Veteran Actor Rodger McDonald to Perform in THE JANE AUSTEN SOIREE

A theater fixture in the greater Sacramento area for over twenty-seven years, veteran director and actor, Rodger McDonald will grace the stage at the Lincoln Civic Auditorium on December 11 as the uniquely eccentric characters Sir Walter Elliot and Admiral Croft in Placer Repertory Theater's performance of the new work Persuasion featured at the holiday event The Jane Austen Soiree.

Rodger McDonald, a Placer County resident and member of the professional organizations SAG/AFTRA and AEA, has enjoyed a robust and storied career in theater, film and television. He has performed with several major theater companies including the Alley Theater in Houston, Pacific Conservatory, Robert Redford's Sundance Theater, Rod Serling's Vooheis Theater in New York, Sherwood Shakespeare Festival, Utah Repertory, Solvang Theaterfest, Elizabeth Howard's Dinner Theater, the Great American Melodrama, & the National Theaters of Guatemala and El Salvador and was selected for the Oregon Shakespeare Summer Shakespeare Company in 1978. He originally came to Sacramento from Los Angeles to work with the Sacramento Symphony as both its financial controller and theater advisor. In this capacity he understudied Charlton Heston in the Henry V Suite and worked closely with The Manhattan Transfer and The Kingston Trio in their appearances in Sacramento.

He appeared as King James in the National PBS Drama, Passionate Pilgrim, and recently was featured in a new movie with Ellen Green and Kevin Corrigan which will debut in 2021. He has been awarded the Best Actor Award in the State of Utah, is a two-time winner of Best Actor at BYU, where he both graduated and taught. He won a Los Angeles Dramalogue Award for Macbeth and performed in Europe and Asia with the USO as one of six members of the popular singing group "Collector's Item". Rodger is the winner of four Ellys with 18 Elly Nominations for Best Actor and Director. In 2015, Rodger was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by SARTA at the Annual Elly Awards in 2015. Additionally, Rodger performs a civic service as Board Treasurer for Placer Repertory Theater.

Locally, he recently completed roles as Joseph Pulitzer in Newsies, & Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, as well as the lead in The Miser, He completed four seasons at Music Circus where he appeared in 1776, Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Damn Yankees, and Paint Your Wagon. At Woodland Opera House, he most recently directed Meet Me in St. Louis and Singin In The Rain. With Runaway Stage he has performed as the lead in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance. With other local theaters he was Cladwell in Urinetown at River Stage, Captain Hook in Peter Pan at Woodland Opera House, and Capulet in Romeo and Juliet at Sierra Shakespeare.

December 11, Rodger McDonald performs at The Jane Austen Soiree. The main feature of the evening is its entertainment: Rodger joins top-notch professional actors to perform the new work Persuasion: a Holiday Romantic Comedy, adapted by T.S. Forsyth and inspired by the Jane Austen novel, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., with a post-show Q&A after each performance to meet Rodger McDonald and the rest of the cast and the creative team. More information may be found on Eventbrite.com. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/194079556177)

"This play is full of rich, eccentric characters and a surprising amount of action, which makes it the perfect holiday treat for the whole family. We are so very fortunate to have Rodger McDonald portraying key roles in this play; he completely understands and embodies these unique characters. It is fabulous to see these hilarious characters fully realized," said playwright T.S. Forsyth.

Prior to Rodger's performance in Persuasion, audiences are encouraged to enjoy the soiree by arriving early dressed inspired by the period, enjoy refreshments, listen to the music, and watch or join in the 'contra dance.' Patrons will hear fascinating historical information and social graces of the period from the Event Social Directors / Hosts Kevin Foster and Crystal Neher-Evans and may participate in the audience costume parade at intermission or may receive gift baskets from local merchants and makers.

The Jane Austen Soiree is sponsored by Armrod Charitable Trust, The Rockstar Music Academy, the Arts Council of Placer County and private donors, and are partnered with the Rocklin Friends of the Library and the Rocklin and Roseville Historical Societies. "Our sponsors make it possible to serve up high quality professional performing arts and cultural programs with skilled professionals like Rodger McDonald, without charging exorbitant ticket prices. We are humbled and grateful to receive such support from our sponsors, who make this immersive, educational and entertaining event possible," said Kevin Foster, Placer Rep Outreach Director.

Audiences might recall Placer Repertory Theater as the professional company that commissioned and recently produced the "New Beginnings" event partnered with the Rocklin & Roseville Historical Societies, featuring a new play about Placer County railroad history in July of 2021. Placer Rep is also the performing arts organization that recently won Gold Country Media's "The Best of the Best: Best Live Theatrical Group" for Rocklin. Rodger McDonald, himself, is a Rocklin resident, and sits on the Placer Repertory Theater board of directors.

Placer Repertory Theater (PlacerRep.org) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit professional performing arts and culture nonprofit organization with the mission to offer educational and quality-of-life enriching professional performing arts and cultural programs relevant to the people of Placer County, while supporting local organizations and acting as an economic engine for the area. Follow Placer Repertory Theater on Facebook and Instagram: @PlacerRep.

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