California

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elana andersen

CURTAINS UP IN

CALIFORNIA The Golden State’s theater scene, vibrant with classic, quirky and cutting-edge fare, captivates groups with show-stopping appeal

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Contact an area’s visitor bureau for a guide to local theater companies and their playbills. To help get you started on a California theatrical journey, here are the state’s Tony Award-winning theaters, plus other crowd pleasers: TONY WINNERS Each year, the Tony Awards Committee honors one theater company for its superior productions, programs and efforts in elevating quality regional theater in America. The following seven California theaters have earned the coveted Regional Theatre Tony Award:

© Berkeley Repertory eatre

Mark Davidson

umming a favorite Broadway tune. Miming Juliet in her plaintive call “wherefore art thou, Romeo.”

Bursting into laughter during a superbly crafted comedy. These and other spontaneous responses are a sure sign of happy audiences.

When traveling in California, there are thousands of opportunities to enjoy great theater. From the small town playhouse to regional performing arts centers, the diversity of theater experiences is abundant, from dinner theater and festivals to summer stock and best of Broadway series.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre offers a varied bill of crowd-pleasing fare.

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American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco opened in 1967. In addition to productions that receive rave reviews, the company operates the ACT theater arts training program. Its playbill features classic works and those by contemporary playwrights. The September-June season of 10 shows will close with Round and Round the Garden (April 29–May 23) and The Tosca Project ( June 3–27). Group tickLeisureGroupTravel.com

Copyright © e Old Globe eatre / Photo by Craig Schwartz

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at San Diego’s Old Globe.

A mature cast struts its stuff in Fabulous Palm Springs Follies productions like the Route 66 musical Get Your Kicks!

ets (15 and more) for its annual A Christmas Carol (Dec. 3-27) are now available. Contact: Eddy Budworth at 415-439-2473, ebudworth@act-sf.org.

(Box office: 415-749-2228, act-sf.org) Berkeley Repertory Theatre was founded in 1968 in a converted storefront and has grown to be the cornerstone of Berkeley’s Downtown Arts District. With two theater locations and the dynamic Berkeley Rep School LeisureGroupTravel.com

of Theatre, the company is best known for producing an adventurous combination of new and refreshed adaptations of seldom-seen classic work.

Groups of 10 and more qualify for special services and ticket pricing. (Box office: 510-647-2949, berkeleyrep.org) La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Hollywood stars Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer and has built a reputation for qual-

ity theater. Offering a mix of plays, musicals and new works from August through June, it is a professional theater-in-residence company located on the UC San Diego campus. The 2010-11 season opens with Surf Report, Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder, Notes from the Underground and Ruined.

(Box office: 858-550-1010, lajollaplayhouse.com) April 2010 37

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Support America’s Theaters heaters and arts programs been hard hit with the downturn in the economy. Because of dramatic national, state and local cuts in arts funding, some theatrical organizations have had to take drastic measures to keep their doors open. Many groups have shortened their season or cut down on the number of productions. Some theaters have closed. Do your part in helping to keep performing arts alive and vibrant by featuring theater in your group’s travel plans.

© Berkeley Repertory eatre

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Photo by Erik Tomasson

Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre comprise the Los Angeles Music Center, which is operated by the Center Theatre Group. It also has the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.

The Music Center opened in 1964 in partnership with the County of Los Angeles and offers a diverse selection of dramas, musicals, comedies and classic revivals. The Taper has received virtually every theatrical award for its productions, including two Pulitzer Prizes in Drama. A 2010-2011 schedule for all three theaters is available at centertheatregroup.org.

Old Globe Theatre in San Diego’s Balboa Park is California’s oldest professional theater. The company produces 15 plays and musicals year-round and a Shakespeare Festival ( July-September).

Performances are held at three venues: Old Globe Theatre, modeled after its London namesake; Arena Stage at the Museum of Art; and the outdoor (Shakespeare) Festival Theater. (Box office: 619-234-5623, oldglobe.org) San Francisco Mime Troupe was founded in 1959 as a project of the legendary Actors’ Workshop. The troupe’s stage is the city’s public parks and other California venues where it performs for free. Each year a new program is created and includes an original musical comedy that combines mime, melodrama and farce with political themes.

(415-285-1717, sfmt.org) South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, established in 1964 as a professional resident theater company, has won acclaim on many levels, including nurturing the best American playwrights through its annual Playwright’s Festival, and production of new works. It’s also hailed for its Children Theater training and performance programs and for a theater design that places audiences within 13 rows of the stages. The company’s season offers

American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco just featured Phèdre, a tale of political intrigue and sexual jealousy. Above: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.

nine plays on two stages, one dedicated to classics, modern plays and hits from New York and London, and the other to new works, contemporary hits and premieres. (Box office: 714-708-5555, scr.org) CABARET & SUCH San Francisco’s Beach Blanket Babylon is the longest-running musical revue in theater history, dating back to 1974. With the cast decked out in extravagant costumes and large chapeaus, the show’s plot follows a zany view of Snow White’s quest to find Prince Charming. Her path travels through a

series of whimsical spoofs that feature people and events found in current news headlines. The company’s holiday show, Nov. 17-Dec. 31, celebrates the season with added highlights, including a chorus line of tap-dancing Christmas trees and parodies on traditional Christmas carols. Beach Blanket Babylon performs year-round Wednesday through Sunday. Adults only. (415421-2222, beachblanketbabylon.com) Fabulous Palm Springs Follies is preparing to celebrate its 20th season (Oct. 27- mid-May 2011) with its most extravagant season yet of dance, song and comedy featuring Broadway-caliber LeisureGroupTravel.com

production numbers, renowned guest artists and its chorus line of Long Legged Lovelies and handsome, toetapping Gentlemen. The cast of seasoned Broadway and Hollywood performers (56-86 years young) dressed in glitz and glamour will present an exciting program showcasing music and dance from the 1930s through the ’50s.

Impresario and master of ceremonies Riff Markowitz has welcomed more than three million patrons to the Follies. (Box office, 760-327-0225; groups, 800-967-9997; psfollies.com) Gourmet Detective has two dinner theater locations in Southern California: Balboa Inn in Newport Beach and Avila Terrace Theatre in Riverside.

This professional company has been sleuthing for two decades with the cast playing out scripted intrigues while guests enjoy an elegant dining experience. The company has premiered eight comedic murder mysteries, and currently Murder at the Cave Noir and Darling You Slay Me! are performed on Friday and Saturday evenings.

(866-992-5424, gourmetdetective.com) A good melodrama makes for great theater. At the All American Melodrama and Music Hall at Shoreline Village in Long Beach, guests are treated to an old-fashioned barn-like setting complete with sawdust floors, honky-tonk piano, a comedy melodrama and vaudeville revue. The current playbill has Idaho Smith and the Drinking Fountain of Youth and Robin Hoodwink. Special occasion performances include a holiday extravaganza, improv LeisureGroupTravel.com

comedy shows and musical concerts.

The theater pub offers a selection of casual dining and beverages. (562-4955900, allamericanmelodrama.com) Another top-notch professional company is found at the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville Theater on the Central Coast in Oceano near Arroyo Grande. It performs year-

round, Wednesday through Sunday, offering comedies, musical and melodrama productions, and vaudeville revues. The current program includes The Crock of Gold, The Tavern, Trudy and the Beast and The Holiday Extravaganza. The theater’s pub offers light meals, snacks and beverages. (805-4892499, americanmelodrama.com) LGT

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