Woodminster 2007 Season Announcement

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Summer 2007 - 41st consecutive season of musical theater under the stars in Oakland’s beautiful Joaquin Miller Park
Press contact: Kathy Kahn, woodminsterpr@yahoo.com, 510-418-8523
Theater contact: Harriet Schlader, harriet@woodminster.com, 510-531-9597
For virtual press room, including high resolution photographs, visit http://www.woodminster.com/Webpages/news.html

Woodminster Summer Musicals Announce 2007 Season
Community Members Invited to Audition March 31-April 1

March 11, 2007 - Oakland, CA - Producers Associates, Inc. announces its season for 2007, which will be the 41st season of the Woodminster Summer Musicals. Since 1967 the organization has been producing three or more Broadway-style musicals each summer in Oakland, and today sells more tickets per year than any other resident performing arts group in the city.

Tickets to Woodminster shows range from $23 to $36, with children and seniors receiving a $2 discount. Season tickets for all three shows are also available, and provide about a 15% discount over the single ticket prices. In addition, Woodminster has a "Kids Come Free" program where children 16 and younger can attend free with paying adults (limitations apply.) Also, groups of 25 and more can purchase blocks of seats for half price, providing an affordable outing or a delightful fundraiser for a church or service group, neighborhood association, or any other group. For information about tickets, check www.woodminster.com or call 510-531-9597.

The season will open with "West Side Story," playing July 13-22. This groundbreaking and famous musical, 50 years old this year, was written by Arthur Laurents (book), Leonard Bernstein (music), and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), and was originally produced, choreographed, and directed by Jerome Robbins.

Playing August 10-19 will be the classic "The Wizard of Oz," based on the novel by L. Frank Baum. This version contains the music from the MGM Motion Picture score by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, with background music by Herbert Stothart.

The season will close with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor(r) Dreamcoat," playing September 7-16, the second musical theater show written (the first produced) by the team of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice.

Woodminster shows are performed by a combination of professional (Actors Equity Association) actors and talented local non-professionals. There is a minimum of 8 AEA contracts per show. Open auditions for singers (teen and adult) are Saturday March 31 and Sunday April 1, at Woodminster Amphitheater 1-4 p.m. Dance auditions are at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 1 at Laney College, Room D-100. Children’s auditions (ages 14 and younger) are Saturday, March 31 at Woodminster Amphitheater. Equity members should check the AEA hotline. More details about auditions are available at http://www.woodminster.com/Webpages/opportunities.html.

Paid staff positions are filled by application, and Producers Associates is currently accepting resumes for lighting designers, set designers, tech directors, carpenters, and box office staff. Musicians are members of American Federation of Musicians, Local 6. Running crews for shows are composed of local high school students, who receive a stipend. Details about how to apply for these jobs are available at http://www.woodminster.com/Webpages/opportunities.html.

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.

Background information here.