Two performances only:

Sunday, February 12 — 2:30 p.m.
Featuring Al Muller and Bobbie Wallinger

Sunday, February 19 — 2:30 p.m.
Featuring Kevin and Elizabeth Costello

The Pulitzer Prize-nominated Love Letters by A.R. Gurney is a charming play detailing a 50-year relationship between two individuals as told in the correspondence they have with each other throughout their lives. First produced at Connecticut’s Long Wharf Theatre in 1988, it has over the years starred such luminaries as: John Rubenstein, Stockard Channing, Kathleen Turner, Christopher Walken, Swoosie Kurtz, Richard Thomas, Elaine Stritch, Cliff Robertson, Colleen Dewhurst, Jason Robards, and many others.

The story centers on Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and his friend, Melissa Gardner, played by Al Muller and Bobbie Wallinger on February 12, and Kevin and Elizabeth Costello on February 19. Though both come from the same upper middle class background, Andrew and Melissa are exact opposites in personality. Andrew is a staid, no-nonsense, play-by-the-rules kind of guy, even at the early age of seven, while Melissa is impulsive, impetuous and lively. Through their letters to each other, beginning with simple birthday thank-you notes and summer camp postcards and progressing to their adult lives, we learn more and more about the subtle differences in their upbringings, personalities and perspectives on life.

Yet despite their differences, the two are drawn to each other, keeping up a correspondence that lasts over 50 years. Andrew graduates from Yale, marries, and becomes a lawyer and senator. Melissa is an artist who also marries and divorces, has a drinking problem, is estranged from her family, and seems always in search of herself. Over the years, their letters to each other become a source of consternation, inspiration, comfort, and love. These two opposites seem to complete each other.

This special presentation of Love Letters is a fundraiser for Stockton Civic Theatre. Tickets are $20. Call the Box Office Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at (209) 473‑2424, or order online.

The story is about the Futrelle sisters in Fayro, Texas, who come together for a family wedding.  Dysfunctional, to say the least, this wedding has a “Gone With the Wind” theme, and everything that can go wrong does.  This is the first of a trilogy about the Futrelle family.  Great characters, funny situations, and a heartwarming conclusion, make for a fun evening in the theatre.

Liz Kastner Garvin and Jennifer Nelson Burgher perform the roles of Twink Futrelle and Frankie Futrelle Dubberly, with newcomer Bonnie de Chant playing the flamboyant Honey Raye Futrelle.  Wiley Hicks is the hapless husband-to-be. Veteran actress Judy Caruso Williamson portrays Miss Geneva Musgrave, the cantankerous wedding coordinator who runs the local floral shop/bus depot.

Other cast members include Carol Barry as Tina Jo/Gina Jo Dubberly, Richard Garvin as Dub Dubberly, Kari Nelson as Nelda Lightfoot, Matt Saculla as Justin Waverly, Sean Bocardo as John Curtis Buntner, and Sheri Garland as Patsy Price. 

With SCT’s Artistic Director Jim Coleman at the director’s helm, other staff includes Joan Topp as assistant director, Terry Smith as set and lighting designer, Elsa Fulton as costumes designer, and Putsy Lew Hong as stage manager. 

DEARLY BELOVED features a $15 per seat preview on Wednesday, January 11, at 7:30 p.m.  A reception for opening night patrons catered by Angelina’s will be held on Friday, January 13, at 6:30 p.m.  Performances continue through Sunday, February 5, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $21 for seniors, and $15 for students and children 12 and under.  The show is rated PG.

The theatre is located at 2312 Rose Marie Lane, Stockton.  For tickets call the SCT Box Office Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at (209) 473‑2424, or go online at sctlivetheatre.com.

The mission of Stockton Civic Theatre is to offer affordable, quality productions, adult and youth education, collaborative outreach programs and promote involvement with our diverse community.

Liz Kastner Garvin and Jennifer Nelson Burgher are cast as Twink Futrelle and Frankie Futrelle Dubberly, with newcomer Bonnie de Chant playing the flamboyant Honey Raye Futrelle.  Wiley Hicks is cast as the hapless husband-to-be. Veteran actress Judy Caruso Williamson will portray Miss Geneva Musgrave, the cantankerous wedding coordinator who runs the local floral shop/bus depot.

