Southern California theater gets dramatic with top productions

By Diana Sholley diana.sholley@inlandnewspapers.com Posted: ? 07/23/2013 07:28:25 AM PDT Updated: ? 07/23/2013 08:47:22 AM PDT California Theatre of the Performing Arts in San Bernadino is staging two very different stories with a common theme. Terra Nova When: 8 p.m. Sept. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28; 2:30 p.m. Sept. 15, 22 Where: Chino Community Theatre, 13123 Seventh Street, Chino. Tickets: $15 general, $12 seniors and students. Information: Information: 909-590-1149, chinocommunitytheatre.org The Weir When: Sept. 20 through Oct 19 Where: Little Fish Theatre 777 S. Centre St, San Pedro. Tickets: $20 and up Information: 310-512-6030, littlefishtheatre.org Wait Until Dark When: Oct. 8 through Nov. 17 Where: Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles. Tickets: $47-$72 Information: Information: 310-208-5454, geffenplayhouse.com Equis When: Sept. 7 through Oct. 5 Where: Long Beach Playhouse Mainstage & Studio Theatres, 5021 E. Anaheim Street, Long Beach. Tickets: $12-$24 Information: 562-494-1014, lbplayhouse.org Mary Shelley's Frankenstein When: Feb. 14 through 16, 2014 Where: California Theatre of the Performing Arts, 562 W. Fourth St., San Bernardino. Tickets: $112-$255 Information: 909-885-5152, californiatheatre.net Of Mice and Men When: 8 p.m. May 31, 2014 Where: California Theatre of the Performing Arts, 562 W. Fourth St., San Bernardino. Tickets: $47.50-$87 Information: 909-885-5152, californiatheatre.net Drama. It's what makes hearts pound, tears flow, pulse race and sometimes startle theatergoers right out of their seats. There's a challenge to drama," said Randall Arney, artistic director for the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. "You must be clear in your storytelling, allowing the audience some anticipation of what's happening next. Sometimes the anticipation makes things even more scary. Dramas also bind audiences together. There's just something about going through harrowing experiences that connects you." Oct. 8 through Nov. 17 the Geffen will stage "Wait Until Dark," a dramatic thriller about a blind woman who defends herself from a home invasion. This is a wonderful ride for the audience," said Arney, a 30-year theater veteran. "It sucks the responses right out of you." Arney saw the show early in his career and it left a lasting impression. He'd always wanted to bring it to the Geffen. When brainstorming with director Matt Shakman on what drama to choose for the season, "Wait Until Dark" was on Shakman's short list and now the two are making it happen. As an added bonus, the estate of Frederick Knott, the play's writer who also wrote "Dial M for Murder," has allowed the creative team to hire accomplished playwright Jeffrey Hatcher to refine parts of the original play and introduce a world premiere of a new script. There are parts of the play that don't work for contemporary society," Arney said. "But we're not updating it; we're keeping it in the period. We're just blowing the dust off. It's a great opportunity to take a fresh look at a wonderful story." Focusing in on the intimate side of drama, the California Theatre of the Performing Arts in San Bernadino is staging two very different stories with a common theme. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" runs Feb. 14 through Feb. 16, and "Of Mice and Men" will follow May 31. These are two wonderful examples of humanity," said Ashley Evenson, associate producer for the California Theatre. "Both shows have characters who need to be looked after, who can't take care of themselves. I think both shows are really reflective of the times we live in right now with so many people falling through the cracks." (Frankenstein) is such a poignant story of humanity and what makes us human," Evenson said. "It helps us to understand what it means to love, to listen and to lie. We wanted to explore the relationship between creator and creation and ask the question: 'Just because you create something does it mean you're responsible for it?'" Winner of the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" seems to have ongoing relevance. The story is of two migrant field workers, George and Lennie, traveling through California during the Great Depression. George is intelligent but uneducated; Lennie is a large man of simple mind and depends on George for care. The two lean on their friendship to keep hope and battle loneliness. This is a story of what's going on right now in so many places. It's what San Bernardino is going through; it's what the country is going through," Evenson said. "I think of it as a reflection of our times. Most art is a reflection of what's going on in society and what people are really going through." ? Dramas also help educate the public on the triumphs and tragedies of the past. Chino Community Theatre has chosen to produce, "Terra Nova," Sept. 6 through Sept. 28, the tragic, true story of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and the 1911 expedition he led in the attempt to be the first person to reach the South Pole. Their story was taken from actual journals and letters. It's a beautiful tragic play, sort of a 1911 Apollo 13 but without a happy splashdown at the end," said Bruce Hutchins, the play's director. "I believe that if we do it right, the audience will feel like they were there along with Captain Scott and his crew, and they saw into a piece of history." Hutchins, a veteran actor/director, explained some of the differences between comedies and dramas. With comedies, each actor is really talking to the audience. And things like timing or waiting for laughs are for, and controlled by, the audience," he said. "With dramas, however, the communication is between the actors alone, the moments are real, and the audience doesn't exist. Comedies, especially farces, are often fast-paced. I believe that's to let the audience know there's a script somewhere, and everything's under control, so if someone trips on a banana peel, it's OK to laugh." Producing a live theater drama allows audience members to do more than watch, but be in the moment, simulating participation in the event. Dramas, good ones anyway, have a moment where the audience gets the sense there is no script and the characters are on their own," Hutchins said. "Dramas need to breathe, and because of the moments, each performance can be different, depending on where the actors are that night. Dramas can be effective, and strikingly different night to night." Possibly the most philological thriller of the season comes from the Long Beach Playhouse. From Sept. 7 through Oct. 5 its Studio Theatre will stage "Equus." The play is based on a true story about a psychiatrist confronted with a boy who has blinded six horses in a violent fit of passion. It is a fascinating play," said Andrew Vonderschmitt, the Playhouse's producing artistic director. "The dialogue is nearly poetic, yet real with an incredible economy that reveals only what we, the audience, need to see; to understand. The play questions our strict ethical codes and moral lines, asking which of these ethical arguments can be right and just. Questioning ethical boundaries can never be a bad thing. I hope that an observer might walk away with a lot to say on the subject. This play forces you to think and I hope that we do our job right so that our audience will do just that." San Pedro's Little Fish Theater offers theatergoers a "supernatural" option with "The Weir" on stage Sept. 20 through Oct. 19. According to its website, the story is set on a cold and stormy night in an isolated Irish country pub where four local men meet to drink their daily pints. Then in walks Valerie, a pretty young woman, who turns the evening on its ear. Doing their best to win her affections, the men begin to spin tales full of bluster and blarney that turn dark and sinister as the evening progresses.

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