Town Hall Theatre

Come join us IN-PERSON on July 10th at Moraga Commons for a Bay Area Celebration! https://ci.ovationtix.com/36010/production/1060002 Featuring: The Steve Carter Trio, Michael Ching, Jill Page Collister, Marisa Cozart, Bob Lane, Justin P. Lopez, Tosca Maltzman, Hayley Alicia Mason, AJ Mizes, Samantha Rich, LaMont Ridgell, and students of Town Hall Education! Directed by Madison Gerringer Bay Area Celebration will feature local singers and spoken word artists based in the fiv...e Bay Area counties. The summer stage will come to life with themes of Hope, Renewal, Equity, Resilience, Home, Inclusion, and CELEBRATION. Town Hall Theatre is pleased to be LIVE again, starting with a Bay Area Celebration. This special fundraising event on July 10 at the Moraga Commons will bring Bay Area artists together through song and spoken word. We are excited to reconnect in-person with our community as we re-introduce Town Hall Theatre. Portions of the live event will be broadcast on TownHallTheatre.com on July 20 from 5:30-6:30.

Our friends down the street at Pillar Cowork and Childcare were kind enough to give us a shout out, so we wanted to do the same. Be sure to check them out at PillarCowork.com Pillar Cowork and Childcare opened in March 2020 and currently provides private and shared office space for individuals and businesses. In addition to the standard business amenities, Pillar offers high-quality, onsite childcare services for their members. Pillar also serves as a great private event space to celebrate special occasions for adults and children. You can schedule a private tour on their website to learn more. We are so thrilled to have them in our community!

CALLING ALL TEACHING ARTISTS! Our friends at the Bay Area Theatre Company collective (TEL-Bay) and Arts Education Alliance Bay Area (AEABA) are hosting a digital open call for Theatre Teaching Artists. They are seeking theatre artists of all levels of experience with students of various ages (K-Adult), and bilingual teaching artists and teaching artists of color are particularly to apply. They will run four sessions across two days. Please only sign up for one session. There ...will be dedicated time for Teaching Artists who are seeking immediate work opportunities to demo their work within a supportive group, as well as time for teaching artists who are entering the field and seeking more training and an opportunities to navigate employment at multiple companies. Information on each participating organization will be provided to all attendees and any teaching artist materials will be distributed to all participating organizations. For a full list of partners and to sign up, visit the event page https://www.eventbrite.com/e/theater-teaching-artist-open-c WHERE: This is a Digital Event WHEN: Session #1: Monday, May 10th @4-5pm Session #2: Monday, May 10th @5-6pm Session #3: Saturday, May 15 @12-1pm Session #4:Saturday, May 15 @ 1-2pm

HISTORY OF TOWN HALL THEATRE-This is what THRIVING LOOKS LIKE! Established in 1944 as the Dramateurs and reorganized in 1992 as the Town Hall Theatre Company of Lafayette, we are the oldest continuously active theatre company in Contra Costa County. The land and the labor to build the historic Town Hall building were donated by the community. Construction was completed in May 1914 on land donated by Frank and Rosa Ghiglione who also contributed $200 towards building costs. Th...e first event held in the building was a Grand Ball, and subsequent Town Hall events were so well attended that the Sacramento Northern Railroad provided a special train from Oakland to West Lafayette. Often the festivities would begin around 9pm, with dinner at midnight, followed by dancing and more partying. One train reportedly left the Lafayette station at 5:30am. Lafayette Grammar School used Town Hall as an auditorium until its own auditorium was built in 1944. Town Hall also hosted community meetings, church services, movies, and basketball. The Lafayette Playshop began holding theatrical performances at Town Hall in 1941. The Playshop’s opening night was December 3, 1941, just before the United States entered World War II - and so, for the next four years, Town Hall was used in the war effort. In 1947 the Straw Hat Revue rented the building, and in 1955, the Dramateurs began holding productions there. A local group called the "Laf-Frantics" performed there from 1956 to 1986. The Dramateurs reorganized as Town Hall Theatre Company in 1992, and the company has since delighted audiences of all ages and won numerous local Shellie Awards for its work. Live theatre continues in Lamorinda because of the generosity of its citizens, and the existence and use of the Town Hall building for this purpose over so many decades is a testament to this spirit.

Congratulations to Madeline Sharafian on her Oscar nomination! Maddie appeared on the Town Hall stage in Town Hall Kids' production of Harvey. We've got our fingers crossed for her! ... https://www.mercurynews.com//2021-oscars-lafayette-native/ See more

Join us for your FINAL chance to chat behind the scenes with the talented cast and crew of FantasticLand!! With our fabulous host, Briel Pomerantz Guests: David Richardson, Justin Hanks and Director/Editor Alysia Homminga!... Do you have questions? Post them here or join us live, April 5th at 6pm PDT. And don't forget your digital pass to see all ten episodes of FantasticLand. Episodes 9 & 10 are premiering this week! Get caught up here! https://ci.ovationtix.com/36010/store/donations/40439 Episode 9 - Tuesday, April 6th Episode 10 - Wednesday, April 7th

Below the Belt will be here to play us into the midnight hour!

