Early July California Central Coast Theatre Offerings

As we move from the latter portion of June to the 4^th of July Holiday weekend and beyond, I trust you have your reservations made to avail yourself of one or more of the WONDERFUL shows that are currently running (or soon will be) at any number of the several live performance and theatre venues that we are so proud to have here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

SLO Little Theatre's (www.slolittletheatre.org) current schedule includes a production of The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkpr (Abridged) through July 17 [NOTE: Had the pleasure of attending final dress for Compleat Works - and this is one VERY funny show that you will NOT want to miss!].

This is the 10 year anniversary of the production that took the Central Coast by storm!

Three ambitious (somewhat clueless) actors, clad in classic Converse tennis shoes and armed with an outrageous assortment of outerwear and props, cram the Bard's entire canon of plays (and sonnets!) into two hours of sheer Elizabethan-esque ecstasy.  Jack Griguoli, Bob Peterson, and Kevin Harris skewer pop culture, San Luis Obispo, and one another (literally) for the first time in a decade.  Need I say more?  Buckle your seatbelts ... it's going to be a very bumpy ride.

One of the Central Coast's most Popular Productions, this endearingly irreverent and lightning-paced romp through the greatest plays of all time has been performed over 300 times by this company in such venues as Centerpoint Theatre Group, The Madonna Inn, the Eagle Theatre, UC Santa Cruz (mainstage), Cal State Long Beach (mainstage) and several others.  Compleat Wrks will have you rolling with laughter and jumping in the aisles.  Perhaps The Today Show captured its spirit best when they said, "If you like Shakespeare, you'll like this show.  If you hate Shakespeare, you'll love this show!"

COMPLEAT WRKS: Ten years later.

Older. Fatter. Funnier.

In addition, SLOLT has children's summer theatre classes and productions (get more information at act@slolittletheatre.org), with ACT's summer youth production of Ann of Green Gables performing July 29 - August 7.

The God Is Still Speaking Players (follow them on Facebook) next show will be Nunsense Jamboree, September 2-5 & 9-11, at the SLO United Church of Christ (auditions July 9 & 10). 

Kelrik Productions' (www.kelrikproductions.com) next show, Seussical the Musical, will be presented July 16-24 at the Spanos Theatre as well.  Also - be sure to check out their acting classes for kids & youth!

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include the Summer Drama Workshop for Children's King Arthur's Quest July 5-9, and Kelrik's Seussical the Musical July 16-24.

Murder In Mind Productions (www.murderinmind.com) will present The Beverly Hillbillies Murder Mystery through September 4, at the Spyglass Inn in Shell Beach.

To help celebrate Arroyo Grande's Centennial, South County Historical Society (SCHS) is producing "100 Years of People - Stories from our Past," a series of Readers' Theatre programs, each an hour long, adapted from historic writings about the life of Clara Edwards, born in 1855 to missionary parents in Indian Territory.  Clara's childhood years turn her into an educated and adventurous woman, who arrives in Arroyo Grande in 1883. 

"Life in the New City"

Clara's continuing adventures in Arroyo Grande as a pioneer teacher and wife of the city's first permanent doctor, Edwin Paulding.

Performances: Saturdays at 2PM, July 9, 16, 23. 

Sorcerer Productions (check them out on Facebook) recently closed a VERY successful run of the Tony Award winning The Drowsy Chaperone in the Clark Center Studio Theatre.  Next Up?  Little Shop of Horrors - performances August 12-28 on the Clark Center main stage.

Curt Miner received his degree in theatre from Northern Arizona University and has been involved in theatre, educationally and professionally, for nearly 40 years now. He is currently Pastor of the United Church of Christ in San Luis Obispo, CA (www.sloucc.org), where he founded a theatre outreach ministry known as The God Is Still Speaking Players (check them out on Facebook). Their first production was the West Coast Premiere of a new play by Gordon Greene (one of Curt's former theatre professors from back at NAU) entitled "The Scopes Monkey Trial: What Really Happened" in October of 2008. Curt and his wife of 35 years, Linda, worked together as Director and Music Director on a production of "Godspell" June 2009. The group presented a readers' theatre production of Archibald MacLeish's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play "J.B." November 2009, participated in a collaborative effort with Bent Angel Productions in a staged reading of "12 Angry Men" in February 2010, presented "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" the first 2 weekends of September 2010, embarked upon another collaborative effort with Bent Angel Productions of a staged reading of Dylan Thomas' "Under Milk Wood" in November 2010, presented a readers' theatre production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" the first weekend this past March, mounted a production of "Sister Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree" the first 2 weekends of September, and presented "Celebration In Song" - a musical variety show to benefit the work of GALA and PFLAG in November. A readers' theatre presentation (possibly "Our Town") or another musical revue will be presented this coming March, with "Snoopy" (sequel to YAGMCB) on the schedule for the first 2 weekends in September. When people ask him "Why a theatre outreach ministry?" Curt tells them "I have found that theatre is sometimes able to touch a person's heart and soul more deeply than the best crafted worship experience ... that's why."

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