Direct from D’A:

Pay What You Can (PWYC) now through end of May!

Has the recession put you in a depression? Well move out of the gray, and into the blue: sunny Blue Lake that is. Dell’Arte realizes everyone is feeling the pinch of the economy. Taxes have been filed, and now we are all waiting on the economy to recover. So, while you’re waiting, why not come out to Blue Lake and experience the thrill of live theatre?

We are so confident that you will have a glorious time that we have stopped setting an admission price. That’s right, you tell us what it’s worth to you to have world-class theatre being created in your Humboldt backyard! If you want in on the good times just go to dellarte.com and select the performance you want on our website. Better yet, just drop Miss Dharla an email at dharla@dellarte.com with your details (name and phone number, the name and date of the performance and the number of tickets you would like, but only four tickets can be reserved per transaction) and she’ll hold your tickets at the box office. When you arrive, just pay what it’s worth to you.

Be sure to arrive 15 minutes early, or your tickets may be given away to another lucky soul. Act fast; tickets are sure to go quickly! Pay What You Can (PWYC) for the next five weeks at dellarte.com. Please join the students of Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre for Tragedy, Clown, Thesis Festival and The Finals. To reserve tickets visit our website or call 668-5663 ext. 5.

PWYC PERFORMANCES:

Tragedy Thur -Sun, April 23 -26 8:00 PM (Two unique works presented by our 2nd year students)

Clown Thur -Sat, April 30 – May 2 8:00 PM (A Dell’Arte classic and consistent sell out, presented by our first year students )

Thesis Festival Thur -Sun, May 14-17 8:00 PM

Thesis Festival Thur -Sun, May 21 -24 8:00 PM (Nine unique works, their thesis projects, over two weekends from the zany students who brought you Glasnost )

The Finals Thurs – Sat, May 28 -30 8:00 PM (Just that, our students take their final test of 2009)

From the print edition:

Leave early and bring a chair. That’s mostly all you need to know. Because of course you’re going to catch Korbel – the centerpiece of Dell’Arte’s Mad River Festival only runs one more weekend (no show on the Fourth).

You wouldn’t miss a chance to see the gleesome threesome nurses, would you? You’ll need some medical help because the sultry-vampy combination of Lila Nelson, Joyce Hough and Jaese Lecuyer is enough to give anyone fever (“Never know how much I love you/Never know how much I care”) and that’s just the beginning.

Those of you already familiar with the comedic genius and physical hilarity of Dell’Arte know Korbel will make you giggle, snort and guffaw as the antics unfold.

But maybe you, like Tommy Dugan (Michael Fields), think you have nothing to look forward to at the end of the night but a cold beer and a couple Vicodans (Can I get a show of hands, please? Thought so). Tempting as that may be, lug yourself out to the Rooney Amphitheatre – get there early and bring a chair if you have one – because  you need to take advantage of what these folks have to offer.

In addition to mocking most everything and everyone who has made the news in the past year or decade, Korbel concerns itself with family, forgiveness and the shedding of prejudices.

But mostly it’s real funny.

Sometimes it’s just funny, like when you get your first gander at Mystic Jones’ backside through the hospital gown gap. (If I am ever even one-10th as funny and comfortable in my skin as Jacqueline Dandeneau, I will pass from this life with a sense of acheivement.)

Sometimes Korbel is funny and sweet, like when Bob Gotchabeck and Mary Dore (Bob and Lynne Wells) rekindle a long-lost romantic dream.

Sometimes it’s funny and profound, like when the characters are confronted by the eternally troubling question, “Is that all there is?” (You’ll have to see the show for the answer.)

But no matter what sweet or bittersweet emotion Korbel draws forth, the play consistency engages, the pace neither flags nor distracts with frenziedness; further the action remains perfectly supported by the music (kudos to Tim Gray and the rest of band) throughout.

The details? I can’t stand to give anything away – far be it from me to zap any zingers of their sting. We’ve outlined the plot for you previously; now I’m encouring you to visit Dell’Arte’s Dugan family in person.

The 2008 Mad River Festival presents the epic continuation of Dell’Arte’s Humboldt Soap Opera in Korbel IV: The Accident, Thursdays through Sundays at 8 p.m. through July 6 in Dell’Arte’s Rooney Amphitheatre. No performance on July 4. Tickets are $15 general, $12 for students and seniors and $5 for children under 12. dellarte.com, (707) 668-5663, ext. 5.

Checked out Dell’Arte’s 27th annual holiday play last night. Full review in the next Eye (that’s the Tuesday, Nov. 27 issue). In the meantime, if you’re thinking of catching it tonight in Blue Lake or tomorrow at the Van Duzer, here’s notes from last night:

(amazing that I can read them, scrawled mostly in the dark as they were)
DELL’ARTE
Carlo is packed
How many plays have I seen at Dell’Arte?
Set looks great – cockeyed with platforms of varying levels, books and pipes, a trunk, a crate, a dangling carrot
MICHAEL FIELDS
7,000 people will see for free
from Cave Junction to Laytonville
PLAY
strange and surreal opening
8 characters
excellent flashback
wonderful cartoonish faces
laughing children audience
banker in trunk!
physical comedy brilliant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Again, here’s the details:
FREE PERFORMANCES:
Fri. & Sat., November 23, 24 – Dell’Arte’s Carlo Theatre, Blue Lake, 7:30pm
Sunday, November 25 – Van Duzer Theatre. HSU, Arcata, 7:30pm
Tuesday, November 27 – McKinleyville High School Aud., 7:30pm
Friday, November 30 – Trinity Valley School, Willow Creek, 7:00pm
Saturday, December 1 – Lorna Bryne School, Cave Junction, OR, 7:00pm
Sunday, December 2 – Crescent City Cultural Center, Crescent City, 7:00pm
Monday, December 3 – Orick Elementary School, Orick, 6:00pm
Wednesday, December 5 – Arkley Center for the Arts, Eureka, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 8 – Fortuna River Lodge, Fortuna, 7:30pm
Sunday, Dec. 9 – Mattole Community Center, Petrolia, 3:00pm

ENCORE PERFORMANCES:
Tickets: $5-$8
Thur-Sun, December 13 -16 – Dell’Arte’s Carlo Theatre, Blue Lake, 7:30pm

If you were to pick up an Eye – or even better, subscribe – here’s what you’d get in this week’s Scene section:

HOUSE CALL (TMc)We figured that over 300 people would turn out just to support the financially strapped but well-deserving Arcata House on a Saturday night (putting families into housing  – who could be more worthy of love?)…

WILD MEN Don’t miss Monotonix…

SENSELESS MAYHEM Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Local group of ragamuffins puts on strange play for no good reason!…

SNARK HUNTING In The Hunting of the Snark, eight odd but endearing characters are in pursuit of a mysterious and possibly dangerous creature that none of them have ever seen…

PAGAN CHRISTMAS (TMc) Christmas definitely came earlier than most TV holiday commercials when Portuguese Hall became ground zero for Pagan Christmas…

SELF-REFERENCE WITH JENNIFER Imagine this: you’re there in your new house, mentally arranging the living room, when the moving van arrives…

PELLET GOBBLING WITH JOSH I have this theory that if I ever get suckered into having children, I just know that the karmic powers that be will have their revenge on me by having my children grow up to be the spiteful, resentful antithesis to your favorite local music journalist…

The satisfaction of knowledge and thrill of enlightenment await.