Stephen Moorer (born September 29, 1961) is a stage actor, director, producer and non-profit administrator based on the Central California Coast.[1] He founded the only year-round professional theatre in Monterey County, GroveMont Theatre in 1982, renaming the non-profit organization Pacific Repertory Theatre in 1994, when the group acquired the Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.[2]
Moorer was born in Santa Monica, California. His parents are George Edward Moorer, a retired salesman and entrepreneur, and Carrol Rothe Moorer, a nurse. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to the Monterey Peninsula. His mother acted in amateur performances in the San Fernando Valley, and Moorer got an early taste of performing in community theatre. His first principal role was Miles in The Innocents (based on The Turn of the Screw), with The Rafters Theatre Guild. Moorer attended the Carmel, California middle and high schools, becoming actively involved in the drama program, acting in and producing shows. In his senior year, he played a criminal mastermind in Wait Until Dark. From the age of 11 to 17, Moorer also studied theatre at Carmel's Children's Experimental Theatre.[1]
After graduating from high school in 1979, Moorer appeared in a three-show repertory season at Hartnell Summer Theatre (which was later called the Western Stage). He returned to the Children's Experimental Theatre in 1980 for a paid internship, sponsored by CETA, studying acting and theatre production. In 1982, he trained in an intensive 16-week summer season at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.[1]
At the Forest Theater, for the Carmel Shake-speare Festival, he played Richmond in Richard III (1993), the title role in Coriolanus (1997), and Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream (2000). In 2002, he returned to PacRep, where he revisited the title role in The Elephant Man (2002, opposite Barbara Babcock). Of this performance, one reviewer wrote, "Moorer reprises his 1988 role ... with skill and dignity. Working with no makeup or prosthesis to simulate Merrick's appearance, Moorer twists his face into a grotesque mask from which a high-pitched, rasping, wheezing voice emerges. From a physical aspect alone, Moorer's performance is skilled and noteworthy. Moorer also delivers a well-executed emotional performance that highlights Merrick's artistic sensitivity and droll sense of humor."[4] He next played Jason in Medea (2003)[5] (directed by Joseph Chaikin).[6] His performances as Ned in Elizabeth Rex and Edward de Vere in The Beard of Avon (2005), were praised by the critic of the Monterey County Weekly as "two of the greatest performances I've seen during three years of reviewing plays on the Peninsula".[7][8]
In 2007, he played the title role in Macbeth (2007)."[3] In 2012, he appeared as Marc Antony in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, in 2014, he portrayed Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, and in 2017 he played the title role in Cyrano at the Forest Theater. Monterey Herald critic Barbara Shuler noted that the "version fits Moorer well, allowing him plenty of knockabout comedy to enjoy alongside the deep dive into the pathos and suffering of this complex character. He does both with Cyrano-style panache and gives a heartrendingly moving performance in the final scene."[9]
Moorer also directed PacRep's inaugural production at the Circle Theatre of the Golden Bough of La Bete (1995), as well as Sylvia (1998), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (2000), Edward III (2001), Richard II (2001), Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You (2002), Henry VI Parts 1, 2& 3 (2004), and Richard III (2004).[3] Of his Shakespeare "Royal Blood" series, Talkin' Broadway wrote, "Moorer ... has assembled a brilliant cast of actors from both San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles.... Moorer's direction is first class as he makes both productions exciting human dramas."[10] Another critic wrote, "director Stephen Moorer handles the time-shifting sequences with a keen immediacy that's become his trademark".[11][12]
In 2003, Moorer produced and directed a Bay Area Critics' Awards-winning production of Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story.[14][15] This production, starring Travis Poelle, opened at the Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel and moved to San Jose, playing at the San Jose Stage. The success of the production led to a revival in 2004 at the Post St. Theatre in San Francisco, garnering positive reviews[15] and Bay Area Critics' awards for Best Musical, Best Ensemble, and Best Actor in a Musical (Travis Poelle).[16]Buddy Holly's widow, Maria Elena Holly, attended the show at each location, dancing onstage with the cast at curtain call.[17] This production later returned to Carmel for several runs, most recently in 2008.[18]
In 2016, after a two-year renovation, the Forest Theater reopened with a season highlighted by The Wizard of Oz, produced and directed by Moorer. In 2017, Moorer directed and produced Peter Pan, also at the Forest Theater.[20] This was followed in 2018 and 2019 by Fun Home at the Golden Bough and Beauty and the Beast at the Forest. Following the suspension of live performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Moorer reopened the Forest Theater in August 2021 by producing and directing a revival of Shrek the Musical.[3][21]
Producer
Moorer began working in theatre production in 1981 as production manager for Carl Cherry Foundation's New Play Series.[1] By 2006, he had produced over 350 shows.[7] He founded GroveMont Theatre, now Pacific Repertory Theatre, in 1982, acting as Artistic Director, and based the company in the Monterey Playhouse.[22] Since that time, he has continued to lead the organization's activities as a major Monterey County arts institution and the only professional theatre company on the Monterey Peninsula.[23][24] In 1986, he oversaw the creation of the GroveMont Theatre Arts Center (now the Hoffman Street Theatre), and in 1990, he directed the renovation of the Monterey Playhouse.