Other cast members include Carol Barry as Tina Jo/Gina Jo Dubberly, Richard Garvin as Dub Dubberly, Kari Nelson as Nelda Lightfoot, Matt Saculla as Justin Waverly, Sean Bocardo as John Curtis Buntner, and Sheri Garland as Patsy Price. 

With Coleman at the director’s helm, other staff includes Joan Topp as assistant director, Terry Smith as set and lighting designer, Elsa Fulton as costumes designer, and Putsy Lew Hong as stage manager.

“Dearly Beloved” will run starting Wednesday, January 11, concluding on Sunday, February 5.  For more information, call the Box Office Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at (209) 473‑2424, or go online at sctlivetheatre.com.

Featuring 1960’s-style dance music and “downtown” rhythm and blues, the show is set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, where plump teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream is to dance on “The Corney Collins Show,” a local TV dance program.  When she wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and launches a campaign to integrate the show.  “Hairspray” is a social commentary on some of the injustices of 1960 American society.

The show is directed by James Reed who made his directorial debut at SCT directing the 2010 production of “Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat.”  He previously choreographed  SCT musicals and served as assistant director.  He has cast Katy Uyeno in the lead role of Tracy Turnblad.  From Modesto, and active in Modesto Performing Arts, she says this is her “dream role.”  This is her first appearance on the SCT stage.

Audiences will not be disappointed with the role of the mother, Edna Turnblad, always played by a male actor, now played by SCT’s own Artistic Director, Jim Coleman.  Prior to joining SCT, Coleman lived and worked in New York for 27 years.  Among his many professional Broadway credits, he was musical director for “Sweeney Todd” and “Mame” with Angela Lansbury, and “Anything Goes” with Patti Lupone.

Reed also cast Lanita Taylor, last seen in “Hats,” as Motormouth Maybelle, and SCT veteran Melissa Esau, last seen in “42nd Street,” as Velma, the hardnosed television studio director.

The musical’s original Broadway production opened on August 15, 2002, and won eight Tony Awards.  It ran for 2,579 performances and closed on January 4, 2009.  The show also had national tours, a London West End production, and numerous foreign productions and won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and was adapted into a blockbuster film in 2007.

Sponsored by Chase Chevrolet, “Hairspray” features a $15 per seat preview on Wednesday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m.  A reception for opening night patrons catered by Kinder’s will be held on Friday, November 18, at 6:30 p.m.  Performances continue through Sunday, December 11, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.  There will be a special matinee performance on Saturday, December 10th at 1:00 p.m., with no performance on Thanksgiving Day.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $21 for seniors, and $15 for students and children 12 and under.   The show is rated PG-13.

The theatre is located at 2312 Rose Marie Lane, Stockton.  For tickets call the SCT Box Office Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at (209) 473‑2424, or go online at sctlivetheatre.com.

The mission of Stockton Civic Theatre is to offer affordable, quality productions, adult and youth education, collaborative outreach programs and promote involvement with our diverse community.

The Plaids — Jacob Bronson as “Jinx”; Joe Toon as “Smudge”; Eddie Hargreaves as “Sparky” and Rodrigo Cortes as “Frankie.”

With a Wednesday evening Preview at 7:30 p.m. and a gala opening night on Friday at 6:30 p.m., Stockton Civic Theatre is ready for a successful four week run of Forever Plaid, the off-Broadway sensation of 50s hits now playing around the world.

For tickets, call the SCT Box Office at (209) 473‑2424 or check out the online box office at www.sctlivetheatre.com. The 2312 Rosemarie Lane Box Office is open 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and to hours before shows. Tickets are $25 for adults, $21 for seniors, and $15 for students and children. The show is rated G for all audiences. Don’t miss it!

Left to right, Jacob Bronson as Jinx; Joseph Toon as Smudge; Rodrigo Cortes as Frankie; Eddie Hargreaves as Sparky, and SCT Artistic Director Jim Coleman at the piano.

The story goes like this: the young all-male quartet is on the way to their first gig at a Hilton Hotel lounge when they are killed in an auto accident. Somehow, however, they receive a heavenly opportunity to return to earth and have a second change to make their show biz premiere in FOREVER PLAID, running September 7 thru October 2 at Stockton Civic Theatre. The show is being directed by Coraleta Rogers with choreography by Melissa Esau. Don’t miss FOREVER PLAID and its wonderful 50s era music!

Tickets are now available at the theatre Box Office, (209) 473‑2424, or online 24/7. The Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and two hours before shows.

