Rent has been one of my favorite musicals ever since I first saw the movie twenty years ago. I have seen many stage productions of the show, including a touring production that featured the original Mark (Anthony Rapp) and Roger (Adam Pascal), which was such a thrill! This past weekend I saw a new production of the show at the Selma Arts Center—a production that runs through August 2.
For those who love mysteries, AcornTV is a great place to find wonderful ones from several countries including the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. One of my favorites is The Brokenwood Mysteries, set in Brokenwood, New Zealand, and it recently aired its 11th season.
The 1960s—Go-Go Boots. Miniskirts. Laugh-In. William Shakespeare.
Wait a minute! William Shakespeare?
That’s what you’ll get int the Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theatre production of The Taming of the Shrew, now playing through August 17.
The Kingsburg City Band was founded in 1887 and is one of the oldest community bands in the United States. The Band is still going strong, providing free music for your summer enjoyment every year. I recently chatted with Dale Engstrom, who has been the Kingsburg City Band Director for 48 years, to learn more.
Though it is important to KRL that we support the LGBTQ+ community year round, during Pride month, we make an extra effort to feature local LGBTQ+ performers/artists—whether they are singers, actors, directors, or artists. This year we have the pleasure of featuring three different local artists—two this weekend, and one more on June 28. This week we are chatting with Casey Peck and Atlas—both from Fresno.
Here is your weekly reminder that there are also new articles up on our other website KRL News & Reviews! Every week there will be book reviews and giveaways, plus sometimes pet articles, theatre articles, and more! And listen to our new podcast!
Now is the summer of our discontent...because we’re in the San Joaquin Valley, and it’s summer, and it’s hot hot HOT! However, in the air-conditioned Warnor’s Theatre, the Chanticleer Shakespeare Co.’s production of William Shakespeare’s Richard III, the temperature dips into “the winter of our discontent,” a grim world of power-plays, political schemes, murders of convenience, and a parade of ghosts.
Break out the red, white, and blue! Ring the Liberty Bell! 1776, the musical about the making of the Declaration of Independence has marched back into Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater in another Good Company Players production, and audiences can let freedom ring through July 20.
It's hard to believe but Kings River Life will be celebrating its 15th birthday on May 29, 2025! When my friend Dorian Rhodes and I came up with the idea all those years ago it was really just a whim. Something fun to see if we could do while I was looking for a new job. We never would have guessed it would not only still be around 15 years later, but that it would grow into what it is now and still be going strong!
In an area that has become known for a variety of theatre and is home to some amazing talent, a new theatre company has come along with a focus on Shakespeare—the Chanticleer Shakespeare Co. in Fresno. Their first show hits the stage on June 6, so KRL took a moment recently to chat with their Artistic Director Blake Ellis, and Executive Director Brandon Weis.
