Denise Bayer 330.286.0450
Tom Smith     330.720.3600 tomsmith65@aol.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Youngstown, OH – The Oakland Center for the Arts presents Conor McPherson’s supernatural Irish thriller, Shining City, on February 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8:00 pm. Shining City is directed for the Oakland stage by Tom Smith.

Shining City is set in Dublin, where a guilt-ridden man reaches out to a therapist after seeing the ghost of his recently deceased wife. Wrestling with his own demons, the therapist can only do so much to help. Routine visits between the two men quickly become a gripping struggle to survive, changing both of them for the rest of their lives. (Dramatists Play Service)

Shining City features the talents of Christopher Haddock, Chuck Kettering, Brittiani McNeil Ketcham, and Kage Jonas Coven; with Gerri Jenkins as stage manager.  Tickets for the performances are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students with a valid student ID.

For more information, please call the Oakland Center for the Arts at 330.746.0404 or visit The Oakland Center for the Arts on the web at www.oaklandcenter.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Youngstown, OH – The Oakland Center for the Arts will hold auditions on Sunday January 22, 2012, and Monday, January 23, 2012, for Distracted, written by Lisa Loomer and directed for the Oakland stage by Sam Luptak Jr.

What’s wrong with nine-year-old Jesse? He can’t sit still, he curses, he raps, and you can’t get him into—or out of—pajamas. His teacher thinks it’s Attention Deficit Disorder. Don’t we all have ADD, to some degree? Throughout, Jesse is an offstage voice, becoming louder and angrier. Everyone is distracted, even the actors—they’re breaking character! A hilarious, provocative, and poignant look at a modern family and an epidemic dilemma: Are we so tuned into our 24/7 info-rich world that we’ve tuned out what really matters?

The script calls for:
2 adult men
4 adult women
1 teenage girl
1 boy age 8-11

Auditions will be held in the Star Gallery beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 22, and 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 23. Auditoners must be prepared to read from the script.

Performances will be March 16th through 31st, Friday and Saturday evenings at at 8:00 pm. Rehearsals will be held on weeknights at the Oakland Center for the Arts.

For more information, please email contact@oaklandcenter.com, call or visit The Oakland Center for the Arts on the web at www.oaklandcenter.com.

Every December for the past six years, a certain drag queen arrives at The Oakland Center for the Arts, intent on stealing Christmas, and ends up stealing our hearts instead.

The return of Starlett O’Hara and her drag-queen ensemble is a highly anticipated event for theater fans. “How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas” has become a staple for the Oakland. Every year, fans new and old flock to the Oakland to experience the latest version of Robert Dennick Joki’s Christmas extravaganza.

-LORRAINE WARDLE, The Vindicator

You can read the full review here.

The “must see” annual holiday favorite, now in its 6th year, HOW THE DRAG QUEEN STOLE CHRISTMAS blends an eclectic mixture of many familiar, traditional holiday stories. It follows the journey of “Starlet O’Hara,” as she discovers the true meaning of Christmas. Robert Dennick Joki writes, directs and stars in the production.

Who will make it into the dead celebrity song this year? Which GOP front-runners will stop by? Reserve early for this one because tickets go fast!

The Oakland box office will begin to take reservations on Monday, November 21. For further information, call (330) 746-0404. ]]> http://www.oaklandcenter.com/news/368/feed 0 http://www.oaklandcenter.com/news/vindicator-praises-the-depth-of-characters-in-kimberly-akimbo http://www.oaklandcenter.com/news/vindicator-praises-the-depth-of-characters-in-kimberly-akimbo#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:38:01 +0000 TheOakland http://www.oaklandcenter.com/?p=359 Read More ]]> At its heart, “Kimberly Akimbo” is a stageplay that rests on its rich characters, as is noted by Lorraine Wardle in this Vindicator review.  

Visit the link to read the review, and click here for the full press release and ticket information.

Shining City is set in Dublin, where a guilt-ridden man reaches out to a therapist after seeing the ghost of his recently deceased wife. Wrestling with his own demons, the therapist can only do so much to help. Routine visits between the two men quickly become a gripping struggle to survive, changing both of them for the rest of their lives. (Dramatists Play Service)

The script calls for three men and one woman:

• John, 50’s, haunted by his dead wife and struggling to get back to his normal life
• Ian, 30’s-40’s, a novice therapist trying to help others while dealing with his own demons
• Laurance, 30’s, man of the streets
• Neasa, 20’s-30’s, a strong, blue-collar woman

Auditions will be held in the Star Gallery beginning at 7:00 p.m. Auditoners must be prepared to read from the script. All actors will be asked to demonstrate a light Irish dialect.

Performances will be February 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8:00 pm. Rehearsals will be held on weeknights at the Oakland Center for the Arts.

For more information, please email contact@oaklandcenter.com, call or visit The Oakland Center for the Arts on the web at www.oaklandcenter.com.

November 4, 5, 17, 18 and 19 at 8 p.m.

Set in the wilds of suburban New Jersey, Kimberly Akimbo is a play about a teenager with a rare condition, causing her body to age faster than it should. When she and her family flee Secaucus under dubious circumstances, Kimberly is forced to reevaluate her life while contending with a hypochondriac mother, a rarely sober father, a scam-artist aunt, her own mortality and, most terrifyingly of all, the possibility of first love.

Click here to read the full press release and view ticket information.