–Jim Treganza

SCT Artistic Director Jim Coleman congratulates actress Lin Taylor Raggio on her portrayal of M’Lynn Eatenton in STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Taylor Raggio has acted in a number of successful SCT productions

Jim Coleman with Che Franklin, a veteran from such SCT shows as NUNSENSE and CINDERELLA

LINDEN, CA — The new Community Theatre of Linden’s final performance of Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias took place on Saturday, August 13, at the Linden High School Performing Arts Center, with many Stockton Civic Theatre stalwarts in attendance, including SCT Artistic Director Jim Coleman. Co-Directed by Bobbie Wallinger and Dennis Sorensen, the play’s bittersweet storyline moved the audience to laughter and tears just as it was intended to do.

Cast members included SCT regulars Lin Taylor Raggio (Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Dearly Departed, Oklahoma) and Che Franklin (Nunsense shows and Cinderella), as well as Binaca Kim, Kimberly Romberger, and mother-daughter team Pam and Karlie Knapp.

According to Jim Coleman, SCT is proud and pleased to support new community theatre groups as they form in the area. “Any expansion of Performing Arts in the Valley is good for Stockton Civic Theatre, said Coleman, and we’ll do all we can to help provide resources and attend their performances.”

SCT loaned flats and other scenery elements for Steel Magnolias.

In addition to Coleman, SCT regulars seen in the audience were Business Manager Patrick Rogers and wife, director Coraleta; actor Mike Moon and partner Kent Scarlota; director/actor Richard Garvin and wife, the multi-talented Liz; from 42ND STREET, actor Steven Orr and dancer Jeanette Cummings; Past President Marvin Williamson and his actress wife Judy; mic ladies Nancy Bowles and Mary Forniciari; Director Elaine Saculla; Marketing Director Jim and fundraiser Suzi Treganza, and many others.

Afterward, the SCT contingent attended a cast party held at the elegant Linden home of Chuck and Lin Raggio just a few blocks from the theatre, where a great time was had by all.

- Jim Treganza

FOREVER PLAID Logo

FOREVER PLAID is happily in rehearsal. This charming revue is about a young group of singers who are on their way to their first paid concert in the lounge of a Holiday Inn, when they are involved in a car accident that kills all of them. Through the magic of theatre, they are given a chance to come back and perform that concert after death. This is the premise for a wonderful, musical journey through the 50s, with all of the great songs intact. Smudge, Jinx, Sparky and Francis will sing their way into your hearts. It’s very funny, charming, and ultimately touching.  Jacob Bronson as Jinx, Eddie Hargreaves as Sparky, Ricardo Cortes as Francis, and Joseph Toon as Smudge are the cast. With direction by SCT stalwart Coraleta Rogers, choreography by Melissa Esau, vocal direction by Karen Rogers, and musical direction by Jim Coleman, the show will surely be a great success.  To get your tickets, call the box office at (209) 473‑2424, Tuesdays through Fridays 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and two hours before shows open, or go to the online Box Office 24/7.

Stockton Civic Theater’s Willie Awards, named tongue-in-cheek after William Shakespeare, were founded in 1953 as a means of recognizing the producers, performers and technicians of SCT shows. An anonymous panel of judges attends the Season’s six productions, then votes for the recipients they feel are most deserving of recognition.

On Sunday, July 31, SCT will hold its Annual Willie Awards presentations to honor individuals for outstanding achievement during the theatre’s 2010–2011 Season. The program will feature performances by the theatre’s actors in opening and closing numbers and between presentations of awards. Please come prepared and dressed for a first class event and the gala celebration of a milestone in the theater’s history.

A list of nominees is available on the SCT website.

Tickets can be ordered by calling the Box Office at 473‑2424 or online 24/7 at www.sctlivetheatre.com.

Directed by Coraleta Rogers
Choreographed by Melissa Esau
Musical Direction by Jim Coleman
Vocal Coaching by Karen Rogers
Show Dates: September 7 through October 2

CHARACTERS
Francis/Frankie -  RODRIGO CORTEZ
Frankie is the leader and caretaker of the group. He has the most confidence and takes care of his fellow Plaids.
Sparky — EDDIE HARGRAVES
The clown, the imp, the scamp. The cut-up of the group.
Jinx — JACOB BRONSON
The shy one. He is usually terrified. The other Plaids are very protective of him.
Smudge — JOSEPH TOON
The worrier. He worries about everything and is dyslexic when it comes to telling his right foot from his left!