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ORIGINAL DRAMA “GEORGIA O’KEEFFE” OPENS AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE SATURDAY, MAY 4
Groves Cabin Theatre in Morongo Valley is proud to debut “Georgia O’Keefe”, the latest in award-winning playwright Dolores Becker Trost’s series of plays on great artists. The original play will open on Saturday, May 4, and be performed Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. for three weekends through Sunday, May 19.
Playwright/director/artist Dolores Becker-Trost, winner of Desert Theatre League (DTL) “Best Original Drama” awards for her plays “Vincent Van Gogh” in 2009 and “Picasso” in 2012, continues her series of plays on great artists with “Georgia O’Keeffe.” Like Van Gogh and Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe’s life reflected the struggle perhaps all true artists experience, the struggle to find their own unique artistic voice.
Born in Wisconsin in 1887, O’Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916 when her work was exhibited at famous photographer Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 Gallery. They began corresponding and Stieglitz photographed O’Keeffe on her visits to New York, where she later moved in 1918 to live with Stieglitz. Their relationship led to marriage, and their life together had its share of heartaches and also many victories, as O’Keeffe rose to become known by the mid-1920s as one of America’s most important and successful artists. In 1929, seeking inspiration for her work, she began to spend a part of each year in New Mexico, where she eventually moved in 1949, three years after Stieglitz’s death. Georgia found much of the voice for her art in the beauty of New Mexico, where she continued to be productive. Even the loss of much of her sight through macular degeneration, did not defeat her; she lived to be 98, and she painted to the end.
Desert Theatre League Lifetime Achievement award winner Joy Groves plays Georgia O’Keeffe, and Alfred Stieglitz is portrayed by DTL Best Actor award winner Lloyd Steele. Sue Bradley, Anja Homburg, Velma Demaray, Scott Cutler, and Rhonda Petersen, who also serves as stage manager, complete the cast. Lighting is by Darin Eldridge and sound design by Wendy Cohen. In addition to directing her play, Ms. Becker-Trost created all of O’Keeffe’s artwork displayed.
Groves Cabin Theatre has won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high quality productions. The tiny 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world that experience having been described as being, “like being a fly on the wall, witnessing real live happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“Georgia O’Keeffe” plays Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, May 4, through Sunday, May 19. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $12. For reservations call: 760-365-4523; For additional information visit www.grovescabintheatre.org or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/grovescabintheatre
COMEDY/DRAMA “STRANGE SNOW” OPENS AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE SATURDAY, MARCH 9
Stephen Metcalf’s highly acclaimed dramatic comedy “Strange Snow” will open at Groves Cabin Theatre in Morongo Valley on Saturday, March 9. The play will be performed Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. for four weekends through Sunday, March 31.
“Strange Snow” premiered at The Manhattan Theatre Club directed by Thamos Bullard in 1982. The 1989 film, “Jackknife,” with Robert De Niro, Ed Harris, and Kathy Baker is based on Metcalf’s play.
It is 5 am. on the first day of the fishing season in April 1983, and Megs is determined to get his buddy up, but David has a terrible hangover that is not entirely from last night's drinking. Megs and David served together in Vietnam, and David still blames himself for the death of their pal Bobby. David lives with his younger sister Martha, a shy high-school biology teacher who is every bit as lonely as David. Through these three intertwined characters, “Strange Snow” unfolds a moving story of hope, endearment, and the human spirit, as each strives to gain a deeper understanding of the past and to be able to move on.
Talented actor/director Abe Daniels will do double duty as he not only directs the production, but also plays the role of Megs. Two more Morongo Basin favorites, Kurt Schauppner and Donette Swain appear as David, and his sister Martha. Darin Eldridge will handle lighting and sound engineering.
Daniels is delighted to again be sharing the stage with Kurt, with whom he worked in “8” at Groves and “Swift Fox” at the Hi-Desert Cultural Center, and with Donette, with whom he appeared in “8” and in “Wit,” both at Groves.
