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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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Member Reviews
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Event Name: Side Man
"Sideman - Moving performance"
Review posted by: June from Los Altos Hills, Nov 17, 2009
Sideman is a soulful play with a very strong cast. Kurt Gravenhorst delivers an exceptionally heart-touching performance as Gene, the sideman. It's not often that an actor can play a role in such a... Expand
Sideman is a soulful play with a very strong cast. Kurt Gravenhorst delivers an exceptionally heart-touching performance as Gene, the sideman. It's not often that an actor can play a role in such a sensitive and convincing way that it causes me to cry! Go see it! Collapse
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Event Name: Side Man
"Side Man at Dragon Theatre ~ Not to be missed!"
Comment posted by: Estrellita from Palo Alto, CA, Nov 15, 2009
Side Man is a powerful production portraying the decline of the big band era and the disfunction of a struggling family. The cast adeptly connects the audience with the challenges of balancing... Expand
Side Man is a powerful production portraying the decline of the big band era and the disfunction of a struggling family. The cast adeptly connects the audience with the challenges of balancing career and family. The strong performances of the three family members creates the substance of the play. Kurt Gravenhorst (Gene) is debonair and charming as Gene chooses his passion for the horn over family and remains clueless while his marriage dismantles. Sandy Rouge (Terry) is earthy, naive, sassy and pitiful as Terry self-destructs through alcoholism. Alex Hersler (Clifford) seamlessly transitions between a thirty year old and a 10 year old while recalling Clifford's disruptive and chaotic life with his parents and his role as peacemaker. Gene’s jazz musician cronies and a feisty waitress add brilliant realism to the declining jazz era of the play with camaraderie, playfulness, humor and friendship. This is a heartwarming and emotional performance. Collapse
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Event Name: Side Man
"SIDE MAN, wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Review posted by: Judy from Palo Alto, Nov 15, 2009
This is an awesome, professionally executed, moving and superb theater experience.
This is an awesome, professionally executed, moving and superb theater experience.
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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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