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Organization
Dragon Productions Theatre Company
Dragon Productions is a professional, nonprofit theatre company. Executive Producer Meredith Hagedorn has been successfully producing quality theatre since 1991. Upon moving to the Bay Area in 1999, her company, Dragon Productions, was a nomadic theatre organization, producing nine shows before finding a permanent home.
Dragon's goal is to provide professional, high-quality theater in an intimate space for mid-Peninsula audiences. It produces some rarely staged contemporary works. It also hosts a variety of fascinating performing arts classes.
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Contact Info
Dragon Productions Theatre Company
535 Alma Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301Phone: 650-493-2006
Fax: 425-984-8319
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Video & Image Gallery
Video | Images
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Upcoming Events
11/13/09-
12/06/09Side Man
Dragon Theatre12/22/09-
02/21/10West Coast Premiere - China, The Whole Enchilada
Dragon Theatre03/12/10-
04/04/10Burn This
Dragon Theatre04/30/10-
05/23/10Anton in Show Business
Dragon Theatre06/16/10-
08/08/10Seascape
Dragon Theatre09/10/10-
10/03/10Love Song
Dragon Theatre11/05/10-
11/28/10The Turn of the Screw
Dragon Theatre -
Member Reviews
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Personally affecting... Roiling memories"
Review posted by: Tony from Cupertino, CA, Sep 09, 2009
I'm glad we got to see the current play at Dragon. My date was quite taken by it. Before it started she had asked to go home right after but, obviously, she got caught up in it as she remained for the... Expand
I'm glad we got to see the current play at Dragon. My date was quite taken by it. Before it started she had asked to go home right after but, obviously, she got caught up in it as she remained for the Q&A with the cast, which she passionately participated in, despite a froggy throat. Her own mother, of whom she saw very little as a child, died five years ago. On Friday, just days before seeing the play, she had a phone conversation with an aunt, to whom she hadn't spoken in years, and found out a lot about her mother that she hadn't known before. The wounds were fresh for the show. I believe it was somewhat therapeutic and cathartic for her. Though she refused to characterize it as a comedy, since she was overwhelmed by the pain of it all, she did laugh (apparently in recognition) throughout. The Memory of Water stirred up memories... Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Funny, insightful, well done"
Review posted by: Sharon from Palo Alto, CA, Sep 06, 2009
We enjoyed Shelagh Stephenson's play tremendously. It's intelligently written, well-directed and superbly acted. Three sisters and their newly departed mother take center stage in an intimate story... Expand
We enjoyed Shelagh Stephenson's play tremendously. It's intelligently written, well-directed and superbly acted. Three sisters and their newly departed mother take center stage in an intimate story of relationship and memory. Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Happy Accidents"
Review posted by: Caroline from Mountain View, CA, Sep 03, 2009
The chief distinction between theatre and movies is that anything can go wrong in a live performance. And when something invariably does go wrong, the audience takes joy in witnessing how the actors... Expand
The chief distinction between theatre and movies is that anything can go wrong in a live performance. And when something invariably does go wrong, the audience takes joy in witnessing how the actors deal with it. Do they ignore it and pretend it never happened, or do they acknowledge the gaffe and somehow make it work. Much to our delight, it was the latter at last Saturday's The Memory of Water, in which an actor spilled (or should I say "showered") the stage and front row with (coincidently enough) water from his glass while raising it to make a toast. What could have been disastrous with a less experienced cast got spun into comic gold. Hilarity ensued as the cast improvised around it, all the while in character, until finally the play got back on track. Most impressive. These actors are real pros. Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Our first time at Dragon Theatre... and not our last!"
