New Happenings at OnStage Playhouse

Doing Community Theatre is an amazing experience to behold. Our last show, A Midsummer Night's Dream, led us on a romantic modern journey through one of Shakespeare's most famous play. Now, we venture into the 1930 Cleveland's opera world with Lend Me A Tenor, by Ken Ludwig!

Henry Saunders is a Cleveland opera impresario who lives by the credo, "the show must go on!" Due to a variety of errors, visiting opera star Tito Merelli is thought to be dead, and Saunders' assistant Max is thrust into the limelight. Confusion reigns when Max's fiancee, an opera society matron, and the local opera diva throw themselves at both the real and imitation Tito...all while trying to steer clear of Tito's jealous wife! What follows is a chain-reaction of confusion, impersonations, plot twists, double-entrende, and rapid door slamming that ain't over until the fat lady sings!

This cast is absolutely amazing and has many OnStage regulars gracing our stage once again. Brian P. Evans will be playing the part of the hapless gofer of the Cleveland Opera Company, Max. The role of Tito Merelli will be taken on Dave Rivas, reprising his performance from 2003. The cast is rounded out by Jeff Laurence (Saunders), Matt Warburton (Bellhop), Robin Boyington (Maggie), renee levine (Julia), Angie Doren (Diana), and the OnStage Artistic Director, Teri Brown (Maria).

The show is directed by Bob Christiansen and will run from May 08 - June 6, 2009 at Onstage Playhouse. Check out the website OnStagePlayhouse.org.

Please come on down and check us out. This cast is great and the things they are able to do on this small stage is amazing!

OnStage Playhouse announces it's 2009-2010 Season!

It's that very exciting time of year where we get to announce our next season! This time around Teri Brown, our Artistic Director, has come up with a wonderful season of shows from American Playwrights, all of which are sure to be crowd pleasers! So, without further ado, I am happy to announs OnStage Playhouse's 2009-2010 season:

YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU
Classic American screwball comedy
By Moss Hart & George S. Kaufmann
Directed by Desmond Hassing
July 10 – August 01, 2009

SEALED FOR FRESHNESS
An adult comedy with bite
By Doug Stone
Directed by Sandra Kraus
August 28 – September 19, 2009

A NICE FAMILY GATHERING
Family-friendly comedy for all ages
By Phil Olson
Directed by Bob Christiansen
October 16 – November 07, 2009

A DELICATE BALANCE
Pulitzer-Prize winning drama
By Edward Albee
Directed by Michael Thomas Tower
February 05 – February 27, 2010

INTO THE WOODS
Tony Award winning musical
Book by James Lapine & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by James M. McCullock
April 02 – May 01, 2010

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Stage adaptation of classic American novel
Adapted Christopher Sergel
Based on the book by Harper Lee
Directed by Daniel Zisko
June 04 – June 26, 2010

SEASON EXTRA:
A TAFFETA CHRISTMAS
Familiar holiday music wrapped up in nostalgia
Conceived by Rock Lewis
a co-production with Such N Such Productions
Directed by Tom Fitzpatrick
December 04 - December 19, 2010

As usual we will also present a series of Staged Readings throughout the year. Please stay tuned! If you are interested in any of these shows, please visit us at our website!

A Midsummer Night's Dream is Coming to OnStage Playhouse

This is not going to be a long post extolling the virtues of Shakespeare or anything like that. We just wanted to let everyone know that it's almost time for A Midsummer Night's Dream! Our very first Shakespeare opens March 5, 2009....LESS than a month away! This very talented cast has been very hard at work perfecting their language and really working hard to make this work.

I thought I'd post some of our publicity photos on line to whet everyone's appetite to see this show.

BTW....All photos are by Andrew Rogers who is an AMAZING photographer. Drop him an e-mail if you like what you see and need a photographer.







And because I can...a video

A "Not Yet Dead" moment from OnStage Playhouse!

Hello all,

     So after much discussion, I have decided to take over the blog posting for OnStage Playhouse.  We have been soft in getting blog posts out to our Loyal Fans, but no more!  There is a lot of very exciting and interesting things happening right now at OSP and it's high time we celebrated.

First of all, allow me to introduce myself.  I am Dan Zisko, the Managing Director here at OnStage Playhouse.  My whole job here is to make sure that we keep running smoothly and getting word of what we are doing at any time.  I am here to help you with anything you may need help with.  Have ticketing issues, contact me.  Love our shows, contact me!  Hate our show.....well, lets hope you never have that experience, but if you do, contact me.  I can be reached at ospmailinglist@gmail.com.

We have just completed the first half of our 2008-2009 season and what a season it has been!  "Shivaree" directed by Teri Brown was the perfect summer show and had a wonderful cast.  "Fat Pig" directed by Kym Pappas was just named one of the best shows of 2008 by the San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times.  "1984" directed by James M. McCullock was one of the best critically acclaimed shows we've done!  Our season so far was amazing!

Currently running is "After-Play" by Anne Meara, directed by Steve Murdock which is an amazing dramatic comedy which asks hard questions in regards to life and death.  It is an amazing piece of theatre and is currently running through February 7.  Please, come and check out this amazing show.

Coming up next is our VERY FIRST Shakespeare, "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  This is a very stylized look at one of the most romantic plays written by the Bard.  With a cast of 17, the chance of seeing someone you know and like is very good!  We are excited about our foray into this world and promise to put on a VERY entertaining show.

Please visit us at http.www.onstageplayhouse.org.  See you down in Chula Vista!

