Subscribe + Pick Your Seat | 2014 Season: Unbound

Want to pick your seat for the 2014 Season? Become a Big Idea Theatre Subscriber and you can choose which seat you like best for each show with your reservation!

All Access Season Pass: $80

Thursday Season Saver Pass: $60

BUY YOURS NOW!

Press Pass | Outrage

With "deft direction" and "intelligent lighting design," Outrage takes home 4 stars from Sacramento News & Review!

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/who-knew-what-when/content?oid=12087102

Get your tickets online now!

Opening Tonight! | Outrage

Tonight, at Big Idea Theatre, join us for the opening of Outrage, by Itamar Moses!

Outrage

By Itamar Moses

November 15 - December 14

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM
(excluding Thanksgiving Day)

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” A time-bending roller-coaster ride through history, Outrage deftly moves between Ancient Greece, the

Inquisition, Nazi Germany, and modern day academia. Outrage examines the price people pay for staying true to their principles in the face of vicious oppression and

reminds us that the revolutionary of one era may become the tyrant of the next.

Photo: Benjamin T. Ismail

Click here to purchase your tickets now!

2014 Season Passes and Flex Passes Now On Sale!

Season Subscriber Passes and Flex Passes are now on sale for the 2014 Season at Big Idea Theatre!

2014 THURSDAY SEASON SAVER PASS: $60

Love great theater but need to stick to a budget? For just $60 (that's a 14% savings on the Thrifty Thursday ticket pricing) you can become a Big Idea Theatre Subscriber!  You'll attend on a Thursday night with other like-minded, bargain-loving folks. 

This subscriber pass grants admission for one person to any one Thursday performance of each production of the Big Idea Theatre Company's 2014 Season: Unbound.

- Reservations for this pass are eligible for Thursday night performances only.

- Changes in reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

- Priority seating is available upon request with your reservation.

- This pass is non-refundable and non-negotiable.

- Big Idea Theatre is not responsible for the loss or theft of this pass.  Treat this pass like cash.

Click here to purchase your 2014 Thursday Season Saver Pass!

2014 ALL ACCESS SEASON PASS: $80

We appreciate our loyal patrons and want to offer a special discount just for you.  Our most flexible option, this subscriber pass allows you to pick any performance date that works best in your schedule. A $140 value for the entire 2014 season and you only pay $80!

This pass grants admission for one person to any one Thursday, Friday or Saturday performance of each production of the Big Idea Theatre Company's 2014 Season: Unbound.

- Changes in reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

- Priority seating is available upon request with your reservation.

- This pass is non-refundable and non-negotiable.

- Big Idea Theatre is not responsible for the loss or theft of this pass.  Treat this pass like cash.

Click here to purchase your 2014 All Access Season Pass!

2014 4-SHOW FLEX PASS: $52

Would you like a discount and flexibility?  Enjoy the 2014 season when it fits into your schedule and have the freedom to create the theatre experience that works best for you.  The 4-Show Flex Pass is good for four (4) seat credits to be used for ANY performance during the 2014 Season. Only $52 - a 35% discount from general admission tickets!

You may use your Flex Pass for one ticket to four performances in Big Idea's 2014 season, or you may chose to bring your friends and use it for up to four tickets to a single performance!

- 2014 Flex Passes are only valid for performances during the 2014 season.

- Changes in reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

- This pass is non-refundable and non-negotiable.

- Big Idea Theatre is not responsible for the loss or theft of this pass.  Treat this pass like cash.

Click here to purchase your 2014 4-Show Flex Pass!

2014 6-SHOW FLEX PASS: $78

Would you like a discount and flexibility?  Enjoy the 2014 season when it fits into your schedule and have the freedom to create the theatre experience that works best for you.  The 6-Show Flex Pass is good for six (6) seat credits to be used for ANY performance during the 2014 Season. Only $78 - a 35% discount from general admission tickets!

