Happy Holidays from the Laguna Playhouse!!
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tis the Season!
Check out our myspace and facebook pages for special ticket offers!
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Thursday, December 4, 2008
Sneak Preview: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
It may still be December, but January is right around the corner, and so is an exciting new production of "Around the World in 80 Days." Co-produced with the San Jose Repertory Theater, this show is based on the Jules Verne novel and directed/designed with a steampunk twist. It's sure to be a treat for all ages, especially with five actors playing more than three dozen roles!
Proper London gentleman, Phileas Fogg, strikes a wager with fellow members of the Reform Club that he can travel around the world in a mere 80 days-- a mighty feat in the 1870s. With him goes his trusty French servant, Passepartout, while tenacious Detective Fix, who has mistaken Fogg for a fugitive bank robber, shadows him every step of the way. On his journey, Fogg encounters romance, adventure, and a host of colorful characters who both help and hinder his progress. Will Fogg make it back to win the wager?
Proper London gentleman, Phileas Fogg, strikes a wager with fellow members of the Reform Club that he can travel around the world in a mere 80 days-- a mighty feat in the 1870s. With him goes his trusty French servant, Passepartout, while tenacious Detective Fix, who has mistaken Fogg for a fugitive bank robber, shadows him every step of the way. On his journey, Fogg encounters romance, adventure, and a host of colorful characters who both help and hinder his progress. Will Fogg make it back to win the wager?
"Jules Verne meets Monty Python... a flat-out frenetic farce, where the slapstick hits the fan."
-San Jose Mercury News
Runs JAN 6-FEB 8, 2009. Get your tickets now!
Enjoy some humor this Christmas with SISTER’S CHRISTMAS CATECHISM
Everyone's favorite nun is back with a holiday show that will keep audiences laughing. This Christmas season, Sister will tackle the question that has been puzzling historians through the ages: Whatever happened to the Magi's gold? Think CSI: BETHLEHEM as Sister engages the audience to help solve the mystery through a forensic examination of the nativity scene. Sister hunts under the manger and over camel humps in her quest for clues.
Runs DEC 15-24, 2008! Get your tickets now!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Leaving Iowa Review from the OC Register
Leaving Iowa had a fascinating opening night last Saturday at the Laguna Playhouse. Here is the review from the OC Register.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/clue-manton-laguna-2230420-playhouse-don
'Leaving Iowa' will leave you with conflicted feelings
Review: Poignant play combines laughs, big issues at Laguna Playhouse.
By PAUL HODGINS
The Orange County Register
Comments 0 Recommend 5
Who among us has never experienced that special purgatory called the family vacation?
Ah, the memories: Long, tedious car trips to nowhere or, worse, the home of hated relatives; promising roadside attractions that fail to deliver; back-seat fights. "I'll give you something to cry about!" was a phrase coined during such times.
It's a wonder that nobody thought of turning this fertile field into theater before Tim Clue and Spike Manton seized upon it. The result, "Leaving Iowa," is a lightweight but funny and often poignant then-and-now tale, making its West Coast debut at the Laguna Playhouse after a successful life in the Midwest.
Don (Kevin Symons) is a Boston journalist who has returned to his childhood home in Winterset, Iowa facing a grim task. He didn't make it to his father's funeral, and now, three years later, he's come to dispose of dad's ashes. Getting sprinkled on the homestead where he grew up was the old man's only request, and it's a family embarrassment that the urn still resides in the basement. Don's sister (Erin Bennett) finds it only after hours of searching.
After receiving elaborate instructions from his mom (Jill Brennan) about how to drive dad's wheezy old car, Don makes the two-hour trip to his grandparents' home, only to discover their modest abode has been bulldozed; a big-box supermarket now stands in its place.
Don is floored. What should he do now with dad's remains?
Don's present-day journey is told in tandem with a series of flashback scenes. We witness the family's last trip together: a long and mishap-filled journey to Hannibal, Missouri, the birthplace of Mark Twain. Dad (Gregory North) is a schoolteacher with a passion for the minutiae of American history. No site marker is too insignificant for his lingering attention.
During the past and present trips' many unexpected detours, two busy and amusing supporting actors, JJ Rodgers and Roy Abramsohn, provide a strange gallery of characters: an overly enthusiastic Civil War re-enactor and his bored-to-death colleague; a couple of wacky mechanics; a near-mute busboy and his associate, the most talkative waitress in the world; a husband-and-wife team of lonely pig farmers whose only claim to fame is living in the geographic center of the continental U.S.
Clue and Manton have made part of their livings in standup comedy, and their script sometimes suffers as a result, as does this production, which is directed by Clue. There's an overly glib air and constantly frenetic dynamic in some scenes – qualities that can quickly wear out their welcome.
But this writing duo has a keen ear for the inherent comedy, subversive tactics and push-pull battles that characterize family relationships.
There are certain moments that had Saturday's audience nodding in recognition: a scene in which dad's passenger-seat instructions and interruptions drive mom into a seething fury behind the wheel; a wheedling episode in which Don and his sister manipulate their father into stopping at a dubious roadside attraction; dad fulminating over an elephantine RV blocking his way.
