Artistic Director Kathy Brombacher to Retire from
City of Vista’s Moonlight Stage Productions
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2012 Moonlight Amphitheatre Summer Season Announced:
Legally Blonde - The Musical
Fiddler on the Roof
Anything Goes
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
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Legally Blonde The Musical to receive Regional Premiere Production
• • •
Fiddler on the Roof to feature North Coast Repertory Theatre’s
David Ellenstein as Tevye
VISTA, CA (November 8, 2011) - Today, the City of Vista and Producing Artistic Director Kathy Brombacher announced that Mrs. Brombacher will retire after the conclusion of the 2012 Summer Season at the Moonlight Amphitheatre. Brombacher is one of the longest-serving artistic directors in San Diego County having founded Moonlight Stage Productions in 1981 and working as artistic director since then.
“Kathy Brombacher’s many years of committed artistic leadership have put the City of Vista and the Moonlight on the map as one of the region’s major cultural resources,” said Vista Mayor Judy Ritter. “While we are saddened by Kathy’s retirement, we are also keenly aware that she leaves the Moonlight with solid artistic standards which are the result of her deep passion and commitment to quality theatre. Kathy’s artistic vision, legacy and strong community ties are unparalled. Everyone in our City thanks her for her long-lasting commitment to Vista and the Moonlight.”
“It has been a great pleasure to work with my dear friend and colleague,” said City Manager Rita Geldert. “It is because of Kathy that Vista has a significant cultural arts program that serves the region. More than one-million people have come through the Moonlight’s gates over the past 31 years. This is due to Kathy’s unwavering commitment to high artistic standards; her ability to connect with the community and passionate dedication to the Moonlight and to Vista. I am so proud of Kathy’s work and to be associated with her. I wish Kathy well in her much deserved retirement.”
“The journey of building Moonlight Stage Productions into the theatre company which the City of Vista has nurtured for 31 years has been an incredibly rewarding and challenging job,” Brombacher said. “I could not be more grateful to have been supported by the City and the Moonlight Cultural Foundation as our Moonlight team of technical, management and artists worked together to develop the theatre’s vision for excellence. The passionate commitment of our Moonlight team and our volunteers from our North County communities has always been an inspiration. In my retirement I intend to continue to work “behind the scenes” to help the theatre grow through the next decades."
Since 1981, Brombacher has produced more than 189 productions for the Summer Season at the Moonlight Amphitheatre, the Winter Season at the AVO Playhouse and numerous special events. Under her leadership, the Moonlight’s artistic successes have been recognized by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle, the Patté Awards for Theatrical Excellence, and the Robby Awards among others. The theatre’s major milestones under Brombacher’s tenure include the completion of the Moonlight Amphitheatre’s new state-of-the-art stage house in 2009, and the transformation of the AVO Playhouse from a movie house to a theatre venue in 1995.
Brombacher was hired on a full-time basis as the Cultural Arts Program Manager to serve as the Moonlight’s Artistic Director in 1989. Her hiring by the City was preceded by a 12-year career as a theatre and English educator in the Vista Unified School District. Brombacher has been recognized as Management Employee of the Year by the City of Vista, received awards and recognition from California Women in Government, Soroptimist International of Oceanside for work which enhances the community, was named one of the “50 People to Watch” by North County Magazine, received the Craig Noel Award for Theatrical Trailblazer by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle, the Shiley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Patté Awards for Theatrical Excellence, and the Vista Historical Society named her a member of the Vista Hall of Fame in 2010.
Brombacher holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Redlands and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Denver.
In announcing her retirement, Brombacher has also revealed her last slate of Broadway musicals to be presented in the 2012 Summer Season at the Moonlight Amphitheatre. The 32nd season will include Legally Blonde - The Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, Anything Goes, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
“This upcoming summer season is a perfect mix of new and revived shows (the Southern California regional musical theatre premiere of Legally Blonde) revived artistic choices (Anything Goes and Sweeney Todd) and the wonderful classic favorite which lives in our hearts as a beloved film as well as a theatrical musical (Fiddler on the Roof )," Brombacher notes. "With this season, we’ll be able to showcase the works of conductors, actors, directors and choreographers whose work exemplifies excellence in a wide-range of musical, dance and acting styles. My vision for Moonlight’s summer season has always been to produce a wide span of diversified kinds of musicals; keeping a “risk” musical among the beloved favorites and giving our performers and designers challenging projects on which to collaborate.”
