 Benefit
Concert
We've got the Delta blues
and so will you on July 17
With a loss of financial support this year, the Delta Blues
Festival -a free crowd-pleasing event at Waldie Plaza in downtown
Antioch for the past 11 years-faced extinction until the El
Campanil Theatre came to the rescue.
The theater will host a blues concert as a benefit for the
organization that produced the festival. Organizers were determined
not to let the event fade away.
The concert will get under way at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 17. All
seats are reserved.
Tickets may be purchased in advance at the ticket office, 604 W.
Second Street, next door to the theatre (Monday through Friday 10
a.m. - 3 p.m.) and one hour before show time. Tickets may also be
ordered online (www.elcampaniltheatre.com) by phone: (925)
757-9500.
Scheduled to perform are Johnny Nitro & The Door Slammers, Broadway
John,Chris Cobb, Dave Workman, Frankie G., Jan Fanucchi, Jim
Caroompas, John Clifton (MOFO), Ron Hacker, Steve Freund, Wingnut
Adams.
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$292,000 In Improvements
El Campanil gets new
lighting, air conditioning
and other amenities--even a grand piano
We're working hard these days
to make sure your attendance at El Campanil Theatre is not only a
pleasant and entertaining one, but also a comfortable one.
In May, workers completed the installation of lighting strips on
each of the steps leading from the main floor to the loge-opera
section. In addition to guiding patrons to their seating locations,
the new lighting -costing $20,000, also adds an aesthetically-
pleasing touch to the overall ambiance of the theater.
 Late
last year new state-of-the art equipment (cost: $10,000) was
installed to provide quality projection of movies shown at El
Campanil's movie series shown on the last Sunday of each month.
The new system allows movies to be projected via DVDs instead of
reels of film, resulting in sharper images as well as films that
have been restored to high quality digital.
Artists who have used it in their performances have praised the
theater's concert grand piano (a Baldwin) purchased for $8,000.
In the past, the theater rented pianos.
Finally, last year we replaced the 80-year-old cooling system that
conked out (in the heat of summer, no less). The new air
conditioning system cost $254,000 and is more energy-efficient,
thus lowering utility costs.
"Expenditures of this magnitude underscore the continuing need for
donations (tax deductible) from our patrons and others," said Gwen
Fenolio, president of the theatre's board of directors.
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El Campanil's on the move
Varied programs and events attract
growing audiences, participants
As the theater's tag line says, El Campanil presents "quality
entertainment - close to home." Patrons seem to agree.
Since the theater was reopened in 2004 after months of hard work
that restored the 81-year-old venue to its original luster, more
than 190,000 people of all ages have attended and participated in
a diverse array of performances and events-35,000 last year alone.
Some of the 2009 highlights:
· Presented 115 live performances, ranging from classical music,
to Broadway musicals, to tribute bands and community events.
· Served approximately 125 children and youth through our
intensive Children's Theatre program, at no cost to participants.
· Welcomed more than 10,000 school children to performances that
included symphonic concerts, live theater, and educational
programs.
· Served thousands of seniors through specifically tailored
programs, such as Vagabond Players' productions and the 1940's
hit swing musical "In The Mood."
"As we head into our seventh year this month, we're continuing
to schedule entertainment that will satisfy the interests of our
diverse and loyal audiences," says Rick Carraher, El Campanil's
executive director. "Our goal remains: 'Quality
entertainment-close to home.' You'll find part of our lineup
elsewhere in this issue."
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Wedding bells to ring at El Campanil
Antioch couple planning to tie
the knot
in ceremony on July 31 in our theater
Ashley Troxell has a love for
vintage buildings with charm and appeal and was hopeful of finding
such a place for her wedding on July 31.
"I was driving past the old Stamm
Theater (now a church) on G Street and I thought that might be a
nice place for the ceremony," she explained. "So I called my mom and
she said I should check out the El Campanil Theatre. I did and when
I saw the wonderful marquee and beautiful interior, I said, 'this is
it." It was the first time she was ever inside the theater.
After the tour led by Rick Carraher,
the theater's executive director, details of the wedding were
discussed and the event was scheduled. It is believed to be only
the second wedding in the 81-year-old theater, the first occurring
about 60 years ago according to the venue's previous owners.
Carraher is planning to celebrate the
wedding by placing the couple's names in large letters on the
marquee along with photos of the couple in the building's
showcases.
In between working two jobs, Ashley is
busy completing details for the on-stage ceremony. Besides the
groom-Mike Fonti-the wedding party will include four bridesmaids and
four groomsmen.
"I hope we won't be lost on that big
stage," she said.
Nearly 200 guests will be invited to
the event, which will include music arranged by Foti's father.
Ashley and Mike live three miles from
El Campanil in a recently purchased house.
The wedding was planned for July in
anticipation of Mike's deployment overseas. He serves in the Army
reserves and is hoping to begin a career later in movie production.
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We Welcome Daniel Wyatt
Hackenkamp
Daniel Wyatt Hackenkamp has joined the El Campanil Theatre's
extended family as its newest and youngest member. Daniel was
born June 11 at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, weighing
in at 7 pounds and six ounces. His dad, Johnny, is the technical
director-sound technician and overall caretaker at El Campanil.
Johnny is shown here with Daniel and his happy mother Kari.
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El Campanil's Children's Theatre develops wide
range of
performance skills in summer
camp training program
Our summer training camp that provides training to young people who
aspire to careers in the performing arts is now under way under
Sharon Redman, the artistic director of our Children's Theatre
program.
The camp, held in our theater, covers basic training in acting,
stage experience, and performance in musicals, including voice and
dance movement.
Assisting Redman is Katie Behnke, who has performed in more than 24
musical productions since age 10. A student of voice for eight
years, Behnke is currently a theatre major at Tulane University.
The Children's Theatre will open its new season in the fall with
"The Emperor's New Clothes, the Musical," based on the Hans
Christian Anderson classic. The show runs from October 21 through
November 7.
From December 2 through 16, the group will perform a musical version
of "The Velveteen Rabbit," an adaptation of Margery Williams'
poignant children's classic.
Also on the schedule are performances of "The Secret Garden" next
March and April, followed by the Children's Theatre and Redman's
Vagabond Players in a collaborative production of "The King and I"
in late spring of 2011.
In addition to performances in El Campanil, Vagabond Players perform
their shows in senior citizen facilities.
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