July 2012 - Late Month Theatre Offerings on the California Central Coast

As we come to end of July, I hope you have made your plans to attend at least a couple of the shows playing at some of the live performance and theatre venues that are easily found up and down the friendly California Central Coast!

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org) in Cambria will present Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks, through July 29.

Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks is a striking and touching international hit by Richard Alfieri.  The intense, two-character play is about an improbable and remarkable relationship between a headstrong woman who hires an acerbic and adventurous male dance instructor to give her private dancing lessons, which begin with a rocky start between opposites, but gradually blossom into a profound and affectionate friendship as they dance the Swing and Tango and share laughs, a cry and life's innermost joys and secrets.  As Michael teaches Lily to dance, they both discover some unexpected lessons in life, and their relationship develops a daunting courageousness about it.  A comedy with music and dance, the story delves deeply into real emotions and the important issues of overcoming stereotypes and intolerance, and the true meaning of friendship.  It has been embraced by audiences worldwide, translated into twelve languages and played in over twenty countries, being one of the most produced plays in the world!

“'Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks' is thoughtful, razor-sharp, charming, funny and genuinely moving!” – Hollywood Reporter.

This is the third play of the Plough's 36th season.  The cast stars Kelli Rodda as Lily and Mike Shanley as Michael.  The director is Sandy Bosworth, who directed the mesmerizing thriller Wait Until Dark earlier this year.

The CentralCoast Shakespeare Festival (http://centralcoastshakespeare.org/) will present The Tempest, through July 28, at River Oaks Amphitheatre in Paso Robles. 

The Theatre at the CambriaCenter for the Arts’ (http://artistsofcambria.com/cambriapac/index.html) Rumors, by Neil Simon, will run August 10 - September 2. 

The REC Foundation in Paso Robles is sponsoring a production of Man of La Mancha, directed by Cynthia Anthony and Jacob Shearer, at CentennialPark, performances September 21 & 22.  Call Jacob at 805-975-5023 for more information. 

Kelrik Productions' (www.kelrikproductions.com) Grades 1-10 Summer Camp/Performance Class of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr will be July 23 - August 3 (performance on August 3).

SLO Little Theatre’s (www.slolittletheatre.org) Ubu’s Other Shoe’s readers’ theatre production of Arcadia will run July 27 & 28, Academy of Creative Arts’ Anne of Avonlea August 3-12, and The Marvelous Wonderettes August 31 – September 23.

Upcoming performances at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) include the Joe Goode Performance Group on August 9, Jumpbrush in Concert on August 11, The Academy of Dance's DANCIN' 2012 on August 12, the US Air Force Band of the Golden West on August 14, and CORE Dance Company’s Confessions of a Love Junkie August 17 & 18.  

Murder In Mind Productions (www.murderinmind.com) will present Pirates of Pirates Cove through September 2 at the Spyglass Inn in Shell Beach (reservations required).

100 Years of People - Stories From Our Past will be presented at the Odd Fellows Hall in Arroyo Grande.  "Voices From Halcyon" - July 28 at 2 PM; "This Terrible Tragedy" - August 4, 11, 18 & 25 at 2 PM. FREE admission.  Call 805-489-8282 for more information.   

Exit Pursued By a Bear (www.facebook.com/exitpursuedbyabeartheatre) will present Much Ado About Nothing and Titus Andronicus, running in repertory at Hans Christian Andersen Park in Solvang, August 11 & 12, at 4 PM, and at DinosaurCavesPark in ShellBeach on August 18 & 19, at 4 PM.  Admission is free.  Call 805-698-2158 for additional information.

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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