The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts is proud to announce the opening show of its 32nd Season, David Saar’s “The Yellow Boat”!  “The Yellow Boat” is the true story of child artist Benjamin Saar who was one of the nation’s first pediatric cases of AIDS.  Benjamin was a hemophiliac who received a tainted transfusion in the mid-80-‘s.  But, this is not an AIDS play.  This is a play which celebrates the life of this remarkable eight year old boy as he faces the greatest challenge that we all will someday face.  As part of its community outreach component SCPA will be donating 25% of the box office profits to four major service organizations providing HIV and AIDS support including Auntie Helen’s, Mama’s Kitchen, Rady’s Children’s’ Hospital, and Camp Laurel.  “The Yellow Boat” previews Friday December 4, 2009 at 7pm and opens on Saturday December 5, 2009 at 7pm in the Grand Theatre at SCPA.  The run continues December 10 and 11 at 7pm and Saturday December 12 at 2pm.  Tickets are available by calling the SCPA Box Office at 619-475-8556 or online at www.scpa.sandi.net.

SAN DIEGO - A new Salon Series will begin on June 1, 2009 with a DANCE SALON at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA).   The dictionary defines salon as  “the periodic gathering of people of social and intellectual distinction,” as well as “a hall or gallery for the exhibition of art.”  It is with this in mind that this arts-based magnet school program in the S. D. Unified School District will present an ongoing series of community forums with working arts professionals from each discipline of visual arts, dance, music, choral, drama, and musical theatre.  The entire series will be FREE and open to the public. This event will take place beginning at 7 p.m. in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre.

This first ever Salon will center on the art and performance of dance and will include such well known professionals as Maria Mahon of the California Ballet, Jean Isaacs from San Diego Dance, Kathryn Irye, owner of Stage 7, Nikki Dunnan of the Eveoke Dance Company, as well as the distinguished faculty.  Several of the participating community artists are from arts organizations around San Diego, which make up SCPA’s Partners in Education. This forum will serve the purposes of discourse, asking and answering questions, while at the same time educating parents and students and expanding appreciation for the art of dance.

With the recent appointment of Mr. Richard Trujillo as the new Artistic Director at SCPA, a stronger emphasis of sharing SCPA’s strengths with San Diego and the national arts scene has become a goal.  Mrs. Mitzi Lizarraga, the Principal, and the Arts Department Chairpersons are currently fine tuning next year’s season of performances and events which will expand the audience for SCPA and extend the knowledge and range of performers enrolled in the magnet arts program.

A principal dancer with the Jose Limon Company, a veteran Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer, and a lead dancer for Broadway’s The Lion King are slated to create dance pieces for the final concert scheduled for the 2008-2009 San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) Performance Season.  These three renowned dancers/teachers/choreographers will see their works performed in the SPRING DANCE CONCERT June 4-6, 2009 at 7 p.m. in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre.

Pablo Fransisco Ruvalcaba, (BFA The Juilliard School), a native of San Diego, has toured internationally with the highly acclaimed Limon Dance Company for the past thirteen years. He has been a featured soloist in Jose Limon classic repertoire such as "The Moor's Pavane", "Missa Brevis", "The Traitor", Doris Humphrey's "Lament", Anna Sokolow's "Rooms" and Anthony Tudor's "Dark Elegies". Throughout his career, Ruvalcaba has worked with such imminent choreographers as Alwin Nikolais, Donald MacKayle, Lar Lubovitch, Doug Varone, and Mary Anthony. He has also taught and restaged Limon classics on many professional dance companies and universities throughout the United States and Mexico. This is his first time working with SCPA and Mr. Ruvalcaba will also teach and set repertoire for our first summer arts intensive this August.

For the past 16 years Christopher Huggins has worked as a freelance artist throughout the world, following his departure from the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.  Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, Mr. Huggins attended the State University of New York at Purchase and the Juilliard School.  He has been featured in several Broadway and regional theatre productions and is the recipient of the Ira Aldridge Award for best Choreography from the Black Theatre Alliance In Chicago.   Mr. Huggins is presently in Italy performing, as well as currently choreographing for The Ailey School and the New York City Housing Authority.