You may use your Flex Pass for one ticket to six performances in Big Idea's 2014 season, or you may chose to bring your friends and use it for up to six tickets to a single performance!

- 2014 Flex Passes are only valid for performances during the 2014 season.

- Changes in reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

- This pass is non-refundable and non-negotiable.

- Big Idea Theatre is not responsible for the loss or theft of this pass.  Treat this pass like cash.

Click here to purchase your 2014 6-Show Flex Pass!

2014 Season Announcement!

Big Idea Theatre also announced their upcoming 2014 Season: UNBOUND.

"The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome." -Helen Keller

Mankind is endowed with one of the greatest gifts of the human experience: the desire to overcome the limits on our potential by any means necessary. When we succeed, it provides us with connection, purpose, joy and love. Even within cultures and ideologies that value submission and community over the individual, there is a overwhelming drive to overcome selfishness and ego. It is a truly universal and innately human quality to seek to better ourselves. Inversely, however, giving into our shackles can become a curse of despair leading to bitterness, fear, and apathy.

For 2014, Big Idea Theatre's company has chosen to tell 7 distinct stories about breaking free from the binds that confine our potential as human beings. These stories of the 'UNBOUND' will each explore struggles to surmount various constraints, real or imagined, placed on us by society, family, and even ourselves.

The season begins with an epic inter-generational story of one man's fight to break free from the destructive and abusive patterns of his family. The season then takes on battles against the binds of social pressure, self-doubt, racial and gender prejudice, fear of rejection, intellectual complacency, and ultimately ends with a classic American story of man's fight to forgive himself amidst a jungle of alluring temptations and distractions.

Big Idea Theatre hopes you'll join them for this varied season chock full of humor, passion and pain as they strive to discover what it means to live truly UNBOUND.

WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING by Andrew Bovell
January 10 – February 8

Sacramento Premiere

It's raining.  Gabriel York is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the son he abandoned decades ago. "I know what he wants. He wants what all young men want from their fathers. He wants to know who he is. Where he comes from. Where he belongs. And for the life of me I don't know what to tell him."

Thus begins this compelling family saga that brings us on an intricate, heart-breaking journey from one generation to another, from 1959 to 2039, from London to Australia. Telling the story of four generations of fathers and sons, their mothers, lovers and wives, the play is epic in its scope, yet at the same time extraordinarily intimate. 

"...It is a powerful metaphor for the impossibility of escaping the past, for the way we are all shaped by what came before—and are living in the shadow of what comes next."  —Time

THE MERRY WIVES by William Shakespeare
Adapted by Big Idea Theatre
February 28 - March 29 

Step back in time to the wild, wild West, where anything goes. It's the Gold Rush, and tens of thousands of immigrants from around the world have flocked to California in search of their fortune.  Among them is Sir John Falstaff, who, having failed to strike gold in the foothills, now attempts to win his fortune by other, less noble means. Enter Mistresses Page and Ford, whom Falstaff plots to separate from their gold by falsely pledging his love. The women, however, are not so easily fooled and turn the tables on the hapless Falstaff through a series of bawdy, raucous and hilarious pranks. 

Enjoy this playful twist on Shakespeare's classic comedy that celebrates our region's vibrant history.

INVENTING VAN GOGH by Steven Dietz
April 18 – May 17

Sacramento Premiere

“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” —Oscar Wilde. 

In September 2013, the art world reeled when a painting, which had languished for years in a Norwegian attic, was revealed to be a previously undiscovered masterpiece by Vincent Van Gogh.

Inventing Van Gogh pulls us into the tale surrounding Van Gogh’s famed, final, lost self-portrait that has never been seen... until now.  This time-bending mystery about the making of art introduces us to the legendary artist himself, the modern-day art expert whose quest for the lost portrait consumes his life, and the protégé who is lured into perpetrating a breathtaking, audacious fraud. 

