PRESS RELEASE:

ANNOUNCING THE 2007/2008 SEASON, TOURING SHOWS, DINNERBOX SERIES AND MORE!!!

San Antonio, Texas - July, 2007 The Company Theatre has something for everyone this year! We are happy to Announce the 2007-2008 season! We have teamed up with local restaurants  to present the Dinner Box Series  - Dinner and show in your favorite local eateries!

 

In addition to the Dinner Box Series, we have our Educational Outreach Touring Program. and "Morning Matinee's"

 

The Dinner Box Series includes:

• October/November -The Mystery of Irma Vep
• December -BAH HUMBUG - It's a one-man Christmas Carol!
• December -Merry Christmas, George Bailey
• February - I HATE HAMLET!
• April - The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (abridged!)
• May - Greater Tuna

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS

and MORNING MUNCHBOX MATINEES!

Now in its 5^th season, our Educational Outreach Program brings delightful adaptations of classics and new plays to elementary, middle & high schools all across Texas. Featuring some of San Antonio’s finest professional actors and directors, and specially created study guides about each show along with onsite workshops and “talk backs” with the actors, ignite the spark of theatre appreciation in young minds. And these productions, for kids of all ages, will be presented on selected Saturday mornings of each month as part of our Munchbox Matinnee

 

Show descriptions:

The Mystery of Irma Vep - Just in time for Halloween! We kick off our new season with one of the most-produced comedies in U. S. History, The Mystery of Irma Vep. Once singled out as Best Play of the Year by both Time magazine and the New York Times. "Werewolves, vampires, mummies, ghosts...oh my!!! Mix all that with Shakespeare, Poe, 'Rebecca,' ' Jane Eyre,' 'Gone with the Wind' and the Twilight Zone and you have a crazy hilarious concoction that parodies just about everything! Think Young Frankenstein meets Monty Python!

 

The Mystery of Irma Vep is a campy tribute to Gothic horror films, liberally stealing from well-known film classics like Wuthering Heights, The Mummy's Curse and Alfred Hitchcock's Academy Award-winning Rebecca. Literary detectives will also recognize dialogue lifted from Ibsen, Shakespeare, Poe, the Brontës, Omar Khayyam, and Oscar Wilde. Two actors play all of the play's eight characters, racing through a literal quick-change marathon complete with werewolves, vampires and damsels in distress. It was named one of 1984's best plays by Time Magazine and The New York Times and won Drama Desk and Obie awards.

 

BAH HUMBUG! It's a one-man Christmas Carol.

Award-winning actor Damian Gillen kicks off the 5th annual, ten-city Texas tour of this holiday classic at the Dinner Box in December. BAH HUMBUG! is a one-man adaptation of Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of hope and compassion: A Christmas Carol, The show has been seen by more than 12,000 people in four years, is family-friendly and runs about an hour in length. The Texas tour will close with a grand finale performance at San Antonio’s famous Arneson Riverwalk Theatre!

Merry Christmas, George Bailey! - Something is amiss in BedfordFalls. Clarence, the rookie angel, is cracking wise. George Baileylooks suspiciously unlike Jimmy Stewart. And the venerable story of"It's a Wonderful Life" is unfolding on stage, not on celluloid. Thisisn't a blow to tradition, however. It turns out that Frank Capra'sclassic film isn't the only way to enjoy the holiday drama – TheCompany Theatre is offering a live version of the radio play that wasbased on a Lux Soap Radio script originally performed in 1947. Thisprogram is a toast to the 60th anniversary of one of America's most

beloved holiday films!

Andrew Rally seems to have it all: celebrity and acclaim from his starring role in a hit TV series; a rich beautiful girlfriend; a glamorous, devoted agent; the perfect New York apartment; and the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park. There are, however, a couple of glitches in paradise. Andrew's series has been canceled and he has no desire to play Hamlet. When Andrew's agent visits him, she reminisces about her brief romance with John Barrymore many years ago, in Andrew's new apartment. This prompts a séance to summon his ghost. From the moment Barrymore returns, dressed in high Shakespearean garb, Andrew's life is no longer his own. Barrymore, fortified by champagne and ego, presses Andrew to accept the part and fulfill his actor's destiny. The action becomes more hilarious with the entrance of Andrew's deal-making friend from LA, spouting the laid-back hype of the Coast and offering Andrew a fabulous new TV deal worth millions of dollars. The laughs are nonstop as Andrew wrestles with his conscience, Barrymore, his sword, and the fact that he fails as Hamlet in Central Park!

