Anton in Show Business

by Jane Martin
February 8 - March 10

"Aching Hilarity"- NY Times
"Funny, Smart, Wry, and Poignant" Miami Herald
"A Must-See Comedy for those who Love Theatre" Chicago Sun-Times

One of Stage 3's favorite playwrights has done it again! Recently named the Best New Play of 2001 by the American Theatre Critics Association and the runaway hit of the Humana New Plays Festival, "Anton in Show Business" takes you backstage in a hysterical look into the world of theatre. This a brilliant new comedy that tells the story of three struggling actors and an ill-fated production of Anton Chekhov's classic "The Three Sisters" in San Antonio, Texas.

Chekhov's sisters were never like this! Casey, the Queen of Off-Off Broadway, has just celebrated the opening of her 200th play without ever having been paid a salary. Then there's Lisbette, a naïve third grade teacher who has made her stage comeback in a community theater production of "Fiddler on the Roof". Last is Holly, the famous and jaded TV star who has had so much plastic surgery that the other two call her Frankenstein.

Follow this trio through a series of inept directors, impossible critics, funding failures and general comic mayhem. If you enjoyed "A Show of her Own" and " Inspecting Carol", don't miss "Anton in Show Business". Demolishing the classics can be fun!

Catfish Moon

by Laddy Sartin
April 12 - May 12

".. full of the most bodacious joviality …pure delight… comic writing as sweet as it comes" Charlotte Observer

A tender comedy about the best way to land a catfish, beer, The Meaning of Life. Stuff like that.

The old fishing pier out on the end of Cypress Lake has just fallen under the spell of another Catfish Moon. It was the favorite hangout of three boyhood friends - skipping school, skinny dipping and even experiencing the mysteries of girls. Curley, Gordon and Frog are older now and they have tasted the bitterness of life as well as its sweetness. We meet the one woman who has been the fulcrum of their lives and who now inadvertently threatens to tear the friends apart. The trio is led to the old pier for one last all-nighter, one last stand, one last shot at their memories, their friendship and the chance to hook the Big One. They don't know it yet but they just might land the biggest catch of all.

Join us as we take a walk with the old pals down to the pier under a "Catfish Moon".

California History
Theater Festival

May 30 - July 14

Stage 3 is delighted to host Duende Drama and Literature for a summer season of plays by Rick Foster. Mr. Foster has a rich history with us. Stage 3 produced the hits "Gunpowder Man" and "Women of the Bear". Now he is back with Duende and has three great full-length plays in his pocket which will run in repertory.

First, "Gunpowder Man" is back by popular demand. It tells the story of Chinese people who fled the catastrophic end of the Taiping Rebellion, helped build the transcontinental railroad, settled in the US, and endured the racist reactions of the 1880's. Next is the premiere of a new play on the disastrous friendship between Mark Twain and Brett Harte. Randy Maple will play Twain and Tom Maguire will be Harte. And finally, a big comedy about a company of actors who show up in Sonora, in 1850. The company's coming apart at the seams and they've just been robbed of all their money. A miner who has struck it rich offers to bail them out-but only if they let him fulfill his lifelong dream: to star in Shakespeare's Richard III.

Though not part of our regular subscription season, join us in giving Duende a warm welcome to their summer home.

A Short Stay at Carranor

by William Blinn
August 2 - August 25

Winner of our 2002 Festival of New Plays

"A Short Stay at Carranor" is the first piece written for the stage by screenwriter William Blinn (Roots, Brian's Song, Purple Rain). It is the touching and often comic story of a December/December romance between two former teenage sweethearts. Love rekindles in their twilight years when they find each other again. There's just one problem, he's married. Her family is against it. His family is against it. It seems the whole world is against it.

This beautifully written play goes well below the surface and asks "What rules do we play by?" "Where does our responsibility to others end and the responsibility to make our own happiness begin?" It is a love story with a twist. And such a wonderfully crafted twist! "Carrranor" received one of the best audience reactions our Festival of New Plays has ever seen. You'll love it too!

2002 Festival of Plays

September 13 - 15

The Festival offers a full weekend of rehearsed staged readings of the best plays submitted to Stage 3's annual playwriting competition. Previous winners have received world premiere productions at Stage 3 and then have been produced at many theatres across the country. With the winning playwrights in attendance, audiences have the opportunity to participate in this exciting developmental stage of the life of a play.

As always, free to subscribers.

Drinking Alone

by Norm Foster
September 27 -October 27

Joe Todd had a plan. It was a simple plan. It should have worked. Oops.

This new comedy by Norm Foster is fascinating. Joe Todd wants to prove to his family that his life isn't as empty and pointless as they think it is. So he hires a woman for the evening and tries to pass her off as his fiancée. It seems familiar. We think we've seen this plot before. We think we know what will happen, right?. Wrong.

Before we know it, Foster has pulled the theatrical rug out from under our expectations and given us a superbly written play about the need to love and be loved. About what makes us whole and what makes us happy. All done in such a clever way that we aren't sure whether the tears we are wiping from our eyes are from laughter or not. We think you'll agree that no one should be left "Drinking Alone".

The Lion in Winter

by James Goldman
November 22 - December 22

It is Christmas at the castle of Chinon. The year is 1183. You are Henry II, King of England and half of France, the greatest power in a thousand years. You have ruled for thirty years a state as great as Charlemagne's. Now the brilliant, powerful Queen Eleanor and your three sons plot and connive in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of alliances to destroy you and tear your kingdom asunder. In one day the toil of a lifetime and the riches of the world will be lost. Well, what family doesn't have its ups and downs?

Stage 3 takes on one of the best plays of our time. The dialog crackles. The characters are titanic and brilliantly written. The plot draws you in like a whirlpool. And it's really funny too. This play is so good it's scary. We can't wait to sink our teeth into it. What a season finale! Hope you'll be here.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS

Thursday nights: $10
Friday - Sunday: $14

SENIOR TICKETS:

Friday - Saturday: $14
Sunday: $10

ALL STUDENT TICKETS: $8

SEASON TICKETS

5 Productions: $60

Thursday night curtain at 7pm
Friday and Saturday night curtain at 8pm
Sunday matinee at 2pm.

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RESERVATIONS: (209) 536-1778
E -MAIL: info@stage3.org

Stage 3 Theatre Company
208 S. Green St.
Sonora, CA 95370