We're thrilled to have Light, Sound & Thunder at 11:15pm PST featuring the musical talents of Marty Johnson, Billie Duffey & Pat Duffey!

Join us at 11:00pm to enjoy music from singer/songwriter Brian Wachhorst as we head into 2021!

ONE NIGHT ONLY! Town Hall Theatre presents Dave Lankford's "Night of the Living" on October 30 at 8PM right here on Facebook. Starring Gretchen Lee Salter, Terrance Smith, and Don Hardwick. Directed by Michelle Ianiro. Sound design by Diana Carey. This thrilling and emotional piece deals with relationships, loss, and connection during an unprecedented global crisis. Friday, October 30 @ 8PM, free with suggested donation at Facebook.com/TownHallTheatre This production contains graphic language, adult situations, and mild scares.

Artist Feature Alert! Town Hall is thrilled to present Night of the Living with sound designed by Diana Carey, streaming live on Friday, October 30 at 8PM PT! Diana Carey (she/her) has been designing theatre sound in the area since 2018. She is studying Design and Technical Theatre at Saint Mary’s College of California and graduating in December. Some of her favorite sound credits include La Paloma by Alejandra Rivas and This is Modern Art by Idris Goodwin and Kevin Coval... (Saint Mary’s College). dianasnd.com Night of the Living is Diana's second Town Hall show: She was the assistant sound designer for Cherry Orchard earlier this year. Diana's favorite zombie movie is Zombieland (2009) and her number one quarantine pastime is watching hours (and hours) of TikTok cat videos She would be able to survive a zombie apocalypse as long as she has the ultimate stash, "an unlimited supply of Fruit Roll Ups." Check out Diana's work, and that of the rest of our amazing cast and crew, in Night of the Living, streaming here on Facebook this Friday, October 30 at 8PM PT! Admission is free with suggested donation.

Artist Feature Alert! Town Hall is thrilled to present Night of the Living starring Terrance Smith, streaming live on Friday, October 30 at 8PM PT! Terrance Smith is ecstatic to return to Town Hall Theatre on this virtual platform. He’s played Jim Mosten in The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, an Ensemble member in A Christmas Carol, and Sam in A Brooklyn Bridge, where he won a Shellie Award for best Supporting Actor in a Play. He’s had the tremendous pleasure of perfo...rming virtually in several productions since the pandemic started and he currently provides the voice for DJ Train Trax on the hit Netflix cartoon Go Go Cory Carson. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the show! Previous Town Hall appearances include The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, A Civil War Christmas, Brooklyn Bridge, and various readings. Terrance's favorite zombie flicks are Zombieland (2009) and Dawn of the Dead (2004), and he keeps the quarantine blues away by online gaming! He wouldn't be able to survive the zombie apocalypse without his family, and, of course, access to clean drinking water. Check out Terrance, and the rest of our amazing cast and crew, in Night of the Living, streaming here on Facebook this Friday, October 30 at 8PM PT! Admission is free with suggested donation.

Artist Feature Alert! Town Hall is thrilled to present Night of the Living directed and produced by Michelle Ianiro, streaming live on Friday, October 30 at 8PM PT! MICHELLE IANIRO, a current Member-At-Large on Town Hall Theatre’s board, and an actor, director, producer, and playwright herself, is thrilled to direct Night Of The Living by Dave Lankford. This timely new play that examines a couples relationship before and during a pandemic, will resonate with everyone watc...hing on October 30th at 8:00pm. Everyone involved has delivered their brilliant artistry in bringing Dave Lankford’s words to life. I can’t wait for everyone to witness this powerful performed reading. Michelle has also been seen acting on the Town Hall stage in Let's Go to the Movies, This Is Our Moment, Company, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! Michelle's favorite zombie movie is Dawn of the Dead (2004), and she passes quaran-time by binging old shows and catching up with friends! Check out Michelle's work, and that of the rest of our amazing cast and crew, in Night of the Living, streaming here on Facebook on Friday, October 30 at 8PM PT! Admission is free with suggested donation.

