California Stage

CALIFORNIA STAGE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE COMMISSION OF A NEW DRAMATIC WORK

The World Premiere of the play BECOMING JULIA MORGAN, written by Bay Area playwright, Belinda Taylor, ran in January of 2006 at California Stage, a theater in mid-town Sacramento dedicated to producing new works by California playwrights.

BECOMING JULIA MORGAN is a two-act play for four actors. The role of Julia will be portrayed by highly regarded Equity actress Janis Stevens, who recently performed in an acclaimed run in New York City of VIVIEN (about the life of actress Vivien Leigh). William Randolph Hearst will be played by Equity actor James C. Anderson, who recently returned for a tour with the Nevada Shakespeare Company. Grace Crow, a California Stage company member will play Marion Davies and Peter Playdon who recently starred in Carry the Tiger to the Mountain with InterAct Theater Company will play many of the famous people known by the reclusive architect brought to life in Ms. Taylor’s play.

The play chronicles the life and career of eminent California architect Julia Morgan. Julia Morgan was an artist of great originality and acknowledged integrity. She was an enigmatic woman with an elusive and fascinating personality who pursued her career goals at a time when architecture was exclusively a man’s profession. She worked 25 years with William Randolph Hearst, designing and building the magnificent Hearst Castle at San Simeon and built over 8oo public buildings and homes throughout California. However this true master architect battled ailments, and sexism in the early 1900s that could have sidelined her career. See how she overcame these barriers in this first full-length play on her life.