Fall is around the corner, meaning there's plenty of reason to look forward to these cool new and classic productions arriving in the upcoming months. What better way to prepare for autumn than checking out this list of shows from San Francisco's talented high school and college theater departments. Be ready to get your ticket because these fall productions are sure to please any theater-goer.
Stop Kiss
Written by Diana Son and directed by Roy Conboy
School: San Francisco State University
Description: Sara and Callie are walking through New York City's West Village very late at night, when they share
their first kiss. This leads to a vicious attack by an angry bystander, in which Sara is horribly injured. She falls into a coma, which becomes one of the major subjects of the play. George, Callie's good friend, tries to help with the situation, but there is little he can do. Peter, Sara's ex-boyfriend from St. Louis, comes to help nurse her back to health. Throughout Stop Kiss, relationships are explored, formed, and even ended. Diana Son elaborates on the depths of human emotion and compassion in this play. (From SF State's theater department website)
Dates: Thursday, October 8 to Sunday, October 18
Location: Little Theatre
For more information: go to http://theatredance.sfsu.edu/
Much Ado About Nothing
Written by William Shakespeare and directed by Bruce Avery
School: San Francisco State University
Description: Set in Post WWI San Francisco, love's in the air when Don Pedro's army, drunk with victory from the war, descends upon Leonato's country estate in Messina. Traveling with him is Claudio, who wants to marry Leonato's daughter Hero. Meanwhile, Claudio's friend Benedick and Leonato's lively niece Beatrice hide their mutual attraction behind a volley of witty insults. But their world is shattered when Claudio, influenced by a scheming malcontent, levels a shocking accusation at Hero. A linguistically challenged guard and his sidekicks uncover the plot, casting a beam of hopefulness in this tempestuous landscape of love. (From SF State's theater department website)
Dates: Thursday, November 19 to Saturday, November 21
Location: Little Theatre
For more information: go to http://theatredance.sfsu.edu/
Blue Window
Written by Craig Lucas and directed by David Parr
School: City College of San Francisco
Description: Blue Window follows the events occurring before, during and after a dinner party one night in Manhattan. This dramatic comedy by playwright Craig Lucas premiered in the 80s to successful reviews for its intricate look at the lives of the different guests as they are on their own and when in the company of others, simply showing how relationships between people can intersect and also make each other stand out.
Dates: October 2, 3, 9, 10 at 8 pm; October 4 and 11 at 2 pm
Location: The Diego Rivera Theatre
Tickets $15 - General public; $10 - Students, Seniors, TBA members
For more information: go to http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Theatre_Arts/plays.html
Paul Sills' Story Theatre
Written by Paul Sills
School: Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
Description: Paul Sills' Story Theatre opened on Broadway in the early 70s and is a play with music adapted by the fairy tale stories of the Brothers Grimm. Story Theatre uses the methods of dance and music to make the stories come alive.
Dates: Oct. 16-22, various times
Location: Diamond Heights campus
Our Country's Good
Written by Timberlake Wertenbaker and directed by Jon Tracy
School: San Francisco University High School
Description: The power of country. The power of spirit. The power of theatre. The year is 1789. The place is a British prison colony in Sydney, Australia. How do you reform the convicts in hopes of a better society? One lieutenant has attempts answer: he'll direct them in a play.
Our Country's Good explores class, race and the very essence of what it is to be human, using the true story of the first play ever produced on Australian soil. Barriers are pushed, broken and obliterated leaving us with a story of the power of playmaking and its relevance throughout our shared histories. (From SFUHS's theater department)
Dates: Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 7:30 pm
Location: UHS Theater, 3150 Washington Street
For more information: go to http://www.sfuhs.org/page.cfm?p=3762
Circus Olympus
Wriiten by Lindsay Price and directed by Valerie O'Riordan
School: Archbishop Riordan High School
Description: As part of a Fund for Teachers fellowship in Athens, Greece this past summer, Drama Director Valerie O'Riordan is producing a "Season of Greeks," which includes the production Circus Olympus. The play is the re-telling of five Greek myths under a big top circus setting. The ringleaders are called "Greek Geeks" and there is a "Mythapalooza Slam Jam" just before intermission. The myths presented in the play include Demeter vs The Underworld, Perseus and Medusa, Arachne vs. Athena, King Midas and Pandora's Box. The play is presented as a gleeful celebration of mythology, with lots of physical comedy and spirit. (From O'Riordan's description)
Dates: Fridays and Saturdays, November 13, 14, 20 and 21, 8 pm. Closes Sunday, November 22 at 2 pm
Location: Lindland Theatre on the Riordan Campus at 175 Phelan Avenue
Tickets: Students and Seniors $5, Adults $8
For more information: go to http://www.riordanhs.org/clue/Riordan-Theatre/22105
Photo credit: Valerie O'Riordan
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