Music, jokes and more for Turlock theater season

Some familiar favorites and a slate of new acts will cross the Turlock Community Theatre stage for 2015-16.

Season and individual tickets are on sale for the upcoming 11-show season scheduled from Aug. 25 through March 19.

“More acts this year happened to be rolling through our area at the right time and we jumped on the opportunities,” said Kit Casey, managing director of the theater, which generally has booked additional shows over the course of its past seasons.

On tap are country acts Wynonna, Josh Turner and Dwight Yoakam; comedy from Lily Tomlin and the upcoming “Last Comic Standing” crew; rock from Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo and the Buddy Holly “Winter Dance Party” tribute; and blues from Elvin Bishop with Tommy Castro. Then there are some eclectic shows that will be firsts for the region – baseball’s Tim Flannery, a chance for patrons to win prizes with “The Price Is Right Live,” and a one-man stage performance from William Shatner.

“We have some (shows) that came up as possibilities that we jumped on right away because they were unique and new,” Casey said of the offerings in an email interview. “Tim Flannery, former third-base coach for the Giants, is also a very talented musician, singer and songwriter. ‘The Price Is Right Live,’ a game show, will be a first for us and is generating a lot of buzz. And, without question, William Shatner is larger than life and about as unique and fascinating as they come.”

The “Star Trek” actor’s show will include “storytelling, jokes, anecdotes, songs and more from this classically trained Shakespearean actor and cultural icon,” Casey said.

Fans of game shows – and winning prizes – will enjoy “The Price Is Right,” but should not expect to see TV host Drew Carey in Turlock.

“There will be prizes given away, and many of the popular games that people have come to know on ‘The Price Is Right’ will be a part of the show,” Casey said. “The host will not be Drew Carey. They have not let us know yet who the host will be, as they have a few well-known hosts that rotate depending on location, timing, etc.”

Fans of another TV show – or of simply laughter – will be happy to see a return of the “Last Comic Standing” tour this season. Last year’s stop by the finalists and winner from the summer competition show was a sellout, Casey said.

Ticketholders can watch the series on NBC beginning July 22 to see who will end up in Turlock come September.

“We are very excited to be bringing it back,” Casey said. “The great thing about the show, and part of the reason we brought it back, is that it is a whole new set of top-notch comedians each year. We are looking forward to seeing whom it will be that ends up on our stage.”

The new season comes on the heels of a particularly successful one for the historic Turlock venue in terms of ticket sales. Last season also thrust the venue into the news after comedian Bill Cosby was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women in his past. Cosby’s January Turlock show had been booked and sold out before those allegations surfaced. The show came and went without much incident, however.

And it was just a footnote to a 2014-15 season of shows that “were either completely sold out or down to a handful of tickets remaining,” Casey said.

“‘Last Comic Standing’ and ‘American Idol’ winner Scotty McCreery were complete sellouts down to the last ticket,” he added. “Everything else came very close to that mark.”

The 1,000-seat Turlock Community Theatre is a nonprofit venue that also will host an Italian Night fundraiser Feb. 13 at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds.

Casey said the acts this season continue the theater’s goal of bringing top entertainment to the region’s audiences.

“The most important thing for us, when booking our seasons, is to bring quality acts,” he said. “That trumps everything.”

This story was originally published July 3, 2015 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Music, jokes and more for Turlock theater season."