2024
For Immediate Release
November 22, 2024
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
TVNPA Impact Maker Award Winner announces Annual Holiday Event to return to SPARC Studio
Livermore – To kick off the holiday season, SPARC Theater is excited to announce its annual Holiday Story Soiree, featuring a live performance of favorite holiday stories, including the 1897 classic editorial, “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus,” O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Fir Tree,” Clement C. Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas), and more. These stories will be read and performed, script in hand, by a group of audience-favorite SPARC actors, and are directed by Associate Artist Mary Ann Rodgers. “It’s no secret that gathering together with other members of the community can lift your spirits. Enjoying a live actor experience in a casual setting is a great way to bring people together,” suggested Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch. The nonprofit theater company, known as SPARC, was awarded the Impact Maker in Arts & Culture for 2024 by the TriValley NonProfit Alliance this month at the Power of Giving event.
This event will take place on Friday, December 13th and Saturday, December 14th at 7:30 PM, with a matinee on Sunday, December 15th at 2:00 PM in Livermore, with an additional performance in San Ramon at 7:00 PM Sunday the 15th. Expanding into San Ramon demonstrates the company’s commitment to serving the greater TriValley area. This year’s event includes a DIY hot cocoa bar, an assortment of sweet confections, and some old-fashioned group caroling in addition to the live readings.
The Holiday Story Soiree is part of SPARC’s Get Out of the House! reading series. Upcoming events in this reading series in 2025 include a three-actor retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in February and SPARC’s third-annual Science@Play series, featuring two weekends of thought-provoking science-based plays in March. For those who don’t want to miss out on the fun, a Prose Package Subscription is available for purchase, which includes a ticket to each event at a discounted price.Friday and Saturday evening performances and the Sunday matinee will be held at SPARC Studio, located at 2172 Railroad Ave., Livermore, CA. Sunday’s 7:00 PM performance in San Ramon will be at Front Row Theater, 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA, 94582. Tickets are $35 and include a warm drink or sweet holiday treat. Tickets are available for purchase at SPARCtheater.org or by calling (925) 443-2273.
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For Immediate Release
September 29, 2024
Contact: Felicity Cowlin
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Inaugural Trivia Night Fundraiser with 3 Steves Winery and Home Brew Trivia
Livermore – SPARC Theater, a beacon of community and cultural enrichment in Livermore, is thrilled to announce its first-ever in-person trivia night fundraiser. This milestone event, forged in partnership with 3 Steves Winery and Home Brew Trivia, is set to take place on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 6:00 PM, promising an evening of intellectual challenge, fine wine, and community spirit in support of local arts.
SPARC Theater has long been a hub for creative expression and cultural dialogue in the Tri-Valley. By partnering with 3 Steves Winery, a beloved local vineyard, and the engaging quiz masters Jeff and Nancy Lewis at Home Brew Trivia, SPARC Theater aims to offer a unique event that underscores the importance of local artistic and business collaborations.
The evening will feature several rounds of trivia, each crafted to challenge and entertain, while participants enjoy a selection of fine wines from 3 Steves Winery. A prize will be awarded to the top trivia maestros. Additionally, 10% of the proceeds from wine sales will directly benefit SPARC Theater, supporting its mission to cultivate and nurture the performing arts in the community.
“Partnering with 3 Steves Winery provides a fantastic opportunity to support a local vineyard,” said Felicity Cowlin, Development Director of SPARC. “We are proud to be a part of this initiative that brings the community together and highlights the synergy between local businesses and cultural institutions.”
This fundraiser is more than an evening out; it is an investment in the cultural vitality of Livermore. Attendees will not only experience a night of fun and camaraderie but also contribute to sustaining the arts as a critical component of our local identity.
For more information, please visit: https://sparctheater.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/
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For Immediate Release
August 19, 2024
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Expands Welcoming New Staff
Livermore – SPARC theater is expanding; welcome news as Bay Area theaters struggle in a post-pandemic world. Felicity Cowlin of Concord is the new Development Director of the mid-sized nonprofit professional theater company. She joins the company as it also expands its programming to the Town of Danville, where Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is playing through August 25th at The Village Theatre and Art Gallery.
Cowlin was recently part of a staff layoff at the award-winning Aurora Theater in Berkeley, where she was the development director leading the successful “Save Aurora Campaign.” “I’m passionate about the ability of live professional theater to nurture and heal society. I was sad to see Aurora struggling, but excited as I learned about SPARC during my last week on the job,” commented Cowlin. “I have a family. One of the things I love about living in this area is the abundance of art and cultural activities and the number of skilled theater professionals who call the Bay Area home. I look forward to assisting the SPARC theater board and staff achieve their goals to provide year-round theater and educational activities to the greater Bay Area.”
Cowlin earned her MA in Theater Arts Administration (2022) from Rowan University in NJ and her BA in Theater Arts from CSU Long Beach. “We’re so excited to have found Felicity at the perfect time for us,” noted Executive and Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch. “She has the advance administrative training, years of experience in theater development at a company I respect, and is deeply rooted in the shared experience that is live theater.” SPARC has produced not only Shakespeare, but contemporary plays and educational programs for youth and adults over a 22-year period, primarily under the Livermore Shakespeare Festival banner. Expanding the staff and programming is part of the group’s long-range plan to serve the Greater Bay Area collaborating with other cultural groups.
Information about SPARC theater can be found at www.SPARCtheater.org or 925-443-2273. For more information about the Danville Shakespeare run visit www.danville.ca.gov/sparc.
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For Immediate Release
June 11, 2024
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Danville is putting the “R” in SPARC
Livermore – SPARC theater is expanding beyond its usual Livermore haunts to bring a show to the Town of Danville’s Village Theatre & Art Gallery. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night will be performed for Shakespeare in the Vineyard outdoors at Darcie Kent Vineyards in Livermore over the month of July, then re-surface indoors for three weekends in August at The Village Theatre & Art Gallery in Danville as part of the “The Town of Danville Presents” series. “We’re putting the “R” in SPARC,” quipped Executive Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch, “R” stands for “Regional” in the company’s new brand, Shakespeare and Performing Arts Regional Company.
The theater group has produced not only Shakespeare, but contemporary plays and educational programs for youth and adults over a 22-year period, primarily in Livermore the past several years under the Livermore Shakespeare Festival banner. In the early years, production venues for contemporary plays included a church and yoga studio in Pleasanton, a middle school in Dublin, and both the Bothwell Arts Center and The Bankhead Theater in Livermore complimenting the larger summer festivals at Retzlaff, Concannon, Wente, and now Darcie Kent Vineyards during the summers. “Though we tend to attract a younger audience, in part due to the vineyard setting, some of our long-time supporters are aging,” noted Managing Director Lindsey Schmeltzer, “Having an indoor venue and the ability to offer matinees will be a nice alternative.”
As several smaller and mid-sized theaters have closed due to the pandemic, SPARC is attempting to fill the void. Council Member Newell Arnerich commented, “We are very excited about partnering with SPARC, Shakespeare & Performing Arts Regional Company, in an exciting opportunity to bring Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night production to our local community. The performances will be held at the Village Theatre & Art Gallery, nestled in the heart of downtown, a delightful gem surrounded by restaurants and shops, offering an ideal setting for a memorable evening out.”
Sponsors that help make the shows possible include California Arts Council, City of Livermore, Dimitri Law, Fremont Bank, and Theatre League – Kansas City. An anonymous donor has offered a $5,000 match to help attract donors to complete the fundraising program supporting the Danville extension. Curious donors are encouraged to contact the artistic director at 925-443-2273.
Tickets to the outdoor summer shows of Twelfth Night at Darcie Kent Vineyards are on sale now at www.SPARCtheater.org or 925-443-2273. More information about the Danville run visit www.danville.ca.gov/sparc.
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For Immediate Release
March 5, 2024
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Renowned Playwright in Residence at Tri-Valley’s SPARC Theater
Livermore – Observing the creative process at work, and even better, becoming part of it, is an invigorating experience. The Bay Area, and particularly the Tri-Valley, are known for innovation and creativity in science and technology, medicine, and the arts. Theater arts open the creative process to the public in the developmental reading process. Playwrights working on new scripts share early versions of their work with small audiences, noting their responses and requesting feedback. These readings often provide invigorating discussions about the topics being explored as patrons mingle with actors and writers after the show. One such process is taking place this March at SPARC Studio, in downtown Livermore: Science@Play.
“Being in a community with two national labs makes plays with science themes a natural pairing,” says Science@Play director Michael Wayne Rice, who will lead the cast through an intensive short week of rehearsals and discussions. Previous plays commissioned by SPARC theater explored COVID and climate change. This year’s theme is AI, which naturally leans into the sci-fi realm. “AI can mean so many things, depending upon which industry is using it,” adds artistic director Lisa Tromovitch. “What is particularly fascinating about AI is how we jump to creating something that thinks and acts like humans. It’s as if we want to replace ourselves with something we perceive as ‘better.’” The psychology of how we use AI is a main theme of the two plays that form the Science@Play series.
The first weekend of semi-staged, script-in-hand readings features Marjorie Prime, a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist, by playwright Jordan Harrison. Kris Vire from TIME OUT Chicago calls it “… A gut-punch of a play. What’s remarkable about this savvy piece is its insight into the vagaries of memory and the navigation of grief.” It runs March 15th – March 17th. Like the newly commissioned script, currently titled Running the Light, by Prince Gomolvilas, themes are explored through the love and tensions within a family. “Something we can all identify with,” suggests Li-Leng Au, an actress in the new piece. Prince Gomolvilas will be in residence to work with the actors and share the public performances and discussions March 29th and 30th.
Prince Gomolvilas may be the world’s only Thai American playwright with production credits in seven countries. A prolific award-winning writer, Gomolvilas has wide-ranging interests writing scripts for television, film, and children’s theater, as well as novels and blogs. “I’m excited to have him in the room,” notes actor Ben Chau-Chiu who will take on the role of Pong, the central character of Running the Light. “It’s a gift to work directly with a playwright.” The public’s reactions and comments will influence the next draft of the play. What the audience sees at SPARC may change even from performance to performance, as the writer makes adjustments based on audience response.
Tickets and information can be found at SPARCtheater.org /science-at-play/, or by calling 925-443-2273 (BARD). Shows are at 7:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, with a 2:00 PM matinee offered on each weekend. Seating is limited; advanced purchase recommended.
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For Immediate Release
February 12, 2024
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Local Artists to Light Up the SPARC Stage at Darcie Kent Vineyards
Livermore – As post-pandemic communities return to supporting their local shops and restaurants, SPARC Theater is gathering professional Bay Area artists for their summer production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy Twelfth Night. “The casting season has begun!” noted director Lisa Tromovitch.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of a Darcie Kent Vineyard, SPARC Theater will produce a play with classic Shakespearean comic and romantic twists: mistaken identities with girls in disguise, identical twins, and love triangles, as those who are lost find themselves through new romantic relationships. Shakespeare in the Vineyard 2024’s summer production, Twelfth Night promises enchantment and an unforgettable evening of laughter, romance, and merriment for theater enthusiasts of all ages.
Unlike some theater companies that source their artists from New York and LA, SPARC Theater is renowned for its commitment to fostering local talent and providing a platform for professional artists within the community. This production of Twelfth Night will be no exception, featuring a talented cast of San Francisco Bay Area actors who bring Shakespeare’s characters to life with passion and skill.
Previous Shakespeare in the Vineyard seasons included actors that now grace the stages of Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival such as Armando McClain last seen in The 39 Steps (2022) or Jeremy Gallardo in Othello (2019). Other seasons included actors like Elissa Stebbins in Pride and Prejudice (2014) and Elena Wright in Silent Sky (2023) who have performed for local Tony award-winning theaters such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre and TheaterWorks Silicon Valley.
“We are excited to showcase these professional local artists while bringing the magic of live theater to our community in a unique and beautiful setting,” says Lisa Tromovitch, SPARC Artistic Director and director of Twelfth Night. “Our goal is to create an immersive experience that allows families from across the region to experience the joy of live theater while fostering community and creating lasting memories underneath the stars.” Nurturing local professionals ensures continued support for a high-quality ecosystem of theater workers.
Twelfth Night is set to perform every weekend in July, outdoors at Darcie Kent Vineyards. All performances start at 7:30 pm. Tickets will be on sale to the public starting April 1st. For more information visit www.SPARCtheater.org or call 925-443-2273.
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For Immediate Release
January 27, 2024
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Local Artist and Local Theater Find Each Other
Livermore – “Local” can mean different things depending on the context. When a local theater company such as SPARC theater, formerly known as Livermore Shakespeare Festival, seeks to develop “local talent” it frequently means East Bay or Greater Bay Area versus LA or NY. This year started off well for the company, finding their Juliet at their home base of Livermore.
Actress Sierra Bolar will appear in Romance & Juliet a three-actor re-telling of the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet. She will appear alongside Nic Moore as Romeo and Karen Offereins as the narrator taking on several roles. Ms. Bolar earned her AA from Las Positas College taking courses in the theater arts program there and then went on to earn a BFA at CSU Long Beach. “I can’t say enough good things about my experience at Las Positas; especially its theatre department. It was educational being under the direction of someone with as much experience as the late Ken Ross, and then having the opportunity to pursue advanced training at Long Beach,” Bolar shared. “We delved into things like clown and mask work. It prepared us for the real world where each show requires different skills.” While her interest in theater is broad, including musical theater as well as classical and contemporary drama, her most recent professional work has taken her to theme parks including Great America and Knott’s Berry Farm. “Working in theme parks really taught me how to make choices and commit to them in-the-moment. You can hone improv skills when you work live, interacting with patrons,” Bolar enthused. “I do tend to prefer live theater over film or television though. Not that I’d turn down a TV role!”
Director Molly Noble was last seen in Livermore as Mrs. Jennings in the Jane Austin Sense and Sensibility produced by SPARC (then known as Livermore Shakes). Noble is a noted director, actor and professor of theater. “I especially love working with young artists, just starting out on their professional careers. It’s such an exciting time. They give it their all and bring real joy to the work,” Noble added. Karen Offereins has participated in the company’s Science@Play readings, while Nic Moore is new to the company.
The script-in-hand reading takes place at SPARC Studio at 2172 Railroad in downtown Livermore, “near restaurants and bars where patrons can enhance their experience by making a day of it. We added a matinee on Saturday so folks could get a meal after the show and talk about it. That’s part of the fun,” added producer Lisa Tromovitch. The event is on Valentines Day, Wednesday February 14th at 7:30PM, and again on Saturday at both 2:00PM and 7:30PM. Tickets and information at: SPARCtheater.org or 925-443-2273.
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2023
For Immediate Release
December 1, 2023
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Holiday Event Back at SPARC Theater
Livermore – Putting a new twist on a pre-COVID holiday favorite, SPARC Theater announces their 2023 Holiday Story Soiree. SPARC’s revamped event will celebrate the holidays at their downtown studio with a script in hand reading of classic, but little-known, holiday tales. From SPARC’s home to yours, these readings feature SPARC staff alongside audience-favorite acting alumni.
Taking place Friday, December 15th, and Saturday, December 16th at 7:30 pm, with a matinee Sunday, December 17th at 2:00 pm, this year’s event includes a DIY hot cocoa bar, an assortment of sweet confections, and some old-fashioned group caroling. Wine is available for purchase at the event for those who prefer their drinks sans marshmallows.
A Holiday Story Soiree is part of SPARC’s Get Out of the House! reading series. Additional events include a three-actor retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in February and SPARC’s third-annual Science@Play series featuring two weekends of thought-provoking science-based plays in March. For those who don’t want to miss out on the fun, a Prose Package Subscription is available for purchase, which includes a ticket to each event at a discounted price.
SPARC Studio is located at 2172 Railroad Ave., Livermore CA. Tickets are $25 and include a warm drink and sweet holiday treats. Tickets are available for purchase at SPARCtheater.org or by calling (925) 443 – 2273.
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For Immediate Release
June 30, 2023
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
As other theaters close, SPARC theater plays under the stars
Livermore – Eight smaller and midsized bay area theaters have closed in the last several months. Los Angeles’ renowned Mark Taper Forum closed this month. Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced they have resources to last through early September. California Shakespeare Theater is not producing its own work this year. Yet, some theaters have burst back onto the scene with bright and boisterous summer shows, SPARC theater at Darcie Kent Vineyards in Livermore among them.
Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s popular comedy opens Saturday, July 15th with an option for a Benefit Night dinner preceding the show. The script was adapted by associate artist Mary Ann Rodgers specifically in anticipation of a post-COVID opening. “We knew we wanted a shorter script, using a maximum of seven actors for very practical reasons,” noted Rodgers. “We wanted fewer people in the dressing trailer due to infection spreading concerns. As I said, very practical! But the fun came with figuring out the doubling of the roles, making something new for the artists and audience. Practical needs can lead to creative solutions that let us see the play in a new way.” Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch commissioned three Shakespeare adaptations from three Latina directors from the company. Each would maintain “the real Shakespeare” but use creative doubling and shorten the shows for outdoor evening performance. “While it’s usually nice in the vineyards, we have occasional cold nights. It’s special to see the shows, Shakespeare in particular, outdoors under the stars in a way similar to the original productions. We want our audience to have a great time, and we don’t need the shows to be extraordinarily long for them to enjoy the story,” stated Tromovitch, who directs Much Ado.
The actors playing the leads Beatrice and Benedick, Sydney Schwindt and Mark Vashro, double as the clown characters Dogberry and Verges, a real tour-de-force, a celebration of acting itself. In Shakespeare’s day, boys performed the women’s parts. In this production, women will have the opportunity to play a few of the male parts, as Anjoli Aguilar takes on Hero and Don Pedro, and her counterpart, Nona Truong plays Margaret and Don John. The cast is comprised of company veterans as well as those new to SPARC, formerly Livermore Shakespeare Festival, bringing both energy and confidence to the acting company. “We’re especially proud to bring Nona Truong back, a former acting apprentice in our nationally known education program. She understudied with us in 2016 and ended up taking over the role of Ariel in The Tempest at dress rehearsal. I suspect her confidence soared with that accomplishment; she then went on to get her Masters degree in acting, her union card and is now based in LA. It’s a special treat when actors who got their start with us return to share their talents,” added Tromovitch.
As so many arts organizations struggle to return post-COVID, how is it that SPARC is back in business? “In part, it’s due to sound fiscal management and in part to the generosity of our donors who stood behind the theater with donations in 2020,” noted Board Chair Bryan Balazs. “The City of Livermore, Alameda County, and State of California relief grants fulfilled their purpose in our case,” added Balazs. “These grants were meant to support employment, so colleagues didn’t lose their jobs, and the companies would recover. In our case, it worked.”
The challenge now is building attendance back. San Francisco Bay Area theaters are reporting audiences at approximately 50% of pre-COVID levels. If patrons don’t return, even well-managed companies will find it difficult if not impossible to continue. People may be out of the habit of taking in live cultural events, and more comfortable with technology and online options despite the experience of isolation many felt during the pandemic. Ironically, taking in live events in the community is likely exactly what is needed to recover.
Much Ado About Nothing plays at Darcie Kent Vineyards Thursdays through Sundays from the July 14th preview, through August 6th. Grounds open to picnicking at 6:00 PM, with all performances at 7:30 PM. A short musical pre-show in the picnic area presented by the acting apprentices outlines the story for families.
For more information visit www.SPARCtheater.org/shakespeareinthevineyard/ or call 925-443-BARD (2273).
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For Immediate Release
June 20, 2023
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
More than a Play, a Chance to Engage
Livermore – Live theater is a tried and true way to bring people together. Especially after the isolation and trauma of the past few years, theaters like SPARC theater in Livermore are creating additional opportunities for people to gather and share experiences. This summer, Shakespeare in the Vineyard season opens in the relaxed outdoor vineyard setting on Friday, June 23rd with Bay Area Playwright Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky. To accompany this humorous and heart-felt piece of theater, SPARC is offering multiple pre and post-show events to engage the community, including a pre-show talk led by the internationally-known Gunderson herself on Sunday, July 2nd.
Before the show, donors to SPARC are invited to a pre-show talk in “Falstaff’s Lounge” before, and the general public is invited to a pre-show presentation by the company’s renowned college apprentices. Sunday, July 25th celebrates Women in Science, with a complimentary glass of wine for female scientists and a special area for a “social hour” with other female scientists. Scientists and science educators may contact the theater for details.
On select evenings beginning on Thursday, June 29 , SPARC will host post-show discussions of the scientific and societal issues that the play raises facilitated by local scientists. Patrons are invited to stay after the 2-hour program for a 20-30 minute discussion, gathering on the Darcie Kent Vineyard terrace.
Late in the 19th century, three women astronomers—Henrietta Leavitt, Williamina Fleming, and Annie Jump Cannon— were assigned by their male superiors the task of measuring the location, color, and brightness of stars. It was tedious, painstaking work that was critical for the development of modern astronomy. Cannon is credited (in part) with developing the Harvard Classification Scheme. Fleming, in addition to cataloging more than ten thousand stars, discovered the Horsehead Nebula. Leavitt’s work on variable Cepheid stars provided a way to measure the great distances we now take for granted. “Exploring the lives and work of these remarkable people is so inspiring,” enthused actress Radhika Rao. “It’s a joyful experience.”
Lauren Gunderson’s play Silent Sky tells their stories with clarity and humor, introducing the audience to the world of astronomy at the turn of the twentieth century. The playwright’s particular interest in science is blended with humor, wit, and a touch of romance as Henrietta Leavitt finds her place in the world and in history. This show is one of twenty of Gunderson’s professionally produced works. This month, residents of the Tri-Valley and beyond have the opportunity to see Silent Sky as part of SPARC theater’s summer season, at Darcie Kent Vineyards. SPARC theater is offering numerous ways to engage with the play and the community throughout the three weekend offerings. Grounds open to picnicking at 6:00 PM.
Silent Sky is a play that speaks to multiple generations—from those who came of age during the 1970’s to those still in middle school. Silent Sky plays at Darcie Kent Vineyards Thursdays through Sundays from June 23 to July 9. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.SPARCtheater.org/shakespeareinthevineyard/ or call 925-443-BARD (2273).
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For Immediate Release
June 1, 2023
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Trailblazing Women Reach the Stars in SPARC Theater’s Season Opener Silent Sky
Livermore ‒ The popular film Hidden Figures raised our national consciousness about NASA’s women “computers” who played a vital role in the 1960s space race. Silent Sky, SPARC Theater’s upcoming production, presents a similar story of women pioneers in astronomy, occurring sixty years earlier. Silent Sky was written by San Francisco playwright Lauren Gunderson a year before Hidden Figures premiered in 2016, but the two share the remarkable true stories of women working in science ahead of their time and against all odds.
Like NASA’s Katherine Gobel, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, the real life heroines of Hidden Figures, Silent Sky tells the true story of a similar trio of brilliant, accomplished women, Henrietta Leavitt, Annie Cannon and Williamina Fleming. Working at the Harvard College Observatory in the early 1900s as “human computers,” these female pioneers were logging stars for their male superiors solely from photographs as they were not permitted to touch the Observatory’s great refractory telescope. Undeterred, Henrietta mines the detailed, repetitive work the women perform and unlocks a discovery that forever changed the way we see the heavens and Earth.
“This is a modern, STEM success story personified by a woman who worked 120 years ago,” says SPARC Founding Artistic Director Lisa A. Tromovitch. “Lisa Gunderson sparingly and elegantly weaves this play with warmth, humor and the societal nuances of women’s lives in an era when they could not vote. Experiencing these heroic women, and Henrietta in particular, is unforgettable.”
SPARC Theater, formerly known as Livermore Shakespeare Festival, will present Silent Sky on a new stage at Darcie Kent Vineyards. The production stars Elena Wright reprising her role as Henrietta Leavitt, Mary Ann Rodgers as Annie Cannon and Emilie Talbot as Williamina Fleming. Silent Sky, full of humor and touched by romance, is directed by Jennifer Le Blanc, an associate artist with SPARC for over a decade. Le Blanc is a union actor, director, writer, teacher, and is no stranger to the material. She was in the regional premier at TheatreWorks in 2014 in the role of Henrietta’s sister Margaret.
Silent Sky’s Preview and Family Night is on Thursday, June 22, 2023, and opens on Friday, June 23, 2023. All performances start at 7:30 pm on a new stage at Darcie Kent Vineyards, 7000 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA. The show runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through July 9. Tickets on sale now. For more information, visit www.SPARCtheater.org/shakespeareinthevineyard/ or call 925-443-BARD (2273).
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For Immediate Release
March 3, 2023
Contact: Audrey Brooks
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
The Shakespeare Theatre Association Announces Major Gift from Kansas City-based Theater League
Livermore – Patrick Flick, Executive Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) and Mark Edelman, founder and president of Theater League, Inc, a Kansas City, Missouri based contributor to the performing arts, announced today that the League will be gifting thirty-five Shakespeare Theatres across the United States and internationally with a grant of $255,000 in general operating support. These non-restricted gifts of either $5,000 or $10,000 each based on budget size will be awarded in 2023 to STA- member producing theaters with budgets between $100,000 and $1,400,000, including Shakespeare’s Associates, dba. SPARC Theater. An award of $5,000 was also made to the Shakespeare Theatre Association itself.
“As regular contributors to the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City—a long-time STA member— we were looking to expand our support of non-profit organizations with similar goals and objectives,” explained Edelman. “That led us to STA and Patrick, who helped us Identify the mid-level Shakespeare producing organizations we wanted to fund.”
Said Flick, “STA is always looking for ways to assist our membership, whether it be in the form of our annual conference, or by seeking out financial assistance for our hard-working member theaters. At a time when audience sizes are just beginning to rebound from the pandemic, support for Shakespeare and the classics in the communities we serve is such an important thing. STA is grateful to Theater League for that support.”
Kansas City-based Theater League is a not-for-profit performing arts organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the communities it serves with the thrill of live! theater. Founded in 1976, the group supports theater companies in its hometown and across the country, including subsidizing tickets for student groups through its Theater ROcKs (Reach Out to Kids) program.
“What appealed to us is the far-flung nature of the organizations we’ll be supporting with this grant program,” continued Edelman. “Shakespeare companies in twenty-six states plus the Czech Republic will get a little help from Theater League.”
STA is a 32-year-old theatre service organization founded in 1991 at a convening in Washington DC, hosted by the Shakespeare Theatre and the Kennedy Center. The organization continues to convene annually to provide support and mentorship as well as share best practices with colleagues from within the United States and internationally. Membership includes over 130 organizational theaters and dozens of Associate Members representing indoor, outdoor, Equity and non-Equity, year-round, seasonal, university-affiliated, and free Shakespeare productions with budgets ranging from $25,000 to $60,000,000.
STA’s member organizations engage a diverse array of audiences and staff members representing a wide variety of ethnicities, genders, ages, and abilities. A resource network that bridges the gap between scholarship and production and promotes the teaching of Shakespeare in schools, STA has helped its member organizations explore Shakespeare in the context of colonialism, anti-racism, gender diversity, best practices in hiring, and a host of other topics designed to keep the Bard relevant in the modern world.
For more information, visit www.SPARCtheater.org or call 925-443-BARD (2273).
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For Immediate Release
February 17, 2023
Contact: Audrey Brooks
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Announces Summer Season
Livermore – SPARC Theater, formerly known as Livermore Shakespeare Festival, will be back for another outdoor summer theater festival. Shakespeare in the Vineyard has been a staple in the Tri-Valley for over 20 years. Returning to their new stage at Darcie Kent Vineyards, the company is thrilled to be presenting two masterful plays opening with Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson, one of the most produced playwrights in the country. Preview and Family Night for Silent Sky will be June 22nd. The show runs weekends until July 9th. Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing will close out the summer season, running from Preview and Family Night on July 14th until closing on August 6th.
Silent Sky is based on the true story of Henrietta Leavitt, a 19th-century astronomer who tries to find her place in the world while studying the stars. Combining science, music, and heart, Henrietta and her female peers pave the way for an immeasurable discovery. Jennifer Le Blanc, directing Silent Sky, has been an associate artist with SPARC for over a decade. Le Blanc is a union actor, director, writer, teacher, and is no stranger to the material. She was in the regional premier at TheatreWorks in 2014 in the role of Margaret.
Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is one of his most popular works. The play centers on love, honor, and deception, which leads to almost tragic consequences. Claudio and Hero fall in love and attempt to play matchmaker for Beatrice and Benedick, who can’t stop bickering about how they hate love. The comedy ends happily enough, though. The director for Much Ado About Nothing will be the Founding Artistic Director of SPARC, Lisa A Tromovitch. “Much Ado is one of my favorite plays, with highly intelligent characters engaged in witty dialogue, clowns earnestly attempting to be great citizens, while real-world relationships and vulnerabilities keep the story grounded. With great costumes and quality wine it’s a fantastic night out.”
Tickets go on sale in late March. All performances will be at Darcie Kent Vineyards, 7000 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA 94550, June 22 – August 6th, at 7:30 PM. For more information, visit www.SPARCtheater.org/shakespeareinthevineyard/ or call 925-443-BARD (2273).
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2022
For Immediate Release:
October 3rd, 2022
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Science takes center stage at SPARC Theater
Livermore – Jane Goodall once said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” SPARC Theater hopes to make a difference with their second annual Science@Play reading series. Presented as script-in-hand semi-staged readings, this year’s programming shines a light on the climate crisis with two brand new plays.
Known for merging the personal, political, and poetical, Tira Palmquist’s Two Degrees kicks off this year’s Science@Play series. We follow paleoclimatologist, Emma Phelps, as she heads to Washington, D.C. to testify in a Senate Committee regarding climate change legislation. Finding herself amidst the political drive for profit versus the public good, Emma struggles with her own personal grief while fighting for change and searching for answers.
Basilosaurus by Marisela Treviño Orta, SPARC’s newly commissioned play, will have its first public reading as the second piece in the Science@Play series. Audience members will become a part of the process, giving feedback to the playwright as she continues to polish the script. “When SPARC approached me about this commission, I just happened to be re-watching a documentary on the evolution of prehistoric whales—on the mammals that went back into the sea from the land. It just so happens that climate change—the SPARC commission topic—is part of the story of that prehistoric whale. In fact, the working title for the play is inspired by that prehistoric whale: Basilosaurus.” explains Orta, “But, the play isn’t just about the whale and how climate change impacted it. I very much want to set the narrative in our present time since climate change is impacting our lives regularly in the form of extreme weather, rising sea levels, and rising global temperatures.”
Basilosaurus is the second of five works to be commissioned by SPARC Theater. All five pieces, written by BIPOC playwrights, will be aided by Lawrence Livermore National Labs scientists and others to ensure they are factual and up-to-date and align with Science@Play’s mission to champion scientific discovery and truth-telling.
The Science@Play reading series will be held at SPARC Studio (2172 Railroad Ave. Livermore, CA 94550) November 4th – 20th starting at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $20.00 and are available for purchase at www.SPARCtheater.org or at the door. The Science@Play series is co-sponsored by California Water Service and Alan and Mary Barnham. For more information, visit www.SPARCtheater.org/scienceatplay/ or call 925-443-BARD (2273).
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For Immediate Release
September 21 , 2022
Contact: Lisa A. Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Celebrates Downtown Development
Livermore – SPARC Theater celebrated with Mayor Bob Woerner and Livermore City Council Members on Friday, Sept. 16, at Quest Plaza at Stockmen’s Park, alongside fellow community partners from Eden Housing, and Quest Science Center. The community partners have secured property ownership or leases for key sites in the downtown core and have all agreed to take the next steps needed to develop properties as part of or adjacent to Stockmen’s Park ‒ fundraising or finding investors, engaging architects and engineering teams, and designing and building their facilities.
Representatives from SPARC Theater received a framed copy of their grant deed. SPARC Theater closed escrow on Sept. 9, completing their purchase of the land. SPARC Theater will build a flexible TheaterLab to support diverse cultural programming including innovative theater, dance, film and educational programs.
“There are a dozen Cultural Core groups looking forward to sharing their work in a small affordable space downtown,” reported SPARC Theater artistic director Lisa Tromovitch. “We’ve received donations and pledges of almost 4 million dollars to-date and the design process is well underway. Purchasing the land will help us continue to raise funds as people see the project moving forward.”
Mayor Bob Woerner lauded these organizations and other key community and business groups for cooperatively developing inspirational projects to revitalize the downtown core consistent with the priorities established through the extensive community outreach process. “The Council enthusiastically embraced their “Unified Design Concept” which beautifully blended the arts, science, our western heritage, historic downtown and support for wine industry tourism, while also providing much needed workforce housing. Now that these partners control the land, they are focusing on securing the funding needed to build it within the next few years.”
For more information visit: https://sparctheater.org/
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For Immediate Release
September 20 , 2022
Contact: Lisa A. Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Collaborates with Livermore Pridefest
Livermore – Shakespeare’s Associates, also known as SPARC Theater, is proud to announce its collaboration with Livermore Pridefest 2022. SPARC Studio, located at 2172 Railroad Avenue, Livermore, will be hosting a free reading with author Amy G. Dalia, on October 7, 2022, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, for her new book Like It or Not at a Books, Wine, and Cheese event.
Meet Amy G. Dalia, author of the recently released YA (young adult) novel, Like It or Not. Amy will be reading selections from her book, followed by a Q&A session. She will also have copies of her book for sale and will be signing them following the reading. If you like stories full of hope, heart, humor, and a generous splash of teen angst, don’t miss this event!
Like it or Not is a contemporary Young Adult retelling of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It featuring a rainbow of LGBTQ+ characters.
