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Superior Donuts

By Tracy Letts
Directed by Kurt Schweickhardt

Show Runs from November 21- December 8, 2019

Tickets on Sale Now!

MPC Theatre Arts continues our 66^th season, which focuses on identity, with this fun and tasty comedy by Tracy Letts, recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play August: Osage County. With Superior Donuts, Letts takes a modern look at what it means to be American and part of a changing community. The play is about the unlikely friendship that develops between Arthur Przybyszewski, a burnt out former 1960s radical, and owner of a rundown donut shop in Uptown Chicago, and Franco, his energetic, somewhat troubled young African American employee, who wants to update the shop with new music and a healthy menu. Both men are at risk; Arthur from despondency and lack of motivation; Franco from past decisions that continue to endanger him. Like a multicolored donut, this play is sprinkled with both humor and drama, along with quirky neighborhood characters, some of them absurd, some endearing, and others threatening. And of course, cops. You can’t have a donut shop without cops. One of whom just might be interested in Arthur…

-About the Director-

Kurt Schweickhardt – Kurt got his B.A. in Acting and Directing from Cal State Hayward (now East Bay), and his M.F.A in Acting from the University of Minnesota.  After grad school he worked as an actor and acting instructor/coach in the Twin Cities.  Kurt performed on most of the professional stages there, including The Guthrie, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, The Jungle, Park Square and others.  He has performed in movies and on TV as well, including featured roles in Amerika, Fargo, and Factotum.  He is a member of Actors Equity Association and is part of the Financial Core of SAG-AFTRA.  He taught a variety of Theatre courses at Normandale Community College in the Twin Cities for 34 years.  He returned home to CA in the fall of 2017. Kurt served as Text Coach for the MPC productions Romeo & Juliet (2019) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2019). Superior Donuts will be Kurt’s directorial debut here at MPC.

-About the Design Team-

The Design team includes Dan Beck (Production Coordinator), Eric Maximoff (Scenic Designer and Master Carpenter), Teddy Eck (Producer & Costumes), and Chas Moore (Lighting Designer.)

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Performance Dates and Times:

Superior Donuts previews Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 PM. Opening Night is Friday, November 22 at 7:30 PM. Performances run Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM from November 21 through December 8. There is an added discount performance on Wednesday, November 27 at 7:30 pm, with all tickets being $12.50, and NO performance on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 28.

Opening night post-show reception
The opening night performance on Friday, November 22, includes a post-show reception with refreshments.

Post-show Talk Backs: 
Join the director & cast for a post-show discussions immediately following the Sunday, November 24 and Friday, December 6 performances, to discuss the concepts, themes, and creative process of this production.

Ticket Information:

Tickets are available through the MPC Box Office on the Monterey Peninsula College Campus at 980 Fremont Street. The Box Office 831-646-4213 is located in the lobby of the Theatre Arts building on the southwest corner of the MPC campus, adjacent to parking lot “C” just off Fishnet road. The Box Office is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3:00 – 7:00 PM and two hours prior to performances during performance weeks. Tickets can also be purchased online.

Thursday Performances:
Thursday Preview and subsequent Thursday performances are $12.50 for all Adults

All Regular Performances:
24-hour advance tickets are $20.00 for Adults and Seniors (or $25 and $22 at the door.) Military, Teachers, and Young Adults (13-21) are $15.00 each. Reservations are recommended.

Please note: Campus Parking is required for Thursday evening performances and cost is $3.00.  Some kiosks take quarters, others only accept dollar bills.