Let Us Give Thanks for the Bounteous Theatre Offerings of the California Central Coast!

All right ... I give up on trying to figure out what's going on with the weather!  Last week we had some coolish days with crisp, even brisk evening temps - and now they're saying we could see 80s again early this week, but be back into the 60s during the day and low 40s (maybe even upper 30s?!) at night by week's end!  However, one thing I'm NOT giving up on is the wonderful theatre offerings that are to be found in plentiful supply here on the California Central Coast - come rain or come shine!

I'm not usually in the habit of spotlighting the same theatre venue 2 weeks in a row, but in addition to the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre (www.slolittletheatre.org) presenting How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying through December 20, they are also about to host the World Premiere of a new play entitled The Devil's Chaplain by Alan Navarre, which explores "the real Charles Darwin" in two staged reading performances on November 29 & 30.

In Darwin's day, the notion of the Bible and Evolutionary Theory standing alongside of one another was inconceivable.  He stated that with his mark-making book On the Origin of Species (1859) he hoped to do "good service toward overthrowing the doctrine of Creation."  Darwin's Autobiography, written near the end of his life, expounds his anti-biblical sentiments.  The mystery begins in the Introduction of On the Origin of Species: "I cannot here give references and authorities for my several statements ... No one can feel more sensible than I do of the necessity of hereafter publishing in detail all the facts, with references, on which my conclusions have been grounded; and I hope in a future work to do this."  He never did.  Wherefore The Devil's Chaplain, indeed a "future work," endeavors to fulfill Darwin's "hope" for him.

In Addition, SLOLT will present a children's theatre production of A Little Princess January 15-31 in 2010.

The God Is Still Speaking Players (check them out on Facebook or at www.sloucc.org) recently completed their readers' theatre production of Archibald MacLeish's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning J.B. - a poetic dramatization of the story of Job, at the San Luis Obispo United Church of Christ.  Stay tuned for auditions in January for a collaborative effort with Bent Angel Productions on a readers' theatre production of 12 Angry Men in February.

Kelrik Productions (www.kelrikproductions.com), also located in San Luis Obispo, recently completed a successful run of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning production of RENT at the Spanos Theatre on the Cal Poly campus.  Stay tuned for what Erik Austin & Co will be doing next!

Providing a variety of live entertainment options, the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (www.pacslo.org) is proud to present A Leahy Family Christmas on December 2, A Modern Gospel Christmas on December 4, the Cantus a cappella men's choir and Theater Latte Da on December 5, The Velveteen Rabbit & Les Patineurs December 5 & 6, SLO Vocal Arts Ensemble "All is Bright" December 6, and the SLO Civic Ballet's The Nutcracker December 12 & 13.

The Studio Players at the Studio of Performing Arts (www.thestudioofperformingarts.com) in Arroyo Grande, presents A Night Before Christmas December 18 & 19 at the Spanos Theatre (www.pacslo.org) on Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo.

At the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org), also located in the Village of Arroyo Grande, a number of quality entertainment opportunities will be presented in the weeks ahead, including Everybody Can DANCE Ballet's The Nutcracker November 28 & 29, Nipomo High School's Anything Goes December 3-5, SLO Youth Symphony December 6, Pismo Beach Youth Theater's (www.pismobeachyouththeater.com) Annie December 11 & 12 (Black Box Theater) and Arroyo Grande High School's Footloose December 11 & 12 (Mainstage Theater).

In Oceano, The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville (www.americanmelodrama.com) presents their Holiday Extravaganza through December 31, including Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and Little Red Riding Hood - a fractured fairy-tale opera by Marian Partee and JorDan Richardson, along with a holiday Vaudeville Revue filled with music of the season.

Across the line into Santa Barbara County, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org), the Central Coast's Resident Professional Theatre Company, has opened their 2009/10 season with C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which runs through December 23 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria.

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre (www.smct.org) is presenting the Alex Gottlieb comedy Wake Up, Darling through December 12.

The North County Dance and Performing Arts Foundation and Class Act Dance (www.classactdance.com/nutcracker) will be presenting The Nutcracker Ballet December 4-13 at the Templeton Performing Arts Center.

The Houselights Theatre (www.houselightstheatre.org) in Cambria completed a remount run of their popular summer musical Always ... Patsy Cline at the Spanos Theatre (www.pacslo.org) the end of August.  Stay tuned for details concerning their next show.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse (www.pewterploughplayhouse.org), also in Cambria, will hold a staged reading of a new play, Bridging the Gap, December 11-13, and then open the New Year with a production of Jean Kerr's heartwarming comedy Finishing Touches that will run January 15 through February 28.

And in Paso Robles, the Pioneer Players (www.pioneerplayers.org) have held auditions for their next production, Oliver, scheduled to be presented January 15-30 of 2010.

So, as you gather with family and friends for Thanksgiving - I hope you will also join with me in giving thanks for the bounteous theatre opportunities that abound here on the California Central Coast by attending a performance sometime soon!

Curt Miner ... your BroadwayWorld.com guy on the ground with the California Central Coast theatre "news & views"