Groves Cabin Theatre has won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high quality productions. The tiny 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world—that experience having been described as being, “like being a fly on the wall, witnessing real live happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“Strange Snow” plays Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, March 9, through Sunday, March 31. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $12. For additional information and reservations call: 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
GROVES CABIN THEATRE ANNOUNCES READING OF DUSTIN LANCE BLACK’S NEW PLAY “8”.
Groves Cabin Theatre Joins Nationwide Productions of Landmark Marriage Equality Play by Academy Award-Winning Screenwriter of Milk & J. Edgar
Morongo Valley, California – Groves Cabin Theatre, in conjunction with Equality California and the Morongo Basin Foundation for Equal Rights, and with license from the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) and Broadway Impact, is proud to announce the performance of a dramatic reading of “8,” a play chronicling the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black. “8” will be performed on Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. for three weekends only from Saturday, January 12, through Sunday, January 27.
“8” is an unprecedented account of the Federal District Court trial in Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown), the case filed by AFER to overturn Proposition 8, which stripped gay and lesbian Californians of the fundamental freedom to marry.
Black, who penned the Academy Award-winning feature film Milk and the film J. Edgar, based “8” on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families.
“8” had its much-heralded Broadway world premiere on September 19, 2011, at the sold-out Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York City. The production brought in over $1 million to support AFER’s efforts to achieve full federal marriage equality.
“8” had its West Coast premiere reading at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Saturday, March 3, 2012, in Los Angeles. The West Coast premiere reading of “8” featured an all-star cast led by Golden Globe Award-winner and Academy and Emmy Award-nominee Brad Pitt as United States District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker; and Academy and Golden Globe Award-winner and Emmy Award-nominee George Clooney and Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Martin Sheen as Plaintiffs’ lead co-counsel David Boies and Theodore B. Olson. The benefit reading was directed by AFER Founding Board Member Rob Reiner, and raised more than $2 million for the fight to secure full federal marriage equality.
“People need to witness what happened in the Proposition 8 trial, if for no other reason than to see inequality and discrimination unequivocally rejected in a court of law where truth and facts matter,” said AFER Founding Board Member Dustin Lance Black. “The goal of ‘8’ is to show the world that marriage equality is a basic constitutional right. The facts are on our side and truth always finds the light. AFER and Broadway Impact are doing all we can to help speed that process along.”
The story for “8” is framed by the trial’s historic closing arguments in June 2010, and features the best arguments and testimony from both sides. Scenes include flashbacks to some of the more jaw-dropping moments of trial, such as the admission by the Proposition 8 supporters’ star witness, David Blankenhorn, that “we would be more American on the day we permitted same-sex marriage than we were on the day before.”
On February 7, 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a landmark decision upholding the historic August 2010 ruling of the Federal District Court that found Proposition 8 unconstitutional. The Ninth Circuit concluded:
“Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort.”
Throughout 2012, AFER and Broadway Impact are licensing “8” for free to colleges and community theatres nationwide in order to spur action, dialogue and understanding. Each performance will be followed by a talkback hosted by local marriage equality advocates where cast and audience members can discuss the issues presented in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial.
Groves Cabin Theatre hopes that our presentation of this fact-based play will enlighten those who see it and create a better and deeper understanding of this fight that’s crucial to changing hearts and minds regarding marriage equality in California. All proceeds from these performances will be donated to AFER. We would also like to express our gratitude to Equality California for generously providing our programs and posters.
The Groves production of “8” will be directed by multiple Desert Theatre League award winner Vicki Montgomery, who directs a cast featuring some of the finest acting talents in the Morongo Basin and the Coachella Valley, many of whom are also DTL award winners. Cast members include Jim Babb, Sarah Case, Wendy Cohen, Scott Cutler, Abe Daniels, Marge Doyle, Kody Fleischman, Steve Fuji, Dan Graff, Sebastiano Grosso, Joy Groves, Bob Harrison, Charles Harvey, Anja Homburg, Mike Lipsitz, Ben Sasnett, Kurt Schauppner, Bethany Sorensen, Lloyd Steele, Donette Swain, and Karl Weimer. The cast will be supported by Stage Manager Mike Lipsitz and Light and Sound Technician Darin Eldridge.
