Redlands, CA- The Redlands Community Music Association is pleased to announce that “Oliver!” will be the annual musical production for the 2012 Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival. “Oliver!” is based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. It was the first musical adaptation of a Dickens work to become a stage hit. First presented in London with the script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, it played for 2,618 performances. In 1960 it premiered on Broadway, winning a Tony award for Best Original Score, and was made in to a musical film in 1968. The producer/director for the Redlands Bowl run will be Paul Jacques of Riverside.

Jacques is an award winning actor, director, producer, writer and scenic designer with over 150 productions of experience spanning stage, film, commercial, television and radio.  As a playwright, he has had 20 original works staged, and has recently directed production of Six Characters in Search of an Author, Hamlet, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Merry Wives of Windsor.  Jacques also recently appeared in the role of Elliot in the West Coast Premiere of Charles Evered’s new play, Class. For the eighth consecutive year, he has portrayed Charles Dickens for the Riverside Dickens Festival. This included a mini tour of his one-man show, Meet Mr. Dickens, to promote literature, literacy, and social awareness.

Paul is on the theatre faculty at San Bernardino Valley College, Mt. San Jacinto Community College, and California Baptist University, and holds an AA in Music from Riverside Community College, a BA in Theatre from UCR, and an MFA in Playwriting and Screenwriting from UCR.  In addition, he is the Operations Director of the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre in Hemet, and the Artistic Director for the Inland Empire Shakespeare Festival.

“It’s exciting to be back at the Bowl, especially with a show like “Oliver!”, said Jacques. “Dickens wrote a lot about the social problems he saw around him and the power of the human spirit to overcome them. With Oliver Twist, he wanted to show not only the struggle of the poor and orphans, but also how the power of family can help children overcome some very trying circumstances. I think that this show is very faithful to its source material, and that it’s still very relevant today.”

As RCMA Program Director Marsha Gebara stated, “We are so fortunate to have such a talented director/producer as Paul Jacques. Paul loves and understands the Bowl. We are very excited to have the musical “Oliver!” performed on the Bowl stage for the first time. It is a glorious musical about a boy with a great spirit who overcomes adversity. We believe that “Oliver!” will be enjoyable for the whole family.”

Audition information for “Oliver!” will be announced in area newspapers and on the RCMA website (www.redlandsbowl.org) in March.  For more information, please call (909) 213-7130.