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SAN DIEGO (February 4, 2020)—The Old Globe’s Annual Meeting was held on Monday, February 3, 2020 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Board Chair Nicole A. Clay welcomed the members of The Old Globe Board of Directors along with donors, subscribers, and guests, and announced the newly elected Directors serving three-year terms. Globe senior staff members presented highlights of the 2019 fiscal year, and Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Timothy J. Shields spoke about the future of the Globe and its place in the San Diego community.
It was announced that Ann Davies will serve as Chair of the Board of Directors for a two-year term, succeeding Clay. The 2020 Executive Committee will consist of Davies (Chair), Nicole A. Clay (Immediate Past Chair), Donald L. Cohn (Past Chair, Ex Officio), Elaine Bennett Darwin (Past Chair, Ex Officio), Harold W. Fuson, Jr. (Past Chair, Ex Officio), Sheryl White (Past Chair, Ex Officio), Vicki L. Zeiger (Past Chair, Ex Officio), Evelyn Olson Lamden (Vice Chair, Nominating), Paula Powers (Secretary and Vice Chair, Development), Anthony S. Thornley (Treasurer), Terry Atkinson, Stephanie R. Bulger, Ph.D., Peter J. Cooper, Pamela A. Farr, Sue Sanderson, Karen L. Sedgwick, Jean Shekhter, and Karen Tanz.
Clay also announced that the following candidates identified by the Globe’s Nominating Committee were formally elected to serve three-year terms on the Board of Directors: Nishma Held, Susan Hoehn, Stella Larsen (completing Dean Thompson’s term), and Pamela Maudsley-Merrill (Globe Guilders President, Ex Officio).
Directors returning for additional three-year terms beginning in 2020 include Sean T. Anthony, Nicole A. Clay, Elaine Bennett Darwin, Pamela Farr, Robert Foxworth, Harold W. Fuson, Jr.,Jack Galloway, Daphne H. Jameson, Keven Lippert, Noelle Norton, Ph.D., Paula Powers, Karen L. Sedgwick, Jean Shekhter, Karen Tanz, Michael Taylor, Evelyn Mack Truitt, Sheryl White, Karin Winner, and Vicki L. Zeiger.
Directors currently serving three-year terms during 2020 include Mary Beth Adderley, Jules Arthur, Terry Atkinson, Stephanie R. Bulger, Ph.D., Donald L. Cohn, Ellise Coit, Peter J. Cooper, Ann Davies, George S. Davis, Mark Delfino, Silvija Devine, Richard J. Esgate, Jo Ann Kilty, Evelyn Olson Lamden, Sheila Lipinsky, Thomas Melody, David Jay Ohanian, Sandra Redman, Sue Sanderson, Scott W. Schmid, Rhona Thompson, Anthony S. Thornley, Debra Turner, Jordine Von Wantoch, Pamela J. Wagner, Reneé Wailes, Muffy Walker, and Lynne Wheeler.
Board members Ruben Islas, Jacqueline Lewis, Kim Neapole (Immediate Past Globe Guilders President, Ex Officio), and Dean Thompson concluded their service and were honored for their outstanding commitment to The Old Globe.
For the full press release on the 2020 Annual Meeting, click here!
The Old Globe continues to make theatre matter to more people by welcoming everybody to enjoy a season of free performances, arts, crafts, and workshops on the Globe’s Copley Plaza in Balboa Park. Thousands of people attended our free AXIS events in 2019, which featured music, dance, and original plays from the community, a comedy show, the Filipino musical sensation Manila Disco Fever, and an annual birthday celebration for our beloved resident playwright, William Shakespeare. The 2019 AXIS season also included our sensory-friendly AXIS event with music and Grinch-y workshops before the eighth sensory-friendly performance of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
What: Leap Day Celebration: A Dance-Off! kicks off the 2020 free AXIS event series! Ten local dance crews will battle each other in front of an experienced panel of local esteemed judges (including yourself!) who will select the very best performances for cash prizes ($2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $500 for third place), while all dancers will receive small prizes for participating. Join us in this epic and diverse dance-off!
How to submit: Submit a recent video performance of your troupe that is no more than 10 minutes in length to our Arts Engagement Programs Manager’s email, kharroff@TheOldGlobe, by February 10, 2020. All selected participating groups will be announced on February 14, 2020.
Where: On the Globe’s Copley Plaza. (The Old Globe is at 1363 Old Globe Way.)
When: Saturday, February 29, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
For the full press release on the AXIS Event: Leap Day Celebration: A Dance-Off!, click here! For the press page on the AXIS Event: Leap Day Celebration: A Dance-Off!, click here! For more on the AXIS Event: Leap Day Celebration: A Dance-Off!, click here!
Photo: I Love Africa AXIS Event, 2019. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
SAN DIEGO (January 21, 2020)—As part of The Old Globe’s ongoing commitment to serve the public good by hosting programs that serve all of San Diego County, applications are now available online for the 2020 Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio for high school students. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, March 31. The four-week program is a unique opportunity for rising 9th – 12th graders and recent graduates not only to develop foundational skills for reading, interpreting, and performing Shakespeare’s plays, but also to cultivate their own artistic voice through storytelling and creating original material.