Ray Mercer is a mainstay of the cast of The Lion King on Broadway, who is also very involved with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, earning the Gypsy of the Year Award in 2005 when he performed at the Dancers Responding to AIDS event.  Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. Mercer studied at the University of New Orleans.  When not performing eight shows a week in Disney’s longstanding hit, he is pursuing choreographic opportunities with his own dance group.  “Choreography for me is like being a painter or a songwriter,” he explains.  “I’ve always had a story to tell.  Whether it’s a lie, or the truth, or a personal experience. It has to come from a real place for me.”

The SPRING DANCE CONCERT is the final show of the SCPA 2008-2009 Performance Season.  Tickets are $8-$10 for adults and $7-$9 for students, seniors and military.  Remember to purchase your tickets early before this concert sells out, online at www.scpa.sandi.net or call the box office at 619/475-8556. 

Prior to this event, the Season includes the DRAMA SHOWCASE May 6-8 in the Little Theatre and the very popular SPRING MUSIC CONCERT May 19-21 in the Grand Theatre, which is another expected sell-out.

The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) will present its final music concert of the school year, the SPRING MUSIC CONCERT, May 19-21, 2009 at 7 p.m.  in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre.  This culminating musical event will feature this magnet school’s talented student orchestras, bands, and choirs.   Ticket prices are $8-$10 for adults and $7-$9 for students, seniors and military.

This final musical event of SCPA’s 2008-2009 Performance Season includes performances ranging from well-known classical composers to new exciting contemporary works.   All levels of instrumental and vocal talent and experience ranging from “up-and-coming” groups to award-winning ensembles will be included in this spectacular concert.   See some of the talented student performers who are leaving SCPA to pursue their careers at some of the top music colleges in the United States!

There are three different programs to choose.  May 19, opening night, is Orchestra Night with several orchestras, including the award-winning SCPA Symphony Orchestra, which will be conducted by Ms. Tamara Paige.  May 20 is Choral Night spotlighting the award-winning SCPA Choral Ensemble, led by Mr. R.C. Haus.  May 21, the final concert, is Band Night highlighting yet another award-winner, the Advanced Wind Ensemble, conducted by Mr. Matthew Quiroz, as well as SCPA’s well-known Jazz Band, conducted by Ms. Paige.

Feel free to get a taste for all things musical that SCPA has to offer by attending more than one concert!  Don’t forget to purchase tickets early, as these concerts tend to sell out fast for this great family night out.   Tickets for the SPRING MUSIC CONCERT are available online at www.scpa.sandi.net and can be printed at home, or patrons can call the Box Office at 619/475-8556.

The final production of the 2008-2009 Performance Season, the very popular SPRING DANCE CONCERT will follow June 3-6, 2009.  This dance spectacular features three major dancers/choreographers working with SCPA’s talented student dancers before they enter the professional arena after graduation.  Not to be missed!

The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts is pleased to announce the next production for the 2008-2009 Performance Season, entitled DRAMA SHOWCASE.  This variety show will feature middle and high school students in an evening of musical numbers, monologues, and dramatic scenes in the Ole Kittleson Theatre May 6-8, 2009 at 7 p.m.

Drama students have chosen pieces which highlight their strong points as performers, based on the DRAMA SHOWCASE theme of “Who Am I and Where Do I Fit In?”  The student entertainers will answer that question with a freshness and youthful skill in a mix of different acts.  Middle school students will perform on Wednesday, May 6;  the high school students will share their talents on Thursday, May 7 and Friday, May 8.

DRAMA SHOWCASE will be staged at SCPA in the Little Theatre, in an intimate setting with limited seating, so it’s best to get your tickets early.  Tickets are available online now at www.scpa.sandi.net or call the box office at (619) 475-8556.  Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors, and military.

Next up in SCPA’s 2008-2009 Performance Season are the SPRING MUSIC CONCERT on May 19-21 and the SPRING DANCE CONCERT June 4-6.  Both of these concerts will be in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre.  All concerts will be at 7 p.m.   These shows will include many student dancers, musicians and singers, and they tend to sell out quickly, so purchase your tickets NOW! 

A double bill of hilarious comedies takes over the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre at the San Diego School of Creative Arts (SCPA) as the next mainstage productions in the 2008-2009 Performance Season.  Each show represents what audiences love about the theatre when it can spoof itself and other genres at the same time.  Play On! runs March 26 and 27 at 7 pm, and on March 28 at 2 pm, immediately followed by The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 on April 2 and 3 at 7 pm and on April 4 at 2 pm.

