NEW SEASON OPENS WITH A BANG AT THE SANTA BARBARA THEATER

By Ann Marie Danimus
For a while it seemed as if November would never get here and now I need more time! November 7th is our season opener Bums on Broadway and what a way to open Freddy and Paul have outdone themselves. This definitely a must-see! We have a terrific line up of NINE shows between now and Christmas. In addition, Liv Boughn is bringing her children’s acting program to Santa Barbara and will be adding a class for adults as well. Mikki Prost will be teaching yoga on the main stage Mon-Sat at 9am and we hope to add some dance classes later in the season.

Our new restaurant has been christened Broadway café (Thanks, we like the name, too) and will open in the next couple of weeks featuring American style comfort food, great burgers and salads and eventually we will open for breakfast. We will be doing three seatings for both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Our doors are also open on Sunday mornings for worship services with Pastor Rick. Feel free to call us for more information on any of our shows or activities or drop by and pick up a schedule. Our debut shows this week are:

Bums on Broadway The directing team of Paul Guerrero and Frederico Fonseca have created an amazing and original dance show which will run every Friday night starting the 7th of November. “Thou shall dance!” is the most important commandment in this show. The dancers form the “congregation of the rhythm of life church” and get together whenever they can to celebrate life, love and dance. They meet under the Brooklyn Bridge create a Broadway revival with dazzling, high-energy, edge of your seat choreography as a testament that the joy of dance can help overcome ay adversity. With fabulous numbers from famous Broadway musicals including “Smokey Joe’s Café,” “Hairspray,” “Godspell,” “The Color Purple” and “Chicago” just to name a few. Bums on Broadway is so captivating we dare you not to jump out of your seat and join the cast in their musical celebration.

Liza MANelli The team that brought you “Bob Fosse and all that dance” brings their first drag show to life with Paul Guerrero starring as Liza. Accompanied by four energetic and talented back-up dancers, the show takes you on a roller coaster ride through the greatest hits of Liza Manelli. With a distinct style and impeccable taste Paul brings this American icon to life in a fun and exciting way yet to be seen. Coupled with the great choreography we have come to know and love from Freddy and Paul to songs such as “New York, New York,” “Some People,” “Where is the Love” and “City Lights” the audience will find a delightful, sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, but always entertaining show Saturday night. Be sure to watch for the special guests and remember, “life is cabaret, my friend.”

The next week the formerly mentioned shows will continue to play and we will add Fever, Nunsense and Always, Patsy Cline to the schedule. Fever is a one-woman extravaganza starring Mikki Prost, Nunsense is a comic romp with four nuns performing high energy show tunes to raise money for a funeral and Patsy is back after 23 consecutive sold-out performances. It tells the story of Patsy Cline and her friend and fan Louise and is not to be missed. Stay tuned next week for more details on all shows.

Box office is open seven days a week from 10 am to 6 pm.

MORE INFORMATION:

• WEBSITE
• SHOW CALENDAR
• BOX OFFICE TEL: 223 2048
• ADDRESS: Olas Altas 351, Zona Romantica
• LOCATION MAP

ACTING CLASSES FOR KIDS, TEENS & ADULTS

¨Improved self-confidence¨ and ¨better eye contact¨ are among some of the goals of the acting classes being presented by professional actress and teacher Liv Boughn. Starting Monday, November 3rd, Liv will conduct classes that will focus on: theatre games/sports, improvisation, comedy, teamwork, articulation, character work, and self expression.

All classes will be at Santa Barbara Theater, 351 Olas Altas.
Class schedules are as follows:

Monday and Wednesday

• 3:00-4:00 acting for kids ages 6-9 (group I)
• 4:00-5:00 acting for kids ages 10-12 (group I)
• 5:00-6:30 acting for teens (13-18 yrs old)

Tuesday and Thursday

• 3:00-4:00 acting for kids ages 6-9 (group II)
• 4:00-5:00 acting for kids ages 10-12 (group II)
• 5:00-6:30 acting for adults

Prices for the classes are $500 pesos per month for kids (2 hours per week), and $700 pesos per month for teens and adults (3 hours per week).

Space is limited. To reserve a space – email Liv at pvactress (at) hotmail.com or call her at 044-322-137-5777.