Groves Cabin Theatre has won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high quality productions. The tiny 21-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world—that experience having been described as being, “like being a fly on the wall, witnessing real life happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“8” will be performed Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, January 12, through Sunday, January 27. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $12. For additional information and reservations call: 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org. Check out our page at www.8theplay.com.
Follow “8”on Twitter: @8theplay or on Facebook.
“8” GROVES CABIN THEATRE CAST LIST
Broadcast Journalist/Clerk Bethany Sorensen
Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker Dan Graff
Theodore B. Olson (Plaintiffs’ attorney) Abe Daniels
David Boies (Plaintiffs’ attorney) Lloyd Steele
Charles J. Cooper (Proponents’ attorney) Charles Harvey
Jeff Zarrillo (Plaintiff) Bob Harrison
Paul Katami (Plaintiff) Scott Cutler
Sandy Stier (Plaintiff) Wendy Cohen
Kris Perry (Plaintiff) Donette Swain
Elliott (Kris & Sandy’s son) Kody Fleischman
Spencer (Kris & Sandy’s son) Sarah Case
Dr. Nancy Cott (Plaintiffs’ witness) Anja Homburg
Maggie Gallagher (Marriage equality opponent) Marge Doyle
Dr. Ilan Meyer (Plaintiffs’ witness) Ben Sasnett
Ryan Kendall (Plaintiffs’ witness) Mike Lipsitz
Dr. Gregory Herek (Plaintiffs’ witness) Karl Weimer
Dr. Gary Segura (Plaintiffs’ witness) Sebastiano Grosso
Dr. William Tam (Prop. 8 proponent) Steve Fuji
David Blankenhorn (Proponents’ witness) Kurt Schauppner
Evan Wolfson (Marriage equality advocate) Jim Babb
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR EQUAL RIGHTS
The American Foundation for Equal Rights is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8. After bringing together Theodore B. Olson and David Boies to lead its legal team, AFER successfully advanced the Perry case through Federal District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Foundation is committed to achieving full federal marriage equality for all Americans.
www.AFER.org
ABOUT BROADWAY IMPACT
Broadway Impact is the only grassroots organization of the theatre community and its fans mobilized in support of marriage equality. Tony Award-nominees Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon) and Gavin Creel (HAIR) and Production Coordinator Jenny Kanelos founded the organization in direct response to the passage of California’s Proposition 8 in November 2008. Currently, Broadway Impact, in partnership with AFER, licenses and coordinates readings of Dustin Lance Black's "8" at regional, community and university theaters around the world. Broadway Impact was the recipient of the 2009 Human Rights Campaign Community Award and proudly operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
www.broadwayimpact.com
Proposition 8 Key Dates:
November 4, 2008 - Prop. 8 Passes
May 26, 2009 - AFER Attorneys Announced: Theodore B. Olson and David Boies
January 11-27, 2010 - Perry v. Schwarzenegger District Court Trial
June 16, 2010 - Closing Arguments
August 4, 2010 - District Court Rules Prop. 8 Unconstitutional
December 6, 2010 - 9th Circuit Oral Arguments re: Appeal by Prop. 8 Proponents
June 14, 2011 - Proponents’ Motion to Vacate Judgment Denied
September 6, 2011 - California Supreme Court Oral Arguments on Proponents’ Standing
September 19, 2011 - Broadway Premiere of “8”
September 19, 2011 - District Court Orders Release of Trial Video
November 17, 2011 - California Supreme Court Advisory Opinion re: Proponents’ Standing
December 8, 2011 - 9th Circuit Hearing re: Release of Trial Videotapes and Proponents’ Motion to Vacate Judgment
February 7, 20 - 129th Circuit Affirms District Court Ruling That Prop. 8 is Unconstitutional
March 3, 2012 - Los Angeles Premiere of “8”
September 12, 2012
AWARD WINNING COMEDY “THE CLEAN HOUSE” TO OPEN SEASON AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE
Groves Cabin Theatre in Morongo Valley will open their 2012 – 2013 season on Saturday, September 29, with Sarah Ruhl’s award winning comedy “The Clean House.” The show will be performed Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. for four weekends through October 21.
