FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         January 2010
Contact: Craig Shafer
publicity@pcpa.org
(805) 928-7731, ext. 4100

Macbeth
Shakespeare’s spellbinding tragedy
on the PCPA stage

Macbeth by William Shakespeare, plays in the Marian Theatre, Santa Maria, February 18 – March 7, 2010. It’s the infamous chronicle of a Scottish hero’s fall from grace, through spellbound seduction and the unrestrained pursuit of power.  Shakespeare’s study of ambition leads us from the battlefield where Macbeth is triumphant, to the bloody assassination that gains him the crown…but it costs him his soul and ultimate demise.


Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies along with King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar. Though Macbeth’s ambitions are powerful, it is Lady Macbeth whose ruthlessness sets off a string of murders. She initially shows a callus calm saying, “a little water will clear us of this deed.” In the end, however, the sanity of the murderers unravels into all consuming guilt and paranoia.

Macbeth is directed by Patricia M. Troxel who said that while Shakespeare incorporated elements of the supernatural, the story remains an examination of the human foible and the study of moral conflict driven by fear, ambition, and aspiration. “While Macbeth becomes the tyrant and mass murderer by the play’s climatic conclusion, his struggle and his own horrific awareness of the stages in that struggle are a powerful exploration of the good and evil inherent in everyone.”

PCPA's production of Macbeth features Resident Artists Corey Jones in the title role and Elizabeth Stuart as the ruthless Lady Macbeth. Also featured are Peter S. Hadres as one of the three Wyrd Sisters, Michael Jenkinson as Malcolm, Mark Booher as Banquo, Evans Eden Jarnefeldt as Macduff and Karin Hendricks as Lady Macduff. Lompoc teacher and resident Michael Tremblay is guest artist appearing in the role of Ross.

PCPA’s production of this Shakespeare tragedy features a scenic design by Dave Nofsinger who uses environmental elements that will place the audience in the heart of the action. Costume Designer Frederick P. Deeben provides 9th and 10th century period fashion distinguishing the characters in rank, social status, gender, and nationally. Lighting Designer Jennifer “Z” Zornow integrates texture, color, and isolation, to enhance the paradox of good and evil that resonates in the heart of the play. Elisabeth Rebel’s sound design was inspired by the playwright who indicated the crucial role of sound in the telling of his story. Making that immediate and direct experience come to life for the audience, the production will incorporate music from an on-stage percussionist, Robert B. Pollard.

InterPlay: The Stage Between
A Festival of New Plays in a staged reading format to include Donald Margulies’  Shipwrecked: An Entertainment! The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told By Himself) and Tender by Nicki Bloom.
March 12 – 21, 2010 Severson Theatre, Santa Maria

Curtains
Book by Rupert Holmes, Music by John Kander, and Lyrics by Fred Ebb
April 15 – May 9, 2010 – Marian Theatre -- June 17 – July 3, 2010 – Festival Theater, Solvang
In this hilarious collision of the traditions of Agatha Christie and 42nd Street, Kander and Ebb’s Tony-winning musical celebrates the backstage “whodunit.” It’s a toe tapping, gun slinging, wise cracking cavalcade in which Boston Detective Lt. Frank Cioffi has to drag his net to catch the killer among the stars, and soon finds himself happily caught up in love, and in a musical headed for Broadway.

Sylvia
By A.R. Gurney
June 24 – July 3, 2010 – Marian Theater -- July 9 - 25, 2010 – Festival Theater
Our title character is the bone of contention between Greg and his wife Kate in this howlingly funny domestic comedy.  This summer we’ll unleash this hilarious and touching tale that takes the term “animal lover” to a whole other level.

West Side Story
Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
July 9 – 25, 2010 – Marian Theatre  --  July 30 – Aug. 22, 2010 – Festival Theater
In this triumphant legend, love transcends language, time and place.  While Manhattan’s west side rumbles with the clash of Jets and Sharks, Maria and Tony seek “a somewhere” their romance can thrive.  In their revolutionary work that changed the course of the American musical, Bernstein, Sondheim and Laurents bring their award winning genius to the immortal story of star-crossed lovers caught in a turf war of rival ethnic gangs.

Songs For A New World
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Aug. 6 - 21, 2010 – Marian Theatre  --  Aug. 27 – Sept. 12, 2010 – Festival Theater
It’s all about the music in this gorgeous song cycle from Jason Robert Brown, one of the rising voices of the musical theater. Each song transports us through different stories, humorous and moving, of our American identity and experience – our community and isolation, our desire for the immaterial in a material world, and the moments of decision that define our journey. With a magic that only great music can provide, these Songs sweep us away into the moments we stand our ground, break our silence, make a bargain and find our way home.

Invierno – World Premiere
By José  Cruz González
Aug. 27 – Sept. 19, 2010 – Severson Theatre
We conclude our season with a newly commissioned work from José Cruz González, the author of The Heart’s Desire, inspired by Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and set in 19th century rancho California. Our story begins sadly – with love turned to obsession and destruction wrought by jealousy – the state is imperiled, friendships fractured and families torn apart. But it ends gracefully, with the healing that comes with the passage of time and awakened faith.

For the best seating, lowest prices, and exclusive privileges become a season ticket holder. Subscription packages start with as few as 4 plays, or see all 8 throughout the season for the ultimate theatre experience. Call the box office to receive a subscription brochure or email: boxoffice@pcpa.org.

For tickets call 805-922-8313 between 1 and 7pm Wednesday through Sunday, or purchase single tickets for the current season online anytime at www.pcpa.org.
Information about Group Sales for 12 or more patrons may be obtained by contacting groups@pcpa.org or by calling 1-800-PCPA-123.
Now in its 46th season, PCPA Theaterfest is the Central Coast’s Resident Professional Theatre Company, and has infused the national theatre scene with thousands of trained actors and theatrical technicians over the years in its conservatory.

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The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) of Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California supports a unique, fully-accredited vocational training program for aspiring actors and theatre technicians. PCPA is the only training program of its kind offered by a community college in the United States.