Monday, June 16, 2008
Best of Hollywood
OPENS JUNE 27th!!!
If you enjoyed “Razzle Dazzle” or any of our Award-winning Legend Series Shows, you will LOVE “Best of Hollywood”! Don’t miss this unforgettable musical homage to the films of Tinseltown. Once again, Mary Meserve-Miller and Suzy Miller combine their dynamic creative talents, along with the genius of Robyn Metchik, to create a fabulous song and dance-filled journey through eight decades of
Sunday, June 8, 2008
ACT Summer Camps
Summer is coming fast and with it comes 3 great ACT camps to keep all of our young performers busy this summer. Camps are filling fast, so register today!
The first camp is our Acting Out! Camp, a one week acting camp for performers in grades 1-6. The camp will explore character development, theatre games, improv, and audition techniques. At the end of the week, the students will perform for their family and friends. The camp runs June 16th -20th and costs $150. Grades 1-3 will work from 9am-12pm daily and Grades 4-6 will work from 1pm-4pm daily.
Our second camp is our Musical Theatre Camp, a two week camp for our performers in grades 1-6. In this camp the students will take classes in singing, acting, dancing, and audition techniques. The students will put their talents to work on a musical that will be performed on the last day of camp. The camp runs July 14-25th, with 1-3 graders attending from 9am-12pm and the 3-6th graders attending from 1pm-4pm. The last few days of camp (7/23, 7/24, 7/25) all campers will attend all day. The cost for the camp is $300.
Our final camp is for our older performers (grades 7-12), ACT Conservatory. The conservatory is a two week intensive camp where our students will attend classs from 9am-4pm. The morning sessions will concentrate on various workshops in different areas of theatre performance (Shakespeare, improv, voice, dance, stage combat, acting for the camera). The afternoon sessions will concentrate on various acting styles, advanced scene work, monologues, and audition techniques. The camp runs from August 3-15th and tuition is $450. On August 15th at 4pm, the conservatory students will present a showcase performance with what they have been working on for family, friends, and SLOLT directors.
For additional information, please contact the ACT Coordinator at (805) 781-3889 ext 14 or act@slolittletheatre.org There are scholarships, sibling discounts, and payment plans available for all our camps. A $50 deposit is due at the time of registration and the remaining tuition is due by the end of camp. Registration can be done via phone, mail, email, or fax. Camps are filling fast, so call today!
The first camp is our Acting Out! Camp, a one week acting camp for performers in grades 1-6. The camp will explore character development, theatre games, improv, and audition techniques. At the end of the week, the students will perform for their family and friends. The camp runs June 16th -20th and costs $150. Grades 1-3 will work from 9am-12pm daily and Grades 4-6 will work from 1pm-4pm daily.
Our second camp is our Musical Theatre Camp, a two week camp for our performers in grades 1-6. In this camp the students will take classes in singing, acting, dancing, and audition techniques. The students will put their talents to work on a musical that will be performed on the last day of camp. The camp runs July 14-25th, with 1-3 graders attending from 9am-12pm and the 3-6th graders attending from 1pm-4pm. The last few days of camp (7/23, 7/24, 7/25) all campers will attend all day. The cost for the camp is $300.
Our final camp is for our older performers (grades 7-12), ACT Conservatory. The conservatory is a two week intensive camp where our students will attend classs from 9am-4pm. The morning sessions will concentrate on various workshops in different areas of theatre performance (Shakespeare, improv, voice, dance, stage combat, acting for the camera). The afternoon sessions will concentrate on various acting styles, advanced scene work, monologues, and audition techniques. The camp runs from August 3-15th and tuition is $450. On August 15th at 4pm, the conservatory students will present a showcase performance with what they have been working on for family, friends, and SLOLT directors.
For additional information, please contact the ACT Coordinator at (805) 781-3889 ext 14 or act@slolittletheatre.org There are scholarships, sibling discounts, and payment plans available for all our camps. A $50 deposit is due at the time of registration and the remaining tuition is due by the end of camp. Registration can be done via phone, mail, email, or fax. Camps are filling fast, so call today!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Here's a chance for single SLOLTers to support A.C.T.!!
COME HELP SUPPORT A.C.T.!!!
Known as “The Skim Event”—where singles meet & non-profits compete!
SCM helps singles meet & greet with our local non-profits & aims to provide education & inspiration to match our collective resources to better our non-profit community.
Mix it up, change it up & give it up to party for a cause!
Next Event
Date: June 24, 2008Time: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Location: Embassy Suites, 333 Madonna Rd, San Luis Obispo
Click http://www.scmevent.com/ to register.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
My Fair Lady Review - Mustang Daily
Stephen Espinosa (Col. Pickering), Lauren Alburn (Eliza) and Alan Benson (Prof. Higgins)Photo by Jonothan of BluePhoto
A big thank you to Bridget for her coverage of My Fair Lady! For more Mustang Daily articles, click on the 'arts' link below.