About the Shows
Legally Blonde: The Musical
Based on the hit movie, Legally Blonde The Musical takes the stage in a smart pink bow of fun! Elle Woods is the college sweetheart and homecoming queen who doesn’t take no for an answer. So when her boyfriend Warner dumps her for someone ‘serious,’ Elle puts down the credit cards, hits the books, and heads for Harvard Law School. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style. In its first year on Broadway, Legally Blonde The Musical earned seven 2007 Tony Award nominations, ten 2007 Drama Desk Award nominations, and a 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award. The Moonlight production marks the musical’s Southern California Regional Premiere.
Fiddler on the Roof
Relive a glorious tradition as Moonlight presents the Tony Award-winning musical set in 1905 in a small Jewish village in Russia telling the story of dairyman Tevye and his attempts to preserve his family’s traditions in a changing world. Fiddler was one of the first Broadway musicals to depict serious issues ranging from persecution, poverty, to holding on to one’s beliefs. The musical has been lauded by critics again and again winning the hearts of audiences around the world. Filled with a rousing, heart-warming score that includes “Tradition,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset,” Fiddler on the Roof premiered on Broadway in 1964 garnering nine Tony Awards. The 1971 movie version went on to earn Academy Awards and subsequent Broadway revivals in 1991 and 2004 earned the musical even more Tony Awards. David Ellenstein, the critically acclaimed Artistic Director of North Coast Repertory Theatre, has been signed to play Tevye, the dairyman, in Moonlight’s production.
Anything Goes
Set sail on the S.S. American and get ready for a voyage of shipboard shenanigans, fabulous Cole Porter music, and dazzling tap dance numbers. On board ship are a gangster on the run posing as a minister, a nightclub singer and her four dancing “Angels,” a society Miss who is engaged to a stuffy Englishman along with her ex-boyfriend who stows on board to try and win her back. A series of comical mistaken identities ensues as the passengers and crew sing and dance their way across the Atlantic to such fantastic tunes as “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “It’s De-lovely,” and “Blow Gabriel, Blow” among others. Anything Goes is one of musical theatre’s most endearing pieces and was first presented on Broadway in 1934. It has gone on to become a musical theatre staple and is enjoying a Broadway revival. Moonlight is one of the few theatres outside of New York to be given the rights to present the show.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Stephen Sondheim’s ground-breaking musical experience is laced with brilliant wit and dark humor. Centering on Sweeney Todd’s return to London after three years of false imprisonment, the musical boldly displays his savage quest for justice and retribution. Aided and abetted by the pie-shop owner, Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney sets out to avenge the wrong doings done to him and his family. Set in the 19th century, the Tony Award-winning musical bowed on Broadway in 1979 and is generally regarded as Sondheim’s most beautiful and ingeniously crafted score. This chilling and heart-pounding show has enjoyed a recent Broadway revival and a retelling in the Tim Burton film version. Sweeney Todd is recommended for mature audiences.
Calendar Information
Legally Blonde - The Musical
June 27-July 14 at 8:00 pm
Fiddler on the Roof
July 25-August 11 at 8:00 pm
Anything Goes
August 22-September 8 at 8:00 pm
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
September 19-October 6 at 7:30 pm
Ticket Information
Subscriptions on sale March 17.
Single tickets on sale April 28.
For More Information
Phone: 760.724.2110
Web: moonlightstage.com
Moonlight Stage Productions is the cultural arts program of the City of Vista. Its summer season of Broadway musicals under the stars is presented June through October in the state-of-the art, 2000-person capacity Moonlight Amphitheatre situated within Brengle Terrace Park. The Moonlight’s winter season of small-scale musicals and plays is presented January through April in the intimate AVO Playhouse located within the heart of the historic Vista Village. Both seasons are produced in partnership with the Moonlight Cultural Foundation, the theatre’s non-profit fund-raising partner which annually secures corporate and individual sponsorships, individual memberships and produces a number of annual special events to support the Moonlight’s programs.
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- 2012 Winter Season
- Subscriptions $72
- Single Tickets $22 - $30
- Call Vistix 760-724-2110
