The Colony Theatre Announces 2011-12 Season

The Colony Theatre Company is thrilled to announce its 2011 – 2012 season of shows.  In this, the beginning of its second decade in its beautiful home in Burbank, the multi-Ovation Award-winning theatre company, for the first time in its history, will be bringing its subscribers and audiences on SIX extraordinary theatrical  journeys, instead of the usual five!  The season includes travels from On Golden Pond to some Travels With My Aunt; travels from the Cambodian community of Long Beach, California, to some musically talented Dames at Sea!  With some Shooting Stars and two West Coast Premieres to top it all off!  Six unforgettable journeys; a once-in-a-lifetime season! Continue after the break to view the Colony Theaters  upcoming productions.

YEAR ZERO West Coast Premiere!

Written by Michael Golamco
June 4 – July 3, 2011 (Previews June 1 – 3)

“A very smart, sweet, honest and uncommonly moving new play. Michael Golamco is a significant new dramatic voice.” – Chicago Tribune

How do you move forward in life when you’re stuck where you are? In Long Beach, CA, two young Cambodian-Americans search for an answer. Vuthy is a lonely 16-year-old who loves hip hop and Dungeons & Dragons. His ambitious older sister is starting to veer from her steadfast path to higher education and assimilation. With great humor and a modern sensibility, Year Zero sensitively explores how to escape a painful past while honoring the legacy of one’s own history. It’s a contemporary comedic drama about reinvention, redemption, and finding where we belong. Contains strong language.

ON GOLDEN POND

Written by Ernest Thompson
July 30 – August 28, 2011 (Previews July 27 – 29)

“A rare and memorable theatrical experience.”
—Variety

Lovable curmudgeon Norman Thayer is nearing eighty and is as tart-tongued as ever. His spirited wife, Ethel, delights in all the small things that have enriched their lives. Together, they are returning to their summer home on the lake for the forty-eighth year and are soon visited by their adult daughter, her uptight fiancé, and his rebellious teenage son. On Golden Pond is a heartwarming story about revisiting the past and forging new bonds across generations. This modern classic remains an inspiring celebration of the universal challenges we all face, and the ultimate triumphs of life, love, and family.

SHOOTING STAR West Coast Premiere!

Written by Steven Dietz
September 17 – October 16, 2011 (Previews September 14 – 16)

“‘Shooting Star’ is that rare romantic comedy that is funny, but also charming, endearing, and not removed from reality.” – Providence Journal

Elena and Reed had a passionate love affair when they were in college. It ended badly, and they haven’t seen each other since. It’s now 25 years later, and they have an unexpected reunion while trapped in an airport during a blizzard with all flights cancelled. She is still a flower child. He is a buttoned-down corporate executive. Is it ever too late for a second chance? Filled with laughter and heartache, Shooting Star is a bittersweet romantic comedy about the middle days of our lives and how we got there.

TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT Los Angeles Premiere!

Written by Graham Greene – Adapted for the stage by Giles Havergal
November 12 – December 18, 2011 (Previews November 9 – 11)

“Rollicking! A tour de force. A sheer triumph of joie
de vivre.” – Chicago Sun Times

The adventure of a lifetime! Mild-mannered Henry Pulling leads a quiet life, but when his vigorous and eccentric Aunt Augusta suddenly appears with mysterious information about his past, Henry is drawn into an exotic international adventure. Four actors play more than 20 roles, including secret agents, thieves, and art smugglers in this exciting theatrical escapade. Adapted from the celebrated novel by Graham Greene, Travels With My Aunt is an irreverent, captivating, and unforgettable journey.

OLD WICKED SONGS

Written by Jon Marans
February 4 – March 4, 2012 (Previews February 1-3)

“One of the best plays of the year, a fascinating exploration of art, guilt, compassion, and identity.”
– New York Post

Stephen is a young, brilliant American pianist who has come to Vienna with the hope of regaining his shattered confidence. His teacher is a lonely, eccentric, elderly professor with a shadowy past. As the glorious music of Robert Schumann floods the professor’s studio, the past collides with the present, deep secrets are revealed, and the men slowly discover they have more in common than just the music they love. Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Old Wicked Songs travels an emotional journey that weaves together profound sorrow, boundless joy, and soaring inspiration.

DAMES AT SEA

Book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller
Music by Jim Wise
April 14 – May 13, 2012 (Previews April 11 – 13)

“A real winner! A little gem of a musical.”
– New York Times

Small-town girl Ruby arrives in the Big Apple with only her tap shoes, a song in her heart, and a burning desire to become a Broadway star. She falls in love with Dick, a sailor who just happens to be a songwriter. They can sing a lovely duet – but can they save a Broadway musical when calamity strikes? An affectionate spoof of the grand and glorious Busby Berkeley movie musicals of the 1930s – with a cast of only 6 – Dames at Sea is an all-singing, all-dancing, old-fashioned tap extravaganza that charms and delights.

Should you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact David Elzer at 818/508-1754 or by e-mail at davidelzer@me.com.

The award-winning Colony Theatre Company was founded in 1975 as a 99-seat Equity-waiver theatre in Silver Lake. Over the years the company was so successful artistically, and built such a large subscriber base, that in 2000 it was able to move into a 270-seat theatre created for it by the City of Burbank, becoming one of only 5 mid-size professional theatres in the LA area that produce a year-round season of plays and musicals, and that employ actors under contract with Actors’ Equity Association.

The theatre is located at 555 North Third Street, at the corner of Cypress, in the heart of the Burbank Media Center. For further information, call (818) 558-7000. Fax number: (818) 558-7110. E-mail: colonytheatre@colonytheatre.org. Or visit our website at www.colonytheatre.ORG.