Pittsburg Theatre looking to 2021 shows, while Center REP debuts online offerings

The coronavirus may have closed theaters for now, but the indomitable spirit of local thespians continues unabated.

Postponed productions are not necessarily canceled, as is the case of Pittsburg Community Theatre (PCT). With the California Theatre closed through the end of 2020, the company won’t be able to resume main stage productions until February 2021. They will present the invigorating musical “Oliver!” in February and March, with “Once on this Island” planned for May 2021.

Pittsburg’s inaugural season of “PCT@Steeltown” has also been postponed until 2021. The troupe hopes to kick off the season in late March or early April with “The Real Inspector Hound,” followed in August by the three-person comedy “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”

Other shows in PCT’s season have been moved to the fall of 2021: “The Addams Family: The Musical” and “Death Trap.”

Current ticket holders and season subscribers should have been contacted to see if patrons want refunds, or they can have their tickets moved to the new production dates. If you haven’t been contacted, call 925-439-PLAY (7529).

“We may be off the live stage, but we will be looking for ways to keep you entertained while we stay at home to protect ourselves and others,” said PCT executive manager Alice Lustre. “Keep checking our website and above all, stay healthy and stay positive.”

Streaming theatre

While going to see live theater is not an option at present, you can still keep up with your favorite company via its website or the many streaming options from some companies. Center REPertory Company offers two wonderful streaming opportunities: 3Q4, which involves artistic director Michael Butler asking artists about a variety of things, and “ReActs.” Currently on 3Q4, Butler talks with Dave J. Adams, who appeared in Center REP’s “Freaky Friday” and “Smokey Joe’s Café.”

Meanwhile, “ReActs” features favorite performers revisiting a special role or sending a musical message. The energetic trio of Molly Bell, Allison Ewing and Brittany Danielle is currently reprising a song from the musical “Sweet Charity.” Each performer was recorded at home and put together in an entertaining video that includes some creative dance moves in a variety of places.

Also available through REP’s “ReActs” is David Lutken singing Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” from Center REP’s production of “Woody Sez,” Bell and Keith Pinto performing the elevator scene and song from “Sweet Charity” and Quinn Van Antwerp, who was in Center REP’s “The Musical of Musicals,” singing an original piece about longing to get out of quarantine, away from masks and back to being a part of the world again.

What makes these such fun is the creativity of the artists performing in their homes and yards. Van Antwerp, for instance, performs his scene from his apartment in New Jersey, where he is sheltering in place.

To access 3Q4 and “ReActs,” go to centerrep.org.

Antonali College Scholarships

Despite canceling its summer production of “Cinderella,” STARS 2000 will still award its Antonali College Scholarships, which are usually given out at the show (canceled for the first time in its 28 years).

“These scholarships go to deserving graduating seniors who will follow their passion as college majors or minors in all aspects of the theatrical arts,” said founder/artistic director Diane Kamrin. “We also award renewable scholarships to students who have received this award previously.”

The Antonali College Scholarships for 2020 go to Las Lomas High School graduate Taylor Glass, who will attend Illinois Wesleyan University, and Horizons School graduate Lilli Simmerman, who will attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. “Renewal” scholarship recipients are Kaitie Byrd Misfud; Skylar Wondrusch and Max Younger.

Sally Hogarty is well known around the Bay Area as a newspaper columnist, theatre critic and working actress. She is the editor of the Orinda News. Send comments to sallyhogarty@gmail.com