August 4-13
Rodgers & Hammerstein's
The King and I
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics and Book by Oscar Hammerstein II
Presented by special arrangement
with R&H Musicals.

September 1-10
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Presented by special arrangement
with Music Theatre International.

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Announce 2006 Season
40th Summer of Musical Theater
Under the Stars in the Oakland Hills

Woodminster Summer Musicals
40th Anniversary Season Summer 2006
Press contact: Kathy Kahn, woodminsterpr@yahoo.com, 510-418-8523
Theater contact: Harriet Schlader, harriet@woodminster.com, 510-531-9597

CALENDAR INFORMATION JULY:
WHAT: "Ragtime", A Story of Multicultural America
PERFORMED BY: Woodminster Summer Musicals by Producers Associates, Inc.
WHERE: Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland
WHEN: July 7-16, 2006
PERFORMANCES: July 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 8 p.m.
TICKETS: 510-531-9597 or www.woodminster.com, $21.50-$34.50 ($2 discount for children/seniors)
Book by Terrence McNally, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Music by Stephen Flaherty, Based on the novel “Ragtime,” by E.L. Doctorow

CALENDAR INFORMATION AUGUST:
WHAT: "The King and I", Classic Rodgers and Hammerstein Musical
PERFORMED BY: Woodminster Summer Musicals by Producers Associates, Inc.
WHERE: Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland
WHEN: August 4-13, 2006
PERFORMANCES: August 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 8 p.m.
TICKETS: 510-531-9597 or www.woodminster.com, $21.50-$34.50 ($2 discount for children/seniors)
Music by Richard Rodgers, Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Based on 'Anna And The King Of Siam' by Margaret Landon

CALENDAR INFORMATION SEPTEMBER:
WHAT: "Disney’s Beauty and the Beast", The First Disney Broadway Show
PERFORMED BY: Woodminster Summer Musicals by Producers Associates, Inc.
WHERE: Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland
WHEN: September 1-10, 2006
PERFORMANCES: September 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 8 p.m.
TICKETS: 510-531-9597 or www.woodminster.com, $21.50-$34.50 ($2 discount for children/seniors)
CALENDAR INFORMATION SEPTEMBER:
WHAT: "Disney’s Beauty and the Beast", The First Disney Broadway Show
PERFORMED BY: Woodminster Summer Musicals by Producers Associates, Inc.
WHERE: Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland
WHEN: September 1-10, 2006
PERFORMANCES: September 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 8 p.m.
TICKETS: 510-531-9597 or www.woodminster.com, $21.50-$34.50 ($2 discount for children/seniors)
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice, Book by Linda Woolverton

PRESS RELEASE:
Woodminster Summer Musicals Announce 2006 Season
40th Consecutive Season for Oakland Theater
Musical Theater Under the Stars, an Oakland Tradition

May 1, 2006 - Oakland, CA - Producers Associates, Inc. announces its season for 2006, which will be the 40th season of the Woodminster Summer Musicals. Since 1967 the organization has been producing three Broadway-style musicals each summer in Oakland, and today sells more tickets per year than any other resident performing arts group in the city.

The season will open with "Ragtime," playing July 7-16. An epic story of the shaping of multicutural America, based on E.L. Doctorow’s famous novel about the turn of the twentieth century. The lives of a wealthy white family in upstate New York, black working class people in Harlem, and Jewish immigrants at Ellis Island intertwine with each other, and with historical figures including Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, and Emma Goldman. Music is by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and book by Terrence McNally.

The August show will be the Rodgers' & Hammerstein classic, "The King and I," August 4-13. This ever popular family musical tells the story of a young English widow named Anna, who travels with her young son to Siam to work as the governess for the many children and wives of the King. Without relaxing their respective traditions and values, Anna and the King grow to understand and, eventually, respect one another, in a truly unique love story. Music is by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics and Book by Oscar Hammerstein II.

The season will close with "Disney's Beauty and the Beast," playing September 1-10. This musical retelling of the fairy tale was Disney’s first Broadway show and recreated the magical world of the animated film in a live theatrical production. Belle offers herself as a prisoner to the Beast to save her father, and learns that people are not always what they appear to be. A delight for all ages. Music is by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

Woodminster seasons are chosen based on balloting by season ticket holders, and many seasons are composed of "old favorites" that have been performed before on the Woodminster stage. This year is different, as two of the shows are relatively recent Broadway offerings that have never before been performed at Woodminster, and the third (The Rodgers & Hammerstein classic "The King and I") hasn't been performed here since 1969, Woodminster's third season.

Woodminster shows are performed by a combination of professional (Actors Equity Association) actors and talented local non-professionals. This season includes local children in key roles in all three shows. Musicians are members of American Federation of Musicians, Local 6.
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 40 years, the organization, in partnership with the Oakland Park and Rec Department, has been producing summer musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater. For more information about the 2006 season or history of the organization, visit http://www.woodminster.com.
- end press release -

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Woodminster Summer Musicals & the Greater Community
Each Woodminster musical features a number of professional actors in key roles, and the rest of each cast is composed of talented amateurs, usually members of the local community. Since 1967, over 2500 local aspiring actors have performed in the Woodminster Summer Musicals, working and learning alongside professionals. Many have gone on to careers in the theatre, and some return to Woodminster as professional actors in later years. The organization also employs young people, mostly local high school students, to work on the technical crews of the shows. As interns, they are paid a stipend to work under a professional stage manager and receive valuable real-world experience and training.

Producers Associates is committed to bringing local young people into the theatre as audience members as well. The organization has for the last 15 years offered a Kids Come Free program, where a child 16 or younger can attend free if accompanied by a paying adult. By doing this, Producers Associates hopes to encourage a love of live theatre in the area's children and make it easier for Oakland families on a limited budget to attend together. Woodminster offers this program with the support of a number of local corporations and philanthropic organizations.

The Woodminster Summer Musicals are produced with the support of a dedicated Advisory Board of Directors, long-time East Bay residents and community boosters. Over the years, Producers Associates' tenancy has helped keep the amphitheater and surrounding area maintained, discouraged vandalism, and made a number of substantial improvements to the performance facility, including audience seating as well as improved lighting and sound systems. They have worked with the Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation and the City's Parks department to facilitate a number of other improvements, and have kept their organization financially solvent for 40 years while contributing to the artistic vitality and economic health of the City of Oakland.

Local union actors, stage managers, and professional musicians from Local #6 find regular work in the Woodminster Summer Musicals. Aspiring local actors can perform alongside their professional counterparts. Neighborhood teenagers can audition for the shows or work on the crews. Families from Oakland and neighboring cities, as well as visitors from other areas, can spend a pleasant evening with a picnic and a first-class musical show.

Because of the half-price ticket program offered by Producers Associates, the musicals have also become an annual fundraiser for more than 100 Bay Area organizations, typically including the Oakland East Bay Symphony, Coast Guard Auxiliary, United Way, EDD, Rotary, Lions, and a number of other service organizations.

Healthy season tickets sales, attendance by groups, and special opportunities for families have made Woodminster shows the best attended performances in Oakland. Today, it sells the highest number of individual tickets of any of the major resident performing arts organizations in the city.

The Woodminster Summer Musicals in beautiful Joaquin Miller Park are beloved fixture on the local arts scene. The cherished tradition of American musical theatre under the stars is an essential Oakland summertime experience.
- end background information -

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

For information about
Producers Associates, Inc.