Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara commemorated a construction milestone with a “New Vic Topping Out Party,” an event celebrating the reaching the highest point in the construction of the Victoria Theatre renovation. The celebration took place behind the Victoria Theatre building at 33 West Victoria Street, on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 from 3 to 5 PM. Attending were over 100 patrons, donors, VIP guests, volunteers and enthusiastic supporters, eager to see Ensemble move into its new venue. Guests where invited to sign a large steel beam that will be forever visible backstage in the New Vic. Jonathan Fox, Ensemble's Executive Artistic Director, thanked and honored the Frank Schipper Construction Company and their crew, PMSM Architects, Mayor Helene Schneider and the city council, and the attendees for their loyal support and for helping keep this project moving forward. Completion of the Victoria Theater is on target for the fall of 2013. The transformation of the venue into an intimate, contemporary 300-seat theater will not only serve as the permanent home of Ensemble, but will serve a variety of performing arts organizations. Ensemble will celebrate the opening of the New Vic in November with an event on November 9, 2013. Ensemble’s first production of its 2013-14 Season will open at the New Vic in December 2013. Co-chaired by Léni Fé Bland and Derek A. Westen, the New Vic Campaign is raising $11.5 million for construction and related expenses to completely renovate the interior of the building, and an additional $4.5 million for an endowment and reserves fund. To date, the campaign has raised over $11.5 million of the overall $16 million goal. At the New Vic, Ensemble will be able to greatly expand the range of its work and develop its youth-oriented programs. With a larger stage and state-of-the-art lighting, sound and technical capabilities, the New Vic will provide expanded opportunities for more complex set designs and larger cast shows, as well as musicals and dance productions. Designe d by the Santa Barbara-based architectural firm PMSM, the New Vic will be an exceptional, affordable venue for lectures, film, dance, music, and other performing arts, complementing the other much larger venues in town. Founded in 1979, Ensemble Theatre is Santa Barbara’s professional resident theatre, the largest and longest-running award-winning theatre company. Under the leadership of Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director, Ensemble has attracted accomplished artists from around the country. Prominent naming opportunities are still available for portions of the New Vic. For more information on the project, please contact Mehgan Tanner, Director of Development, at (805) 965-5400 x105 or visit www.ensemblethatre.com.   () -

Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director, reminds you that its spring production, The Year of Magical Thinking, will star stage, movie and television veteran actor Linda Purl. Joan Didion’s stage adaptation of her haunting and lyrical memoir about love and loss will open on April 4 and play through April 21, 2013 at the Alhecama Theatre. “Joan Didion’s work is beautiful and intelligent,” said Jonathan Fox, executive artistic director, “and I’m delighted that it brings Linda Purl to Ensemble.”

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara (Ensemble) is extremely pleased to announce that Leatrice (Lee) Luria and the Luria Family Trust have purchased the 11,185 square foot Victoria Theatre from the theatre’s three owners (CALM, RSVP, and Unity Shoppe) on behalf of Ensemble Theatre. Ensemble is well underway on completely renovating the theatre into an intimate, contemporary, 300-seat theatre that will not only serve as the permanent home of Ensemble, but will serve a rich variety of performing arts organizations throughout the year. Construction will be completed in October. Ensemble will celebrate the opening of the New Vic in November, and Ensemble’s first production of its 2013-14 Season will open in December 2013. The purchase transaction paves the way for Ensemble’s permanent control of the theatre. “Lee Luria’s incredible generosity in purchasing the theatre will transform our Ensemble at the New Vic capital campaign, and guarantee the long-term prosperity of Ensemble,” said Derek A. Westen, co-Chair of the Ensemble at the New Vic campaign. “In addition, the purchase will provide enormous benefits to CALM, Unity Shoppe, RSVP, Santa Barbara’s Downtown Performing Arts District, and the entire performing arts community. The real estate expertise of Kandy Luria-Budgor was critical in making this purchase possible.” “Lee Luria and her family are once again making a landmark contribution to Santa Barbara’s cultural resources,” said Jonathan Fox, Ensemble’s Executive Artistic Director. “We are indebted to them for their generosity. We are at a thrilling moment in the creation of our new facility, a professional space that will match the level of our artistic work.” After ten years of planning and research, Ensemble launched its Ensemble at the New Vic capital campaign to completely renovate the 80-year old Victoria Community Hall. The project will transform Victoria Hall into a modern, intimate, 300-seat theater that will become the permanent home for Ensemble, and complete the City’s long-term vision for a downtown performing arts district to serve the broader performing arts community. Chaired by Léni Fé Bland and Derek A. Westen, the campaign is raising $11.5 million for construction and planning-related expenses to completely renovate the interior of the building, and an additional $4.5 million for an endowment, purchase and reserves. To date, the campaign has raised over $10.7 million of the overall $16 million goal. At the New Vic, Ensemble will continue its youth-oriented programs and will be able to grow its main-stage productions into a broader scope of plays each season. With a larger stage and state-of-the-art lighting, sound and technical capabilities, the New Vic will provide expanded opportunities for more complex set designs and larger cast shows, as well as musicals and dance productions. Designed by the Santa Barbara-based architectural firm PMSM, the New Vic will be an exceptional, affordable venue for lectures, film, dance, music, and other performing arts, complementing the other much larger venues in town. Prominent naming opportunities are still available for portions of the New Vic. For more information on the project, please contact Mehgan Tanner, Director of Development, at (805) 965-5400 x105. E nsemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara was founded in 1979 and is celebrating its 33rd anniversary season. Under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Fox, Ensemble is Santa Barbara’s longest-running, award-winning professional theatre company.

