Stage 3 Theatre Company, at 208 S. Green St. in historic downtown Sonora, has been through many phases in the community theatre’s 23 year history, and 2017 marks yet another new chapter for this thriving theatre company. The building that has housed Stage 3 since 1996 has been sold, but Stage 3 is staying in their current location after a remodel and renovation that began after the final 2016 show closed on Dec. 18.
Doug Kennedy, the visionary behind the Bourbon Barrel, Reverb Marketing, and the Ironstone Concert series has big plans for historic downtown Sonora and has partnered with Stage 3 to bring the old building into the 21st century. With an outdoor beer and wine garden, live music and comedy, and a season of Stage 3 productions, the new entertainment complex promises to draw locals and tourists alike.
“The Stage 3 Theatre Company board and staff are extremely pleased that Doug Kennedy has selected our community theatre as a partner to continue to provide, throughout the year, live theatre in his newly renovated, updated, intimate black box theatre and entertainment space,” stated Stage 3’s Board of Directors Chair, Connie Williams.
Stage 3’s offices, rehearsal space and scene shop will move from the front of the building to the upstairs buildings.
Stage 3 has planned a season of five shows that will begin in May after construction is scheduled to be complete.
“We’re thrilled to have the new space and excited about our 2017 season,” said Production Manager Rocky Rhoades. “We tried to select shows with universally recognizable names and themes. We hope to make a big splash in the new performance space.”
The season opens in May with Educating Rita by Willy Russell a comedy drama in two acts that finds Frank, an English tutor in his fifties, disillusioned, drinking, and buried in his books. Along comes Rita, a forthright 26 year-old hairdresser, eager to learn. Their relationship as teacher and student ultimately gives Frank a new sense of self and Rita the knowledge she so craves.
July finds Stage 3 hitting the funny bone with The Underpants, written by Carl Sternheim and adapted by actor/comedian Steve Martin. The Underpants is a classic German play about Louise and Theo Markes, a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louise’s bloomers fall down in public.
September brings a special engagement, The Lady with all the Answers, a one woman show detailing the life of renowned advice columnist Ann Landers. For decades Ann answered countless letters from lovelorn teens, confused couples, and a multitude of others in need of advice. A warmhearted play, highly entertaining and frequently moving, this one woman show will leave you with plenty to talk about.
Wait Until Dark, a suspense thriller opens in the spooky season of October. A well-loved movie, the play is an adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher culled from the original play by Frederick Knott. In 1944 Greenwich Village, Susan Hendrix, a blind yet capable woman, is imperiled by a trio of men in her own apartment. As the climax builds, Susan discovers that her blindness just might be the key to her escape.
The holiday season finds Stage 3 bringing the music back with the timeless musical, Gifts of the Magi, by Randy Cross and Mark St Germain. It is Christmas, but for two young lovers, the prospects are bleak, as both are out of work and penniless. In this familiar story, their dilemma is solved when both part with their most precious possessions.
Educating Rita opens May 26 General admission tickets are now on sale and season tickets are currently on sale for the 2017 season with five shows including a bonus ticket, for $115, a more than 20 percent savings off of general admission prices. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and matinees begin at 2 p.m. For more information call 209 536-1778 or visit Stage3.org.
