On Saturday afternoon, Culver City Public Theatre unveils its 12th season of free theater in Carlson Park for families and theatre fans of all ages.
Founded in 1998, the Public Theatre (a 501(c)3 non-profit) is a premier professional membership theatre company based in Culver City.
The season opens at 12 noon with a world premiere performance of “The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk,” written by Heidi Dotson, long-standing Public Theatre member and current company President.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that Ms. Dotson has penned the Children’s Popcorn Theatre show, which is the show offered every season specifically aimed at a younger audience.
Her previous plays were 2007’s “King Midas,” 2008’s “Slue-Foot Sue and Pecos Bill,” and last year’s “Aunt Fondeen and the Lost Dutchman Goldmine.”
Ms. Dotson will also direct the clever retelling of this beloved fairytale, which features an unlikely character as the narrator. Children and adults alike thoroughly enjoy the Children’s Popcorn Theatre productions.
This will be Ms. Dotson’s seventh season with Public Theatre where she has both acted and directed numerous times.
She has an extensive background in music theatre, having performed with San Gabriel Valley Music Theater, the Redlands Bowl, Redlands Theatre Festival, Rio Hondo College, and Riverside Civic Light Opera, where she even played the front half of the cow in their production of Jack and the Beanstalk.
The Public Theatre’s first main stage show of the season is a classic Shakespeare play with a modern twist, “The Merry Wives of Windsor (New Jersey), which will open at 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon.
Mike Peebler directs this timeless tale of small town gossip, artfully set in modern day New Jersey. Mr. Peebler joins Public Theatre for the first time this season, though he is no stranger to outdoor productions, having worked extensively with Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum. In addition to his vast experience with Shakespeare productions, Mr. Peebler has also appeared in numerous television shows and films. These include “Medium,” “NUMB3RS,” “Las Vegas,” “Scrubs,” and “Valkyrie,” which stars Tom Cruise.
In addition to the challenge of directing Shakespeare, Mr. Peebler can also be seen playing the titular role in Theatricum Botanicum’s current production of Hamlet.
The Public Theatre will finish this year’s season with Sir Arthur Pinero’s “The Enchanted Cottage,” opening Saturday, Aug. 7, at 2 o’clock.
Public Theatre member Nicole Nelson is the director. As the title suggests, this is a charming and magical play, made famous by the 1945 film adaptation starring Robert Young and Dorothy McGuire. Though seldom performed, the Culver City group presents this story that explores the true meaning of beauty.
In addition to making her directing debut this year, Ms. Nelson has appeared in three previous Culver City Public Theatre productions, perhaps most notably as “Slue-Foot Sue.”
Ms. Nelson has also performed with Underground Theater and Next Stage, as well making multiple appearances in film and TV, which include Step Up 2, Nip/Tuck, and Parental Control.
Calendar Listing
No tickets are necessary for the plays at the corner of Braddock Drive and Motor Avenue.
The Merry Wives of Windsor (New Jersey) will play Saturdays and Sundays only, from this weekend until Aug. 1, at 2 at Carlson Park.
The Enchanted Cottage will play Saturdays and Sundays only at 2, from Aug. 7 through Aug. 22.
Information Line: 310.712-5482. info@ccpt.org
Ms. Savene may be contacted at sharon@sharonsavene.net
