Laguna Playhouse's 2000-2001 Youth Theatre season will include three subscription plays on its mainstage, a non-subscription special presentation suitable for ages 12 and above, and three outreach programs that will visit area schools. In addition, the Playhouse will offer individual classes throughout the season and an advanced curriculum for members of its two resident youth companies. Joe Lauderdale and Donna Inglima head the young people's activities at the Playhouse.
The Youth Theatre season will commence Oct. 13-22 with a production of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, which is based on a popular Norwegian folk-tale and deals with the adventures of a young girl on a quest to save a young man from a curse that makes him a bear by day and a man by night.
Babes in Toyland comes next (Dec. 8-17). Victor Herbert's classic holiday musical is set in Mother Goose Village, whose citizens organize to save themselves from eviction on Christmas Day. James and the Giant Peach follows March 30-April 8, 2001.
The non-subscription attraction is And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, which will be seen Feb. 9-11, 2001. James Still's unique theatrical experience weaves videotaped interviews of Holocaust survivors Ed Silverberg and Eva Schloss with live actors recreating scenes from their lives during World War II. The play won the 2000 Distinguished Play Award of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education.
The three Theatereach plays are The Sign of the Beaver, adapted from Elizabeth George Speare's book about a pioneer boy's experience with Native Americans; By the Great Horn Spoon!, an adaptation of Sid Fleischman's book about the California Gold Rush; and Charlotte's Web, the E.B. White classic about a spider who saves a pig's life.Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Rd. For tickets and information call (949) 497-2787 or visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com
-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent
