Special Events
Wild Rivers 101 Film Festival
Festival Runs Sept 7-16, 2007
Monday, Sept 10 - Winema Theatre in Scotia
Wednesday, Sept 12 - Ferndale Repertory Theatre
We are thrilled to be a screening venue for this brand new 10-day festival of film and digital media effects, to be held September 7-16, 2007. Many years in the planning stages, this will be the county's first destination film festival, offering a wide variety of classic, obscure, current, foreign and documentary screenings, at venues throughout the county. Opening Friday, September 7, with an evening outdoor screening at the Southern Humboldt Community Park west of Garberville, the festival continues northward with showings at Benbow, Garberville, Scotia, Arcata, and Ferndale, culminating with four days at five different venues in Eureka.
Ferndale Rep will host a showing on Wednesday, September 12. We will also participate in a showing on Monday, September 10, at the Winema Theatre in Scotia. A portion of the proceeds from both of these dates benefits the Ferndale Rep.
Film festival details are still in the works. Check out the festival website www.wildrivers101filmfestival.com/ for the most up to date information (and please keep checking back, information is changing regularly for this brand new event!).
Hard As A Diamond, Soft as the Dirt
Saturday, September 29, 2007 - 8pm
Tickets: $12 General Admission / $10 Students & Seniors
Our 36th Season officially opens with this funny, thoughful and poetic show about Dad and baseball, by Humboldt county writer and performer Jeff DeMark. Though he has been active in the Humboldt county theatrical scene for more than 14 years, this will be Jeff's debut performance on the Ferndale stage. He will be joined by versatile pianist Tim Randles and members of the Delta Nationals Band, drummer Paul DeMark and bassist Ross Rowley, who provide musical accompaniment throughout the show.
Alternately humorous and poignant, "Hard As A Diamond, Soft As the Dirt" interweaves stories, songs and poems about baseball and the death of DeMark's father, exploring how common interests in sports and storytelling united father and son. Among the many stories, the show follows DeMark's trip to Detroit's Tiger Stadium to ritualize a final goodbye to his father. Along the way, the audience meets Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, and Willie Mays, learns about the creative use of a "Beatle" wig, and witnesses an ill-fated attempt to talk with childhood hero Hank Aaron on the Home Shopping Network.
"Hard As A Diamond, Soft as the Dirt" was commissioned by the College of the Redwoods for their Visiting Writers Series and opened to a sold-out house at the CR Forum Theatre in May 2002. Reviewing the debut performance, the North Coast Journal wrote "DeMark's material is wonderfully poetic in places, ironic throughout... tightly unified and universal... The stories are carefully and dramatically arranged while sometimes appearing to be just wild swings at the ball. This is an unquestionable happy breakthrough." In June 2007, Lee Roberts of the Racine Journal Times wrote "Any audience can relate to DeMark's Diamond show because the stories are about the basic emotions of family, friendship, love and devotion. And he obviously inherited some of his father's fine storytelling abilities."
DeMark started his writing and performing career in Madison in 1974, first as a poet reading in local bars and galleries and eventually incorporating music and stories in to his show. He has performed and collaborated with such musical groups as The Violent Femmes, Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans, and others. In the early 1990s he began writing and performing solo theatrical shows, including "Writing My Way Out of Adolescence" (1993), "Went to Lunch, Never Returned" (1994), "Making Every Mistake Twice" (1998) and "They Ate Everything but Their Boots" (2006).
Camera Shrapnel presents "ISM"
Thursday, October 11 - 8pm
Tickets: $12 General Admission / $10 Student & Senior
The Los Angeles based performing group Camera Shrapnel will make a one-night stop in Ferndale as part of its upcoming west coast tour, debuting its new show "ISM".
Billing their work as a totally new form of teledramatic art, Camera Shrapnel combines live performance and film to create a new genre of poetry and sketch comedy. Ryan Self, Producer of Development for the group, coined the name "Camera Shrapnel" to describe how their work dismantles the concept of filming, breaking it in to pieces, rearranging and combining it with live action, and then gluing it back together. Live characters on the start interact with the filmed imaged in ways that are totally unexpected. According to Self, "you could think of it as YouTube... live."
Past sketches have covered a diverse range of topics, using comedy to explore contemporary themes and social issues. Recent works, which can be seen on the website www.camerashrapnel.com, include everthing from a trip along the Oregon Trail, to streaking cows, a new automatic dishwasher and the selling of "satisfaction in a can". For this show, the group is working on a new series of sketches that examine the various "-isms" in our lives.
The ten members of Camera Shrapnel's crew share responsibility for all aspects of the creative process,from the inception of an idea through the writing, designing, directing and staging. They also have a strong desire to make art a bigger part of our daily lives by making it more accessible. Their ART THINKS campaign donates money to high schools, and the group teaches classes ranging from the business side of art to how art can be used to raise ideas that make the world a better place.