Liv graduated with honors from the B.F.A. Theatre Program at the University of Southern California. She began her modeling and acting career at a very young age and has been working internationally for over 20 years in many aspects of the education, arts, fashion and entertainment industries. Liv has been teaching and coaching performing arts & self-development for over twelve years in public and private schools in the Los Angeles, CA area and at Colegio Americano in Puerto Vallarta for last three years, where her credits include: “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown;” “Beauty Is a Beast;” “Holka Polka, a Fairy tale Mystery;” and for teens, “Love, Death, and the Prom.”

She has been featured in hundreds of print and commercial campaigns, has performed in over 35 stage productions and has directed numerous shows for kids and teens. Additionally, she has been featured as a guest star on television shows such as “Charmed” and has appeared in “Young and Modern” (YM) magazine. One of her career highlights was representing the U.S. in the International Children’s’ Theatre Festival in Croatia.

Many of her students have continued their education at Ivy League Universities and arts schools. Some have successful careers in medicine, public relations, management, finance, and entertainment. One of Liv’s former students includes the now famous Shia LaBeouf (the latest young Indiana Jones).

Theater season is quickly approaching and it’s time to start rehearsals.

Santa Barbara Theater will be the location of a Christmas play this year. Tryouts for this play will be held on Monday and Tuesday, October 6 & 7, from 4 to 7 PM, at Santa Barbara Theater, Olas Altas #351.

Open parts include: Scrooge, Marley, Cratchit, and others. Yes, it’s the Dickens classic, but this one will be different. Other parts include: “a Marilyn Monroe” type (who will also play 2 other roles), and several smaller roles.

If you play to be out of town around Christmas, please do not try out for this play. Presently the schedule calls for performances on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday a few days before Christmas, and between Christmas and New Years.

Don’t want to act? We also have need for stage crew, costume designers, prop builders, and other theater general assistance.

EMAIL: T.J. Hartung tjhartung (at) gmail.com

News about the New Santa Barbara Theater

by Ann Marie Danimus

In my first article as the new owner of the Santa Barbara Theater I am happy to report exciting news for the near future and the coming season.

JOIN US FOR A SUMMER SEND OFF WITH THE “RAISE THE ROOF” BENEFIT MAY 2

First off, mark your calendar now for May 2nd. Those of you that will be in town will not want to miss Raise the Roof, a benefit concert to start our new in-house Becas program and fund some needed improvements to the stage equipment.

Your favorite local performers have volunteered their time to share some of the hottest numbers from their past and future shows. There will be a silent auction, door prizes, snacks and a drink, all for the donation of $350 pesos. The doors open at 7:00 pm and the show starts at 8:00 pm.

The Becas program will provide scholarship funds for children who would like to participate in our upcoming summer theater camp or dance classes but need financial assistance to do so.

Summer camp will start July 7th and run through August 8th with a recital so the kids can show their stuff. Classes will be Monday – Friday from 9 am to 3 pm with lunch and a snack included. Classes will consist of singing, dancing, acting, set design, make up and costuming. ALL kids will get a chance to develop their talent and perform in the recital. Call the theater (223-2048) for more details. Registration starts April 25th and spaces are limited.

Don’t forget about our fabulous shows! We have a powerhouse line up with Nunsense on Wednesday, Fever! on Thursday and Dolly Would if Kenny Could on Friday.

Nunsense is the celebrated and must see musical comedy about the whacked-out antics of some feisty nuns from Hoboken, New Jersey, but now on vacation in Puerto Vallarta. When some of the sisters drown in Banderas Bay while on a banana boat ride, the surviving four nuns put on an emergency fund-raising show full of pun-punched songs and high-energy dance routines. Fabulously directed and choreographed by our Freddy and Paul you will be out-of-breath from laughing and smiling.

Fever! starring local favorite Mikki Prost has been getting rave reviews for its pleasing mix of song and dance favorites. Mikki most recently wowed Vallarta audiences with her portrayal of Louise in “Always, Patsy Cline” selling out every night this season. She is not to be missed in this one woman show.

LOCATION

This is the latest show schedule of the Santa Barbara Theater, as of April 15, 2008. Phone them for “updates” which have been happening at the rate of about 2 a week. Forget their website at this time. Nothing is there.

Dolly Would if Kenny Could is canceled for the season. No more performances.