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CALIFORNIA THEATRE CENTER
NEWSLETTER
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Summer Edition #1
Join us this summer at the
California Theatre Center!
www.ctcinc.org
Buy your tickets
now for the exciting
Summer Repertory
shows. Seats are
filling up quickly!
(408) 245-2978
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
KNOW THE SHOWS
The Summer Repertory season of
plays begins on June 1. Look inside
for some fun facts about our first two
shows!
Continued on Page 2
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Rick Haffner is a notable member of
CTC’s staff. Get to know him a bit
better in this issue!
The Canterville Ghost
Continued on Page 3
COSTUMES
Jane Lambert has been designing and
building costumes for CTC since
1986. Learn more about her, inside!
Continued on Page 3
Spotlight on Rick Haffner
Costume Creations
OTHER HAPPENINGS
News about our Summer
Conservatory, a word from Gayle, and
more!
Continued on Page 4
California Theatre Center, P.O. Box 2007 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 | 408-245-2979 | www.ctcinc.org
CALIFORNIA THEATRE CENTER!
PAGE
2
Know the Shows!
A Thousand Clowns by Herb Gardner
Directed by Gayle Cornelison
A Thousand Clowns
A Thousand Clowns premiered in the famous Eugene O’Neill Theatre
in New York City. The April 5, 1962 opening night featured Jason
Robards in the role of the “slacker hero” Murray Burns. The show
was nominated for a prestigious Tony Award, quite the honor for
playwright Herb Gardner. A Thousand Clowns was his first full-length
play! The show was so successful that Mr. Gardner was named “the
most promising playwright of 1961-1962”. He also wrote the
screenplay for the film adaptation.
A coming-of-middle-age story revolving around eccentric bachelor
Murray Burns, an unemployed children’s television writer who has
found himself raising his sister’s son after she went out for a pack of
cigarettes and never returned. When social workers from the Bureau
of Child Welfare come to investigate whether his nephew is receiving
a proper upbringing, finding an actual paying job becomes high
priority so Murray can keep the precocious 12-year-old. A return to
his former work involves writing for “Chuckles the Chipmunk,” an
inane character if ever there was one! Full of quotable dialogue and
quirky charm, A Thousand Clowns speaks to us of commitment and the
power of love.
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
Adapted by Gayle Cornelison
Directed by Benjamin Brotzman
Oscar Wilde’s much-loved short story “The Canterville Ghost” was
published in 1887, just five years after Wilde returned home from a
speaking tour across the United States. One of the final stops on his tour
was San Francisco! Oscar Wilde toured around the Bay Area as well, even
stopping in San Jose. At the time, his ideas and very presence caused quite
a stir. He was lambasted in the press by local journalists and mobbed in
the streets. It’s no surprise that he wrote a story outlining the differences
between American and British cultures not long after visiting!
A Thousand Clowns opens June 1 @7:30 pm
The Canterville Ghost opens June 2 @3:00 pm
and
The Contrast opens June 15 @7:30 pm
Dial M for Murder opens June 29 @7:30 pm
In the next installment of the Summer Edition we will give
you a sneak peek into CTC’s final two Summer Rep shows:
The Contrast, and Dial M for Murder!
To buy tickets for these great shows, call our box office at
408-245-2978
or visit us at www.ctcinc.org
The Canterville Ghost
American minister Hiram Otis and his family have recently moved to
Canterville Chase, a grand estate just outside of London, even though the
previous owners made it quite clear to the family that the home was
haunted. While the Otises are a practical lot and don’t believe in anything
of a supernatural sort, a reappearing blood stain and the perpetual
nocturnal visits of a rather noisy ghost with a taste for the theatrical
convince them otherwise. Clearly the ghost is going to be driven mad by
the very people he is desperately trying to haunt! The mixture of elements
from traditional English ghost stories like clanking chains, creaking
floorboards and ancient prophecies combine with American pluck and
ingenuity and result in an entertainingly funny romp for the whole family.
California Theatre Center, P.O. Box 2007 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 | 408-245-2979 | www.ctcinc.org
CALIFORNIA THEATRE CENTER!
Costume Designer Jane Lambert works diligently at preparing costumes for the Summer Repertory Season
MEET JANE LAMBERT
Jane began with CTC in 1986
as a costume designer and builder.
