The Theatre Scene Gears Up For a New Season

I love June. It’s like having New Year’s Eve all over again. We may not be gathered together, waiting for the clock to strike midnight and singing "Auld Lang Syne," but June is when most of the performing arts switch their seasonal clocks and a new year begins. 

It’s also sort of like a Chinese New Year as well, because some companies start a little earlier (May) and some a little later ( June through October). The perfect examples can be found in the San Diego Symphony and The Old Globe. Both just recently announced their 2016/2017 seasons, both start their season in September or October—but summer is just too great to pass up, so they’ll both have their 2016 summer outdoor seasons, with the Symphony down on the bay and the Globe under the stars in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

All around San Diego County, our warm summer nights are the perfect playtime to get out and take in a show with family and friends. Up in Vista, which is becoming a cultural hot bed of arts, brewing and wine, The Moonlight Amphitheater kicks off their 36th season with Sister Act on June 15th. The Moonlight is one of those special places where you can pack a picnic basket and reserve lawn space to spread out a blanket and enjoy the summer evening. 

In Old Town, The Cygnet Theatre, fresh from an extended run of their smash hit The Rocky Horror Show, wasted no time in bringing Stupid F**king Bird to the stage to close out their 14th season. Lifted from Chekhov’s The Seagull by award–winning playwright Aaron Posner, who delivers an outrageously funny play that has to be seen to be appreciated. The Cygnet opens the ’16–’17 season on July 14th with Gypsy.

What would summer be without some Shakespeare? We get two from The Old Globe, the first being Macbeth, which opens on the 19th. The 19th will be one of those rare nights at the Globe where all three stages are running, with Camp David closing and Tokyo Fish Story in the middle of its run. My advice for the 19th is go early and spend the day in the park. Take in the performance at the Speckles Organ at 2:00, book an early dinner at the Prado or Mr. A’s, followed by your show at the Globe. The second play from the Bard comes around in August with Love’s Labor’s Lost.

The month of June also means it’s time for the San Diego County Fair. With four stages of music running through most days and every night, the Fair has something for everybody. Check out their website to see what’s right for you, but some of the highlights this season include Lady Antebellum on June 5th, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts on the 9th, 3 Doors Down on the 16th, and Kenny Rogers in his final tour The Gambler’s Last Deal on the 22nd. Summer is officially underway and there’s no reason to stay home when there is so much to see and do!