The Shanachie Theater Calendar

[Mataya]

THEATER CLOSED INDEFINITELY

As of January 2022, the Shanachie Theater will be closed indefinitely.

[Mataya]

Fame - The Musical
23rd Oct. to 22nd Nov. 2010
The Shanachie's First Running Show!



It's a year after the film Fame! came out, and the New York School of Performing Arts has another intake of students, all aiming to be the biggest stars the world has ever seen!

Laugh and cry with Joe, Nick, Serena, Carmen, and all the rest as they struggle through their diploma years at the school, learning a little and having a lot of fun on the way.

Strap on your leg warmers, curl up your hair, and get ready to party like it's 1981!

[Mataya]

Cinderella
27th December to 16th January
A Pantomime In Two Acts


The well-loved fairytale gets a raucous retelling. Join Buttons, Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the Ugly Sisters as they romp their way through an old classic, refreshing it with new songs and a new take on what makes a Good Fairy!

Children are positively commanded to come and enjoy this family-friendly show. Boo and hiss the Evil Baroness, laugh with Buttons at the Ugly Sisters' attempts to be beautiful, cheer as Prince Charming finally finds a girl with feet small enough to win his heart!

Evening performances start at 6:00pm, Monday to Saturday, with an additional matinee performance at 2:00pm on Saturdays.

[Mataya]

Waiting for Godot
A Play By Samuel Beckett
17th January to 30th January 2011


There are broad smiles amid the ?catastrophe in Ludo Von Eschenbach's production of Samuel Beckett's classic, Waiting For Godot. Played out on an impressive crumbling theatre-within-a-theatre design, in which the iconic tree pushes through the broken boards of a ravaged stage, Eschenbach's ?production suggests that the show ?really will go on endlessly for Estragon (Gogo, played by Luke Shaunessy) and Vladimir (Didi, a superb return performance by Jonathan Granger), a bottom-of-the-bill ?double act trapped in an epic drama with no beginning and no end. It's as if the Shanchie itself is falling down around our ears, and we are all buried inside, the survivors of some terrible ?calamity.

The brilliance of Beckett's play is that it is both non-specific and incredibly concrete, endlessly elusive and yet ?universal. With this quartet you feel the play's realness: they're not trying to embody metaphysics, they're acting people ? people like ourselves who ?continue to wait, even as we ponder what we're waiting for. Is it for life to really start, or for death to finally claim us? This sense of realness is essential, and there is genuine pleasure in the way these four fine actors play effortlessly off each other as if they've known each other all their lives (which they probably have). They are easy with each other ? generous, too.

When Shaunessy, with a huge beatific smile, lies his head on Granger's benign shoulder, it all becomes as winsome as a greetings card, apparently sent to cheer us all up in these long January days, when the darkness seems to have no end.

[Mataya]

Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance
Or, The Slave of Duty
A Comic Opera
31st January to 27th February


The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well-received by both audiences and critics. It's London debut was on 3 April 1880, at the Opera Comique, where it ran for a very successful 363 performances, having already been playing successfully for over three months in New York.

The story concerns Frederic, who, having completed his 21st year, is released from his apprenticeship to a band of tender-hearted pirates. He meets Mabel, the daughter of Major-General Stanley, and the two young people fall instantly in love. Frederic finds out, however, that he was born on February 29, and so, technically, he only has a birthday each leap year. His apprenticeship indentures state that he remains apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday, and so he must serve for another 63 years. Mabel agrees to wait for him faithfully.

Pirates was the fifth Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration and introduced the much-parodied Major-General's Song. The opera was performed for a century by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and many other opera companies and repertory companies Earth-wide.

[Mataya]

Anton Chekhov's Comedy Shorts
Four Half-hour Plays Dealing With The Misery Of The Human Condition
28th February to 4th March, and 6th to 13th March 2011



Once again the Shanachie Repertory Company has a treat in store for those brave enough to venture into the depths of rarely performed literature. These four short plays - A Reluctant Tragic Hero, The Bear, The Proposal, and The Dangers of Tobacco - are often overlooked as a part of the famous Terran playwright, Anton Chekhov's, portfolio. But it is in comedy that we find that beneath the genius beats the heart of an ordinary man, who sees the world very much as everyone else does. He simply knew how to put it all into words.

