Press Release for ACTC Season 2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2007
The Antioch Classical Theatre Company celebrates its second season this summer with two of Shakespeare’s most boisterous comedies, The Taming of the Shrew and The Comedy of Errors, which will perform in historic downtown Antioch at El Campanil Theatre, July 20 – 29, 2007.
In Shakespeare’s hilarious and unruly battle of the sexes, The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio sets out to reel in the wildly independent Katherine, but unwittingly finds true love. The highly farcical Comedy of Errors combines twins separated at birth, witty servants, clever ladies, a courtesan, a nun, and a witch doctor to create the perfect recipe for slapstick and side-splitting humor. These comedic masterpieces are sure to touch hearts and delight audiences.
As founder of Antioch’s first resident professional theatre company, Sean J. O’Neil’s vision has been to create a company that combines professional actors and artists with students and local talent to bring exciting quality theatre to the community. “It’s kind of a pride thing,” remarks O’Neil. “We should be proud that a lot of us are locals; whether gone for years or fresh out of high school. For those of us who have grown up here, it’s great to be able to share and perform in our home town.”
The Comedy of Errors is being directed by guest artist, Rob Addison. A New Jersey resident and former roommate of O’Neil’s at the University of California, Irvine, Addison says he’s honored to be a part of ACTC’s second season and happy to be back on home soil for a California summer. He says he enjoys the rehearsal environment because it is “theatre education in a professional setting. It brings out the best in everyone.” Addison earned his BA in Drama from UCI, an MFA in Acting from Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory, and is currently a high school teacher on the East Coast. A member of the Actors’ Equity Association, he’s performed at the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the Laguna Playhouse, and Summer Repertory Theatre. He says directing The Comedy of Errors is a treat for him because it combines that with which he’s most confident, Shakespeare and broad farce, and “the specific art form of comedy.”
The two professional Equity actors are Michael Barrett Austin (Petruchio in Shrew and Dromio of Ephesus in Comedy) and Nicole Avery (Bianca in Shrew and Adriana in Comedy). Austin is a San Francisco resident and has performed with a myriad of companies in the Bay Area, including 42nd Street Moon, TheatreWorks, San Jose Stage, and Pacific Repertory Theatre. He has toured the U.S. with the National Theatre for Children and toured Italy last year with Shakespeare at Stinson. In addition to acting, Austin has directed locally at Los Altos Youth Theatre and at the Shawnee Playhouse in East Pennsylvania. He earned his BA in Theatre at Whitman College. Nicole Avery is making her second appearance with ACTC, having played Hermia in last season’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. An AHS alumni and one of O’Neil’s former students, Avery is pursuing her acting career in Los Angeles and recently joined the prestigious West Coast Ensemble Theatre in Hollywood. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and member of the Screen Actors Guild, she has been featured on such T.V. shows as Scrubs, That’s So Raven, Judging Amy, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
O’Neil, who will be directing The Taming of the Shrew says, “I want ACTC to offer opportunities not only for our students and actors, but for the audiences. I’d like to build an audience of folks that come out every summer to ACTC’s festival shows.” Sean O’Neil grew up in Antioch and has been the Director of Theatre Arts at Antioch High School for 11 years and adjunct theatre professor for Los Medanos College since 2001. He earned his BA in Drama from UC Irvine and MA in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. He also worked as an actor, director, producer, teacher and Arts Education Administrator for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival for 3 years. In 2002, he won a Dean Goodman Choice Award for his performance in Sight Unseen at Walnut Creek’s Playhouse West.
El Campanil Theatre was originally a vaudeville theatre and movie house after its opening in 1928. After years of restoration, El Campanil is once again serving its original purpose as a venue for the performing and visual arts. O’Neil says he loves having the Antioch Classical Theatre Company perform in beautiful El Campanil because “the building itself elevates the level of the work you do. Look at the river, look at this amazing theatre downtown, look at the great actors we have. I want this to be a celebration of what this area is and can do.”
Event: Shakespeare’s comedies, The Taming of the Shrew & The Comedy of Errors
Presented by: The Antioch Classical Theatre Company
Where: El Campanil Theatre, 602 West Second Street in downtown Antioch
When: The Taming of the Shrew - July 20th & 28th at 8pm, July 22nd at 2pm
The Comedy of Errors - July 21st & 27th at 8pm, July 29th at 2pm
Tickets: Adults - $15 / Seniors,Children,Students - $10
10% off with purchase of both shows
www.elcampaniltheatre.com or call the Box Office at (925) 757-9500
Contact: Heddy Lahmann
Publicity
Email
(619) 208-3866