Tom Stoppard's "Rock 'N Roll" at A.C.T.

Tom Stoppard's latest play, "Rock 'N Roll" closes today at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. I attended the matinée performance on Wednesday, so my ears had to compete with the sound of candy rappers, coughing, belching, and the spirited older ladies behind me talking full voice in the false belief that they were whispering due to their use of artificial hearing booster devices.

Keeping up with Stoppard's complex dialogue is difficult enough without having to decipher it through the geriatric sounds of the people sitting next to you. I did get most of it, however.



Five Best Things about "Rock and Roll"

1. As is often the case at A.C.T., Reneé Augesen was a gem as Elanor. There is a scene it which Elanor breaks down emotionally because of her cancer and Augesen had me in tears. She is an actress who seems to take each and every roll she is given turning it into a masterpiece of individual stagecraft.

2. Act II. Act II was excellent. Once we started getting into the relationships in the second act and away from the exposition of Act I, the play becomes complex and compelling.

3. The humor. There are some hilarious moments in Stoppard's dialog that the actors delivered with perfect timing. They seemed to come out of nowhere which made the moments even more delicious.

4. Jack Willis. Like Augesen, Willis is a compelling force on stage. I didn't like some of the acting choices but it doesn't matter. He does everything with such conviction and power that any strange moments are immediately forgiven. For instance there was a moment in the second act where he loses his temper far beyond what the situation seemed to require. However he follows it up with a drive that justifies the prior awkwardness. That takes conviction and confidence as an actor. What I really admire about Willis and Augesen is that they are always so clear about the story and every thing they do on stage seems to always serve the story. Even though both actors posses loads of charisma, they never use that to personal advantage. The story is the thing.. the play is the thing.. and they focus all of their exceptional talents toward advancing the plot and making it as layered and rich as it can be.

5. Manoel Felciano as Jan, the central character. Despite some extremely mundane exposition in Act I, that I believe Stoppard should rewrite, Felciano did a wonderful job in this very layered and difficult roll.

Did you see the show? Let's hear your opinion!

That's it. Go see a play!

Into the Woods

I hope you got to see "Into the Woods" at Broadway by the Bay. Stephen Sondheim's gem was very well done by the San Mateo company. Local regulars Paul Araquistain (The Baker), Linda Piccone (Jack's Motner) and Brittany Ogle(Rapunzel) were all fantastic. It was great to see Lee Ann Payne return to the Bay Area to play the roll of The Baker's Wife. She is an immense talent who I hope to see at larger venues like American Musical Theatre of San Jose soon.

Sondheim is, I believe, the Shakespeare of our age. He has taken the American musical to the level of masterful poetry. I believe that in one hundred years his pieces will be considered the finest ever written and will be performed for centuries and decades to come. What do you think?

Rare Performance of Eccentricities

Friday night I saw the opening of Eccentricities of a Nightingale at The Pear. This is a top notch production of a rarely performed Tennessee Williams play. Written in 1951, “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale” was Williams’s revision of the more familiar “Summer and Smoke.” He preferred “Eccentricities,” he wrote in an author’s note. “It is less conventional and melodramatic.”

Diane Tasca is remarkable as Alma. A part normally played by a 30 something actress, Tasca successfully turns this production into a memory play and it works.

I highly recommend that you go see this show. The entire cast is wonderful and deftly directed by Jeannie Forte.

Through September 28th.
Tickets

Carly Ozard Starring in Bitter and Be Gay

Carl Ozard will be performing her hit cabaret show, "Bitter and Be Gay" at the Octavia Lounge. This is a fantastic 90 minutes of laughter and fantastic music. Catch her here in San Francisco before she moves to New York.

September 26, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Octavia Lounge * 1772 Market St. * San Francisco * 94114


"Imagine a cabaret version of Kathy Griffin and you'll begin to get the idea.... Ozard, accompanied by pianist Barry Lloyd and bassist Daniel Fabricant, likes to refashion lyrics to songs to suit her show's theme, usually to good comic effect, and when she chooses to use her big Broadway belt, she can make a strong emotional connection with her audience.....This was an auspicious beginning to what could be a bright cabaret career. It's been too long since we had a brassy, belting broad on the local cabaret stage." ~Chad Jones - Theater Dogs (Jul 22, 2008)

COST: $15 + 2 Drink Minimum


TICKETS: RESERVE YOUR TABLE NOW WITH www.opentable.com
or call (415) 863-3516

Support New Playwrights

Supporting new plays and playwrights is what keeps our art fresh and relevant. In that spirit I urge you to attend a reading of a new play that I've been told is quite good. Here's the scoop...

The Second Weekend in September
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 8:00 pm

What happens between David and Michael the second weekend in September has to be enough to last all year. In this absorbing new play, the “out and proud” David explores his identity over a twenty-five year period. During this time he shares a yearly clandestine meeting with Michael, a closeted married man, in a Seattle hotel room. A powerful look at the men's shared struggles, set against the backdrop of society's changing attitudes.