The Old Globe believes that theatre matters. In our effort to make theatre matter to more people, the Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio admits students without regard to their ability to pay, and financial and transportation support is available for all students with demonstrated need. Tuition for the four weeks is $725.00; interviews and group sessions will be scheduled, upon receipt of applications, for Monday, April 13 through Friday, April 24.
Students will actively participate in an intensive curriculum of acting, movement, music, and writing classes, as well as receive training in voice and speech, stage combat, and text. There will also be regular master classes with Globe artists and staff, many of whom are among the leaders in their fields. Students will deepen their understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare’s writing and use his work as a model for engaging with their own selves and enriching their knowledge of the Bard.
For more information on the program, photos from past performances, and application instructions, please visit www.TheOldGlobe.org/edp-pages/2020/pam-farr-summer-shakespeare-studio-2020 or email Studio@TheOldGlobe.org.
The Studio will run July 6 – August 4 OR July 13 – August 11* and will culminate in the Studio Showcase performance on Monday, August 3, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. OR Monday, August 10, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.** on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. This final presentation will combine Shakespearean scenes, soliloquies, and sonnets with original material generated by the students.
*In the event of production schedule changes, start dates will be pushed back to July 13. We should know prior to interviews.
**In the event of production schedule changes, the showcase date will be pushed back to August 10. We should know prior to interviews.
The Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio is generously supported by Pam Farr and Buford Alexander, with additional support from lead sponsors Terry Atkinson and Theatre Forward’s Educating Through Theatre Grant. Additional support is provided by Ann Davies Fund for Teaching Artists, The James Irvine Foundation, Qualcomm, and ResMed Foundation. This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Financial support is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
For the full press release on the Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio Applications 2020, click here! For more information and how to apply to Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio 2020, click here!
Photo: Students in Pam Farr Summer Shakespeare Studio, 2019. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
SAN DIEGO (January 10, 2020)—The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for the West Coast premiere of Hurricane Diane, the new unconventional, Obie Award–winning comedy from Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George (The Sore Loser, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England). Directed by James Vásquez (the Globe’s Tiny Beautiful Things, the world premiere of American Mariachi, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,upcoming Hair), Hurricane Diane will run February 8 – March 8, 2020in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run February 8–12. Opening night is Thursday, February 13 at 8:00 p.m. Single tickets on sale now, starting at $30.00, and can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.
This unconventional new comedy from Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George sees the Greek god Dionysus return to the modern world disguised as the butch gardener Diane, whose secret mission is to seduce mortal followers and restore the earth to its natural state. Where better to begin than with four real housewives from New Jersey? The New York Times cheered Hurricane Diane as an “astonishing new play,” and New York magazine hailed it as “hilarious and full of keen observation and profound human affection.”
“Playwright Madeleine George swirls together a number of unlikely ingredients to make this remarkable play,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “She combines an ancient Greek play, the terrors of climate change, and the reality TV world of the various Real Housewives, and then adds a dollop of LGBTQ pulp fiction. The result is a funny and serious work about Mother Nature and human nature, and about the wild and crazy dilemmas that arise as each of us figures out how to respond to a changing natural environment. James Vásquez and a company of brilliant comediennes conjure a vivid theatrical storm that I’m thrilled to share with San Diego.”
For the full press release on Hurricane Diane, click here! For the Hurricane Diane press page, click here! To buy tickets to Hurricane Diane, click here!
Artwork courtesy of The Old Globe.
SAN DIEGO (December 19, 2019)—The Old Globe today announced it will present the seventh annual Powers New Voices Festival, a weekend of readings of new American plays by some of the most exciting voices writing for the American theatre today, playing January 10–12, 2020. Playwrights include Chad Beckim, Jiréh Breon Holder, Tony Meneses, and Karen Zacarías; directors include Shelley Butler, Edward Torres, and James Vásquez.
The Festival kicks off on Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. with Celebrating Community Voices, an evening of short works created by San Diego residents through the Globe’s arts engagement programs Community Voices and coLAB. These readings include Codeswitchin’ Is Conscious by Andréa Agosto, Pussycats by Thelma Virata de Castro, Tune Up by Tim Cole, The Mojave by Jaime Estepa, Transit Stop by Jordan Jacobo, When the Sun Dies by Melanie Taing,and Courtesan Way by Zakiyyah Saleem. All of the readings will be directed by Gerardo Flores Tonella and Katherine Harroff. The Community Voices and coLAB initiatives are play-development workshops that provide professional theatre-making skills to select San Diego communities. This evening is a curated collection of some of the best short scripts developed in these programs.
