PRESS RELEASE: Updated July 11, 2015
SHAKESPEARE ORANGE COUNTY STAR-STUDDED 'FUN-RAISER'
KICKS OFF 'SUMMERFEST 2015' ON JUNE 13 IN GARDEN GROVE
Evening Under the Stars includes Celebrity Cast in Kaufman & Hart Comedy,
Great Deals on Donated Items, and Post-Show Reception. Tickets begin at $25.
GARDEN GROVE, CA. June 4, 2015 – Setting the tone for another season of
great entertainment under the stars, Shakespeare Orange County (SOC)
launches Summerfest 2015 at the Garden Grove Amphitheater on June 13 with
its 2nd Annual "Fun-raising" event.
Tickets to the evening begin at $25 and include a live performance of the 1939
radio adaptation of Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take it With You with a
celebrity cast that includes Rene Auberjonois, Seamus Dever, Kurtwood Smith,
Joe Spano, Tamlyn Tomita and JoBeth Williams among many more.
There will be a silent auction with vacations, collectibles, tickets to performing
arts events and even a musical instrument and lessons that will go to the highest
bidders – usually at prices far below their retail values. After the hour-long
performance guests will mingle with the cast, SOC staff and supporters, as well
as fellow arts lovers from SOC's increasingly diverse audience.
"This is our way of making Shakespeare Orange County visible and viable and
welcoming to everyone," said John Walcutt, who took over as Producing Artistic
Director before the 2014 Season. "Last year we initiated this event and everyone
who made it said it was unforgettable. This year should be even better!"
'You Can't Take it With You'
George Kaufman and Moss Hart's You Can't Take it With You premiered on
Broadway in 1936, winning the 1937 Pulitzer Prize. The following year a film
version was released and in 1939, the Lux Radio Comedy Hour aired the edited
version that SOC will present.
"It's a hilarious, fast-paced hour with all the great Kaufman and Hart characters,
plus an announcer and show host," Walcutt explained. "We'll even recreate the
original sound effects, jingles and commercials!"
Bo Foxworth directs the cast of Rene Auberjonois (M*A*S*H, "Boston Legal"),
Robert Hays (Airplane), Nicholas d’Agosto ("Masters of Sex," Election),
Ramón de Ocampo, John de Lancie ("Star Trek," "Breaking Bad"), Seamus
Dever ("Castle," "Army Wives"), John Frederick Jones ("General Hospital,"
"Babylon 5") Kurtwood Smith ("That '70s Show," Robocop), Joe Spano ("Hill
Street Blues," Apollo 13), Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club, Teen Wolf) and
JoBeth Williams (The Big Chill, Poltergeist).
You CAN take it with you
The period commercials woven into the radio play will provide enough of a break
in the action for additional giveaways and handing out the auction items to the
winning bidders, Walcutt said.
"During the 'commercials' we'll be giving away lots of cool autographed show
business prizes and auction items," he said. "The celebrities will hand out the
prizes to the winners, who come up onstage and have their pictures taken with
them. It's very interactive."
Among the donated items in the silent auction are:
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A day for up to 16 on a catamaran docked in Newport Beach
Star Trek memorabilia autographed by John de Lancie ("Q") and Rene
Auberjonois ("Odo")
A violin and three private lessons from Pacific Symphony's first violin and
Associate Concertmaster Paul Manaster
A wine-tasting retreat at a hotel in Paso Robles
A week for four at a Ketchum-Sun Valley condo
Donations from arts organizations include Bowers Museum, Chance
Theater and South Coast Repertory
The Stars Under the Stars
"We are very grateful for everyone who has volunteered their time and talents to
helping create this great event to help gather Shakespeare Orange County's
'One Big Family Under the Stars,'" said Walcutt. "Especially the stars!"
Here are brief bios of the You Can't Take it With You cast.
Rene Auberjonois made an early impact as Father Mulcahy in Robert Altman's
M*A*S*H before appearing in Altman's cult classics Brewster McCloud and
McCabe & Mrs. Miller and later The Patriot with Mel Gibson. He has been a
regular on several long-running television programs including "Benson," "The
Pirates of Dark Water," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Judging Amy" and
"Boston Legal," and provided voice to many animated series. He won a Tony
Award® in 1970 for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical for Coco and
was nominated for Best Supporting/Featured Actor in 1974 for The Good Doctor
and as Best Actor in a Featured Role in 1985 for Big River and again in 1990 for
City of Angels.