In 1990, Moorer founded the Carmel Shake-speare Festival.[25][26] This annual summer festival uses all three of PacRep's stages, presenting a rotating repertory of Shakespeare, musicals, children's plays and other classic works of English-language drama.[27] Moorer also founded the Monterey Bay TheatreFest[28] and the Actors-in-the-Adobes programs. He is also the co-founder of the Monterey County Theatre Alliance, a founding Board Member of Monterey Opera Association,[1] the co-founder of Forest Theater Foundation, and a founding Board Member of Carmel Performing Arts Festival.[3]
In 1993, Moorer spearheaded the campaign to save the Golden Bough Playhouse, and he has since directed its ongoing development and renovation.[29][30]
In 2008, the Board of Directors of Pacific Repertory Theatre named Moorer as executive director.[31] From 2008 through 2011, Moorer oversaw the Golden Bough Capital Campaign, resulting in a $2.5 million "Phase One" remodel project, designed by U.S. theatre architect Richard McCann, completed in October 2011. Phase One redesigned the main stage area of the primary Golden Bough Theatre, adding a digital projection system and two permanently installed revolving turntables. Additionally, the smaller Circle Theatre was rebuilt, electrical systems were upgraded, and safety and ADA access was improved. In 2017, Moorer announced plans for the "Phase Two" campaign, with a goal of $2.7 million, focusing primarily on the main auditorium and lobby areas.[32]
In October 2018, Moorer announced a gift of $2.3 million from local philanthropies Roberta Bialek Elliot, which "essentially assures the completion of renovations" on PacRep's Golden Bough Playhouse."[33]
Carmel-by-the-Sea, commonly known simply as Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, located on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 3,220, down from 3,722 at the 2010 census. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is a popular tourist destination, known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history.
The San Jose Repertory Theatre was the first resident professional theatre company in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1980 by James P. Reber. In 2008, after the demise of the American Musical Theatre of San Jose, the San Jose Rep became the largest non-profit, professional theatre company in the South Bay with an annual operating budget of $5 million. In 2006, it was saved from impending insolvency by a $2 million bailout loan from the city of San Jose; this was later restructured into a long-term loan similar to a mortgage.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. It runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley.
Elizabeth Rex is a play by Timothy Findley. It premiered in a 2000 production by the Stratford Festival. The play won the 2000 Governor General's Award for English language drama.
The Pacific Repertory Theatre is a non-profit California corporation, based in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, that produces theatrical productions and events, including the annual Carmel Shakespeare Festival. It is one of eight major arts institutions in Monterey County, as designated by the Community Foundation of Monterey County, and is supported in part by grants from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the Berkshire Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
The Forest Theater is an historic amphitheater in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Founded in 1910, it is one of the oldest outdoor theaters west of the Rockies. Actor/director Herbert Heron is generally cited as the founder and driving force, and poet/novelist Mary Austin is often credited with suggesting the idea. As first envisioned, original works by California authors, children's theatre, and the plays of Shakespeare were the primary focus. Since its inception, a variety of artists and theatre groups have presented plays, pageants, musical offerings and other performances on the outdoor stage, and the facility's smaller indoor theatre and school.
