SBCC Theatre Group Open 75th Anniversary Season with ‘Ripcord’

The Theatre Group at Santa Barbara City College celebrates a remarkable 75 years in operation this season. The company traces its roots to 1946, when performances began at the Alhecama Theater. Now proudly occupying the beautifully remodeled Garvin Theater on SBCC’s West Campus, the Group will present David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord October 13-30. 

Directed by SBCC professor Katie Laris and starring Leslie Ann Story and Ann Dusenberry, Ripcord tells the story of Abby (Story) and Marilyn (Dusenberry), two residents of a senior living facility who become trapped in an escalating series of physical challenges understood as a contest of wills between a pair of extremely competitive and persistent women. 

Director Laris describes the show as taking the audience along on a series of daring experiences, each one more surprising than the last. She praised Dusenberry and Story for their “full-on, no-holds-barred engagement” with their roles and remarked that in order to succeed with such challenging material, it’s necessary that all the actors involved be meticulous professionals. 

Also in the cast are Shannon Saleh, Justin Davanzo, Justin Stark, and Nicholis Sheley. The actors in Ripcord will spend a significant portion of the show “acting without their feet on the floor,” according to the director, and that’s where technical supervisor Ben Crop comes in. To see just what that cryptic statement entails, and to enjoy a story in which anger and fear eventually coalesce into the basis for friendship, get to the Garvin for Ripcord. For tickets and information, visit theatregroupsbcc.com or call the box office at (805) 965-5935. 

This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on August 13, 2024. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.