(The car scenes are presented with a big dollop of make-believe on John Berger's set, which gives us lots of atmospheric background but wisely lets the actors recreate the claustrophobic hell of automobile travel.)
And those of a certain age will sympathize with Don wanting to do right by his dad, now that it's too late for it to matter. Like so many men, Don is tortured by the knowledge that he never let his father know how much he loved and appreciated him. Don's attempt to assuage that guilt, and the journey of self-discovery that it takes him on, raise "Leaving Iowa" above the trivial.
This production features a comically gifted cast that mixes familiar with new faces.
Laguna Playhouse regular Symons nicely underplays Don. With his hangdog face and slouchy posture, Symons gives Don exactly the right mien – a middle-aged guy who's not particularly happy with the road travelled so far.
As Don's sister, Bennett has a field day projecting pre-teen hyperactivity. She's clearly an actress with vivid memories of the psychology and techniques of sibling teasing.
Brennan is the quintessential Midwestern mom, whose cautious nature and determined diplomacy tamp down some surprising passions. "She's an unstoppable helping machine," Don complains, not seeing as we do that if she didn't obsess over something her head would explode.
It's North's portrayal of the family patriarch, though, that will stay with you. He creates an instantly recognizable "regular dad" archetype: a penny pincher and schedule minder, a petty tyrant with a soft heart, a man who thinks he's in control but is often bested by his manipulative family.
North goes beyond what the role requires in the silent scenes, when dad hovers ghostlike on the margins as Don appeals to his ghost. North's gaze speaks volumes to anyone who has mid-life regrets about their departed parents. It says, "I know you loved me. Be happy. Move on with your life." That's a message worth taking home after the lights come up.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/clue-manton-laguna-2230420-playhouse-don
'Leaving Iowa' will leave you with conflicted feelings
Review: Poignant play combines laughs, big issues at Laguna Playhouse.
By PAUL HODGINS
The Orange County Register
Comments 0 Recommend 5
Who among us has never experienced that special purgatory called the family vacation?
Ah, the memories: Long, tedious car trips to nowhere or, worse, the home of hated relatives; promising roadside attractions that fail to deliver; back-seat fights. "I'll give you something to cry about!" was a phrase coined during such times.
It's a wonder that nobody thought of turning this fertile field into theater before Tim Clue and Spike Manton seized upon it. The result, "Leaving Iowa," is a lightweight but funny and often poignant then-and-now tale, making its West Coast debut at the Laguna Playhouse after a successful life in the Midwest.
Don (Kevin Symons) is a Boston journalist who has returned to his childhood home in Winterset, Iowa facing a grim task. He didn't make it to his father's funeral, and now, three years later, he's come to dispose of dad's ashes. Getting sprinkled on the homestead where he grew up was the old man's only request, and it's a family embarrassment that the urn still resides in the basement. Don's sister (Erin Bennett) finds it only after hours of searching.
After receiving elaborate instructions from his mom (Jill Brennan) about how to drive dad's wheezy old car, Don makes the two-hour trip to his grandparents' home, only to discover their modest abode has been bulldozed; a big-box supermarket now stands in its place.
Don is floored. What should he do now with dad's remains?
Don's present-day journey is told in tandem with a series of flashback scenes. We witness the family's last trip together: a long and mishap-filled journey to Hannibal, Missouri, the birthplace of Mark Twain. Dad (Gregory North) is a schoolteacher with a passion for the minutiae of American history. No site marker is too insignificant for his lingering attention.
During the past and present trips' many unexpected detours, two busy and amusing supporting actors, JJ Rodgers and Roy Abramsohn, provide a strange gallery of characters: an overly enthusiastic Civil War re-enactor and his bored-to-death colleague; a couple of wacky mechanics; a near-mute busboy and his associate, the most talkative waitress in the world; a husband-and-wife team of lonely pig farmers whose only claim to fame is living in the geographic center of the continental U.S.
Clue and Manton have made part of their livings in standup comedy, and their script sometimes suffers as a result, as does this production, which is directed by Clue. There's an overly glib air and constantly frenetic dynamic in some scenes – qualities that can quickly wear out their welcome.
But this writing duo has a keen ear for the inherent comedy, subversive tactics and push-pull battles that characterize family relationships.
There are certain moments that had Saturday's audience nodding in recognition: a scene in which dad's passenger-seat instructions and interruptions drive mom into a seething fury behind the wheel; a wheedling episode in which Don and his sister manipulate their father into stopping at a dubious roadside attraction; dad fulminating over an elephantine RV blocking his way.
(The car scenes are presented with a big dollop of make-believe on John Berger's set, which gives us lots of atmospheric background but wisely lets the actors recreate the claustrophobic hell of automobile travel.)
And those of a certain age will sympathize with Don wanting to do right by his dad, now that it's too late for it to matter. Like so many men, Don is tortured by the knowledge that he never let his father know how much he loved and appreciated him. Don's attempt to assuage that guilt, and the journey of self-discovery that it takes him on, raise "Leaving Iowa" above the trivial.
This production features a comically gifted cast that mixes familiar with new faces.
