Oceanside, CA) – Oceanside Theatre Company (OTC) will welcome theater patrons back to the mainstage at the Historic Brooks Theater with Welcome Back: The Curtain Rises Again, the theater company’s first production since the COVID crisis shuttered the venue in March of 2020, just after the opening weekend of Sweet Charity, the company’s biggest production in its history. Welcome Back will feature audience favorites from past OTC shows, including Sweet Charity, and Man of La Mancha, as well as showcasing some of the Youth Theater Outreach performers and OTC’s new Music Series Director, renowned Oceanside musician, Shane Hall. Performances are Friday, October 22nd and Saturday, October 23rd at 7:30 p.m. at the Historic Brooks Theater in the heart of the Oceanside Cultural District, 217 North Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA.
Tickets and Information @oceansidetheatre.org.
“It’s exhilarating to finally be able to produce a show for our loyal – and very patient – OTC patrons after being dark for the past eighteen months,” said Ted Leib, OTC’s Artistic Director. “Theatre is such a vital part of our culture, both here in Oceanside and beyond, and to have our art form return after all this time is like taking a breath of air after nearly drowning!” Leib added.
The cast of The Curtain Rises Again includes: Luke Monday (OTC’s Red, Book of Mormon National Tour) Kalin Booker (OTC’s Sweet Charity) Bob Himlin (OTC’s Sweet Charity, Foxfire, and Man of La Mancha) Olivia Pence (Sweet Charity, Man of La Mancha) Audrey Eytchison (Sweet Charity). The Youth Program performers include Antonio Cayler (Shrek the Musical) age 18, Annabelle Lopez, age 8, and Keaton Russo, age 9. Lopez and Russo will perform a number from High School Musical.
“I am on cloud nine at the thought of returning to the stage,” said Olivia Pence.
“Live theatre is so important for our community, and I encourage everyone to celebrate with an evening of live entertainment! OTC holds a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to celebrate the Curtain Rising Again!”
The next production on the Brooks stage is “Shrek the Musical” presented by OTC and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside. The production is a collaboration between the two nonprofits and introduces youth, ages 7-18, to the world of theater. The 9-week educational program is free.to the participants and culminates in a professional mainstage production at the Brooks for two weekends, November 5-7 and November 12-14.
All patrons, including children, must either show proof of full and completed vaccination against COVID-19 or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken in the prior 72 hours. All patrons must wear masks covering their nose and mouth at all times while inside the venue.
ABOUT OCEANSIDE THEATRE COMPANY (OTC): Oceanside Theatre Company (OTC), the resident professional theater company operating the Historic Brooks Theater in downtown Oceanside, is a center point of the Oceanside CA Cultural District (OCCD). OTC’S mission is to produce professional theatrical, musical, and visual art for the entertainment and enrichment of the community; present educational opportunities in the arts for children and adults; and provide a safe, state-of-the-art public venue for expansion of artistic endeavors in North San Diego County and greater Southern California. OTC produces a four-show mainstage theatre season in the 198-seat venue, as well as a Music Series, a Youth Theater Arts Program, and events in the adjacent, Studio 219 blackbox theater.