'My Fair Lady' goes local, still amazes
By: Bridget Veltri
Issue date: 6/2/08 Section: Arts
I've been lucky to have had opportunities to see the crème de la crème perform on the legendary stages of both Broadway and London's West End.
The San Luis Obispo Little Theatre's (SLOLT) performance of "My Fair Lady" was my first community theater musical experience.
As I filed into the intimate theater, a minority among a sea of senior citizens, I thought this local performance would need more than "a little bit of luck" to stack up to my previous experiences.
Armed with a pen, a notebook and cynicism, I settled into my seat and prepared for what I thought would be the longest two-and-a-half hours of my life. But as familiar tunes streamed out of the speakers above and the lights dimmed, my elitist attitude began to fade.
The cast scurried about the stage conversing in convincing Cockney accents and dressed in surprisingly elaborate costumes, except for one unlucky ensemble member in an ill-fitted red dress.
After Eliza Doolittle (Lauren Alburn) finished singing "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," I was a community theater convert and had to restrain myself from bursting into song with her.
Audrey Hepburn is to "My Fair Lady" as Julia Roberts is to "Pretty Woman." In Alburn's first performance with the SLOLT, she played a character immortalized on the big screen by the iconic Hepburn and on the stage by Julie Andrews - no pressure. She was impressive and belted out the songs as if she was a Cockney canary.
Alfred Doolittle (Mike Mesker) didn't need a "little bit of luck" to bring Eliza's pub-frequenting father to life. His rise to "middle-class morality" was both convincing and entertaining.
Alan Benson brought his professional acting experience to the role of Henry Higgins and was a delight to watch.
For those unfamiliar with the musical - based on "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw - it is a story about love and personal transformation. It's the story of Eliza Doolittle, a woman plagued by a thick accent who makes her living by selling flowers on the streets of London, and Henry Higgins, an arrogant language academic who casually comments that "the way she speaks is what keeps her in her place" and with the right coaching he could turn her into a lady. Higgins eats his words when Doolittle shows up at his door for lessons.
Both the main characters embark on personal journeys: Doolittle's from flower girl to lady and Higgins' from snooty confirmed bachelor to a gentleman finally ready to let "a woman in his life."
There is a reason why they call it the SLO Little Theater: it's tiny. The audience surrounds the stage on three sides and the front row is inches away. The cast's witty banter compensated for the lack of curtains during set changes.
The atmosphere was crammed but comfy, and the theater's size added to the experience. While one of the women seated next to me dozed off and snored at several points during the performance, the other was there to see her young granddaughters perform, and informed me that her daughter made the strawberry tarts Col. Pickering (Stephen Espinosa) enjoyed in Higgins' study just before Doolittle has her breakthrough moment and sings about the infamous "rain in Spain."
The cast did more for me than just put on a show; they showed that you can do justice to a classic musical on a small scale, and the best part is you don't have to pay big Broadway prices to enjoy an afternoon of theater. Tickets are $22 for general admission, and $19 for students and seniors. The show, sponsored by Bob and Ruth Bostrom, will run through June 22.
Just as Higgins found love with someone he never imagined, I found a quality production in a place I never imagined: the SLO Little Theatre.
I am now a reformed theater snob.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A message from Erik Stein! :-)
Hello SLOLT!
Jackie and I co-directed a production of Elton John’s Broadway Rock Musical, “Aida”, and it opens this Thursday, May 22nd, at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande.
This is a thrilling production with unbelievable music, and it performs one weekend only. May 22, 23, 24 at 7:30 pm and a Sunday matinee, May 25th at 2:00 pm.
For tickets call (805)489-9444 or visit www.clarkcenter.orgTickets cost $15 in advance and $17 at the door.
We have some of the strongest high school students on the Central Coast in this show, and honestly the three leads, Joanna Jones, Andy Wilson, and Lauren Seidenberg, are the strongest young performers I've ever worked with.If you can fit it in your busy schedule go see these students. They sing stuff I can't believe people their age can sing, they dance Suzy Miller's choreography like pros, the leads play guitar, bass, drums, piano as part of the action of the play, and most importantly they tell a thrilling story.
May 22, 23, 24 at 7:30 pm and a Sunday matinee, May 25th at 2:00 pm.
You can call (805)489-9444 or visit www.clarkcenter.org for tickets.
We'll see you at the Clark Center.
All the best,
Erik
Jackie and I co-directed a production of Elton John’s Broadway Rock Musical, “Aida”, and it opens this Thursday, May 22nd, at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande.
This is a thrilling production with unbelievable music, and it performs one weekend only. May 22, 23, 24 at 7:30 pm and a Sunday matinee, May 25th at 2:00 pm.
For tickets call (805)489-9444 or visit www.clarkcenter.orgTickets cost $15 in advance and $17 at the door.
We have some of the strongest high school students on the Central Coast in this show, and honestly the three leads, Joanna Jones, Andy Wilson, and Lauren Seidenberg, are the strongest young performers I've ever worked with.If you can fit it in your busy schedule go see these students. They sing stuff I can't believe people their age can sing, they dance Suzy Miller's choreography like pros, the leads play guitar, bass, drums, piano as part of the action of the play, and most importantly they tell a thrilling story.
