Lit Moon Theatre Company
Reimagining the Theatrical Experience
Lit Moon Theatre Company
Reimagining the Theatrical Experience
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What a year for the Lit Moon Theatre Company! As the calendar falls, it’s but a bit over a year since the groundbreaking Lit Moon World Shakespeare Festival came and went from Santa Barbara’ stages. The festival featured nine full productions and 35 total events, and showcased companies from Sofia, Bulgaria; Legnica, Poland, Prague, the Czech Republic; Montreal, Canada; the UCSB Theatre Artists Group; Westmont College; and Lit Moon.
Then in June, the company produced another history-making event, the first repertory of Finnish plays ever staged in the United States. Lit Moon’s Midnight Sun Festival showcased great contemporary plays from some of Finland’s most distinguished writers, including Laura Ruohonen, Anna Krogerus, Sirkku Peltola and Mikka Millyaho, in fully staged productions of plays by Ruohonen and Krogerus, and staged readings of ones by Peltola and Millyaho.
The festival featured guest director Mikko Viherjuuri, the first Finnish director ever to stage a play for a professional American company, and marked the first productions of Finnish plays by a professional company from the United States.
“compelling… captivating… and evocative.”
--Elizabeth Schwyzer, “Santa Barbara Independent”
“profoundly imaginative and touching…”
--Charles Donelan, “Santa Barbara Independent”
During August and September, Lit Moon was busy creating and revising pieces for its fall tour, which included trips to Legnica, Poland; Podgorica and Kotor, Montenegro, and Skopje, Macedonia.
In Poland, the company developed a new piece inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s great comedy The Marriage, and played it on September 15th and 16th at the Festival Miasto, or City Festival, produced and sponsored by Teatr Modjeska from Legnica. The festival was devoted to world premieres of site-specific work, and Lit Moon performed The Wedding in the former Summer Theatre in the Park, now a derelict discotheque.
In late September, Lit Moon flew to Montenegro to play in the Festival of International Alternative Theatre in the country’s capitol Podgorica and in the gorgeous Adriatic seaside town of Kotor, which sits at the base of Southern Europe’s largest fjord. After performing on the 19th and 20th, we drove to Skopje, Macedonia, where we performed on the Young Open Theatre Festival on September 24th and 25th.
Then, we soon went our separate ways: the Blondells heading to Ohrid in Southern Europe, along with Hoffman , Connolly and Abbey; Dolas heading to Paris; with Paulsen and Brehm heading to trek across Spain.
Now, we're back, and Lit Moon's season is far from over.
Here's what's coming next!
Spring 2008
May 16-24
The Wedding, after a play by Nikolai Gogol, directed by John Blondell
The Santa Barbara premiere of a real first: Lit Moon’s first musical!!!
Limited performances and seating
Center Stage Theater
805-963-0408; or centerstagetheater.org for tickets and information
Fall 2008
October 16-26
2008 Lit Moon World Shakespeare Festival
Multiple Venues, Multiple Directors, One Great Writer
It’s Back!
Christmas 2008
Dates TBA
Humbug! A (Lit Moon) Christmas Carol, directed by John Blondell
Lit Moon’s take on Dickens’ great story – a new Santa Barbara tradition
Lit Moon's THE WEDDING premiered at Teatr Modjeska's International Festival "The City" in Legnica, Poland, September, 2007.
In a drastic departure for the company, the piece is a musical fantasy, featuring music by James Connolly and Anna Abbey,
and lyrics by members of the company. The show is infused by an infectious pop music sensibility and features an eclectic
array of musical styles from pop anthems to bossa nova, from country-tinged ballads to driving rock.
The show's irresistible music and lyrics, and charming comic style, combine to show a side of Lit Moon never
before seen by local audiences.
Dear John:
We had an excellent time, thank you so much!
I never thought my husband could perform, but
he surprised me with his 'Sebastian'.
We're looking forward to the next gathering and
as soon as we nail down a babysitter, we'll RSVP
to The Tempest.
All the best,
Alexis Weaver
John -
The evening was pure delight! Even though my son is
artist-musician-model-actor, I don't find myself normally
in the midst of such theatrical talent. We couldn't stop
talking afterward about the importance of fun, especially
for adults, since the evening was so well bound up
in this one simple word from start to finish.
Many thanks to you and Jim and Colleen for a lovely, yummy and entertaining evening.
Nancy K. Christel
Director of Development
Crane Country Day School