Written by Rick Abbott, Play on! is a hilarious story of a community theater group trying desperately to put on a play, in spite of maddening interference from a haughty author who keeps revising the script up to the day of the performance.  Act I is a rehearsal of the dreadful show.  Act II is the near disastrous dress rehearsal and the actual performance in which anything that can go wrong does.

What do you get when you cross an Agatha Christie murder-mystery, a Neil Simon comedy, a le Carre spy novel and a Broadway musical flop?  The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, of course!  When it opened in New York, The Village Voice said it was “nakedly silly and relentlessly convoluted…with twist piled on twist till you have to give way and start laughing at the silliness.”

These two shows are the type where an entire family can relax and enjoy themselves together, forgetting the problems of the day.  Play On! and The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 will be staged as mainstage productions with reserved seating as part of SCPA’s season to inspire all!  Tickets are available online now at www.scpa.sandi.net or call the box office at 619/475-8556.  Printing ticket online is possible as well.  Tickets for both shows are $8-$10 for adults and $7-$9 for students, seniors and military. 

The 2008-2009 SCPA Performance Season will continue with the Drama Showcase when SCPA students show their individuality in an array of musical numbers, monologues, and dramatic scenes in a show for the whole family.   This will take place in the Ole Kittleson Little Theatre May 6-8, 2009.  Remember to purchase your tickets early as the intimate general seating arrangement sells out faster.

The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts 2008-2009 performance season continues with the Fats Waller Tony Award winning musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’.  This musical production begins March 12, 2009, and continues March 13,14,19, and 20 at 7 p.m., and on March 21, 2009 at 2 p.m.    Additionally, SCPA has been invited to stage this show at The California Center for the Arts, Escondido on May 19, 2009.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a lively musical revue with many songs and piano solos composed or recorded by the famous jazz giant of the 1930s, Fats Waller.  One of the most prolific musicians of the time, he was a man who discovered music at a young age.  In 1918, Fats won a talent contest playing James P. Johnson’s “Carolina Shout”.  The intriguing part is that he learned the song by watching a pianola (player piano) play the song.  Soon after that event, Johnson decided to tutor and teach him.   Fats learned to play the piano and was able to create his own piano rolls to sell.   Waller’s popularity increased when he started to sing and play his compositions to an ever-broadening audience.

Not quite a biography, this comedic show with a rollicking musical score depicts the life of the 1930s Harlem streets.  This upbeat musical contains many well-known jazz standards as well as some finger-snapping songs which may not be as familiar to a contemporary audience.   Some of the songs are “Ain’t Misbehavin’ “,  “Lookin’ Good But Feelin’ Bad”, “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Squeeze Me”,  “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling”, “The Ladies Who Sing with the Band”, “Cash for Your Trash”, “Mean to Me”, “Your Feet’s Too Big”, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”, and “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie”.

The original New York production was written for a cast of five people.  However, SCPA’s cast will expand to 20.  This is to highlight all of the talented student performers in the Advanced Musical Theatre class.   And because of its strong reputation in San Diego County, SCPA will perform this show on May 19th at another theatrical venue, The California Center for the Arts, Escondido!

Ain’t Misbehavin’ will be staged at SCPA in the Ole Kittleson Little Theatre, with general seating in an intimate setting.  Tickets are available online now at www.scpa.sandi.net or call the box office at (619) 475-8556.  Printing tickets online is possible as well.  Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors and military.

 Next up in SCPA’s 2008-2009 Performance Season is a double-bill of two hilarious comedies, Play On! and The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.  They will take the stage in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre March 26 – April 4, 2009.  Remember to order your tickets early as these family-friendly shows may sell out!

After taking a year off, NEW FACES will be reappearing for the 2008-2009 performance season of the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), running for only two days: February 11 and 12 at 7 pm. Tickets start at $8 for adults and $7 for students, senior citizens and military. As one of the many entertaining productions SCPA has to offer, NEW FACES makes a great event for the winter season.

Hosted by the students of SCPA, NEW FACES is a musical variety show comprised of short showcases featuring four different art departments in the school. This show will introduce the beginning level students in dance, instrumental music, choir and drama in one act and musical theatre in another. Each short showcase will highlight each department.

SCPA’s production will encompass all the charm of these wonderful new and talented student performers. NEW FACES will take place in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre. Tickets are available online at www.scpa.sandi.net or call the box office at (619) 475-8556.