When all you want is a clean house, beware! Someone just may air your dirty laundry. Lane and her husband Charles, a pair of busy, high-powered doctors hire Matilde, a young Brazilian woman, to clean their home. Matilde is depressed from the recent deaths of her parents, whom she describes as the funniest people in Brazil. Her mother died laughing from a joke her father told, and afterward, he shot himself, so Matilde came to America to clean houses. As it turns out, she hates to clean. But Lane's sister Virginia loves to clean, so Virginia cleans, while Matilde thinks up jokes in her quest for the world’s funniest, and together they find out, via a pair of sexy black panties among the newly washed clothes, that Lane's husband Charles is cheating on her. Charles, it seems, has fallen in love with Ana, an older woman on whom he performed a mastectomy.
Yet this play, which looks to be venturing into classic sitcom territory, ends up boldly challenging many stereotypes. Out of this situation come unexpected alliances, revelations about the past, dirty jokes told in Portuguese, and some wacky behavior driven by extreme love. And despite its frank dealing with cancer and adultery, the play is not about either, as five people open up to life in ways they couldn't have dreamed of. In Sarah Ruhl's paean to healing and forgiveness, the characters shed old patterns and expectations and embrace the feeling of seeking perfection, while letting go of the compulsion to reach it.
“The Clean House” won the 2004 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, awarded yearly to the best English-language play by a woman, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005. It has received glowing reviews from many critics: Variety called it a “…wondrously mad and moving work…” and Charles Isherwood of The NY Times dubbed it a deeply romantic comedy, “…visionary, tinged with fantasy, extravagant in feeling, maybe a little nuts.”
Talented and popular director Wendy Cohen directs a cast of award-winning Groves favorites featuring Vicki Montgomery as Lane, Joy Groves as Virginia, Julie Scott as Matilde, Dennis Priest as Charles, Anja Homberg as Ana, and Lorrie Brandon as the enthusiastic waiter. Darin Eldridge handles lighting and sound engineering.
Groves Cabin Theatre has won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high quality productions. The tiny 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world—that experience having been described as being, “like being a fly on the wall, witnessing real live happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“The Clean House” plays Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, September 29, through Sunday, October 21. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $12. For additional information and reservations call: 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
August 2, 2012
The 2012 Desert Theatre League Desert Star Award Nominations have been announced! Congratulations to the following Groves Cabin Theatre nominees:
DRAMA NOMINATIONS
Outstanding Production-Drama
Picasso
Three Tall Women
Outstanding Director of a Drama- Amateur
Dolores Becker-Trost, Picasso
Deborah Hagedorn, Three Tall Women
Outstanding Lead Actor-Drama-Amateur
Lloyd Steele, Picasso
Outstanding Lead Actress-Drama-Amateur
Joy Groves, Three Tall Women
Anja Homberg, Picasso
Outstanding Supporting Actress-Drama-Amateur
Vickie Montgomery, Three Tall Women
Elodie Rain, Three Tall Women
Outstanding Supporting Actor-Drama-Amateur
Gaspar Ascencio, Picasso
COMEDY NOMINATIONS
Outstanding Production-Comedy
The Circle
Outstanding Director of a Comedy
Wendy Cohen, The Circle
Outstanding Lead Actress-Comedy
Susan Brundage, The Circle
The Bill Groves Award for Outstanding Original Writing
Dolores Becker-Trost, Picasso
TECHNICAL AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Outstanding Set Design
Wendy Cohen, The Circle
Deborah Hagedorn, Three Tall Women
Winners will be announced at the 2012 Desert Stars Awards on Sunday, October 14th.
April 30, 2012
LOCAL PLAYWRIGHT’S ORIGINAL PLAY, “PICASSO” OPENS AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE SAT. JUNE 2
“Picasso” an original play by talented local playwright Dolores Becker Trost will open at Groves Cabin Theatre in Morongo Valley on Saturday, June 2 for three weekends; it will be performed Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through Sunday, June 17.