Playwright Andrew Black is the author of several full-length plays. Porn Yesterday (co-written with Patricia Milton) has been produced in San Diego, Phoenix, and New York. It's Murder Mary! (by Andrew and Patricia) was recently produced by the New Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Watch out! This play will kill you! His other full-length plays are: Another Dude's Slingbacks and The Second Weekend in September . He has had short plays (about gay penguins and a secret affair between GI Joe and Ken) produced around the country. He is a member of the Dramatists' Guild and a board member of the Playwrights Center of San Francisco.

WHERE: City Lights Theatre Company

WHEN: Tuesday August 5, 8pm

TICKETS: $5.00 at the Door

A reception and audience TalkBack follows the reading.

Address
529 South Second Street
San José, California 95112
Directions


Phone
(408) 295-4200

San Francisco Theater Festival

Last year I had the opportunity to perform in a short piece at the San Francisco Theater Festival. This thing is a blast! I highly recommend that you go and check it out!

This year I get to do it again with The Pear.

There will be everything you can imagine there and it's all free.

Featured at the 2008 festival:

-AfroSolo presents Angela Dean-Baham as Black Patti
-Amiri Baraka’s provocative plays of black experience, including his new play, “Sisyphus Syndrome”
-Lamplighters Music Theatre’s “The Mikado”
-Best of Playground’s one act plays
-Aleshia Brevard & Gina Grahame's transsexual production of "One Damn Man!"
-Oh My Godmother, gay Cinderella
-Best of the Buddy Club, 16 great children’s shows
-Improv Groups: Blue Blanket, BATS, SPF7, Big City & Stagebridge's Over-50 Improv
- The Pear Avenue Theatre performs two short pieces

Ozard a Hit in Her Show - Bitter and Be Gay

Friday night the Octavia Lounge, a quaint San Francisco dinner club hosted a fantastic show by talented performer, Carly Ozard. The place was packed with over one hundred fans of this up and coming cabaret singer with a strong background in musical theatre.

First of all, I must give a disclaimer. Carly is a good friend and I helped her with the production in terms of publicity and direction and general moral support. But don't listen to me. She had the audience in the palm of her hand for nearly two hours. The show ended with multiple standing ovations and they were well deserved. Filled with wonderful song choices, hilarious conversation, and touching moments about her life, the show, "Bitter and Be Gay", is based on Carly's true to life romantic foibles. It's funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. Carly has the uncommon ability to interpret lyrics as if they were own and touch the hearts of those lucky enough to hear her sing.

Hopefully, we'll get to see this show at another venue soon. Carly is well known in the inner circle of San Francisco cabaret singers and I bet she'll soon become a fixture of San Francisco night life and entertainment.... unless she does something crazy like move to New York!

Hear Carly on her MySpace Page.

High Schoot Tony Awards a Smash

For those of you who missed this year's High School Tony Awards, here's a recap. The talent was extraordinary this year with a particularly tough battle for the Most Sexual Tension During the Before Show Group Massage Award.


High School Tony Awards Honor Nation's Biggest Drama Club Nerds

Go See This Show! Carly Ozard Live!

Carly is a fantastic singer and performer. She just returned from New York where she performed with some of the best cabaret artists in the country and she blew them away!

Less Than Two Weeks Until

Bitter and Be Gay! DATE: July 18th, 2008 TIME: 7:00 pm LOCATION: Octavia Lounge 1772 Market St. San Francisco 94114 MORE: $15 + 2 Drink Minimum Octavia Lounge

Make Your Reservations NOW! Octavia Lounge is MUNI and BART accessible. There is a small parking lot for customers and there is usually easy parking on and around Octavia and Valencia. PLEASE GET HERE EARLY if you want a good seat, as your reservation guarantees you a table, but your seating is first come, first serve. Your ticket price will be added to your bill at the end of the evening. Visit Octavia Lounge AND Open Table

'Tis Pity She's a Whore

This is the Video Promo for the show at A.C.T.

A.C.T. Triumphs with Ford’s Whore

About ten years ago I came across a play called "'Tis Pity She's a Whore" by John Ford in an obscure book of non-Shakespearian classical monologues for men . The title itself is shocking. The monologue from the play has a young man, Giovanni, trying to convince a priest to condone his desire to sleep with his own sister, Annabella. Intrigued, I found the play at the library and read it. I was mesmerized. This play was like nothing I had ever read. I couldn't believe that it was written just eleven years after the death of Shakespeare. It was so like Shakespeare in form, but so different in spirit. In most of Shakespeare's plays order usually wins the day and right usually triumphs over wrong. But in this play with its intricately woven, exquisite story line, no one is who they seem to be and there is no justice. We are left with a chaotic world, scoffed at, and then the curtain falls.

I must take my hat off to A.C.T's Artistic Director, Carey Perloff, for taking on this work. The title, the story (revolving mostly around incest, murder and deception), and it's complete obscurity would normally make those who run theatre companies starved for audience, run away quicker than you can say "Barak Obama for President". But Ms. Perloff decided to take the risk. It seems that the plays diva, the versatile and brilliant, Rene Augesen, wanted Perloff to produce this show after they became aware of it through Tom Stoppard's use of it as a device in his play, "The Real Thing". Perloff promised Augesen that they would and thankfully she kept her promise.

