A Press Democrat Blog

Arts

Dan Taylor on the fine arts scene.

The Raven Players present ‘Evita’ in June

Friday, at 8:23 by

When the Raven Players in Healdsburg present “Evita” next month, the prodution will boast not one, but two Eva Peróns. So don’t cry for them, Argentina. Lauren Post of San Jose, Calif., and Laura Nicolicchia, a native Buenos Aires, will alternate in the role, and Pedro Rodelas, a part-time member of the San Francisco Opera chorus,  will play Che Guevara. The Raven Players previously staged a popular production of “Evita” in 2007. The new production, directed by John DeGaetano, opens… Read More »

Documentary follows Raven Players’ production of ‘Gypsy’

Monday, at 1:42 by

Sausalito filmmaker Scott Roberts’ first documentary, “The Raven and the Gypsy,” makes its premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Raven Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg. Roberts filmed the Raven’s resident theater company, the Raven Players, as the troupe staged “Gypsy,” its closing show of the 2011-12 season. Roberts, holds a bachelor’s degree in theater from UCLA. His other projects as a director include the satirical music video “The Nair Song” and the narrative feature “Letters Home,” which… Read More »

Raven Players in Healdsburg announce 2013-2014 season

Friday, at 12:00 by

The Raven Players theater troupe, based at the Raven Theater in Healdsburg, has never lacked ambition, going after the rights to big Broadway shows that can be difficult for community theaters to get — “Rent” in 2010, “Chicago” in 2011. So the latest news from the plucky little company makes perfect sense. “We are the first North Bay community theater to be granted the licensing to the full-length version of Les Misérables,” Raven Players president John DeGaetano announced this week.… Read More »

Raven Players present ‘Pirates of Penzance’

Tuesday, at 1:17 by

Looking for some rowdy fun?  Then go to Healdsburg, where there be pirates. The Raven Players close their current season with “Pirates of Penzance,” Gilbert and Sullivan’s beloved comic operetta, directed by John DeGaetano. The production, based on the 1979 Broadway revival of the 1879 classic, opens with performances at 8 p.m. Friday, June 24, and continues through July 24 at the Raven Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg. Admission: $15-$30. Information: 433-6335, raventheater.org.

Actress Stephanie St. James comes home

Thursday, at 2:00 by

Stephanie St. James, a hometown favorite with some big-time credits,  has been signed to appear in the 6th Street Playhouse production of the musical “Rent” in Santa Rosa next month. St. James co-starred as Squeak in the national touring production of the Broadway hit,`The Color Purple,” adapted from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and produced by Oprah Winfrey, who acted in the 1985 film version by Steven Spielberg. That tour, which opened in Chicago,  included a run in San Francisco,… Read More »

Benefit for a big man’s granddaughter

Thursday, at 9:30 by

Anybody who’s seen much theater around Sonoma County has probably encountered a big man with a big, deep singing voice. You may have seen him in “Evita” or “Miss Saigon” with the Raven Players in Healdsburg. His name is Steve Kirkbride and he’s usually a jolly presence wherever he goes, but these days he’s got something serious on his mind. His 14-month-old granddaughter, Morgan, is under treatment at University of California at San Francisco Medical Center for leukemia. Friends of… Read More »