THE SUBMISSION by Jeff Talbot
June 6 – July 5 

Sacramento Premiere

Danny’s complex new drama about an African-American family struggling to leave the projects has just been selected for the nation's preeminent play festival. But Danny, a young white playwright, submitted his work under a pseudonym in the hope of increasing its chances for production. So he hires Emilie, a black actress, to stand in for him as author. What starts out as a questionable idea pulls Danny, Emilie, Danny’s boyfriend, and his best friend down a path littered with truth, lies, revelation, and betrayal. This whip-smart, fearless and funny new play takes an unflinching look at the quiet prejudice that exists within us all. 

THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE by Julia Cho
July 25 – August 23 

Sacramento Premiere

George has spent his life documenting languages, but words fail him when Mary, his wife, tells George that she is leaving him.  That same day, the last two speakers of a vanishing tongue arrive to work with George and his love-struck assistant, Emma, to record their language for posterity. This magical tale is filled with love and loss, beginning and endings and examines the force and failings of language.

"Quirky, but ravishingly well-written piece that is smart, funny, deep and tender." —OC Weekly.

THE EXIT INTERVIEW by William Missouri Downs
September 12 – October 11 

Sacramento Premiere

Dick Fig has been fired.  On his last day at his university Dick’s excruciating exit interview with Eunice, a humorless HR representative, is interrupted by an unexpected and violent incident.  Downs' witty play bounces from Brechtian interludes to a pair of politically-radicalized cheerleaders, from a pompous newsman to dispatches from God, and includes debates on religion, science and politics before reaching its startling conclusion.

THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA by Tennessee Williams
November 7 – December 6

De-frocked priest T. Lawrence Shannon attempts to hide from his personal demons in a dilapidated hotel on the coast of Mexico and instead finds himself enmeshed in intrigue as three women battle for his attention:  Maxine, a sensuous, earthy proprietor of the hotel, who wants Shannon to share her bed; Charlotte, a young girl looking to escape her conservative upbringing; and Hannah, a penniless artist of heartbreaking dignity and courage who wants to save Shannon from himself. Tennessee Williams last great play is a haunting story of dying dreams, frustrated sexuality, and lost-souls transformed as people are pushed to their breaking point.

2014 Ticket Info:           

All “Thrifty Thursday” show tickets: $10

General Admission Tickets: $16 online, $20 at the door

SARTA/Senior/Student Tickets: $14 online, $18 at the door

All-Access Season Pass: $80

Thursday Season Saver Pass: $60

Flex Passes: 4-show ($52); 6-show ($78)

Gift Certificates available!

www.bigideatheatre.com

From the Director's Chair | The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Big Idea Theatre's Artistic Director and the director of The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Brian Harrower, shares his thoughts on this amazing, 5-star production!

I think I was drawn to the contradiction that lies at the heart of The Lieutenant of Inishmore.  It’s a comedy… about violence.  It’s not a violent comedy, and the violence in the play certainly isn’t comedic.  Violence is the very core of the humor.  It must be that born and bred sense of Irish ironic fatalism that McDonagh has that enables him to hold this warped mirror up to our faces, and force us to laugh at the absurdity of violence in the modern day, at our own placid acceptance of it.  It’s hard for me to argue that our culture hasn’t become desensitized.  McDonagh’s solution to that problem is brilliant in my mind.  He doesn’t try to shock us viscerally.  Instead, he aims for our funny bones, and hits, and hits, and hits.

This show is about an Irish freedom fighter who is contemplating forming a splinter group, off of a splinter group from the IRA (who wouldn’t allow him to join due to anger management issues).  His only friend in the world, his childhood cat Wee Thomas, has died under mysterious circumstances and he is going home to beat, maim and kill his way to the truth about what happened. 

There was a great challenge to finding a balance between the ludicrous and the grounded in this piece that was a joy to tackle. Keeping the cast firmly invested in the world of the play, and not allowing them or myself too much outside awareness was important.  Also, far crazier things: How much blood is too much when it hits a wall?  How much is too little?  How much blood can you pour on the stage before actors start slipping and falling all over each other.  Should a cat scream when it gets shot?  I now have answers to all of these questions.