To register for this event, visit www.livermorepride.org/events. SPARC will be hosting the upcoming Science@Play reading series in November. For more information, visit www.SPARCtheater.org or call (925) 443-2273 (BARD).
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For Immediate Release
September 9 , 2022
Contact: Lisa A. Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Teaching Artist promoted to SPARC Theater Program Manager
Livermore – Shakespeare’s Associates, also known as SPARC Theater, announced today the promotion of Livermore native Audrey Brooks to full-time Program Manager.
Brooks was first hired as a Teaching Artist for the in-school 2nd grade program, So Wise So Young. She showed a passion for theater and the community, and stage-managed Life is a Cabernet, one of SPARC’s 2022 summer productions. Brooks will continue to teach Some Have Greatness, the fall after school programs for 3rd to 8th graders.
Brooks brings experience from AMS.Net, a local tech company as well theater training and experience from San Francisco State University and Town Hall Theatre, among others.
Along with teaching in the fall, Brooks will be assisting SPARC with many other upcoming events including their collaboration with Livermore Pride in October and the upcoming Science@Play reading series in November. For more information, visit www.SPARCtheater.org or call (925) 443-2273 (BARD).
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For Immediate Release
July 16 , 2022
Contact: Lisa A. Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater’s Final Comedy of the Summer Season
Livermore – After a two year hiatus brought on by a global pandemic, Shakespeare has officially returned to the Vineyard for live performances! For over 20 years, SPARC Theater, formerly known as the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, has been bringing outdoor theater productions to the Tri Valley Wine Country. Settled in their new home at Darcie Kent Vineyards, the company has already opened two of their three performances of the summer season. The final comedy of the summer, The Comedy of Errors, opened July 16th and runs weekends until August 7th.
Slapstick physical comedy, witty word play, and lots of mistaken identities come together in one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays. The Comedy of Errors follows the journey of two sets of twins separated during a shipwreck and the mishaps and hijinks that occur in their quest to reunite. Directed by Domenique Lozano, this adaptation is set in Texas, on the border of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez emphasizing the realities of families separated at the border with the humor and craziness of farce.
Alongside The Comedy of Errors, Life is a Cabernet will continue to run on select days until the final performance on July 31st. Directed by Jennifer Le Blanc with musical direction by Lindsey Schmeltzer, Life is a Cabernet is a festive delight of musical theater, Shakespeare, amazing “special skills” and Bingo.
For more information visit: https://sparctheater.org/shakespeareinthevineyard/
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For Immediate Release
June 3 , 2022
Contact: Lisa A. Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Opening Night Benefit
Livermore – SPARC Theater celebrates a return to live outdoor summer theater with an Opening Night Benefit Picnic event at their new home at Darcie Kent Vineyards, 7000 Tesla Road, Livermore, on Saturday June 25, 2022, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, including a performance of THE 39 STEPS by Patrick Barlow, a fast-paced whodunit spoofing Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller.
Meet the artists, enjoy a picnic dinner from On the Vine Catering with Darcie Kent Vineyard wines and the music of Open Strings followed by preferred seating for the show. Tickets cost $275 per person. ($150 per ticket is a tax-deductible donation.)
As part of the move to Darcie Kent Vineyards, SPARC has been raising funds for a new modular stage which will be used for productions for many summers to come. The Opening Night Benefit evening will include a “Fund-a-Need” to raise money for the cost of the stage construction.
Formerly known as the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, SPARC has hosted Shakespeare in the Vineyard for 20 years, bringing imaginative professional theater in a convivial, moonlit setting to Tri-Valley residents and visitors, and built an education program which has empowered students of many ages through in-class and after-school programs, including every second-grader in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School district.
THE 39 STEPS is adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Four actors take on over 150 roles in this two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning comedy, previewing June 23th and closing July 10th. The cast features these company favorites: Armando McClain, seen in The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio) and Macbeth (Macbeth) for SPARC and five seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Malcolm Rodgers seen in Othello (Iago), Persuasion, and A Winter’s Tale for SPARC and Sydney Schwindt from The Complete Works of Wm. Shakespeare abridged (revised) at SPARC. It also features guest artist Charlie Lavaroni bringing training from the famed Shakespeare & Company to bear on his highly comic role. Guest director Cassidy Brown leads this production having played three of the four roles in previous productions, including most recently the TheatreWorks Silicon Valley production in Mountain View, CA.
We will follow CDC and Alameda County COVID-19 protocols current to the event date.
For more information visit: https://sparctheater.org/shakespeareinthevineyard/
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For Immediate Release
March 1, 2022
Contact: Lisa A. Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Returns with Exuberance
Livermore – SPARC Theater, formerly known as Livermore Shakespeare Festival, brings back their popular outdoor summer theater festival in a new winery, Darcie Kent Vineyards, June 23rd to August 7th, 2022. With the pent-up energy of two years without this summer gem in the Livermore Valley Wine Country, the company will launch three shows: Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors directed by Domenique Lozano, Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps directed by Cassidy Brown, and the original revue Life is a Cabernet directed by Jennifer Le Blanc with musical direction by Lindsey Schmeltzer.
The season opens with the farce based on Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller The 39 Steps. By arrangement with Fiery Angel Limited, The 39 Steps is adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock and licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited and an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. The list of collaborators only begins to hint at the brilliance of this fast-paced whodunit that takes Alfred Hitchcock’s movie by the same name and mixes in theatrical magic to create a nonstop laugh riot. Four actors take on over 150 roles in this two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning comedy, previewing June 23th and closing July 10th. The cast features two company favorites, Malcolm Rodgers last seen at Shakespeare in the Vineyards (SIV) as Iago in Othello, and Sydney Schwindt last seen at SIV in the farce The Complete Works of Wm. Shakespeare abridged (revised). Cassidy Brown, guest director this summer, comes to the production having played three of the four roles in previous productions, including the TheatreWorks production in Palo Alto, CA.
The Comedy of Errors, one of Shakespeare’s earliest and shortest comedies will also feature a virtuoso multi-ethnic cast of six playing 17 roles. Directed by Domenique Lozano (who previously directed Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s 2018 production of The Importance of Being Earnest) plays July 15th – August 7th. The Comedy of Errors follows the journey of two sets of twins separated during a shipwreck and the mishaps and hijinks that occur in their quest to reunite. This adaptation is set in Texas, on the border of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez buoying up the realities of families separated at the border with the humor and craziness of farce.
Running six performances, June 26th – July 31st, Life is a Cabernet is a festive delight of musical theater, Shakespeare, amazing “special skills” and Bingo. Table seating for this show allows food and wine to be a part of a kick-back summer experience in the vineyards, which premiered last summer in a low-key experiment on the porch of the Darcie Kent Vineyards tasting room, under Schmeltzer’s musical direction. Now moved to the main stage, the show will enjoy a newly designed stage and set by Malcolm Rodgers of Bowman Rodgers Design, nestled into the vineyard hill adjacent to the barrel room. Jennifer Le Blanc, known as both a leading lady of the company, (Roxanne in the company’s Cyrano de Bergerac), and director and writer of previous Jane Austen adaptations at Wente Vineyards, brings a humorous spin to the events with a pirate theme.
Tickets go on sale in March. Information at www.SPARCtheater.org or 925-443-2273. All performances at Darcie Kent Vineyards, 7000 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA, June 23rd – August 7th, 7:30 PM.
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For Immediate Release
January 24, 2022
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Theater Shines Light on Climate Change
Livermore – SPARC Theater is commissioning a new work from award-winning playwright and poet Marisela Treviño Orta that sheds light on the climate change crisis. This piece is the second in a series of five new works SPARC is set to create as part of their Science@Play series. Science@Play is SPARC Theater’s current social justice initiative that intersects storytelling and science while lifting up the voices of BIPOC playwrights, artists, and scientists. The program will culminate in a series of readings in the Fall at SPARC Studio in downtown Livermore.
Marisela Treviño Orta has an MFA in Poetry from the University of San Francisco and an MFA in Playwriting from the Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Her work has been widely produced throughout the United States. Her play Heart Shaped Nebula was chosen by a committee of SPARC patrons, local scientists, and science enthusiasts to be part of SPARC’s first Science@Play reading festival held last November.
“When SPARC approached me about this commission I just happened to be re-watching a documentary on the evolution of pre-historic whales—on the mammals that went back into the sea from the land. It just so happens that climate change—the SPARC commission topic—is part of the story of that pre-historic whale. In fact, the working title for the play is inspired by that pre-historic whale: Basilosaurus.” explains Orta, “But, the play isn’t just about that pre-historic whale and how climate change impacted it. I very much want to set the narrative in our present time since climate change is impacting our lives regularly in the form of extreme weather, rising sea levels, and rising global temperatures. I’m also drawing inspiration from research on climate depression and ocean conservation. I’m also interested in exploring past and present legislation meant to address climate change.”
To aid Orta in her research, SPARC is once again partnering with the Lawrence Livermore National Labs. Local scientists will provide consultation on global warming and climate change throughout the writing process to ensure the material presented in the commissioned piece is factual and up-to-date as to align with Science@Plays mission to champion scientific discovery and truth-telling.
The 2021 Science@Play reading festival debuted its first commissioned work, a developmental reading of Flatten the Curve by Latina writer Diana Burbano. With input from scientists and audience members, the play is on its way to its final draft. “We’re so proud and privileged to have supported playwright Burbano in her work and to have participated in the development of a new play for the American Theater. The process of discovery was incredible and being able to collaborate with nationally renowned scientists from a nationally renowned science laboratory brought depth, truth and astounding insights to the play and to our audience. Our smart audiences connected with the play and gave incredibly insightful feedback about its development,” stated the Science@Play director Michael Wayne Rice.
For more information, or to or keep abreast of Science@Play’s progress, visit: SparcTheater.org.
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For Immediate Release
January 19, 2022
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Spring After-school Theater Classes with SPARC
Livermore – The Some Have Greatness: After-School theater program is back for its spring classes at SPARC theater. Students will build confidence while developing creativity and collaboration skills.
Mondays, from 3:30-5:30 pm, middle schoolers (grades 6th-8th) will re-imagine Shakespeare’s classic comedy As You Like It (Lite!). On Thursdays, from 3:30-5:30 pm, elementary students (grades 3th-5th) will create comedic characters through a retelling of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Both programs include basic scene study, movement, physical comedy, and theatre games. No previous acting or Shakespeare experience is required. Programs run late January through mid-May, following the LVJUSD Calendar, and culminate in a 45-minute performance for friends and family.
Some Have Greatness: After-school will follow the latest COVID-19 mandates and guidelines. Classes will be held at SPARC’s Studio Space at 2172 Railroad Avenue in Livermore. For more information, or to register your child, visit www.SPARCtheater.org/somehavegreatness/ or call (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release
January 10, 2022
Contact: Lindsey Schmeltzer
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
SPARC Launches Three-Show Festival on New Outdoor Stage
Livermore – SPARC Theater, formally known as Livermore Shakespeare Festival, announces the return of Shakespeare in the Vineyard with a new stage and new three-show season. Having canceled their 2020 shows due to the pandemic, and producing only a cabaret-style show in the summer of 2021, SPARC is ready to relaunch their full festival bringing the Tri-Valley productions full of laughter, music, and heart.
The season kicks off with The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan. The 39 Steps is a fast-paced whodunit that takes Alfred Hitchcock’s movie by the same name and mixes in some theatrical magic to create a nonstop laugh riot. Four actors take on over 150 roles in this two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning comedy directed by Cassidy Brown.
The second main-stage show of the season continues in the comedic vein with Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors directed by Dominique Lozano, who directed the theater’s The Importance of Being Earnest to great acclaim. The Comedy of Errors follows the journey of two sets of twins separated during a shipwreck and the mishaps and hijinx that occur in their quest to reunite. This production is two years in the making and features many of the same actors from the COVID canceled 2020 production.
Rounding out the season, and back by popular demand is the musical revue Life is a Cabernet directed by Jennifer Le Blanc, with musical direction by Lindsey Schmeltzer. Considered last summer to be ‘Shakespeare in the Vineyard Lite’, Life is a Cabernet is a wild 90-minute ride filled with scenes, songs, the Bard, and bingo. This cabaret has something for everyone and is fun for the whole family.
All shows will be held at Darcie Kent Vineyards on SPARC’s new stage. The stage is designed to resemble the stages of Shakespeare’s time while being flexible enough to accommodate more modern works. It is made possible in part by the Arts Commission City of Livermore grant program.
The shows are set to run June 23rd through August 7th. Tickets go on sale in March at SparcTheater.org.
The 39 Steps is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of
Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.
For more information visit SparcTheater.org or call 925-443-2273.
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2021
For Immediate Release:
October 21, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@SparcTheater.org
925-443-2273
www.SparcTheater.org
SPARC Celebrates the Art of Science
Livermore – SPARC Theater’s social justice initiative, Science@Play will celebrate the connection between art and science with a series of play readings this November. The plays were chosen by a committee made up of SPARC patrons, local scientists and science enthusiasts and all share the theme of science and discovery, while also telling profound human stories.
Science@Play highlights the work of two Latina playwrights: Marisela Treviño Orta (Heart Shaped Nebula) and Diana Burbano, whose play Sapience will kick off the series, and whose new play, Flatten the Curve, commissioned for Science@Play, will close out the reading series. “It’s been a phenomenal challenge to work on this science-based commission” states Burbano. “The most interesting process has been interviewing scientists and interrogating them about their fields of expertise. This work informed the action of the play and led me to create scenes and situations that aligned with the information I had learned. It was a new and exciting way to write a play.”
Sapience follows the story of Elsa, a highly accomplished, neurodiverse primatologist. The play explores the many ways we communicate as humans, and how that translates to Elsa’s life’s work attempting to communicate with an orangutan named “Wookie.” With Elsa’s discoveries come challenges to her previously held worldview in this heartwarming and thought-provoking play by stage, film, and TV actor and award-winning playwright Diana Burbano, whose plays have been produced in both English and Spanish all over the world. Mary Ann Rodgers, familiar to SPARC audiences for her work directing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)[Revised] in 2019 at Wente Vineyards, will direct the reading of Sapience.
The second play in the series is Heart Shaped Nebula by the award-winning and widely produced third-generation Mexican-American playwright and poet Marisela Treviño Orta. Heart Shaped Nebula is a love story set against a dark night sky bursting with the anticipation of a meteor shower. Through magical realism, the story explores how particulate matter behaves, shedding light on our understanding of love, time, and space. The reading will be directed by Founding Artistic Director Lisa A. Tromovitch.
SPARC’s original play commission for Science@Play, Flatten the Curve is by Diana Burbano, a Colombian immigrant, celebrated playwright, Equity actor, and teaching artist at South Coast Repertory and Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble. Flatten the Curve follows a diverse team of scientists working together to solve our current global crisis. Burbano consulted with several local scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Lab while researching and writing the commissioned work. Michael Wayne Rice, SPARC Resident Director, will direct the world premiere reading. Burbano, Rice, and SPARC Founder Lisa A. Tromovitch and a team of local scientists have been working together for over a year to create this original piece that takes us inside the world and lives of those at the forefront of solving life’s biggest mysteries.
Science@Play will begin with Sapience on November 5th, 6th and 7th. Heart Shaped Nebula will run November 12th, 13th and 14th. Flatten the Curve runs November 19th, 20th and 21st. All performances will be held at SPARC Studio, 2172 Railroad Avenue, Livermore. Proof of Vaccination and ID will be required upon entry to LIVE performance. Photos of vaccination cards on a mobile phone are acceptable. Masks are required inside the performance facility. Tickets are $25 for the live Performance or the recorded program. Recorded program will be available for purchase for a limited time. For more information and to purchase tickets visit SPARCtheater.org or call (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release:
August 31, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@SparcTheater.org
925-443-2273
www.SparcTheater.org
New After-school Theater Classes from SPARC
Livermore – Piggybacking on the success of Some Have Greatness: Summer Camp, SPARC (formerly known as Livermore Shakes) is expanding its educational programming to include after-school theater classes for Elementary and Middle School students. Starting in September, SPARC will launch Some Have Greatness: After-school, offering theater classes focused on creativity, confidence, and collaboration.
Mondays, from 3:00-5:30 pm, Middle Schoolers (grades 6th-8th) will combine Shakespeare and pop songs in A Musical Midsummer Night’s Dream. Then, on Wednesdays, from 2:00-4:30 pm, Elementary Students (grades 3th-5th) will create comedic characters through a retelling of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Both programs include basic scene study, movement, physical comedy, singing, dancing, and theatre games. No previous acting, singing, or dancing experience is required. Programs run mid-September through mid-December, following the LVJUSD Calendar, and culminate in a 45-minute performance for friends and family.
“Students at our summer camps were thrilled to collaborate in an imaginative environment with other children their age after a long year of mostly distance learning,” says Lindsey Schmeltzer, SPARC’s Education Director. “We hope these after-school classes can fill that creative void and allow more children the opportunities to connect in a social setting.”
