Shakespeare in LA

Shakespeare-Summerfest Orange County has announced its 2015 season of love, which features two of Shakespeare’s most magical and moving plays. Tickets are available at www.shakespeareoc.org. Box office opens May 1st, (714) 590-1575. Here’s a look at what’s to come.

Saturday, June 13, 2015
2nd Annual Season Kickoff Celebrity Gala
Join SOC for another radio drama performance featuring a blockbuster lineup of celebrities from Hollywood and Broadway. VIP tickets are also available to dine with the stars or attend the after-party.

July 2 – August 1, 2015: Romeo and Juliet
Starring acclaimed Vietnamese-American TV star Trieu Tran as Romeo, and featuring Santa Ana’s renowned 50-year old Mexican Folklorico troupe Relámpago del Cielo led by Marlene Peña-Marin, this co-production with VAALA (The Vietnamese-American Arts and Letters Association) reflects today’s multi-cultural society not as one race against the other, but as the amazing melting pot we have become. Co-directed by producing artistic director John Walcutt and associate artistic director Mike Peebler.

August 13 – 29, 2015: As You Like It
will transport you back to Elizabethan England for an enchanting evening set amid a Renaissance Faire party in the park. A trip into the forest of Arden provides romance, music, poetry, trickery, costumes, and adventure in one of Shakespeare’s most enduring and entertaining delights. Come join us for this journey back into the Bard’s time with this gender-bending romantic charmer; we guarantee love, laughs, and surprises. Directed by Peter Uribe.

September 10 – 26, 2015
The Pirates of Penzance
SOC closes its season in truly uncharted territory – a musical! This timeless, uproarious, and endlessly entertaining classic from Gilbert and Sullivan will feature special seating right on the Amphitheater stage amidst all the action and fun; and all tickets will be sold for a special price of $20. Directed by Peter Uribe. Don’t miss this one.

SOC’s season also includes a number of additional theatrical events including:

May 2, 2015
Heaven’s Flowers by Dan Choi
Famed Korean traveling acting troupe The Hanul Performance Group makes its OC debut in this heart-warming tale of love and family values between a pair of older couples. Sweet, funny and heartwarming, it brings a taste of the homeland to OC. Performed in Korean with English Titles.

May 30, 2015
60 Years on the Bench – An Evening with Ragtime Robert Glenn
“Ragtime Robert” is a Southern California legend, the so-called “second most popular entertainer at Disneyland.” Robert will be at the piano with some special guests to share unforgettable stories of his life in music and magic – a romp from Bach to Berlin.

June 27, 2015
Cinema Under the Stars – Romeo and Juliet
This outdoor screening of Franco Zeffirelli’s landmark 1968 film version stars Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Michael York, and Bruce Robinson.

August 23 & 30, 2015
Walt Whitman Sings!
John Slade brings his critically-acclaimed musical mash-up of Whitman and song to the intimate Mike Fountain courtyard stage.

September 20, 2015
Trieu Tran (Unplugged)
A one-night-only encore performance of Mr. Tran’s highly acclaimed one-man show, which tells the gripping true story of his amazing odyssey from Vietnam to Hollywood actor.

For the two Shakespeare plays, be sure to check out SOC’s Night in White opening night dinner packages and Shakespeare Pass and Flex Pass deals. Tickets: www.shakespeareoc.org. Use the code “Friend” on their online box office during the month of April for $10 off regular admission prices for Shakespeare productions. Get a $25 ticket for only $15. Or, get a 9-ticket Flex Pass with tickets that can be applied to any show or combination of shows in the season. That’s up to a $225 value that normally sells for $150, and for you will be only $140.