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The Western Stage 2010 announces Meredith Willson's The Music Man, opening July 24 on the Mainstage, and Rock 'N' Roll by Tom Stoppard, opening July 30 in the Studio Theater. If you have press related questions, please contact Ron Cacas at (831) 759-6012 or email
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2010 Rock ‘N’ Roll at The Western Stage Salinas, CA — July 12, 2010
Over forty years since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, securing Tom Stoppard’s position as the leading dramatist of his generation, he still remains one of the most vital and interesting voices writing for theatre today. Yet, despite being praised for his intellectual depth, playful wordplay, and unconventional dramaturgy, there has always been one lingering criticism of his work. With the exception of The Real Thing, which explored his struggles with love and marriage, Stoppard has rarely revealed much of his personal side in his plays. Yet with his 2006 drama Rock ‘n’ Roll, which opens at The Western Stage on July 30th, Stoppard seems to have opened up more than ever before. Called a “triumphantly sentimental play” by Ben Brantley of the New York Times, this exploration of music, politics, and love set against the backdrop of Czechoslovakia’s struggle under communism plays through August 22 in the Studio Theater in the Hartnell College Performing Art building. “He is writing about himself,” says Jon Patrick Selover, The Western Stage’s artistic director who is also heading up this production. “It’s so obvious that the central character of the play, Jan, is a representation of Stoppard.” For someone who doesn’t know much about Stoppard’s biography, the claim that this intellectual British playwright would have anything in common with a Czech dissident with an all consuming love for Western Rock ‘n’ Roll may seem like a stretch. However, Stoppard was actually born in Czechoslovakia, but his family fled during World War II when the Nazi’s invaded his homeland, traveling first to Singapore and eventually India. After his father died during the war, his mother married a British army officer, Kenneth Stoppard, and moved her family to England. Due to these upheavals, Stoppard was spared the post-war political turbulence that befell the land of his birth — the invasion of the Soviet Union which established an oppressive Communist regime to oversee the country, the Prague Spring of 1969 which ushered in a brief period of liberation and artistic expression under the leadership if Slovak Alexander Dub?ek, the harsh re-establishment of Communism only a few months later, and finally the Velvet revolution which overthrew the Communist government and re-established Democracy in 1989. Selover believes Stoppard is using the character of Jan in this play to explore what might have happened to him if his family had returned to his home country after World War II. At the beginning of the play we find Jan studying Philosophy in Cambridge under the tutorage of Max, an irascible Communist lion who still believes in the Socialist utopia. Yet, when the Prague Spring is cut short by Russian tanks, Jan returns to Czechoslovakia and finds himself drawn into the dissident movement as he sees local Rock ‘n’ Roll bands, most notably The Plastic People of the Universe, persecuted for their counter-culture and potentially destabilizing influence. In true Stoppardian form, this intellectually nimble drama tackles everything from the debates about the virtues of old school communism versus capitalism, Sapphic poetry, and how best to rebel against an oppressive government — through intellectual letters of protest or through subversive actions like wearing long hair and playing rock and roll. With a soundtrack that includes The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, and The Plastic People of the Universe, this tour de force is certainly one of the most entertaining and engaging plays Stoppard has written in years. The design team includes David Parker (scenic), Derek Duarte (Lights), Rhonda Kirkpatrick (Costumes), and Jeff Mockus (Sound). Rock ‘n’ Roll plays Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm in the Studio Theater at the Hartnell Performance Arts building. Season tickets are always the best option. Reserve your seats through The Western Stage ticket office at (831) 755-6816 or online. For group sales, contact Ron Cacas at (831) 759-6012. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 1, 2010 The Music Man Brings Laughter and Song to The Western Stage Salinas, CA — June, 2010 Every artistic venture is a labor of love. What else could motivate a person to sacrifice so much time and energy to an endeavor that may have absolutely no payoff? This is especially true for writer/composer Meredith Willson who spent over eight years writing forty different drafts of what he called “an Iowans attempt to pay tribute to his home state.” Thankfully for us, Willson’s labor of love did pay off with “The Music Man”, a beloved musical comedy that certainly captures Willson’s fondness for both the small, rural town in which he grew up and the music he learned to play as a flutist and piccolo player in his high school band. Winning five Tony awards including “Best New Musical” when it premiered on Broadway in 1957, “The Music Man” has continued to enjoy Broadway revivals and regional theatre productions over half a century since the curtain first rose on this heartwarming musical extravaganza. This summer Central Coast audiences can discover Willson’s love of Iowa and music at The Western Stage. Directed by Anne Marie Hunter, “The Music Man” plays July 24th – August 14th on the newly renovated Main Stage in the Hartnell College Performing Arts building. When Harold Hill, a fast-talking con man expert at seducing people with empty promises, comes to River City, Iowa, he knows exactly how to separate the hapless residents of this small town from their money. To save the young boys from the vices of a recently opened pool hall in town, he offers to start a marching band to channel their energies toward more productive pursuits. He’ll teach the boys how to play the instruments. He’ll lead the band. He’ll even order the marching band outfits and instruments for the boys. The only problem — Harold Hill doesn’t know how to teach music much less lead a band. He just knows how to take the money and disappear on the next train out of town. Yet when he falls for Marian, the town music teacher and librarian, will he be able to continue his con job or will he take a chance at redemption? Featuring the songs “Seventy-Six Trombones”, “Shipoopi”, and “’Til There Was You”. The artistic team behind the show also includes John Espino (Musical Director), Diane Jones (Choreography), Ted Dolas (Scenic Design), Derek Duarte (Lights), Rhonda Kirkpatrick (Costumes), Jeff Mockus (Sound), and Casey Rebecca Nunes (Stage Management). Season tickets are always the best option. Reserve your seats through The Western Stage ticket office at (831) 755-6816 or online. For group sales, contact Ron Cacas at (831) 759-6012. —Daniel Tarker
To Kill a Mockingbird Opens TWS Season |
CONTACT: Ron Cacas
(831) 759-6012
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