Standing Ovations for Some Angels of Sierra Madre Playhouse

The Sierra Madre Playhouse begins the new year thrilled by the generous support we have received from our community and our loyal patrons as we plan a season of stellar entertainment.

We thank the Sierra Madre Community Foundation for their generous underwriting of the educational aspects of the West Coast premiere of Battledrum, a Civil War play with music, by Doug Cooney.  In a new initiative for SMP, we will host our first school matinees with the launch of our Field Trip Series.  This production includes a study guide, student workshops, a lobby exhibit and a post-show discussion with a Civil War historian at every performance.  We have already booked 17 student matinees, in addition to our regular performances, and there may be more.  We thank GrandCare Health Services and Jeff & Susan Davidson who have generously underwritten several performances and the busses needed to bring the students to the theater. 

Mayor Pro Tem, John Harabedian came to our rescue when we told him of our need to find local space to build our sets offsite.  He introduced us to Robert Armin, developer of the new storefronts in the 100 block of W. Sierra Madre Boulevard who loaned us a space for our set build for An Ideal Husband and Battledrum and has shown himself to be a great supporter of the Playhouse. 

And we thank the dozens of our patrons who responded to our Fall Fundraising appeal by sending checks to insure that the Playhouse can continue to offer the kind of programming that our audiences have come to expect.  Donations help us bridge the gap between the box office revenue and our expenses – we couldn’t do what we do without the help of our friends.   Please consider making the Playhouse the beneficiary of your generosity as we launch our next appeal – we are facing many needed repairs and improvements to the theater and are hoping our Angels will help insure that the Playhouse will be part of the Sierra Madre community for years to come.

Our 2014 season begins with Oscar Wilde's classic dramedy, An Ideal Husband, a beautiful period piece set in an elegant home in Mayfair London of 1895. 2013 Ovation Award (LA theater’s Tony Award) winner for best leading actress, Gigi Bermingham, returns to SMP, this time as a director.  She has assembled a talented cast and production team that will bring the sparkling wit of Oscar Wilde and his characters to life.  Another Ovation winner, Naila Sanders is costuming the production.  If Sunday evening's "Downton Abbey" whets your appetite for beautiful English people scheming and plotting while wearing beautiful clothes then An Ideal Husband will be “just your cuppa tea!”

Our new Sunday Music Series: Emerging Artists in Concerts at the Playhouse continues this month with our 3rd collaboration with the Colburn Conservatory of Music.  From the initial response, we realize that there is a real appreciation for excellent music in intimate surroundings and the acoustics in our theater have delighted the musicians and the audiences who have already made this a popular new series.  The caliber of music from these musicians is that of world-class venues such as Disney Concert Hall (as many of them are performing there as well); yet the price of admission is $20 and the commute is ideal!  Next concerts: January 26 with the 2nd Street Brass Quintet in An All-American Concert and then on February 2 the Idyllwild Jazz Ensemble joins us for their first concert..

On March 7th, Battledrum opens.  This musical follows the frontline experience of three young drummer boys who become unlikely comrades as they find themselves part of our nation's most tragic conflict.   Several other exciting events are planned in conjunction with the run – stay tuned for further announcements.

We thank our Angels for making all of this possible.