West Side Story at Woodminster

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

JULY 2007 -- CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT: "West Side Story," one of the most famous and familiar shows in the history of American theater, celebrating its 50th birthday in 2007.
PERFORMED BY: Woodminster Summer Musicals by Producers Associates, Inc.
WHERE: Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland
WHEN: July 13-22, 2007
PERFORMANCES: July 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 - 8 p.m.
TICKETS: 510-531-9597 or www.woodminster.com, $23-$36 ($2 discount for children/seniors)
Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International

PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate Release

Woodminster Summer Musicals Opens
41st Season July 13 with "West Side Story"
2007 Season is Dedicated to the Millionth Audience Member
Attending Historic Woodminster Amphitheater

June 28, 2007 - Oakland, CA - Producers Associates, Inc. will open the 2007 season of the Woodminster Summer Musicals with "West Side Story," playing July 13-22. This groundbreaking and famous musical is 50 years old this year.

Says director Joel Schlader, "West Side Story is a play with themes that are exactly in tune with today's world, not to mention gorgeous music and amazing dance numbers. It's a perfect opening show for the season we're dedicating to Woodminster Amphitheater's millionth audience member." The open-air Amphitheater, built as a WPA project and dedicated in 1941, has been the venue for the Woodminster Summer Musicals for 41 years, and many other performances and events before and since. Producers Associates estimates that the millionth audience member at the historic Amphitheater will likely attend this summer.

Says Schlader, "Of course we can't pinpoint exactly who it will be, since we don't have the books of all the other organizations who have performed here. But it's our educated guess that this summer the amphitheater will see its millionth patron, and in any case it's time to celebrate our great audience members in Oakland and the broader East Bay. So everybody who attends this summer is one in a million - and the season is dedicated to them!"

Woodminster Amphitheater is in Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills. The park's spectacular views and serene woodsy environment, cascades, reflecting pool, picnic grounds, and paths draw nature-lovers year-round. Performances started in the Amphitheater shortly after its 1941 dedication, mostly on Sunday afternoons during World War II out of concern about showing lights for evening performances. By 1943, Juanita Miller (daughter of Joaquin) was celebrating her famous father's birthday with annual musical performances about his life. Folk dance festivals, interpretive dance performances, high school band nights, and other community performances became common after the war. The Oakland Symphony gave performances at Woodminster Amphitheater; so did the San Francisco Opera and Ballet. By the early 1950's the Oakland Office of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the Oakland Light Opera Association, was producing musicals every summer, and they continued until 1964. In 1967, Producers Associates and the Woodminster Summer Musicals became the main caretaker and user of the space, and they currently draw about 25,000 ticket-holding patrons each summer. The Amphitheater continues to be used for concerts and other events before and after the Woodminster season.

"West Side Story" was an important turning point in American musical theater, because it explored social problems in a slum of New York, with the plot revolving around the activities of members from two rival gangs. The plot and main characters of West Side Story are loosely based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The story has been modernized and Americanized with the introduction of a racial theme - Tony, a member of an established white gang (the Jets) falls in love with Maria, whose brother is a member of the rival Puerto Rican gang (the Sharks). As in Romeo and Juliet, the rivalry escalates and leads to great tragedy.

Woodminster shows are performed by a combination of professional (Actors Equity Association) actors and talented local non-professionals. "West Side Story" features a cast of three dozen actors from 16 Bay Area cities, as well as Los Angeles and New York. The leading roles of Maria and Tony are played by New York actors Ellen Condon and Kyle Fichtman, both of whom have extensive regional and New York musical theater credits. The role of Anita is also played by a professional actress from New York, Ellyn Marie Marsh, but Marsh also has roots in Oakland, and attended Bishop O'Dowd High School. The role of Bernardo will be played by professional actor Derek Sakakura of Walnut Creek.

"West Side Story" is directed by Joel Schlader, with choreography by Alex Sanchez, musical direction by Brandon Adams, and vocal direction by Trente Morant. The orchestra, composed of members of American Federation of Musicians, Local 6, will be conducted by Brandon Adams.

After "West Side Story" July 13-22, Woodminster's 41st season will continue with the beloved family classic, "The Wizard of Oz," August 10-19, and will close with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor(r) Dreamcoat" September 7-16.
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 41 years, the organization, in partnership with the Oakland Park and Rec Department, has been producing summer musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater. Today it sells more tickets per year than any other resident performing arts group in the city, and also runs a "Kids Come Free" program that gave away 2700 tickets to children and teens in 2006. For more information, visit http://www.woodminster.com.

Background information here.



