Chino Community Theatre’s award-wining Weekender Series “Three on the Edge” returns with three cutting-edge plays:

• Parallel Lives, by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy, an all-female sketch comedy is directed by M. Michele Richardson and plays at 8 p.m. June 2, 11 and 17 and at 2:30 p.m. June 5. It contains some adult language. Cast: Gracie Arvizu, Cindi East, Jennifer Jacobson, Melodie Henderson-Magouirk and Michelle Knight-Rhinehardt.
• Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo, directed by Michael Barrett, is Albee’s famed “Zoo Story,” with an additional act. Two strangers cross paths and meet their cruel fate on a bench in Central Park. It plays at 8 p.m. June 3, 9 and 18 and at 2:30 p.m. June 12. It is recommended for mature audiences only and contains explicit sexual dialogue and content. Cast: Mel Chadwick, Sheila Fares and Erik Strong.
• Closer, by Patrick Marber is the struggle between a quartet of strangers to find intimacy in 1990s London. It plays at 8 p.m. June 4, 10 and 16 and 2:30 p.m. June 19. It is directed by Christopher Diehl and is recommended for mature audiences, due to explicit sexual dialogue and content. Cast: Paige Gulck, Michele Richardson, Michael Barrett and Anthony Galleran.

Ticket cost is $15 per person and $12 for students and seniors age 55 and up. For reservations or questions about content, call the box office at 590-1149.

The seventh annual Redlands Shakespeare Festival fills Memorial Day weekend with events and activities before the 2011 Season of Controversy comes to a close Sunday, May 29. The weekend’s events include the festival’s popular University Lecture Series, Educational Workshop Series, Director’s Insight Series, and final performances of The Merchant of Venice, Titus Andronicus, and As You Like It.

• Thursday and Sunday: The Merchant of Venice
• Friday: Titus Andronicus
• Saturday: As You Like It

“This is the final opportunity for audiences to enjoy this year’s season, and witness our conceptualized productions,” said founding artistic director Steven Sabel.

(Read on …)

Three exciting new classes have been added to the City of Rancho Cucamonga’s Summer Performing Arts Classes which begin the week of June 6th at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center.

Karla Franko of SRO productions is partnering with the City of Rancho Cucamonga to present a four day intensive musical revue workshop on the Lewis Family Playhouse stage on the set of the summer 2011 family musical Annie. There will be a free workshop for children ages 8-18 on Monday, June 6th at 6:00 pm so that parents and children can meet the instructors and get a feel for the four day performance camp to be held July 19-22 at a fee of $87 ($75 for Rancho Cucamonga residents) and a $15 material fee which includes camp T-shirt.

Two adult classes will also be offered this summer. Dr. Kevin Slay will teach Stage Directing Fundamentals ($142/$130 for 18 hours of instruction) for the aspiring Stage Director beginning on Tuesday, June 14th. Dr. Slay is a college instructor and regional Director who directed The Man Who Came to Dinner, Peter Pan, and Oliver! on the Lewis Family Playhouse stage. He will direct Picasso at the Lapin Agile at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center’s Black Box theatre this August. 

Also new is NYC Graduate Student Kitty Aamodt’s Screenwriting for Beginners: The Art of Making Movies. Ms. Aamodt will guide potential screen writers through the art of developing character, dialogue, structure and genre. This class is $77/$65 for 32 hours of instruction over the course of 8 weeks.

For detailed information on these classes and to register, please visit www.RCPark.com or call 909-477-2775 for further information.

Mark Dunn’s A Delightful Quarantine centers on the middle-class community of Fontana, California, whose residents and visitors have been placed in quarantine. During the Quarantine secrets are revealed, conflicts erupt, long-festering wounds are addressed, and relationships are tested. This heartwarming original comedy/drama explores how people react when there is nowhere else to go.

Directed by Zaccharin Thibodeau and showcasing local talent from the community, this whimsical comedy is a true example of the best entertainment the Inland Empire has to offer!