Laguna Playhouse regular Symons nicely underplays Don. With his hangdog face and slouchy posture, Symons gives Don exactly the right mien – a middle-aged guy who's not particularly happy with the road travelled so far.
As Don's sister, Bennett has a field day projecting pre-teen hyperactivity. She's clearly an actress with vivid memories of the psychology and techniques of sibling teasing.
Brennan is the quintessential Midwestern mom, whose cautious nature and determined diplomacy tamp down some surprising passions. "She's an unstoppable helping machine," Don complains, not seeing as we do that if she didn't obsess over something her head would explode.
It's North's portrayal of the family patriarch, though, that will stay with you. He creates an instantly recognizable "regular dad" archetype: a penny pincher and schedule minder, a petty tyrant with a soft heart, a man who thinks he's in control but is often bested by his manipulative family.
North goes beyond what the role requires in the silent scenes, when dad hovers ghostlike on the margins as Don appeals to his ghost. North's gaze speaks volumes to anyone who has mid-life regrets about their departed parents. It says, "I know you loved me. Be happy. Move on with your life." That's a message worth taking home after the lights come up.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7979 or phodgins@ocregister.com
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
NOSTALGIC COMEDY LEAVING IOWA ARRIVES AT LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE
NOSTALGIC COMEDY LEAVING IOWA ARRIVES AT THE
LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE FOR ITS WEST COAST PREMIERE
NOVEMBER 11 – DECEMBER 14, 2008
LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE FOR ITS WEST COAST PREMIERE
NOVEMBER 11 – DECEMBER 14, 2008
New play by Tim Clue and Spike Manton is a Sentimental
and Humorous Ode to Families—and Family Vacations
and Humorous Ode to Families—and Family Vacations
Remember those childhood family vacations you tried to forget? Those memories will come flooding back when you come to The Laguna Playhouse for the West Coast Premiere of Leaving Iowa by Tim Clue and Spike Manton November 11 – December 14, 2008.
Told in flashback, this hilarious sentimental comedy about a journalist who returns home to Winterset, Iowa to find a final resting place for his father’s ashes is a nostalgic ode to days gone by. As the journalist searches for the perfect spot to scatter the ashes, he relives the summer vacations he spent as boy trapped in the family station wagon en route to uninteresting historical sites with well-meaning but naïve parents and a bickering sibling. With a generous dollop of humor and a heart as big as the Midwest, Leaving Iowa shows us that the journey really is as important as the destination.
“Comedy is a familiar companion, and so are memories,” says Clue. “Who hasn’t been in their car and heard a song on the radio, and all of a sudden you’re transported back to a specific time and place. That’s what I want this play to do. It’s a time capsule that needs to be captured both humorously and sincerely at the same time. Where the movie Vegas Vacation made mockery of vacations, I hope Leaving Iowa is more of a sentimental journey.”
Told in flashback, this hilarious sentimental comedy about a journalist who returns home to Winterset, Iowa to find a final resting place for his father’s ashes is a nostalgic ode to days gone by. As the journalist searches for the perfect spot to scatter the ashes, he relives the summer vacations he spent as boy trapped in the family station wagon en route to uninteresting historical sites with well-meaning but naïve parents and a bickering sibling. With a generous dollop of humor and a heart as big as the Midwest, Leaving Iowa shows us that the journey really is as important as the destination.
“Comedy is a familiar companion, and so are memories,” says Clue. “Who hasn’t been in their car and heard a song on the radio, and all of a sudden you’re transported back to a specific time and place. That’s what I want this play to do. It’s a time capsule that needs to be captured both humorously and sincerely at the same time. Where the movie Vegas Vacation made mockery of vacations, I hope Leaving Iowa is more of a sentimental journey.”
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS
TIM CLUE
My first writing gig was – and still is – stand-up comedy. However, in 1991 I established Short Story Theater with Marco Benassi, a multimedia theatrical company that combined short fiction adaptations with documentary footage. Greek Streets was the theater’s inaugural work; using short stories by Chicago’s Greek scribe Harry Mark Petrakis. Other Definitions of Confinement premiered at the National Jewish Theater in 1993 and introduced the life and writings of Russian political prisoner Dmitry Stonov. In 1997, Coloring Potential, focused on the stories of Chicago’s inner-city youth. In 1999, Spike Manton and I wrote and directed a Chicago-based television sitcom pilot Tiny Pig that made into the ‘can’, but not on TV. Like all failed projects, it is currently being adapted into a comedy musical. Leaving Iowa is also being written as a screenplay. I grew up in Rochelle, IL, and I still live in Chicago with my wife, Kathryn Lake, and one cat, no kids, and no station wagon.
SPIKE MANTON
I was born on a farm in upstate New York, but my parents moved us to a bustling metropolis of almost two thousand people, where I grew up in your standard 1960’s family unit of four kids, two parents and one station wagon. As child number three, I am very familiar with the seating location known as “the way back.” After graduating Bradley University, I moved to Chicago, quit my cushy Procter & Gamble sales job, got married and began a career in standup comedy. Standup lead to some cable TV shows like Evening at the Improv, MTV and Comedy Central and more importantly, a career in radio. Over the past 10 years I have been on The Steve Dahl Show, ESPN Radio and the LOOP. Along the way, I have been trying to create, write and produce from right here in Chicago with my college friend, Tim Clue. Leaving Iowa is the best example of executing that plan to date. Finally, I need to credit my wife, Tami for the work she did with the production. It was way more than Group Sales, and while I’m still not sure I recommend working with your spouse, I am more than grateful.
