Cinnabar Theater has announced its 2010 to 2011 season, which includes comedies, musicals and a new play entitled “Dracula,” written expressly for Cinnabar Theater by playwright and screenwriter Eric Overmyer the writer of hit HBO shows “The Wire” and “Treme.”
Cinnabar Theater’s season begins in August with an encore presentation of “Ella: The American Dream,” written by and featuring jazz vocalist Kim Nalley. In late summer, Ken Ruta, American Conservatory Theater’s veteran actor and director, comes to Cinnabar Theater to direct “Travels with My Aunt,” opening Sept. 24.
Cinnabar Theater’s 2010 to 2011 season includes: Ella: The American Dream, Travels With My Aunt, Dracula (a world premiere) & The Medium, Woody Guthrie’s American Song, The Importance of Being Earnest., and Enchanted April.
Ella: The American Dream
August 19 – September 12, 2010
Written and performed by Kim Nalley
Directed by Elly LichensteinSan Francisco jazz vocalist Kim Nalley reprises her sell-out musical “Ella: The American Dream” with three additional songs added to this encore production. Nalley penned this Ella Fitzgerald tribute, a quintessential rags to riches story that takes audiences back to 1930’s Harlem, the Savoy Ballroom and birth of the swing era which paved the way for musical greats including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and a Savoy Ballroom dancer named
Frankie Manning who popularized a new dance called the Lindy Hop. Based on new historical findings about Ella’s humble beginnings, this musical will leave you feeling optimistic and yearning for more. Tickets $25 to $35.
Travels With My Aunt
September 24 – October 17, 2010
Adapted by Scottish dramatist Giles Havergal from the Graham Greene novel of the same title.
Directed by Ken RutaVeteran American Conservatory actor/director Ken Ruta, who appeared in the ACT production years ago, directs this theatrical distillation of Graham Greene’s novel. Retired bank manager Henry Pulling, “a rather static character,” as he says of himself, is so bound to habit that the death and funeral of his mother offer a “agreeably exciting” break in routine. Enter Aunt Augusta, and Henry’s life turns completely topsy-turvy with murder, mayhem, round-the-world travel and – love. Tickets $15 to $25.
Dracula (a world premiere) & The Medium
November 5 – November 21, 2010
Dracula By Eric Overmyer /The Medium words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti
Dracula – Directed by Elizabeth Craven / The Medium – Directed by Elly LichensteinCinnabar Theater presents a supernatural double feature featuring the world premiere of “Dracula,” by playwright and screenwriter Eric Overmyer. Overmyer, writer of hit HBO shows “The Wire” and “Treme,” has written this new play especially for Cinnabar Theater. It’s paired with Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Medium,” an opera inspired by a séance experience, that’s an eerie blend of murder and the supernatural. Tickets $25 to $35.
Woody Guthrie’s American Song
December 31, 2010 – January 16, 2011
Songs and writings by Woody Guthrie
Conceived and adapted by Peter Glazer
Directed by TBAThis musical journey follows legendary Depression-era folk singer Woody Guthrie on the cross country travels that inspired his songs about American life and events. Featuring over two dozen of Guthrie’s most famous songs, including “Bound for Glory” and “This Land Is Your Land.” Tickets: $25 to $35
The Importance of Being Earnest
March 25 – April 17, 2011
Book and lyrics by Anne Croswell and music by Lee Pockriss
Directed by Elly LichensteinBased on Oscar Wilde’s beloved comedy “The Importance of Being Ernest,” this delightful musical adaptation received an acclaimed revision last year at New York’s famed Irish Rep. Cinnabar stages the West Coast revision premiere, complete with tea dance-style orchestra, Wildean hi-jinks and laughs galore. Tickets: $25 to $35
Enchanted April
May 27-June 18, 2011
By Matthew Barber from the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim
Directed by Elizabeth CravenSet in 1922, two discontented London housewives, an obstinate dowager and a lonely aristocratic beauty share the rental of an Italian villa for a month long holiday. Leaving their gray London lives behind, the four women search for a brighter outlook in Portofino in this charming and uplifting comedy about friendship and love. Tickets: $15 to $25
Cinnabar Theater is located at 3333 Petaluma Blvd., North in Petaluma.