My personal experience with the play prior to this had been the strange reactions I would get whenever I did the Giovanni monologue at auditions. Here's how it usually went: I would announce that I would be doing a piece from "''Tis Pitty She's a Whore". That would immediately raise eyebrows across the table. No one had heard of the play, and the title itself just is so non-P.C. Then I would begin, and as soon as the people in the room realized that I was asking a priest to give me permission to schtupp my sister, I'd lose them. When I had finally finished, came the inevitable questions. "He really wants to sleep with his sister? Where did you find that piece?!!" Needless to say, I stopped doing the monologue. It just turned people off, and it seemed utterly preposterous. Maybe now that A.C.T. has dusted off this work of complete genius, I'll give it another shot.

The production itself is mesmerizing. The Scenic Designer, Walt Spangler, created something magnificent here. There are stare cases with balconies on either side. In the center on a platform, upstage, sits a woman named Bonfire Madian Shive. She is a cellist. She is a singer. She is a composer. And she is out of this world! I'm telling you, if you went only to hear her play her cello and sing during this show it would be worth it. In front of her are what resemble organ pipes and they seem to be alive. They move up and down throughout the show, seeming to pulse with the life force flowing through the actors themselves. There are candles that suddenly appear and disappear like ghosts throughout the play; the kind of candles Catholics often light in lieu of going to confession in order to assuage guilt. It's a brilliant effect.

The entire cast is splendid. I really felt that they were proud of this production; it just had that kind of energy. You could sense that they realized that they had created something totally unique and remarkable. Anthony Fusco, who plays Vasques really impressed me. Like Iago in Othello, he is not at all who he seems to be, and his ability to manipulate others for what he perceives to be a higher virtue, left a lasting impression on me for days. Fusco played it to understated perfection.

Be warned the play is bloody, even though A.C.T. has toned the gore down from the way Ford describes it in the original text.

But do yourself a huge favor and go see this play. Shakespeare was not the only genius of this time to write plays in the English language. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Phone:
Call (415) 749-2ACT
Phone Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday & Monday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
6 p.m. on nonperformance nights

Tickets Online

www.rayrenati.com

The Pear Avenue Theatre

The Pear Avenue Theatre


The Pear is producing a world premiere of a fantastic award winning play called Homeland Prayer by Jeff Carter. I know it's a good play because I've read it a few times. It's about a family dealing with the return home of a wounded soldier. Timely, and poignant, Homeland Prayer glimpses into the hidden tragedy of war.

Running at The Pear from June 27 to July 13.
Tickets

Foothill Adds it All Up

Go check out Foothill College's "The Adding Machine" for your Brechtian fix. T0m Gough, the director and head of the conservatory, has done a fantastic job mounting this strange and over the top play. Many excellent performances and a chance to see a style of acting that isn't done much.


_________________________

"The Adding Machine" Presented by Foothill Theatre Arts Department

May 30, 2008 - June 15, 2008

The Foothill College Theatre Arts Department presents The Adding Machine, a comic, expressionistic masterpiece written by Elmer Rice, now through June 15 in the new Lohman Theatre at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. Remaining evening performances are June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 at 8 p.m. Matinees are June 8 and 15 at 2 p.m. Directed by Foothill Theatre Arts Instructor Tom Gough, the play follows the exploits of Mr. Zero, a hard-working, psuedo-Everyman, as he toils through his rather inconsequential existence, a nameless human cog in a vast business engine. After years of dedication to his job, he finds himself out on his ear-replaced by a machine. Mr. Zero does not take this news lightly, and his choices soon send him on a path through various stages of the afterlife to discover the true nature of his menial existence. "The foreshadowing nature of Elmer Rice's 1923 play is, in many respects, rather eerie," Gough said. "The Adding Machine directly addresses the question of advancing technology at what cost to personal humanity. While our society is becoming more connected to each other at a staggering rate, it begs the questions what is the quality of this interfacing and is our connectivity detached and ultimately de-humanizing? This production emphasizes the relationship between man and machine." Performers with featured roles include Peggy Lynch of Atherton; Leslie Breton of Los Gatos; Tim Goble of Mountain View; Alex Hero of Palo Alto; Sarah Griner of Redwood City; Jake Van Tuyl of San Jose; Polina Krasnova of San Mateo; Daniel Mitchell of South San Francisco; and Suzie Poulson of Sunnyvale. Multiple ensemble roles are played Beth Boulay and Victoria Spencer of Campbell; Doug Beckett of Cupertino; Derrick Brooks and Ernesto Garcia of East Palo Alto; Ross Buran of Hillsborough; Ric Ferras of Los Altos; Jerome Sephers of Menlo Park; Arturo Dirzo of Mountain View; Martin Gutfeldt of Palo Alto; Victoria Ippolito, Georgina Kartsonis, Caitlin Lorenc, Juliana Schoedinger and Shannon Tierney of San Jose; Jezebel Barraza and Angel Ordaz of Santa Clara; Brian Van Winkle of South San Francisco; Linda Christensen, Brittany Pirucki and Marvina Reasons of Sunnyvale. The show includes scenic design by Bruce McLeod, costume design by Julie Engelbrecht, lighting design by Andrew Custer and sound design by Chris Graham. Tickets are $16, general admission; $12, students and seniors; $8, Foothill students with OwlCard. For best seating choice flexibility and immediate purchase confirmation, buy tickets online at http://www.foothill.edu/fa/adding/index.php. For group discount rates and to order tickets by phone, call (650) 949-7360. Parking Lot 8 provides stair and no-stair access to the theatre. Visitors must purchase the required parking permit for $2. Foothill College is located off I-280 on El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills. For more information, access www.foothill.edu or call (650) 949-7360.

