In an effort to expand its programming and partnerships in the community, Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC) will collaborate with Jewel Theater Company in spring 2013 to co-produce two one-act plays by Harold Pinter.
A double bill--featuring One for the Road, directed by SSC artistic director Marco Barricelli, and The Lover, directed by Jewel Theatre artistic director Julie James—will run April 25 through May 12, 2013, at the Center Stage in downtown Santa Cruz.
“We are excited to partner with Julie James and Jewel Theatre Company,” noted SSC Managing Director Kyle Clausen. “Expanding our programming into the spring and exploring fruitful co-producing relationships are two of the goals for the growth of our organization.”
Barricelli added, “We also seek, as an organization, to program more works by the best contemporary playwrights, and Harold Pinter is at the top of that list for me.”
Shakespeare Santa Cruz also announced that its annual holiday show will return in 2012, with Honk!, a musical re-telling of The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen.
Written by Anthony Drewe (book and lyrics) and George Stiles (music), Honk! played London’s West End in 1999, where it was honored with an Olivier Award for Best Musical in 2000.
Honk! will be the 14th holiday co-production by SSC and the UCSC Theater Arts Department since the annual tradition began in 1997.
The collaboration provides opportunities for advanced students in Theater Arts to gain valuable experience working alongside top professionals in the theater world.
“For most of the students involved in this collaboration, it’s their first opportunity to work in a professional setting,” noted Theater Arts Department Chair David Lee Cuthbert.
“It’s a great environment to apply the lessons learned in the classroom,” he added.
Honk! will play at UCSC November 16 through December 9, and will include four special weekday matinee performances for local school groups.
SSC’s third annual fall benefit show--supporting the company’s education and internship programs--is now set for one performance only on Sunday, October 14, at 2 p.m. in the UCSC Mainstage Theater.
The featured play will be In Acting Shakespeare, writer and performer James DeVita’s personal adaptation of Sir Ian McKellan’s one-man show that toured the U.S. in 1987.
DeVita is a leading actor and director at the acclaimed American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and his roles have included Iago, Macbeth, Hamlet, and Richard III.
He is also the resident playwright at First Stage Children’s Theatre in Milwaukee, and an award-winning author.
“James DeVita is one of the most accomplished artists in the American Theatre, and I’m thrilled to be bringing his personal take on Shakespeare to Santa Cruz,” Barricelli noted.
“These three productions represent SSC continuing beloved traditions and also venturing into uncharted territories,” Barricelli added. “I’m excited to be announcing productions beyond the current season, which reflects the long-term planning happening within our organization.”
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Tickets for Honk! and In Acting Shakespeare will be available beginning August 14 at the UCSC Ticket Office (831) 459-2159, shakespearesantacruz.org, or at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium Ticket Office. (Pre-sale for SSC season ticket holders will be August 7–12). Tickets for the Harold Pinter double bill One for the Road / The Lover will be sold through the Jewel Theatre ticket office at (831) 425-7506, or jeweltheatre.net. For more information, go to shakespearesantacruz.org.
