturday March 12, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm, until April 10. Tickets are $20.00 for General Admission, $15.00 for seniors, students, and SARTA members. Groups of six or more $12.00. The Theater is located at 2509 R Street in Midtown Sacramento. Easy free parking available. No late seating. Reservations: 916-451-5822 or order online at www.CalStage.org.

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