May 22, 23, 24 at 7:30 pm and a Sunday matinee, May 25th at 2:00 pm.
You can call (805)489-9444 or visit www.clarkcenter.org for tickets.
We'll see you at the Clark Center.
All the best,
Erik
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
1st Annual SLOLT Short Play Festival!!!
The San Luis Obispo Little theatre is proud to support our nation's playwrights through the 1st Annual SLOLT Short Play Festival. We are looking to celebrate talented emerging artists, as well as established playwrights from across the United States. The 10 plays chosen for the festival will receive a full production, as well as publication in our SLOLT Short Play Collection 2008 which will be available for sale at the theatre during the festival, as well as on our website and on Amazon.com. All festival playwrights will receive a complimentary copy of the collection.
We are looking for strong writing in a variety of genres, so please send us your best work only.
Guidelines;
1. All 10-minute plays must be in English. All playwrights must be residents of the United States.
2. Deadline for submission is June 15, 2008. Only electronic submissions will be considered.
3. 10-minute plays must be no longer than 10-minutes when performed. Usually 10-pages in
standard playwriting format.
4. Provide separate cover page with author, title, contact information, email address, and phone. Do not print or include author’s name or other information on 2nd cover page or anywhere in script. You should be able to combine all materials into one file, but if you have trouble doing this, simply let us know in your email that there are multiple attachments.
5. The monologue/play must not have been previously published nor should it be pending publishing. Previous productions are okay. We will NOT keep someone else from publishing your piece in the future but we must be able to continue to keep the book in print.
6. Please be sure to fill out and submit the festival application along with your submission fee and script.
7. Plays that have been produced or won other awards are welcome – however, you must provide a complete list of awards and productions. We insist that we give credit to theatres that previously produced the work.
8. All genres are welcome.
9. Entries will be acknowledged by email. For more information, visit our website at http://www.slolittletheatre.org/.
10. All material must belong solely to playwright(s) listed on entry form.
11.SLOLT reserves the right to cast and staff all shows as we see fit without approval from playwrights.
12. Playwrights who wish to attend rehearsals may do so, but no pay or travel is offered and playwright’s attendance at any and all rehearsals is at the discretion of the director and/or producers.
13. Please provide a brief bio less than one-quarter of a page.
14. Criticism/feedback will not be available.
15. Please send your submission to office@slolittletheatre.org. Please be sure to include “SLOLT Short Play Festival Submission” in the subject line.
We are looking for strong writing in a variety of genres, so please send us your best work only.
Guidelines;
1. All 10-minute plays must be in English. All playwrights must be residents of the United States.
2. Deadline for submission is June 15, 2008. Only electronic submissions will be considered.
3. 10-minute plays must be no longer than 10-minutes when performed. Usually 10-pages in
standard playwriting format.
4. Provide separate cover page with author, title, contact information, email address, and phone. Do not print or include author’s name or other information on 2nd cover page or anywhere in script. You should be able to combine all materials into one file, but if you have trouble doing this, simply let us know in your email that there are multiple attachments.
5. The monologue/play must not have been previously published nor should it be pending publishing. Previous productions are okay. We will NOT keep someone else from publishing your piece in the future but we must be able to continue to keep the book in print.
6. Please be sure to fill out and submit the festival application along with your submission fee and script.
7. Plays that have been produced or won other awards are welcome – however, you must provide a complete list of awards and productions. We insist that we give credit to theatres that previously produced the work.
8. All genres are welcome.
9. Entries will be acknowledged by email. For more information, visit our website at http://www.slolittletheatre.org/.
10. All material must belong solely to playwright(s) listed on entry form.
11.SLOLT reserves the right to cast and staff all shows as we see fit without approval from playwrights.
12. Playwrights who wish to attend rehearsals may do so, but no pay or travel is offered and playwright’s attendance at any and all rehearsals is at the discretion of the director and/or producers.
13. Please provide a brief bio less than one-quarter of a page.
14. Criticism/feedback will not be available.
15. Please send your submission to office@slolittletheatre.org. Please be sure to include “SLOLT Short Play Festival Submission” in the subject line.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
My Fair Lady of the Van
Last evening during the rehearsal for the "Embassy Waltz," it became necessary to time some dialogue spoken by Higgins, Pickering, Mrs. Higgins, and the show's villain/buffoon, Zoltan Karpathy, to the accompaniment of underscored music. With the rest of the company hard at work in the fellowship hall learning to waltz as the elegant upperclass socialites they are, we had to find an alternate space to do our task. So, five of us--four actors and I--repaired to the parking lot and piled into my van, and by the glow of the roof lights and to the cheerful strains of Frederick Loewe's waltz on my car stereo, we hunkered down and got the job done. We did have to pause to open the windows after the first couple of times through the material (with all that hot air steaming up the windows). But in spite, or maybe because, of our circumstances, this was one rehearsal I will always remember. I only wish I'd had a video camera to record it, if one could have fit.
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