Ensemble Presents
The Outrageously Funny Comedy
The 39 Steps

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara will presents its third production of the 2011-12 season with the hit Broadway comedy, The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow from the film by Alfred Hitchcock.  This Tony Award-winning hit Broadway comedy features four highly skilled actors who play 140 characters.  With lightning-quick costume changes, this fast-paced comedy thriller is guaranteed to entertain and delight audiences of all ages. The 39 Steps begins performances at the Alhecama Theatre on February 2 and runs through February 19, 2012. Opening night is Saturday, February 4.

Richard Hannay, a debonair gentleman, is at a London theatre when a fight breaks out and shots are fired. In the ensuing panic, he escapes with the frightened Annabella, a spy who tells him that she has uncovered a plot to steal vital military secrets by an espionage organization called the “39 Steps.” The next morning she turns up dead, and Hannay finds himself on the run and caught in the middle of a global conspiracy. Merging a spy thriller with farcical comedy and clever theatrical invention, The 39 Steps is an engaging, fast-paced whodunit. “Riotous and marvelous,” says The New York Times.

“The 39 Steps is a wonderful show for the entire family,” said Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director. “I love its theatrical inventiveness.” Mr. Fox is pleased to welcome Jamie Torcellini as guest director for The 39 Steps. Ensemble’s patrons will remember Mr. Torcellini from his outlandishly funny performance in last year’s hit production of The Mystery of Irma Vep.  

“The 39 Steps is an homage to theatre as it once was,” says Mr. Torcellini. “With minimal sets but extremely versatile actors and a lot of theatricality, the show has elements of both Hitchcock and Monty Python. I think it will be thrilling to watch.”

Matthew Floyd Miller will play the gentleman on the run, Richard Hannay. He has appeared on Broadway at Lincoln Center and Circle in the Square, off-Broadway and at such prestigious regional theatres as Laguna Playhouse (where he was recently seen in the hit production of Private Lives), San Jose Rep, ACT-Seattle, Arena Stage, The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse and Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

Playing the three lead female characters is Julie Granata, who has worked extensively in Chicago theatre, performing at both the Goodman Theatre and the Steppenwolf Theatre.  On the west coast she recently finished the critically successful run of Noël Coward’s Private Lives at the Laguna Playhouse. She has worked at the Ark Theatre, Avery Scriber Theatre and Boston Court. She has also been heard on the live radio broadcast performance of NPR’s “Stories on the Stage.”

Two actors, Christopher Shaw and Louis Lotorto, perform all the other characters, male and female. Mr. Shaw has had an extensive career as a character actor in movies and television while maintaining an impressive resume of theatre performances throughout the country. Playwrights Horizons, The Kennedy Center, Circle Rep., Seattle Rep., the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Kirk Douglas Theatre and the Geffen Playhouse to highlight a few of his endeavors. He is a member of and performs regularly with the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice CA, where he was the one of the original founders of the Young Actors Conservatory program and serves as the key administrator and acting teacher.

Mr. Lotorto returns to Ensemble after his acclaimed performances in Opus and Buried Child.  He toured in the Royal National Theatre production of An Enemy of the People with Ian McKellen and has performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, A Noise Within and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara was founded in 1979 and is housed at the intimate Alhecama Theatre located in the historic Presidio District in downtown Santa Barbara at 914 Santa Barbara Street. Now celebrating its 32nd anniversary season, under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox, ETC is Santa Barbara's longest running, award-winning professional resident theatre company. The 2011-12 Season continues with Strindberg’s Creditors (March 29–April 15, 2012) and Black Pearl Sings! (June 14–July 1, 2012).

Performances for The 39 Steps run Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00 pm, with a special Saturday 4:00 pm matinee performance on February 11, 2011. Subscriptions, single tickets and group tickets are available through the Ensemble Theatre Box Office at (805) 965-5400 or online at www.ensembletheatre.com.

Calendar Listing — STAGE

Production:
The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow from the film by Alfred Hitchcock

Dates:
Thursday, February 2, through Sunday, February 19, 2012
Opening Night Saturday, February 4, at 8:00 pm

Schedule:
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm
and Sundays at 2:00 pm and 7 pm.
Saturday 4 pm Matinee February 11, 2011

Producer:
Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) of Santa Barbara
Executive Artistic Director, Jonathan Fox

Director:
Directed by Jamie Torcellini

Where:
Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara
at the Alhecama Theatre
914 Santa Barbara Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Admission:
$40.00 – $65.00. Discounts are available to seniors, students and groups of 10 or more.
Students and Young Adults 26 and under are $18.00 per ticket.

Tickets:
For reservations and information call the Ensemble
Box Office at (805) 965-5400. VISA/MC.
Box office hours are: Performance days 1:00 pm. to curtain,
non-performance days 1:00 pm. to 5:00 pm. Group Sales: (805) 965-5400.

Short Discripton:
This Tony Award-winning hit Broadway comedy features four highly skilled actors who play 140 characters.  With lightning-quick costume changes, this fast-paced comedy merges a spy thriller with farcical comedy and clever theatrical inventions into a entertaining whodunit.

###