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged!) The record breaking hit! All 37 Plays in 97 Minutes!
An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard's plays, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) was London's longest-running comedy - 10 years at the Criterion Theatre. Praised by the Los Angeles Times as "wildly funny" and by the Montreal Gazette as "the funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime". Warning!: This show is a high-speed roller-coaster type condensation of all of Shakespeare's plays, and is not recommended for people with heart ailments, bladder problems, inner-ear disorders and/or people inclined to motion sickness. The Company Theatre cannot be held responsible for expectant mothers.

GREATER TUNA

The hilarious comedy about Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals."Howlingly funny." Variety. "The audience ... all but exploded the theatre with laughter." N.Y. Post" What do Arles Struvie, Thurston Wheelis, Aunt Pearl, Petey Fisk, Phineas Blye and Rev. Spikes have in common? They are among the upstanding citizens of Tuna Texas' third smallest town in this hilarious send up of small town mores, and they are all played by two actors! In this Off Broadway hit two actors create the entire population of Tuna in a tour de farce of quick change artistry, both of costumes and of comic characterizations. There are twenty wild characters in this show and you may wish to use up to that many actors, but that isn't nearly as much fun. "

 

“Morning Munchbox Matinee” series (Located inside Ruben’s Café’ 14357 Blanco Rd) & Educational Outreach Touring Program

• Charlottes Web
• Chronicles of Narnia: Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
• Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Bah Humbug!

Charlottes Web - Based on E.B. White's loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman -- she will create a "miracle." Spinning the words "Some Pig" in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution, which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig, but ensures his place on the farm forever. This treasured tale, featuring madcap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love, and the true meaning of friendship.

The Chronicles of Narnia:

• Lion The Witch & the Wardrobe (Fall 2007)
• Prince Caspian (TBA 2008)

Based on C.S. Lewis timeless adventure, The Chronicles of Narnia, one of the greatest masterpieces of fantasy literature. This remarkably imaginative adaptation created by The Company Theatre's professional touring program for young audiences follows characters of Peter & Lucy, as they recount their travels through a magical wardrobe, to the land of Narnia. There they join with the great Lion Aslan to defeat the evil White Witch! This epic story is filled with themes of friendship, courage and the eternal struggle of good vs. evil.

 

2006-2007 Season:

• Bah Humbug! The 4th annual Texas tour!
• THE NERD - by Larry Shue January/February, 2007
• ART- by Yazmina Reza - May/June 2007

Educational Outreach Programs

available for touring to schools & community centers across Texas:

Charlotte's Web -by E.B. White (Now touring.) E.B. White's loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman -- she will create a "miracle." Spinning the words "Some Pig" in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig, but ensures his place on the farm forever.

The Complete History of Texas (In one darn easy lesson) 500 years of Texas in 50 minutes! The first in show in our Edu-tainment series. A zany, mad cap rollercoaster ride through history of the lone star state, that you will not want to miss!

Special Events:

The Parables - (Now touring) Damian Gillen AKA: "The Parable Man" presents Earthly stories with heavenly meanings. A contemporay and hilarious re-telling of the parables of Jesus. A fun, yet powerful one-man evangelization / entertainment tool for parishes, conferences and conventions. Provides inspiration, education and motivation; which are vital aspects to retreats, rallies and other special events. Our popular performances are unique cultural events that will add greater appeal and draw more interest to your event, festival, rally or conference.

 

Past Productions - 1993-2006

 

A Few Good Men
Black Comedy
Orphans
Search and Destroy
Rope
Talk Radio
SubUrbia
Lone Star
Radio Scrooge
True West
How The Other Half Loves
A Christmas Carol
Boom Town
Come Blow Your Horn
Much Ado About Nothing, 2004
Bah Humbug! 2004
Play It Again, Sam Feb 2005
Social Security June 2005
Bah Hunbug! 2005
The Lion, the Witch & The Wardrobe (2005-2006)
Much Ado (Feb. 2006)
The Parables (aka: The Parable Man 2006- )
The Foreigner (May 2006)
Bah Humbug! (2006)
Charlottes Web (2006-2007)
The Nerd (Valentines Day 2007)
"ART" (May-June 2007)
A Few Good Men - Nomination for Outstanding Production of a Drama (B. Iden Payne Award, Austin, TX)

Rope & Boomtown - Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama (Damian Gillen - B. Iden Payne Award, Austin, TX)

**In association w/ Onstage Theatre Co:

The Odd Couple
Barefoot In The Park
Arsenic & Old Lace
Sylvia
Harvey (Click to see Review)
Hound Of The Baskervilles , 1998
A Christmas Carol, 1998
Blithe Spirit, 1999*
My Three Angels, December 1999
That Championship Season. March, 2000
Blithe Spirit - B. Iden Payne Award nomination for "Outstanding Direction of a Comedy" (Damian Gillen)