I found an Irish toast that’s given prominently on New Years.  “Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arís.” It translates to “May we be alive at this time next year.”  There is something joyfully morbid about that which sums up so brilliantly my feelings for, and my approach to this show.  No production has ever kept me up later at night.  No production has ever woken me up so early every morning, unable to go back to sleep for thinking about it.  No production has ever had me more hopeless four days before opening.  But this process has been an absolute joy and I could not be prouder of the end result.  Bottoms up!

Opening this Friday! | The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Don't miss The Lieutenant of Inishmore, opening this Friday, August 2nd at Big Idea Theatre!  

This bloody and violent piece is one of the most gleefully gruesome plays from Martin McDonagh, writer of The Pillowman, feature films In Bruges and 7 Psychopaths, and the short film Six Shooter.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore

By Martin McDonagh

August 2 - August 31

The untimely death of Wee Thomas the cat brings a heartbroken Irish freedom fighter with "anger management issues" home to say farewell.  His search for those responsible for his beloved feline's demise leads to a series of violent and bloody reprisals.  Uproarious, over-the-top, and unmistakably Irish, this play will have your simultaneously falling out of your seat with laughter and cringing in horror.

Get your Tickets here: http://www.bigideatheatre.com/BIT/Box_Office.html

The 1959 Cover | A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959

Print media was a mainstream form of communication in the 1950's, shaping the lives of the everyday consumer and one of the major sources of national and international information available to the public at the time.  Addressing world events, lifestyle trends, daily challenges, fashion, politics, gender roles and more, all you needed to know was found on those glossy pages.  

Let's take a look back at the covers of some major publications for a dose of some good 'ol 1959 American family values!

The Saturday Evening Post

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/

Mademoiselle

http://www.nopatternrequired.com/2009/09/tuesdays-retro-guest-lets-talk-fashion-1959/; http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/Mademoiselle-Cover-June-1959-Prints_i8485792_.htm; https://www.myfdb.com/covers/118716-mademoiselle-cover-march-1959

LIFE

http://www.life.time.com

'TEEN

http://www.originalmmc.com/teenmags.html; http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/300U-3006.htm; http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_4096971/teen-magazine-united-states-november-1959/

TIME

http://www.time.com

View From the Seats - Patron Chat | A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959

The View From the Seats | Patron Chat

"Another great production from Big Idea Theater!  Funny, poignant, well-acted.  

Well worth a trip to this little gem of a theater!" - Susan B.

"Great show! If you're looking for some affordable summer fun with a friend or date you should definitely check this show out."- Teryn H.

"Superb casting, costuming staging and a really great story that delivers on many emotional levels... This is a "MUST SEE" show that will leave you laughing!!" - Laurie P.

Press Pass | A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959

Sacramento raves about Big Idea's 4-star production of A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959 by Robert Bastron!

"Top-notch cast!" - Kel Munger, SN&R

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/83774/After_the_love_has_gone_Big_Idea_Theatre_reveals_relationship_realities_in_its_Guide_to_a_Successfu

Opening Tonight! | A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959

Mason and Abigail.  Happily Never After.

A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959 by Robert Bastron opens TONIGHT at Big Idea Theatre!

It's the late 1950s.  It is a time of innocence and overly-helpful public service announcements; where all a young woman needs to be blissfully happy is a husband, a home and a baby to love.  Or so we were told.  Hilarity ensues as two young couples embark on their lives together aided by the ever present, but perhaps misguided advice of an eager public service announcer.

Opening June 14th! | A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959

Danny and Ruth.  Happily Never After.

A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959 by Robert Bastron opens on Friday, June 14th!

It's the late 1950s.  It is a time of innocence and overly-helpful public service announcements; where all a young woman needs to be blissfully happy is a husband, a home and a baby to love.  Or so we were told.  Hilarity ensues as two young couples embark on their lives together aided by the ever present, but perhaps misguided advice of an eager public service announcer.

