THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCES THAT BOTH YOUR PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!
LATE NITE CATECHISM & LATE NITE CATECHISM 2
2 TIMES THE SISTER! 2 TIMES THE FUN!
A FULL YEAR OF SUNDAY & MONDAY FUN begins Sunday, July 16, 2006 and continues through Monday, June 25, 2007 at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach
May 30, 2006 - LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA – The Laguna Playhouse has no guilt whatsoever in announcing that Sister is back – and this year she’s twice the fun! Beginning Sunday, July 16 and continuing for a year of Sunday and Monday evenings at 7:30pm through Monday June 25, 2007, The Laguna Playhouse presents both LATE NITE CATECHISM and LATE NITE CATECHISM 2 in rotation at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd. in Laguna Beach.
Late Nite Catechism is an interactive comedy with you, the audience member, as a student in this adult catechism class. Sister reminds us of the days when the women in black constantly scolded us to keep our mouths shut, our feet on the floor, and our hands to ourselves! Join us as Sister gives her own humorous take on the Lives of the Saints, Vatican II, and growing up Catholic in America.
Late Nite Catechism 2 is the sidesplitting sequel to the original Late Nite Catechism featuring strict but lovable Sister, the Catholic nun character co-created and performed by Chicago-born Maripat Donovan.
Sister provides instruction to a roomful of “students”—the audience—and throughout the course of the class the benevolent instructor rewards her students for correct answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries and other nifty prizes. Naughty students may well find themselves on stage sitting in a corner reflecting on their misdeeds!
In, Late Nite Catechism 2—subtitled "Sometimes we feel guilty because we ARE guilty,” and a hit since it opened in July 2005—Sister takes on the Millennium. Nothing is “sacred” in Sister’s classroom, except of course, Sister’s opinion. The Los Angeles Times calls Late Nite Catechism 2, “even funnier than the original.
During the holiday season, the Playhouse will also present the return of its limited-run Christmas holiday special: SISTER'S CHRISTMAS CATECHISM.
Tickets are $43 for all performances. For tickets, please call The Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd. in Laguna Beach at 949-497-2787 or visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.
For additional press information or to set up interviews, please contact David Elzer/ DEMAND PR at 818-508-1754 or at ElzerD@aol.com.
THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE was founded in 1920, when a group of Laguna Beach citizens met in a living room to establish a local theatre. Initially offering readings and performances in private homes and storefronts, its first fully-mounted production on record was Suppressed Desires, a satire on Freudian psychological theories written by Susan Glaspel, a member (with Eugene O'Neill) of the famed Provincetown Playhouse in New York and Massachusetts.
In 1924, at a cost of $5,000, The Playhouse, on Ocean Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach, was built. During the Great Depression, the theatre was sold to the City of Laguna Beach and leased back by the group, and during World War II, the Playhouse entertained the soldiers in this facility, which also housed USO dances and other activities.
In 1965, Harry (Harrison) Ford appeared in the Laguna Playhouse production of Stephen Vincent Benet's John Brown's Body, was "discovered" and became one of America's most celebrated screen actors.
Other distinguished "alumni" of The Laguna Playhouse include Toni Tennille, Marlo Thomas, and Barbara Eden.
In 1969, the Moulton Theatre opened on Laguna Canyon Road, built through private funds on City-owned land, and the old Playhouse was razed. A historic marker is located on the site where the old theatre stood. With the rapid growth of Orange County, the Laguna Playhouse grew in audience and stature, producing work of increasing quality with primarily amateur actors.
In 1985, the Playhouse remodeled its Moulton Theatre, adding a balcony and office space, as the first phase in what was hoped would lead eventually to the creation of a second theatre space. In 1987, the Playhouse won a national amateur theatre competition for its production of the musical Quilters, which went on to win second prize in that year's international competition in Ireland.
In 1990, Richard Stein assumed the leadership of the Playhouse as executive director, joined in 1991 by Andrew Barnicle as artistic director, and the Playhouse began a period of rapid expansion on an ambitious course to transform the theatre to full professional status.
The Playhouse formalized an agreement with Actors' Equity Association, then became a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a prestigious body of the nation's largest non-profit professional theatres. The Playhouse is also a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group, the national organization of American professional theatre. Attendance and critical acclaim grew during this period, as well as the Playhouse budget, which now stands at over $6 million.
The Laguna Playhouse is widely noted for its Youth Theater, Education and Outreach programs. In 1989, its Youth Theater was recognized as "Outstanding Children’s Theatre" by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. The theater’s Equity school tour, THEATEREACH has offered four productions on tour and visits more than 150 schools, performing for more than 28,000 children annually.
Plans for a second theatre, dormant for nearly a decade, were revived with the acquisition of a building in South Laguna, on Pacific Coast Highway, in 1994. This second theatre was envisioned as a way to house the burgeoning Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre and to complement offerings at the Moulton Theatre with a series of adventuresome and new works. In 1998, a superior site located next door to the Moulton Theatre, was identified. The South Laguna site was sold and an agreement signed to acquire 580 Broadway. In November, 2005, Suzanne & James R. Mellor pledged $5 million to The Laguna Playhouse, and a Capital Campaign is now being planned for expansion of the theatre’s facilities.
Today more than 100,000 theatregoers yearly attend performances at the Laguna Playhouse. Its continued growth, expansion, artistic excellence, audience popularity and critical acclaim have helped make it one of Southern California's most important nonprofit theatre companies.
INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497-ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES CALL 949.460-8676
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com
THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California
For further information or for press comps please contact David Elzer at DEMAND PR at 818/508-1754 or at ELZERD@aol.com.
