FOX ON THE FAIRWAY, PERSUASION, RAW and More Set for Ross Valley Players' 85th Season

Ross Valley Players have announced their 2014 - 2015 season which celebrates their 85th consecutive year.

Among the six plays included in the new season is a North Bay premiere adapted by Marin native, Jennifer LeBlanc, a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner (awarded annually to the best English-language play written by a woman), and an audience favorite since its debut in 1880. Each year, Ross Valley Players produces diverse, professional-quality live theater that evokes, entertains and enlivens the human spirit. www.rossvalleyplayers.com

"We are very excited to announce our 85th anniversary season," said RVP Board President Cris Cassell. "Each season we carefully choose plays that are exciting, engaging and entertaining and always with the community in mind. We try to offer our patrons the opportunity to explore the lives of others in different times and different places. This season will take us from the Quail Valley Golf and Country Club in present day to the coast of Cornwall, England at the time of Queen Victoria's reign. This will be an extremely fun season the whole family can enjoy."

Season subscriptions are currently on sale and range in price from $130 for senior citizens to $154 general admission, and include tickets to all six productions in the upcoming season. RAW packages are $25 for two tickets. For more information, or to purchase season tickets online visit www.rossvalleyplayers.com or call 415-456-9555.

The 2014 - 2015 season includes:

The Fox on the Fairway by Ken Ludwig

September 12 - October 12, 2014

Directed by Julianna Rees

A tribute from Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s, The Fox On the Fairway takes audiences on a hilarious romp which pulls the rug out from underneath the stuffy denizens of a private country club. This play is filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors, and over-the-top romantic shenanigans.

Jane Austen's Persuasion by Jennifer Le Blanc - A North Bay premiere

November 14 - December 14, 2014

Directed by Mary Ann Rodgers

Regency England on the Ross Valley Stage! Austen's final and most nuanced novel is brought to life in this new adaptation by Marin native Jennifer LeBlanc. This tale has the wit, intelligence, and keen social satire we expect from Austen and so much more.

Impressionism by Michael Jacobs

January 16 - February 15, 2015

Directed by Billie Cox

In this gentle romantic comedy, a world traveling photojournalist and a New York gallery owner discover each other and also that there might be an art to repairing broken lives.

A Month in the Country adapted by Brian Friel from Turgenev

March 13 - April 12, 2015

Directed by James Nelson

Friel's fresh adaptation of this moving comedy brings Turgenev's characters to life with an Irish lilt. The beautiful Natalya Petrovna is falling hard for the handsome young tutor of her ward, but what of her husband and her lover? Rich in texture and tone with complex, fascinating characters, A Month in the Country allows people to laugh at themselves for being human.

The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl -- Winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

May 15 - June 14, 2015

Directed by JoAnne Winter

What would you do if the maid you hired to clean your house didn't like cleaning? What if she spent her days working out her comic bits - in Portuguese? And what if you discovered that your sister secretly cleaned your house instead? This original, funny, and ultimately profound comedy will charm and delight with its quirky humor and deep compassion for the human condition.

The Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan

July 17 - August 16, 2015

Directed by James Dunn

Pirates, major-generals and lovely maidens -- OH MY. The whole family will revel in this Gilbert and Sullivan favorite. This comic opera has been constantly produced by professional and community theaters since its debut in 1880.

RAW Ross Alternative Works - Introducing New Plays

October 17-26, 2014

April 17-26, 2015

Experience contemporary, provocative and imaginative new works by Bay Area playwrights. Running two weekends in the fall and two in the spring, these are "first light" presentations of scripts not previously produced or published. Participate in the creative process with playwrights, directors, and actors at moderated discussions following all matinee performances.

Celebrating its 85th year, Ross Valley Players, a non-profit arts organization, is the oldest continually operating community theater on the West Coast. Created in 1930 as a way to escape the hardships of the Depression, Ross Valley Players has introduced live theater to thousands of Marin residents over the years. Each year, RVP presents a regular season of six full productions, running a total of 30 weeks. RVP offers special events and short-term productions outside the regular season. Plays include recent Broadway material, popular plays, classic theater, and a selection of works by well-known playwrights from around the world. RVP features all genres: comedy, drama, mysteries, and musicals. Their Ross Alternative Works (RAW) program presents short run, minimal set productions of original scripts by Bay Area playwrights in two festivals each season.

Pictured: Derek Jepson as Justin; Lydia Singleton as Louise in Fox on the Fairway. Photo by Robin Jackson.