University Players to take their final bow at Studio Theatre

(Photo courtesy of the CSULB theater website.)

The 2008 to 2009 season of "This is America" will conclude with the play "Chavez Ravine" at CSULB's Studio Theatre, which will run from May 8 to May 16. Tickets, which cost $15 per individual and $12 per student and senior, can be purchased at the CSULB theater website.

The play was written by a theatrical ensemble called Culture Clash, which consists of Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza. Edgar Landa serves as the director.

According to the press release, the play -- set in the 1950s -- does not focus entirely on the Brooklyn Dodgers' move to Los Angeles and takeover of a community, "but rather the pressures of eminent domain and the communist paranoia of 1950s America."

"I love how the script shows both sides of the story," A.J. Pocheco, CSULB sophomore and actor for the play, said. "It [is not about] an attack on anyone...[including] the Dodgers. It shows...what happened and how the people involved reacted to [the Dodgers]."

More information about "Chavez Ravine" can be found here.

Ballet depicts Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" at CSULB

(Photo courtesy of the Carpenter Arts website.)

CSULB's Carpenter Arts Center will reveal "The Four Seasons: Ballet Preljocaj" on May 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $45 for students and seniors, and they can be purchased at the Carpenter Arts website.

According to the Carpenter Center website, choreographer Angelin Preljocaj and visual artist Fabrice Hyber created "a fresh, provocative, and high-spirited ballet" that follows Antonio Vivaldi's famous work, "The Four Seasons."

Preljocaj is known for "leaving audiences in awe of [her work]," while Fabrice creates an environment that allows the four seasons to "blossom forth," the website says.

Sarah Garcia, CSULB junior, said she owns a CD that contains Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." "I'd be interested in seeing how the concert interprets those songs," she said.

For more information, visit the Carpenter Center website.

Theater students invited to take CSULB summer courses with Steppenwolf

(Jeff Perry, co-founder of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, will teach the Ensembe Scene Study course at CSULB. Photo courtesy of the official Steppenwolf website.)

CSULB theater students have the chance to take summer courses on campus that are taught by members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an ensemble based in Chicago.

Three courses will run from July 27 to August 21 in the CSULB Theatre building. Students must pay a fee -- $4,000 for nine units or $2,500 for no credit -- and audition in order to be considered for the classes. Only 28 students will fill the classes this summer.

"This is the first year we are bringing the company's work to Long Beach," Joshua Nathan, handler of the audition information, said.

Katie McCoy, CSULB junior, said that she believes the courses are beneficial but suggests that scholarship opportunities should be provided to students who wish to sign up for the courses.

More information about the courses and contact information for auditioning is found at Step at the Beach.

More information about Steppenwolf is found at their official website.

Dance faculty to present concert at Carpenter Center

(Photo courtesy of the CSULB dance website.)

CSULB's Carpenter Performing Arts Center will host "HyperDrive," a concert that contains dance routines choreographed by faculty members of the dance department, on April 23 and 24 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for students and seniors, and $18 for groups. They can be purchased at the CSULB dance website or by calling the ticket office at (562) 985-7000.

According to the website, the concert will also include the work of two guest artists: Frank Chaves, artistic director of River North Chicago Dance Company, and Marie de la Palme, Horton Award-nominated choreographer. Palme's routine "The Cage" has been viewed in venues across the United States.

Regarding ticket prices, Brianna Wells, CSULB junior, said, "I may consider going if it was cheaper."

On April 24 at 6:30 p.m. during the dessert reception, attendees will have the chance to meet choreographers and students performing at the concert, as well as the dance department chair and College of the Arts dean.

You can find more information here.

Theatrefest to celebrate in April

(Theatrefest 2008 poster, courtesty of the CSULB Theatrefest website.)

2009's Theatrefest will take place at CSULB on April 17 and 18. The event targets high school students from various schools who wish to compete in skits and monologues from specific categories including Classical Monologues and Improvisation.

Individuals under Theatre Management with Master of Fine Arts degrees will host the event while undergraduate and graduate students will judge the performances, said Winter Davis, an organizer for the event. The winning students will receive awards and/or trophies.

"Theatrefest is a celebration of young students of high school age [who] are interested in the performing arts," Davis said.