Phone us at: (650) 949-7360

eMail us at: RosenthalDonna@foothill.edu

Click here for more information.

Look! “Creatively staged” Northanger Abbey is a hit at the Pear!

Diane Tasca, the Pear's Artistic Director, has written a fabulous adaptation to Jane Austen's, Northanger Abbey. It's playing at The Pear Avenue Theatre through June 8th. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks like people are loving it.

Below is what Director, Rebecca Ennals, has to say about audience enthusiasm for this remarkable show.

"Reviews are coming in for “Northanger Abbey” at the Pear Ave. Theatre, and they’re great! We’ve heard from the San Jose Metro, KQED, and, most importantly, the audience.

• “Throughout the play, the audience is treated to energetic, physical performances by the actors that go far beyond mere blocking. At times, the cast is called upon to dance, speaking their lines as they twirl, lock elbows, and promenade. Indeed, the entire play feels like a work of choreography, which makes it a delight to the eye… The stars of the show, though, are Austen's words, and the way in which Ennals has chosen to frame and illuminate them.” – Ben Marks, KQED

• “The Pear's gleeful creativity, under director Rebecca J. Ennals, brings out the youthful humor of the book in which 22-year-old Austen poked fun at Gothic novels like Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho… Ennals turns the production's sparse set and multipurpose cast into a source for comedy… Austen is meant to be sipped on a lazy afternoon, and this cast has the charm to make a pleasant sipping tea.” – Marianne Messina, SJ Metro (don’t read the whole review if you haven’t seen the show, too many spoilers!)

• “I went last night with my husband, 14 year old daughter, and 12 year old son, and we all loved it. It was funny, engaging, and the acting was superb. We highly recommend this performance!” – Mary from Menlo Park, posted on Artsopolis.com

• “Extra Kudos to the most creative staging I have seen in forever, the choices made were fresh and fun, both simple and complex at the same time, and were so intricately woven into the script, and all the other technical designs.” – Susannah from San Jose, posted on Artsopolis.com

I am so proud of this show and this cast, and I really want you to come! The Pear tends to sell out, so get your tickets early – we’re sold out for tonight and getting close for later dates. My production of Arcadia sold out the whole run there last year, including added shows, and we can’t extend. We run Thursdays-Sundays through June 8 – visit The Pear Web Site for tickets and details."

Read a very interesting review of this show on another Blog.

Two Excellent Reviews for Pear Slices 2008

Review from the Mountain View Voice.

Arts & Entertainment - Friday, April 18, 2008
Superb slices from The Pear

by Alexa Tondreau
Who knew the folks at Mountain View's Pear Avenue Theatre were such serious multi-taskers?

Not only have they established themselves as being top-notch actors, directors and producers, but with Pear Slices 2008, these thespians have proved once and for all they can write, too.

Running through April 27, Pear Slices — now in its fifth year — is a unique treat of a theatrical experience. Perfect for the sort of crowd with attention spans attuned to television's eight- to 12-minute intervals between commercials, Pear Slices presents eight short plays over the course of a two-hour production. Each slice is written by a member of The Pear's writer's guild, and this year's selection includes a diverse group of material.

For instance, Pear Slices begins with a short called "Miss Direction," by V.B. Leghorn, which details the obsessive and stalker-ish relationship between a car's automated navigation system (personified with great comedic timing by Camila Frausto) and the car's driver. Sample line: "You hurt me to the micro-grade."

Sound unusual? Not compared to the next piece, "The Near-Death Experiment," by Richard Medugno, which tells the story of a serial killer on death row who, as part of an experiment hatched by an ambitious doctor, is momentarily killed and brought back to life again in order to study the transformative effects of such an experience.

If there is any unifying theme among the Pear Slices of 2008, it seems that a certain penchant for the bizarre and surreal connects the theatrical material in them all. And a sign of the high quality of writing here is that the playwrights successfully pull off a number of challenging themes which might have appeared silly or trivial in lesser hands.

Caryn Huberman's "Pig Me, Act II" manages to make the relationship between human and pig a nuanced and intimate thing. What appears at first to be a completely outlandish proposal on the playwright's part — that a woman and her talking pig live together, and that the pig has been genetically modified to provide her with replacement organs — turns into a sad yet powerful story about cross-species love and loyalty.
About half way through "Pig Me," you have the unnerving realization that you've become emotionally invested in the strange material. It's a feeling that comes again and again while watching Pear Slices.

