First off, a bit of a downer: Epic Theatre, which was one of the first of the new crop of smaller theater companies in Fresno, is disbanding after it stages "Orange Flower Water" at Severance. (The show opens Friday and plays for two weekends. Pictured are cast members Adam Schroeder, who is becoming known as The Guy Who Poses With a Sheet and a Gal on the Beehive, and Danielle Jorn.) Artistic director Janine Christl, who in just a few years has made a huge contribution to the local theater scene, is folding the company so she can concentrate on her full-time gig at Fresno City College. (She'll be directing the college's production of "The Importance of Being Earnest.") She also says she'll be involved in theater at the community level.

I have a story in Friday's 7 section about "Orange Flower Water," and you can read a continuation of Christl's interview about the show.

Everyone knows that small theater companies come and go, especially if they're the reflection of one dominant artistic personality. Some shine brightly for a while, then fade. Others make the leap to institutional status. Epic turned out to have a brief life, but it will be missed. It helped spark a mini-theater renaissance of sorts in the area, and I'm hoping that the creativity and care that Christl put into the company's productions will continue to be a part of the Fresno theater scene.

By the way: As a special Father's Day promotion, all dads are invited to see the Sunday matinee for FREE.

On the jump: It's the last weekend to catch "Rebecca" at the 2nd Space Theatre, Good Company Players announces its 2009 season, some special workshops at GCP, and will Woodward Shakespeare Festival get its new set built in time for "Twelfth Night"?

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LAST WEEKEND: I'm a fan of "Rebecca," which closes Sunday at the 2nd Space Theatre. For those who remember Hitchcock's famous movie, the story should be familiar, but make no mistake: This stage version has a different sensibility than the film. I wrote in my review:

In the stage play, which is being mounted by Good Company Players in a nicely shaped production, we get less of that "total immersion movie experience" that you might associate with "Rebecca." The atmospheric machinations of the play are far less strident than the movie. What you do get with the play, however, is a crisp and chilling cerebral experience that can be as tense as the movie in its own way.

Opening next at the 2nd Space: Tom Stoppard's "Rough Crossing," a free adaptation of a Ferenc Molnar farce that spoofs playwrights and composers. According to GCP:

Molnar, author of "The Swan" and "Liliom" (which became the musical Carousel),provides a perfect template for Stoppard's imagination. In "Rough Crossing," Stoppard crafts a knockabout comedy about two writers trying desperately to finish their musical (songs by Andre Previn) during an ocean crossing from England to America. The young composer working with them is engaged to the (much older) leading lady, who is also beloved of the actor who is to star in the show. Add a cabin steward with a serious drinking problem and you have zaniness times six.

Good Company's production, directed by Elizabeth Fiester, features Gordon Moore and Henry Montelongo as the writers, Andrew Cardillo as the composer, Amelia Ryan and Tom Janecek as the high-drama actors and Jason Welles as the befuddled steward.

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UPCOMING: Good Company has announced its 2009 season. At Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater:

• FOOTLOOSE, January 15 - March 15
• LITTLE WOMEN, March 19 - May 17
• THE WIZ, May 21 - July 19
• SWEET CHARITY, July 23 - September 13
• TBA (will be announced March 1, 2009), September 17 - November 15
• MARRIED ALIVE!, November 19 - January 17, 2010

Often, theater companies get the rights to newer productions but aren't allowed by contract to announce the titles until a certain time. Last time that happened, GCP nabbed "The Producers." At the 2nd Space Theatre:

• THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, January 2 - February 22
• THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, February 26 - April 19
• EDUCATING RITA, April 23 - June 14
• Mark Twain's IS HE DEAD?, June 18 - August 9
• LOST IN YONKERS, August 13 - October 11
• BABES IN TOYLAND (BARNABY'S STORY),November 4 - December 20

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WORKSHOPS: In last Sunday's Spotlight section, I had an item about upcoming GCP workshops. Here's a reminder:

Vicki Shaghoian, a former performer and vocal coach for Good Company who teaches at the Yale School of Drama, will lead a workshop in vocal performance for musical theater for ages 16 and older at 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 21, GCP Rehearsal Hall, 1028 N. Fulton St.

Dennis Gallegos, a commercial casting agent who has cast more than 3,000 commercials for such advertisers as McDonalds, Ford, Huggies and Toyota, will lead a series of workshops on commercial and film acting. One session will focus on ages 9-15 (6:30-9 p.m. June 23, 30 and July 7) and the other on ages 16 and up (6:30-9 p.m. June 24, July 1 and 8). 6:30-9 p.m., 2nd Space Theatre, 928 E. Olive. Ave. Fees range from $65-$150 for noncompany members. Deadline is June 18. Details: (559) 266-0211.

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DEADLINE SHAKESPEARE: Those hard-working folks at the Woodward Shakespeare Festival know how to make life interesting. Over on Fresnocentric, Solitaire reports that the race to build the company's set for its new performance space in the park is coming down to the wire. (City bureaucracy slowed things down.) She writes:

All that is left to do is construct and install the staircase, paint the walls and install them, and build and paint the thrust… not exactly a ton of work, but still a good two FULL work days worth of work. I have every faith and confidence we can get this done!

And that's in addition to rehearsing the play itself. "Twelfth Night" opens June 26.