The Golden Bough Playhouse is a historic three-story theatre in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California on Monte Verde St., between 8th and 9th Avenues. The playhouse occupies the site of the former Carmel Arts and Crafts Club, Carmel's first cultural center and theatre, built in 1906–1907 on Casanova Street, and the Arts and Crafts Hall, built in 1923–1924 on an adjacent lot on Monte Verde Street. Since 1994, the facility has been owned and operated by Pacific Repertory Theatre, Monterey County's only year-round professional theatre company. A two-phase renovation of the aging facility began with an interior building project in 2011. A second phase project, including both interior and exterior renovations, is scheduled for 2023-2024. The theatre was recorded with the National Register of Historic Places on July 3, 2002. It is significant as a California historic building because it is located on the original site of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club and Hall, the oldest indoor performing arts venues in Carmel.
Francis Jue is an American actor and singer. Jue is known for his performances on Broadway, in national tours, Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and at The Muny in St. Louis. His roles in plays and musicals range from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein to David Henry Hwang. He is also known for his recurring role on the TV series Madam Secretary (2014–2019).
High School Musical on Stage! is a musical based on the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, with music and lyrics by Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Ray and Greg Cham, Drew Seeley, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, Andy Dodd, Adam Watts, Bryan Louiselle, David N. Lawrence, Faye Greenberg and Jamie Houston, and a book by David Simpatico. It quickly became a popular choice for high school musical theater productions.
Larry Carpenter is an American theatre and television director and producer. In the theatre, he has worked as an artistic director, associate artistic director, a managing director and general manager in both the New York and Regional arenas. He also works as a theatre director and is known primarily for large projects, working on musicals and classical plays equally. In television, he works as a director for New York daytime dramas. He has served as executive vice president of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the national labor union for professional stage directors and choreographers. He is also a member of the Directors Guild of America PAC.
Tony Taccone is an American theater director, and the former artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, California.
Les Waters is a British theatre director. Waters was the Artistic Director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville. He has directed plays Off-Broadway and also at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Actors Theatre.
The Theatre of the Golden Bough also known as the Golden Bough Theatre, was located on Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. This "Golden Bough" was one of two theaters in Carmel's history. It was destroyed by fire on May 19, 1935. Kuster moved his film operation to the older facility on Monte Verde Street, renamed it the Filmarte and it became the first "art house" between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It later became the Golden Bough Playhouse that still exists today.
Rick Lombardo is a prolific and award-winning American theatre director, playwright and adaptor. He is the former producing artistic director of San Jose Repertory Theatre, and the former Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, Massachusetts. Lombardo is currently the artistic director of Penn State Center Stage, and the director of the School of Theatre at Penn State University and the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture.
The Carmel Arts and Crafts Club was an art gallery, theatre and clubhouse founded in 1905, by Elsie Allen, a former art instructor for Wellesley College. After using the facilities of various town parks and hotels, in 1907, a clubhouse was built at Monte Verde Street in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, where the Circle Theatre of the Golden Bough Playhouse is today. The clubhouse served as Carmel's first community cultural center. It held dramatic performances, poetry readings, lectures, and was a summer school for the arts. Between 1919 and 1948 Carmel was the largest art colony on the Pacific coast.
Edward Gerhard Kuster was a musician and attorney from Los Angeles for twenty-one years before coming to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in 1921. He became involved in theater and establish his own theatre and school. He built the Theatre of the Golden Bough in 1924, and a second theater, the Golden Bough Playhouse in 1952. Kuster directed 85 plays and acted in more than 50 roles in the 35 years he lived in Carmel.
The Abalone League was an amateur baseball and softball club based in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California from 1921 through 1938. It was the first softball league in the Western United States. The League was incorporated on September 8, 1927. The League was a Carmel focal point for many years.
Ernest Seraphin Schweninger was an American actor, realtor, and grocer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He became owner of Carmel's first Bakery and the Schweninger's Grocery Store. Schweninger was a founding member of the Carmel American Legion Post No. 512 and the Abalone League. He appeared in many of the early plays at the Forest Theater and Theatre of the Golden Bough. He became a partner and sales manager for the Carmel Land Company that helped develop Hatton Fields, southeast of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
References
"The Madness of Kings: A Small Company Takes on the Great Theatrical Tale of America's Last Royal Ruler", San Jose Mercury News, July 14, 1995, p.39E
Clarkson, Philip B. "Carmel Shake-speare Festival", Shakespeare Companies and Festivals: An International Guide, pp.28–31 (Eds. Ron Engle, Felicia Hardison Londré and Daniel J. Watermeier). Greenwood Publishing Group, 1995 ISBN0-313-27434-7
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