South Bend Civic Theatre Announces 2010 Season

South Bend Civic Theatre has announced it's 2010 season. Individual performance tickets will available for sale January 1, 2010. The schedule is as follows: 

Moonlight and Magnolias by Ron Hutchinson - January 22-January 31, 2010
Directed by Jim Geisel -  Mainstage

When filming for Gone with the Wind was in serious trouble, the producer, director and writer locked the doors for a week of massive re-writes. That single fact - and the expansive real-world theatrical characters who participated - was all Playwright Hutchinson needed to give flight to his imagination, and the result is a highly imaginative, hugely entertaining peek at three of the most fascinating characters in movie-making history in a whirlwind week of side-splitting farce.

Crumbs from the Table of Joy by Lynn Nottage -  February 12-21, 2010
Directed by Deborah Girasek-Chudzynski  - Studio

From the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright who brought us Intimate Apparel comes another beautifully spun tale, this time of an African American family's emotional evolution. Recently widowed, Godfrey heads to Brooklyn with his girls to seek a better life. Seeking answers through religion and challenged by his sister-in-law Lily's radically opposing views of what guiding principles the girls need, household tensions grow to the breaking point. Godfrey splits, returning with a new wife - and white at that - Gerte, whose experience in Hitler's camps add an entirely new viewpoint to the emotionally-charged family. Ultimately it must be Ernestine who must decide her own fate, and having just graduated from high school, Ernie rejects her father Godfrey's job offer - a safe way to exist, forever after - and instead heads to Harlem in search of a bigger future. A moving twist of emotions.

Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman & Alan Menken - March 5-21, 2010
Directed by Ted Manier - Mainstage

Skid row is no place for a flower shop to succeed, until geeky Seymour discovers a bizarre new plant, becoming an overnight sensation and gaining the attention of fellow floral assistant Audrey and the rest of the world, too! The plant quickly proves to be a wildly demanding, R&B singing carnivore who tempts Seymour down a dangerous path to stardom. All of the fabulously dark humor, wacky charm and great music this twisted tale is known for... from Suddenly Seymour, Suppertime, the title song and of course, Dentist!

Seussical! by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flahert - April 8-12, 2010
Directed by Scot Purkeypile, Music Director Claire Peterson **Family Series - kidz4kidz
Century Center's Bendix Theatre

Horton the Elephant is just doing his friend Mayzie a favor when he agrees to sit on her egg so she can take a break, not realizing what an adventure has just begun! What teasing he endures, what hardships he overcomes and what a champion he proves to be, when he saves all the Whos who live on the single flower he gets to safety. The cat in the Hat, Mayzie, Gertrude McFuzz, and all the little Whos join Horton in this fun musical adventure about being brave and helping out the little guys, all in this rockin', dancin' musical fun!

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie -  April 23-May 2, 2010
Directed by John Toth - Mainstage

One of Agatha Christie's most intriguing and suspenseful mysteries, standing the test of time and surprising audiences every time they see it... A group of strangers and two house servants have been invited by their mysterious host to an island estate and then are apparently marooned, greeted only by the chilling voice that warns the killers among them to beware. One by one the toy soldiers on the mantle are discovered broken on the floor, as each of the houseguests is murdered, leaving no clues behind, just one less suspect. Nothing is as it seems as this fascinating tale twists and turns to its exciting climax. (Previously titled Ten Little Indians)

Out of Sterno by Deborah Zoe Laufer -  May 14-23, 2010
Directed by Rick Ellis - Studio

Dotty has the perfect life! Decorating her apartment with her hand-painted renditions of home appliances as she breathlessly awaits her dreamboat husband's return for his nightly smiley-face hamburger leaves her hopelessly ecstatic! Then crisis erupts when her first venture out of her apartment in seven years reveals all that she is missing in life and her path to independence begins. The freshest, wackiest coming-of-age comedy to hit the stage in years!

The Miracle Worker by William Gibson - June 4-13, 2010
Directed by Mark Abram-Copenhaver -  Mainstage **Family Series

Left without her hearing or sight after a devastating childhood illness, Helen Keller's emergence from her frighteningly lonely existence is one of the most inspiring tales ever brought to the stage. Surrounded by a loving but helpless and conflicted family, Helen has learned how to rule her world with a vengeance. When Helen meets her teacher, Ann, she is a child without rules, without discipline, fighting and resisting this new interference until she finally understands, finally free to rejoin the world.

Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones  - June 18-June 27, 2010
Director Kevin Dreyer - Studio

A complex web of emotions surrounds the Humble household following Jim's death. Slowly Jim's adult son Felix is revealed to be far more than the socially awkward bumbler he first appears, lost with his grief and finding no relief in his brilliant intellect, no comfort from his deceiving mother, Flora. Quickly moving on to a new life with George, with whom Flora has had a long and sizzling affair, further confuses the anguished Felix, who once loved George's daughter, Rose. Felix and Rose are invited to dinner, where Flora and George plan to announce their wedding plans. The event proves disastrous, launching a conclusion heavily nuanced and full of surprises.

Rent by Jonathan Larson - July 23-August 8, 2010
Directed by David Case - Mainstage (not family fare series)

Seven friends struggle through the tumultuous challenges of our time -a world where dreams survive muggings and starvation, where friendships withstand homelessness, where AIDS and abiding love live side by side, where drugs and sex are tempting distractions from life's harsh realities... but, finally, where guardian angels still exist. Incredible music, absorbing story, fascinating characters... A surging, life-confirming powerhouse of a musical, loosely based on the heart-pounding story from La Boheme.
Warning: Mature language, mature themes.

Night of the Pterodactyls by Julian Wiles - August 20-29, 2010
Directed by Regina Warren -  Studio - kidz4kidz - Family Series

When twelve-year old Carly moves into the neighborhood, Whit thinks she may just be the ugliest girl in the world, and then she starts digging up dirt piles! Whit's obsession with the young scientist grows, and his friends in the GAs (Gross Associates) - a guys-only secret club - harass the devil out of him. And then the tables turn when Carly digs up dinosaur eggs, and the bright lights from camera crews coax the eggs into hatching!... or do they? Carly, transformed from neighborhood geek to media star, proves to be a hero as well. A wonderful coming of age script that reminds us that someone's best qualities are always beneath the skin, and worth digging for.

Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of...MacBeth
by David McGillvray & September 10-19, 2010
Walter Zerlin, Jr.  - Mainstage
Directed by Tami Ramaker

Determined to get their play into the Welwyn Garden City finals, the ladies - (and some reluctant gents) - pull out all the stops to produce their earnest but ultimately appalling assault on the classics, with this startlingly original and laugh-choked rendition of the Bard's MacBeth. Think Monty Python... and you're nearly there!

Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin - Oct. 8-17, 2010
Directed by Mark Allen Carter - Mainstage

Thug Harry Brock is breaking into the big money, and trying to buy his way into power. Thinking that he's got everything it takes so he's just got to smarten up his simple-minded girlfriend, Billie, he hires Paul to tutor her. Paul finds Billie to be uneducated but far from stupid, and under his tutelage, Billie quickly learns much of what she has missed in the world, including what kind of a man Harry really is. Paul and Billie come to realize they have fallen in love with each other just as Billie figures out how she has been used as a tool in Harry's fraudulent schemes. Harry erupts in anger, hitting Billie for the first - and last - time. Billie manages to get proof of Harry's criminal activities before she escapes, making Harry promise he will change his evil ways just as she abandons him to start life fresh with Paul.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Jeffrey Hatcher - October 29-Nov. 7, 2010
Directed by Jim Geisel - Studio

A haunting, driving force runs through this highly inventive script, as Dr. Jekyll becomes increasingly conflicted and unbalanced as he discovers the frightening truth behind his black-outs and the experimental drugs that cause them. Meanwhile, the love that has been denied of Dr. Jekyll falls to Hyde, who is loved by the bold Elizabeth, who loves the creature in spite of the evil she knows he is guilty of. Bizarre turns of event occur as Jekyll attempts to save his research, convert Elizabeth to his own, and separate himself from the creature he has increasingly become... A stunning psychological thriller.

Miracle on 34th Street by Will Severin, Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder & John Vreeke from the book by Valentine Davies
Music interludes by Will Severin
Directors: Jewel Abram-Copenhaver & Mark Abram-Copenhaver
December 3-19, 2010

It's Christmas time, 1947, and Macy's is desperate for the perfect Santa. Macy's personnel director, Doris, hires the charming old gent of her neighborhood, Kris, as Santa, who has befriended Doris and her skeptical daughter, Susan. Kris' genuine charm and endless goodwill enchants Macy's customers, just as it begins to work on the no-nonsense, hard-hearted Doris and her practical young daughter. Kris' unusual practices get him into trouble, though, and when he declares himself the real Santa he is rushed to a sanity hearing. The city pours forth its support for Kris in time to save him, and just as we think Susan's Christmas wish for a home and family will not come true, Kris comes through yet again. Just a touch of music has been added to this well-loved classic, which captures the holiday spirit of goodwill and generosity.

South Bend Civic Theatre is the oldest continuously-operating community theatre company in the South Bend/Mishawaka area. For more information or to purchase season tickets call the Box Office at 574-234-1112 (Box Office hours are: Monday-Friday, Noon-6:00 p.m.) or visit www.sbct.org.

 

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