[Mataya]

Spring in our Step
A Dance Showcase
ONE NIGHT ONLY - 5th March

Slap bang in the middle of the hugely successful run of Chekhov's Comedy Shorts, the Shanachie Theatre is proud to present the second dance showcase from the students of the Black Cat Yoga & Dance Studios. The students of ballet, hip hop, and jazz, along with their teachers, Riley O'Rourke, Wade Robinson, and Mataya De Luca, have prepared for you an evening of skill and expression that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

One night only - all proceeds from the event will go to assist various charities throughout the city. All are welcome!

[Mataya]

The Rocky Horror Show
Horror Comedy Stage Musical
14th March to 10th April 2011

The phenomenon that is Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show has finally come to Rhy'Din! Opening on Earth in 1973, this musical is a rambunctious display of horrific ribaldry and hilarity, much loved by cast, crew, and audiences alike. It spawned a cult film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, two years after first opening in England, and since then, has only grown in popularity. Productions of The Rocky Horror Show tour almost continuously throughout the year.

And now it has come to Rhy'Din! So come along to the Shanachie Theatre between the 14th March and the 10th April - we can guarantee your night will not be boring. For those unfamiliar with the show, audience participation is expected, and goodie bags will be on sale in the foyer for those who don't know what to bring with them.

All the more special in our guest stars! The Lo's have kindly agreed (or should that be, have been talked into a corner by our lovely owner) to perform alongside the regular cast. Keep your eyes peeled for Riley as Magenta, and David as Rocky!

[Mataya]

Death of A Salesman
A Compelling Tragedy
11th to the 24th April, 2011

Don't miss this tragic 1949 play written by American (Earth) playwright Arthur Miller. The play ran for 742 performances on it's original release - the window in Rhy'Din is smaller if you want to see it!

Miller's play represents a democratization of the ancient form of tragedy; the play's protagonist is himself obsessed with the question of greatness, and his downfall arises directly from his continued misconception of himself?at age 63?as someone capable of greatness, as well as the unshakable conviction that greatness stems directly from personal charisma or popularity.

[Mataya]

William Shakespeare'sTwelfth Night
Or, What You Will
25th April to 22nd May 2011

Twelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601-02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play expanded on the musical interludes and riotous disorder expected of such an occasion, with plot elements drawn from the short story "Of Apollonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich, based on a story by Matteo Bandello. The first recorded performance was on 2 February 1602, at Candlemas, the formal end of Christmastide in the year's calendar. The play was not published until its inclusion in the 1623 First Folio.

[Mataya]

Wicked
A Musical
31st May to 12th June 2011


Wicked explores the concept that the Wicked Witch of the West, here known as Elphaba, is a misunderstood, victimized person whose behavior was merely a reaction against a charlatan wizard's corrupt government. It also shows her relationship with the beautiful and ambitious Galinda Upland, who ultimately becomes Glinda the Good Witch of the North.

[Mataya]

The Importance of Being Earnest
A Trivial Comedy for Serious People
13th June to 3rd July 2011


The Importance of Being Earnest is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways.

Contemporary reviews all praised the play's humour, though some were cautious about its explicit lack of social messages, while others foresaw the modern consensus that it was the culmination of Wilde's artistic career so far. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

[Mataya]

William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew
A Comedy in Five Acts
25th July to 14th August 2011


The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594.

The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments ? the "taming" ? until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more tractable sister, Bianca.

In true Shanachie style, however, the play's setting has been switched from Padua to Rhy'Din, the costumes modernised. No doubt many of you will recognise the characters in this setting as aspects of people you have met on the streets of the city. With a star-studded cast - led by none other than the theatre's golden couple, Mataya De Luca and Max Yako - The Taming of the Shrew is guaranteed to bring forth more laughter than tears.

[Mataya]

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
A Raucous Musical
5th - 22nd September 2011

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a musical with a book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay, music by Gene de Paul, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn. It is based on the 1954 Stanley Donen film of the same name which is, itself, an adaption of the short story "The Sobbin' Women," by Stephen Vincent Ben?t, based on the Ancient Roman legend of The Rape of the Sabine Women.

Yes, people, the Shanachie is back and better than ever!

[Mataya]

William Shakespeare's As You Like It
All The World's A Stage
22nd September to 13th October 2011

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility. As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester, to find safety and eventually love in the Forest of Arden. Historically, critical response has varied, with some critics finding the work of lesser quality than other Shakespearean works and some finding the play a work of great merit.

The play features one of Shakespeare's most famous and oft-quoted speeches, "All the world's a stage", and is the origin of the phrase "too much of a good thing". The play remains a favourite among audiences and has been adapted for radio, film, and musical theatre.