Selling out already? That’s how good Turlock venue’s upcoming season is

Tried-and-true joins some things new on the recently announced lineup for Turlock Community Theatre’s upcoming season of shows.

Returnees include comedian Howie Mandel, singer Tim Flannery and his band and a live re-creation of the iconic TV game show “The Price Is Right,” complete with a chance to win appliances, vacations and – yes – even a new car. On the new side are country acts LOCASH and Aaron Lewis, Gavin DeGraw, Pink Martini, Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood and classic rock/folk artists Stephen Stills with Judy Collins.

Managing Director Kit Casey said he’s excited about the 2017-18 lineup for the 1,000-seat nonprofit venue. The new nine-show season begins Sept. 10 with Lewis and ends April 25 with “The Price Is Right Live.”

Already, the gamble on the new side is paying off, with brisk ticket sales for Lewis. “The response so far has been good for most of the shows, and outstanding for our first show, Aaron Lewis,” Casey said. “He is almost sold out already.”

Hard rocker-turned-country singer, Lewis might best be known as former frontman for the band Staind, which broke mainstream in the 1990s and early 2000s with hits like “It’s Been Awhile.” Now, Lewis is finding wins in the “outlaw” country genre, with his 2016 album, “Sinner,” debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s country albums chart.

Diversity is a theme in the new season’s slate of performers. “We always try to diversify our performances as much as possible,” Casey said in an email interview. “Some seasons, that is easier than others, but this season it worked out well. The greater the diversity of our performances, the greater the diversity of our audience. We always want to appeal to as many people in the community as we can.”

Also appealing to audiences is comedy, and Casey has a pair of shows that he expects to do well – Mandel and improv team Mochrie & Sherwood.

“Who doesn’t like to laugh, especially when seeing all of the negativity in the news on a daily basis?” he said. “It is nice to just turn that off and have a fun evening out. Comedy is a good remedy for this.”

Bringing back “The Price is Right Live” was another easy selection – two shows in 2016 sold out, Casey said.

“The great thing about this show is that it is based on audience participation, so it is different every time. Plus, there is the chance for people to win a lot of great prizes. This is kind of the same thing with the Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood show. It is based on audience participation and improvisation with Colin and Brad, minus the prizes, plus the laughs. The show will be different every time it plays.”

The Stephen Stills and Judy Collins show is something new for the region – and for the classic rock/folk performers: the singer-songwriters met 50 years ago and embarked on a tumultuous, ultimately doomed love affair. Stills immortalized their relationship with the hit song “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” which he performed as a member of iconic group Crosby, Stills & Nash. Their current tour marks the first together for Stills and Collins.

Booking a season of acts is “always challenging,” Casey said. “It seems as though each year the artists take longer and longer to confirm show dates. There are lots of factors involved in this, one of which is getting various artist to commit to a show many months out.”

One factor that often crops up is a logjam during a particular month for artists whose tours are scheduled to hit the West Coast. “This year, that month is October,” Casey said, with four of the theater’s nine shows landing that one month. “But we have to take them when we can get them. The end of the season is always harder to book than the beginning, as most of the artists we deal with are not planning more than six months out.”

Also on the horizon will be a new fundraiser for the theater, the launch of the “Turlock Community Theatre Gong Show,” a talent competition. Casey expects auditions to take place in November with a target of January for the show. Because the venue is a nonprofit, fundraisers and donations are important to keep the theater going, he said.

For tickets, more information on the new season or for donating see www.turlocktheatre.org or call the theater at 209-668-1169.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Selling out already? That’s how good Turlock venue’s upcoming season is."