The readings by professional playwrights commence on Saturday, January 11 at 4:00 p.m. with El Borracho by Tony Meneses (Guadalupe in the Guest Room, The Women of Padilla, twenty50, and The Hombres), directed by Edward Torres (the Globe’s Familiar, Native Gardens, Water by the Spoonful, 2017 PNVF What You Are; award-winning world premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity). Raul is sick. He drinks, because he always drinks, just like “el borracho” on the loteria card. In his final months, Raul is forced to move in with his ex-wife Alma, who now has to care for the man she thought she’d never have to see again, and his son David, who has secrets he’s longing to share. Tony Meneses’s compelling tragicomedy follows one family’s journey to come together so they can finally say goodbye.
It will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by Nothing Gold Can Stay by Chad Beckim (The Main(e) Play, That Men Do, Mercy, and After), directed by Shelley Butler (the world premiere of A Doll’s House, Part 2 at South Coast Repertory, The Magician’s Daughter at Geva Theatre Center, Wrecked at Contemporary American Theater Festival). Clay and Jess have big dreams: college, refuge from the cold Maine winters, and a permanent escape from the paycheck-to-paycheck, rent-a-center-furniture lifestyle of their parents. When Jess finds herself temporarily stuck behind and at odds with her stepfather, she moves in with Clay’s mom and begrudgingly takes a job at the local chicken farm. Meanwhile Clay heads off to college, counting down the days to his return, desperate to avoid the destiny of his geography. Nothing Gold Can Stay is a love story for the opioid era.
The Festival continues on Sunday, January 12 at 4:00 p.m. with the Globe-commissioned Age of Innocence by one of the most-produced playwrights in the U.S, Karen Zacarías (the Globe’s Native Gardens, The Copper Children premiering at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2020, Destiny of Desire premiered at South Coast Repertory and Goodman Theatre and continues to run regionally), directed by James Vásquez (the Globe’s American Mariachi, Tiny Beautiful Things, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, upcoming Hurricane Diane and Hair). In 1870s New York City, handsome lawyer Newland Archer satisfies everyone's expectations when he becomes engaged to the sweet debutante May Welland. But when May's older cousin arrives, her determination to live life on her own terms will make Newland question everything he believes to be true. Based on Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book, Karen Zacarías’s fresh new adaptation uses lush language and dynamic theatricality to examine the ways desire must negotiate the complex rules of society.
The Festival wraps up that evening at 7:30 p.m. with the Globe-commissioned Shutter Sisters by Jiréh Breon Holder (Too Heavy for Your Pocket in the 2018 PNVF, ...what the end will be upcoming at Roundabout Theatre Company, “New Amsterdam”), directed by Shelley Butler (see above). Shutter Sisters tells the story of two women living parallel lives on the hardest days of their lives. A white woman named Michael attends her adopted mother’s funeral, while a black woman named Mykal kicks her adult daughter out of her home. A heartfelt and surprising journey through womanhood, identity, and what it means to belong.
“This year’s installment of the Powers New Voices Festival is very exciting,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Each of the four plays we will present in readings is fascinating in its own right, and taken together they present a remarkable glimpse of the vitality of today’s American stage. Two of the plays are Globe commissions that we are delighted to hear aloud for the first time. The four works cover a range of styles, genres, and themes, but they have in common a bracing commitment to the idea that the theatre is a powerful place to examine big questions, from the deeply personal to the most public. It’s a thrill to have four major writing talents with us, and to see their work side by side with the best that’s emerging from the local playwrights who participate in the Globe’s community-based writing programs. This combination is what makes our Festival unique, and I’m looking forward to bringing it all to our audience and its adventuresome appetite for the new.”
For the full press release on the Powers New Voices Festival 2020, click here! For the press page for the Powers New Voices Festival 2020, click here!
SAN DIEGO (December 17, 2019)—The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for August Wilson’s Jitney, directed by one of Wilson’s foremost interpreters, Ruben Santiago-Hudson (directed Jitney on Broadway, performed in Gem of the Ocean and Seven Guitars). The American master and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson (the American Century Cycle of 10 plays) had a close relationship with The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. This production of Jitney is produced by Erik Falkenstein and Ron Simons in association with Manhattan Theatre Club. The 2017 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Play will run January 18 – February 23, 2020 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Previews run January 18–22. Opening night is Thursday, January 23 at 8:00 p.m. Single tickets start at $30.00 and can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office.
A jitney is an unlicensed taxicab. Five tireless drivers in Pittsburgh’s Hill District fight for love, survival, and respect as the powers-that-be threaten to close down their garage in the name of neighborhood improvement. The Los Angeles Times recently proclaimed it a Critic’s Choice, saying, “This is an extraordinary company! A triumphant melding of acting and drama. Don’t make the mistake of skipping this one. It’s among the finest productions of a Wilson play I’ve seen.” The Washington Post calls Jitney “a consistently funny and absorbing evening,” while The Hollywood Reporter asks, “Is there a more accomplished living interpreter of the plays of August Wilson than Ruben Santiago-Hudson? The timing feels ideal to visit Wilson’s inimitably pulsating world with a peerless company of actors.”