From the Director's Chair | Private Eyes

Big Idea company member and "Private Eyes" director Jouni Kirjola shares his thoughts about the world of the play and bringing this challenging piece of theatre to life.

It's interesting to note that Steven Dietz originally called this play "The Usual Suspects."  But when an unrelated movie with the same title became a huge hit, Dietz begrudgingly changed the name of his play to "Private Eyes."  While I think the title makes sense, I'd be lying if I said I loved it.  I think it tends to conjure up images of 80's pop sensation Hall & Oates.  And that is never a good thing.  But, like I said, it makes sense.  Besides the fact that private eyes are frequently discussed throughout the play, we, the audience, are the ultimate private eyes in this play, sifting through deception at every turn.  It's actually a very unconventional mystery thriller.

"Private Eyes" is quite simply one of the most intriguing plays I've ever read.  It's exploration of deception and infidelity and how all of that plays into the art of theatre is delicious.  The first time I read it,  I remember being simultaneously confused by the play's structure and delighted by the words coming out of the character's mouths.  I also remember thinking I wanted to play the role of "Matthew."  But as I continued to read the play, I became so obsessed with how Dietz was using the art of theatre to explore the art of deception that I knew I had to direct it.

The biggest challenge in dissecting this piece was unraveling the lies and sorting out the order of events in the play.  This had to come first because we all needed to find a place to begin.  Dietz gives us a lot of clues in the text as to what is real and what is fantasy or "made up" but he also leaves a lot unanswered.  I think all parties involved can agree it was a frustrating yet ultimately rewarding process.

In terms of themes, the play deals with deception and infidelity; broken trust.  These themes are timeless and universal.  But it's the structure of the play that captured me from the beginning.  Dietz has brilliantly structured his play in such a way that we, the audience, feel at times like jilted lovers.  We're sitting in our theater seats, watching this play and we're comfortable with the "reality" the play lays out for us.  It all starts very simply with a scene of an actor auditioning for a director.  But when Dietz's mischievous story structure shifts and we realize we've been lied to, that's when the fun starts.

SN&R Pick of the Week! | Private Eyes

Big Idea's production of Private Eyes snags SN&R's Stage Pick of the Week!

Don't miss out! Get those Thrifty Thursday $10 tickets today.

Press Pass | Private Eyes

Four stars for Big Idea's Production of Private Eyes by Steven Dietz!  This multi-layered exploration of deception keeps you on your toes and laughing out loud all along the way.

"... chocked to the top with a twisted, dark and honest humor... " 

- Kel Munger, SN&R

Check out this review and interview with director, Jouni Kirjola, from Sacramento Press!

With all of the social media outlets available to theater professionals – arguably one of the Sacramento area's most "vocal" populations now posting, tweeting, webbing and pinning – it's a challenge for those company members charged with "getting the word out" to play it close to their Velcroed vests to avoid spilling "spoilers."

But that's exactly the very thin, gaffer-taped line that director Jouni Kirjola is walking these days as he promotes the Big Idea Theatre production of "Private Eyes," playing April 26 through May 25.

"It's so hard to describe without giving away the secrets," said Kirjola of the show, what playwright Steven Dietz calls a “relationship thriller.” "It's an exploration of relationships and dynamics within relationships, but also of perceptions. Maybe I should just say it's a fast-paced, comedic, dramatic, schizophrenic exploration of deception within relationships."

Photo By Barry Wisdom

The title of the play might suggest it’s something of a play noir, about a hard-boiled detective, a leggy lady in distress, a menacing mobster and a gal Friday all in pursuit of some mysterious (albeit valuable) objet d’art. But as Kirjola says, “Private Eyes” is more about betrayal on an emotional level, and how emotions (and the passage of time) can alter one’s recollections and interpretations of the past.

