March 2012 - Early/Mid March Matinees and MORE on the California Central Coast!

As we continue our way into March, I hope you are planning to attend a couple of shows at some of the theatre and live performance establishments that can be found here on the idyllic California Central Coast!

Arroyo Grande HS Theatre Company is proud to present its spring production: A Midsummer Night's Dream [PHOTO L-R: Kyle Compton as Demetrius, Savanah Brewer as Hermia, Claire Harlan as Helena, and Michael White as Lysander].

"On an enchanted summer's evening four young lovers find themselves entangled in a bewildering game of love and desire.  In a magical forest where a powerful fairy king and queen are at war, nothing is as it seems as mischievous spirits run riot, confusion reigns and love conquers all."

Shows will be Thursday thru Saturday, March 8 - March 10, at 7:00 pm and March 10 at 2:00pm.  Performances will be in the Studio Theater at the Clark Center.  Tickets can be purchased at the Clark Center Box Office, or at www.clarkcenter.org, or by calling 489-9444.

Other upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) include Nipomo High School Drama Department's production of Grease March 15-17.

The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (www.pcpa.org), the Central Coast's Resident Professional Theatre Company, located on the Allan Hancock College Campus in Santa Maria, presents Little Women, the Broadway Musical, through March 11 [NOTE: Caught the Saturday matinee of closing weekend of this production - and it's WONDERFUL!  If you have a chance to attend the closing matinee on Sunday, March 11 - GO!]

Arthur Miller’s All My Sons will be performed in the PCPA Severson Theatre through March 25.

The Santa Maria Civic Theatre's (www.smct.org) next production will be the comedy Battle of Shallowford - performances April 27 - May 19.

The Lompoc Civic Theatre (www.lompoccivictheatre.com) is currently presenting a dinner theatre production of The Outrageous Adventures of Sheldon and Mrs Levine at D'Vine Wine Bar (performances: April 15, May 6), with reservations required.  Additionally, Almost, Maine will be performed at the Lompoc Civic Auditorium March 16 - April 1. 

The Great American Melodrama (www.americanmelodrama.com) in Oceano is proud to present The Three Musketeers, through April 22, along with a Blue Collar Vaudeville Revue salute to plumbers, electricians, mechanics, and many more as they work hard for the money!

The Spot (https://www.facebook.com/#!/hit.the.spot) in Arroyo Grande will host several SLO Film Festival events March 8-11.

Murder In Mind Productions (www.murderinmind.com) will present SLO Legal, April 1 - May 6 at Spyglass Inn in Shell Beach.

Kelrik Productions’ (www.kelrikproductions.com) current show in their Family Theatre Series is Once Upon A Mattress, running through March 11 at Unity - 1490 Southwood Drive in San Luis Obispo (NOTE: Saw a Saturday matinee performance of this show and it is absolutely charming - with Kelly Barrett giving an AMAZING performance as Priness Winnifred!).  Auditions will be held on March 12 for Willy Wonka (performances May 12 – June 3).  In Kelrik’s Theatre After Dark Series, The Rocky Horror Show will be presented March 30 - April 14.   

SLO Little Theatre's (www.slolittletheatre.org) current mainstage theatrical offering is My Generation, running through March 25 [NOTE - Attended a Saturday matinee of this production, and this is one show you do NOT want to miss ... especially if you were a pat of the 60s!].  Next on the mainstage will be Dinner With Friends April 13 - May 6, followed by The House of Blue Leaves May 25 - June 17.  In SLOLT's Ubu's Other Shoe readers' theatre series, next up is Dollhouse, March 30 & 31.

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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