I was born on a farm in upstate New York, but my parents moved us to a bustling metropolis of almost two thousand people, where I grew up in your standard 1960’s family unit of four kids, two parents and one station wagon. As child number three, I am very familiar with the seating location known as “the way back.” After graduating Bradley University, I moved to Chicago, quit my cushy Procter & Gamble sales job, got married and began a career in standup comedy. Standup lead to some cable TV shows like Evening at the Improv, MTV and Comedy Central and more importantly, a career in radio. Over the past 10 years I have been on The Steve Dahl Show, ESPN Radio and the LOOP. Along the way, I have been trying to create, write and produce from right here in Chicago with my college friend, Tim Clue. Leaving Iowa is the best example of executing that plan to date. Finally, I need to credit my wife, Tami for the work she did with the production. It was way more than Group Sales, and while I’m still not sure I recommend working with your spouse, I am more than grateful.
Performance & Ticket Information:
Ticket Prices: $25 to $65
Previews:
November 11 – 14
Ticket Prices: $25 to $65
Previews:
November 11 – 14
Regular Performances
November 16 – December 14, 2008
November 16 – December 14, 2008
Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Thursday matinee November 13: 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday matinee November 26: 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evenings, November 30 & December 7: 7:00 p.m.
(no performances on Thanksgiving Day, November 27)
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Thursday matinee November 13: 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday matinee November 26: 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evenings, November 30 & December 7: 7:00 p.m.
(no performances on Thanksgiving Day, November 27)
Special Half Price Tickets for Students, Teachers and Military with ID:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday Evenings / Saturday Matinees
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday Evenings / Saturday Matinees
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
Monday, September 15, 2008
Opening Night
The west coast premiere of Don't Talk to the Actors opened on Saturday night at the
Laguna Playhouse. Here are some photos caputred during the reception...
The Cast: Chris L. McKenna, Emily Eiden, Eileen T'Kaye, Steve Vinovich, Denise Moses,& Joel Polis
Director Rick Sparks and Emily Eiden as Arlene 
Joel Polis as Mike and Chris L. McKenna as Jerry
Artistic Director Andrew Barnicle and Playwright Tom DudzickThursday, September 4, 2008
"Don't Talk To The Actors" but Meet the Cast
The cast of Don’t Talk to the Actors at the Laguna Playhouse features Emily Eiden as Arlene, Chris L. McKenna as Jerry, Denise Moses as Lucinda, Joel Polis as Mike, Ellen T’Kaye as Bea, and Steve Vinovich as Curt.
EMILY EIDEN most recently appeared at South Coast Repertory in the Alan Ayckbourn farce Taking Steps (directed by Art Manke). Other favorite theater credits include Tonight @ 8:30 and Mother Courage and Her Children at The Antaeus Company, The Crucible and A Christmas Carol at International City Theatre, Charlotte’s Web and Miss Nelson is Missing at Mainstreet Theatre Company, and The Cradle Will Rock and Twelfth Night at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. Emily earned a degree in Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean History from Pomona College and currently narrates Griffith Observatory’s planetarium show, Centered in the Universe.
CHRIS L. MCKENNA began his acting career at age seven when he was cast as Dopey in a community theatre production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. McKenna made the transition to TV and film at age 11 and has since worked consistently including an award-winning three-year stint on “One Life to Live,” and appearances on “The Practice,” “That 70’s Show,” “The District,” “That’s Life” and “Touched By An Angel.” He was a series regular on WB’s “Opposite Sex” and has been featured in many films including In & Out, King of the Ants, and Art School Confidential. Chris has also appeared in over 40 stage productions, most recently in the role of Tony at The Geffen Playhouse production of You Can’t Take It With You.
DENISE MOSES originated the role of Grandma Nunzio in the off-Broadway production of Tony ’n Tina’s Wedding, a role she reprised in Los Angeles and San Francisco. She has toured the U.S. with her original one woman multi-character comedy show. Previous Rick Sparks directed productions: Highballs Ahoy, Tallulah, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, A Charlie Brown Commercial Christmas, and Dead Bride Running. Other stage credits: The Wizard of Oz (Santa Barbara CLO), The Foreigner (Grove Theater Center), Lend Me a Tenor (Grove Theater Center). TV credits include: “Gilmore Girls,” “General Hospital,” “Passions,” “Almost Perfect,” “Totally Hidden Video,” “The New America’s Funniest People” and “My Talk Show.” Commercial roles include: housewives, office workers, nun, wicked witch, school cafeteria lady, spontaneously combusting spinster & the Mona Lisa. Denise earned her Equity card playing Porky Pig and her SAG card as a dancing egg.