“August Wilson was one of the giants of the American stage,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, “and he had a special relationship to The Old Globe, where three of his plays premiered. Jitney is a prime example of what makes his gift as a playwright so unique. A simple story of working Americans and their struggles and triumphs, it’s set against a huge canvas of national themes. Funny and touching and thought-provoking, Jitney is everything we want theatre to be. Ruben Santiago-Hudson, unquestionably the greatest interpreter of Wilson now at work, gives us a production that’s exhilarating and that demonstrates in every moment why it won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. It’s a real honor to have this work at the Globe, and I know our audience will embrace its excellence and theatrical power.”
The cast includes Broadway and Wilson veteran actors Francois Battiste as Booster (Bronx Bombers, Magic/Bird), Harvy Blanks as Shealy (Jitney, Roundabout’s Toni Stone, King Hedley II and Familiar regionally), Amari Cheatom as Youngblood (the Globe’s Skeleton Crew, On the Levee and The Book of Grace Off Broadway), Tony Award nominee Anthony Chisholm as Fielding (Radio Golf, Two Trains Running,and Gem of the Ocean, Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), Brian D. Coats as Philmore (Jitney, The Brothers Paranormal Off Broadway, Marvel’s “Luke Cage”), Steven Anthony Jones as Becker (original cast of Negro Ensemble Company’s award-winning A Soldier’s Play), Nija Okoro as Rena (Blueprints to Freedom at La Jolla Playhouse, The Legend of Georgia McBride at Geffen Playhouse, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at Mark Taper Forum), Keith Randolph Smith as Doub (Water by the Spoonful at the Globe, Jitney, American Psycho, King Hedley II, Fences, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Girl 6), and Ray Anthony Thomas as Turnbo (Jitney, The Crucible,and Race, Pulitzer Prize winners Water by the Spoonful and Between Riverside and Crazy).
The multiple-award-winning creative team includes David Gallo (Scenic Design), Toni-Leslie James (Costume Design), Jane Cox (Lighting Design), Darron L West and Charles Coes (Sound Design), Bill Sims Jr. (Original Music), Matthew Armentrout (Hair and Makeup Design), and Thomas Schall (Fight Direction), Caparelliotis Casting and Nancy Piccione (Broadway Casting), Laura Stanczyk (Additional Casting), Manhattan Theatre Club (Original Broadway Production), Maximum Entertainment Productions (General Manager), and SenovvA Inc. (Production Supervisor).
Just as Wilson’s original masterpieces enjoyed rolling premieres at The Old Globe and other regional theatres across the country, this production is sharing the glory in cities nationwide as well. The New York Times said of the 2017 revival, “How sweet the sound. And how sorrowful and jubilant, as life in a storefront taxi company in an African American neighborhood in Pittsburgh comes to feel like a free-form urban concerto, shaped by the quick-witted, improvisatory spirit that makes jazz soar… glorious production.” Entertainment Weekly raved “Grade: A! A gem of a play, both timely and timeless,” and added, “It’s like eavesdropping on an often funny, occasionally hostile, always honest discussion about race, urban development (or lack thereof), and relationships—between fathers and sons, men and women, coworkers and friends.”
For the full press release on August Wilson's Jitney, click here! For the August Wilson's Jitney press page, click here! To buy tickets to August Wilson's Jitney, click here!
Artwork courtesy of The Old Globe.
SAN DIEGO (December 6, 2019)—The Old Globe’s 2020 Summer Season brings to Balboa Park an extraordinarily talented group of artists who will delight audiences with their unique takes on four great works of theatre. The season incudes a classic American musical, a new adaptation of a 20th century thriller, and two of Shakespeare’s masterworks on our outdoor stage.
“The Globe’s 2020 summer lineup has something for everyone,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Passionate and vivid, Hair has one of the great scores in the modern musical theatre, and tells a universal story of young people dreaming of a better world and daring to bring it to life. James Vásquez brings his special wit and energy to a bold new look at the show. Thrillers are one of my favorite genres in the theatre, and it’s been a while since the Globe has done one. Dial M for Murder is a masterpiece of the form, and in Jeffrey Hatcher’s new version, it makes for an exhilarating, white-knuckle night at the theatre. Shana Cooper has made the best The Taming of the Shrew I’ve ever seen: funny, smart, and surprising, and with a beguiling modern take that opens up the play in remarkable ways. And Daniel Sullivan, an American master who is arguably the most important Shakespeare director in our country, returns to the Globe to stage a play that is heart-poundingly exciting. Henry V is Shakespeare at his most electrifying. This is a season of shows that captures what makes theatre so unique and so much fun, and what makes the Globe the major American institution it is. Great stories about big ideas told by great artists: this is theatre that matters. I am thrilled to share it all with our audiences.”
The 2020 Summer Shakespeare Festival kicks off with director Shana Cooper’s daring and contemporary staging of Shakespeare’s masterful comedic take on the battle of the sexes, The Taming of the Shrew, which turns everything we think about love, marriage, and gender on its head. Performances will run June 14 through July 19, with opening night on Sunday, June 21, 2020. The Bard’s thrilling history play Henry V follows, under the aegis of one of the most important Shakespeare directors working today, Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan (The Old Globe’s Julius Caesar). This unflinching look at warfare and power is a rousing portrait of courage against all odds, and it will run August 11 through September 13, with opening night on Sunday, August 16, 2020. Both will play outdoors under the stars in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.
