FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 2, 2018

Contact: Lisa Joyce, 503-485-4300 or lisa@pentacletheatre.org

The Salem Theatre Network will hold its second annual Cherry Blossom Theatre Festival March 9 through 11 in Salem.

The three-day event features 15 performances and five workshops in six venues across the city.

The Salem Theatre Network is an alliance of 12 theater organizations with the mission of supporting, promoting, and uniting theatre communities in and around Salem, OR. The festival brings together all the network’s member organizations and theater lovers in a three-day celebration of all things theater. The Cherry Blossom Theatre Festival has something for everyone: from fully staged performances to staged readings to a Spanish-language play to improvisational comedy to educational workshops.

The event has two tracks – All Access at $65 and General Admission at $35. The network is also offering a discounted pass at $25 for students and for individuals who hold an Oregon Trail card.
Patrons who purchase the All Access pass will be able to attend Pentacle Theatre’s production of Calendar Girls and a performance of Enlightened Theatrics’ The Foreigner and choose from among any of the other events on the three-day schedule. The General Admission pass does not include the Pentacle Theatre and Enlightened Theatrics productions.

Proceeds from ticket sales will fund the network’s Young Audience Opportunity Grant, which supports middle school children’s awareness of and appreciation for live theater. The grants fund transportation from middle schools in the Salem/Keizer, Silverton and Aumsville districts to high-school theater performances.

Salem Theatre Network members are: Aumsville Community Theatre, Brush Creek Players, Capitol City Theater, Children’s Theatre Foundation, Historic Elsinore Theatre, Enlightened Theatrics, Heart & Shine, LLC, Keizer Homegrown Theatre, Pentacle Theatre, Theatre Talk on KMUZ, Theatre 33 and the Willamette University Theatre Department.

The Cherry Blossom Theatre Festival is presented with generous support from the following local businesses and foundations:
Platinum Sponsor: Willamette Valley Vineyards
Gold Plus Sponsor: Roth’s Fresh Market
Gold Sponsor: Huggins Insurance
Silver Sponsor: Capitol Auto Group
Media Sponsors: Salem Weekly and KMUZ Community Radio
With support from: Marion Cultural Development Corporation and Oregon Community Foundation

Where to buy your pass:
Passes are available at the Pentacle Theatre Ticket Office, 145 Liberty St. NE, Suite 102. Call 503-485-4300. Passes are also available online at pentacletheatre.org. The Pentacle Theatre ticketing system requires you to set up an account and login before you can complete a purchase. After logging in, click on Gift Certificates/Passes at the top of the page to make your purchase.

Prices:
All Access, $65. General Admission, $35. Youth/Salem for All (Oregon Trail Card holders), $25.

Performance schedule:

Friday, March 9:
• Pentacle Theatre: Calendar Girls and Kick-Off Party! (All Access only. Limited availability.)
• Capitol City Theater: Salem Famous Improv and SingProv! (family-friendly)

Saturday, March 10:
• Brush Creek Playhouse: Robin Hood: Crusader for Justice (family-friendly)
• Aumsville Community Theatre: The Demise of the Downhome Dealers (family-friendly murder mystery!)
• McKay H.S. Thespians: One-Act
• Willamette University Theatre Department: Wings of Fire, original musical showcase!
• Gallery Theater: Frost/Nixon, a partly staged reading
• Capitol City Theater: Almost Famous Improv, Salem Famous Improv, and Truth or Dare Live!
• Enlightened Theatrics: The Foreigner (All Access only)

Sunday, March 11:
• Pentacle Theatre: Calendar Girls. (All Access only.)
• Keizer Homegrown Theatre: The Brothers’ Grimm Spectacularthon! (not for kids!)
• Casa de la Cultura Tlanese: La Petenera: The Damnation of Mankind

Workshop schedule:

Saturday, March 10:
Improv Basics with Jared Richard
Voice-over for Actors with Bentley Michael
Partner Dancing for the Stage with Utah Dance Company

Sunday, March 11:
Nail Your Next Drama Audition with Ed Schoaps
What NOT to do in a Musical Audition with Ann McBride and Kent Wilson

Sponsor event:

Cherry Blossom Pairings Dinner at Willamette Valley Vineyards
Thursday, March 8, 7–8:30 pm. 8800 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, OR 97392
Reservations are required and can be made by calling 503-588- 9463. In honor of the Cherry Blossom Festival, the March 8 dinner will be Japanese-themed.

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Featured image: Gallery Theater’s 2017 production of Frost/Nixon. Left: Isaac Joyce-Shaw as Nixon. Right: Wade Moran as Frost. Gallery is reprising the show for the Cherry Blossom Theatre Festival this year.

Photo credit Jennifer Dolphin.