SUMMER STAGES 2015 - Upcoming shows for the Santa Barbara Summer Season!
By: Maggie Yates May. 27, 2015
Summer in Santa Barbara brings a flurry of festivals, parties, and citywide celebrations of art and music; the Solstice Parade, French Festival, and Fiesta are prime examples. Summer also brings a wide variety of theatrical works: from youth theater to dinner theater, from comedic triumphs to dramatic works that personify the human struggle, Santa Barbara's summer theater season has options to suit any taste.
Take a look at what's coming up this summer!
***************************************************************************************************************Lompoc Civic Theatre Presents:
I Do! I Do!
Through June 6th, and June 27th (extension dates pending)
Dinner Theater @ the Village Country Club, Lompoc
Lompoc Civic's dinner theatre production of I Do! I Do! has received so much positive feedback that they're adding extension dates after the conclusion of their run on June 6th. There is a June 27th show planned, with the possibility of more dates, so get your tickets now!
I Do! I Do! spans the marriage of one couple, Michael and Agnes, beginning on their wedding day. Their story encompasses the growing pains of a new marriage and building a life together, including child rearing, a mid-life crisis, and the cycle of mistakes, regret, and forgiveness that make their marriage stronger. A charming story of one couple's journey through life together, the play concludes when they pass the torch by selling their house to a pair of young newlyweds. I Do! I Do! illustrates the challenges, joys, and heartaches of a long-term, committed relationship.
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Elite Theatre Company Presents:
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
June 12-July 12
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is an amiable musical about the best spellers in town. Six delightfully quirky pre-teen students fight for the prize of top speller in a bee administered by adults and parents who exhibit a hilarious level of over-investment in the competition. With a lineup of catchy songs about the frustrations and delights of growing up and the competitive spirit, Spelling Bee is a family-friendly show that emphasizes the importance of being gracious--whether you win or not.
A fun aspect of Spelling Bee is the use of audience volunteers who come on stage as fellow "contestants." (Contestants beware: even if you're a very good speller, the show is not designed to let you the win the bee ... or steal the show!) Featuring an adult cast, including Santa Barbara local Samantha Eve, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a heartening, energetic look at the pressures of competition--and the importance of learning to prioritize humanity over victory.
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Ensemble Theatre Company Presents:
Venus in Fur
June 11-28
@ The New Vic Theater
Ensemble's upcoming production of Venus in Fur presents keen humor and the politics of sexual dominance. Sensual and intelligent, Venus in Fur is both erotic fantasy and flirtatious power struggle.
Playwright David Ives's play-within-a-play begins with a director, Thomas, frustrated that his search for a lead actress has been, of yet, in vain. When a wild, tousled actress, Vanda, arrives to audition for the role of the erotic temptress, Thomas is initially unimpressed with her seeming lack of preparation. However, as their interaction turns consuming, Vanda's appropriateness for the character becomes unquestionable. Vanda's audition becomes a reading of the play that embodies a shocking, alluring perfection--the very essence of the complicated dynamics of sexual dominion.
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The SMHS Alumni Foundation Theatre Group Presents:
Spamalot
June 26-27
@ San Marcos High School
Based on cultural favorite "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," Spamalot is an irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend. In the vein of last year's successful run of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Spamalot, a ridiculous theatrical spoof, is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
The San Marcos High School Alumni Foundation is an organization of San Marcos Alumni theatre enthusiasts who produce shows as fundraisers for the San Marcos High School Performing Arts programs. 100% of production profits are donated to the San Marcos High School Performing Arts Department. Come out and support the arts!
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Elements Theatre Collective Presents:
A Bright New Boise
July 9-24
Elements Theatre Collective, a group with an excellent record of producing sophisticated, intelligent work, brings Samuel Hunter's play, A Bright New Boise, to the stage this summer. Elements performs their shows in a variety of pop-up locations. Every show is different, and every location brings its specific flavor to the performance.
A Bright New Boise is show about a man named Will who seeks to manage his life while waiting for the impending Rapture. Will takes a job at a Hobby Lobby in an attempt to build a relationship with a teenage son, Alex, whom he gave up for adoption earlier in life. In the meantime, Will meets Anna, a shy young woman who hopes for a budding romance. A Bright New Boise is a play that embodies the idea that life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
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SBCC Theatre Group Presents:
The Music Man
July 10-26
@ SBCC, Garvin Theater
A theatrical standard, The Music Man is a family-friendly musical classic. The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band he vows to organize despite the fact he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town go awry when he meets his match, Marian the librarian, whose savvy sweetness may convince him to finally face the music.