She studied English and Theatre at
the University of Minnesota, and
she received an MA in Theatre
from Arizona State University. She
also holds an MFA in costume
design from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Q and A:
What was the first show on
which you worked with
costumes?
-King Lear by William
Shakespeare
If you could design any show,
which would you choose?
-The School for Scandal by
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Jane says that she discovered
her knack for sewing when her
grandmother began teaching her
how to sew when she was a child.
What is your favorite time
period for costuming?
Her favorite part of the
costume building process is creating
patterns, and she gets to create and
build nearly 50% of the costumes
from scratch for each show!
If you could have one thing
more in your shop, what would
that be?
- Late 19th-early 20th century;
pre-World War I.
-A new dressmaker dummy
Did You Know?
Jane is available through CTC’s “Adopt-a-Theatre-Artist” Program for
costume creation! Also, CTC’s Costume Shop rents costumes to schools and
other organizations.
Call 408-245-2979 for more information!
PAGE
3
Spotlight on...Rick Haffner!
Rick Haffner has been with California
Theatre Center since 1995.
He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana,
and studied at Wabash College where he
received a BA, and The University of
North Carolina-Greensboro where he
received an MFA in Acting/Directing.
He received a Certificate of Professional
Achievement from The Directors
Colloquium at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.
In his own words:
“Sir Simon (the ghost) is a wonderful
role I’ve wanted to play ever since I first
saw the show. CTC has given me the
opportunity to act, direct, stage manage,
and administrate, as well as tour the
western US and the South Pacific. I have
also loved my role as teacher/mentor to
scores of young actors, some of whom are
professionals with the Company today!”
You can see Rick this summer in
The Canterville Ghost.
California Theatre Center, P.O. Box 2007 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 | 408-245-2979 | www.ctcinc.org
CALIFORNIA THEATRE CENTER!
PAGE
4
A Message from Gayle Cornelison
CALIFORNIA THEATRE CENTER’S FOUNDER
AND GENERAL DIRECTOR
In choosing four plays to offer our loyal
audiences in Summer Rep 2012 and, at
the same time, attempting to reach out to
attract new patrons, I have included
several of my all-time favorites. We open
with A Thousand Clowns, an enduring and
beautifully crafted play with an
iconoclastic, curmudgeonly main
character we will all recognize! We follow
that with The Canterville Ghost which is a
treat for everyone - a story that manages
to be both an amusing twist on the
traditional gothic tale but also a lampoon
of traditional "old world" values. I
selected Dial M for Murder because we have
enthusiastic audiences for a good mystery
- and what better than one which the
venerable Hitchcock made famous! Our
fourth offering, The Contrast, is quite
amazing! Imagine that this first American
play ever performed in public by a
company of professional actors can be
relevant, smart and sparkling even today!
I hope that this season will not only
entertain but also will draw you deeply
into these stories of the human condition
and open up new and interesting ways of
looking at the world. We also hope that
you will support live theatre in our
community by attending all of these plays
in CTC's repertory this summer. Theatre
cannot survive without an audience!
Did You know?
California Theatre Center is a notfor-profit organization.
Ticket sales pay for only part of what it
takes us to:
*produce 13 plays in CTC's School and
Family Season each school year
*produce 4 plays in CTC's Summer Rep
Season each summer *educate nearly a thousand students in CTC's
Education Program each year
See all the ways you can contribute here!
2012 Summer Theatre Conservatory
Junior Conservatory
CTC’s Junior Conservatory is a morning program designed to
introduce the concept of making plays. In this active but nonthreatening environment, the students engage in theatre exercises and
present a short play for family and friends on the final day.
Core Conservatory
CTC’s Core Conservatory is a full-day theatre intensive for students
with or without prior theatre experience. Students work hands-on with
CTC’s professional actor-teachers in acting, movement and voice
classes. All students are cast in a play that is performed for the public
on the last two days. In addition, they design and build all props, sets,
costumes, tickets, and programs. Includes 4 tickets to Summer Rep,
CTC’s professional repertory season of plays.
For more information about our Conservatory, including
times, dates, cost, and locations,
E-mail us at [email protected],
or visit us at
http://www.ctcinc.org/wordpress/2012-summer-theatreconservatory
California Theatre Center, P.O. Box 2007 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 | 408-245-2979 | www.ctcinc.org