SANTA MARIA, CALIF.: Pacific Conservatory Theatre (formerly PCPA Theaterfest) has announced its 52nd season, including a mixture of musicals and dramas, to take place both in Santa Maria and under the stars in Solvang.
The season begins with Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Nov. 12–Dec. 23), with a new book by Douglas Carter Beane at the Marian Theatre.
Next will be Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (Feb. 11–March 6, 2016), a musical farce about an eccentric major-general in pursuit of his love at the Marian Theatre.
Following will be Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, a poetic drama about a family clinging to the memory of their earlier, more gracious lives. The show will appear at the Severson Theatre (March 3–20, 2016) and at the Solvang Festival Theater (June 16–26, 2016).
Next will be Shakespeare’s Richard III (April 21–May 8, 2016), about the murderous quest for absolute power following the War of the Roses.
Following is Shrek the Musical, with music and lyrics by Jeanine Tesori and a book by David Lindsey-Abaire. The musical will appear at the Marian Theatre (June 22–25, 2016) and at the Solvang Festival Theater (June 30–July 31).
Next is Sense and Sensibility, adapted by Joe Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan from Jane Austen’s novel, about the Dashwood sisters and their quest for fortune and love after being disinherited. The play will appear at the Marian Theatre (July 21–30) and at the Solvang Festival Theater (Aug. 5–21, 2016).
Next will be In the Heights, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, about the universal story of chasing your dreams and finding your true home. The play will appear at the Marian Theatre (Aug. 11–20, 2016) and at the Solvang Festival Theater (Aug. 26–Sept. 11, 2016)
Following will be Johnna Adams’s Gidion’s Knot (Sept. 8–25, 2016), about a grieving mother struggling with the tragic suicide of her son.
Joanna McClelland Glass’s Trying (Sept. 8–25, 2016), about the relationship between an elderly judge and his young secretary. Trying will run in repertory with Gidion’s Knot at the Severson Theatre.