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On The Verge Summer Rep Presents:
Footprints at Laetoli
This is Not a Love Song
Lady-oke
Sweet Child?/Caylee's First Big Show
I'm excited about On the Verge's summer reparatory program, which will feature a series of theatrical productions in various styles, along with associated art installation pieces. Each of the six theatrical (or theatre-based) productions is a re-imagined artistic event for a re-imagined audience. On The Verge is an innovative force that is building a creative community around their work by extending ownership to collaborating local artists. Come experience On The Verge's bold, provocative, and entertaining productions!
Footprints at Laetoli (by Darlene Craviotto)
July 25-26
@ The Riviera Courtyard
Footprints at Laetoli tells the story of paloeanthropologist Mary Leakey's significant anthropological and archaeological discoveries that changed the common conception of the evolution of mankind. Leakey worked in a male-dominated field, yet had the fearlessness to delve into the unknown--science that existed between fact and extrapolation--and add chapters to the story of humanity's origin.
This is Not a Love Song (by Hee-Won Kim)
An Ethnography Installation on Asian Exoticism
July 22-25
@ The 208 Gallery
When Susie and Tom, an online "couple," come to life during an ethnographer's academic presentation, chaos, dancing, and cupcakes ensue ... and I've been promised some elements of drag, as well. This is Not a Love Song is at in intersection between theatre and intellectual discourse, a show that isn't afraid to dance outside the mainstream.
Lady-oke: An Interactive Kareoke Event
July 16-18
@ The Narrative Loft
Incorporating the use of karaoke, live music, song, and dance, Lady-oke performers create a scape of song and art installation in homage to historically prominent female sirens.
I'm Alive You Bastards and I Always Will Be and Sweet Child (A one-act double-feature--by Roxie Perkins)
July 16-18
@ The Narrative Loft
I'm Alive You Bastards and I Always Will Be is the story of the codependent relationship between Lang and Jak, two young girls growing up in the desert. Strange occurrences throw their lives into upheaval, such as the discovery of a dead dog and the arrival of two mysterious women on a motorcycle. Jak and Lang are thrown into a wild descent that rips apart the elaborate myths they've invented in order to survive. Hellish and funny, I'm Alive is a relentless ride that examines the price of belonging to someone.
Sweet Child takes place in an impoverished urban environment, where Krystal and her younger brother, Benni, struggle to survive after being abandoned by a drug-addict mother. Krystal believes her father's absence is do to military involvement, and plans to enlist in the service on her upcoming 18th birthday to find him. But the arrival of a mysterious soldier and Benni's bizarre behavior throw her plans off-kilter. With their mother planning to return home, Krystal and Benni must face the painful lies in their family's history.
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Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre Presents:
Governing BodiesJuly 18th
@ Ventura City Hall lawn, 501 Poli Street
Governing Bodies celebrates the democratic process, using dance to comment playfully on the world of politics. Three dancers from different disciplines: flamenco, West African, and breakdancing represent the diversity of voices in Southern California. The production was selected as part of Ventura's PLACE initiative and will be performed at Ventura's Artwalk on July 18th.
The City of Ventura Public & Local Artists Creating Environments (PLACE) program aims to create new ways to appreciate shared environments, inspire creativity within a community, and encourage conversation about the arts. The Public Art Commission has selected four works--by a sculptor, graphic designer, professional dance performance troupe and artist team--to create four temporary public art projects at over four sites throughout the Historic Downtown and Westside Cultural Districts during the July 2015 ArtWalk. The Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre will perform Governing Bodies twice on the front lawn of Ventura's historic City Hall. The performance will reflect the unique architecture, culture, and community of Ventura.
