Past Season

2009 Season

Presented by City of Calabasas

Moby Dick
by Herman Melville
Adapted by Judy Hegarty Lovett and Conor Lovett

Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett
Performed by Conor Lovett
Gare St. Lazare Players 
Ireland
Renowned for their acclaimed, hilarious Beckett prose productions, Gare St. Lazare Players now embark on one of the greatest novels ever written. The story follows Captain Ahab on his epic journey of revenge in pursuit of the great white whale 'Moby Dick'. Told by Ishmael who signs up on Ahab's ship, 'The Pequod', this is an adventure story of biblical proportions.
Gare St Lazare Players Ireland are one of Ireland's most acclaimed theatre companies and have performed in over 17 countries worldwide.
Moby Dick is produced with the support of The Arts Council and Cork City Council.

SindenAn Evening with…Sir Donald Sinden
UK
Knighted for his distinguished career as an actor, Sir Donald Sinden discusses his long career in an intimate and hysterically funny evening: how he made the transition from Rank Film Star to top classical actor with the RSC, farce on TV, the West End stage and Broadway to a regular dramatic role in the hugely popular BBC series Judge John Deed. Laced with wonderful anecdotes (what happened after Marilyn Monroe knocked on his dressing-room door at Pinewood; which acting great crashed a warship while filming The Cruel Sea; the true secret of Dirk Bogardes's acting success) this is a rare chance to experience one of England’s finest actors share stories and tales from behind the scenes.

A Tale of a Lonely Man
ISRAEL
Ofer Amram Company of Tel Aviv
Bordering on fairytale, this chamber play of illusions is about closeness and tenderness, yearning and delusion, eros and death. A man with no knowledge of his past invents a female figure in the form of a life-sized doll and fabricates for himself invented memories of happiness. In time, his loneliness and imagination overtake him, and a family of life-sized puppets is created in his tiny room. Walking the fine line between fantasy and reality, it becomes increasingly difficult to discern whether he is the one playing or rather the one who is being played with. As catastrophe nears, the tale winds its way into our hearts and minds provoking our own dreams of family and the consequences of isolation from community. Accompanied by inspired original compositions, choreography and exquisite puppetry, “A Tale of a Lonely Man” is a moving and fantastic journey for all ages. From this performance, Amram received the “Promising Artist” award from the America-Israel Culture fund. The performance at the festival helps to mark the 100 year anniversary of Tel Aviv.

Giselle WolfCabaret: Giselle Wolf
UK
London cabaret artist Giselle Wolf sings songs from the heart about love hoped for won and lost. Her repertoire includes American standards, showtunes, jazz and French favorites. “Giselle Wolf is an interpreter whose consummate skills can deliver these messages of love, joy, sadness, regret, loss and just being human.” Glynn MacDonald, Shakespeare’s Globe, London

 

Closing Event
A Taste of Calabasas meets Burlesqu-O!
Chef extraordinaire Tommaso Barletta to create a culinary banquet filled with international flavors. Hosted at sybaritic Riviera Restaurant with celebrity musical entertainment, a cabaret and more. Amanda McBroom sings Jacque Brel for this closing celebration of the 2009 season.

Free Outreach Event
Life Moments...on the global stage
Written and performed by Lonny Joseph Gordon

Kabuki master Lonny Joseph Gordon distills a life of performing and traveling throughout the world into life lessons both hilarious and profound. Anecdotes shared with and inspired by Martha Graham, Elvis Presley, Kanzaburo Nakamura XVII, Rosalind DeMille, Yukio Mishima, Elephant and Mongoose, Joan Rivers, and a Christmas Tree pull the listener from Lonny’s childhood on a Texas ranch on to Tokyo, Venice, Kathmandu, Sweden, Greece, India, and...many unexpected side roads.