Some Have Greatness: After-school will follow the latest COVID-19 mandates and guidelines. Classes will be held at SPARC’s Studio Space at 2172 Railroad Avenue in Livermore. For more information, or to register your child, visit LivermoreShakes.org/somehavegreatness/ or call (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release:
August 3, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Outdoor Cabaret show at Darcie Kent Vineyards
“Life is a Cabaret old chum…come to the Cabaret.” SPARC Theater invites new and old chums alike to celebrate the summer with song, Shakespeare, and wine, outdoors at Darcie Kent Vineyards. From August 12 through the 22nd, Life is a Cabernet, an interactive evening of Bingo & The Bard, brings back live performance in the comfortable shade of a majestic old Pepper Tree. Guests can picnic before or during the approximately 90 minute performance and wine will be sold. The audience seating area will allow for social distancing in compliance with Alameda County regulations. “Rehearsals have been so much fun! We cast five insanely talented performers with musical theater and opera backgrounds, Shakespeare chops and even stage combat training, who look forward to getting back ‘on the boards,’ in this case literally,” stated Lisa Tromovitch, Artistic Director.
Life is a Cabernet will run August 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21 and 22nd. All performances begin at 6pm and are held outdoors on the grounds of Darcie Kent Vineyards, 7000 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA 94550. Tickets are $35 for front row single chairs, $30 for 2nd row single chairs and $150 per table. Tables seat up to 6 guests. The grounds will be open for picnics at 4:30PM on performance nights. There is no food for purchase on site. Guests can bring in food, or order from delivery services. Tickets are available at (925) 443-BARD OR by visiting livermoreshakes.org/life-is-a-cabernet/.
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For Immediate Release
July 26, 2021
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
925-443-2273
www.SPARCtheater.org
Latin Music Concert at Stockmen’s Park
Livermore – Downtown Livermore comes alive Saturday, July 31st with the SPARC on the Park concert series. In celebration of our area’s diverse cultures, the newly re-named SPARC Theater is co-producing with Hispanic Heritage Center an evening of music, performance and celebration at the newly built Stockmen’s Park, located in the heart of downtown Livermore. Shakespeare’s Associates, who produce Shakespeare in the Vineyard and have a development agreement with the City of Livermore to fund, build, and operate a small, Black Box theater/multi-use pavilion on Stockmen’s Park, are focusing their energy on collaborations that strengthen the community. “We opened the cultural activities on the Park with Kalaikoil, Dance of India, and are now collaborating with Hispanic Heritage Center for the July 31st concert. We’ve worked together in the past, so this is just another great opportunity to support each other in celebrating the diverse cultures of our area,” stated artistic director Lisa Tromovitch.
The concert headliner is EKOBIOS, musical group that fuses Cuban music with Caribbean and African rhythms, at 6:30 PM. It is preceded by Los Panaderos at 4:00 PM, sharing traditional and contemporary music, dance, and other forms of artistic storytelling by highlighting the cultures and histories of various regions of Mexico, California, and beyond. Their program will include traditional dance performance. And to start off the day, high school students of The Alternative Strings of Open Strings Music, will provide a half hour of Tango, Rhumba, Choro and Andalusion compositions at 3:15pm.
The concert is sponsored by Legacy Partners, with support from Swirl on the Square, Livermore Downtown Inc. and the City of Livermore. SPARC on the Park will be held on Saturday July 31st from 3:15-8pm. Admission is free. Advance Reserve Seating is available for purchase through livermoreshakes.org/sparconthepark/. No outside alcohol allowed at the event. Beer and wine available for sale onsite. Picnicking welcome. More info at SPARCtheater.org, or 925-443-2273.
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For Immediate Release
June 25, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
New Concert Series at Stockmen’s Park
Livermore – Downtown Livermore comes alive Saturday, July 10th and 31st with the SPARC on the Park concert series. In celebration of California’s reopening, Shakespeare’s Associates Inc. is producing an evening of music, performance, and celebration at the newly built Stockmen’s Park, located in the heart of downtown Livermore. Shakespeare’s Associates, who produce Shakespeare in the Vineyard and have a development agreement with the City of Livermore to fund, build, and operate a small, Black Box theater/multi-use pavilion on Stockmen’s Park, are focusing their energy on entertaining the community after a long, challenging year. “With all of the conflict, trauma, and isolation people have experienced this last year, we want to give our community a reason to come together safely and celebrate. Why wait until the building is built when we can have a concert right here in the park, right now?” states the company’s Managing Director, Katie Marcel.
The first concert is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, July 10th; kicking off with performances from Livermore School of Dance and Kailakoil Dance of India starting at 4:00pm. At 6:00pm, headliner and Bay Area favorite, Crawdad Republic, will take the stage. The performers and headliner for July 31st will be announced at a later date.
Often described as “The Sound of Livermore,” Crawdad Republic’s honest style is inspired by folk and bluegrass instrumentation. The band’s two albums have received accolades for their simple form and catchy tunes. They are currently working on their third release entitled Crawdad Republic iii.
The concert is sponsored by Legacy Partners. Special thanks to Swirl on the Square, Livermore Downtown Inc. and the City of Livermore for event support. SPARC on the Park will be held on Saturday July 10th and 31st from 4-8pm. Admission is free. Advance Reserve Seating is available for purchase through livermoreshakes.org/sparconthepark/. No outside alcohol allowed at the event.
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For Immediate Release
June 8, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
LIVE staged reading of Diane Samuel’s Kindertransport
Livermore – In July, Livermore Shakespeare Festival (LSF) will re-open the doors to their downtown Studio for a LIVE staged reading of Diane Samuel’s Kindertransport, a play that tells the story of Jewish children transported to safety in the UK prior to the outbreak of WWII. The reading will be directed by Bay Area Director/Actor/Playwright Jennifer Le Blanc.
Kindertransport follows the story of fictional Eva Schlessinger, who is transported away from her parents in Germany to live with a foster family in England. Events in the play are based on many real life stories of Kindertransport children. Kindertransport was first performed in the UK by the Soho Theatre Company at the Cockpit Theatre in London in April 1993 and at New York City’s Manhattan Theatre Club in 1994.
Prior to the performance, a short presentation will be given by Lisa Mason Waldroup. Waldroup is a retired Contra Costa librarian and the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her mother Doris Mason, born Doris Franzelore Goldschmidt in Germany in 1930, was one of the 10,000 children who were on the Kindertransport to the U.K. in 1939. Waldroup is also co-chair of the Northern California Kindertransport Association.
The staged reading marks the first collaboration between Livermore Shakespeare Festival and the newly formed East Bay Holocaust Education Center (EBHEC). EBHEC was created to educate people of all faiths about the Holocaust and to honor its victims. EBHEC’s mission is to promote a spirit of universal tolerance and peace, using the lessons of the Holocaust to serve as a reminder that genocide can happen at any time, at any place.
Part of EBHEC’s “Read to Remember” program, the Kindertransport play was chosen by a group of local residents led by LSF’s Resident Director Michael Wayne Rice and EBHEC’s President Larry Lagin. The group read five Holocaust-based scripts together this past winter, several of which EBHEC hopes to produce in partnership with LSF in the future. “We also will be sponsoring a local Zoom reading group this summer to read Meg Waite Clayton’s Kindertransport book The Last Train to London ” stated Lagin.
The staged reading will be presented to the public on Thursday, July 22nd at 7:00PM at the Shakespeare’s Associates, Inc. downtown studio space at 2172 Railroad Avenue (right next Range Life restaurant). Due to COVID safety regulations, space is extremely limited and just 50 tickets will be sold to the live event. Guests attending the live presentation must be fully vaccinated. The presentation and performance will also be Livestreamed and Virtual tickets will be available. The recorded performance and presentation will be available to purchase and view until July 27th, 2021.
Kindertransport is the final installation in LSF’s LifeSPARC series. Tickets for the LIVE event are $25.00, tickets for the Virtual LiveStream are $15.00 and a link to view the pre-recorded program will be available for purchase for $10 through July 27th, 2021. For tickets and more information, visit Livermore Shakes.org/life-sparc/ or call (925) 443-BARD. The program is produced in partnership with East Bay Holocaust Education Center with support from EBHEC and the City of Livermore’s Commission for the Arts. Production rights have been granted through Nick Hern Books, London, U.K.
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For Immediate Release
June 7, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes features Hip Hop Artist in Virtual Series
Livermore – Devon Glover, also known as The Sonnet Man, will light up Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s LifeSPARC Virtual series with his contemporary hip-hop twist of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Glover, an internationally renowned teacher, poet and rapper from Brooklyn, New York, brings Shakespeare to young audiences in a genre they know and enjoy. Mr. Glover’s flow embodies the richness of Shakespeare’s language, and his passionate, yet natural delivery offers an inspiring, creative experience audiences love.
Glover’s delivery follows a structured format in which he first raps the sonnets as Shakespeare has written them, then offers a modern translation of the text and then delivers a “mash-up” of Shakespeare’s words and his own. The three verses are held together with a chorus, creating a fun, pop version of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets.
“Growing up, I was taught through the inner-city public schools, where I didn’t learn about Shakespeare until my senior year in high school. After obtaining my college degree, I decided to return to my neighborhood and become a teacher. While beginning to implement Shakespeare into my lesson plan, I began to notice a rise in the literacy levels of my students, who were able to understand Shakespeare’s works with a little innovation. Since the inception of the Sonnet Man, it has been a huge goal for me to show people from all walks of life a new way to learn and enjoy Shakespeare,” states Glover.
The program will be held virtually on Thursday, June 24th at 7:00 PM as part of Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s LifeSPARC series. Tickets for the program are $15.00. For tickets and more information, visit Livermore Shakes.org/life-sparc/ or call (925) 443-BARD. The program is sponsored by Metier Marketing Communications and William Doerlich with Realty One Group Today.
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For Immediate Release
February 10, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Award-Winning Playwright, Diana Burbano to write Science Play
Polish-British mathematician and historian, Jacob Bronowski said that “Nations in their great ages have not been great in art or science, but in art and science.” Livermore Shakespeare Festival has created Science@Play, a social justice initiative at the intersection of storytelling and science. The program will use artistic voices to champion scientific discovery and truth-telling. Science@Play is the company’s active commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and focuses on artists and scientists of color. Science@Play commissions plays that center scientific principles and scientists of color in the story.
Program Director, Michael Wayne Rice states, “Diversity is nothing that can ever be wished away, driven away, or washed away. It is baked into the very nature of our nation and the world. We are at a point in history where taking a stand and moving into action is the answer to creating a more just, empathetic and representative world.”
The company has partnered with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and is currently working with local scientists on choosing additional plays to be produced for the Science@Play public reading series that accompanies the development of the new work. The culminating program will be the premiere of an original play about the COVID pandemic and the scientists behind the scenes working to find solutions. Livermore Shakespeare Festival has chosen award-winning playwright Diana Burbano for the first commission. Burbano’s goal is to create diverse, three-dimensional characters on the page and on the stage to inject the play with science that is real and truthful.
Burbano identifies closely as an immigrant minority living in the United States. Originally from Columbia, she moved to the US at the age of three. She devotes much of her work to the mental and spiritual betterment of BIPOC populations and uses her skill set as a playwright/educator to help bring their stories to life. Burbano is known for her dedication to helping young artists move positively with self-dignity and self-respect in a world that historically has stripped them of their ability to see themselves in such a light. Diana states, “I spend a lot of time with writers/performers trying to undo harm. It is different to be BIPOC in this world and artform. I want them to know that they don’t have to shoulder their struggles alone. There is so much institutionalized racism coming from the university system in the arts. These institutions are focused on quantifying the tragedies of the BIPOC population, focusing only on stories that reiterate racial injustices and violence that BIPOC people face, when in fact I have so many students who have other stories to tell.” Burbano’s original play will premier locally in October 2021.
Next up for Livermore Shakespeare Festival is Life SPARC: the Victory of Spirit, a series of monthly theatrical events that honor our struggles and celebrate our victories in the fight to create a more just and joyful world. For more information visit LivermoreShakes.org or by call (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release
January 26, 2021
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes brings reading of John Lewis’ MARCH to life
(Livermore) – Livermore Shakespeare Festival, committed to building community through the production of high quality professional theatrical experiences, is performing a LIVE Readers’ Theater version of John Lewis’ graphic novel March for the Livermore Reads Together event this February. The presentation will be streamed virtually with volunteer actors bringing the story to life through an adapted version of the books.
Livermore Reads Together, the library’s annual community reading program is featuring the #1 New York Times and Washington Post bestselling graphic novel trilogy, March, written by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, co-written by Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell. John Lewis was an American politician, statesman, and civil rights leader. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia and was one of the “Big Six” leaders of the 1963 March on Washington. Lewis also led the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which became known as Bloody Sunday when state troopers and police attacked the marchers, including John Lewis.
Livermore Shakes will partner with volunteer readers from the Office of Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Programs at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab for the public presentation of March. The reading is directed by Donna Blevins and features Tony Baylis, Lorenzo Wells, AJ (Jacqueline) Lanier, Jennifer Nelson, Julia Ramirez and Monique Warren.
Director Donna Blevins states “In my 12th year adapting books into readers theater scripts, it has never felt more important than now to speak the words of the author. The story is told over three graphic novels, with many difficult images to see and words to hear. But there was also inspiration, courage and perseverance of everyone on the journey.“
Livermore Reads Together 2021 is sponsored by the Friends of the Livermore Public Library. Throughout the month of February 2021, the library will host a series of events for youth and adults that celebrate Black History Month and explore the themes in March. March Readers Theater will be presented by Livermore Shakespeare Festival Volunteers on Monday, February 8, 7:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). The reading will last approximately 50 minutes, with a Q&A following. Zoom Access this link to attend the program: https://zoom.us/j/95883723655
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2020
For Immediate Release
November 23, 2020
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Lanza and Ramirez join Livermore Shakespeare Festival Board
(Livermore) – Livermore Shakespeare Festival, committed to building community through the production of high quality professional theatrical experiences, announces the addition of Steve Lanza and Bobby Ramirez to their board of directors. LSF’s signature programs include an outdoor theater festival in the vineyards – an 18-year Tri-Valley tradition – and in-school educational programming, now virtual, in the region’s public schools.
Mr. Ramirez has served as the Livermore Branch Manager of First Republic Bank since 2013. He is active in the local community and has served as Treasurer of the Livermore Valley Rotary Club and was a founding member of the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance Finance Committee. He was born and raised in Fresno, California and graduated with a B.A. in Organizational Leadership from Fresno Pacific University. Mr. Ramirez lives in Antioch and manages his family almond ranch in the Fresno area. He enjoys spending time with his family and daughter Elani.
Mr. Lanza recently retired after serving 12 years as Vice President of Lam Research, a Fortune 300 technology company. He is currently Principal at Tri-Valley Advising focused on developing organizations and driving strategies companies. Mr. Lanza is active on a number of advisory boards, including as Chairperson of the Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group, an organization focused on improving the business climate and quality of life in the $42B GDP Tri-Valley region. In addition to his corporate and non-profit experience, Mr. Lanza has been an adjunct professor and lecturer since 2002 focusing on business strategy, finance, and management both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has worked and lived abroad and has career-long experience working across and between cultures. “I am excited about the direction of Shakespeare Associates as they expand their reach to include programming around the new Stockmen center in downtown Livermore. I am a strong advocate for STEAM as part of our educational processes”.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival Board Chair, Laura Batti says, “Steve and Bobby stepping onto our board at this time is incredibly exciting. Steve’s extensive experience in our region’s tech sector and history of supporting the arts and education as a part of regional development is a perfect fit for Livermore Shakes as we move forward with developing the black box theater for Stockmen’s Park, which happens to be the epicenter of the ‘megaregion’. Bobby’s expertise in financial strategies and non-profit development, in addition to his long-standing reputation as a well respected leader in the Tri-Valley community, makes him a valuable asset. The cherry on top: they have both been longtime patrons of Livermore Shakes and have an appreciation and passion for arts.”
Next up for Livermore Shakespeare Festival is ‘Holiday Stories’ sponsored by Swirl on the Square. Livermore Shakes’ artists will celebrate the holidays with a virtual reading of Charles Dickens’ The Chimes . Swirl on the Square will offer pre-show snacks, dinner and wine options for pick-up. Showings will be at 7pm on December 18, 19 and 20 and at 2pm on December 19 and 20. Tickets are $12-$20 and include a Zoom Link to the performance. Tickets are available at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release
August 19, 2020
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Tri-Valley Theater Company Pairs Artists and Scientists of Color for new Commission
(Livermore) – Albert Einstein famously wrote, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. So the unknown, the mysterious, is where art and science meet.” During this time of great uncertainty, Livermore Shakespeare Festival aims to electrify the public narrative using performance to illuminate, clarify and amplify the scientific process through a public art project called “Science at Play.”
