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- The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon Or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod
To conclude their 2024 season, The Garage Theatre in Long Beach is pleased to present The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon, or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod, Part 2 of their five-part pentangular annual holiday melodrama written by Jamie Sweet and directed by Rob Young.
Travel back to 1933 with our heroes Rod McGirdlebutt and Guillermo “Guillo” Fao as they take on the dastardly villains threatening to destroy Long Beach’s beloved Pike. Will Rod and Guillo defeat mad scientist Lucifer Prince and menacing magician Ian Sidious, or will they be blasted off to the moon? Will Long Beach be erased from the space/time continuum? (Spoiler: it wasn’t) Will audience members receive free ice cream or Tofutti treats during intermission? (yes!) Do Rod and Guillo stand alone against the forces of Evil? No! Come cheer on the whole team: ace reporter Dixie Troobaloo, wise-cracking Trisha La Rue, cuddly Officer Frenchie, and Pike owners Gus & Auntie Palooka. Enjoy invigorating calisthenics! Cheer for our heroes! Boo and hiss at our villains! Throw tomatoes at them! This family-friendly Garage Theatre holiday classic promises spills, thrills, laughs, and good fun for all!
The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon, or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod will be presented Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, November 15 – 23 & December 5 – 21, at 8:00 PM, with a special matinee performance on Saturday, November 23, at 2:00 PM. The theatre’s doors open 30 minutes before showtime. (Please note, there will be no performances on Thanksgiving weekend, November 28-30.)
The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon Or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod at The Garage Theatre Schedule
Matinee: Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2:00 PM, doors at 1:30 PM
Diana Kaufmann plays Rod McGirdelbutt in The Garage Theatre''s production of The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon, or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod Photo Credit: Paul Knox
Diana Rodriguez as Guillermo Fao and Sean Blocker as Ian Sideous, in The Garage Theatre''s production of The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon, or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod Photo Cr
Jess Neptune as Dixie Troobaloo and Diana Rodriguez as Guillermo Fao, in The Garage Theatre''s production of The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon, or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod Phot
Sean Blocker as Ian Sideous attempts to woo Jess Neptune as Dixie Troobaloo (to the horror of Diana Rodriguez''s Guillermo Fao), in The Garage Theatre''s production of The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to T
Cast and Creative team for The Steam-Powered Rocket Ride to The Moon Or... Ground Control to Guillo and Rod at The Garage Theatre
Cast
Diana Kaufmann
Rod McGirdlebutt
Diana Kaufmann is excited for the
opportunity to reprise her role as Rod
McGirdelbutt. A former gifted child, Diana
has done very little with her life beyond
looking for the next “good time”. Over the
past 30 years, she has worked as an actor
and director in numerous questionable
productions, but a series of bizarre
coincidences kept luring her to the
Garage Theatre. In 2022 she succumbed to the Garage Theatre’s
charms and decided to become a company member, and, to her
great relief, they let her.
Sean Blocker
Ian Sidious
Sean Blocker is a graduate of the BFA
Acting program at UC Santa Barbara.
Recent credits include Conversations in
Exile at Hollywood Fringe Festival and
The Outsiders at La Mirada Theatre. Other
favorite roles include Edmund in King
Lear, Edward IV in Death of Kings, and
performing in Improvocalypse Now!. Sean
is thrilled to perform with the Garage in a
fun, wild play.
Jess Neptune
Dixie Troobaloo
Jess Neptune (Dixie Troobaloo)
Jess Neptune trained in method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute during which she performed in multiple plays, most notably as Nina in Chekhov’s The Seagull. She received her bachelor’s degree in theater from Occidental College where she was cast in several shows, including Saint Joan, Stage Door, Eleemosynary, and Disgrace. She returned to theater earlier this year as Dorothea in the Garage Theater’s original play, Hat Box. She works full-time as a behavior analyst with her fiancé and fellow cast mate, Curtis Meyer.
Diana Rodriguez
Guillermo Fao
Diana Rodriguez is an actress, costume designer and former resident artist of Power Street Theatre Company. Best known for her portrayal of the eccentric and iconic artist Frida Khalo in Erlina Ortiz play Las Mujeres. This Puerto Rico native and Philadelphia transplant moved to Long Beach CA, two years ago after working with Power Street Theatre and Philadelphia theatre for 8 years. She has worked in Productions like: Morir Sonyando, Shelter in Place,She wore those Shoes, One Day Old, la Fabrika’s production of a 2.50 la Cuba Libre de Ibrahim Guerra and La Gringa under the direction of Jose Aviles, and lastly Teatro del Sol's production of Oedipus, El Rey under the direction of Tana Marquez. This year Diana is returning to reprise her role as the time traveler roller coaster engineer engineer and our hero's bestie, Guillo Fao in Steam Power Rocket ride to the moon by Jamie Sweet and directed by Rob Young. Diana is so grateful to The Garage theater for giving her the opportunity to bring back Guillo Fao and it's quirks for more melodrama fun.
Bobby Zelsdorf
Auntie Palooka
Bobby Zelsdor is a Los Angeles-based
performer who has studied at The
American Conservatory Theatre. He last
appeared on the Garage stage in Hatbox.
He enjoys spending time with his family
Curtis Meyer
Tricia La Rue
Curtis “I don’t know what to do with
my hands” Meyer is playing Trisha La
Rue in this year’s Holiday Melodrama.
Normally a Behavior Analyst, this is
his first time performing in a play. The
Garage Theatre is excited to have him
join the cast.
Jeff McGinness
Gus Palooka
Jeff McGinness (Gus Palooka)
Jeff McGinness, a CSULB graduate, is a veteran of several Garage Theatre productions over the years, including Tragedy: A Tragedy, History of the Devil, and Richard III. This is his third time acting in the holiday melodrama. He is glad to be back after a long break from theatre. He wants to send a special shout out to his 3 kids Aurora, Callum, and Morgan, and special thanks to his wife, Alexi McGinness.
Josh Riker
Lucifer Prince
Josh Riker is a multidisciplinary artist who
is excited to return for the next episode.
This is Josh’s fourth show with The Garage
and he’s been having a blast!
Creative Team
Rob Young
Director
Alizon Morea
Stage Manager
Diana Kaufmann
Assistant Director
Matt Anderson
Sound Designer
Maya*Riginal*s
Costume Designer
Rob Young
Scenic Designer
Jonathan Dorian
Lighting Designer
Matt Vincent Julian
Production Manager
Kevin Stivers
Graphic Designer
Thomas Amerman
Master Carpenter…
Ryan Young
Lead Scenic Artist
Paul Knox
Jack of Trades
SUBMIT UPDATES
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The Garage Theatre is at 251 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA.
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