Edward Duncan, a young photojournalist, knocks on the door of famous artist Pablo Picasso hoping to get an impromptu interview. His request is granted. The elderly Picasso, played by award-winning actor Lloyd Steele, recalls his life, beginning with his rebellious childhood and skipping school to sketch his father’s pigeons. He reminisces on the women he loved and his struggle to find and express his artistic voice, which ultimately gave birth to "cubism." The dark side of his story involves the war-torn years in Europe and the senseless bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica. Pablo Picasso lived a long life, a big life, and a life fully explored. Love or hate his art, the impact and presence of Pablo Picasso cannot be ignored.
Several of the production’s capable cast members play multiple parts. S. Gaspar Ascencio is featured in the role of the younger Pablo Picasso, while Jeff Wood depicts Don Jose, Pablo’s father and Vollard, a Paris art dealer. Versatile Sue Bradley portrays Pablo’s mother Doña Maria, his teenaged lover Marie-Therese, Fernande, another former lover, and the famous Gertrude Stein. Audrey O’Brien appears as photojournalist Edward Duncan, while Anja Homberg plays Pablo’s second wife Jacqueline, and his model and mistress, Dora Maar. Wes Thomas portrays both Pablo’s close friend Carles, and Georges Braque, Picasso’s co-developer of cubism. The play’s author and director Dolores Becker Trost appears in the role of poet Max Jacob, and special guest performer, Kathy Penny, weaves her Gypsy Flamenco dancing throughout the show.
Groves Cabin Theatre has won many Desert Theatre League awards for its high quality productions. The tiny 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world—that experience having been described as being, “like being a fly on the wall, witnessing real live happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“Picasso” plays Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, June 2, through Sunday, June 17. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats: $10. For additional information and reservations call: 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
April 14, 2012
ACCLAIMED MAUGHAM COMEDY “THE CIRCLE” OPENS AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE SAT. APRIL 28
W. Somerset Maugham’s most popular comedy, “The Circle,” will open at Groves Cabin Theatre in Morongo Valley on Saturday, April 28; it will be performed Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through Sunday, May 29.
“The Circle,” a wise and witty satire concerning marriage, infidelity and the battle between passion and practicality, was first produced in 1921. The play, which brilliantly captures the poise and posture of high society in the 1920s, was named in 1998 as among the 100 most significant plays of the 20th century in a National Theatre poll. "The Circle" is full of the dry wit and grace that typifies light British comedy at its very best.
Within “The Circle” the geometry of the heart is mapped out as two love triangles intersect with hilarious results. Thirty years before, the vivacious Lady Kitty abandoned her politician husband, Lord Cheney, and her young son, Arnold, for a scandalous life with her husband's best friend, Lord Porteous. Now, at the invitation of Arnold and his wife, Elizabeth, the sinning couple returns to confront the family she long ago abandoned, and a new scandal unfolds when a charming houseguest threatens to take Arnold's own wife, Elizabeth, from him.
Will the new couple be influenced by Kitty's wicked example? Will Elizabeth go through with it? Will Lady Kitty chuck it all and return to her long lost husband? Will practicality trump passion once and for all? And what is wrong with Lord Porteous' teeth?
A Groves favorite, talented Wendy Cohen, directs “The Circle” Her capable cast features Anja Homburg as Lady Shenstone, Marty Neider as Lady Kitty, Kurt Schauppner as Lord Cheney, Philip Spinelli as Lord Porteous, Karl Weimer as Arnold Cheney, Susan Brundage as Elizabeth, and Nathaniel Lynn as Teddy Luton.
Groves Cabin Theatre has won many Desert Theatre League awards for its high quality productions. The tiny 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world—that experience having been described as being, “like being a fly on the wall, witnessing real live happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“The Circle” plays Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, April 28, through Sunday, May 29. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats: $10. For additional information and reservations call: 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
January 31, 2012
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER “THREE TALL WOMEN”AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE FEB. 11 – MAR. 4
The Groves Cabin Theatre production of Edward Albee’s 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning drama “Three Tall Women” will open at the popular Morongo Valley theater on Saturday, February 11. It will play Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. for four weekends through Sunday, March 4.