JOEL POLIS most recently appeared in the West Coast premiere of Defiance at the Pasadena Playhouse, the Rubicon Theater production of The Diary of Anne Frank, and Odyssey Theatre production of Pound of Flesh. A former USC gymnast and circus performer, Joel received his MFA from Yale Drama School before moving to New York where he acted off Broadway and in regional theaters, in such plays as Family Business at the Astor Place, The Baby Dance (the original production directed by Jenny Sullivan) at the Lortel, Pasadena Playhouse and Long Wharf. In Southern California Joel played Cassius in Dan Sullivan’s Old Globe production of Julius Caesar, Clarence in Richard III at the Odyssey Theatre, Wolf in Riga at the John Anson Ford, and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. His numerous TV credits include “CSI,” “CSI NY,” “CSI Miami,” “Law and Order,” “The Unit,” “Seinfeld,” “Cheers,” “Northern Exposure,” and “Chicago Hope.” Film credits include The Thing, The Rookie, It’s My Party, and Tumbleweeds. Joel lives in Venice Beach, where he teaches and produces theater.
EILEEN T’KAYE most recently appeared as Paulette in the world premiere musical Gulls for The Theatre@Boston Court, which followed her critically-acclaimed portrayal of Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret at International City Theatre. The recipient of a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award as well as two L.A. Weekly and three Drama-Logue Awards, Ms. T’Kaye has had the pleasure of performing such diverse roles as Tess in The Credeaux Canvas, the dual role of Mattie/Mrs. Higby in the world premiere of Rick Sparks’ They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Miss Furnival in Black Comedy, Phyllis in Death Defying Acts, Maxie in June Moon, Rebecca Felderman in Morning Star, Penny Sycamore in You Can’t Take It With You, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, and many more. Screen appearances include the Deputy Mayor of New York on the PBS series “The Eddie Files,” and the evil Drake Queen in the films Magic in the Mirror and Fowl Play. Ms. T’Kaye is the Founding Producing Director of the Boston Court Performing Arts Center in Pasadena.
STEVE VINOVICH appeared last season at The Laguna Playhouse in Art. Broadway credits include Loose Ends, Lost in Yonkers, The Magic Show, The Robber Bridegroom, Jerry Herman’s The Grand Tour, and David Hare’s The Secret Rapture. Steve has played the lead in The Foreigner and Special Occasions at the Pasadena Playhouse, The Price and On Golden Pond with Charles Durning at The Laguna Playhouse, The Robber Bridegroom at the Mark Taper Forum, as well as Bells are Ringing, Strike Up the Band and Babes in Arms for Reprise, and Awake and Sing, Golden Boy, Divorcons and All My Sons at Pacific Resident Theater. He played George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf and Uncle Peck in How I Learned to Drive at the Nevada Conservatory Theater, and did the Broadway tour of Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party. Steve’s films include The Santa Clause, Awakenings and Mannequin, and he was the voice of Puffin in the animated feature The Swan Princess. He has done hundreds of commercials and TV shows, including “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Cold Case” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” He is a graduate of the Julliard Acting School under John Houseman, and is a three-time winner of the LA Drama Logue Awards.
RICK SPARKS (Director) has won numerous awards for his work as a Director, Writer, Producer, Actor, Sound Designer and Choreographer. Favorite productions include his adaptation and staging of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, and the rock n’ roll epic, A Clockwork Orange, which garnered a LA Drama Critics Circle award for Direction. Other favorites include the Colony Theatre’s production of Clutter, the original LA premieres of Charles Busch's Psycho Beach Party and John Patrick Shanleys’ Where’s My Money? Sparks directed the well-reviewed Off-Broadway subversive comedy smash, Down South, and the long-running Hollywood theater hit, Dead Bride Running. As an actor, he appeared on Broadway in Cats, Les Miserables, and Sunset Blvd.
TOM DUDZICK (Playwright) has created a series of semi-autobiographical comedies that have been performed in theatres from New York to Los Angeles and dozens of cities in between. His plays have broken box office records at Buffalo Studio Arena, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Chicago’s Northlight Theatre. His first big hit, Greetings!, a Christmas-themed family comedy produced by the legendary Arthur Cantor and starring veteran film and television actor Darren McGavin, was produced on Broadway. For his next play, Tom semi-fictionalized his family and renamed them the Pazinski’s, called the play Over the Tavern and turned it into what the Chicago Tribune called, “one of the biggest grass-roots successes in American regional theatre of the last few years.” He wrote two popular Over the Tavern sequels: King o’ the Moon and The Last Mass at St. Casimir's. Tom’s most recent play, Don’t Talk to the Actors, had its World Premiere in September 2007 at Buffalo’s Studio Arena Theatre, and receives its West Coast Premiere at The Laguna Playhouse.
Performance & Ticket Information:
Ticket Prices: $25 to $65
Previews:
September 9 – 12
Regular Performances
September 14 – October 12, 2008
Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evening, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Special Half Price Tickets for Students, Teachers and Military with ID
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
EMILY EIDEN most recently appeared at South Coast Repertory in the Alan Ayckbourn farce Taking Steps (directed by Art Manke). Other favorite theater credits include Tonight @ 8:30 and Mother Courage and Her Children at The Antaeus Company, The Crucible and A Christmas Carol at International City Theatre, Charlotte’s Web and Miss Nelson is Missing at Mainstreet Theatre Company, and The Cradle Will Rock and Twelfth Night at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum. Emily earned a degree in Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean History from Pomona College and currently narrates Griffith Observatory’s planetarium show, Centered in the Universe.
