Kristen Daniels News

381 guests filled the Island Hotel in Newport Beach for Laguna Playhouse's annual fundraising gala. This year's event, themed Theatre Changes Lives, raised a record $600,000 in support of the Playhouse's mission to enrich lives through the magic of live theatre, to provide educational opportunities for children and adults, and to create experiences that stimulate cultural and social interaction and inspire our community. Proceeds from the event help cover the operating costs of the 96-year old icon, one of the oldest continuing operating theaters west of the Mississippi.  Within the funds raised that evening, $90,000 was raised for the Suzanne and James Mellor Laguna Playhouse Tribute Fund, which will provide theatre experiences for youth by providing tickets to performances and to cover the cost of transporting youth groups to the theatre.

NYSP Presents, in conjunction with the University of California, Irvine, will commence performances of EXCUSE ME! on Saturday, April 22, and Monday, April 24, at The Playroom Theatre. Lex Leigh serves as Music Director. Myrona DeLaney directs.

Anaheim's official resident theater company, Chance Theater is pleased to the addition of five additional performances of … A Chorus Line. Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, directed by Chance's Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen, choreographed by Hazel Clarke, with music direction by Ryan O'Connell.  A Chorus Line opened last Saturday and will continue through August 7th on the Cripe Stage at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center. 

If there was ever one musical that, on the surface, can translate well as an intimately-staged production in a black box theater space, then A CHORUS LINE---the classic 1975 Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning backstage musical---should certainly qualify as a strong contender. This still dazzling, groundbreaking show has been revived at Anaheim's Chance Theater, the lauded small regional theater company in Orange County, CA that has definitively, in the very recent past, shown a knack for taking large musicals and making them smaller, very special ones. For the most part, the same can certainly be said about their newest small-scaled local revival, which continues its extended run through August 7, 2016. Exceedingly admirable despite being a bit rough around the edges, Chance Theater's peppy production reminds audiences old and new why the world of musical theater continues to lure certain dreamy, insanely talented people to this sometimes frustrating, often euphoric, and always competitive profession time and time again.

This winner of nine Tony Awards, five Drama Desk Awards and the Pulitzer Prize starts previews July 1 on the Cripe Stage at Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center. Previews will run July 1st-July 8th with regular performances will begin July 9 and continue through July 31.