September 2, 2015
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN'S THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE IS A
'MODERN MAJOR MUSICAL' FOR SHAKESPEARE ORANGE COUNTY
Peter Uribe directs the company's debut musical adventure, September 10-29
GARDEN GROVE, CA. July 30, 2015 – The third major production of
Shakespeare Orange County's Summerfest 2015 is the great Gilbert and
Sullivan favorite, The Pirates of Penzance.
Pirates of Penzance opens September 12, with performances Thursday through
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. through September 26. There will be previews September
10 and 11. All seats are only $20.
All performances are in Garden Grove's Festival Amphitheater, located at 12762
Main St, Garden Grove. There is ample free parking available on the street and in
a nearby lot. For information visit shakespeareoc.org or call 714-590-1575.
Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance is a romantic comic opera featuring
wonderful wordplay and soaring scores. Having just reached his 21st birthday,
Frederic has fulfilled his "contractual" obligations to the pirate band with which he
has been working. The new freedom has opened his heart and he quickly finds his
true love in Mabel, the Major General's daughter. No sooner are they swooning
than the pirates reel him back on a technicality, arguing that, because he was born
on February 29, a day added to the calendar every four years for leap year, he isn't
really 21. He is ordered to stay with them. But the pull of freedom and yearnings for
Mabel demand that love – and gallantry – must win out!
Peter Uribe returns to direct after his successful staging of As You Like It.
"Shakespeare Orange County is continuing this milestone summer season with
another bold step," said SOC Producing Artistic Director John Walcutt. "Pirates of
Penzance is our first musical and provides the perfect opportunity for families
throughout the Southland to experience live theater under the stars. With its setting
along the rocky coast of England, Pirates is especially exciting when it's performed
in an outdoor amphitheater like ours."
The principle cast is Louis B. Jack (Major-General Stanley), Alex Bodrero (The
Pirate King), Max Black (Samuel, his Lieutenant), Nikolai Fernandez (Frederic),
Phil Nieto (Sergeant of Police), Jenaha McLearn (Mabel), Janelle Kester (Edith),
Rebecca Frechette (Kate), Cynthia Aldrich (Isabel), and Krystin Bergamasco
(Ruth). Also appearing are Andrew Aguilar, Hayden Allcorn, Emma Becerra,
Alfonso Echararria, Jackye Flores, Michael Drace Fountain, Deva Marie Gregory,
Amethyst Hethcoat, Emily Hoffman, Zach Kanner, Jacob Lansberg, Jessica
Odishoo, James Quesada, Kenzie Spooner, and Nicholas Thurkettle.
Uribe's production team is Amelia Barron (Choreographer/Assistant Director),
Jared Scott (Music Director), Maddison Walsh (Production Stage Manager),
Mike Fountain (Set and Lighting Designer), Sean McMullen (Costume Designer),
Ana Karina Hernandez (Prop Mistress), Dustin Tran (Assistant Stage Manager),
Hayden Allcorn (Production Assistant), Faith De Jong (Assistant Stage
Manager), and Ryan and Kaden Cutler (Spot Operators).
Tickets, Information, and Social Media
Pirates of Penzance opens September 12, with performances Thursday through
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. through September 26. All seats are only $20, with discounts
available for groups. There will be previews September 10 and 11.
Thanks to generous support from Macy's, SOC is offering two "rush ticket"
programs to help make theatre affordable for everyone: On Fridays and Saturdays
beginning at 7 p.m., "7 at 7" offers remaining seats for that night's performance for
$7; and Thursdays are "Pay What You Want" for all remaining unsold seats onehalf hour before curtain.
For tickets and information visit shakespeareoc.org, call the Box Office at 714590-1575, or email info@shakespeareoc.org.
All performances are in the Festival Amphitheatre Main Stage located at 12762
Main St, Garden Grove, CA 92840. Free parking is available on the street and in
the city parking lot on Acacia Parkway one block west of Main St.
Follow SOC on Twitter, like it on Facebook, and view videos on Youtube.
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Peter Uribe (Director), known by Orange County audiences for playing Jesus in nine
consecutive annual productions of The Glory of Easter, is directing As You Like It for the
first time, which brings him to the halfway point in his goal of acting in and directing every
Shakespeare play. Mr. Uribe has a strong passion for creating rock operas and formed
Luna C Productions with Bill Schultz. Their rock opera production of The Who's
Quadrophenia received rave reviews in Los Angeles and led to a UK national tour. He has
won LA Weekly Awards for Best Director and Production of the Year for Block Nine,
produced by The Elephant. In addition to acting and directing Mr. Uribe loves to teach,
mentoring the next generation of theatre artists. he has taught theatre at Cal State Long
Beach, Cal Poly Pomona (where he was co-founder of the Southern California
Shakespeare Festival), Orange Coast College and the Orange County School of the Arts.
Amelia Barron (Music Director/Assistant Director) has been teaching dance and musical
theatre in Orange and L.A. Counties for the past 12 years. She is currently a faculty
member at Orange County School of the Arts, South Coast Conservatory and McCoy
Rigby Academy of Performing Arts. She attended the Orange County School of the Arts
and Cal State University Fullerton. Amelia has been directing, choreographing and
producing shows in Orange County for the past eight years. With shows at Orange Coast
College, Orange County School of the Arts, Huntington Central Park and Grand Central
Art Center. Most recently she helped launch Temptation!, an original musical adaptation
with Peter Uribe. Amelia is also an accomplished vocalist and has had the privilege to
study and work with some of the top names in musical theatre and jazz including Marvin
Hamlisch (A Chorus Line), Matthew Morrison (Glee, Light in The Piazza), Susan Egan
(Beauty and the Beast, Hercules), Danny Gurwin (A New Brain, The Scarlett Pimpernel)
and Jeff Hamilton (The Jeff Hamilton Trio, Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra). She has been
featured on a number of award winning albums and in music videos. She will also be
choreographing SOC's upcoming Pirates of Penzance.
John Walcutt (Producing Artistic Director) became Producing Artistic Director of
Shakespeare Orange County (SOC) in 2014. He had previously appeared in the title role
in Richard III, Cassius in Julius Caesar, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet among others. He
has guest starred on nearly 200 films and TV shows including Academy Award winners
such as Titanic, Little Miss Sunshine, Seabiscuit and Mulan. His recurring TV characters
include drunk Tom Johnson on JAG, Wide Brim on Ghost Whisperer, Dennis Hopper’s
whacked-out Doctor on Crash, and the time-traveling father of Jerry O’Connell in Sliders.
His long theatre career includes work at most major American theatres. He is an awardwinning Director, Screenwriter and Producer, and teaches a very popular On-Camera
Acting Class in LA.
For additional press information and photos, or to arrange interviews, email
media@shakespeareoc.org.