Just as important in these productions are the eight actors, who make multiple appearances in a variety of challenging roles. John Romano and Ray Renati, who were so good as dueling brothers in The Pear's recent production of "True West," appear frequently and continue to raise the bar for acting on The Pear's stage. Romano is particularly memorable when playing Salvador Dali in Ross Peter Nelson's "Allegorical Construction with Ectoplasm and Soft Cheese, Act II," uttering such lines as "Dali is a flaming giraffe!" and "My madness is that I believe I'm not mad!" with total dead-pan sincerity.

Pear Slices has become one of Mountain View's best artistic traditions. Nestled just a block from the expansive Microsoft campus and situated on land recently purchased by Google, the theater reminds us that in the land of technology titans, the small, intimate and quirky deserve a place too.

Review from Metro Active.

Juicy

Pear Avenue presents eight short 'slices' of theater in one night

By Marianne Messina

THIS YEAR'S "Pear Slices" production at the Pear Avenue Theatre is a humorous eight-pack of 20-minute plays with quirky premises and surprisingly well-rounded arcs. Written by a handful of local playwrights and performed by an astute, versatile cast, the plays roll smoothly from one to the other by way of music, created by Michael Pease, which sets upcoming moods and themes. For example, the Beatles' song "Piggies" ("Have you seen the little piggies crawling in the dirt?") introduces Caryn Huberman's play Pig Me, in which a woman (Corrie Borris) befriends the articulate pig (Camila Frausto in pig nose) created with her DNA to be her future organ donor. In an acting tour de force, eight actors recycle through wildly varied characterizations; most ubiquitous is the all-purpose Ray Renati.

In V.B. Leghorn's play Miss Direction, Renati is a man in midlife crisis and the object of his Global Positioning System's affections (Frausto makes an amazing Grace, the GPS, producing the familiar digital-voice hitches to a T). A few moments later, Renati is in uniform guarding and abusing Luke (Matt Sameck), a criminal about to undergo an experimental cure in The Near-Death Experiment by Richard Medugno. Suddenly, in Ross Peter Nelson's Cheese Cubed, Renati plays a mop-haired film crewman working for Jessica's (like Sally Jessie) nasty talk show, and Frausto, the formerly bodiless GPS, has become the glamorous talk-show host with an underhanded modus operandi. She pits an unsuspecting art-gallery expert (Monica Cappuccini) against a former nemesis (John Romano), a pretentious artist.

Romano, who also plays the withdrawn, work-focused doctor testing his hypothesis in The Near-Death Experiment, goes on to play an extroverted, self-congratulating Salvador Dali—red sash, flowing cape, scrolling mustachio—in Allegorical Construction With Ectoplasm and Soft Cheese (also by Nelson). Romano's chest-thrusting Dali is as fascinating as Cappuccini's Gala, a brooding, dominant woman in flowing dark hair, fluttery gold dress and black beads (costumes by Mae Heagerty Matos and Gail Farmer). With two projected images, the play draws a comparison between a Dali painting and a photograph from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, suggesting how one inspired the other by way of a few "ectoplasmic" (deceased) visitors.

Directed either by Kristen Lo or Michael Pease in no particular order, the plays have simple blue-box sets, dressed with the occasional coconut palm tree (Ron Gasparinetti, set design) and ending with a king-size bed for the Dali slice and The Perfect Match. In the latter, in a kind of reverse psychology, a woman picks up a man for no-strings sex, and their mutual distaste for forming any kind of bond becomes their special bond. Possibly the most serious "slice," Paul Braverman's The Castaway, manages to draw us into the inside of a bipolar man's worldview. Gradually, as Donny's (Sameck) interpretation melts into the "real facts," the play shifts from funny to poignant. Years past have included the sinister and the sad among the eight Pear Slices, but this year's fare keeps it light—other than The Castaway and a sentimental moment in Pig Me—and instead, the slices draw their eight engaging journeys from the ironic, the clever and the revelatory.

PEAR SLICES, eight short plays presented by Pear Avenue Theatre, plays Thursday–Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm at the Pear, 1220 Pear Ave., Unit K, Mountain View. Tickets are $15–$30. (650.254.1148)

Google Takes Over The Pear

The Pear Avenue Theatre is about to be crushed by the Goliath on the block. Google has recently purchased The Pear's building in a defensive move against Microsoft who's trying to take over the Mountain View neighborhood. Will the little Pear be smashed by the two monsters at war? It looks like October will mark the witching hour..
Read on...

New Works Festival at The Pear

Bravo Pear! New works are what keep theatre alive and vital and The Pear Avenue Theatre in Mountain View is dedicated to giving new playwrights there moment in the sun each season. Coming up is The Pear's annual one act festival featuring plays from The Pear's playwright's guild. Take a look ....

Moving "Blood Knot" at A.C.T.

Yesterday, I saw a very moving and beautifully staged production of Athol Fugard's "Blood Knot" at A.C.T. It's in it's last week and highly recommend this show. The Bay Area's own Tracy Chapman composed the wonderful music that accompanies the show.