PRESS RELEASE: 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 JULY 2007 -- CALENDAR INFORMATION WHAT: "West Side Story," one of the most famous and familiar shows in the history of American theater, celebrating its 50th birthday in 2007. PERFORMED BY: Woodminster Summer Musicals by Producers Associates, Inc. WHERE: Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Road, Oakland WHEN: July 13-22, 2007 PERFORMANCES: July 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 - 8 p.m. TICKETS: 510-531-9597 or www.woodminster.com, $23-$36 ($2 discount for children/seniors) Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate Release Woodminster Summer Musicals Opens 41st Season July 13 with "West Side Story" 2007 Season is Dedicated to the Millionth Audience Member Attending Historic Woodminster Amphitheater June 28, 2007 - Oakland, CA - Producers Associates, Inc. will open the 2007 season of the Woodminster Summer Musicals with "West Side Story," playing July 13-22. This groundbreaking and famous musical is 50 years old this year. Says director Joel Schlader, "West Side Story is a play with themes that are exactly in tune with today's world, not to mention gorgeous music and amazing dance numbers. It's a perfect opening show for the season we're dedicating to Woodminster Amphitheater's millionth audience member." The open-air Amphitheater, built as a WPA project and dedicated in 1941, has been the venue for the Woodminster Summer Musicals for 41 years, and many other performances and events before and since. Producers Associates estimates that the millionth audience member at the historic Amphitheater will likely attend this summer. Says Schlader, "Of course we can't pinpoint exactly who it will be, since we don't have the books of all the other organizations who have performed here. But it's our educated guess that this summer the amphitheater will see its millionth patron, and in any case it's time to celebrate our great audience members in Oakland and the broader East Bay. So everybody who attends this summer is one in a million - and the season is dedicated to them!" Woodminster Amphitheater is in Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills. The park's spectacular views and serene woodsy environment, cascades, reflecting pool, picnic grounds, and paths draw nature-lovers year-round. Performances started in the Amphitheater shortly after its 1941 dedication, mostly on Sunday afternoons during World War II out of concern about showing lights for evening performances. By 1943, Juanita Miller (daughter of Joaquin) was celebrating her famous father's birthday with annual musical performances about his life. Folk dance festivals, interpretive dance performances, high school band nights, and other community performances became common after the war. The Oakland Symphony gave performances at Woodminster Amphitheater; so did the San Francisco Opera and Ballet. By the early 1950's the Oakland Office of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the Oakland Light Opera Association, was producing musicals every summer, and they continued until 1964. In 1967, Producers Associates and the Woodminster Summer Musicals became the main caretaker and user of the space, and they currently draw about 25,000 ticket-holding patrons each summer. The Amphitheater continues to be used for concerts and other events before and after the Woodminster season. "West Side Story" was an important turning point in American musical theater, because it explored social problems in a slum of New York, with the plot revolving around the activities of members from two rival gangs. The plot and main characters of West Side Story are loosely based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The story has been modernized and Americanized with the introduction of a racial theme - Tony, a member of an established white gang (the Jets) falls in love with Maria, whose brother is a member of the rival Puerto Rican gang (the Sharks). As in Romeo and Juliet, the rivalry escalates and leads to great tragedy. Woodminster shows are performed by a combination of professional (Actors Equity Association) actors and talented local non-professionals. "West Side Story" features a cast of three dozen actors from 16 Bay Area cities, as well as Los Angeles and New York. The leading roles of Maria and Tony are played by New York actors Ellen Condon and Kyle Fichtman, both of whom have extensive regional and New York musical theater credits. The role of Anita is also played by a professional actress from New York, Ellyn Marie Marsh, but Marsh also has roots in Oakland, and attended Bishop O'Dowd High School. The role of Bernardo will be played by professional actor Derek Sakakura of Walnut Creek. "West Side Story" is directed by Joel Schlader, with choreography by Alex Sanchez, musical direction by Brandon Adams, and vocal direction by Trente Morant. The orchestra, composed of members of American Federation of Musicians, Local 6, will be conducted by Brandon Adams. After "West Side Story" July 13-22, Woodminster's 41st season will continue with the beloved family classic, "The Wizard of Oz," August 10-19, and will close with "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor(r) Dreamcoat" September 7-16. 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 41 years, the organization, in partnership with the Oakland Park and Rec Department, has been producing summer musicals at Woodminster Amphitheater. Today it sells more tickets per year than any other resident performing arts group in the city, and also runs a "Kids Come Free" program that gave away 2700 tickets to children and teens in 2006. For more information, visit http://www.woodminster.com. Background information here.	Click on photo to retrieve a high-resolution photo for print. Ellen Condon plays Maria and Kyle Fichtman plays Tony in the Woodminster Summer Musicals' production of "West Side Story." The Sharks (clockwise from top left): Jose Gonzalez (Anxious), Erwin Urbi* (Chino), Rod-Voltaire G. Edora (Indio), Derek Sakakura* (Bernardo), Joven Calloway (Pepe), Jerry Van Carlos Gore* (Luis).
© 2003-2007 Producers Associates Inc. Woodminster Amphitheater, Joaquin Miller Park 3300 Joaquin Miller Road Oakland, CA 94602 510-531-9597 or 510-531-0671 Fax 510-339-0727 For information about the season or tickets, harriet@woodminster.com. For questions about this website or press information, woodminsterpr@yahoo.com.