With the ‘mystery of science’ literally trending, Livermore Shakespeare Festival is leading a movement to bring the scientific process to life through literature and performance. Their program “Science at Play” aims to enhance the public’s awareness and trust in science and technology and to highlight and provide opportunities for writers, directors, actors and scientists, especially of color. The one-year program will begin with live-streamed productions of known science-related plays like David Auburn’s Proof and Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen. LSF will also commission a playwright of color to write a new play, one which will educate the public about the COVID-19 crisis and ways that scientists are using science and data to combat and develop a vaccine. The playwright will partner with LLNL and Sandia National Lab scientists actively engaged in this process. A Request for Qualifications is going out nationwide. There is a $6,000 commission available for the qualified candidate.
Leading the project will be Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s Resident Director, Michael Wayne Rice, who has acted and directed in over 30 productions in Missouri, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Michael is currently working with Livermore Shakes as part of a Theatre Bay Area and National Endowment for the Arts Diversity Fellowship. Mr. Rice has also acted in several LSF productions over the years, and recently directed last year’s thought-provoking production of Shakespeare’s Othello. Assisting Mr. Rice will be Lisa A. Tromovitch, the Founding Artistic Director of Livermore Shakespeare Festival, and tenured professor in Media X at the University of the Pacific. Also assisting Mr. Rice as science advisors will be Lawrence Lagin, who is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Livermore Shakes, and Alicia Calonico Soto who is a Director and Founder of the Hispanic Heritage Center. Lagin retired in 2014 as NIF Deputy Project Manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) after a 40-year career as a scientist, engineer, science outreach program founder and science project manager. Alicia Calonico Soto is currently employed as a LLNL engineer.
Scientists will advise the playwright and present science-related talks and demonstrations for the public. Tony Baylis, Livermore National Laboratory’s Director for the Office of Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Programs and Joanna Albala, Science Education Program Manager have volunteered to assist with connecting scientists and artists for the project.
“Art illuminates. With the uncertainty of live gatherings still looming, this is a moment for arts organizations to enlighten their audiences and contribute to a global narrative by showcasing the minds and spirits of the folks in the middle of today’s scientific breakthroughs,” added Tromovitch.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival is a non-profit arts and arts education organization operating in the Tri-Valley for the past 19 years. The RFQ can be found at LivermoreShakes.org or call (925) 443-2273.
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For Immediate Release
June 22, 2020
Contact: Katie Marcel
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Virtual Shakespeare Summer Camp offered by Livermore Shakes
(Livermore) – Social distancing won’t keep Local professional theater company Livermore Shakes from giving kids the opportunity to step into the world of Shakespeare this summer with their Virtual Shakespeare Summer Camp. “The show must go on” says the company’s Education Director, Lindsey Schmeltzer. “We have spent the last couple of months re-imagining and re-designing what a performing arts summer camp looks like online. We came up with the idea to deliver a camp toolkit to each camper before the start of the session. We hope it adds an air of mystery and anticipation to the camp experience. We have also found ways to incorporate physical activity into the experience. This won’t be another week of just sitting in front of a screen,” emphasizes Schmeltzer.
There are two sessions for 3rd through 5th graders, Shakespeare: Snippets and Silly Songs offered July 13th-17th, from 9AM-12PM and Shakespeare: Forests and Fantasy offered July 20th-24th from 9AM-12PM. Students will spend the week learning basic acting skills, while building confidence, collaboration and creativity. Activities will include: Basic Scene Study, Movement and Physical Comedy, Singing and Dancing, Crafting Props and Costumes, and Theatre Games. The week will culminate in an online sharing of scenes and songs from some of Shakespeare’s famous comedies.
One 2-week session will be offered for grades 6-8 with the theme of Shakespeare Selections: Be Bold and Brave with the Bard, July 13th-24th from 1PM-4PM. During this time of uncertainty, it can be hard to feel bold and brave. In this camp students will dive into the worlds of Shakespeare’s boldest and bravest characters. Through physical theatre activities and text work they will explore what makes these characters bold and brave, and how their words might help them find confidence and courage in themselves. Activities will include: Acting, Movement, Voice Training, Improvisation, Crafting Props and Costumes and Theater Games. Students will collaborate on a 20-minute ensemble driven production featuring scenes and speeches from Shakespeare’s best known works.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival will produce Some Have Greatness, a Virtual Shakespeare themed summer camp July 13-17 from 9AM-12PM and July 20-24th from 9AM-12PM for kids entering 3rd through 5th grades. Fee is $250. For kids entering 6th through 8th grades, camp will be offered July 13-24 from 1-4pm. Fee is $500. For more information and registration, visit LivermoreShakes.org/Shakespeare-Summer-Camp or call (925) 443-2273.
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For Immediate Release
February 06, 2020
Contact: Lisa@livermoreshakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes Supports Measure P
(Livermore, CA) Livermore Shakespeare Festival was created in response to the City of Livermore’s downtown planning process, a process that reflected a clear understanding of cultural tourism. Having a boutique-style hotel downtown on Livermore Avenue, connected to the wine country via a wine trolley, spoke to the needs of the future outdoor festival. The City’s plans to move forward with the long-awaited plans with Presidio hoteliers align with the mission and goals of the arts organization. Therefore, the board and staff of Livermore Shakespeare Festival are supporting a Yes on Measure P.
“Originally, we planned a typical 10-month indoor season of plays. In 2002, when we learned that many of the vineyards were opening tasting rooms, some adding event centers and that the downtown planning process included a small, upscale hotel near restaurants and bars I immediately thought, ‘we should flip this, and start the company with an outdoor Shakespeare festival and then grow outwards into the rest of the year.’ When we learned of the plans for a wine trolley, and a cohesive plan that put the hotel on Livermore Avenue, with cinemas at each end of the main street, we knew this was a city that understood how tourism worked. They were planning consciously, thinking about pedestrian and vehicular traffic. They spread out customers among various small businesses and restaurants, all within walking distance of the hotel, while putting the hotel right at the gateway to the downtown. Everything was moving into place for great customer service while preserving the small downtown atmosphere that is so attractive,” declared Lisa Tromovitch, founder of the theater company.
The hotel location was put into the approved site specific plan in 2004. An article in The Independent announced the future arrival of the hotel in 2008. The nation-wide economic crash scuttled those plans. But after re-evaluating the assumptions, opening the plans up to public input, stake-holder expertise, and financial and safety scrutiny, the City re-affirmed the location of the hotel and took citizen feedback for a new unified concept that brought Stockmen’s Park, a veterans memorial, a small arts center and a science center into the plan along with work-force housing to activate downtown and the new park. Local teachers in particular would qualify for the work-force housing model. Many smaller businesses operating at various times of day benefit from downtown housing within walking distance of their business.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s Board of Directors commends the City of Livermore on its thoughtful planning process, and has pledged to support the community effort through fundraising for a small, flexible theater space that also supports outdoor concerts and educational programming.
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For Immediate Release
January 23, 2020
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
January 23, 2020
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Director of Globe Education hosted by Livermore Shakes
(Livermore, CA) Livermore Shakespeare Festival will host A Conversation with Patrick Spottiswoode, the Director of Globe Education, London. Patrick will sit down with LSF’s Artistic Director, Lisa Tromovitch, on February 8th to share information on his cutting edge teaching methods using Shakespeare’s text. This dialogue will give an insight to a new education program currently in development. He will describe the world-wide outreach activities undertaken by Shakespeare’s Globe over its first 22 years, and discuss his experiences working with The Globe’s visionary founder, American Sam Wanamaker and its founding artistic director, Oscar-winner Mark Rylance.
As the founding Director of Globe Education, Patrick Spottiswoode has brought over 120,000 people of all ages and nationalities to Shakespeare’s Globe to participate in educational workshops and courses every year.
Patrick is a proud alumnus of Warwick University, and has gone on to curate a range of Festivals including “Shakespeare and Islam”, “Shakespeare and Shoes” and “Shakespeare is German”. Patrick is a Fellow of King’s College, a proud recipient of a D Litt (hons) from Warwick University and from the University of Sussex. He was President of the Shakespeare Theatre Association in 2011 and 2012.
Says Livermore Shakespeare Festival Education Director, Lindsey Schmeltzer “This will be an amazing opportunity to learn from someone who is at the forefront of Shakespeare Education as LSF continues to grow our Education and Outreach programs.”
The event will be held at Livermore Shakespeare Festivals’ new studio space at 2172 Railroad Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550, on Saturday, February 8th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Tickets are $35, and include a complimentary glass of wine and appetizers. Tickets are available at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release
January 13, 2020
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes Increases Staff
(Livermore, CA) Shakespeare’s Associates, producers of Livermore Shakespeare Festival at Darcie Kent Vineyards, rings in the new year by expanding their staff. Katie Anderson will serve as the Administrative Associate, while Lindsey Schmeltzer joins the team as the new Education Director. Both positions were added due to the organization’s growth and expanded programming.
Livermore native, Katie Anderson, with a background in graphic design and creative coordination, is excited to join a company “that is doing so much to build up the Livermore community.” Anderson found synergy between her personal goals of creating an inclusive community with the theatre’s mission to create community through the arts. Anderson is especially excited about the company’s mission to build a small black box theatre downtown that includes the collaboration of over a dozen diverse arts groups.
Last seen in Livermore Shakespeare’s 2016 production of The Tempest, Lindsey Schmeltzer has served as an actor, musical director, and teaching artist throughout the Bay Area. Schmeltzer settled in the Bay Area in 2014 and found a theatre home at Livermore Shakes, having performed in the summer festivals and Holiday Readings at Swirl on the Square, and taught the So Wise So Young curriculum in multiple 2nd grade Livermore classrooms. She has expertise in curriculum design and implementing state and national learning standards. As Education Director, her first task is to create new curriculum that links Shakespeare with the school district’s social emotional learning curriculum, Choose Love™, funded in part by a generous donation from Lawrence Livermore National Security.
More information on Livermore Shakespeare Festival and its programs can be found at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD.
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2019
For Immediate Release
November 26, 2019
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes celebrates the holidays with stories at Swirl on the Square
(Livermore, CA) Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’ literary classic, A Child’s Christmas in Wales and other holiday stories will be brought to life by Livermore Shakespeare Festival artists at Swirl on the Square, in downtown Livermore, this holiday season. Six performances will be offered on Wednesdays in December.
On December 4th, 11th, and 18th Associate Artist Michael Wayne Rice will direct a cast of Livermore Shakespeare Festival actors including Cynthia Lagodzinski and Robyn Grahn. Rice directed LSF’s critically acclaimed production of Othello last summer and has appeared in many LSF shows over the years, including The Tempest, As You Like It, and The Winter’s Tale. Lagodzinski can be found in Livermore’s 2nd grade classrooms teaching So Wise So Young, LSF’s in-school Shakespeare program. She was recently seen in Three Musketeers at the Douglas Morrison Theatre, and in Ripcord at Role Players Ensemble. Last year she directed Shakespeare’s As You Like It for Silicon Valley Shakespeare. Grahn returns to Livermore Shakes, after she delighted audiences as one of the stars of the last summer’s hilarious production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)(revised) at Wente Vineyards.
The readings will take place at Swirl on the Square, in downtown Livermore, to the festive accompaniment of a glass of wine or other beverage and a tapas sampler plate.
Says Livermore Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch, “Our mission is to create community through the arts, and the holiday season is the best time to bring folks together for a shared moment of celebration and nostalgia. I always enjoy the sense of enjoyment and peace that settles over the audience as they hear the stories.”
Swirl on the Square is located at 21 S. Livermore Ave., in downtown Livermore, CA. There will be one matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. on December 4th and another performance at 7:00 p.m. On December 11th and 18th, there will be showings at both 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets prices are day dependent and range from $45 to $65. Price of ticket includes the performance, beverage, and sampler plate. Pre-sale ticket purchases are required as seating is limited. The event is sponsored by the Mony Nop Real Estate Team. Tickets are available at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release
October 18, 2019
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes Adds to Board of Directors
(Livermore, Ca) Livermore Shakespeare Festival, committed to building community through the production of high quality professional theatrical experiences, announces the addition of Robert Koelle, Stephanie Fish and Lawrence Lagin to their board of directors. LSF’s signature programs include the outside theater festival in the vineyards, now in its 18th year, and in-school educational programming such as So Wise So Young, in all of Livermore’s 2nd grade classrooms.
Robert Koelle has worked in pharmaceuticals for 26 years and currently serves as Drug Safety Operations Director for Exelixis. Bob and his wife Amy Pittel moved to Livermore from Delaware in late 2010 to pursue opportunities in a smaller, more nimble biotech sector. While in Delaware, Koelle’s volunteer work included literacy mentoring in the Wilmington public schools, for which he was nominated for a Jefferson Award for Public Service.
Stephanie Fish is a familiar face in downtown Livermore as she has served as General Manager of Swirl on the Square in Blacksmith Square since 2011. Fish is also an adjunct faculty librarian at Las Positas Community College in Livermore. As a representative of a downtown restaurant, Fish’s incite will be invaluable as LSF progresses on its plans to build a small affordable space as part of Stockmen’s Park.
Lawrence Lagin is a professional artist and currently a resident artist at Livermore’s Bothwell Arts Center. Lagin retired in 2014 after 40 years of experience as a project manager, lead engineer and scientist in both university and industrial environments. Most recently, Larry served as the NIF Deputy Project Manager for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Larry founded and chaired the beloved “Science on Saturdays” outreach program through LLNL. “Although I have had a career as a scientist, I have always believed scientists should have a solid background and education in the arts. This is why I have especially enjoyed attending numerous Livermore Shakespeare Festival shows over the years, and became trained as an artist after I retired. Both science and art involve a creative and exploratory discovery process that enriches both the individual and the community” states Lagin. “By being on the Board of LSF, I hope to encourage the greater scientific community and others to enjoy and participate in LSF’s unique programs.”
Livermore Shakespeare Festival Board Chair, Laura Batti says, “Bob, Stephanie and Larry have been longtime supporters of Livermore Shakes and coincidentally, were all introduced to our organization through educational programs their children participated in. They have continued to support the company and are furthering their commitment by joining our board during this exciting time in the company’s evolution. Each brings a unique skillset to our strong, active board and will contribute to our growth in the coming months and years.”
Next up for Livermore Shakes is the Holiday Reading at Swirl on the Square in downtown Livermore on December 4th, 11 and 18th. Showings will be at 2 and 7pm on December 4th and 5:30 and 7:30PM on December 11th and 18th. Tickets are $45-$65 (day dependent) and include the performance, a glass of wine or other beverage and a tapas sampler plate. Pre-sale ticket purchases are required as seating is limited. Tickets are available at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD.
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For Immediate Release
July 10, 2019
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes Rounds Up Bay Area Shakespearean Actors for Mash Up
Come mid-July audiences will be rollicking in their seats at Wente Vineyards as Livermore Shakespeare Festival produces the hilariously irreverent The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield.
“The Complete Works is essentially a mash-up of all 37 plays in the canon, performed by 3 actors in 90 minutes. It is truly insane and one of those shows that gets audiences laughing until they cry or pee their pants.” Says Producing Artistic Director, Lisa A. Tromovitch. “We have cast three of the top Shakespearean actors in the Bay – all have worked extensively with the major Shakespeare festivals in the area.”
The play features Sydney Schwindt, Jed Parsario and Robyn Grahn. Schwindt appears frequently with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and is one of the most sought after Fight Directors in the area. In addition to starring in The Complete Work this season, she directs all of the fights in LSF’s, Othello. Parsario recently completed Sweat at American Conservatory Theater and his credits include California Shakespeare Theater, Marin Shakespeare Company and Altarena Playhouse. He is a graduate of Shakespeare and Co. in Lenox, MA. Grahn has appeared with Livermore Shakespeare Festival previously as “Elinor” in the 2016 production of Sense and Sensibility. Grahn can often be seen working with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Ross Valley Players and Shotz SF.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival is presenting Shakespeare’s, The Tragedie of Othello and the irreverent madcap comedy The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield on the grounds of Wente Vineyards Estate Winery & Tasting room at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore July 3 – August 4, 2019. For dates and detailed information visit LivermoreShakes.org. Tickets range from $25 to $58 and are day-dependent, with discounts for seniors, students and educators. For tickets call (925) 443-BARD or visit www.LivermoreShakes.org
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For Immediate Release
May 20, 2019
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Shakespeare Hits on American Themes in Livermore Production
Ever wonder why Shakespeare’s plays are produced world-wide over 400 years after his death? Attending one of his most powerful plays, The Tragedie of Othello, answers that question. Playwright-past and audience-present grapple with tragedy sparked by race, love, honor and ultimately, betrayal. Produced outdoors at Wente Vineyards by Livermore Shakespeare Festival this summer, Othello is the story of a Black army general and hero, desperately in love with his Caucasian wife, and Iago, the ensign, who manipulates everyone around him, ultimately leading to multiple tragedies.