According to the Theatrefest website, each school must pay a $100 entry fee and $10 for each participating student. Teachers must register their students in order to compete. The website provides contact information for those who need help registering.

The official website has more information and a FAQ section about Theatrefest.

Cal Rep concludes with tribute to National Guard

(Photo courtesy of the Cal Rep website.)

The California Repertory company will perform "And the War Came" at Long Beach's National Guard Armory, its last production of the 2008-2009 season titled "This Could Be America," on April 23-May 9.

Tickets cost $20 for general admission; $17 per student; $15 for seniors, military and CSULB faculty and staff; and $12 for groups of 10 or more. You can purchase tickets at the campus's theater box office, the Carpenter Center or at the Cal Rep box office website.

According to Lauren Morris, director of marketing for Cal Rep, the production is based on interviews with men and women serving in the Iraq war. CSULB students with Master of Fine Arts degrees and in the theatre and dramatic writing program wrote the script.

"The focus of the stories in the play is not on the Iraq war itself, but on the effects of the war on family members here at home," Morris said.

Joanne Gordon, chair of the theater department, is the play's creator and director. She was inspired to make this production due to Cal Rep's connection with the National Guard at the Armory, she said.

Play and ticket information and more information about Cal Rep can be found here and under the "About Us" section at the official website.

New musical reveals new way of hearing laughter

(Photo courtesy of the CSULB theater website.)

CSULB will present a new musical titled "That Beautiful Laugh"* at the Players Theatre March 27-April 18. Tickets cost $15 per person and $12 per student and senior, and can be purchased here.

The comedy gives a new meaning to laughter through original and renditions of old songs, according to LAFestival.org. The CSULB Theatre website additionally sums it up: "Simply hilarious and amazing...with a whole lotta mess."

Orlando Patoboy, director and creator of the musical, said that upon finding out when laughter becomes beautiful, he turned to his five-year-old son for help in writing the script.

Children possess "laughter that [has] the least amount of cynicism in its texture," Patoboy said. "So my son writing the opening monologue seemed natural to me and essential."

The play will take part in 2009's Festival of New American Musicals, Patoboy said.

More information about the musical is found at the CSULB theater website.

More information about this year's Festival of New American Musicals is found at the event's official website.

*According to Patoboy, the CSULB Theatre website's poster (shown above) displays the title as "A Beautiful Laugh," and should be corrected as "That Beautiful Laugh."

New York meets So. Cal. at Carpenter Center

(Photo courtesty of the Carpenter Center website.)

On Mar. 21 at 8 p.m., the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center at CSULB will host "Armitage Gone! Dance," an artistic ballet and modern dance performance.

Tickets can be purchased at Carpenter Center online or by calling the Arts Office at (562) 985-7000. Ticket prices are $50 for general admission and $45 per student and senior.

The Carpenter Center website describes the performance as having two parts. One part titled "Ligeti Essays" will focus on a dance routine that moves to classical music composed by György Ligeti. The other part titled "Time is the echo of an axe within a wood" is praised by the New York Times.

According to the press release sent out by Michael Field, director of marketing at the Carpenter Center, "Armitage Gone! Dance" began in New York and has taken stages throughout the United States, Italy, France and Mexico. The critically acclaimed performance will make its premiere in Southern California on Mar. 21.

Sarah Garcia, CSULB junior, finds it "intriguing" that the performance mixes classical music with both ballet and dance styles. "I would definitely consider going to see it," she said.

More information about the performance can be found here.

Shakespearean play arrives on campus

(Photo courtesy of the CSULB theater website.)

The upcoming play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will take the stage at CSULB's Studio Theatre March 13-21, according to the CSULB Theatre Arts Department website. William Shakespeare's play will be directed by Elizabeth Swain and performed by the University Players.

General admission is $15, but students and seniors will only have to pay $12 to see the show. You can purchase tickets online by accessing the link provided in this post, by phone at (562) 985-5526 or at the box office at the theater building.

The website describes "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as "Shakespeare's mystical romp. Comedy, romance...and fairies."

David Cowan, a theater student, believes that the indoor play may not impress as much as it would if it were performed outdoors. He explained that he had performed the play outside with his theater group, because the show takes place in the woods.

The play holds "a magical quality," he said. "But it might be lost by having [the play] indoors. Hopefully it will be good."

Information about the play can be found here.