WALNUT CREEK— Lee Sankowich, Artistic Director, and Scott Denison, General Manager of Center REPertory Company announced today Center REP’s 2003~2004 season.

 The Countess by Gregory Murphy will be the season opener, followed by Senior Class, a musical review by Saul Ilson.  Next, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Rocket Man, by Steven Dietz, Anna Christie, by Eugene O’Neill, and the season will close with Cowgirls, Conceived by Mary Murfitt, book by Betsy Howie and music and lyrics by Mary Murfitt.

 The Countess, September 11~October 11, 2003.  In London in 1848, three idealistic young artists John Everret Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and William Holman Hunt banded together to form the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.  John Ruskin, the foremost art critic in Victorian England, stood virtually alone in his defense of this group of artists.  Here is the story of his wife Effie, the battle she waged to build a life and marriage for herself and an unresponsive husband, her relationship with Millais, and her ensuing social banishment by Queen Victoria.

 Senior Class October 23~November 22, 2003.  The professional premiere of this tender and funny musical revue is a celebration of aging.  When Five Senior actors get together, and with words and music celebrate their “senior-hood”, the results are at once charming, hilarious and thought provoking.  When they start to list famous seniors, “Sophia Loren, Paul McCartney, Al Pacino, Mick Jagger, the role of “Senior Citizen” takes on a whole new energy.

December 12~December 21, 2003.  Charles Dickens’ glorious tale of redemption, A Christmas Carol, once again graces the stage of the Hofmann Theatre.  Always a delight, and for many, a Christmas Tradition, Scott Denison’s production of this story is sure to please even the fussiest Christmas reveler. Come; learn with us the true meaning of Christmas, served up with love and best wishes from Center REPertory Company.

Rocket Man February 5~March 6, 2004.  While exploring the possibilities of a Parallel Universe, and the inner workings of a “Crosswalk Signal Box” Donny decides to clean out his attic, put all of his possessions on the front lawn and post a sign: “Here’s my life--make an offer”, raising the eyebrows of his friends and the ire of his family.  But Donny’s musings are at once fascinating and evocative.  You’ll fall in love with Steven Dietz’ characters and be sorry to see the final curtain fall on this beautiful play.

March 25~April 24, 2004.  Anna Christie is a classically complex O’Neill tale of a young woman who falls in love and yearns to be worthy of that love.  Though he garnered his second Pulitzer Prize for Anna Christie, Eugene O'Neill received sharp criticism for the play when it opened.  He rebuffed that criticism at first but later renounced the work and tried to block its publication.  O'Neill eventually admitted to having "deliberately employed all the Broadway tricks I learned in my stage training" to create a play that is structurally a comedy but has the raw heart and dogged spirit one normally associates with the only American playwright to win the Nobel Prize.

May 13~June 12, 2004.  Our final production of the season is Cowgirls, a thoroughly delightful musical that is a showcase for the talents of 3 gifted actor/musicians.  The Cowgirls of the title are actually the Cog Hill Trio, a group of female classical musicians in the midst of a dilapidated U.S. tour.  Mistaken for the "Cowgirl Trio", they have been booked into Hiram Hall, a run down country music palace in Rexford, Kansas.  Hiram Hall owner, Jo Carlson who is in danger of losing her venue due to old debts left by her father, is depending on her new act to save her business from extinction. While this may sound like a piece of fluff, the personal story of each character gives their adventures some well-balanced weight.  

Now in its 37^th season, and its 13^th year as The Dean Lesher Regional Center’s resident company, Center REP’S mission is to present exceptional theatre for the audiences of the East Bay and greater Bay Area.  With an artistic staff of professional directors, designers, and technicians, the company attracts the finest Equity and non-Equity actors from the Bay Area and around the country.  Center REP presents the best in theatre--classic and standard plays, musicals of quality, and new and innovative works to entertain, inform and challenge. 

Center REPertory Company 

For more than 36 years, Center REPertory Company has brought the magic of live theatre to Bay Area audiences.  At its founding in 1967, Center REP was one of the only theatre companies in the East Bay to offer serious dramatic productions. Over the years, its commitment to variety, uniqueness and exceptional artistry has earned it a reputation that draws audiences from throughout the Bay Area. 

Center REPertory Company is the resident professional theatre company of the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts. In 6 productions every season the company offers a wide range of theatre, from the best of contemporary drama and comedy, to time-honored classics and rollicking musicals 

Lee Sankowich joins us as our Artistic Director in the Fall of 2001, and we look forward to a new and exciting era of continued growth and excellence under his direction.  Mr. Sankowich is also the Artistic Director of Marin Theatre Company, and this unique arrangement, the first of its kind in the country, enables the two companies to get material heretofore inaccessible to them as single companies.  MTC will join us in sharing productions for our upcoming seasons as well, and Center REPertory Company’s scene shop will produce sets for both houses. 

Our casting director is Annie Stuart.  Well known throughout the Bay Area and California, Annie brings a wealth of talent and experience to Center REPertory Company. Sometimes seeing more than 6 productions a week, Annie is perfectly positioned to bring us the best talent available. 

New in 2001 is our Education Program, along with our Co-Directors, Kerri Shawn and Jeff Draper.  Kerri has been the director of our Young REP summer program for 17 years and Jeff has coordinated several educational program for a number of theatre companies and teaches in the Actor’s Program at ACT. Center REPertory Company’s Education Program offers considerable outreach into the community through schools, year round classes and program for seniors.