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara and Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director, are pleased to announce that its spring production, The Year of Magical Thinking, will star stage, movie and television veteran actor Linda Purl. Ms. Purl replaces Bonnie Franklin, who has withdrawn due to illness. Joan Didion’s stage adaptation of her haunting and lyrical memoir about love and loss will open on April 4 and play through April 21, 2013 at the Alhecama Theatre. “Joan Didion’s work is beautiful and intelligent,” said Jonathan Fox, executive artistic director, “and I’m delighted that it brings Linda Purl to Ensemble.”   Email   Website

From the author of All in the Timing and Venus in Fur comes a hilarious adaptation of the 17th century comedy by Corneille about a debonair and charming pathological liar who falls in love … with the wrong woman. His trusty assistant, meanwhile, has one weakness: he must always tell the truth. Told in rhyming couplets, The Liar is a laugh-filled modern twist on classic farce. Venue: Alhecama Theatre.  Website

From the author of All in the Timing and Venus in Fur comes a hilarious adaptation of the 17th century comedy by Corneille about a debonair and charming pathological liar who falls in love … with the wrong woman. His trusty assistant, meanwhile, has one weakness: he must always tell the truth. Told in rhyming couplets, The Liar is a laugh-filled modern twist on classic farce. Venue: Alhecama Theatre.  Email   Website

An imaginative, dream-like adaptation of the beloved novel by Dostoyevsky. Had trouble getting through it in high school? This 90-minute exploration of sin, expiation, and resurrection makes for a taut and electrifying theatrical experience. The play is performed by only three actors, playing Raskolnikov (the alleged murderer), Porfiry Petrovitch (the detective), Sonia (the young prostitute) and many other characters in this famous story about a double murder, a police investigation, and the power of love. Venue: Alhecama Theatre.  Email   Website