Audience favorite and frequent Livermore Shakes leading actor Michael Wayne Rice directs the production setting the play in post-Civil War America. Rice explains, “Post Civil War, there was a brief period of ‘racial reconstruction’ in which white Republicans created laws that would grant blacks voting rights and attempt economic equality in the labor market. Conversely the Antebellum South would enact laws, ‘the new slavery laws’ that were technically and skillfully crafted to circumvent the Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln passed before his assassination. It feels like today, we are in a similar moment in history where we have tried to have a constructionist’s national view of more equality for people of all races, while still fighting the ‘antebellum’ mentality of our current political system. The parallels are astonishing.”
Rice, as well as Founder and Artistic Director Lisa A. Tromovitch are hopeful that the production will serve as a springboard to a wider community dialogue on the issues surrounding race and gender relations and the effect on our lives.
“The purpose of theater is to create community, whether it’s by exploring important issues together, or simply coming together in a live environment to share an emotional romp through a comedy, tragedy or whatever,” added Tromovitch. “Othello could be a contemporary TV drama. It’s amazing how we’re still in the same struggle other eras faced as we strive to become confident in our ability to live together, as a community of different races, genders & gender identities, etc. It’s fascinating to see what Shakespeare observed 400+ years ago and how it relates to today. And the action is just as powerful and riveting as any drama we see onscreen.”
Rice continues “a real community creates forums for discussion and action. A real community recognizes that differences do and will occur but don’t have to be founded in animosity. Community story is more powerful than the individual story. Patrons of the show will, for a short period of time, be part of an exclusive community within the veil of this production of Shakespeare’s Othello. I want people to speak about personal experiences that may relate to the issues and themes the play may spark. I expect to have frank post-show discussions where people can speak freely about their feelings. I want to open up our nation’s silo-ed communications so that we can start to understand each other.”
Livermore Shakespeare Festival will produce Shakespeare’s, The Tragedie of Othello and the irreverent madcap comedy The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield on the grounds of Wente Vineyards Estate Winery & Tasting room at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore July 3 – August 4, 2019. For dates and detailed information visit LivermoreShakes.org. Tickets range from $25 to $58 and are day-dependent, with discounts for seniors, students and educators. For tickets call (925) 443-BARD or visit www.LivermoreShakes.org
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LINK TO “THIS IS OTH” DIRECTOR’S PAGE
(Director Michael Wayne Rice takes you behind the scenes to explore the world of Othello through a series of videos)
2019 Livermore Shakespeare Festival Fact Sheet
Production: Othello by William Shakespeare
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield
Producer: Livermore Shakespeare Festival
Directed by: Othello, Michael Wayne Rice
The Complete Works, Mary Ann Rodgers
Performances: July 3 – August 4, 2019
Preview & Family Night of Othello is on July 3rd
Othello Opening Night Performance is on July 5th
Othello performances are July 3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19 and 21
Preview & Family Night of The Complete Works of Wm Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] is on July 18
Complete Works Opening Night “Party With Benefits”, benefit dinner and performance will be held on Saturday, July 20.
The Complete Works performances are July 18, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28 August 1, 2 3 & 4
Time: All performances begin at 7:30 PM.
Location: Wente Vineyards Estate Winery & Tasting Room, 5565 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA 94550
Parking: FREE. Available at Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room
Ticket Prices: $25-$58.
“Party With Benefits” performance with dinner on July 20th: $165
Family Nights (Othello) on July 3 and (Complete Works) on July 18: Kids Tickets $5.
Kids 18 & Under on all other performances are $18.
Running Time: Show running times are approximately 2 ½ hours including one 15 minute intermission.
Tickets: (925) 443-BARD or www.LivermoreShakes.org
Information: (925) 443-BARD
March 29, 2019
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes brings Harlem Shakespeare Artist to present “Becoming Othello”
“But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at: I am not what I am” states the character of Iago in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Othello. While Iago is contemplating his identity he could just as well be referring to Debra Ann Byrd, Founder of Harlem Shakespeare Festival and the first black woman to play Othello. Livermore Shakespeare Festival is producing Othello for its 2019 Summer Season at Wente Vineyards and the company will embark on an audience engagement series exploring the theme of race in Othello, issues surrounding race relations and the effect on our lives. As part of this program, LSF is featuring an evening of conversation with world renowned Director, Producer and Actor Debra Ann Byrd as she shares her story of stepping into the role of Othello all the while producing an all-female cast of Othello with her company Harlem Shakespeare Festival.
“I’ve known Debra Ann for over 15 years through the international Shakespeare Theatre Association” states Livermore Shakes Artistic Director, Lisa A. Tromovitch. “She is a dynamic artist and producer with an incredible story and I really wanted to bring her story and experiences to our audience. Through Debra Ann’s own journey of becoming Othello, we are able to deepen our understanding of arguably, one of Shakespeare’s most misunderstood characters.”
“Becoming Othello with Debra Ann Byrd” is sponsored by Kimbrely Gruidl, Wealth Management Private Banker at Fremont Bank and will be presented at the gorgeous Purple Orchid Resort & Spa for one night only on Thursday, April 25th, 2019. Guests will enjoy the presentation and a Q&A session with the artist, desserts and award-winning Livermore Valley wine. Tickets are $60/person and include the program, dessert and wine. For tickets call (925) 443-BARD or visit www.LivermoreShakes.org.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival will produce Shakespeare’s, The Tragedie of Othello and the madcap comedy The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield on the grounds of Wente Vineyards Estate Winery & Tasting room at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore in July and August 2019. For dates and detailed information visit LivermoreShakes.org. Tickets range from $25 to $58 and are day-dependent, with discounts for seniors, students and educators. For tickets call (925) 443-BARD or visit www.LivermoreShakes.org
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2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2018
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
www.LivermoreShakes.org
Innovation Tri-Valley Founder Chairs Livermore Shakes Capital Campaign
Dale Kaye
(Livermore, Ca) – Dale Kaye, Founder and Senior Consultant of the regional business consortium, Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group (ITV) will lead Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s Capital Campaign Committee as they raise funds to build and operate a Black Box Theater in downtown Livermore as part of the new Stockmen’s Park. A Black Box theater is a small, flexible, modular space. Seating is flexible and movable to accommodate different needs. Lighting and sound are set up to accommodate different set ups and viewing from different angles. The number of seats can vary from 100-199. This Black Box theater will serve the entire region, and addresses the pent up demand for small to medium scale year-round productions. In addition to LSF, other performing arts organizations who cannot afford a larger venue, will be regular users.
Kaye’s career experience spans many successful years as CEO of the Livermore Chamber of Commerce and before that, Vice President of Gold’N Hen Productions, a subsidiary of MSI Entertainment.
“One of the greatest challenges in growing our region as a tech hub is attracting workers to the Tri-Valley. With the high cost of living, many recruits are skeptical of the vibrancy of our region. Proximity to arts education is considered extremely valuable both nationally and internationally. LSF’s Black Box theater will be a creative hub for residents and visitors of all ages,” states Kaye.
The Capital Campaign committee also includes Lori Souza, David Kent, Don Sweeney and current Livermore Shakespeare Festival
Lori Souza
Board Chair, Laura Batti and Board Director, Ellen Goold, as well as Supervisor Scott Haggerty (Honorary).
Souza recently retired as Associate Deputy Director of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab and serves in numerous community leadership roles including the Rotary club of Livermore Valley, the Las Positas College Foundation and the Tri-Valley Conservancy.
David Kent, longtime Livermore resident and owner of Darcie Kent Vineyards, served 12 years as CEO of The Wine Group after which he left to help his wife and daughters start up their small estate winery. As CEO, David transformed The Wine Group into the world’s most cost and carbon efficient vintner, then ranked as the 2nd largest wine producer in the world by volume with revenue exceeding one billion dollars.
Don Sweeney retired from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory after serving as the Program Manager for the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography project and is an experienced grant writer.
The company’s board is represented by Laura Batti, owner of Metier Marketing and Communications, and Ellen Goold, who serves on the Livermore Valley Education Foundation Board of Directors and is a Realtor with Legacy Real Estate.
The committee, along with Livermore Shakespeare Festival staff and the community groups slated to utilize the Black Box Theater, will promote the plans for the centrally located creative space. The group will work to secure the $8M in funding required to build and develop the building. The building is to be privately funded and the organization already has pledges of over $1.5M as they embark on the fundraising campaign.
“I have been a longtime patron and supporter of Livermore Shakes and I am passionate about preserving and enhancing the quality of life for our community. Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s expertise in arts education and producing live theater will make optimal use of this space” concludes Souza.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2018
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes Grows Board of Directors
(Livermore, Ca) Livermore Shakespeare Festival, producers of the Shakespeare in the Vineyard program at Wente Vineyards and So Wise So Young, an in–school early literacy program in all of Livermore’s public elementary schools, announced the addition of Alexis Miller to their board of directors. Miller recently relocated to Livermore from San Francisco and practices law at Trutner Law Offices in downtown Livermore. Miller is a member of the Alameda County Bar Association and the East Bay Trust and Estate Lawyers Association. Miller has previous experience in development with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and in New York City with Harlem RBI, a youth development organization. “We are thrilled to have Alexis on the team” says Board Chair, Laura Batti. “Alexis represents a growing sector of our audience. Her experience in non-profit development and perspective as a Millennial lend support to two of our major areas of focus.”
“LSF’s Board of Directors is a natural fit for me as I have enjoyed attending the shows at Wente Vineyards and am passionate about cultivating the arts in my new community” states Miller. “My generation values the arts and unique experiences that enhance our quality of life. Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s contributions to the Livermore community definitely impacted my decision to move to Livermore. There isn’t anything like this in the Greater Bay Area.”
Livermore Shakespeare Festival will produce Shakespeare’s fantasy, The Winters Tale and Oscar Wilde’s comedy The Importance of Being Earnest on the grounds of Wente Vineyards Estate Winery & Tasting room at 5565 Tesla Road in Livermore June 28th to July 29th, 2018. For dates and detailed information visit LivermoreShakes.org. Tickets range from $25 to $58 and are day-dependent, with discounts for seniors, students and educators. Family Nights will be held on Thursday, June 28th (The Importance of Being Earnest) and Thursday, July 12th (The Winter’s Tale) with $5 youth tickets (under 18). For tickets call (925) 443-BARD or visit www.LivermoreShakes.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2018
Contact: David B. Kent davidbkent@me.com 209-602-1121
City Unveils Design Concepts for Downtown Livermore
(Livermore, Ca) City Staff has released for public review and comment two draft concepts for re-development of an 8.2-acre site at the heart of downtown. The “Eastside” concept would build a 125-room boutique hotel on the Southeast corner of S. Livermore and Railroad Avenues. A “Westside” concept places the hotel on the Southeast corner of L Street and Railroad Avenue. Both concepts feature a new multi-level parking garage near the intersection of L and First Streets and a centrally located village green surrounded by an expansion of Blacksmith Square’s historic one-story brick buildings and tree lined courtyard. Once built, Livermore ‘s downtown will have a similar vibe to other Wine Country Destination towns such as Healdsburg and Paso Robles.
Affordable workforce housing would be built in areas not chosen for the hotel, parking, and open space. Enthusiastic representatives from the ranching, scientific, winegrowing, hospitality, business, teaching, interfaith ministry, and performing and visual arts communities praised the two concepts as being attractive, forward looking and highly responsive to the diverse community input garnered from the City’s year-long outreach process. Lisa Tromovitch of the Livermore Shakespeare Festival called the plans “a dynamic expression of our city’s cultural heritage for scientific innovation, world class winegrowing, and family ranching traditions unified and amplified by the arts.” Local teacher Evan Branning was pleased to see that “the affordable housing funds used to purchase the site were being used to build much needed workforce housing for our community.” Vintner and artist Darcie Kent exclaimed, “The [outreach] process was worth it! An amazingly diverse coalition of residents was brought together in the workshops and the city’s synthesis of so many new ideas has resulted in a couple of terrific plans. Active listening, compromise and mutual respect still work in Livermore!” Although consensus elements from the public outreach are included in both designs, these draft concepts provide more space for cultural assets, less housing, and better traffic flow than earlier versions set out for citizen review and refinement. Open space, calculated to be approximately 3.5 acres under the westside option, excluding numerous rooftop patios, is one-third larger than under any previous westside design.
Draft Westside Hotel Concept | Draft Eastside Hotel Concept
Key to this additional open space is the Livermore Stockmen’s Rodeo Association proposal to build up to 100 units of affordable senior housing outside the downtown area in exchange for naming rights to a park adjacent to Blacksmith Square honoring local ranchers and veterans. This proposal allows repayment of up to $7 million in affordable housing funds used to purchase the downtown land. Either concept can repay the balance of the affordable housing debt by building an additional 130 workforce housing units within the 8.2-acre site. These units are intended for teachers, first responders and other local workers being priced out of the rental market. The eastside concept places all these apartments on the corner of L Street and Railroad Avenue whereas the westside concept calls for three smaller apartment buildings be built in various locations across the site. Both concepts envision Stockman Park as a shady and expansive village green with an outdoor concert stage capable of hosting a wide variety of civic events and cultural programs. Both provide space for a privately funded 150-seat “Black Box” theatre, a Science Center, an upscale steakhouse, artisan shops, tasting rooms and galleries radiating from the park’s circular plaza.
Ample diagonal parking is provided on new cross streets to improve access, community policing and traffic flow. Although both concepts more than triple the number of disabled parking spaces adjacent to the Bankhead Theatre, neither concept includes construction of the 352-stall parking garage adjacent to the Bankhead strongly advocated by the owner of The Independent weekly paper. On January 29, City Council is expected to finalize the Stockmen’s proposal and possibly select a hotel location. Supporters of the Bankhead garage intend to argue adding it to the westside concept and moving the proposed affordable housing on that site across Railroad Avenue. Why is this important? A Bankhead garage dispute, which would be the third major parking structure in downtown, would not delay the immediate development of most elements in the westside concept, but it would block all non-parking development of the eastside concept until resolved. This would create uncertainty for the City’s hotel developer and cost taxpayers substantially more if the garage is built.
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2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2017
Contact: David Kent
davidbkent@me.com
209-602-1121
Downtown Livermore Plans Taking Shape
(Livermore, Ca) – On November 29, Livermore City Council, in a long string of 5-0 votes, directed City Staff to study two concepts for re-development of an 8.2-acre site at the heart of downtown. One concept, commonly called the “eastside” option, would build a 125-room boutique hotel on the Southeast corner of S. Livermore and Railroad Avenues. The other “westside” concept would build the hotel on the Southeast corner of L Street and Railroad Avenue. Affordable workforce housing would be built in areas not chosen for a hotel and open space.
Enthusiastic representatives from the ranching, scientific, winegrowing, hospitality, business, performing arts, teaching and interfaith ministry communities spoke strongly on the preceding Monday night in favor of actions the Council took on Wednesday regarding affordable housing, open space and new cultural assets. An advocate for a centrally located hotel along the southern edge of Railroad Avenue where K Street currently terminates requested on Wednesday that this third concept also be studied, but this request was not acted upon. Council discussion centered on how this option would further isolate Blacksmith Square, contained an inappropriately large Conference Center, and was inconsistent with a proposal by the Livermore Stockmen’s Rodeo Association.
This Stockmen’s proposal, which Council voted 5-0 to negotiate and finalize, allows the City to build up to 100 units of affordable senior housing outside the downtown area in exchange for naming rights to a new central park. Dave Finster Jr., President of the Rodeo Association, detailed how a Stockman Park & Plaza will celebrate the community’s rich heritage and honor local ranchers and veterans. The proposal could be worth up to $7 million dollars to the City and allow repayment of affordable housing fund loans used to purchase the downtown land. The balance of the affordable housing debt could be retired by building another 130 apartment units to provide workforce housing to teachers, first responders and other young citizens being priced out of the Livermore rental market.
Council also voted 5-0 to protect Blacksmith Square, a much loved mixed use gathering space on the Southwest corner of Livermore and Railroad Avenues, by restricting any high-rise hotel or apartment structures from “looming” above the historic 1-story structures. Many supporters of the “Unified Vision,” the elements of which were well reflected in Council direction to City Staff, spoke in favor of expanding Blacksmith Square and wrapping it around the proposed Stockman Park to create a “Cultural Core.” This would provide Livermore’s downtown a similar vibe to other Wine Country Destination towns such as Healdsburg and Paso Robles.
Elements of the Cultural Core include a privately funded 150-seat “Black Box” theatre, a Science Center, an upscale steakhouse, artisan shops, tasting rooms and galleries. Supporters envision Stockman Park as a shady and expansive village green capable of hosting a wide variety of civic events and diverse cultural programs. A proposed outdoor concert stage is intended to enhance the visitor experience along with an area for pop-up concessions and gourmet food trucks. Ample diagonal parking would be provided on new cross streets to improve access, community policing and traffic flow.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2017
Contact: David Kent
davidbkent@me.com
209-602-1121
Livermore Citizens Converge On A Unified Vision For Downtown
Artist Rendering of citizen-generated Unified concept showing a hotel and affordable housing with interchangeable locations.
