PowPAC’s new season begins July 6 with “Romeo and Juliet”

PowPAC, Poway’s Community Theatre, will debut its 2018-19 season with a modern take on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” opening July 6.

PowPAC will present six shows this season, ranging from thrillers to comedy. All shows are performed at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $22 adults, $20 seniors, students and military and are available at powpac.org.

“Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Tyler Richards Hewes and produced by Heather Deerfield and Samuel Young, is being presented in partnership with the Pickwick Players. The Pickwick Players is based out of Santee and was established in 2010 by educators wanting to provide affordable theatrical productions to youth and adults, according to its website. The show will run through Aug. 5.

The show will star Andrea Acuña as Romeo, Heather Warren, Juliet, Kandace Crystal as Mercutio/Abraham, Samantha Schmidt as Tybalt/Watchman, Linda Benning as Friar Lawrence, Jeremy Schaeg as Lord Capulet, Nick Hessling as Paris/Gregory, Jacob Harr as Benvolio/Watchman, Emilee Zuniga as Lady Capulet, Dennis Floyd as Lord Montague/Friar John, Paola Kubelis as Prince/Apothecary, Cassandra Shellum as Peter/Sampson/Page and Ashley La Selva as Nurse/Lady Montegue/Balthasar.

The next show in PowPAC’s new season is the classic stage thriller “Deathtrap,” by Ira Levin. The show will be directed by Brent Stringfield and produced by Lynn Wolsey and will run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 30. “Deathtrap” tells the story of Sidney Bruhl, a successful writer of Broadway thrillers, who collaborates with a college student following a dry spell, and the twists and turns that follow, according to the PowPAC website.

PowPAC will celebrate the holidays with Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol.” Directed by Annette Alliano, this production twists the classic tale in setting the show on Christmas Eve 1843 as friends and family gather at Dickens’ home. They request Dickens tell a story, but refusing to work on Christmas Eve, the author instead insists everyone take a part in the telling. The show will feature a cast of 10 playing 40 characters. The show will run from Nov. 2 to Dec. 9.

The next show in the season will be “People v. Beanstalk,” described as “a courtroom drama of fairytale proportions.” Written by local playwright Neil Pisk, this show envisions Jack Beanstalk on trial for the murder of the Giant after he topples the magic beanstalk, according to the website. The jury will be drawn from the audience of each performance and will decide the verdict. The show will run from Jan. 11 to Feb. 10 2019.

The Neil Simon comedy “Jake’s Women, will run from March 8 to April 7. Described as “a comedy of mindful proportions,” the show is about Jake, a novelist who is more successful with fiction than with life, according to the PowPAC website. He faces a marital crisis by daydreaming about the women in his life, including his deceased first wife, his grown daughter, his sister, his soon-to-be-ex-wife and a potential new wife.

The final show of PowPAC’s new season is the comedy “Exit Laughing,” running from May 3 to June 2. Directed by Gil Savage and produced by Corothy Courtney, this show tells the story of three southern ladies from Birmingham, Connie, Leona and Millie, who steal the ashes of the fourth member of their friend group from the funeral home for one last card game.

PowPAC is at 13250 Poway Road in the Lively Center. The theater is on the second floor; handicap accessibility is available via an elevator in the back of the building.

Email: entertainment@pomeradonews.com