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara (ETC), under the artistic direction of Jonathan Fox, is pleased to announce its 33rd season of plays. The theme of the 2012-13 season is The Look of Love, as seen through the lenses of comedy, romance and drama. This season is on track to be Ensemble’s final one at the Alhecama Theatre and promises to be a year of engaging and entertaining work, with exceptional productions and award-winning artists from throughout the country. The five-play season begins on October 4, 2012 and runs through June 23, 2013. Kicking off the season will be an imaginative, dream-like adaptation of Crime and Punishment, the beloved classic novel by Dostoyevsky. "Stunningly lean, taut and emotionally searing," says the Chicago Sun-Times. This 90-minute exploration of sin, expiation, and resurrection makes for an electrifying theatrical experience. The play is performed by only three actors, two of whom play multiple characters in this famous story about a double murder, a police investigation, and the power of love. Directed by Jonathan Fox, the adaptation is by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus and plays October 4 to 21, 2012. The holiday season will be celebrated with a delightful romantic comedy with a Beatnik sensibility, Bell, Book and Candle, by John Van Druten. A young, crafty and beguiling woman works her charms on her handsome upstairs neighbor. But they come from two different worlds: she’s a witch, he’s a mortal. The play conjures up “Bewitched” for the stage. Brian Shnipper, who directed Ensemble's hit production of Opus, will helm this production, which runs November 29 through December 16, 2012. Ensemble starts off 2013 with a laugh-filled modern twist on classic farce, The Liar. Adapted by David Ives, the author of All in the Timing and Venus in Fur, comes a hilarious adaptation of the 17th century comedy by Corneille about a debonair and charming pathological liar who falls in love … with the wrong woman. His trusty assistant, meanwhile, has one weakness: he must always tell the truth. "A blissful romp packed with shameless puns, and fanciful repartee," says Variety. Told in rhyming couplets, this production will be directed by Jonathan Fox and will run February 7 to 24, 2013. The fourth production of the season will be a stunning tour-de-force one-woman show, The Year of Magical Thinking, adapted by Joan Didion from her haunting and lyrical award-winning bestselling memoir about love and loss. Starring Bonnie Franklin from the hit TV show “One Day at a Time” and directed by Jenny Sullivan, this production runs April 4 through 21, 2013. The season concludes with a bittersweet, touching and humorous story of love, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, by Terrence McNally. Two lonely people – coworkers in a Hell’s Kitchen diner – yearn for a deep, romantic connection. But first they must wrestle with the emotional baggage of their pasts. This hit Broadway comic-drama is sexy and funny, evoking the magic of moonlight in an Edward Hopper world. The production, directed by Saundra McClain and running from June 6 to 23, 2013, will contain brief nudity. Founded in 1979, Ensemble Theatre is Santa Barbara’s leading professional, resident theatre company. Ensemble is Santa Barbara’s largest and longest-running award-winning theatre company—the only Santa Barbara professional theatre that selects, designs, casts, directs, produces and presents its own productions. Under the leadership of Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director, Ensemble has attracted accomplished performing artists from around the country and further raised the artistic level of its work. Ensemble is undertaking renovations of the Victoria Hall Theater, creating a new modern, 300-seat performing arts venue that will serve as its new home, slated for a grand opening in fall 2013. The 2012-13 season will be performed in its current venue, the Alhecama Theatre, 914 Santa Barbara Street. Subscriptions are now available and range from $126 to $220. Ensemble offers a Saturday at 4PM matinee series, as well as a 26-and-Under series priced at only $80. Orders for subscriptions and group sales are available now; single performance tickets will go on sale in mid-September. For more information, please call the Ensemble Theatre box office at 805-965-5400, or visit www.ensembletheatre.com.   Email   Website

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce that it raised $130,000 at its benefit event, “A Southern Garden Party,” on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Featuring food and entertainment from the American South, the hugely successful event featured as Guest of Honor Fannie Flagg, actress, comedienne and author. The Mistress of Ceremonies was Cady Huffman, Tony Award-winning Broadway actor from The Producers and Will Rogers Follies. Hal and Mary Coffin hosted the event at their beautiful Montecito home. “Both Fannie and Cady made our gala this year a very special and fun event,” said Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director. “We’re grateful to all the artists who took part and all who supported the event. We are grateful, too, to all of the businesses who donated food, wine and drink, and items for the live auction.” Monies raised from the Southern Garden Party benefit will help underwrite artistic salaries and production costs, including props, sets, and costumes. The funds will also support Ensemble’s Student Matinee series and Storybook Theatre for young audiences. Major sponsors were Bridlewood Estate Winery, Alan and Ruth Heeger, Claudia Lapin, Frank Schipper Construction, and Dana White. Participating restaurants were Village Modern Foods, Cajun Kitchen, Killer B’s BBQ and Bar, New West Catering, Palace Grill, Santa Barbara Chocolate Fountains, and Simply Pies. Founded in 1979, Ensemble Theatre is Santa Barbara’s leading professional, resident theatre company. Ensemble is Santa Barbara’s largest and longest-running award-winning theatre company—the only Santa Barbara professional theatre that selects, designs, casts, directs, produces and presents its own productions. Under the leadership of Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director, Ensemble has attracted accomplished performing artists from around the country and further raised the artistic level of its work. Ensemble is currently in the process of raising significant funds to convert the Victoria Hall Theater into a modern, 300-seat performing arts venue as its new home, slated for a grand opening in fall 2013.   Email   Website

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara, Jonathan Fox, Executive Artistic Director, presents the final production of the 2011-12 season, a limited engagement of Frank Higgins’ heartwarming new play Black Pearl Sings! Set in 1930s, this soulful story is filled with humor and gifted solo a capella renditions of musical treasures rooted in the African-American gospel tradition. A wonderfully entertaining experience for the whole family, Black Pearl Sings! begins performances on June 14 at the Alhecama Theatre and will run through July 1, 2012. Opening night is Saturday, June 16 at 8pm.  Email   Website