Ensemble Theatre Ends Season with a Madcap Farce:

Loot by Joe Orton.

(Santa Barbara, CA) Ensemble Theatre Company will finish its 30th Anniversary season with the wildly funny masterpiece, Loot. Mayhem reigns supreme in this quick-witted farce by England’s “bad boy” playwright, Joe Orton. Performance dates for the award-winning Loot are June 3 to June 27. Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox will direct. Opening night is June 5, 2010.

An upside down corpse, a bank robbery and an unhinged police inspector make up this edgy farce about greed, hypocrisy, and police incompetence. On the eve of his mother's funeral, Hal and his best friend, Dennis, rob a bank, while Hal’s mother's seductive nurse, who has a penchant for murder, plots her next marriage. When police inspector Truscott, who is mad as a hatter, arrives to investigate, havoc and hilarity ensue. “Loot is timeless because its author's rage against hypocrisy is conveyed not by preaching or idle wisecracks but by [its] outrageous farcical conception,” says The New York Times.

“I get enormous enjoyment reading Orton’s plays,” said Jonathan Fox. “His work at its best – and I think Loot is one of his best – combines the epigrammatic wit of Oscar Wilde, the social satire of Shaw, and the darkly thrilling undercurrents of Pinter, all with a bit of I Love Lucy thrown in. It’s quite a challenge finding the right balance of all these elements.”

Joe Orton was the subject of John Lahr’s scholarly biography, Prick Up Your Ears, which was later adapted for cinema. Orton’s brilliant career was tragically cut short when he was gruesomely murdered by his lover, Kenneth Halliwell. He shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous comedies. His first full-length play, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, was a huge success while his second, Loot, went on the win the coveted Evening Standard award for Best Play in 1966 and firmly established Orton’s fame. His final play, What the Butler Saw, debuted in the West End after his death in 1969.

Ensemble Theatre Company is very pleased to welcome a stellar cast of professional actors to this wonderful production of Loot. Ned Schmidtke will play the part of Truscott, the maniacal inspector from Scotland Yard. Mr. Schmidtke has performed in many prestigious theaters throughout the country, including The Old Globe Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, and Arena Stage. He appeared in the national tour of Six Degrees of Separation. He has appeared in numerous television shows and movies, including Lie to Me, Numbers, 24, The Unit, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The West Wing, Wedding Crashers, State of the Union, Mercury Rising and Music Box.

David McCann will play the honest and law-abiding widower, McLeavy. He has appeared in theatres across the US, Canada and the UK, including the Old Globe, Shakespeare theatre (DC), Pioneer, New World Stag, Kansas City Rep, St. Louis Rep, Denver Center and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Television includes Sex and the City, The Sopranos and Law and Order.

McLeavy’s son Hal, who has a penchant for breaking the law, will be played by Kerby Joe Grubb. He has appeared in stage productions of writers ranging from Shakespeare to Neil LaBute, in venues across North America including New York City, Chicago, LA and many points in between. He has performed most recently on the west coast at Fountain Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Disney Concert Hall and the Coast Playhouse.

Heather Prete will play Fay, the seductive nurse of the deceased Mrs. McLeavy. Ms. Prete has performed at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre. Television includes Eli Stone, Family Practice, The Pretender, and Cupid.

Hal’s best friend and bisexual companion, Dennis, will be played by Wyatt Fenner, who has performed at A Noise Within, Ahmanson Theatre, South Coast Rep, West Coast Ensemble and in Washington DC at the Arena Stage and Ford Theatre. His television appearances include Bones and Veronica Mars.

Playing the part of the hapless police bobby Meadows is UCSB Theatre Arts student Julian Rubel.

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 30th 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 and 7:00 pm. Single tickets for Loot range from $29.00 to $48.00. Discounts are available for seniors and young adults 26 and under are only $15.00. Subscriptions, single tickets and group tickets are available through the Ensemble Theatre Box Office at (805) 965-5400 or online at www.ensembletheatre.com.

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Calendar Listing — STAGE

Production:
Loot by Joe Orton

Dates:
Thursday, June 3, through Sunday, June 27, 2010
Opening Night Saturday, June 5, at 8:00 pm

Schedule:
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm.
and Sundays at 2:00 & 7:00 pm.
(no evening show Sunday, June 6, 2010)

Producer:
Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC) of Santa Barbara.

Director:
Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director

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

Admission:
$29.00 – $48.00. Discounts are available to seniors, students and groups of 10 or more.
Students and Young Adults 26 and under are $15.00 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.

Description:

Ensemble Theatre Company presents the wildly funny masterpiece, LOOT. Mayhem reigns supreme in this quick-witted farce by one of Britain's funniest playwrights.

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