Press Contact: Brett Fisher
310-458-5939 / brett@smclo.org

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE SANTA MONICA CIVIC LIGHT OPERA
ANNOUNCES ITS ANNUAL SUMMER PRODUCTION
"MY FAIR LADY"
FEATURING A CAST OF 23 INCLUDING
A FULL ORCHESTRA OF OVER 30!

SMCLO'S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, DR. FRANK X. FORD
IS SET TO DIRECT THE PRODUCTION
AT THE RECENTLY RENOVATED 1,200-SEAT VENUE,
BARNUM HALL THEATER IN SANTA MONICA

PERFORMANCES BEGIN JULY 14, 2004
WITH AN OFFICIAL PRESS OPENING ON FRIDAY, JULY 15
**
HENRY HIGGINS AND ELIZA DOOLITTLE DANCE INTO BARNUM HALL FOR LERNER & LOEWE'S CLASSIC MUSICAL "MY FAIR LADY" Opening July 15
**
SMCLO Presents "MY FAIR LADY"
Performed by Samohi Students, Alums and Guest Professionals!

SANTA MONICA, CA (June 20, 2005) Santa Monica High School Theatre's producing partner, the Santa Monica Civic Light Opera (SMCLO) present a charming, yet grand staging of Lerner and Loewe's classic American musical My Fair Lady, which opened on Broadway in 1956 and went on to garner every top theatre award in the world. The show's story was adapted from George Bernard Shaw's play and Gabrial Pascal's motion picture 'Pygmalion' and most commonly remembered for Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Henry and Eliza in the 1964 movie.

After last month's powerful production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, director Frank Ford closes SMCLO's 04/05 theatre season with everyone's favourite musical about Henry Higgins, Professor of Phonetics and confirmed bachelor, who makes an ambitious wager with a visiting colleague, Colonel Hugh Pickering, that he can transform grimy, unrefined, Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a lady by merely changing her way of speaking. Higgins wins his wager but doesn't bargain for the profound effect he has on Eliza.

My Fair Lady plays July 14, 15, 16, 17, 22 and 23 - for 7 shows only! - in the troup's mainstage musical space, the Barnum Hall Theater, Samohi's newly restored 1,200-seat art moderne landmark. Joining the cast of 24, will be a live, 30 piece orchestra, giving the show that extra extravagant musical experience, for which all SMHS Theatre and SMCLO musicals have been known for.

"In a year of great plays and great productions, we have the special privilege of presenting the finest of them all - My Fair Lady - the grandest of the grand, the jewel of an altogether unforgettable year!" said Dr. Frank X. Ford, SMCLO's Artistic Director and director of the show. "With a spectacular set, a sensational orchestra, a brilliant cast, and our eyes on a triumphant finish to our season, this is the one to see! Don't miss it!"

My Fair Lady previews Thursday, July 14 at 8 p.m. and opens Friday, July 15 at 8 p.m. Additional performances on Saturday, July 16 at 8 p.m., Sunday, July 17 at 2pm, Friday, July 22 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, July 23 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20-30 for reserved and premium-reserved seating ($15 for the preview on 7/14).

Brett Fisher, SMCLO producer and managing director, (who is also the show's conductor) oversees the entire production operation and serves as the show's producer. "This is my favorite time of the season," said Fisher, a Samohi alum ('95). "This show culminates our student's year-long learning experience, by giving them a unique opportunity to work along side our theatre alums and guest professionals to further enhance their theatre experience - and for us to reconnect with those alums, who return to our stage to showcase their talents, once again."

The musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe and originally directed by Moss Hart, is packed with memorable songs, including "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "With a Little Bit of Luck," "The Rain in Spain," "On The Street Where You Live," "Get Me to the Church On Time," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face."

The cast of My Fair Lady features Samohi alum Kimberly Breault ('88) who recently completed a three-year run on the National Tour of Beauty and The Beast. Prior to that she was seen with Sam Harris in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and in Mory Yeston's Phantom. Kimberly played the role of "Lily St. Regis" in SMCLO's inaugural production of Annie in 1989.

Forest Erickson ('94) returns to the Barnum Hall stage as Professor Henry Higgins after his portrayal last summer of Billy Bibbit in SMCLO's production of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Joining the duo are alums Kat Green ('88), Omar Leyva ('95), Kelly Theile ('97), Noah Galuten ('01), Max Baumgarten ('03), Jonathan Aldana ('03), James Costello ('05), Caitie McNamara ('05), Nicole Fellows ('05), current students Anthony Alvarez, Louisa Levy, Taylor Brinckerhoff, Michael Cox, Hannah Bernstein, Nick Leonard, Molly Strauss, Casey Corn, and visiting guest professionals Jessica Bram, Nancy Holland, and Andrea Tobey as the distinguished Mrs. Higgins.

Tickets - including Group Discounts/Fundraisers - are available by phone through the SMCLO production office at 310-458-5939, or on the web at www.smclo.org. There are no fees when purchasing online. $10 rush tickets are available to the first 25 patrons, beginning one hour prior to curtain, cash only, one ticket per patron, sold 5 minutes before curtain at every show.

The Santa Monica Civic Light Opera, a sponsored educational activity of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, serves as a partner to SAMOHI's Theatre Arts Program, enhancing the student experience through mentoring by alumni and theatre professionals and developing productions for the Humanities Center and Barnum Hall stages.

This past February, SMCLO received two coveted NAACP awards for Best Lighting and Best Sets, out of eight nominations for their acclaimed production last summer of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." SMCLO joins the elite ranks of the Geffen Playhouse, the Theatre at Boston Court, Troika Entertainment, and the Mark Taper Forum/Center Theatre Group, whose productions were also nominated.

SAMOHI is proud of its illustrious alumni, including actors Glenn Ford, Gene Nelson, Oscar-winner Gloria Stuart, Oscar-winner Sean Penn, Oscar-nominee Robert Downey, Jr., Rob Lowe, Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Holly Robinson, Dean Cain, Ryan D. Hurst, Wallace Smith, Tessa Thompson, Matt Walker, Keith Coogan, John Augustine, Amber Tamblyn, and Colleen Ford; and writers/producers Meredith Stiehm, and Zack Estrin, among many others.

The SMCLO gratefully acknowledges Samohi and SMMUSD staff members: Dr. Ilene Straus, Chief Educational Officer/Principal, Catherine Baxter, Dean of the Performing Arts Department, and Dr. John Deasy, Superintendent of the SMMUSD for the generous and continuous support of the SMCLO and Santa Monica High School Theatre Arts Program.

The SMCLO is also grateful for the support of many community partners, most notably presenting season sponsor Washington Mutual, and season sponsors Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, and Gramercy Partners, Inc., the publishers of Santa Monica Magazine and Santa Monica Business, Santa Monica Daily Press and our newest sponsor, Gelson's, the super market.

For additional information about the Santa Monica Civic Light Opera and the Samohi Theatre Arts Program, contact Brett Fisher, Producer and Managing Director, at 310-458-5939.

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CALENDAR LISTING for JULY 14 thru 23, 2005