Press Release Archive
July 12, 2004

Editorial contact:
Kathy Kahn
woodminsterpr@yahoo.com
510-418-8523

For information about
Producers Associates, Inc.

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Presents "The Will Rogers Follies"

July 12, 2004 - Oakland, CA - Producers Associates, Inc. will continue the 38th Season of the Woodminster Summer Musicals with "The Will Rogers Follies." This stage musical is based on the humor of actor and populist philosopher Will Rogers. The show runs August 6-15, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the first weekend and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the second weekend. All performances are at 8 p.m.

"The Will Rogers Follies" opened on Broadway in 1990 and ran for nearly a thousand performances. It won 6 Tony Awards, 3 Drama Desk Awards, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. Featuring musical numbers including "I Never Met A Man I Didn't Like" and "Give A Man Enough Rope," the show tells the life story and homespun wisdom of American humor icon Will Rogers. The show re-creates the gentle humor of this radio and film actor, complete with lassoo tricks and tap-dancing cowboys. It was previously produced at Woodminster in 1995.

"The Will Rogers Follies" is directed by H. James Schlader, and the Musical Director is Brandon Adams, with choreography by K.D. White.

"The Will Rogers Follies" is produced by special arrangement with the Tams-Witmark Music Library. Book is by Peter Stone, music composed and arranged by Cy Coleman, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

Woodminster's "Will Rogers" cast includes over 30 professional and non-professional actors, adults and children, from 17 different Bay Area cities. The leading roles of Will Rogers and the love of his life, Betty Blake, will be performed by Woodminster favorites Ric Iverson of Milpitas and Susan Himes Powers of San Francisco. The two played the roles of the evil Miss Hannigan and her shifty brother Rooster in Woodminster's 2004 season opener, "Annie."

Tickets are $19-$31, with discounts for groups, seniors, and those aged 16 and under. Season tickets are also available, and provide a significant discount for people who wish to see all three shows. Woodminster also has a "Kids Come Free" program, where a child 16 or younger can attend free accompanied by a paying adult. For information about tickets, call 510-531-9597 or visit http://www.woodminster.com.

The Woodminster Summer Musicals are performed under the stars at Woodminster Amphitheater, an open air performance facility in Joaquin Miller Park high in the Oakland Hills. The park's spectacular views and serene woodsy environment made it the perfect setting for the amphitheater, cascades, reflecting pool, and paths that were originally built as a WPA project in 1939-40. For many East Bay families, it is a long-standing summer tradition to enjoy a picnic in the park and then see a musical at Woodminster.

Producers Associates, Inc. was founded in 1967 by James and Harriet Schlader to provide affordable live summer family entertainment in the East Bay, and to foster a love of live theatre. For the last 38 years, the organization has been producing summer musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater. For more information, visit http://www.woodminster.com.
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