CHRIS L. MCKENNA began his acting career at age seven when he was cast as Dopey in a community theatre production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. McKenna made the transition to TV and film at age 11 and has since worked consistently including an award-winning three-year stint on “One Life to Live,” and appearances on “The Practice,” “That 70’s Show,” “The District,” “That’s Life” and “Touched By An Angel.” He was a series regular on WB’s “Opposite Sex” and has been featured in many films including In & Out, King of the Ants, and Art School Confidential. Chris has also appeared in over 40 stage productions, most recently in the role of Tony at The Geffen Playhouse production of You Can’t Take It With You.
DENISE MOSES originated the role of Grandma Nunzio in the off-Broadway production of Tony ’n Tina’s Wedding, a role she reprised in Los Angeles and San Francisco. She has toured the U.S. with her original one woman multi-character comedy show. Previous Rick Sparks directed productions: Highballs Ahoy, Tallulah, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, A Charlie Brown Commercial Christmas, and Dead Bride Running. Other stage credits: The Wizard of Oz (Santa Barbara CLO), The Foreigner (Grove Theater Center), Lend Me a Tenor (Grove Theater Center). TV credits include: “Gilmore Girls,” “General Hospital,” “Passions,” “Almost Perfect,” “Totally Hidden Video,” “The New America’s Funniest People” and “My Talk Show.” Commercial roles include: housewives, office workers, nun, wicked witch, school cafeteria lady, spontaneously combusting spinster & the Mona Lisa. Denise earned her Equity card playing Porky Pig and her SAG card as a dancing egg.
JOEL POLIS most recently appeared in the West Coast premiere of Defiance at the Pasadena Playhouse, the Rubicon Theater production of The Diary of Anne Frank, and Odyssey Theatre production of Pound of Flesh. A former USC gymnast and circus performer, Joel received his MFA from Yale Drama School before moving to New York where he acted off Broadway and in regional theaters, in such plays as Family Business at the Astor Place, The Baby Dance (the original production directed by Jenny Sullivan) at the Lortel, Pasadena Playhouse and Long Wharf. In Southern California Joel played Cassius in Dan Sullivan’s Old Globe production of Julius Caesar, Clarence in Richard III at the Odyssey Theatre, Wolf in Riga at the John Anson Ford, and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. His numerous TV credits include “CSI,” “CSI NY,” “CSI Miami,” “Law and Order,” “The Unit,” “Seinfeld,” “Cheers,” “Northern Exposure,” and “Chicago Hope.” Film credits include The Thing, The Rookie, It’s My Party, and Tumbleweeds. Joel lives in Venice Beach, where he teaches and produces theater.
EILEEN T’KAYE most recently appeared as Paulette in the world premiere musical Gulls for The Theatre@Boston Court, which followed her critically-acclaimed portrayal of Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret at International City Theatre. The recipient of a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award as well as two L.A. Weekly and three Drama-Logue Awards, Ms. T’Kaye has had the pleasure of performing such diverse roles as Tess in The Credeaux Canvas, the dual role of Mattie/Mrs. Higby in the world premiere of Rick Sparks’ They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Miss Furnival in Black Comedy, Phyllis in Death Defying Acts, Maxie in June Moon, Rebecca Felderman in Morning Star, Penny Sycamore in You Can’t Take It With You, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, and many more. Screen appearances include the Deputy Mayor of New York on the PBS series “The Eddie Files,” and the evil Drake Queen in the films Magic in the Mirror and Fowl Play. Ms. T’Kaye is the Founding Producing Director of the Boston Court Performing Arts Center in Pasadena.
STEVE VINOVICH appeared last season at The Laguna Playhouse in Art. Broadway credits include Loose Ends, Lost in Yonkers, The Magic Show, The Robber Bridegroom, Jerry Herman’s The Grand Tour, and David Hare’s The Secret Rapture. Steve has played the lead in The Foreigner and Special Occasions at the Pasadena Playhouse, The Price and On Golden Pond with Charles Durning at The Laguna Playhouse, The Robber Bridegroom at the Mark Taper Forum, as well as Bells are Ringing, Strike Up the Band and Babes in Arms for Reprise, and Awake and Sing, Golden Boy, Divorcons and All My Sons at Pacific Resident Theater. He played George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf and Uncle Peck in How I Learned to Drive at the Nevada Conservatory Theater, and did the Broadway tour of Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party. Steve’s films include The Santa Clause, Awakenings and Mannequin, and he was the voice of Puffin in the animated feature The Swan Princess. He has done hundreds of commercials and TV shows, including “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Cold Case” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” He is a graduate of the Julliard Acting School under John Houseman, and is a three-time winner of the LA Drama Logue Awards.