2007 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards

Here they are: the 2007 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards. I have so many things to say about this list, but I shall bite my tongue. Read it and rejoice, or weep, whatever you wish.

**Please go to the TBA web site for the most accurate list of nominees; the list below was the first published and may contain errors.***

Theatres Over 99 Seats

DRAMA
ENTIRE PRODUCTION:
After the Quake, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
The Birthday Party, Aurora Theatre Company
Enchanted April, Porchlight Theatre Company
Frozen, Marin Theatre Company
Heartbreak House, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Man and Superman, California Shakespeare Theater
The Pillowman, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Sex, Aurora Theatre Company
Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, American Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Theatre for a New Audience

PRINCIPAL PERFORMANCE, FEMALE:
Delia MacDougall, Sex, Aurora Theatre Company
Jennifer Reimer, Our Town, Ross Valley Players
Kimberly King, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, San Jose Repertory Theatre
Michelle Morain, Heartbreak House, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Michelle Pava Mills, The Underpants, Ross Valley Players
Phoebe Moyer, The Birthday Party, Aurora Theatre Company
Rene Augesen, The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater
Susannah Livingston, Man and Superman, California Shakespeare Theater

PRINCIPAL PERFORMANCE, MALE:
Aldo Billingslea, The Elephant Man, TheatreWorks
Anthony Fusco, Hedda Gabler, American Conservatory Theater
Darren Bridgett, Love Song, Marin Theatre Company
Elijah Alexander, Man and Superman, California Shakespeare Theater
James Carpenter, The Birthday Party, Aurora Theatre Company
Ken Ruta, Trying, TheatreWorks
Kurt Gundersen, The Underpants, Ross Valley Players
Tony Amendola, The Pillowman, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Warren David Keith, The Good German, Marin Theatre Company

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, FEMALE:
Allison Jean White, Heartbreak House, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Anne Darragh, The Good German, Marin Theatre Company
Delia MacDougall, After the War, American Conservatory Theater
Joan Mankin, Bosoms and Neglect, Aurora Theatre Company
Julia Brothers, Love Song, Marin Theatre Company
Maureen McVerry, Sex, Aurora Theatre Company
Sharon Lockwood, Hedda Gabler, American Conservatory Theater

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, MALE:
Alex Morf, The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater
Benjamin Cohen, The Underpants, Ross Valley Players
Darren Bridgett, The Good German, Marin Theatre Company
Jack Willis, The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater
James Carpenter, King Lear, California Shakespeare Theater
Jarion Monroe, Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, Marin Shakespeare Company
Julian Lopez-Morillas, The Birthday Party, Aurora Theatre Company
Ken Ruta, The Circle, American Conservatory Theater

DIRECTOR:
Jonathan Moscone, Long Day’s Journey into Night, San Jose Repertory Theatre
Jonathan Moscone, Man and Superman, California Shakespeare Theater
Kent Nicholson, The Good German, Marin Theatre Company
Les Waters, Heartbreak House, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Mark Rucker, The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater
Robert Wilson, Our Town, Ross Valley Players
Tom Ross, Sex, Aurora Theatre Company
Tom Ross, The Birthday Party, Aurora Theatre Company

SET DESIGN:
Annie Smart, Long Day’s Journey into Night, San Jose Repertory Theatre
Annie Smart, Man and Superman, California Shakespeare Theater
Daniel Ostling, Argonautika, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Eric Flatmo, The Imaginary Invalid, American Conservatory Theater
John Arnone, The Circle, American Conservatory Theater
Kent Dorsey, Hedda Gabler, American Conservatory Theater
Robert Broadfoot, ’BOT, Magic Theatre
Robert Mark Morgan, The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater

SOUND DESIGN:
Andre Pleuss & Ben Sussman, After the Quake, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Andre Pleuss, Argonautika, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Fabian Obispo, The Imaginary Invalid, American Conservatory Theater
Jake Rodriquez, After the War, American Conservatory Theater
Jeff Mockus, The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater
Jeff Mockus, Triumph of Love, California Shakespeare Theater
Odabiah Eaves, Heartbreak House, Berkeley Repertory Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN:
Alexander V. Nichols, Heartbreak House, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Don Darnutzer, The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater
John Culbert, Argonautika, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Lap-Chi Chu, Long Day’s Journey into Night, San Jose Repertory Theatre
Les Lizama, The Underpants, Ross Valley Players
Matt Frey, To the Lighthouse, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Russell H. Champa, Man and Superman, California Shakespeare Theater
Russell H. Champa, The Pillowman, Berkeley Repertory Theatre

COSTUME DESIGN:
Abra Berman, Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, Marin Shakespeare Company
Ana Kuzmanic, Argonautika, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Anna R. Oliver, Man and Superman, California Shakespeare Theater
Anna R. Oliver, The Pillowman, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Beaver Bauer, The Imaginary Invalid, American Conservatory Theater
Candice Donnelly, The Circle, American Conservatory Theater
Cassandra Carpenter, Sex, Aurora Theatre Company
Taisia Nikonishchenko, The Good German, Marin Theatre Company