Indoors, the Age of Aquarius will dawn again with Hair, the American tribal love-rock musical, with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot. Directed by James Vásquez (the Globe’s American Mariachi, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Tiny Beautiful Things) and choreographed by Rickey Tripp (associate choreographer for Choir Boy and Once on This Island; appeared in Broadway’s Hamilton, Motown The Musical, and In the Heights), performances of this legendary rock musical, with its Grammy Award–winning score, will run July 2 through August 9, with opening night on Friday, July 10, 2020, on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Prepare for thrills and chills with Dial M for Murder, a new version of the celebrated murder mystery by Frederick Knott (Wait Until Dark) that inspired Hitchcock’s masterpiece! Acclaimed playwright Jeffrey Hatcher (Scotland Road) brings us an edge-of-your-seat, Globe-commissioned world-premiere adaptation of this modern classic, directed in high style by Globe veteran Stafford Arima (the Globe’s Allegiance, Red Velvet) in our most intimate performance space. Performances will run July 25 through August 23, with opening night on Thursday, July 30, 2020, in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.
For the full press release on the Summer 2020 Season, click here! For the press page for the Summer 2020 Season, click here!
SAN DIEGO (October 23, 2019)— The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team for the West Coast premiere of Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show, a hilarious family-friendly Scrooge parody set in San Diego. Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, it is written by Gordon Greenberg (Globe’s The Heart of Rock & Roll and Working, London’s Guys and Dolls and Barnum) and Steve Rosen (The Other Josh Cohen, The Curious Case of the Curse of Count Dracula!), and directed by Greenberg. Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show begins performances November 23, 2019 and runs through December 24 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run November 23–25, with Opening Night on Tuesday, November 26 (note change in opening date from Season Announcement). Single tickets on sale now, starting at $30.00, and can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or at the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.
San Diego has a new show for its Christmas stocking with this fast, funny, and highly theatrical reimagining of one of the most beloved holiday stories ever told. All the traditional elements of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol are intact—including the iconic ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future—but with a comic local twist! Audiences of all ages will cheer Ebenezer Scrooge’s rediscovery of the Christmas spirit in this riotous Dickens mash-up filled with music and laughter—all set in “wintery” San Diego!
The cast includes Broadway veteran Robert Joy as Ebenezer Scrooge (the Globe’s Twelfth Night, Shakespeare Theatre Company’s King Charles III, and Socrates, Girl From The North Country and Head Of Passes at The Public, “CSI: NY”); Orville Mendoza as Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley, Charles, Mr. Fezzi, etc. (the Globe’s The Heart of Rock & Roll, The Wiz and The Orphan of Zhao at La Jolla Playhouse, Broadway’s Peter and the Starcatcher and Pacific Overtures); Dan Rosales as Fred, Young Scrooge, Medium Scrooge, Tiny Tim, etc. (Off-Broadway’s Dogman and Spamilton playing Lin-Manuel Miranda—NYC, London and National Tour); Cathryn Wake as Gertrude Saint, Lavinia, Ghost of Christmas Present, Archibald, etc. (Broadway’s Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; The Other Josh Cohen, The Fantasticks, and The Hello Girls Off-Broadway); and Jacque Wilke as Prudence Saint, Ghost of Christmas Past, Mrs. Cratchit, Jennie, etc. (extensive local credits include Pride and Prejudice at Cygnet Theatre; Craig Noel Award-winner for Honky at San Diego Repertory Theater; Yoke and The Car Plays at La Jolla Playhouse).
The creative team includes Adam Koch (Scenic Design; extensive regional credits include immersive outdoor Carousel, Miss Saigon, and Titanic, Dreamgirls in Seoul), David Israel Reynoso (Costume Design; Obie Award–winner for Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More in NY/Shanghai, the Globe’s As You Like It, The Tempest, The Wanderers, manymore), Amanda Zieve (Lighting Design; Globe’s Tiny Beautiful Things, Native Gardens, The Wanderers, and Rich Girl, Put Your House in Order at La Jolla Playhouse), Bart Fasbender (Sound Design; Broadway’s Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Soft Power at The Public), The Other Josh Cohen Off Broadway), David Huber (Dialect Coach), Tara Rubin Casting (Casting), and Anjee Nero (Production Stage Manager).
“As Dr Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas warms the hearts of San Diegans for the 22nd straight holiday season, The Old Globe this year adds Yuletide laughter and delight with a brand-new Christmas show,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “With Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show, Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen take Dickens’s classic story of Christmas kindness to a new level of madcap fun. The show gives us everything we love about the story of Scrooge, from ‘Bah Humbug’ to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, to Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family. But this time there’s a local San Diego angle, full of music and energy, and I know our audiences have never seen anything like it. I am so happy to put it under the Globe Christmas tree and share it with our audiences this season.”