The protagonist of “Three Tall Women,” a compelling woman more than ninety years old, reflects on her life with a mixture of shame, pleasure, regret, and satisfaction. She recalls the fun of her childhood and her marriage, when she had an overwhelming optimism for her future. Yet she bitterly recalls the negative events that resulted in regret: her husband’s extramarital affairs, the death of her husband, and the estrangement of her gay son. Many theater critics consider this to be three-time Pulitzer winner Edward Albee’s best and most forceful play.
The play, directed by Deborah Hagedorn, stars Joy Groves as the imperious, acerbic old woman who is tended to by two other women, her caretaker played by Vicki Montgomery, and her lawyer, portrayed by Elodie Rain. These “tall women” deal with everything from incontinence to infidelity, depicting aging without sentimentality and telling us about forgiveness, reconciliation, and fate. Dennis Priest makes a cameo appearance as the woman’s son.
Groves Cabin Theatre has won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high quality productions. The tiny 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world—that experience having been described as being, “like being a fly on the wall, witnessing real live happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“Three Tall Women” plays Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, February 11, through Sunday, March 4. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $10. For additional information and reservations call: 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
December 31, 2011
Congratulations to all Groves Cabin Theatre 2011 Desert Stars Award winners!
Daddy's Dyin’, Who’s Got The Will
Outstanding Lead Actress - Comedy - Virginia Sulick
Outstanding Sound Design - Charles Harvey
W;T
Outstanding Supporting Actor - Drama - Abe Daniels
Grace and Glorie
Outstanding Production - Drama
Outstanding Director - Drama - Rosemary Mallett
Outstanding Lead Actress - Joy Groves
Outstanding Supporting Actress - Vicki Montgomery
November 22, 2011
SUNDAY MATINEE ADDED ON DEC. 11 FOR HIGHLY ENTERTAINING “TORCH SONG SOLILOQUY” AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE
Due to high demand, Groves Cabin Theatre in MorongoValley has added an extra matinee performance of Sal Bovoso’s “Torch Song Soliloquy,” on Sunday, December 11, at 2:30 p.m. The show plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through December 4, plus the added Sunday matinee on the 11th; all performances are sold out except the newly added matinee and a few seats for Saturday, December 3.
“Torch Song Soliloquy” is a one-man musical review created and performed by lifelong theater veteran Sal Bovoso. The cabaret styled show is subtitled; ‘A Musical Evening of Love Gone Awry,’ and it will warm your heart with poignant, humorous, and upbeat musical vignettes of touching and ironic “coulds” and “shoulds” in the never-dull world of love and relating. Though recommended for mature audiences, the production contains no offensive material.
Morongo Basin resident Salvatore Bovoso has enjoyed a passionate involvement with theater, cabaret, nightclubs, and entertainment, including a stint on TV, for most all of his life. Sal has performed extensively on the east coast and in the San FranciscoBay area. He made his professional stage debut at the tender age of age of 17 in 1961, in Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde“ at Theatre Intime in Princeton, NJ, and as Sal states, “I’ve been hooked ever since; I’ve been in and out of “the biz’ my whole adult life. I always come back for a taste when I can, and it’s time again to savor that wonderful flavor…”Torch Song Soliloquy” is upbeat, fun, and full of music and heart - part theater, part cabaret, and all Sal.”
Groves Cabin Theatre has won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high-quality productions. The 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world, that experience having been described as being, “like a fly on the wall, witnessing life happening before my eyes.”
Torch Song Soliloquy” plays Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, November 12, through Sunday, December 4, with an added matinee on Sunday, December 11. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in MorongoValley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $10. For additional information and reservations please call! 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
November 2, 2011
HIGHLY ENTERTAINING “TORCH SONG SOLILOQY” AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE NOV. 12 - DEC. 4
Groves Cabin Theatre and Certainly Not Tonite Productions are delighted to be presenting Sal Bovoso’s “Torch Song Soliloqy”, which will open at the Morongo Valley theater on Saturday, November 12, and will be performed on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. for four weekends through Sunday, December 4.