“It has heart, it has emotion, it has sex, it has a lot of comedy – it has a little bit of everything,” said Kirjola, a second-year Big Idea company member whose directorial credits include 2012’s “Moonlight and Magnolias.”

Told in a decidedly non-linear style, and featuring a plot course with more twists and turns than a Formula One race track, it’s a show best seen when fully rested, when one’s eyes aren’t prone to flutter and one’s chin isn’t likely to fall to chest level.

Photo by Barry Wisdom

But as much as he’d like audiences to put their faith in him and his cast without a word of preface, he’s aware that in this information age people prefer to take journeys of discovery only after having read the last screen of a text.

For those folks, he offers this hors d'oeuvre of an overview: “Matthew’s wife, Lisa, may be having an affair with Adrian, a British theater director. Or, perhaps, the affair is part of a play being rehearsed. Or could it be Matthew has imagined all of it simply to have something to report to his therapist Frank? And who is the mysterious woman who seems to shadow the others?”

“Nothing is as it seems,” said Kirjola. “That’s part of the fun of it – nothing is certain; it inspires conversations and warrants a second viewing.”

Photo By Barry Wisdom

The cast features Bert Andersson as Adrian, Kristine David as Lisa, Dan Featherston as Matthew, Nina Collins as the “mysterious woman,” and Big Idea company member Gregory Smith as Frank.

Kirjola credits his actors for tackling the play's admittedly steep peak, and for reaching the rarefied air of its summit.

“The script is extremely complex,” said Kirjola. “It has so many different layers. There are alternate realities, flashbacks told out of order. But each of the actors has truly delivered not only an understanding of the show itself, but of each of the characters. And that’s important because each character should have a soul, and be relatable to the audience somehow. The cast has really delivered that heart and soul.”

Photo by Barry Wisdom

Kirjola discovered the play during one of Big Idea’s regular confabs when the company’s upcoming season is mapped out, and its members decide who is going to take on directorial duties.

“I just latched onto it,” said the Placerville native. “It was my favorite show out of all the plays we read. I pushed hard for it with my intention of directing it. Every actor in the show gets to play every emotion, so it’s a fun story to tell. I just got super excited about it.”

“Though I’m more of an actor than a director, this play really spoke to me,” continued Kirjola (“Arcadia”). “Even when I’m directing, I come to a play as an actor and will help my cast discover their characters. There’s so much going on with this script in particular, so I worked with each actor on points of humanity, and tried to engender a sense of fun during the process. I encourage them to try new things, and to join them in that process is definitely fun for me.”

Just as his cast has done, Kirjola said he hopes Sacramento-area audiences will take the leap with him to discover all that “Private Eyes” has to offer.

“Even my friends are cautious about seeing new shows because they’ve seen so much bad theater,” said Kirjola. “But this is an incredibly engaging show, and I think people – even those who don’t like theater, or have been bored by plays in the past – might be surprised at how entertaining it is.”

“Everyone has been lied to or deceived. We’re all 'private eyes' throughout the show; we’re all trying to put all of the loose ends together and solve the mystery. That, in itself, makes ‘Private Eyes’ an extremely rewarding and exciting – and fun – adventure.”

JUST THE FACTS

WHAT: The Big Idea Theatre production of Steven Dietz's "Private Eyes"

WHEN: April 26 through May 25, 2013, with performances at 8 p.m. April 26 and 27, May 2 through 4, May 9 through 11, May 16 through 18, May 23 through 25

WHERE: Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, Calif.

WHO: Directed by Jouni Kirjola; featuring Bert Andersson (Adrian), Kristine David (Lisa), Dan Featherston (Matthew), Gregory Smith (Frank), "Mysterious Woman" (Nina Collins)

HOW MUCH: $14-$16 (online); $18-$20 (at the door); $10 "Thrifty Thursday" tickets available May 2, 9, 17, 24

MORE INFO: Call (916) 960-3036; www.bigideatheatre.com