Sierra Rep presents Sanders Family Christmas

Sierra Rep ushers in the holidays with faith, family and fun in Sanders Family Christmas, set for November and December at the Fallon House Theater in Columbia State Historic Park.

The story takes place on Christmas Eve, 1941. The Great Depression is coming to a close. The threat of war looms. A family living in the rural town of Mount Pleasant, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, is about to say goodbye to their only son, who is shipping out with the U.S. Marine Corps. But before he goes, the family – the Sanctified Sanders Family Singers – heads up the annual Christmas celebration at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.

Directed by Frank H. Latson, a past Sierra Rep artistic director, the nostalgic comedy promises toe-tapping music and heart-felt humor.

Sierra Rep present 'Spelling Bee'

Can you spell H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S? Sierra Repertory Theatre presents a group of six young spellers and special audience participants in the musical comedy, The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, held at the East Sonora stage October 24 – November 23. Tickets are available at www.sierrarep.org or by calling the Box Office at 209-532-3120.

The Tony-award winning show is all about the characters, a group of overachieving pre-teens who gather to compete in a rural spelling bee final at Putnam Valley Middle School. There’s Marcy, an All-American hockey player who speaks six languages and sleeps three hours per night. Olive, a newcomer to competitive spelling, has a father who can’t be at the bee because he’s working late. Don’t forget William Barfée, who has only one working nostril and a touchy personality. That’s just for starters. 

 Photo by Colette Sauls

Sierra Rep presents Spelling Bee

Can you spell H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S? Sierra Repertory Theatre presents a group of six young spellers and special audience participants in the musical comedy, The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, held at the East Sonora stage October 24 – November 23. Tickets are available at www.sierrarep.org or by calling the Box Office at 209-532-3120.

The Tony-award winning show is all about the characters, a group of overachieving pre-teens who gather to compete in a rural spelling bee final at Putnam Valley Middle School. There’s Marcy, an All-American hockey player who speaks six languages and sleeps three hours per night. Olive, a newcomer to competitive spelling, has a father who can’t be at the bee because he’s working late. Don’t forget William Barfée, who has only one working nostril and a touchy personality. That’s just for starters. 

 Photo by Colette Sauls

Live bluegrass music and crazy comedy arrive with Sierra Rep’s Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage

Small-town antics, homespun humor and foot-stompin’ fiddlin’ come to Sierra Repertory Theatre’s Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Park September 26 – October 26 with Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage. Set in Deerlick, Missouri, the musical fits Columbia’s historic feeling and should delight audiences seeking a taste of the wit of legendary humorist Mark Twain.

“It’s a good time with lively music,” said Dennis Jones, the theater’s producing director. “When audience members leave I want them to turn to their date and say, ‘Wasn’t that a lot of fun?’”

Twain wrote the original short story for the Atlantic Monthly in 1876 as part of a proposed competition among 12 prominent writers. The idea was to give a skeleton plot involving a mysterious stranger and a murder to the authors (Henry James was among them) and publish each author’s version. The scheme never flew, and the story languished. It resurfaced once in 1945, then again in 2001. A musical version, by Aaron Posner, co-founder and resident director of Philadelphia’s Arden Theater Company, came shortly after. Posner invited well-known composer James Sugg to write the bluegrass, gospel and gypsy jazz songs.

Live bluegrass music and crazy comedy arrive with Sierra Rep’s Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage

Small-town antics, homespun humor and foot-stompin’ fiddlin’ come to Sierra Repertory Theatre’s Fallon House Theatre in Columbia State Park September 26 – October 26 with Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage. Set in Deerlick, Missouri, the musical fits Columbia’s historic feeling and should delight audiences seeking a taste of the wit of legendary humorist Mark Twain.

“It’s a good time with lively music,” said Dennis Jones, the theater’s producing director. “When audience members leave I want them to turn to their date and say, ‘Wasn’t that a lot of fun?’”

Twain wrote the original short story for the Atlantic Monthly in 1876 as part of a proposed competition among 12 prominent writers. The idea was to give a skeleton plot involving a mysterious stranger and a murder to the authors (Henry James was among them) and publish each author’s version. The scheme never flew, and the story languished. It resurfaced once in 1945, then again in 2001. A musical version, by Aaron Posner, co-founder and resident director of Philadelphia’s Arden Theater Company, came shortly after. Posner invited well-known composer James Sugg to write the bluegrass, gospel and gypsy jazz songs.

SRT presents 'All My Sons' by Arthur Miller

August 29 - September 21 at East Sonora Theatre

Sierra Rep stages its first Arthur Miller play All My Sons

It was written during World War II, but Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons continues to resonate with audiences today. Running August 29 through September 21 at Sierra Repertory Theatre’s East Sonora stage, the drama’s themes – corruption, materialism, getting ahead at the expense of others – are still relevant, said Scott Viets, artistic director at Sierra Repertory Theatre.