Holmes & Watson
Friday & Saturday, Oct 19-20, 2007 at 8pm
Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 2pm
Tickets: $12 General Admission / $10 Students & Seniors
Free Senior Bus Service from Redway & Eureka on October 21
Direct from 221B Baker Street, London (home of the Sherlock Holmes Museum), Stewart Quentin Holmes and John Barrett Watson bring to life the great detective Sherlock Holmes, and his indispensible assistant Dr. Watson, more than 100 years after they were created by the mystery writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Arguably the most famous literary detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes was known for his intellectural prowess and use of strict deductive reasoning in solving puzzling mysteries. The character is thought to be based upon Dr. Joseph Bell, one of Conan Doyle's professors at the University of Edinburgh, while the character of Dr.l Watson was likely based upon Conan Doyle himself. Some sixty stories feature Sherlock Holmes, from "The Hound of the Baskervilles" to "A Scandal in Bohemia and "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons".
This modern Holmes and Watson have been portraying the famous duo for many years at the official Sherlock Holmes Museum. Their encyclopedic knowledge of the Holmes literature allows them to steep their audience in the Holmes legend and in the Victorian age in which it is set. They will recount several classic Holmes tales, and answer questions following the performance.
Be sure to join us for an Elementary! event. Special note for Season Ticket Holders... this showcase is included in your season ticket!
Earl Thomas Band
Saturday, November 3, 2007 - 8pm
Tickets: $15 Advance $20 at the Door
>Back by popular demand comes Humboldt county's own Earl Thomas with his soulful blues. Thomas's career began in Humboldt county with open mike nights at Garcia's and Jambalaya in Arcata. Thomas left Humboldt to make his mark, eventually traveling all around the world to make music. He has earned four Grammy awards, produced eleven CDs and had four of his songs included in movies, giving him a solid background in the music world. But, as Ron Thunman notes in the Times Standard (Feb 15, 2007), "none of this matters when he begins to sing. Thomas doesn't just sing, he performs, and that is what makes him one of today's most enjoyable personalities. When he sings you feel the blues."For this appearance, Earl promises an eclectic mix of old favorites and new work, centered upon "The Gospel According...", a collection of songs celebrating his roots in southern Gospel music. He will appear with the vocal trio, The True Gospel Singers, and Bay Area guitarist Anthony Paule. This concert will debut what Earl has described as "the most important music of my career." Those familiar with his work know that, for more than a decade, Earl has remained a unique and authentic performer, exploring fresh musical avenues that have taken him from the simplicity of acoustic-driven Delta Blues to an embrace of Rock, Soul, R&B and Jazz. His latest recorded work, "Plantation Gospels", is a collection of Old Negro Spirituals "recorded with instruments one would have actually found on the plantation", and representing both his musical roots and personal ancestry.
The Ferndale Rep is a great intimate venue to experience the work of this outstanding and internationally known performer. Earl's concerts are always sold out. Please get your tickets early to avoid disappointment!
YOU SAY GOODBYE I SAY HELLO!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Tickets: By Invitation. More information to come.
Join us as we celebrate Marilyn McCormick's 10+ years as Executive Director of the Ferndale Rep with a big party, stories and song. Meet the Rep's new incoming Executive Director, Ginger Gene. Anyone who has worked with Marilyn over the years is invited to be part of the show! Click above for details.
JEFF JOLLY in Concert
ONE NIGHT ONLY: Saturday, June 14, 2008
Ticket Prices: $12 Advance/$15 at the Door
Concert and CD release party, featuring band members from throughout northern California. Jeff played for 60,000 at last year's Concert in Golden Gate Park. Come enjoy his good time rock and roll in our more intimate venue!
Sponsored by Mendes Storage.
Celebrate America! Fourth of July Spectacular
July 4th, 2008
In 1997, the Ferndale Repertory Theatre organized what have become annual Fourth of July events that are unique on the North Coast. The day begins with a Parade on Main Street, followed by a Picnic at Town Hall, and finally, the "Celebrate America!" showcase in the theatre. These events have become a part of the community, and are sponsored by several organizations:
Parade on Main Street: Starts at the noon whistle. Classic cars, floats, clowns, fire engine rides, tractors, horses and more. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.
Picnic at Town Hall: Starts after the parade. Old fashioned barbecue, sponsored by the Ferndale Rotary Club.
Celebrate America! Show: 3pm at the Ferndale Repertory Theatre. A showcase of music and memories, with a different theme about America each year. Music, sing-alongs, salute to the Armed Forces and balloon drop. Ticket price: $10 General Admission. (Buy early, it always sells out!)
Young Actors Workshop Showcase
July 18-19, 2008, 5:30pm
Every year, participants in our Young Actors Workshops show off what they have learned during their six weeks of theatrical training with these original showcases. The performances are free and open to the general public. Come see what the next generation of actors and actresses has to offer!
S.T.A.R. - Senior Theatre Acting Resource - Showcase
July 11 & 12, 2008 at 8pm
July 13, 2008 at 2pm
Other dates and venues to be announced
New in 2007, the S.T.A.R. program provides an opportunity for area seniors (many of whom are experienced actors and actresses) to produce a show specifically for other seniors. The group performs three shows in the Ferndale Repertory Theatre and then takes their show on the road, with performances at Senior Resource Centers and other venues. In 2007, they performed at the Healy Senior Center in Garberville and at the Eureka Senior Center. Contact us soon if you'd like to be on their tour in 2008.