“Torch Song Soliloqy” is a one-man musical review created and performed by lifelong theater veteran Sal Bovoso. The cabaret styled show is subtitled, “A Musical Evening of Love Gone Awry”, and it will warm your heart with poignant, humorous, and upbeat musical vignettes of touching and ironic “coulds” and “shoulds” in the never-dull world of love and relating. Though recommended for mature audiences, the production contains no offensive material.
Morongo Basin resident Salvatore Bovoso has enjoyed a passionate involvement with theater, cabaret, nightclubs, and entertainment, including a stint on TV, for most all of his life. Sal has performed extensively on the east coast and in the San Francisco Bay area. He made his professional stage debut at the tender age of age of 17 in 1961, in Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde” at Theatre Intime in Princeton, NJ, and as Sal states, “I’ve been hooked ever since; I’ve been in and out of “the biz” my whole adult life. I always come back for a taste when I can, and it’s time again to savor that wonderful flavor… ”Torch Song Soliloqy” is upbeat, fun, and full of music and heart - part theater, part cabaret, and all Sal.”
Groves Cabin Theatre has won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high-quality productions. The 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world, that experience having been described as being, “like a fly on the wall, witnessing life happening before my eyes. The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“Torch Song Soliloqy” plays Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, November 12, through Sunday, December 4. Groves Cabin Theatre is located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in MorongoValley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $10. For additional information and reservations please call! 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
April 1, 2011
HEARTFELT COMEDY “GRACE & GLORIE” TO OPEN APRIL 16 AT GROVES CABIN THEATRE IN MORONGO VALLEY TO PLAY SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS THROUGH MAY 8
The Groves Cabin Theatre production of Tom Ziegler’s heartfelt comedy “Grace & Glorie” will open on Saturday, April 16, at the Morongo Valley theater. The play will be performed on Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. for four weekends through Sunday, May 8.
Playwright Tom Ziegler’s “Grace & Glorie” was first presented in 1990 in a workshop at the Shenandoah Valley Playwright’s Retreat with the title “Apple Dreams.” Its first professional performance was at Theatre Virginia in Richmond in the spring of 1991. In 1996, the renamed play went on to a successful run on Broadway directed by Gloria Muzio and featuring Estelle Parsons in the role of Grace and Lucie Arnaz as Glorie. The Hallmark Hall of Fame filmed it for television release in 1998 staring Gena Rowlands as Grace and Diane Lane as Glorie. The play has had many successful productions nationally and internationally, including a sold-out run in Vienna.
Grace Stiles is a cantankerous and feisty 90-year-old Blue Ridge Mountain widow who’s checked herself out of the hospital and returned to her ramshackle cottage in the mountains of Virginia, her doctors giving her only a few more weeks to live. Gloria Whitmore, a sophisticated and much younger transplanted New Yorker with a Harvard MBA, is a hospice volunteer that has come to Grace’s log cabin to help her die, something that Grace feels entirely capable of doing on her own, thank you very much and goodbye. At first their cultural and generational differences hilariously collide; Grace can’t read or write, and Glorie, as Grace decides to call her, can’t figure out Grace’s wood stove. But over time, this “odd couple” duo realizes they have more in common than they imagined. “Grace & Glorie” is a poignant comedy about love, loss, and the search for meaning in life.
Directed by Rosemary Mallett, the production stars Groves Cabin Theatre stalwarts, and multiple Desert Theatre League award winners, Joy Groves as Grace, and Vicki Montgomery as Glorie.
Groves Cabin Theatrehas won numerous Desert Theatre League awards for its high-quality productions. The 22-seat theater offers one of the most intimate theatrical experiences in the world—that experience having been described as being, “like a fly on the wall, witnessing real life happening before my eyes.” The limited seating means early reservations are a must.
“Grace & Glorie” plays Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. from Saturday, April 16, through Sunday, May 8. Groves Cabin Theatreis located at 8768 Desert Willow Trail in Morongo Valley north of Highway 62 (look for the large red, white, and blue stone on the north side of the highway). Tickets for all seats are $10. For additional information and reservations please call! 760-365-4523; www.grovescabintheatre.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Joy Groves (760) 365-4523; forjoyg@yahoo.com
Sam Sloneker (760) 366-9081; samslo@msn.com
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