Viets, along with Dennis and Sara Jones, the theater’s producing and managing directors, chose the play in part because it drives people to think about right and wrong. It’s based on a true story, which Miller’s then mother-in-law pointed out in an Ohio newspaper. The news story described how in 1941-43 the Wright Aeronautical Corporation had conspired with U.S. Army inspection officers to approve defective aircraft engines intended for the military.

Miller’s play, though, focuses on Joe Keller, the fictional head of the company, who is accused of releasing the defective parts. That decision sets off a series of events that highlight the play’s complex characters.

Sierra Repertory Theatre announces their fantastic 2015 line up

Sierra Rep 2015 Season to include Mary Poppins, Macbeth and more

Sierra Repertory Theatre announces its 2015 season, beginning with the musical Mary Poppins and concluding with a brand new adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Other highlights include new Broadway musical The Drowsy Chaperone starring SRT Artistic Director Scott Viets as the Man in the Chair, an exciting spring rock ‘n’ roll revue to be announced, everyone’s favorite The Music Man, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the country tribute Always, Patsy Cline, and a new comedy called Unnecessary Farce. Season Tickets go on sale September 2, with group and general admission tickets on sale October 1. Visit www.sierrarep.org or call 209-532-3120 for tickets and information.

The 2015 season opens with Mary Poppins, playing March 1 through May 3 at the East Sonora Theatre. And, yes, Mary will fly. The 2015 Season Gala performance will be held on February 28, with the pre-show reception at the Black Oak Casino Resort Hotel Banquet Room. For more information and reservations, contact Development Director Beverly Handelman at 209-532-0502 ext 111 or at bhandelman@sierrarep.org. 

SRT presents 'All My Sons' by Arthur Miller

August 29 - September 21 at East Sonora Theatre

Sierra Rep stages its first Arthur Miller play All My Sons

It was written during World War II, but Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons continues to resonate with audiences today. Running August 29 through September 21 at Sierra Repertory Theatre’s East Sonora stage, the drama’s themes – corruption, materialism, getting ahead at the expense of others – are still relevant, said Scott Viets, artistic director at Sierra Repertory Theatre.

Viets, along with Dennis and Sara Jones, the theater’s producing and managing directors, chose the play in part because it drives people to think about right and wrong. It’s based on a true story, which Miller’s then mother-in-law pointed out in an Ohio newspaper. The news story described how in 1941-43 the Wright Aeronautical Corporation had conspired with U.S. Army inspection officers to approve defective aircraft engines intended for the military.

Miller’s play, though, focuses on Joe Keller, the fictional head of the company, who is accused of releasing the defective parts. That decision sets off a series of events that highlight the play’s complex characters.

SRT presents "All my Sons"

August 29 - September 21 at East Sonora Theatre
By Arthur Miller
Winner of the Drama Critics' Award for Best New Play in 1947 and multiple Tony Award-winner, All My Sons established Arthur Miller as a leading voice in the American theatre. All My Sons introduced themes that thread through Miller's work as a whole: the relationships between fathers and sons and the conflict between business and personal ethics. In this classic American drama, Joe Keller and Steve Deever-partners in a manufacturing plant during World War II-turned out defective airplane parts, causing the deaths of many men. They were sent to prison but Keller was exonerated and went on to have a successful business. In a work of tremendous power, a love affair between Keller's son and Deever's daughter, the bitterness of George Deever, and the reaction of a son to his father's guilt escalate toward a climax of electrifying intensity. "...the quality of its writing hasn't tarnished, its moral issues haven't aged, and its tragic events can still pack a wallop." Los Angeles Times (Rated PG-13) -- Content Advisory

SRT's Sound of Music - Superb!!!

When a director asks oneself, "How do I direct a play meant for a large stage, with a large cast while dealing with a small stage meant for a small cast and still present as pure a product as possible?" They should talk with Scott Viets, charge of direction and choreography for Sierra Repertory Theater's  'The Sound of Music.'

Faced with the diminutive challenges of the Fallon House in Columbia, the direction, designers, lighting, and cast produced, without fail, one of the best renditions of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Sound of Music I have seen in years.

Stage 3 fundraiser featuring Dwight Mahabir

The Sound of Music comes to the Fallon House

The foothills will come alive with The Sound of Music when the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical returns July 11 through August 31 at Sierra Repertory Theatre’s historic Fallon House Theatre in Columbia.

The delightful musical – based on the true story of the von Trapp family in Austria – has been captivating audiences for more than half a century, drawing huge crowds when it first hit Broadway and appearing again six years later as a much-beloved film.

After 55 years, the show’s appeal is still universal, Sierra Rep’s Artistic Director Scott Viets said.

“There’s something special about The Sound of Music,” said Scott Viets, Sierra Rep’s artistic director, who directs the show. “Seven children singing and dancing, a love story, nuns, villains, an exotic setting – Austria in the 1930s – and that incredible musical score.”