Livermore – Concerned citizens from the ranching, scientific, winegrowing, business and performing arts communities have united around a vision for the development of an 8.2 acre site at the heart of downtown Livermore. Their “Unified” concept captures the needs of the community and celebrates the rich and complex 220-year cultural heritage of Livermore as the community diversified from early California ranching to winegrowing, national laboratories, technology start-ups, hospitality and the performing arts.
This new Unified concept was submitted at the end of a six-month community outreach process. It marks a unique collaboration amongst the area’s stakeholders and is guided by three unifying principles: 1) Design the downtown for future generations; 2) Repay the $14.5 million that was borrowed from the City’s affordable housing fund to purchase the site; and 3) Take no side (pun intended) on which corner to build the hotel on – east or west. If the hotel were to be built on the Eastside where a Speedy Lube currently stands, affordable housing could be built on the corner of L Street and Railroad. If the hotel were to be built on that Westside corner, formerly occupied by a Train Depot, as much workforce housing as possible could be built on the parking lot adjacent to the Bankhead. The City Council is urged to study the pros and cons of both options and make a timely decision.
The Unified concept hinges on a proposal by the Livermore Stockmen’s Rodeo Association that could allow the City to build significant amounts of affordable housing outside the downtown area in exchange for naming rights to a new central park. A Stockman Park and Plaza will celebrate the community’s rich heritage and provide an ideal location for a bronze monument honoring our local ranchers and veterans. The proposal could generate in the range of $5 million dollars that would be used to repay current city debt on the downtown land. Affordable workforce housing to be built elsewhere on the site could generate up to $9 million, retiring more debt. A boutique hotel is expected to contribute half a million dollars and the sum total of all three of the aforementioned land uses could conceivably retire the entire $14.5 million debt, not leaving any for future generations to repay.
The Unified design builds on the success of Blacksmith Square, a much loved mixed use gathering space on the corner of Livermore and Railroad Avenues that also embodies the cultural heritage of the area. Several “Westside” design concepts feature a four-story, 125-room hotel surrounding this single-story square on both sides, thereby isolating it from the rest of downtown. Under the Unified concept Blacksmith Square is expanded to include an upscale steakhouse, additional artisan shops and galleries. They would contribute to, and be energized by, vibrant and engaged pedestrian traffic flowing to and from First Street. For more information on downtown merchants, please contact Rachael Snedecor at rachael@livermoredowntown.com
Stockman Park is envisioned as a shady and expansive village green capable of hosting a wide variety of civic events programmed around Rodeo Week, Harvest Wine Festival, Art Walks, and diverse cultural programs, such as Cinco de Mayo, to name just a few. An outdoor concert stage will enhance the visitor experience and be a catalyst for enlarged community participation. Artisan shops will border Stockman Park and all key elements radiate from a centrally located Plaza. Shaded space for pop-up concessions and gourmet food trucks is provided along with ample diagonal parking on new cross streets that improve access, community policing and traffic flow. For more information on the Stockmen’s Rodeo Association please contact Dave Finster Jr. at davefinsterjr@aol.com
A key element of the Unified Vision is to provide space for a privately funded 150-seat “Black Box” theatre. A Black Box theatre is a simple structure with lighting and staging that are adaptable to a variety of performances, and that allows for highly interactive audience experiences. Modular, flexible and innovative staging options can be tailored to each performance type. This theatre, which is much smaller and less traditional than the 500-seat Bankhead, will provide an opportunity for young, new and diverse voices to find a starting place and become a natural part of the city’s arts ecosystem. It will be housed in a building that supports the outdoor events with sound, lighting and public restrooms. For more information on creating a cultural core in downtown please contact Lisa Tromovitch at Lisa@LivermoreShakes.org
Another privately funded cultural asset, the Livermore Science and Society Center, enters from Stockman Plaza and rises above a new parking lot behind Blacksmith Square. This center would be dedicated to helping our entire community understand the science behind issues that affect us all and it will draw upon a wide range of science, technology and the arts. Topics such as climate and weather; health and bionics; sustainable and biodynamic agriculture; astronomy and space exploration; ancestry and human migration would be explored in ways that all ages and educational backgrounds can enjoy. Just as Blacksmith Square is a visual representation of Livermore’s cultural heritage, the new Science Center will be a window into our future. For more information on the Science and Society Center please contact Alan Burnham at akburnham@yahoo.com
Each Unified concept element is integrated with the others to create a vibrant downtown core. The individuals and organizations that collaborated to bring this concept to the forefront have already pledged more than a million dollars in private donations for the cultural assets. The team wants to expand this collaboration to all stakeholders in the community and welcomes their ideas. Many prominent citizens and the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association, Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group, Livermore Shakespeare Festival and Livermore Stockmen’s Rodeo Association have already endorsed this vision and more are expected to do so in the following weeks. To learn how you can participate please contact David Kent at davidbkent@me.com
Supporters of the Unified concept believe it’s time for Livermore to look forward to the kind of future we want for our children and commit to a vision that brings the community together and provides space and opportunity for future generations to celebrate our diverse heritage.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2017
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
(925) 443-2273
Shakespeare Summer Camp led by stars of Livermore Shakespeare
(Livermore, Ca) – Artists starring in Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s productions this summer will be teaming up with Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center to offer a Shakespeare-themed summer camp for aspiring performers in July. “We have some of the most talented performers in the region with us for the shows each summer,” states Producing Artistic Director, Lisa Tromovitch. “We want to share that talent, and hopefully inspire a love of Shakespeare with our local kids. Two weeks of summer camp is the ideal opportunity to get kids excited about performance and language and expression in a fun and supportive environment.”
Actors/Teaching Artists Jennifer Le Blanc and Deborah Lagin will lead the elementary school-aged camp for kids entering grades 3, 4 and 5. Le Blanc was one of the lead Teaching Artists and curriculum developers for So Wise So Young, Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s highly successful program in all of Livermore’s second grade classrooms. Le Blanc is a member of Actors Equity Association, a produced playwright, adaptor and director, and an acclaimed actress. Le Blanc recently appeared in Lauren Gunderson’s world premier of The Book of Willat the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Le Blanc can be seen in Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s production of Cyrano de Bergerac this summer as Roxane. Deborah Lagin, one of the lead Teaching Artists of So Wise So Young, stars as Hermia in Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this season.
Los Angeles based actor, Paul Barrois and Teaching Artist, Aubrey Whitlock will teach the middle school-aged camp for students entering grades 6, 7 and 8. Barrois recently appeared in the award-winning short film, Eerie Anecdotes and will be featured this summer as the mischievous fairy, Puck in LSF’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Aubrey Whitlock is a So Wise So Young Teaching Artist and is currently serving as dramaturg for LSF’s 2017 season as well as Stage Manager for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In addition to acting, Whitlock is also a credentialed teacher and holds an MFA and an MLitt in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin College, an MA in Teaching from Chapman University, and a BA in Theatre Arts from UC Santa Cruz.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival and the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center will produce Some Have Greatness, a Shakespeare themed summer camp at the Bothwell Arts Center, 2466 Eighth Street in downtown Livermore from July 17 – 28th, 1pm – 4pm. The price is $350 with discounts for Livermore residents and scholarships available through the LVPAC Education Fund. For more information and registration visit www.lvpac.org/bothwell or call (925)583-2312.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2017
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Livermore Shakes announces summer season cast
“We will meet; and there we may rehearse most obscenely and courageously,” bids the beloved buffoon Nick Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Livermore Shakespeare Festival has cast the 2017 season shows and the actors will soon ‘meet and rehearse’ albeit not so obscenely as Nick Bottom suggests. Bay Area talents David Everett Moore and Maryann Rodgers will take on the King and Queen of the Fairies as Oberon and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ryan Tasker and Jennifer Le Blanc, critically acclaimed as the sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick in Livermore Shakes’ 2014 Much Ado About Nothing, return for Edmond Rostand’s heroic romantic comedy, Cyrano de Bergerac.
At the helm of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is veteran film, television, and stage actor and director, Gary Armagnac. Armagnac will direct a cast including Moore and Rodgers along with ACT MFA Candidate Lily Narbonne as Helena who starred as Anne Elliot in last year’s Livermore Shakes production of Persuasion and Deborah Lagin, fresh off San Francisco Shakespeare Festival’s tour of Twelfth Night, as the “little but fierce” Hermia. Russ Marcel, a Livermore local and longtime English and Theatre Arts teacher at Bellarmine College Preparatory, will take on the role of Nick Bottom.
Producing Artistic Director Lisa A. Tromovitch will direct her own adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, the classic comic and romantic tale of the title character, a gifted poet, who romances his love by proxy due to fear of rejection because of his unusually large nose. Inhabiting that famous nose will be Ryan Tasker, last seen as Colonel Brandon in the Livermore Shakes 2015 production of Sense & Sensibility. His love interest, Roxane, will be played by Livermore Shakes regular, Jennifer Le Blanc. Le Blanc returns to the Bay Area after appearing in Lauren Gunderson’s world premier of The Book of Will at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Tasker, Le Blanc and David Everett Moore are all members of Actor’s Equity Association, the union representing professional actors and stage managers. “Arts jobs are jobs and we are proud to be creating jobs, employing artists and contributing to the Bay Area’s artistic ecosystem,” states Tromovitch.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival will produce Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Gary Armagnac from June 29th to July 16th, 2017 and Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac adapted and directed by Lisa A. Tromovitch from July 13th to July 30th at Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room on Tesla Road in Livermore. For more information visit LivermoreShakes.org or call (925) 443-BARD.
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2017 Livermore Shakespeare Festival FACT SHEET
Production: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, adapted by Lisa A. Tromovitch
Producer: Livermore Shakespeare Festival
Directed by: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gary Armagnac
Cyrano de Bergerac, Lisa A. Tromovitch
Performances: June 29th – July 30th, 2017
Preview of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on June 29th.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Opening Night Performance on June 30th. Midsummer performances are June 29, 30, 31, July 1, July 6, 7, 8, 9 with a Family Night performance on Thursday, June 29th.
The Benefit Gala, auction and performance of Midsummer will be held on Saturday, July 8th at 5PM with the performance at 8PM.
Preview of Cyrano de Bergerac will be on July 13th with performances of Cyrano de Bergerac on July 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29 and 30 with a Family Night performance on Thursday, July 13th.
Time: All performances begin at 7:30PM with the exception of the Benefit Performance of Midsummer on Saturday, July 8th at 8PM.
Location: Wente Vineyards Estate Winery & Tasting Room, 5565 Tesla Road, Livermore, CA 94550
Parking: FREE. Available at Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room
Ticket Prices: $50- $25, Benefit performance with dinner and auction on July 8th $150. Livermore Shakes Family Night (Midsummer) on June 29th and (Cyrano) on July 13th. Family Night Kids Tickets $5. Kids 18 & Under on all other performances are $18.
Running Time: Show running times are approximately 2 ½ hours including one 15 minute intermission.
Tickets: (925) 443-BARD or www.LivermoreShakes.org
Information:(925) 443-BARD
Contact: Katie Marcel, Managing Director, Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
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2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2015
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch or Katie Marcel
Lisa@LivermoreShakes.org or Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Shakespeare Integrates Common Core Standards
(Livermore, Ca) – Livermore Shakespeare Festival (LSF) is providing a 10-week program for each of the 37 second grade classrooms in the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District over the 2015-16 school year, beginning September 14th. Half of the schools will receive the 10 class visits this Fall, the rest in Winter/Spring 2016. The Shakespeare program is fully integrated with Common Core learning outcomes.
“Theater is actually a perfect way of integrating common core standards with the curriculum,” stated Lisa Tromovitch, artistic director of Livermore Shakes and a tenured professor in theater arts. The students analyze the text, working on reading comprehension and language acquisition, which leads to research and the development of communication skills. Following the critical thinking process, preparing scenes and creating characters enhances communication and collaborative skills, while engaging the creative thinking process. Because Shakespeare production is literature-based theater, the connection between critical thinking and creative thinking is evident. And, because the creative thinking process is done in a collaborative context, communication, collaboration and creative thinking are inextricably linked. Ultimately, these skills are needed in technology, science and business as well, which are all moving to team-based methodologies. Starting the skill building in a literature and arts setting at this level gets the kids off to a good start.
Superintendent Kelly Bowers stated, “This is an amazing opportunity to expose children to poetry and the performing arts, providing a new and special component to the second grade experience.” Upper grades in Livermore already have enhancement opportunities in Livermore and California history and in sciences, most supported by community organizations such as the Livermore Heritage Guild’s third grade program. The second grade was lacking a community partner, and due to the need for car seats, fieldtrips were not an option. “Bringing professional Shakespearean actors to the students is the perfect alternative. We hope our students look forward to seeing the summer production Livermore Shakes produces at Wente Vineyards. Regardless, Shakespeare is required curriculum in the seventh grade, so creating a fun and engaging introduction to his work will enhance their attitude and experience later in their studies,” noted LSF managing director Katie Marcel.
The Livermore program is based in part on Lois Burdett’s groundbreaking work with Shakespeare in the elementary schools in Stratford, Ontario inspired by the presence of the internationally renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival there. Her books “Shakespeare Can Be Fun” are a go-to book series for parents and teachers who engage their kids with the master storyteller’s works. Certificated teacher Mary Fielding and professional actress Jennifer Le Blanc, both actors with the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, piloted the program at Joe Michell Elementary last Spring. This week, they trained three additional actors from the LSF company to deploy the new program. “We want the students to know they are getting ‘the real thing’, that they are being taught Shakespeare by actors who do this professionally, so we plan to use teaching-artists who have worked with us,” added Tromovitch.
The program is supported by funding from the Livermore Valley Education Foundation, the Severns Family Foundation and the Wente Foundation for Arts Education.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2015
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
Katie Marcel, Managing Director
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Livermore Shakes Lisa Tromovitch named President of International Organization
(Livermore, Ca) – Shakespeare’s Associates’, producers of Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Lisa A. Tromovitch was named President of the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA). STA is an international forum for theaters primarily involved with the production of the works of Shakespeare. The 25th annual STA conference was held in early January in San Francisco and gathered 125 representatives from Shakespeare theaters from all over the world.
Tromovitch states: “STA members have given me so much over the years since I joined in 1998, as founder of Maine Shakespeare Festival, that this opportunity to give to the organization in a substantial way is very welcome. I’ve often called the STA conference ‘my MFA in artistic direction’. The STA founders literally put their arms around my shoulders and counseled me on everything from play selection to legal issues about how to run a company. It was at STA that I learned in depth about Canadian scholar Neil Freeman’s work with early texts. It is his texts that we use at LSF every year.”
Shakespeare’s Associates will produce “Sonnet Cafe”, a romantic evening of wine, chocolate and poems of passion at The City of Dublin’s Heritage Park “Sunday School Barn” Black Box Theater at 6600 Donlon Way, Dublin, CA 94568 on February 13, 14 and 15th. Tickets available at LivermoreShakes.org. Livermore Shakespeare Festival will be held at Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room July 2 through August 2, 2015. Tickets will be available at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD starting in March of 2015.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2015
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
Katie Marcel, Managing Director
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Shakespeare’s Associates produces Sonnet Café for Valentine’s Day
(Livermore, Ca) – Shakespeare’s Associates, producers of Livermore Shakespeare Festival will produce Sonnet Café: A Romantic Evening of Wine, Chocolate and Poems of Passion at Dublin’s Heritage Park “Sunday School Barn” Black Box Theater in February. The event is part of the Visit Tri-Valley’s “Romancing the Arts in the Tri-Valley” festival that showcases a variety of cultural arts events throughout the Tri-Valley cities.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival actors will perform Shakespeare’s sonnets and other famous romantic poems, as guests mingle and enjoy chocolate and wine. The evening is set up as a date night or group outing in a lounge type setting in Dublin’s charming 80-seat converted barn/black box theater. Guests are invited to be part of the evening by making special poetry dedications to their dates and participating in a Live-Tweet Sonnet creation. “Our patrons have been begging us to produce more events in addition to the Livermore Shakespeare Festival”, states Producing Artistic Director, Lisa A. Tromovitch. “The City of Dublin invited us into a space that provides an intimate performance venue for an interactive, romantic Valentine event with a decidedly ‘Livermore Shakes’ flavor.” Managing Director, Katie Marcel added “we are excited to produce another event pairing quality wine with professional theater but with a more casual, participatory and romantic setting. I really think our patrons are going to love the experience and we hope to capture some new fans with the inventive format.”