Review posted by: Dorothy from Menlo Park, CA, Aug 29, 2009
My friend and I had a wonderful time last night watching the play. It was a provocative, confrontive and psychologically challenging production. The acting was excellent...all, according to their... Expand
My friend and I had a wonderful time last night watching the play. It was a provocative, confrontive and psychologically challenging production. The acting was excellent...all, according to their characters, carried and conveyed the complex intensity of the story. There was no escape into "niceness"... they all sustained the momentum of discomfort with amazing energy. It was an evening filled with material to reflect on in our lives! Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Blood is thickest..."
Review posted by: Mark from Los Altos Hills, CA, Aug 26, 2009
Three sisters fall neatly into pre-formed categories. Teresa (Laura Jane Bailey), the eldest, is the practical, bossy one, who stayed home to take care of Mother and married a nice but boring man,... Expand
Three sisters fall neatly into pre-formed categories. Teresa (Laura Jane Bailey), the eldest, is the practical, bossy one, who stayed home to take care of Mother and married a nice but boring man, Frank (played by the not-so-boring Noel Wood). Mary(Meredith Hagedorn), the doctor, has a worldly arrogance and a married lover, Mike (Patrick Borella). Catherine (Janine Evans), the baby, is a street-savvy, promiscuous drifter. The sisters carp at and blame each other in dialogue that exists somewhere between situation and drawing-room comedies. It's funny, and the actresses delivering it transcend a sense of deft mechanical banter to suggest the biological bonds of sisterhood. You keep watching them react to, lie to, and reach out to each other. Amidst the chaos of three (and possibly four?) competing interests, a profound compassion emerges which unites them as quickly as a family snapshot. Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Absolutely wonderful!!"
Review posted by: Bob from East Bay, CA, Aug 24, 2009
You will not be sorry! It's a cliche to say you will laugh and you will cry...but you will. Do not miss this.
You will not be sorry! It's a cliche to say you will laugh and you will cry...but you will. Do not miss this.
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Raw and Powerful!"
Review posted by: PS from Menlo Park, Aug 24, 2009
This production is stunning in its emotionalism. Darkly humorous throughout, it builds to a searing climax. Laura Jane Bailey and Meredith Hagedorn both burn up the stage as the two older sisters.... Expand
This production is stunning in its emotionalism. Darkly humorous throughout, it builds to a searing climax. Laura Jane Bailey and Meredith Hagedorn both burn up the stage as the two older sisters. Special mention to the extremely effective lighting. Don't miss it! Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Don't bother seeing The Memory of Water"
Review posted by: Steven K from Palo Alto, CA, Aug 23, 2009
This production falls short in many ways. The direction was poor, the actors did little more than read their lines, and the high-stakes content of the play is ignored in the execution. This is a... Expand
This production falls short in many ways. The direction was poor, the actors did little more than read their lines, and the high-stakes content of the play is ignored in the execution. This is a family drama, but the actors do little more than recite lines to each other. The actors cast as Mary and Mike are miscast as a couple. There's no chemistry between them, and Mike is played by someone way too young to be crazy about the 39-year-old brainy doctor, Mary. The only saving grace in this production is the work of actor Noel Wood as Frank. At least Noel played Frank with conviction, and he knows how to capture the humor of his character. Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Intimate, insightful and touching"
Review posted by: Theresa from San Mateo, CA, Aug 22, 2009