Pump Boys and Dinettes - fun for the whole family - by, Kristina Zimmerman

The Sierra Repertory Theater's performance of the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes, playing through July 27, 2014,  is fun for the whole family.

The audience shared nothing but laughs and smiles as the goofy cast members acted and sang. Each character was son completely different yet was able to be perfectly in sync with one another, whether it was hitting the perfect notes, or acting off of each other.  

With a ‘50s themed stage, catchy songs, dancing, the story of a typical day at the diner and auto shop was nothing but fun and entertaining. 

SRT fundraiser featuring Dwight Mahabir

The Sound of Music returns to Fallon House

The foothills will come alive with The Sound of Music when the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical returns July 11 through August 31 at Sierra Repertory Theatre’s historic Fallon House Theatre in Columbia.

The delightful musical – based on the true story of the von Trapp family in Austria – has been captivating audiences for more than half a century, drawing huge crowds when it first hit Broadway and appearing again six years later as a much-beloved film.

After 55 years, the show’s appeal is still universal, Sierra Rep’s Artistic Director Scott Viets said.

“There’s something special about The Sound of Music,” said Scott Viets, Sierra Rep’s artistic director, who directs the show. “Seven children singing and dancing, a love story, nuns, villains, an exotic setting – Austria in the 1930s – and that incredible musical score.”

Summer fun planned with SRT Jr. Workshops

Sierra Repertory Theatre Jr. will offer summer camps this July and August for children ages 4-6; 6-9; and 10 and older. Kids don’t have to have theater experience to enroll. Sierra Rep Education Director Ralph Krumins will lead the week-long sessions, created with all children in mind, from the outgoing family clown to the shy child who may just be waiting to unleash his inner actor.

“Our summer workshops are for anyone who just wants to play,” Krumins said.

And play they will. Students in the youngest age groups will have fun with games that utilize their natural gift of imagination, then move on to learn lines and dance steps that prepare them for the stage. Older children can look forward to honing skills like character-driven motivation, advanced movement, and creative choices.

A second helping- Church Basement Ladies Sequel performing at Fallon House thru June 8

After the thrilling success of last year’s production of Church Basement Ladies, Sierra Repertory Theatre is bringing A Second Helping, The Church Basement Ladies Sequel to the Fallon House Theatre April 25 through June 8.

A celebration of the church basement kitchen and the unsung women who work there, the musical comedy picks up the story of the ladies in 1969 – a time of change everywhere, including the basement. Vietnam protests rage, women demand equal pay, and - in their small Minnesota community – a group of Lutheran women wrestle with changes in their lives. There’s the matriarch who runs the show, her next-in-line waiting to take the reins, the young mom-to-be, and the community historian who can rattle off everyone’s lineage -- as soon as her hot flash passes.

SRT audiences first met the ladies last year when they brought the house down in Church Basement Ladies, based on the best-selling book “Growing Up Lutheran” by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson. Why so popular? You don’t have to be Lutheran to relate.

Church Basement Ladies Return for Sequel at Sierra Rep

After the thrilling success of last year’s production of Church Basement Ladies, Sierra Repertory Theatre is bringing A Second Helping, The Church Basement Ladies Sequel to the Fallon House Theatre April 25 through June 8.

A celebration of the church basement kitchen and the unsung women who work there, the musical comedy picks up the story of the ladies in 1969 – a time of change everywhere, including the basement. Vietnam protests rage, women demand equal pay, and - in their small Minnesota community – a group of Lutheran women wrestle with changes in their lives. There’s the matriarch who runs the show, her next-in-line waiting to take the reins, the young mom-to-be, and the community historian who can rattle off everyone’s lineage -- as soon as her hot flash passes.

SRT audiences first met the ladies last year when they brought the house down in Church Basement Ladies, based on the best-selling book “Growing Up Lutheran” by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson. Why so popular? You don’t have to be Lutheran to relate.

Les Miserables by Sierra Rep - a must see!

http://www.sierrarep.org/

Click here to read review by the Copper Gazette

Sierra Repertory to host Directors Brunch for Les Miserables

Sierra Repertory Theatre continues to celebrate the start of its 35^th Anniversary season with its first-ever Directors Brunch.

The brunch, set for April 6 at the Black Oak Casino Resort Hotel banquet room, is designed to give audience members an idea of how SRT went about staging Les Miz, one of the biggest productions the theatre has undertaken so far. The theme will center around all things French, in honor of the setting of Les Miz. There will be champagne and other cuisine de France, including pastries and cheeses. After the meal, there will be a question and answer session with SRT’s Producing Director Dennis Jones and guest artists before guests make their way to the East Sonora Theatre for the 2 p.m. show. Brunch-only tickets are available for those who wish to attend a different performance.