Artist Feature Alert! Town Hall is thrilled to present Night of the Living, starring Gretchen Lee Salter, streaming live on Friday, October 30 at 8PM PT. Gretchen Lee Salter has been working to find a home for this wonderful script for the last three years and is so excited to be part of this production at Town Hall! She has performed throughout the bay area as both an improviser and in scripted productions including Woman in Mind, A Few Good Men, Desire Under the Elms, The... Book of Liz, and You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. When not performing, Ms. Salter is a strategic and political consultant for environmental organizations around the country. She is especially grateful for her husband and daughters, Ellie and Maggie, whose love and support brighten each of her days. Gretchen has graced the Town Hall stage twice before, in Woman in Mind and Boy. Not a fan of scary movies, she prefers spending quarantine watching The Great British Baking Show and attempting to replicate her favorite bakes! Zombie apocalypse must-have: "Assuming I had the basics like food, water and medicine, I couldn’t live without stories. Books, movies, short stories it doesn’t matter but something that helped me take my mind off my troubles." Check out Gretchen, and the rest of our amazing cast and crew in Night of the Living, streaming here on Facebook on Friday, October 30 at 8PM! Admission is free with suggested donation

Congratulations to Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (HBO's "Watchmen", Town Hall Theatre's "Twelfth Night") for his very well deserved Emmy win!

Town Hall is cheering for our favorite not girl not robot!

Last week, we all were forced once again to confront the dangerous racial inequality that continues to plague our nation. The shooting of Jacob Blake is shocking and an all-too-common reality for Black people in our country. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, as well as the family and friends of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum who were killed as they protested for racial justice. We are holding the whole community of Kenosha, WI close as they try to heal after a ...week of tragedy upon tragedy. These last few weeks have been a stark reminder that the work we all need to do to be anti-racist and promote diversity, equity and inclusion is far from over. In July, THTC committed to our community to take the steps necessary to ensure our theatre company embodies the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. In order to properly do the work, we have paused much of our programing to not only take stock of where we are, but also think about how we can grow into a company that honors, values, lifts up and respects all stories. We have set goals for ourselves and are doing the work to meet these goals. The goals include: -Ensuring our artists, both on stage and behind the scenes, reflect the racial demographics of the Bay Area. -Ensuring our Teaching Artists reflect the racial demographics of the Bay Area. -Ensuring diversity goes beyond race and includes members of the LGBTQ and disabled communities. -Increasing the diversity of our volunteer board and committees. We are nowhere near done. We are committed to making DEI central to every aspect of the work we do at Town Hall and have made it an integral part of our programing. While we are proud of our diverse casting and hiring in the past, we need to do more and will be doing the necessary work over these next few months and into the next year. Thank you for your continued support, patience and solidarity with us as we navigate these unprecedented times and work to create a more just and equitable world. Town Hall Theatre Company Board of Directors

Did you know... - Live events employ over 12 million people. - Live events contribute over $1 trillion annually to the US economy. - 95% of live events have been cancelled due to COVID-19. - 96% of companies have cut staff and/or wages.... - 77% of people in the live events industry have lost 100% of their income, including 97% of 1099 workers. #WeMakeEvents #SaveOurStages #RedAlert #Restart See more

Dear Town Hall Theatre Community, The last five months have been a challenge for all of us in our community and Town Hall Theatre Company is no different. When the first stay-at-home orders were put in place, we immediately shut down our theater and transitioned as best as we could to online programming. For the last few months, we kept the fervent hope alive that we could perhaps resume some in-person programming in the fall but we now know that we will not be returning to ...normal any time soon. Our goal is to weather this pandemic the best we can so that we can return to providing our community with thoughtful and engaging programming as soon as it is safe to do so. Like many performing arts organizations in our area and around the world, we have had to make some hard choices to stay afloat, including canceling our entire 2020-2021 season. We will be reaching out separately to those who purchased season tickets. Additionally, we have had to make drastic cuts to our budget, including furloughing several staff members and eliminating positions entirely. One of the positions impacted is our Artistic Director, Susan E. Evans. We are devastated to have had to make this decision. Susan has provided our theatre with new and innovative productions and we are sorry to see her go. Please join me in wishing her, and everyone who has left the very best. As for now, we are operating with minimal staff but we are still operating. We are offering online classes to the youth in our community and are exploring more programming for the whole family for later this fall. Additionally, we are using this time to better support our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will also be reaching out to the community to see how best we can serve you when we do come back. You may be wondering how you can help make sure that Town Hall continues to thrive for another 75 years and beyond. The best way that you can help us now is to become a sustaining member. Monthly donations provide a reliable means of support to our organization and are critical to ensuring we can pay the staff that remain. These donations will also provide us with the necessary funds to open our doors when it is safe to do so. Thank you for your continued support of Town Hall Theatre Company. Now, more than ever, we want to stay connected with you, our community. With the ever-evolving uncertainty surrounding us all, please know that we remain committed to be being a present and active partner for our community. As we continue to embrace this new norm, know that we are in this together. All the best, Gretchen Salter Acting President, Town Hall Theatre Company Board of Directors

We congratulate our volunteer Literary Consultant, Walnut Creek resident and Lit Up curator on this witty publication that has now been featured in San Francisco Chronicle and East Bay Times! FOLLOW: COVIDinners: Adventures in Quarantine Dining for a taste of fun!