The show is directed by Gary Armagnac, director of Livermore Shakes’ recent productions of The Taming of the Shrew and Romeo and Juliet and stars familiar Livermore Shakes’ artists Erick Ogle, Ashley Bonda, Mary Fielding and Sean Nill.
The event will take place at The City of Dublin’s Heritage Park “Sunday School Barn” Black Box Theater at 6600 Donlon Way, Dublin, CA 94568 on February 13, 14 at 8PM, February 15 at 2PM and February 20, 21 at 8PM and February 22 at 2PM. Tickets are $30 for a “Sofa and Table Front Row Seat”, $27 for a “Chairs and Cocktail Table” seat and $25 for General Admission and include the performance, a glass of wine and taste of chocolate. Pre-sale ticket purchases are required as seating is limited. Tickets are available at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD.
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2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2014
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
Katie Marcel, Managing Director
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Livermore Shakes announces Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room as their new home
(Livermore, Ca) – After an extensive search of potential locations, Shakespeare’s Associates, proud producers of the Livermore Shakespeare Festival, announced they will stage their 2015 season on the idyllic grounds of the Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room on Tesla Road in Livermore Valley wine country. “The Wente family has been tremendously supportive of the arts in our community and we are delighted to be partnering with them. Due to its atmosphere and intimacy, the Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room is the ideal venue for Livermore Shakes to continue its tradition of professional theater under the stars with an offering of award-winning wines and food” states Shakespeare’s Associates Board Chair, Beth Trutner. Wente Vineyards Fourth Generation Winegrower and Chief Executive Officer, Carolyn Wente adds “We are extremely excited that Wente Vineyards is the new home for Livermore Shakespeare Festival in 2015. Our family winery has a history of contributing to the local community, especially when it comes to Performing Arts so this is a perfect fit for us. We look forward to hosting Livermore Shakes next summer and enjoying the performances!”
Livermore Shakes will erect a stage and set up chairs on the sprawling lawn at the Estate Winery site for five weeks in the summer of 2015. The open-air theater venue will showcase the company’s brand of accessible Shakespeare, high-quality performances and community building theatrical experiences. Wente Vineyards will feature their brand of casual elegance with an array of picnicking and dining options from picnic food on site to pre-theater culinary experiences at the famed Restaurant at Wente Vineyards. Patrons can look forward to enjoying the hand-crafted, fine wines which have made Wente Vineyards a leader in California wine growing for over 130 years. The award-winning wines can be enjoyed in the on site tasting room, the new Winemakers Studio and on the beautifully landscaped property before and during the performances.
Producing Artistic Director, Lisa A. Tromovitch has chosen Shakespeare’s popular comedy As You Like It and Jane Austen’s romance Sense and Sensibility for the summer 2015 season. Performances will run July 2nd – August 2nd at the Wente Vineyards Estate Winery and Tasting Room, 5565 Tesla Road, Livermore. Tickets sales will begin in February of 2015. For more information visit www.LivermoreShakes.org or call (925) 443-BARD.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2014
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
Katie Marcel, Managing Director
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Livermore Shakes brings Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” to Swirl on the Square
(Livermore, Ca) – Truman Capote’s touching and largely autobiographical short story, “A Christmas Memory,” will be brought to life on December 10th and 17th, 2014, when artists from the Livermore Shakespeare Festival present the holiday classic. Associate Artist, Joseph Salazar, last seen as Laertes in the 2012 production of Hamlet will play the lead role while Gary Armagnac directs.
Armagnac, an Associate Artist, previously directed the company’s critically acclaimed production of The Taming of the Shrew in 2013.
The readings will take place at Swirl on the Square in downtown Livermore, to the festive accompaniment of a glass of wine or other beverage and a tapas sampler plate. There will be four performances in total, with showings at 5:30PM and 7:30PM on both December 10th and 17th.
Livermore Shakes Producing Artistic Director, Lisa Tromovitch states “in the style of Livermore Shakes, we will celebrate the holidays by offering a literary classic with delicious wine and food in a charming setting. We hope to provide a festive and entertaining evening for friends, family or co-workers to celebrate together.”
Swirl on the Square is located at 21 S. Livermore Ave., in downtown Livermore, CA. The first reading will begin at 5:30 pm, the second at 7:30pm on December 10th and 17th. Tickets are $35 and include the performance, a glass of wine or other beverage and a tapas sampler plate. Pre-sale ticket purchases are required as seating is limited. Event sponsors are First Republic Bank of Livermore and Louise and Les Gill. Tickets are available at LivermoreShakes.org or by calling (925) 443-BARD.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2014
Contact: Lisa Tromovitch
Lisa@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-BARD (2273)
Photo available upon request
British Delegates Enjoy Livermore Wine and Shakespeare Discussion
On Sunday, July 27th, the Livermore Shakespeare Festival Board of Directors, led by Chair Elizabeth Trutner, Esq., and Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch hosted delegates from The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Dr Paul Edmondson , the University of Warwick Dr Paul Prescott, and Misfits Inc . representatives, Melissa and AJ Leon, for a wine tour “Livermore Shakespeare Festival – Past, Present and Future”. The professors are preparing a book on Shakespeare in America. MisfitsInc. is creating an on-line presence for their current research tour “Shakespeare on the Road,” a reverse-pilgrimage to explore Shakespeare production in North America .
Representatives from area Shakespeare festivals toured with the delegates to Retzlaff, Concannon and Wente Estate wineries (past, present and potential future venues for Livermore Shakes) as they discussed Shakespeare production world-wide. Will Brown and Sarah Connor-Brown of Arabian Shakespeare shared plans for their next international education program. Actress Jennifer Le Blanc represented four companies, as she works regularly with Livermore and Arabian Shakes as well as SF Shakes and Pacific Repertory in Carmel. The group of 14 agreed that the Livermore Wine Country lifestyle pairs perfectly with Shakespeare.
For interviews, information and blog posts about the Shakespeare on the Road tour, visit: www.shakespeareontheroad.com For news and information about Livermore Shakespeare Festival visit: www.LivermoreShakes.org
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2014
Contact: Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
Katie Marcel, Managing Director
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Increased Support for Livermore Shakes
(Livermore, Ca) – Livermore Shakespeare Festival announced today the addition of three new board members and the receipt of their first large foundation grant. Board Chair Beth Trutner, Esq. reported, “We are pleased to announce a new partnership with The Severns Foundation to pilot an educational program for school aged children and to increase the sustainability of the parent organization. We recently promoted Katie Marcel to full-time Managing Director and look forward to the results of the New Vision Committee that will be bringing us into a new venue in 2015.” “The grant from the Severns Family Foundation, whose mission is supporting education with a focus on early literacy, is an integral part of the first phase of development of the New Vision,” added Lisa Tromovitch, Producing Artistic Director and founder. “This is a very exciting time for the company.”
New board members have been chosen with specific skills in mind: Laura Batti of Métier Marketing Communications, brings strength in marketing, and on-line and social media branding strategies. Deborah Munro of Aurora Theater, and a former Livermore Shakes apprentice, offers development experience and also brings leadership from a younger demographic. Sue Schorr, of Accounting Solutions, is bringing her expertise in corporate and non-profit accounting. “It’s important that we bring the right people together on the board so that we are a highly functioning group,” added Katie Marcel, “while the end product is a profoundly entertaining performance, we operate like any professional business behind the scenes.” All three new members, Batti, Munro and Schorr have been long time supporters of the work of Shakespeare’s Associates, producers of Livermore Shakespeare Festival.
Livermore Shakes is in pre-production for Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice, produced outdoors at Concannon Vineyard June 20 – July 21st, 2014. Tickets are on sale now: LivermoreShakes.org or 925-443-BARD.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2014
Contact: Katie Marcel, Managing Director
(925) 443-BARD (2273)
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
Livermore Shakes ad hoc Committee Leads Search for New Venue in 2015
(Livermore, Ca) – “What’s past is prologue” for Livermore Shakespeare Festival as they prepare to say goodbye to Concannon Vineyard after their 2014 summer season. “We are grateful to Concannon for hosting our Shakespeare in the Vineyard program for the last seven summers. With their incredible generosity, we’ve grown to the point of attracting sold out audiences who, along with the performers, have cherished the idyllic evenings shared in front of the historic Victorian. We’ll miss our friends at Concannon, but look forward to the next stage of development for the company,” said Producing Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch.
Shakespeare’s Associates, currently preparing for its 12th season of Shakespeare in the Vineyard, has enlisted the city’s top talent to help secure a new site for 2015. The professional theater company formed an ad hoc committee comprised of Livermore Mayor John Marchand, local business owners and philanthropists, Tom and Claire Marcel; Darcie Kent Vineyards owners David and Darcie Kent; Las Positas College Foundation CEO Ted Kaye, Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group CEO Dale Kaye, Shakespeare’s Associates Board Chair Beth Trutner as well as Bay Area News Group columnist and instructor of English and Shakespeare at Las Positas College, Jim Ott. “We couldn’t be in better hands,” says Tromovitch. The ad hoc committee’s agenda is to find and secure a new location for the Livermore Shakespeare Festival as well as advise the company on a strategic plan for future growth.
Katie Marcel, SA’s Managing Director stated, “Livermore Shakes has a solid foundation with a large base of patrons and an inspired and active board of directors. Our board has really taken the bull by the horns and rallied to find a new venue and grow the company while doing it. We grew significantly during our tenure at Concannon and brought in over 3,000 patrons over 5 weekends in the summer of 2013. We are excited to take the next step and with a new venue, the possibilities for growth are endless”.
“Livermore Shakes is a rare and wonderful treasure. Having the opportunity to experience Shakespeare and live theater in the vineyards is one of the reasons that this is a remarkable place to be. ” said Livermore Mayor John Marchand.
Playing at Concannon Vineyard this summer is William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and an adaptation, by Christina Calvit, of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Livermore Shakespeare Festival 2014 runs June 19 – July 20 under the stars at Concannon Vineyard. Tickets on sale now at www.LivermoreShakes.org or(925) 443-BARD.
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2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2013
Contact: Katie Marcel, Administrative Director
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
No Men in Tights in this Shrew
(Livermore, Ca) – Director Gary Armagnac cuts to the chase when he describes “The Taming of the Shrew,” opening June 27 at Concannon Vineyard in Livermore.
Livermore Shakespeare Festival’s summer selection has often been called a “problem play” for modern audiences, bumping up against the feminist issues of our age. But Armagnac says at heart the play is primarily “a wonderful romantic comedy.” In fact, he says, it could be an ancestor to the great screwball comedies of decades ago,” with handsome heroes and headstrong heroines who were a match for each other. That’s also Shakespeare’s blueprint for his willful, sharp-witted characters in this play, Petruchio and Katarina, the “shrew” of the title.
And like those old movies, love is definitely in the air. “One of the first things that hit me on rereading the play was that all the men and women want to get married,” Armagnac says. “It reminded me of when the men came home from World War II.” The postwar era was a time for fitting back into society. Johnny came marching home and had to make a living. Rosie the Riveter was expected to retire and find happiness in a rose-covered cottage. The battle of the sexes took a breather, at least on the surface.
Moving the setting from 16th century Padua to America in the late 1940s seemed like a natural for his production, says Armagnac, a veteran professional actor and director. The play will open on a big welcome home party for the returning G.I.’s, some still in uniform. When Katarina, played by Jennifer LeBlanc, enters, she’ll be carrying a bushel of grapes, singing “The Man I Love,” the wistful old Ella Fitzgerald favorite.
And perhaps, she’ll be channeling the spirit of Katherine Vajda, California’s first female winemaker, who created Concannon wines from 1950 to 1960. “She was a very strong woman in breaking through the glass ceiling,” says Armagnac, delighted to make the connection between the two gutsy Katherines. (Older residents will remember Vajda as a woman of many talents. She was a ballet dancer in Austria before she emigrated to America, and in addition to her winemaking career she was an interior designer for many young Livermore families.)
Some traditionalists will miss the pumpkin pants and neck ruffs of Elizabethan-style Shakespeare productions. But Armagnac promises “spectacular” costumes of the Late Forties era. This period also helps to keep the characters more identifiable, wearing clothes of their trades and stations in life. It also helps mark the passage of time, as the returning G.I.’s shed their uniforms for sports shirts and slacks.
As rehearsals begin, Armagnac is feeling lucky for his “spectacular” cast, headed by seasoned actors LeBlanc as Katarina and Armando McClain as her money-hungry suitor, Petruchio. The two were cast together in LSF’s 2011 production of Macbeth, with McClain in the title role and LeBlanc as his ambitious wife. LeBlanc also had roles in LSF’s The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard, and Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor.
As to that troublesome ending, where a submissive-sounding Katarina lectures the other women on their wifely duties and their husbands’ virtues, Armagnac concedes that finding the right interpretation is “a tough nut to crack.” But he believes it will be both believable and palatable to the audience.
“I think Kate is a person who has never been loved and feels unlovable,” he says. Her father dotes on his younger daughter, there is no mother in the family, and no one else in her life. Then Petruchio shows up “to wive it wealthily” in Padua. “He never once abuses her, physically or verbally,” Armagnac says. “He does point out what’s unacceptable in polite society. By the end of the play he hasn’t beaten her and she hasn’t given up. There’s give and take on both sides.” Neither of them are expecting love in the marriage. They end up with much more than they bargained for.
Armagnac predicts the play’s ending is bound to spark some lively discussions, not only about sex roles but also about how the conformity of the late Forties and Fifties came about. “But, he adds, “the emphasis is on romance. Mainly, it’s going to be fun.”
William Shakespeare’s comic look at the battle of the sexes, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Liar, adapted by David Ives from a 17th century comedy by Pierre Corneille comprise the Livermore Shakespeare Festival 2013 season. The productions play in repertory June 20 – July 21 under the stars at Concannon Vineyard. Tickets on sale now. May 22nd and May 29th Artists at Swirl on the Square events offer an opportunity to have an intimate experience with the artists over glass of wine and appetizers. Visit www.LivermoreShakes.org or call 925-443-2273 (BARD) for more information.
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2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2012
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
2012 Bard and Bravo Celebrates the Arts in the Vineyards
(Livermore, Ca) – Livermore Shakespeare Festival and Livermore Valley Opera team up to bring you Bard and Bravo!
Come celebrate Shakespeare’s Associates’ 10th Anniversary of Shakespeare in the Vineyard by attending their production of William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark at 7:30 pm Saturday, July 14. Performed atConcannon Vineyard, bring a picnic or visit the Underdog Wine Bar for wine and small plates.
Next, wrap up the weekend by attending Livermore Valley Opera’s Opera in the Vineyard performance of selected arias from their upcoming season at 5 pm Sunday, July 15. Opera in the Vineyard takes place next door at Retzlaff Vineyards, where you can again bring your own picnic, or purchase gourmet pizza from Soleil Wood Fired Pizza. An innovative feature offered is “Arias a la carte”. Famous arias, ordered from a menu, can be purchased to be sung at your table or directed to a friend. It has proven to be very entertaining.
See www.livermoreshakes.org for more information on Livermore Shakespeare Festival and www.livermorevalleyopera.com for information on Livermore Valley Opera.
Hamlet and The Merry Wives of Windsor run in partial rep July 12 through August 12. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. Tickets range from $25 to $39, day-dependent with discounts for seniors, students, and educators. For more information, visit www.LivermoreShakes.org. Tickets are on sale through Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 or via www.LivermoreShakes.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2012
Contact: Katie Marcel
Katie@LivermoreShakes.org
925-443-2273
Shakespeare Festival launch fundraiser for new stage
(Livermore, Ca) – Livermore Shakespeare Festival needs a 10th anniversary present—enough money to rebuild its outdoor stage at Concannon Vineyard.
The raised wooden stage, which had been safely stored during the winter, was damaged in last summer’s surprise rainstorm. The wood was soaked, warped and delaminated and the supporting structures suffered extensive water damage. Temporary fixes got the stage through the 2011 season. Now the company must rebuild it for the coming season, opening in July with Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”
“The stage must be in excellent condition to provide a safe performing platform for the actors,” notes Producing Artistic Director Lisa Tromovitch, “and to enhance sightlines and sound for the audience.”
The goal is to raise $9,000 to rebuild the stage, which is installed in front of a landmark Victorian home on the Concannon property during performances. With government and private grants drying up, the Festival is asking forthe support of the Tri-Valley community.
Making use of modern technology, Livermore Shakespeare Festival has joined Kickstarter, an online funding platform for creative projects. To join the effort, supporters can go to kickstarter.com, select “Livermore” from a list of participating cities, find details of the reconstruction project and, if they choose, make a contribution.
“Once rebuilt, the stage will last for at least five years,” says Tromovitch. “Join us this summer at Concannon to see a fine Shakespeare production on a stage you helped us to build.”
The 2012 Livermore Shakespeare Festival will run July 12 through August 12 at Concannon Vineyard. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. Tickets range from $25-$39, day-dependent with discounts for seniors, students, and educators. For more information, visit www.LivermoreShakes.org.
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