Friday, August 31, 2012

Trailer | Red Herring

"... gritty, hilarious" - Maxwell Mckee, SNR



RED HERRING
By Michael Hollinger

Combine a film-noir thriller, a murder mystery, and three love stories, and what do you get? One biting and witty comedy - a blunt-nosed, sharp-eyed look at marriage and other explosive devices.

August 24 - September, 15, 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Press Pass | Red Herring

Red Herring sparkles in Big Idea's latest press pass!

"... every part of the world on stage brims with energy, especially when the players work together to create pitch-perfect comedic timing." - Maxwell McKee, SNR

Friday, August 24, 2012

Opening Tonight! | Red Herring

Big Idea's production of Red Herring by Michael Hollinger opens tonight!  This Cold War farce is sure to knock your socks off.



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

2011-2012 ELLY Nomination Snapshots | Big Idea Theatre


Big Idea Theatre is honored to be awarded nine Elly Nominations for our 2011 - 2012 seasons!  We couldn't be more appreciative of the artistic talent contributed by our fantastic company members and other collaborating Sacramento area theatre professionals.

The nominations for the 2011 season kick off with The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, an unflinching examination of the very nature and purpose of art.  Police interrogate a writer about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of child murders. The Pillowman takes home three nominations: Best Overall Production - Drama, Best Direction (Kirk Blackinton) and Best Supporting Actor (Shawn B. O'Neal).

Twelfth Night, or What You Will, adapted by Brian Harrower, gives Shakespeare's classic cross-dressing comedy a modern twist.  Re-imagined during Mardi Gras in a post-hurricane New Orleans, this riotous, fun-filled romp amused us with drag queens, shipwrecked pirates, lovesick counts and earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Joel Ellinwood).

Big Idea patrons celebrated the joys of friendship in the delightful 2011 Little Bit Players holiday production of A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail by James W. Rodgers.  The 100-Acre-Woods friends are on an adventure: to find Eeyore's missing tail! Pooh grabs the nomination for Best Supporting Young People's Play Actress (Andrea Kersten).

Big Idea's 2012 season opened with Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, a beautiful exploration of truth and time.  This complex, sexy, and witty play moves seamlessly between 1809 and the present, asking us: Can we truly understand the past, and what does the future hold? Arcadia takes the nomination for Best Costume Design (Rachel Malin).

The 2011 - 2012 Elly nominations are rounded out by Tracy Letts' alluringly offensive and uncompromisingly violent white-trash, Texas crime thriller Killer Joe.  The Smith family got more than they bargained for when they hired full-time cop, part-time killer, Joe Cooper, to knock of a not-so-beloved family member for her insurance money.  This edgy piece earned three nominations: Best Lead Actress (Shannon Mahoney), Best Lead Actor (Rick Eldredge) and Best Lighting Design (Brian Harrower).