Ensemble Theatre Company presents
The Fantasticks
The Musical Hit for the Entire Family

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara will complete its outstanding 2010-11 season with the much beloved and cherished musical The Fantasticks. Written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, this musical allegory about the romance between a young couple and their meddling fathers has performed to sold-out house worldwide. It is the world’s longest-running musical, having completed an astounding record-breaking run off-Broadway from 1960 to 2002. With such memorable musical numbers as “Try to Remember” and “Soon it’s Gonna Rain,” The Fantasticks begins performances at the Alhecama Theatre on June 2 and runs through June 26, 2011. Opening night is Saturday, June 4, 2011.

The Fantasticks is a timeless tale -- full of magic and moonlight -- of a young boy and girl who fall madly in love, but soon grow restless and disillusioned. Matt and Luisa are in love and find their relationship challenged by their intruding fathers and a bandit narrator known as El Gallo. This tender coming-of-age story with beautiful music and a dose of nostalgia is a guaranteed treat for grandparents and grandchildren alike.  

“I am delighted to bring back the talented director and actress, Saundra McClain to direct the production of this lovely musical,” said Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox. Ms. McClain directed Ensemble’s 2009 production of In The Continuum. Ms. McClain is an accomplished actor, writer and director, having performed all these endeavors with great success, critical praise and numerous awards. She has acted on and off Broadway, in films and on television. She received rave reviews for her direction of Ain't Misbehavin' and Spunk. As an author, Ms. McClain was the recipient of an NEA Grant for her musical, Storm Warning.

 “It is a simple tale of first love which morphs into the bittersweet reality of love lost and true love found,” said Ms. McClain. “I am planning a few surprises while dusting off some of the cobwebs and taking a quantum leap into the 21st century.”

Working with Ms. McClain, local Santa Barbara musician David Potter will serve as musical director. He has conducted, musically directed and played in over 232 musical productions. He was musical director for Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson at the Concord Pavilion.  Having worked extensively throughout southern California and the east coast, he has garnered numerous awards and critical praise for his musical endeavors. Mr. Potter attended California Institute of the Arts and Music Academy of the West, where he accompanied for Martial Singher.

New York actor, dancer and choreographer, Byron Easley will play Mortimer, in addition to choreographing The Fantasticks.  An award-winning choreographer and actor, he has worked both on and off-Broadway, as well as regionally at San Jose Repertory, Cleveland Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Company, Baltimore Center Stage, The Goodman Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse and Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Presently, Mr. Easley teaches dance at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has served on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama. The Fantasticks will be Mr. Easley and Ms. McClain’s fourth collaboration together.

Performing the role of the flamboyant and devilish narrator El Gallo will be Jeff Griggs, whose theatre experiences include productions at the Pantages Theatre, Reprise! and Cabrillo Music Theatre. His extensive work in television includes Desperate Housewives, Scrubs, 24, Knight Life, Days of Our Lives, Beverly Hills 90210, Babylon 5, and Silk Stalkings. Mr. Griggs is also an accomplished painter and was honored by President Bush with a personal invitation to the White House for his 9/11-memorial painting, The Eyes of a Nation.

Carly Bracco will play the young Luisa, a daydreamer with an active imagination. In spring 2011, she appeared at the Lobero Theatre in Pazzazz!  She is a recent graduate of UCLA from the Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program receiving her BA in Theater with an emphasis in Musical Theater.

Matt Wolpe, who played the drummer in Ensemble’s 2008 production of Striking 12, will play the romantic male lead, Matt. A graduate of The Boston Conservatory and The Berklee College of Music, he has performed most recently at the Pasadena Playhouse in The Grass Harp. Mr. Wolpe has performed at numerous clubs across the country with various bands including The Hard Rock Cafe, The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Paradise, El Guapo and Revolution Rock Bar.

Skip Harris will play Matt’s meddling father, Hucklebee. He has performed on Broadway toured nationally with Beauty and the Beast, Sweeney Todd, and Cats. Mr. Harris has an extensive background in musical theatre having performed throughout the country at regional theatres, summer stock and dinner theatres, performing in such shows as Annie, My Fair Lady, Damn Yankees, Showboat, Kiss Me, Kate, Sound of Music and Carousel, to name a few.

Matt Shea will play the Luisa’s father, Bellomy. He makes his home in Los Angeles where he appeared in All My Sons at the Raven Playhouse and the two-person play Libraries Are Exciting Places at the Eclectic Company Theatre. He appeared on Broadway in Ragtime and Young Tom Edison. Mr. Shea plays the role of Karl Hansen in the critically acclaimed feature Bold Native which is a fictional film about the animal liberation movement.

Playing the part of The Mute is Heather Anne Ostberg, a recent graduate of Westmont College, where she studied acting and directing. Her appearance at Ensemble Theatre will mark her professional debut.

Rounding out the cast will be Leland Crooke in the role of Henry, an old actor who is down on his luck and lives out of a trunk. He has performed many classical roles in productions of Macbeth, Tartuffe, Oedipus Rex, and Cyrano at such prestigious theatres as London’s The Old Vic, the Goodman Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory and the Guthrie 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 31st anniversary season, under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox, ETC is Santa Barbara's longest running, award-winning professional resident theatre company.

Performances run Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm, with a newly-added special Saturday 4:00 pm matinee performance on June 11 and a Sunday 7:00 pm evening performance on June 19, 2011. Single tickets for The Fantasticks range from $45.00 to $60.00. Discounts for seniors and students apply. Youth tickets (26 and under) are available for $25.00. Call the Ensemble Theatre Box Office at (805) 965-5400 or online at www.ensembletheatre.com.

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Calendar Listing — STAGE

Production:
The Fantasticks. Music by Harvey Schmidt; Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones.

Dates:
Thursday, June 2, through Sunday, June 26, 2011
Opening Night Saturday, June 4, at 8:00 pm

Schedule:
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm
and Sundays at 2:00 pm
Saturday 4:00 pm matinee performances on June 11
Sunday 7:00 pm evening performance on June 18, 2011

Producer:
Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) of Santa Barbara

Director:
Saundra McClain

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

Admission:
$48.00 – $65.00. Discounts are available to seniors, students and groups of 10 or more.
Students and Young Adults 26 and under are $20.00 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:
The Fantasticks is a timeless tale -- full of magic and moonlight -- of a young boy and girl who fall madly in love, but soon grow restless and disillusioned. A tender coming-of-age story with beautiful music and a dose of nostalgia.

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