A Delightful Quarantine will be showing at the Center Stage Theater in Fontana on June 24, 2011 at 7:30pm (ONE NIGHT ONLY). Reservations can be made by visiting our online box-office: www.aDelightfulQuarantine.eventbrite.com

A second round of auditions for Chino Community Children’s and Young Adult Theatre’s production of the rock-n-roll musical, Bye Bye, Birdie will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 at Seventh Street Theatre, 13123 Seventh Street in Chino.

Open roles are for females ages 16 to 22 and males ages 14 to 22. Be prepared with 16 bars of a song, an accompanist will be available. Christopher Diehl directs. Those who are interested in auditioning but cannot attend on Saturday may call  the theatre at (909) 590-1149 and make arrangements for another time.

Redlands Footlighters will reprise its Youth Theatre Workshop for Summer 2011 with The Butler Did It!.  Auditions will be held at the Redlands Footlighters Theatre, 1810 Barton Rd., in Redlands on Monday, June 6, and Tuesday, June 7, from 6pm to 8pm.

This is an over-the-top Melodramatic Murder Mystery set in 1934 England.  This outstanding theatre opportunity is open to all actors and actresses, ages 5 to 18. The workshop, which encompasses all aspects of live theatre including acting, costume design, set construction, lights and sound, will culminate in several performances of Ms. Pat Adeff’s award-winning play The Butler Did It!. 

Bring your English and Irish accents with you to the auditions. Everyone who auditions will be given a part in the show.

Production dates are July 21, 22, 23 and 24.

The cost is $39.50 per youth if the parent participates with the show. The cost is $200.00 per youth, if the parent is unable to participate with the show.

Questions?: email patadeff@yahoo.com or call 909-801-4732

One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory bursts onto the live stage with exhilarating results. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. What he isn’t prepared for are the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, determined to exercise the control over the town’s youth that he cannot command in his own home. When the reverend’s rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid.

The heartfelt story that emerges is of a father longing for the son he lost and of a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. To the rockin’ rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score (the soundtrack album reached number one on the Billboard charts and has sold over 15 million copies!) and augmented with dynamic new songs for the stage musical, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people, guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.
Directed, vocal directed and choreographed by Hollee Hennebelle.  All performances at the Corona Civic Theater, 815 W. 6th St., in Corona.

Call the box office for tickets (951) 2792298 or purchase tickets on-line at www.catcorona.org.

Madame’s jealous butler Edgar cat-naps Duchess and her Aristokittens and abandons them in the Parisian countryside. What’s a cat to do? Luckily, Thomas O’Malley and his rag-tag bunch of Alley Cats come to their rescue! This feline adventure is sure to get your audiences tapping their feet to its hep, jazzy beat, which includes the Disney favorites “The Aristocats”, “Scales and Arpeggios”, and “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat.”

Directed by Lori Hennebelle

All performances at the Corona Civic Theater, 815 W. 6th Street, in Corona. Purchase tickets on line at www.catcorona.org or through the CAT Box Office at (951) 279-2298.

Plan now to audition for the CAT Summer Theater Festival: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, directed by Daniel Monroe.  Open auditions for the community, ages 16 and up, will be held Saturday May 28 at 2pm.

$25 costuming/production fee for all cast members.  The Festival runs August 5 – 14th with performances at the Corona Civic Theater. (Read on …)

CAT of Corona announces auditions for a brand new show: The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley.  This is the youth show for the Summer Festival and is open to all youth actors, ages 8 – 18.

AUDITION DATES: 
Friday, June 24th: Vocal auditions
Saturday, June 25th: Dance auditions, callbacks

Call the CAT office to sign up for an audition time: (951) 279-2298.  There is a $50 production fee required for all cast members

SHOW DATES:  Fridays – Sundays, August 5th – 14th at the Corona Civic Theater

This is a hilarious romp of a show: Challenging music and choreography, very funny script, great roles for older teens and younger kids  – a perfect summer theater treat! (Read on …)