Grossmont Theatre Arts opens spring season with 'Inside the Actor's Process'

Posted on: Jan 13, 2018 1:00:00 AM
In: District, Grossmont
Arts and Culture
Contact: Della Elliott (619) 644-7690 della.elliott@gcccd.edu

Grossmont College’s Theatre Arts Department will kick off its spring 2018 season with its 12th annual Inside the Actor’s Process production, this time focusing on classical theater.

Directed by Benjamin Cole, “Inside the Actor’s Process: Classical” will be offered to the public for one weekend at the Stagehouse Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2 and 3, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Feb. 3. The play, which provides audiences a peek at the actors’ process of discovering their characters, features Grossmont College Theatre Arts students performing vignettes of classics penned by Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Shakespeare, and Oliver Goldsmith in today’s modern language.

Also among the college’s Theatre Arts spring productions are “The Heir Apparent” and “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.” Auditions requiring prepared, one-minute monologues are Jan. 24 and time slots can be booked by calling (619) 644-7234. The auditions are open to the public. Those selected for the cast are required to enroll as students, since the plays are for-credit classes.

“The Heir Apparent” by David Ives, adapted from “Le Legataire” by Jean-Francois Regnard and directed by Rob Lutfy, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 15-17 and March 22-24, with 2 p.m. matinees on March 17 and 24. Lutfy is the associate artistic director of the Cygnet Theatre in Old Town and last guest directed the Stagehouse Theatre’s production of Garcia Lorca’s “Blood Wedding” in 2016.

The play tells the story of penniless Eraste, who is in love with lovely Isabelle, but her mother, Madame Argante, will only permit a marriage if Eraste can show he will inherit the estate of his miserly and rich Uncle Geronte. But old Geronte has also fallen for Isabelle, and plans to marry her straight away in the afternoon, thus imperiling the young love forever. Ives’ adaptation is rich with flowing French couplets and this joyful farce reaches a happy conclusion.

“Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” by Steven Dietz and directed by Theatre Arts Department Chair Beth Duggan takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. May 10-12 and May 17-19, with 2 p.m. matinees May 12 and 19.

Thinking he’s at the end of his career, a case comes to Holmes that he just can’t pass up. The King of Bohemia is about to be blackmailed by a notorious photograph, and the woman at the heart of this crime is the famous opera singer Irene Adler. With his trusted companion Dr. Watson at his side, Sherlock Holmes pursues the case, and then the affections of Miss Adler. In so doing, he marches right into the lair of his longtime adversary, Professor Moriarty. Expect danger, intrigue, wit, humor and surprise in Dietz’s exciting take on the world’s most famous detective.

Ticket purchases

Tickets for all public performances at Grossmont College are $15 for general admission; $12 for seniors, military, faculty and staff; $10 for students and can be purchased at any time at https://tinyurl.com/yab57n4b or by calling (619) 644-7234. They can also be purchased in person from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and an hour before each performance at the box office in the northeast corner of parking lot 1.

Mini-season ticket packages are also available. See the three main stage spring productions (“Inside the Actor’s Process: Classical,” “The Heir Apparent” and “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure”) for $25 for a single subscription.

Closing the season is the 2018 Summer Theatre Arts Conservatory’s production of “Beauty and the Beast: Musical,” adapted by Jeannette Thomas and taking the stage July 26-28 and Aug. 1-4.

Adapted from Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s original fairytale, “La Belle et la Bete,” the annual Summer Arts Conservatory production of Beauty and the Beast is sure to be a treat for the whole family. With the college’s tradition of mixing classic storytelling with a modern musical twist, Beauty and the Beast promises fun for everyone.

The Grossmont College Summer Conservatory program is open to all local high school and college-age students. Summer Conservatory students attend for free, thanks to donor support. Students interested in theater acting, stage, lighting and costumes should call 619-644-7235.

The Stagehouse Theatre Box Office is now located in the northeast corner of parking lot 1.