SONORA - Sierra Repertory Theatre will open its 2013 season with the biographical musical BUDDY: The Buddy Holly Story. With nine shows in all, the recently announced 2013 season will also include a summer performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, a fall performance of  the comedic play Harvey, and a special Christmas run of It’s a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play, which will close the season. Season tickets are now on sale, and general admission tickets go on sale to the public October 1.

The 2013 Gala opens the season with a special performance of BUDDY. Following the story of legendary recording artist Buddy Holly, BUDDY runs March 2 – April 21 at the East Sonora Theatre. The successful rock n’ roll musical includes more than 20 of Holly’s greatest hits, including “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll be the Day,” “Oh Boy,” “Rave On” and “Maybe Baby.” The Daily Telegraph called the show “an utter joy,” writing, “You will leave with a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Exahilarating!”

The season continues April 19 with Church Basement Ladies, playing through May 19 at Fallon House Theatre. A musical celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who work there, Church Basement Ladies features four distinct characters as they organize the food and solve the problems of a rural church about to undergo changes in 1965. From the elderly matriarch to the young bride-to-be, we see them handle a record-breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter Fundraiser and a hot July wedding. They stave off disasters, share and debate recipes, and keep the Pastor on course while enjoying (and tolerating) each other as the true “steel magnolias” of the church.

The second show at East Sonora, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, plays May 31-June 23. The comedy is about a formidable retired woman and an unexpected friendship she develops with her acerbic dance instructor. Since its Broadway opening, the play has been translated into 12 languages and has traversed the globe with productions in over 20 countries.

The popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! plays Fallon House June 28 – August 18. Set in the Western Territory just after the turn of the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the farmers and the cowboys provides a colorful backdrop for the love story of handsome cowboy Curly and winsome farmgirl Laurey. The beloved score includes “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’” and “People Will Say We’re In Love.”

RESPECT: A Musical Journey of Women opens July 26 and plays through September 1 at East Sonora. This international hit musical tells the exciting story of women through popular music and the real adventures of women realizing dreams, lost loves, relationships and careers. The song list includes “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” “Where The Boys Are” ... to ... “I Am Woman,” “Seventeen,” “Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” “I Will Survive” and dozens more.

The Spitfire Grill plays October 4-27 at East Sonora. It depicts the journey of a young woman just released from prison who decides to start her life anew in a rundown mining town. When she begins changing the lives of the townsfolk, she sparks a journey within the town toward its own reawakening. New York Magazine wrote, “The amiable Country-flavored tunes and lyrics are transcendent. It is not often that material moves me to tears, but this was one of those occasions. The Spitfire Grill has heart and soul.”

The season at Fallon House concludes with two comedic plays. Don’t Dress for Dinner runs September 6-29 and follows the mishaps of a philandering husband and several mistaken identities. It’s a side-splitting farce served up at a break-neck speed: a perfect recipe for hilarious fun that The Guardian described as “hurtling along at the speed of light” and as a “breathtaking farce is a near faultless piece of theatrical invention.”

 The classic play Harvey brings Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible rabbit to Fallon House Theatre October 25 – November 24. This irresistible classic American comedy is chock-full of eccentric and loveable characters and has warmed the hearts of audiences for generations. The New York Daily News described the Pulitzer Prize winner as “the most delightful, droll, endearing, funny and touching piece of stage whimsy I ever saw.”

Closing the 2013 season at East Sonora, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play runs November 15 – December 22. The holiday treat stays true to the classic film and brings the spirit of the season to captivating life on stage right before your eyes (and ears). Five actors play the dozens of characters, as well as produce the sound effects in this creative play performed as a 1940s live radio broadcast in front of a studio audience. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “One of the best holiday shows around... This is a fresh and inventive way of reconnecting with a classic story of love and redemption.”

Season tickets for 2013 are on sale now through the Sierra Rep box office and can be purchased over the phone at 209-532-3120 or in person at the East Sonora Theatre. Single tickets go on sale October 1. For more information, visit www.sierrarpep.org.