‘Tis the time for critics of all ilks to release their “end of year” lists. For almost twenty years, this publication has presented a “Top Torn Tickets” list featuring the year’s best North Bay theatrical productions. Those years, however, had the advantage of having an entire calendar year’s worth of shows to consider. With the…
Zombies soon to be seen in Wine Country No, I’m not referring to the usual plethora of out-of-town tourists after all-day tastings. Napa Valley College Performing Arts has announced auditions for their fall production of Night of the Living Dead. The community is invited to submit video auditions for their upcoming live stream performance of…
North Bay theaters adapt to Covid-19 “Creative people are like the shark that has to keep moving forward to live”, says Barry Martin, Managing Director of Napa’s Lucky Penny Productions. “If we don’t tell stories, who are we?” That “show must go on attitude” continues as local theatre companies adjust to the pandemic-necessitated limitations on…
With the return of live theatrical performances no where in sight, many companies have resorted to Zoom technology to live stream shows while others have found themselves turning their theatres into video production facilities. Napa’s Lucky Penny Productions is the latest to invest in a multi-camera system and has announced a new theatre festival to…
Shakespeare artists from around the world – including the North Bay – will come together digitally to present a live stream performance of The Tempest courtesy the newly launched Globetrotting Shakespeare company. Journeying to Prospero’s digital island are theatre makers and artists representing Shakespeare by the Sea, Prague Shakespeare Company, Atlanta Shakespeare Company at the…
Running a theatre company anywhere is never easy but running one in the North Bay has been even more challenging than usual for the past few years. Many companies rely on the ticket sales from one show to finance the next one so the loss of even a single performance can have significant consequences on…
Numerous North Bay Theatre companies have reached out to their subscribers and potential theatre-goers to address their concerns about attending productions in the wake of the Coronavirus. Theater companies, many of whom operate with very thin margins, are assuring their audiences that they are taking all the recommended steps to ensure the health and safety…
There’s irony to be found in the fact that a guy with the surname “Coffin” wrote one of the liveliest theatrical productions I’ve attended in a while. Five Course Love by playwright/composer Greg Coffin is the show and it runs through March 1 at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center in Napa. The show consists…
Comedies and dramas occupied North Bay stages for the bulk of 2019. Here, in alphabetical order, are my Top Torn Tickets, the best and/or most interesting comedic and dramatic stage work done in Sonoma and Napa counties in the past year: After Miss Julie (Main Stage West) Just one of several outstanding productions at this…
After having attended over one hundred Bay Area theatrical productions in 2019, it’s time to clear out the file cabinet of a year’s worth of theatre programs and select my Top Torn Tickets. Here, in alphabetical order, is my list of the best and/or most interesting work done in the musical genre by wine country…
