Woodminster 2008 Season Announcement

Woodminster Summer Musicals
Summer 2008 – 42nd 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

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Woodminster Summer Musicals Announce 2008 Season – Tickets Available!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Seussical, and The Pirates of Penzance
Will Be Performed This Summer in Joaquin Miller Park Venue

Community Members Invited to Audition April 5-12

March 14, 2008 - Oakland, CA -- Producers Associates, Inc. announces its season for 2008, which will be the 42nd consecutive 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. Over 27,000 ticket holders passed through the Woodminster gates for the 21 performances of the 2007 season, including 3,000 children who attended for free under the organization’s Kids Come Free program.

Tickets to Woodminster shows range from $23 to $38, 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’s "Kids Come Free" program allows children 16 and younger to attend for 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 "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," playing July 11-20. This stage version of the famous 1954 film musical is full of energetic dance and lively and beautiful music.

Playing August 8-17 will be “Seussical the Musical,” a colorful and magical retelling of the tales of Dr. Seuss. Music, lyrics, and book are by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the authors of the musical version of “Ragtime.”

The season will close with Gilbert & Sullivan’s "The Pirates of Penzance," playing September 5-14. This version is the 1980 adaptation that took New York by storm when it was first presented by the New York Shakespeare Festival.

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 Sunday April 6 and Saturday April 12, at Woodminster Amphitheater 1-4 p.m. Dance auditions are at 10 a.m. on Sunday April 6 in Dance Studio D-100 at Laney College. Children's auditions (ages 8-10) are Saturday, April 5 at Woodminster Amphitheater, 10 a.m. Details and updates are available at http://www.woodminster.com/Webpages/opportunities.html.

Paid staff positions are filled by application, and Producers Associates is currently accepting resumes from set designers, tech directors, and carpenters. Musicians are members of American Federation of Musicians, Local 6. Running crews for shows are composed with 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 2008 season or history of the organization, visit http://www.woodminster.com.
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