By Thomas J. Sullivan–
For the past two years, the 52-seat “Theatre in the Heights” has been building an audience of loyal attendees through putting on theatrical plays in its discreet location off Auburn Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue in Citrus Heights.
The nonprofit community theater latest comedy, Neil Simon’s “God’s Favorite,” is set to open March 1 at 8 p.m., with a complimentary champagne reception. The show — a comedic modern rendering loosely based off the biblical story of Job — will continue through March 24, with evening performances offered each weekend.
Simon’s “God’s Favorite” tells the tale of a successful Long Island businessman, Joe Benjamin, who is a modern-day “Job” with a demanding wife, ungrateful children, and wise-cracking household employees. Just when it seems things couldn’t get any worse, he is visited by Sidney Lipton, a.k.a. “a messenger from God.” Her mission? Test Joe’s faith and report back to “the Boss.”
For a theater still getting known within its local community, the two co-owners of Theatre in the Heights say they’re pleased with a growing audience from the region that their season schedule has attracted.
“We appreciate all the people and patrons who have visited us and made us feel so welcome in this community,” President Blake Flores said, noting that the theater started with 12 season ticket holders and now has almost 40. “It’s our goal to always provide quality entertainment that will continue to draw attention to the art of theater.”
The vision for the theater began in 2015 when Flores and Vanessa Voetsch, the theater’s secretary/publicity/treasurer, decided Citrus Heights could use a community venue where patrons could “see the art of the theater come alive.”
Given their collective theatrical experience and training — he a Sacramento State University theater grad and she a graduate of American River College — the pair sought to create a theater experience which featured a “truly quality performance that patrons can enjoy.”
They found a great location in the commercial plaza at 8215 Auburn Blvd., tucked back from the street just enough to avoid traffic noise, with plenty of parking for patrons. (Look for a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store and you’ll see the theater tucked in behind it.)
After many coordinated efforts with the building owner, architects, fire department and contractors, Flores and Voetsch were given the keys to the theater space in December 2016.
Theatre in the Heights now has nine plays scheduled for its 2019 season. Following the conclusion of “God’s Favorite,” the theater will go dark until April 12, with the opening performance of “The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery” by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin, Jr., which will run until May 5.
Tickets for the upcoming “God’s Favorite” show are priced at $15 and can be purchased through the theater web site box office or by telephone at (916) 509-3445. Season tickets are also available, and advance tickets for all shows can be purchased by phone or online at www.theatreintheheights.com.