RICK SPARKS (Director) has won numerous awards for his work as a Director, Writer, Producer, Actor, Sound Designer and Choreographer. Favorite productions include his adaptation and staging of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, and the rock n’ roll epic, A Clockwork Orange, which garnered a LA Drama Critics Circle award for Direction. Other favorites include the Colony Theatre’s production of Clutter, the original LA premieres of Charles Busch's Psycho Beach Party and John Patrick Shanleys’ Where’s My Money? Sparks directed the well-reviewed Off-Broadway subversive comedy smash, Down South, and the long-running Hollywood theater hit, Dead Bride Running. As an actor, he appeared on Broadway in Cats, Les Miserables, and Sunset Blvd.
TOM DUDZICK (Playwright) has created a series of semi-autobiographical comedies that have been performed in theatres from New York to Los Angeles and dozens of cities in between. His plays have broken box office records at Buffalo Studio Arena, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Chicago’s Northlight Theatre. His first big hit, Greetings!, a Christmas-themed family comedy produced by the legendary Arthur Cantor and starring veteran film and television actor Darren McGavin, was produced on Broadway. For his next play, Tom semi-fictionalized his family and renamed them the Pazinski’s, called the play Over the Tavern and turned it into what the Chicago Tribune called, “one of the biggest grass-roots successes in American regional theatre of the last few years.” He wrote two popular Over the Tavern sequels: King o’ the Moon and The Last Mass at St. Casimir's. Tom’s most recent play, Don’t Talk to the Actors, had its World Premiere in September 2007 at Buffalo’s Studio Arena Theatre, and receives its West Coast Premiere at The Laguna Playhouse.
Performance & Ticket Information:
Ticket Prices: $25 to $65
Previews:
September 9 – 12
Regular Performances
September 14 – October 12, 2008
Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evening, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Special Half Price Tickets for Students, Teachers and Military with ID
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
FREE TICKET CONTEST - Be Our Friend
The Laguna Playhouse is giving away FREE tickets to "Don't Talk To The Actors"
for Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 8:00pm.
To enter the contest you have to be "our friend" on either MySpace.com or Facebook.com, then look for information about the tickets. Contest ends TODAY (Thursday, September 4, 2008) at 5:00pm.
The Laguna Playhouse will be conducting more ticket give-aways through Myspace and Facebook.com. So friend request us now!
www.myspace.com/lagunaplayhouse
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laguna-Playhouse/11739883639
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Don't Talk To The Actors - West Coast Premiere
The Laguna Playhouse presents the west coast premiere of:
DON'T TALK TO THE ACTORS
By Tom Dudzick
September 9 - October 12, 2008
Don’t Talk to the Actors follows the adventures of fledgling playwright Jerry Przpezniak and his fiancée Arlene Wyniarski, who are suddenly swept up in the whirlwind of New York's theatre scene when Jerry's autobiographical play is optioned for Broadway. It's a young playwright's dream, but the characters and dilemmas they encounter (including a 1980s television star and his bawdy television wife, a distressed stage manager and an unflappable out-of-town director) provide the ingredients for a hysterical comedy of epic proportions that The Buffalo News calls “drop-dead, scream-out-loud, tear-wrenchingly funny.”
According to Dudzick, Don’t Talk to the Actors is based on his experiences when his own first play, Greetings!, was produced on Broadway.
Performance & Ticket Information:
Ticket Prices: $25 to $65
Previews:
September 9 – 12
Regular Performances
September 14 – October 12, 2008
Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evening, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Special Half Price Tickets for Students, Teachers and Military with ID:
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
Ticket Prices: $25 to $65
Previews:
September 9 – 12
Regular Performances
September 14 – October 12, 2008
Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evening, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Special Half Price Tickets for Students, Teachers and Military with ID:
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Making Way for A Moveable Feast
With the fall weather this October comes The Laguna Playhouse's 18th annual A Moveable Feast evening! On Monday, October 13th, 2008 The Playhouse will have patrons mixing and mingling over some of Laguna Beach's own world-class gastronomic delights. More than ten local establishments are participating and patrons can choose whichever they please.
Here's how it will work:
Act I: The evening begins at The Laguna Playhouse with a lively reception featuring champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and fabulous live and silent auctions on the stage of our intimate Moulton Theatre.
Act II: Guests proceed to their favorite local restaurant (pre-selected from ten or more participating fine dining establishments) for a fabulous entrée course.
Act III: Guests proceed to a second pre-selected restaurant (or they may choose to stay where they are and relax) for coffee and a sumptuous dessert.
Not only has this event attracted large numbers of participants in the past, but this unique form of dining keeps patrons returning for more. Join in on the fun and get a taste of Laguna Beach like never before!
Check out http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com/ for more information on the event.
Here are some photos of last year's Feast!
Here's how it will work:
Act I: The evening begins at The Laguna Playhouse with a lively reception featuring champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and fabulous live and silent auctions on the stage of our intimate Moulton Theatre.
Act II: Guests proceed to their favorite local restaurant (pre-selected from ten or more participating fine dining establishments) for a fabulous entrée course.
Act III: Guests proceed to a second pre-selected restaurant (or they may choose to stay where they are and relax) for coffee and a sumptuous dessert.