For the full press release on Ebenezer Scrooge's BIG San Diego Christmas Show, click here! For the Ebenezer Scrooge's BIG San Diego Christmas Show press page, click here! To buy tickets to Ebenezer Scrooge's BIG San Diego Christmas Show, click here!
Artwork courtesy of The Old Globe.
SAN DIEGO (October 18, 2019)—The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for the Globe’s 22nd annual production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!The holiday musical will run November 10 – December 29 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Previews run November 10 – November 14. Opening night is Friday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. The Grinch isdirected by James Vásquez, with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason and music by Mel Marvin. The original production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was conceived and directed by Jack O’Brien with additional lyrics by Theodor S. Geisel, additional music by Albert Hague, and original choreography by John DeLuca.
Tickets start at $29.00 for adults and $19.00 for children (17 years and under). Children under the age of three will be admitted to 11:00 a.m. performances only, which are open to all ages. At the 11:00 a.m. performances only, children under the age of two are free but must occupy the same seat and sit on the lap of a parent or guardian in attendance. Regardless of age, each audience member, including babes in arms, must have a ticket to be admitted into the theatre. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office.
Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a wonderful, whimsical musical based upon the classic Dr. Seuss book. Back for its 22nd incredible year, the family favorite features the songs “Santa for a Day,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and “Welcome, Christmas (Fah Who Doraze),” the delightful carol from the popular animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Celebrate the holidays as the Old Globe Theatre is once again transformed into the snow-covered Whoville, right down to the last can of Who-hash.
Edward Watts returns to the Globe after receiving critical acclaim and delighting audiences as The Grinch in 2017 and 2018. Watts recently starred as Harold Hill in The Music Man at Goodspeed Musicals and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at Broadway Sacramento/Music Circus (with wife Sarah Meahl, who is also returning to Grinch). His Broadway and New York credits include Scandalous, Finian’s Rainbow, It’s a Bird...It’s a Plane...It’s Superman, The Fantasticks, The Most Happy Fella, and the acclaimed PBS “Live from Lincoln Center” Show Boat with the New York Philharmonic. Tommy Martinez will once again scale Mt. Crumpit as Young Max. He has been seen in NBC’s Hairspray Live!, on the national tour of Kinky Boots, and on Broadway in Newsies. Old Max will be played by Broadway veteran John Treacy Egan, whose credits include My Fair Lady (Lincoln Center Theater), Casa Valentina (Manhattan Theatre Club), Nice Work If You Can Get It, Sister Act, The Little Mermaid, The Producers, Jekyll & Hyde, and Bye Bye Birdie.
Alternating in the role of Cindy-Lou Who are Escondido resident Sophia Adajar, featured in the Little Who Ensemble last year, and Chula Vistan Leila Manuel, returning for her second year in the role.
Rounding out the cast of The Grinch are San Diego mainstays Kevin Hafso Koppman (Papa Who), Katie Sapper (Mama Who), Larry Raben (Grandpa Who), and Bets Malone (Grandma Who), who are joined by Lindsay Mains and Hannah Roby (Annie Who), Arya Bosworth and Isabella Burer (Betty-Lou Who), Jonah Orona and Jaydn Washington (Boo Who), and Bobby Chiu and Alexander Ikizyan (Danny Who).
The ensemble consists of Reanne Acasio, Joelle Dana Advento, Nicholas Alexander, Juliette Cutugno, Elisa Guerra, Kyrsten Hafso Koppman, Ava Harris, Teagan Kirby, Sarah Meahl, Sara Minuto, Arden Pala, Amare Phillips, William BJ Robinson, Lance Arthur Smith, Stella Grace Wahl, and Audrey Simone Winters, as well as James Vásquez (Swing).
This season’s production features Additional Choreography by Bob Richard and Musical Direction by Elan McMahan. The Grinch creative team also includes John Lee Beatty (Scenic Design), Robert Morgan (Costume Design), Pat Collins (Lighting Design), Paul Peterson (Sound Design), Anita Ruth (Orchestrator), Joshua Rosenblum (Vocal Arrangements and Incidental Music), David Krane (Dance Music Arranger), Caparelliotis Casting (Casting), and Jess Slocum (Production Stage Manager).
“The Grinch is once again returning to the heart of Balboa Park! All of us at The Old Globe are delighted to welcome him back,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “For more than two decades, this magical show has been a San Diego institution, introducing young people to the joys of theatre and bringing families together for the heartwarming rush of good cheer that only live theatre can provide. We are thrilled to reunite our beloved Who family old and new with the brilliant Ed Watts, who is returning as The Grinch. Many of these extraordinary actors return year in and year out, and we love watching the littlest Whos grow up onstage along with our audience members. For many San Diegans, the Grinch Tree Lighting Ceremony kicks off the holiday season, and we’re looking forward to it. This year’s sensory-friendly performance will offer additional surround events created by artists on the spectrum, including Grinchy AXIS workshops and performances! This is a special time of year at the Globe, touched with the genius of Dr. Seuss, the continuing generosity of Audrey S. Geisel, and surprise, entertainment, and joy.”
