THEATER PREVIEW:

Golden West College’s Mainstage Theater will be going on the disabled list next season, but the school’s theater department is planning on conducting business as usual.

“Next season, our Mainstage Theater will be undergoing some renovations to our current heating and air-conditioning system,” said Tom Amen, director of most GWC productions. “In the meantime, we have created a dynamic theater season that will include productions in both the Mainstage Theater as well as our intimate Stage West Theater.”

The Stage West Theater, formerly known as the Actors’ Playbox, is a much smaller, more intimate venue adjacent to the Mainstage, which will house three of the college’s shows during the 2008-09 season.

“Three of our five productions will be staged in our intimate Stage West Theater,” said Amen, urging season subscribers to renew early since the shows in the smaller theater should sell out early.

Leading off the upcoming season, in the Mainstage Theater, will be John Steinbeck’s classic drama “Of Mice and Men,” which Amen will direct. The story of two migrant workers and their brush with tragedy will be from Oct. 17-26.

“Nine,” the musical version of Federico Fellini’s movie “8 ½,” also is ticketed for the Mainstage and will be directed and choreographed by Martie Ramm (who’s currently preparing “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” for a May 2 opening). The winner of seven Tony awards follows a famous Italian director through his romantic escapades. Performances will be from Nov. 7-16.

The scene shifts to the Stage West Theater for “Rashomon,” the Japanese drama that inspired the Paul Newman movie “The Hostage.” The murder of a Samurai is depicted in contradictory versions in this March 6-15 production, to be directed by Amen.

Psychiatry comes in for a few Christopher Durang broadsides in “Beyond Therapy,” also in the Stage West and scheduled for May 1-10, 2009. Ramm is scheduled to direct the comedy which focuses on two lonely singles and their respective analysts.

Winding up the GWC season, also in the Stage West, will be “What the Bellhop Saw,” a wild comic farce with Amen at the helm.

Notice that the title is “Bellhop,” not “Butler,” so don’t expect the Joe Orton comedy when performances unfold from June 19-28, 2009.

“We are very excited to have this opportunity to present our audiences with such a unique season,” Amen declares, adding that GWC will offer “a season that combines some outstanding works of theater in two very different and dynamic theater spaces.”

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.