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Showstoppers Presents:
Once on This Island
July 23-25
@ La Colina Jr. High School
Once on This Island is a fairytale-type story with a Caribbean flavor. Rooted in storytelling and mythology, Once on This Island is about a peasant girl, Ti Moune, who meets Daniel, a wealthy citizen from the other side of the island, when he crashes his car near her village. When one of the island's Gods, Papa Ge, comes to take Daniel's life, Ti Moune offers her own life in exchange. Papa Ge agrees to the bargain, and promises to return to collect his fee at a later point. Daniel returns to his side of the island, and Ti Moune, deeply in love, follows--only to find that Daniel is engaged. Papa Ge returns and reminds Ti Moune of her promise--but offers to revoke the bargain if she kills Daniel instead. A story of destiny and sacrifice, Once on This Island is a youth production that will highlight Santa Barbara's talented young actors.
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Ensemble Theatre Company and
R & H Theatricals and the Really Useful Group Ltd. Presents:
Tell Me on A Sunday
July 23-August 2nd
@The New Vic Theater
Tell Me on a Sunday is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that Ensemble, in collaberation with R & H Theatricals, is adding to their 2015 production season. Tell Me on a Sunday is the story of a young English woman trying to make it in New York City. Along the way, she experiences the splendor and heartbreak of falling in love. Each dalliance comes with a lesson about life, and an overwhelming sense of self-discovery. Through a series of ill-fated relationships and letters to her mother, the girl finds that "dreams never run on time," and it's better to enjoy life, instead of watching it pass by.
TICKET INFORMATION
www.rnhtheatricals.com
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Stage Left Productions Presents:
Bye Bye Birdie
July 25, 26
@ Goleta Valley Jr. High School
Inspired by Elvis Presley's stint in the army in the late fifties, Bye Bye Birdie is an Americana-infused musical in which rock 'n' roll superstar Conrad Birdie is drafted into the army (to the horror of teenage groupies across the nation). In an attempt to capitalize on Birdie's overwhelming popularity and the hysteria caused by his impending departure, one songwriter devises a publicity stunt in which Birdie symbolically kisses all his fans farewell by singing to, and then kissing one lucky girl chosen at random from his fan club. A fun and energetic story about teen-idol fanaticism and bidding farewell to childhood heroes, Stage Left's production will showcase the talents of Santa Barbara's young performers.
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Lompoc Youth Theater and the City of Lompoc Recreation Division Present:
Fiddler on the Roof
July 31 -- August 8
@ the Lompoc Civic auditorium
One of the most popular shows ever produced, Fiddler on the Roof tells the story of a Jewish Father in Russia desperately trying to hold on to tradition amidst a changing world. This will be the 7th summer musical camp and production Lompoc Youth Theater and City of Lompoc Recreation Division has brought to the community. The Musical Theater Camp prepares the production in a Summer Stock-style theater tradition. The students will rehearse Monday--Friday mornings starting June 13. The intense 3-week rehearsal period teaches young people teamwork and leadership skills, responsibility and grows their abilities in Singing, Dancing and Acting.
Auditions are open to students going into 4th grade through college. Students must register with the City of Lompoc at (805) 875-8100 and commit to the camp with a registration fee prior to receiving an audition time. Registration is refundable if actor is not selected. Limited scholarships are available.
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So Called Productions Presents:
Pvt. Wars
August 21-September 5
@ Center Stage
So Called Productions brings Pvt. Wars, the story of three soldiers recovering from physical and emotional wounds sustained during their tours in the Vietnam war, to Center Stage this August. Pvt. Wars is as much about the process of physical healing as it is about overcoming emotional trauma incurred in the line of duty. The three characters, including Gately, who compulsively fixes radios, Silvio, who constantly postures and harasses the nurses in an attempt to overcompensate for a feeling of emasculation, and Natwick, a Long Island kid who writes letters to his mother about his experiences, can leave the hospital whenever they want--yet they remain to sort out their private demons, unsure of how to handle the transition back into civillian life.
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PCPA Presents:
Peter and the Starcatcher
August 21-September 13
Solvang Festival Theater
Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie's boy who never grew up, lived in Neverland: a mythic realm of magic and interminable youth. A century after Barrie's Peter Pan originally appeared on the London stage, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson wrote a prequel novel, Peter and the Starcatcher, which was then adapted for the stage. Peter and the Starcatcher explores the indefinite, secret origins of Neverland and its inhabitants, giving context and history to Peter Pan's magical realm. Like Barrie's Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatcher is a whimsical story that infuses the exciting, magical elements of a fairytale into the mundane world we recognize from outside of the theater. Peter and the Starcatcher reinforces themes of the belief in magical possibilities beyond reality as we see it.
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