For the full press release on the cast and creatives for Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, click here! For the press page for The Grinch, click here! To buy tickets to The Grinch, click here!
Edward Watts and Tommy Martinez in Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, 2018. Photo by Ken Howard.
SAN DIEGO (October 2, 2019)—The Old Globe continues to make theatre matter to more people by inviting everyone to enjoy three unique productions of original work developed through coLAB, a program developed by the Department of Arts Engagement. coLAB unites community and artists to develop unique participatory theatre. Having the perspective of participants at the forefront of the storytelling experience is central to this artistic collaboration. Community members work with an artist over several months developing stories. The culmination of the work is a presentation with a community partner organization of a public performance and celebration. These productions take on many forms but always feature the stories and perspectives of the participants.
This year—after the 2019 Juneteenth Celebration at The George L. Stevens Senior Center, with the premiere of I Love Ruby written by Karen Ann Daniels—coLAB will celebrate three additional premieres! Pasajes/Passages will kick off the array of new work at the Chula Vista Public Library on Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5, both at 6:00 p.m. Written by Globe Teaching Artist Crystal Mercado Rosure and members of the South Bay Community, and directed by Ramón Verdugo, Pasajes-Passages is a bilingual play that interweaves the stories of four women from the South Bay who are tested by the forces of humanity as they look to better themselves and their community. There is a suggested donation of $20.00 at the door.
For the fourth consecutive year, two of the Globe’s signature arts engagement programs—coLAB and AXIS—unite to celebrate the great Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) with a weekend full of unique activities and artistic expression, as well as the premiere of Hermanas (Sisters), written by Daniel Jáquez and directed by Ramón Verdugo,taking place atSAY San Diego’s City Heights Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) Celebration (3795 Fairmount Ave., San Diego, 92105) onSaturday, October 26. The event will include dancing, singing, music, Aztec dancers, and other performances, as well as a display of community altars, face painting, mask making, and prizes for the best Catrina and Catrin costumes. It will run from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a performance of Hermanas at 2:00 p.m.
The free AXIS Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) Celebration will take place on Sunday, November 3 on the Globe’s Copley Plaza in Balboa Park. This participatory event for the whole family will touch upon some of the traditions that encompass this celebration of deceased loved ones. It will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with Hermanas at 12:00 noon (en Español) and 1:00 p.m. (in English).
The last set of performances will be at Veterans Village of San Diego. With a play written by Old Globe Teaching Artist Gill Sotu and directed by Arts Engagement Programs Manager Katherine Harroff, on Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9, both at 7:00 p.m. at the Jack Lyons Auditorium (4141 Pacific Highway, San Diego, 92110). There is a suggested donation of $20.00 at the door.
For the full press release on the upcoming coLAB presentations, click here! For more on Arts Engagement, click here!
Day of the Dead AXIS event, 2017. Photo by Rich Soublet II.
SAN DIEGO (September 27, 2019)—The Old Globe invites your attendance and coverage as Globe for All celebrates six years of making theatre matter to more people! Our talented Globe for All company of professional actors will bring a stirring production of William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale to a variety of economically, geographically, and culturally diverse communities throughout San Diego County. The free-admission Globe for All Tour kicks off on Tuesday, October 29 and will visit 19 Community Partner venues from San Ysidro to Oceanside.
Director Daniel Jáquez returns to The Globe to helm this production of The Winter’s Tale. His previous work at The Globe includes the 2017 direction and co-creation of the bilingual piece La Muerte Descansa en Paz (Death Rests in Peace), which was presented as part of one of The Old Globe’s signature arts engagement programs, coLAB, and he was a participant in this year’s The Old Globe Classical Directing Fellowship, led by Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein.
Rediscover one of Shakespeare’s most enticing and moving romances. King Leontes suspects his wife of infidelity with his best friend from youth, Polixines, the king of Bohemia. After he explodes in rage, only time and forgiveness can bring healing to his family and his wounded land. The Winter’s Tale sweeps from tragedy to comedy—along the way visiting the royal court, dancing shepherds, a most extraordinary statue, and one notoriously hungry bear.
The cast features Carlos Angel-Barajas (Leontes, Young Shepherd), Yadira Correa (Paulina, Mopsa), Sofia Jean Gomez (Hermione, Dorcas), Anthony Green (Antigonus, Shepherd), Eric Hagen (Polixenes, Dion, Shepherd’s Son),Jersten Seraile (Florizel, Cleomenes), Morgan Taylor (Emilia, Time, Attendant), Wenona Truong (Perdita, Mamillius, Lord 2), and Jared Van Heel (Camillo, Officer, Lord 1).
The creative staff includes Yi-Chien Lee (Scenic Design), Charlotte Devaux (Costume Design), ErdisMaxhelaku (Composer and Creative Musician), DavidHuber (Voice and Text Coach), Chandra R.M. Anthenill (Production Stage Manager), and HannahMay (Assistant Stage Manager).