"The Graduate" opens March 9th

OnStage Playhouse is very busy preparing for this Friday's opening of "The Graduate". We've been trying for nearly two years to get the rights to perform the show and are proud to be the first west coast non-Equity production!

As Artistic Director, I act as a quality control manager of sorts. The directors and producers all "report" to me and we work together to bring a production to life. I like to sit in on rehearsals and give feedback to directors as well as provide them with possible to solutions to any issues they may have. I am also serving as co-Costumer on this show (along with Rhianna Cultrona), so I've been spending quite a bit of time around this cast and crew. With each of Dan Zisko's productions, I am always so pleased with the positive and fun environment he creates. As one of my good friends is fond of saying, "It's called a play for a reason, people!" And Dan definitely balances the work with the play.

Last night's dress rehearsal was the first with full lights, sound and costumes. The exploding door was tried out for the first time and was awesome - that's all the info you'll get from me; you have to come see the show and see it in person. Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson discovered that exact placement of bedsheets will be crucial for the infamous hotel scene - this is rated PG-13, not rated X!!! I will need to hem a few pairs of pants before tonight's show and take a trip to O'Connor's Catholic Supply Store, but other than that, the costumes are finished. Ericka Zepeda makes such an adorable stripper that the light/sound booth operators missed their cue after her initial entrance! The final show-down between Benajmin and the Robinsons in the church was great, with a slightly different ending than you may recall from the movie (see my reference above to the exploding door). When you come to the show, please also note Elaine Robinson's wedding gown - Rhianna sewed it herself in just under 24 hours. Impressive!

Oh, and speaking of impressive... after the loss of our leading man, Dan Zisko stepped into the role of Benjamin just one week ago. He has all the lines down, knows where he needs to be and at what time, and he meshed perfectly with the cast. Lisa Moctezuma, the Assistant Director, stepped up to the plate and is now Dan's eyes and ears. Hey Lisa, interested in directing a show on your own? :)

All in all, this is another outstanding production that OnStage Playhouse will be proud to present to our patrons. Call the Box Office and make your reservations today - I have a feeling this will be a popular show and sell out quickly. 619-422-RSVP (7787) or visit our website at www.onstageplayhouse.org

Coo-coo-ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson!!!

See you at the theatre!
~ Teri Brown

NEW YEAR - NEW BLOG

So it's the new year. And I've decided to do this blog thing from the Artistic Director's point of view. The goal is to keep people informed about OnStage Playhouse and to open dialog for questions/comments about our theatre. You can always click on the link to find out more about us: make reservations, find our about auditions, look at publicity photos....

Where to start? How about with an announcement! Our 2007-08 season is solidly in place. Sounds like a long way off, right? Actually, it’s right around the corner. With the first show of our next season opening in mid-July, that’s only 7 months away!

A lot of coordinating, reading and planning went into selecting our six shows for the upcoming season. I received 20 submissions from 12 directors. A couple were new works from local playwrights. A few were pushed aside for several reasons: OnStage may have done the show in the recent past, the rights weren’t available, or the logistics were too large for our facility. I even received a few suggestions from patrons requesting that OnStage consider certain shows. I am pleased to say that one director proposed a show suggested by a patron and a different director submitted a play by the same playwright as another patron-suggested show.

Season tickets are not yet available for purchase, but we’d like to whet your appetite for our next season. I’m sure you will find it well-balanced and intriguing. We’re presenting an outrageously silly farce, a Pulitzer Prize-winning black comedy, an American classic, a movie adaptation, a baseball-lover’s comedy, and a musical retrospective of a well-loved comedian. Come play with us!

THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM. SHAKSPR. (ABRIDGED)
By Adam Long, Daniel Singer & Jess Winfield
Directed by James “Mike” McCullock
July 13-August 11, 2007
An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays. A mix of pratfalls, puns, willful misreadings of names and dialogue, clunky impersonations, clean-cut ribaldry, and broad burlesque.

HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Carla Nell
September 07-October 06, 2007
Winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize, this is the story of a woman who learns the rules of the road and life from behind the wheel. A wildly funny, surprising and devastating tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling relationship between a young girl and an older man. (adult content)

THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Jennifer Jonassen
November 02-November 30, 2007
Tennessee Williams at his most poetic, emotionally wrenching, mordantly funny best. Four lost souls - a defrocked minister, a randy widow, a free-spirited girl and “the oldest living practicing poet” - commune one stormy night in a desolate Mexican hotel.

ORDINARY PEOPLE
Based on Judith Guest’s book, dramatized by Nancy Gilsenan
Directed by Jay Mower
January 11-February 09, 2008
Conrad Jarrett had an older brother and now he’s gone. What’s left pf Conrad’s family, with his successful well-intentioned father and his organized and remote mother, is in terrible jeopardy, as is Conrad himself. They are all ordinary people, and they are each fighting a hard battle.

BLEACHER BUMS
By Joe Mantegna & the Organic Theatre Co.
Directed by Bruce Wilde
March 07-April 05, 2008
In the bleachers at Chicago's Wrigley Field, die-hard Cub fans root for their team. They bet among themselves; go out for hot dogs, beer and frosty malts; and occasionally watch the game. Will the Cubs win the home game and who will the real winners turn out to be? Come to the game and find out!

GROUCHO: A LIFE IN REVUE
By Arthur Marx & Robert Fisher
Directed by Bob Christiansen
May 02-May 31, 2008
This inspired bio musical about The One and Only begins with Groucho as an old man doing his famous Carnegie Hall show. It then returns to the beginnings of the Marx Brothers and their struggles to make it in vaudeville, their rise to stardom and their eventual break up.