Not only has this event attracted large numbers of participants in the past, but this unique form of dining keeps patrons returning for more. Join in on the fun and get a taste of Laguna Beach like never before!
Check out http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com/ for more information on the event.
Here are some photos of last year's Feast!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Updates from the Playhouse!
The end of the month will mark the end of The Marvelous Wonderettes run at the Laguna Playhouse and it has been an incredible one at that! Having surpassed projected ticket sales, the Wonderettes have won the hearts of every audience member and will surely have left their legacy at the Playhouse by their last performance on Sunday August 31st. On behalf of the Playhouse family, we thank the cast and crew for a memorable summer musical!
Stay marvelous!
Wasting no time, the crew will begin assembling the set for our next play, Don't Talk to the Actors next week. Rehearsals for the play are already in full swing and we have no doubt this one will be a hit as well! To satiate your theatrical appetite, here are a few snapshots of the cast in rehearsals.
Check out www.lagunaplayhouse.com for more information on the production and stay tuned for more updates!
Stay marvelous!
Wasting no time, the crew will begin assembling the set for our next play, Don't Talk to the Actors next week. Rehearsals for the play are already in full swing and we have no doubt this one will be a hit as well! To satiate your theatrical appetite, here are a few snapshots of the cast in rehearsals.
Check out www.lagunaplayhouse.com for more information on the production and stay tuned for more updates!
Photo Credit: Chris Trela
Left to Right: Chris L. McKenna, Steve Vinovich, and Emily Eiden
Photo Credit: Chris Trela
Left to Right: Steve Vinovich, Emily Eiden, and director Rick Sparks
Monday, August 11, 2008
Discounted Ticket Prices!
We are pleased to announce discounted ticket prices for Students, Teachers, and Military with Valid ID starting at $17.50! The discount applies to performances on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturday Matinees, and Sunday Evenings. Don't miss your chance to see this energetic and uplifting musical at the Laguna Playhouse!
Also, we added performances on Sunday Evenings of the Marvelous Wonderettes at 7:00 p.m. to satisfy your Wonderettes appetite! Tickets start at $30. Hurry fast, the show closes on August 31st!
We'll see you at the Playhouse!
Also, we added performances on Sunday Evenings of the Marvelous Wonderettes at 7:00 p.m. to satisfy your Wonderettes appetite! Tickets start at $30. Hurry fast, the show closes on August 31st!
We'll see you at the Playhouse!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Marvelous Wonderettes are spending their summer in Laguna!
THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES ARE HERE!
Regular Run:July 13 – August 31
Performances:Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Written and Directed by Roger Bean
Take four endearing characters, add nearly two dozen classic pop songs from the 50s and 60s, mix it with an engaging story, and you have a recipe for an unforgettable evening of musical theater! This cotton-candy colored, non-stop musical blast from the past transports audiences back in time to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where we meet The Wonderettes: Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy—four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts, with voices to match. As they talk and sing about their lives and loves, audiences are treated to the girls performing such songs as “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” and many more. This must-take trip down memory lane!
"It's tremendously fun!" - VARIETY
"Exceptional" - LOS ANGELES TIMES
Winner! LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble and Best Choreography
TICKET INFORMATION
949-497-2787 ext. 1 (group tickets ext. 229)
www.lagunaplayhouse.com
In PersonBox office is open daily from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Theatre Address:
606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, 92651
Parking Information:
Laguna Beach is a popular destination year round. On weekends and holidays we encourage theatre patrons to allow plenty of time for parking. Limited parking is available behind The Laguna Playhouse. A modest fee applies. Additional parking is available across the street in a municipal parking lot.
Regular Run:July 13 – August 31
Performances:Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Written and Directed by Roger Bean
Take four endearing characters, add nearly two dozen classic pop songs from the 50s and 60s, mix it with an engaging story, and you have a recipe for an unforgettable evening of musical theater! This cotton-candy colored, non-stop musical blast from the past transports audiences back in time to the 1958 Springfield High School prom, where we meet The Wonderettes: Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy—four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts, with voices to match. As they talk and sing about their lives and loves, audiences are treated to the girls performing such songs as “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” and many more. This must-take trip down memory lane!
"It's tremendously fun!" - VARIETY
"Exceptional" - LOS ANGELES TIMES
Winner! LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble and Best Choreography
TICKET INFORMATION
949-497-2787 ext. 1 (group tickets ext. 229)
www.lagunaplayhouse.com
In PersonBox office is open daily from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Theatre Address:
606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, 92651
Parking Information:
Laguna Beach is a popular destination year round. On weekends and holidays we encourage theatre patrons to allow plenty of time for parking. Limited parking is available behind The Laguna Playhouse. A modest fee applies. Additional parking is available across the street in a municipal parking lot.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Laguna Playhouse Loves Locals
Through the run of Marvelous Wonderettes (July 8-August 31), The Laguna Playhouse is dedicating every Sunday matinee to its deserving locals. The locals will have to present proof of residency at the box office to receive $10 off each ticket.
Check out our organization website @
www.lagunaplayhouse.com
Check out our organization website @
www.lagunaplayhouse.com
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