Sierra Stages & Miners Foundry Cultural Center to Present ORDINARY DAYS, 4/1

On Wednesday, April 1st, the Miners Foundry Cultural Center and Sierra Stages kick off the third season of Theater by the Book, a popular series of informal play readings for the community, with the critically acclaimed musical "Ordinary Days" written by composer/lyricist Adam Gwon. Sandra Rockman directs, with musical direction by Ken Getz, and featuring local Nevada County actors Jay Barker, Nancy Haffey, Jonathan Hansard, and Kim Wellman.

"Ordinary Days" is a refreshingly honest and funny musical about making real connections in the city that never sleeps. It tells the story of four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. Through a score of vibrant and memorable songs, their experiences ring startlingly true to life. "Ordinary Days" is an original musical for anyone who's ever struggled to appreciate the simple things in a complex place.

"Performing a one-night reading of a musical is insane, because you must rehearse it as if you were doing a full set of performances," says Getz who will accompany the actors on piano. "All of us working on the reading truly love the show, and we all feel that audience members that give this new show a chance will love it, too."

Washington Post theatre critic Peter Marks describes "Ordinary Days" as follows: "Gwon's 19 songs are the evening's sole engine. They're lyrically witty and rich enough in narrative and character detail to power the dual plots of the musical. "Sort-of Fairy Tale" is the title of one of the numbers, and it identifies a wistfulness that links the alternating stories. One tale revolves around strangers and the other, around lovers. In the former, a connection is made after Warren finds Deb's misplaced treasure, the book containing all of the notes for her dissertation on Virginia Woolf, and arranges to give it back to her. In the latter, cohabiting Jason and Claire learn that building a city nest requires more compromise and patience than they bargained for."

"The two stories converge only tangentially, in that random way people in a large metropolis might brush past each other, once or maybe as many as 100 times, in a Starbucks, a park, or a museum. "Saturday at the Met" depicts all four characters wandering in the cavernous Metropolitan Museum of Art, where hilariously anxious Deb can't find Warren or the Monet at which the exchange of the book is supposed to occur. Incidentally, the Warren-and-Deb plot is about friendship, not romance. It's one of the refreshing dichotomies constructed by Gwon, who can invest a platonic story with as much meaning as one about passion."

The Theater by the Book series has proven to be a wonderful opportunity for both theater buffs looking to get their mid-season fix and new audiences interested in learning more about theater. The readings are done simply with minimal sets and costumes, allowing the audience to focus on the story, the words, and in the case of "Ordinary Days" the songs. It also allows Sierra Stages to present a wider variety of plays (and musicals) for the community outside of its regular season of full productions.

"We know that most likely no one in our audience has seen the show previously (it was first performed Off Broadway in 2009), nor has anyone heard the songs," says Getz. "On the other hand, the music, story, and characters are so accessible that we know that the show's unfamiliarity won't be a hindrance to anyone's enjoyment of this wonderful piece of theater."

The Theater by the Book readings take place at the Miners Foundry Cultural Center, 325 Spring Street, Nevada City. A $10 donation is suggested at the door -- doors open at 7:00 PM and the readings begin at 7:30 PM. Advance tickets are available at the Miners Foundry and BriarPatch Co-op and online at www.minersfoundry.org.

Following "Ordinary Days", the Theater by the Book season continues with two additional plays this spring: On Wednesday, April 29, "The Trip To Bountiful" by Horton Foote, is directed by Leslie Ann Rivers, and features Karen Lewis, Wendy Willoughby, T.E. Wolfe, Kelly Taylor, Jeffrey Mason, and Kenneth Miele. The classic play is a masterpiece on the power of childhood, memory, and the undeniable, universal yearning for the warmth of home and family. On Wednesday, June 3, "Fortune" by Deborah Zoe Laufer, is directed by Robert Thomas, and features Monica McKey and Stephen Wellman. It is a contemporary, poignant love story beautifully disguised as a hilarious comedy. Two people - one, a cynical psychic whose powers are unfortunately real, and a lovelorn bachelor whose desire for romance is both unstoppable and apparently doomed - look for love in an often confusing world, where identities shift and communication can be hazardous to your mental health.

For more information about "Ordinary Days" and Theater by the Book, please visit www.minersfoundry.org or www.SierraStages.org, or call (530) 265-5040 or (530) 346-3210.

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