ORIGINAL SCORE:
Andre Pleuss & Ben Sussman, After the Quake, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Andre Pleuss & Ben Sussman, Argonautika, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Billy Philadelphia, Sex, Aurora Theatre Company
Chris Houston, The Good German, Marin Theatre Company
Fabian Obispo, The Imaginary Invalid, American Conservatory Theater

CHOREOGRAPHY OR FIGHT DIRECTION:
Carla Pantoja, The Taming of the Shrew, The Cutting Ball Theater
Dave Maier, King Lear, California Shakespeare Theater
Dave Maier, The Pillowman, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Jane Zaban, Sex, Aurora Theatre Company

ORIGINAL SCRIPT:
Chantal Bilodeau, Pleasure + Pain, Magic Theatre
Josh Kornbluth, Citizen Josh, Jonathan Reinis Productions, Z Space Studio
Mary Zimmerman, Argonautika, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Rebecca Gilman, The Crowd You’re In With, Magic Theatre

SOLO PERFORMANCE:
Josh Kornbluth, Citizen Josh, Jonathan Reinis Productions, Z Space Studio, and Magic Theatre
Mike Daisey, Men of Genius, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Steven Soloman, My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m in Therapy, Richmark Entertainment

ENSEMBLE:
Angel Face, Word for Word
Argonautika, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
The Circle, American Conservatory Theater
Enchanted April, Porchlight Theatre Company
The Good German, Marin Theatre Company
The Kentucky Cycle, Willows Theatre Company
King Lear, California Shakespeare Theater
Long Day’s Journey Into Night, San Jose Repertory Theatre
Our Town, Ross Valley Players
The Pillowman, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
The Rainmaker, American Conservatory Theater
Sex, Aurora Theatre Company

MUSICALS
ENTIRE PRODUCTION:
Bingo, a Winning New Musical, Center Repertory Company
Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
Emma, TheatreWorks
Merrily We Roll Along, TheatreWorks
The Music Man, Diablo Light Opera Company
One Touch of Venus, 42nd Street Moon
Plain and Fancy, 42nd Street Moon
Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay

PRINCIPAL PERFORMANCE, FEMALE:
Brandy Collazo, Plain and Fancy, 42nd Street Moon
Carol Woods, Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
Lianne Marie Dobbs, Emma, TheatreWorks
Nina Josephs, One Touch of Venus, 42nd Street Moon
Peggy Ann Blow, Bricktop, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
Susan Himes-Powers, Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay

PRINCIPAL PERFORMANCE, MALE:
Ben Jones, Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay
Bill Olson, Plain and Fancy, 42nd Street Moon
Damon Kirsche, Merrily We Roll Along, TheatreWorks
Maurice Hines, Blues in the Night, Eugene P Stichman Productions
Timothy Gulan, Emma, TheatreWorks

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, FEMALE:
Amy Louise Cole, One Touch of Venus, 42nd Street Moon
Chris Macomber, Plain and Fancy, 42nd Street Moon
Dani Marcus, Emma, TheatreWorks
Freda Payne, Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
Sharon Maxwell, Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay
Suzanne Grodner, Emma, TheatreWorks

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, MALE:
Lawrence Beaman, Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay
Mark Farrell, The Secret Garden, Willows Theatre Company
Robert Brewer, Merrily We Roll Along, TheatreWorks
Rudy Guerrero, Gay Divorce, 42nd Street Moon
Travis Poelle, Emma, TheatreWorks

DIRECTOR:
Andrew Holtz, The Secret Garden, Willows Theatre Company
Barbara Heroux, The Merry Widow, Lamplighters Music Theatre
Bobby Weinapple, Plain and Fancy, 42nd Street Moon
Glenn Casale, Bingo, a Winning New Musical, Center Repertory Company
Mark Jacobs, Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay
Robert Kelley, Emma, TheatreWorks
Robert Kelley, Merrily We Roll Along, TheatreWorks
Sheldon Epps, Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions

MUSIC DIRECTOR:
David Dobrusky, Plain and Fancy, 42nd Street Moon
Mark Hanson, Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay
Rahn Coleman, Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
William Liberatore, Emma, TheatreWorks
William Liberatore, Merrily We Roll Along, TheatreWorks

CHOREOGRAPHY:
Alex Perez, Merrily We Roll Along, TheatreWorks
Dottie Lester-White, Show Boat, Broadway by the Bay
Kenneth Lee Roberson, Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
Mary Beth Cavanaugh, Emma, TheatreWorks

COSTUME DESIGN:
Beaver Bauer & Melissa Wortman, The Merry Widow, Lamplighters Music Theatre
Christine Crook, The Secret Garden, Willows Theatre Company
Dana Rebecca Woods, Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
Fumiko Bielefeldt, Emma, TheatreWorks

SET DESIGN:
Douglas D. Smith, Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
Jean-Francois Revon, The Merry Widow, Lamplighters Music Theatre
Joe Ragey, Emma, TheatreWorks

LIGHTING DESIGN:
Rob Anderson, The Secret Garden, Willows Theatre Company
Steven B. Mannshart, Emma, TheatreWorks

SOUND DESIGN:
Andrew F. Holtz, The Secret Garden, Willows Theatre Company
Ian Hunter, Bricktop, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre

ORIGINAL SCRIPT:
Paul Gordon, Emma, TheatreWorks

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE:
Blues in the Night, Eugene P. Stichman Productions
Emma, TheatreWorks
Merrily We Roll Along, TheatreWorks
Music Man, The, Diablo Civic Light Opera Company

TOURING
Avenue Q, Best of Broadway
Jersey Boys (second cast), Dodgers Theatricals
Kooza, Cirque du Soleil
Legally Blonde, Best of Broadway
Sweeney Todd, American Conservatory Theater
The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) and Completely Hollywood (abridged), Reduced Shakespeare Company and Marines Memorial Theatre

Theatres Under 99 Seats

DRAMA
ENTIRE PRODUCTION:
A Streetcar Named Desire, Off Broadway West Theatre Company
Based on a Totally True Story, New Conservatory Theatre Center
Defiance, Playhouse West
Fiction, Off Broadway West Theatre Company
First Person Shooter, SF Playhouse
Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, SF Playhouse
Nathan the Wise, TheatreFIRST
Shadowbox, Masquers Playhouse
Six Degrees of Separation, SF Playhouse

PERFORMANCE, FEMALE:
Barbara Michelson Harder, A Streetcar Named Desire, Off Broadway West Theatre Company
Carla Spindt, Catherine’s Care, AlterTheater
Emily Jordan, Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance, TheatreFIRST
Frances Lee McCain, The Shaker Chair, Shotgun Players and Encore Theatre Company
Jeri Lynn Cohen, Death of a Salesman, Traveling Jewish Theatre
Joan Mankin, Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge!, SF Playhouse
Joyce Henderson, Fiction, Off Broadway West Theatre Company
Susi Damilano, Six Degrees of Separation, SF Playhouse

PERFORMANCE, MALE:
Carl Lumbly, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, SF Playhouse
Craig Marker, First Person Shooter, SF Playhouse
Daveed Diggs, Six Degrees of Separation, SF Playhouse
Kamran Alexander, A Streetcar Named Desire, Off Broadway West Theatre Company
Louis Parnell, Defiance, Playhouse West
Michael Medici, Fiction, Off Broadway West Theatre Company

DIRECTOR:
Aaron Davidman, Death of a Salesman, Traveling Jewish Theatre
Adam Fitzgerald, Defiance, Playhouse West
Bill English, Six Degrees of Separation, SF Playhouse
John Dixon, Based on a Totally True Story, New Conservatory Theatre Center
Joy Carlin, Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge!, SF Playhouse
Mark Jackson, American $uicide, Encore Theatre Company and Z Space Studio
Phoebe Moyer, Shadowbox, Masquers Playhouse
Richard Harder, Fiction, Off Broadway West Theatre Company
Rob Melrose, Woyzeck, The Cutting Ball Theater

ORIGINAL SCRIPT:
Aaron Loeb, First Person Shooter, SF Playhouse
Adam Bock, The Shaker Chair, Shotgun Players and Encore Theatre Company
Peter Levy, Friends, Masquers Playhouse and Phoenix Theatre
Robert Ernst, Catherine’s Care, AlterTheater

SOLO PERFORMANCE:
John O’Keefe, Song of Myself, The Marsh

ENSEMBLE:
American $uicide, Encore Theatre Company and Z Space Studio
Anna Bella Eema, Crowded Fire
First Person Shooter, SF Playhouse
Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, SF Playhouse
Nathan the Wise, TheatreFIRST
Six Degrees of Separation, SF Playhouse

MUSICALS
ENTIRE PRODUCTION:
Into the Woods, CTA Crossroads
Pippin, Foothill Music Theatre
Wilde Boys, New Conservatory Theatre Center

PERFORMANCE, FEMALE:
Cathleen Riddley, Man of La Mancha, SF Playhouse
Connie Champagne, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, New Conservatory Theatre Center
Tami Dahbura, Into the Woods, CTA Crossroads

PERFORMANCE, MALE:
Louis Parnell, Man of La Mancha, SF Playhouse
Martin Rojas-Dietrich, Man of La Mancha, SF Playhouse
Rudy Guerrero, Pippin, Foothill Music Theatre
Steve Rhyne, Into the Woods, CTA Crossroads

DIRECTOR:
Dyan McBride, Into the Woods, CTA Crossroads
Jay Manley, Pippin, Foothill Music Theatre
Jon Tracy, Man of La Mancha, SF Playhouse

CHOREOGRAPHY:
Joe Duffy, Pippin, Foothill Music Theatre
Staci Arriaga, Into the Woods, CTA Crossroads

MUSICAL DIRECTOR:
Catherine Snider, Pippin, Foothill Music Theatre
David Dobrusky, Man of La Mancha, SF Playhouse
Joe Collins, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, New Conservatory Theatre Center
Matt Smart, Into the Woods, CTA Crossroads
Richard “Scrumbly” Koldewyn, Wilde Boys, New Conservatory Theatre Center

ENSEMBLE:
Into the Woods, CTA Crossroads
Pippin, Foothill Music Theatre