The theatre plans to use the 600-seat theatre as a second space, to house both its “Play House” theatre series for families and other productions that the company wishes to present outside its resident theatre season. The Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center is located at 6845 University Avenue in San Diego.
“We’re excited about producing at the Kroc Center,” says Producing Artistic Director Robert Smyth. “It’s a beautiful theatre with easy access for patrons county-wide. Finding viable mid-size performance spaces in San Diego is daunting—we’ve been hoping to find a theatre of this quality and size that we could use for an extended period. We’re very grateful to the Salvation Army, and to the late Joan Kroc, for her foresight and her generosity in making a space like this a reality.”
The Salvation Army Kroc Center is a 12-acre family support, education, recreation, and cultural arts facility. Made possible by a generous gift from philanthropist Mrs. Joan Kroc, the Center provides a variety of programs for individuals of all ages. The community center is available to members and the general public.
Lamb’s Players’ first production at the Joan B. Kroc Theatre will be a revival of the Off-Broadway gospel hit Smoke on the Mountain by Connie Ray. The Great Depression is coming to an end, and the Sanders Family Singers are back on the road again. Of course the bus just broke down, the twins are fighting again, Uncle Stanley’s fresh out of prison, and sister June still can’t really sing. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church will never be the same. Smoke on the Mountain will play August 12—September 26.
Smoke on the Mountain will be directed by Kerry Meads, with a cast that features Scott Kunkel, Kerrie McCann, Season Marshall, Shawn P. Rohlf, and Deborah Gilmour Smyth.
Performances will be Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4:30 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 and 7:00 p.m.
Smoke on the Mountain is one of the most popular pieces in Lamb’s Players Theatre’s repertoire. The theatre has produced it previously in 1992, 1995, and 1999. The Los Angeles Times’ Nancy Churnin called it “both funny and touching.” Pam Kragen of the North County Times called it “roof-raising…a fun-filled show for everyone.” “Directed with heart and vivid humor,” said the San Diego Reader’s Jeff Smith, musing that “in one sense, Lamb’s Players’ funny, talented production is two acts of entertainment. At the same time, it gently explores the ways rigid notions of morality and elitist belief fail to acknowledge the complexities of the ‘modern’ world.” And Rob Stevens in Backstage West called it “a hoot of a show.”