Nicholas D’Agosto appears on "Masters of Sex." He made his film debut in
Election, directed by Alexander Payne and co-starring Matthew Broderick and
Reese Witherspoon. His other television credits include "Heroes," "Grey’s
Anatomy" and "Gotham."
John de Lancie recently appeared in title role of the South Coast Repertory
premiere of Mr. Wolf by Pulitzer Prize-winner Rajiv Joseph. He is remembered as
“Q” in the "Star Trek" series, Colonel Frank Simmons in "Stargate SG-1" and
Donald Margolis in "Breaking Bad." Other theater work includes the premiere of
Alan Alda's Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie opposite "Breaking Bad" star
Anna Gunn. The son of the Philadelphia Orchestra's longtime principal oboist,
also named John de Lancie, he works extensively with major orchestras as a
narrator, director and writer.
Seamus Dever, currently a regular on ABC's "Castle" as Detective Kevin Ryan,
and has been in "Official Army Wives," "General Hospital" and "Mad Men,"
among others. His theater credits include 60 plays and musicals, several Ovation
and Garland nominations, and an LA Drama Critics Circle Award for his portrayal
of Alex in A Clockwork Orange.
Robert Hays starred as hapless Ted Striker in the historic disaster movie parody
Airplane and its sequel. He began his career at The Old Globe in San Diego
where he appeared onstage for eight seasons. Among his other credits are the
TV series "Starman" and the film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. He
was the voice of Iron Man in the 1990s series of the same name.
John Frederick Jones has graced stages from Maine to Alaska as an actor and
director. Credits include The Grove Shakespeare, the Mark Taper Forum, South
Coast Repertory, Center Stage and Alaska Rep. He teaches and directs at many
universities and is a familiar face on TV, having appeared regularly on "General
Hospital," "Babylon 5" and a refreshing “Got Milk” commercial.
Kurtwood Smith is joins the Shakespeare Orange County family for this even.
The star of "That '70s Show" also appeared in the films RoboCop and Dead
Poets Society with Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke. He
appeared in several Star Trek features and did voiceover work for many
animated series and computer games. He won theatre's Drama-Logue Awards
for Billy Budd, Idiot's Delight and Green Grow the Lilacs.
Joe Spano earned an Emmy nomination for his role on "Hill Street Blues," and
has appeared in the films Apollo 13, Hollywoodland, Frost/Nixon, Primal Fear,
and on television in "NYPD Blue," "The X-Files" and "NCIS." He is a champion of
theatre, having helped cofound Berkeley Repertory Theatre and more recently
earning LA Drama Critics Circle Awards for David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow and
American Buffalo. He is a member the The Antaeus Company and has worked
on Broadway, where he once shared the stage with Eli Wallach.
Tamlyn Tomita manages to fit a second straight appearance at the SOC Gala
into a busy schedule in Hollywood film and television. Her many credits include
Joy Luck Club, Picture Bride, The Day After Tomorrow and The Karate Kid. Her
TV work includes "Teen Wolf," "Resurrection" and "How to Get Away With
Murder."
JoBeth Williams starred in Poltergeist, Poltergeist II and The Big Chill. She
began her stage career as a company member with Trinity Repertory Company
before moving to New York where she became a regular on "Guiding Light" and
"Somerset." She is a three-time Emmy Award nominee and received a 1994
Academy Award nomination for her directorial debut, the short film On Hope. She
recently appeared in Showtime's "Dexter" and NBC's "Private Practice."
Tickets, Information, and Social Media
Tickets begin at $25 and include the silent auction. A special "Dine with the
Stars" VIP package, including pre-show dinner with the entire cast, is available
for $500. Dinner is at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.
The season, the second under Artistic Director John Walcutt, continues through
October 30 with full productions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and As
You Like It, Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, John Slade's acclaimed
Walt Whitman Sings, a play reading and a new Friday Night Film Series.
The Garden Grove Amphitheatre is located at 12852 Main St, Garden Grove, CA
92840. Parking is available on the street and in a nearby lot. For more
information on this event or the SOC 2015 Season email
info@shakespeareoc.org or call 714-636-3729.
Follow SOC on Twitter, like it on Facebook, and view videos on Youtube.
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For additional press information and photos, or to arrange interviews, email
media@shakespeareoc.org.