Orinda director Patrick Atkinson and a cast of local performers will bring Noël Coward's 1941 comedy "Present Laughter" to the outdoor amphitheater at Orinda Community Center Park starting Friday, July 24, with performances running through Saturday, August 15.

The Orinda Starlight Village Players production stars Matt Cardigan-Smith as Garry Essendine, a famous theater actor juggling business partners, household staff, an estranged wife, an obsessed playwright, and a lovestruck debutante while preparing for a theatrical tour of Africa. Musician Wayne Goodman is arranging pre-show and intermission music featuring uptempo public-domain favorites played with strings and piano.

Atkinson joined OrSVP in 2022 after Beth Sheridan recruited him from the East Bay Play Readers. He has since appeared in "It Runs in the Family," "Murder on the Orient Express," and "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," and co-directed the 2024 production of "Much Ado About Nothing" with Venee Call-Ferrer.

Atkinson told The Orinda News in a June 25 feature that the open-air setting at 28 Orinda Way keeps him coming back. "Being surrounded by trees and under the stars is such a treat," he said.

Goodman, who also appeared in OrSVP's "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," sought out public-domain works for the production's soundtrack because very little of Coward's catalog is available without royalty issues. He has arranged music for several other theater productions using professional scoring software.

Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m. The production also includes a Sunday matinee on August 9 at 4 p.m. and a Thursday evening show on August 13 at 8 p.m. After the August 9 matinee, OrSVP will host a new audience talkback event following the performance.

Tickets are available at orsvp.org/present-laughter. Residents can also email [email protected] or call 925-528-9225.

More Lamorinda events this summer

Moraga Commons Summer Concert Series — Free Thursday nights, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at the Moraga Commons Band Shell, hosted by the Moraga Park Foundation. Upcoming acts: Delta Wires on July 23; The Hitmen on July 30; Big Blu Soul Revue (with Lamorinda Idols opening) on August 6. Beer and wine served by the Moraga Lions and Moraga Kiwanis clubs; food trucks on site.

Thursday Nights in Orinda — Continues through September at Orinda Community Center Park, 28 Orinda Way. Opera in the Park on July 23; Salvage Title on August 6.

Moraga Art Gallery "Connectivity" — On view through August 16, at 432 Center Street in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center, Moraga. Open noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.