“The Winter’s Tale is my very favorite Shakespeare play, and so it’s a special pleasure to see it tour our region as the 2019 production of our thrilling Globe for All series,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Full of feeling, music, magic, and wonder, the play is about the power of second chances in life, and I know that in Daniel Jáquez’s inventive and energetic production it will touch audiences deeply, even as it fills them with laughter and joy. Globe for All is central to this theatre’s commitment to serving San Diego and helping make theatre matter to more and more people. I couldn’t be more proud to share this work, nor happier to invite our neighbors to be
part of it.”
For the full press release on the cast and creatives for Globe for All's Tour of The Winter's Tale, click here! For more information on The Winter's Tale, click here!
Artwork courtesy of The Old Globe.
SAN DIEGO (August 27, 2019)—Due to popular demand, The Old Globe announced today a one-week-only extension—through Sunday, October 27—of Almost Famous, a world-premiere musical with book and lyrics by Academy Award winner and San Diego native Cameron Crowe (films Jerry Maguire, Say Anything…, Fast Times at Ridgemont High), based on his iconic film. Almost Famous is directed by Tony Award nominee Jeremy Herrin (Noises Off, Wolf Hall, National Theatre Live’s All My Sons), and features songs that span the range from classic hits to new songs, with original music and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony Award winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, American Idiot, The SpongeBob Musical). Almost Famous is presented by special arrangement with Lia Vollack, Joey Parnes, Sue Wagner, and John Johnson.
Performances now run September 13 – October 27, 2019 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, with opening night on Friday, September 27 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for the extension week are now available for new Old Globe season-ticket purchasers, current subscribers, and donors; single tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 30 beginning at 12:00 noon. Single tickets start at $70.00. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.
It’s all happening… San Diego, 1973. Led Zeppelin is king, Richard Nixon is President, and idealistic 15-year-old William Miller is an aspiring music journalist. When Rolling Stone magazine hires him to go on the road with an up-and-coming band, William is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide. Written by Academy Award winner Cameron Crowe based on his iconic film, Almost Famous is about a young man finding his place in the world and the indelible characters he meets along the way. This joyous world premiere is a celebration of community and the power of music.
The cast includes Matt Bittner as Larry Fellows, Chad Burris as Vic Nunez, Gerard Canonico as Dick Roswell, Julia Cassandra as Estrella, Rob Colletti as Lester Bangs, Brandon Contreras as Silent Ed Vallencourt, Colin Donnell as Russell Hammond, Drew Gehling as Jeff Bebe, Sam Gravitte as Dennis Hope, Van Hughes as David Felton, Katie Ladner as Sapphire, Anika Larsen as Elaine Miller, Storm Lever as Polexia, Casey Likes as William Miller, Solea Pfeiffer as Penny Lane, Emily Schultheis as Anita Miller, Daniel Sovich as Darryl, Libby Winters as Leslie, Matthew C. Yee as Ben Fong-Torres, and swings Danny Lindgren and Alisa Melendez.
The multiple award-winning design team, with a combined 11 Tony Awards and 32 Tony nominations, includes choreographer Lorin Latarro (Globe’s The Heart of Rock & Roll, Broadway and West End’s Waitress), scenic designer Derek McLane (Tony and San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Craig Noel Awards for 33 Variations, multiple Emmy, Drama Desk, and Lortel Awards, two Obie Awards for Sustained Achievement); costume designer David Zinn (two Tony Awards, for The Humans and SpongeBob SquarePants); lighting designer Natasha Katz (Springsteen on Broadway, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, All My Sons, Burn This, The Prom, Frozen; six Tony Awards, for Long Day’s Journey Into Night, An American in Paris, The Glass Menagerie, Once, The Coast of Utopia, and Aida); sound designer Peter Hylenski (Grammy, Olivier, seven-time Tony Award nominee, including for Beetlejuice and King Kong in 2019), Tom Kitt (Orchestrations and Arrangements; Next to Normal received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and two Tony Awards), Bryan Perri (Music Director), AnnMarie Milazzo (Vocal Designer; Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, If/Then, and Finding Neverland), Daniel Green (Associate Music Director), Campbell Young Associates (Hair, Wig, and Makeup Design; King Lear, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Waverly Gallery), Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jillian Cimini, CSA (Casting), and Anjee Nero (Production Stage Manager).
“Everyone at the Globe is hugely excited to welcome an uncommonly gifted company to Balboa Park for what we know will be the musical theatre event of the season,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Cameron Crowe, Tom Kitt, and Jeremy Herrin have assembled a group of actors blessed with extraordinary talent and incendiary energy, and together they will transform a beloved movie—which is also, of course, a local San Diego tale—into an unforgettable new work for the American stage. I am proud to have Almost Famous at this theatre, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with our audiences.”
For the full press release on the cast and creatives for Almost Famous, click here! For more information on Almost Famous, click here! To buy tickets to Almost Famous, click here!
