March 2012 - Late March Theatre & More on the Central Coast of California

As we come to the end of March, I trust you're planning to attend a show (or 2?) at any one of the several live performance and theatre venues to be found here on the Central Coast of California!

The Lompoc Civic Theatre (www.lompoccivictheatre.com) is currently presenting Almost, Maine through April 1.

The play tells nine stories which take place at the same magical moment on a cold, clear night in the middle of winter in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine.  All is not quite what it seems.  As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the town's residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways.  Knees are bruised, and hearts are broken - but The Bruises heal, and the hearts mend … almost, in this delightful midwinter night's dream.

Director Larry McLellan, a native of Maine, along with Assistant Director Christine Jeszeck, are pleased to bring the spirit of northern New England to the Central Coast with this production of Cariani's popular play.  A highlight of this production is the original musical score by local pianist William Koseluk and an onstage creation of the northern lights by PCPA's Todd Harper.

Friday and Saturday night shows start at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:00.  Tickets are $10 at presale outlets: Alfie's Fish & Chips, Lompoc Chamber of Commerce, and Texas Cattle Co.  Tickets for seniors, students, military and for all matinees are $10.  Adult tickets are $12 at the door.  The show will be performed at the Civic Auditorium, 217 South L St. (at the corner of Cypress). 

Additionally, a dinner theatre production of The Outrageous Adventures of Sheldon and Mrs Levine at D'Vine Wine Bar will have its FINAL performance on April 15 (reservations required).

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 will present Romeo and Juliet, April 19 - May 13.

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

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 present Spinning the Globe & A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Foreclosure March 30 – April 1, magician Chris Lopez March 30 - April 1, and Exit Pursued By a Bear's The Changeling April 13-21.

Upcoming performances at the Clark Center (www.clarkcenter.org) include Suspended Motion Aerial Arts' Eventyr April 12 & 13, Four Sides of 40 on April 14, California Theatre Center's Beauty and the Beast on April 16, and the National Tour of Winter Dance Party - the official live and authentic re-creation of the final tour of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper before their untimely deaths in a plane crash in 1959.

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

SLO Little Theatre's (www.slolittletheatre.org) Ubu's Other Shoe readers' theatre series will hold auditions for BOOM! April 16 & 17 (performances May 11 & 12).  A special performance of Teen Monologues will be presented on April 5.  And then next on the mainstage will be Dinner With Friends April 13 - May 6, followed by The House of Blue Leaves May 25 - June 17.  And be sure to check out the Academy of Creative Theatre's (http://www.slolittletheatre.org/pages/classes) children & youth theatre opportunities for this spring and summer!

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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