I really enjoyed the intimate setting of this theater. I felt like I was in the same room with this family; a fly on the wall privy to painfully private moments between sisters and their significant... Expand
I really enjoyed the intimate setting of this theater. I felt like I was in the same room with this family; a fly on the wall privy to painfully private moments between sisters and their significant others. The actors are outstanding. I forgot I was watching a play. I wish I'd brought Kleenex because I cried during the second act. I laughed a lot, too. A very emotional evening, and provocative. I went home and called my daughter. Collapse
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Event Name: The Memory of Water
"Emotional heights under steady direction"
Review posted by: Monica from Cupertino, CA, Aug 22, 2009
OMG! They’re a messy lot, these sisters, and anyone who's ever grown up with sisters will know them all well. Watching them get to know each other in a new, more honest fashion ("Dying is a depressing... Expand
OMG! They’re a messy lot, these sisters, and anyone who's ever grown up with sisters will know them all well. Watching them get to know each other in a new, more honest fashion ("Dying is a depressing business") is the great pleasure of this play, which manages under Ana-Catrina Buchser's steady direction to be frenetic without being chaotic, sad without being maudlin, uplifting without being saccharine and funny without being... well, it's just funny. See it. Or your mother may haunt you... Collapse
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Past Events
09/19/09 Blueberry Craze
Dragon Theatre08/29/09 Storyteller Saturday
Dragon Theatre08/21/09-
09/13/09The Memory of Water
Dragon Theatre08/03/09-
08/15/09Dragon's Young Artists Summer Camp
Dragon Theatre07/18/09 Dragon After Hours - The Harold
Dragon Theatre07/17/09-
08/09/09A Girl's Guide to Chaos
Dragon Theatre07/11/09 Dragon After Hours
Dragon Theatre06/27/09 Dragon After Hours - The Great Zamboni
Dragon Theatre06/20/09 Father's Day Fun
Dragon Theatre06/20/09 Dragon After Hours - Bad Decision Dinosaur and Mad River
Dragon Theatre05/02/09 Dragon After Hours - The Harold and Mad River
Dragon Theatre04/17/09-
05/10/09The Cocktail Hour
Dragon Theatre03/28/09 Dragon After Hours - An Evening of Comedy
Dragon Theatre03/21/09 Dragon After Hours
Dragon Theatre03/14/09 Dragon After Hours - Tyron Woodrow
Dragon Theatre03/07/09 Dragon After Hours - Saturday Night Six-Pack
Dragon Theatre02/28/09 Dragon After Hours - The Hatnappers and Adam Magill
Dragon Theatre01/30/09-
03/01/09Greater Tuna
Dragon Theatre11/07/08-
11/30/08Six Years
Dragon Theatre09/26/08-
10/19/08Spinning Into Butter
Dragon Theatre07/11/08-
08/03/08Rough Crossing
Dragon Theatre04/18/08-
05/11/08The Country Club
Dragon Theatre02/28/08-
03/09/08All My Sons
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts02/15/08-
03/09/08A Delicate Balance
Dragon Theatre11/02/07-
11/18/07The Smell of the Kill
Dragon Theatre09/21/07-
10/14/07Chekhov in Yalta
Dragon Theatre07/27/07-
08/19/07Juvie
Dragon Theatre06/08/07-
07/01/07As Bees in Honey Drown
Dragon Theatre04/20/07-
05/13/07The Gingerbread Lady
Dragon Theatre03/02/07-
03/25/07Maybe, Baby It’s You
Dragon Theatre02/21/07 A New Plays Staged Reading Benefit
Dragon Theatre02/14/07 Music for the Heart Soul & Erogenous Zones
Dragon Theatre01/12/07-
02/03/07Humble Boy
Dragon Theatre11/02/06-
11/19/06Brilliant Traces
Dragon Theatre09/21/06-
10/15/06The Underpants
Dragon Theatre08/03/06-
08/27/06The Caucasian Chalk Circle
Dragon Theatre06/08/06-
07/02/06The Art of Dining
Dragon Theatre05/02/06-
05/21/06North Shore Fish
Dragon Theatre02/23/06-
03/19/06Heidi Chronicles
Dragon Theatre01/28/06 ActorsTaxPrep
Dragon Theatre10/13/05-
10/30/05Cloud 9
The Pear Avenue Theatre09/24/05 Do You Dare Enter the Dragon's Lair?
Dragon Theatre09/17/05 Evening of Opera and Song
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts02/18/05-
03/06/05No Exit
The Pear Avenue Theatre08/05/04-
08/22/04Love of a Pig
The Pear Avenue Theatre02/13/03-
03/01/03Assorted Flavors
Palo Alto Art Center
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