Be a princess, or a ghost, in upcoming Onstage/Plotline shows
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Aug. 15, 2023) — Here’s your chance to be a star: Onstage Repertory Theater and Plotline Theater Company are holding auditions for their 2024 season in Martinez.
Shows include “An Inspector Calls” (Jan. 5-21), where a respectable British family becomes part of the inquiry into the suicide of a young girl; “Nomen” (March 1-17), a new play by Bay Area playwright Melynda Kiring full of princesses and lords; “Mass Appeal” (May 3-19), with its stellar roles for two actors (the role of Father Tim Farley has been precast); and “Blithe Spirit” (Sept. 6-22), where a man newly married gets haunted by the mischievous ghost of his first wife.
There will also be a one-act play festival, a tradition with Onstage, taking place July 12-28. The plays have yet to be decided.
Auditions for all the plays take place at noon Aug. 19 at the Campbell Theater, 636 Ward Str., Martinez. Participants should bring three copies of their resume and headshot and prepare a one-minute comic and one-minute dramatic monologue. Actors should be able to adjust audition pieces if asked. A $100 travel stipend is available per show cast in.
For more information, email celticelvis@yahoo.com.
Center Rep
Walnut Creek’s Center Repertory announces its upcoming season, with a plethora of exciting shows planned. It all begins with “Crowns,” a celebration of song, dance, cultural history and fabulous headwear (Sept. 9-Oct. 6), followed by the music-filled comedy “The Legend of Georgia McBride (Nov. 4-26).
And you can’t celebrate the holidays without Center Rep’s “A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 7-21). Welcoming the new year is “Every Brilliant Thing” (Jan. 6-28), a poignant journey through grief and healing; “Mystic Pizza” (Feb. 15-25), with its feel-good pop hits from the ’80s and ’90s; “The Great Leap” (March 16-April 7), a sharp-witted new drama; and “Cabaret” (May 25-June 23) featuring all the decadence of 1929-’30s Berlin.
For more information and season tickets, call 925-943-7469 or go to www.lesherartscenter.org.
Karen Carpenter
The fabulous Laurie Roldan brings her cabaret show to Lafayette’s Town Hall Theatre Sept. 9-16. “Laurie Sings a Song for You” is a concert inspired by the music of Karen Carpenter.
Roldan shares personal stories and memories in an uplifting evening woven through well-known Carpenters’ songs sure to bring a smile to your face and, occasionally, a tear to your eye. I saw this show when she debuted it at the Lesher Center in 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed the walk down memory lane and the beautiful vocals of Roldan and her guest vocalists.
“After an extensive foray into musical theater and cabaret, I wanted to do something new and unique – something that would inspire people to pursue their own dreams and life purpose,” said Roldan. “I realized my strongest inspiration growing up was Karen Carpenter and that the lyrics to her songs each told a unique story, one I identified with in my own life.”
Roldan went on to create this evening of song and reflection with musical director Brett Strader.
Guest vocalists for the Town Hall appearance include Anita Colotto and Michelle Ianiro, with musicians Scott Welsh and Devon Minser. The Town Hall Education students will also make an appearance.
For more information and tickets, call 925-283-1557 or go to www.townhalltheatre.com.
Send comments to sallyhogarty@gmail.com
Sally Hogarty
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