The SCPA 2008-2009 performance season will continue with the Tony Award–winning best musical of 1978, AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, March 12-14 and 19-21 in the intimate setting of the Ole Kittleson Little Theatre. This student performance will feature the music of Fats Waller, one of the musical giants of American Jazz and interpreted in timeless recordings by the paragon, Billie Holiday. Get your tickets now, as this production will sell out quickly!

THE KING AND I is the first main stage production of the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) 2008-2009 performance season, running December 11-13, 18-19 at 7 p.m. and ending December 20 with a 2 p.m. matinee.  Tickets start at $8 for adults and $7 for students, seniors and military.    As one of the most beloved of American musicals, THE KING AND I makes a great family event for the upcoming Holiday season.

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1952 and Best Revival in 1996, with numerous productions all over the world and a popular film in 1956, this show contains the dazzling score by Rodgers and Hammerstein with several songs which are now part of the Great American Songbook.  Some of the best-known songs include:  “Getting To Know You”, “Hello, Young Lovers”, “Shall We Dance?” and “Whistle A Happy Tune.”

THE KING AND I is based on the story written by Anna Leonowens, who became a schoolteacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam (Thailand) in the early 1860s.  East versus West makes for a dramatic, richly textured and ultimately uplifting tale of enormous fascination.  Anna, a widow, journeys to Siam with her son to become the tutor to the king’s many children and wives.  Respective traditions and values collide as Anna and the King grow to understand and eventually, respect one another, in a truly unique love story.

SCPA’s production will encompass all the charm and beloved songs of the original KING AND I while adding its own take with a culturally diverse cast, an entire orchestra made up of accomplished students, a full ensemble of student dancers, and the talented student, Chauncey Matthews as the King.  Chauncey was one of five winners from American Junior Idol and toured the country with them in 2003-2004.  The dancers will tackle the ballet, “Small House of Uncle Thomas,” originally choreographed by the masterful Jerome Robbins.

THE KING AND I will take place in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre.  Tickets are available online at scpa.sandi.net or call the box office at (619) 475-8556.  The season continues with the next show beginning the Winter Music Concerts January 21-23, 2009.  The student concerts will feature orchestra, choral, and bands!  Get your tickets now, as these tend to sell out fast!

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The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) 2008-2009 performance season continues with its first production of the regular season, the Vietnam drama A PIECE OF MY HEART, by Shirley Lauro.  This compelling drama runs November 13-15 and 19-20 at 7 p.m., and ends November 22 with a 2 p.m. matinee.  Tickets start at $7 for adults and $6 for students, seniors and military.   The New York Times has called this play “a catharsis as well as well a coup de theatre…Ms. Lauro has turned first hand impressions into a disturbing drama that evokes empathy for survivors and victims.”

A PIECE OF MY HEART chronicles the experiences of six women who volunteered and served in Vietnam.  The play covers a 20 year period from 1967 to 1987 and examines the lives of these women from their pre-enlistment naiveté through the horror that was Vietnam, and concludes with their desperate attempt to reassimilate in a society that no longer makes sense to them. 

Tears and laughter abound in this bittersweet play that has enjoyed over 800 productions, around the world including a special production marking the dedication of the commemorative statue to Vietnam Nurses in Washington, D.C.

SCPA’s production promises to be an entertaining and enlightening evening filled with insight into this country’s dividing conflict.  58,000 soldiers never returned.  Tens of thousand of others did – physically and emotionally scarred, including these six women who left behind a piece of their heart with each of the wounded, dying and dead victims they encountered.

A PIECE OF MY HEART, which contains adult content and mature language, will take place in the Ole Kittleson Little Theatre.  Tickets are available on-line, which now includes the new feature allowing patrons to print tickets as well.  This performance space is an intimate setting.  Please get your tickets now on-line or call the box office at (619) 475-8556.

Remember, the season is just starting.  There is still time to order season ticket series.  The next show will be one of the great legendary American musicals, THE KING AND I, first produced on Broadway in 1956.  It opens December 11, 2008, making a great family event for the Holiday season!

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Opening the SCPA 2008-2009 performance season is FACULTY FOLLIES, on Thursday, October 23 and Friday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. each night.  It’s an entertaining family variety show full of laughter and audience participation.  Ticket prices are all $10 for this benefit; the proceeds will go to SCPA’s main stage theatre productions, such as THE KING AND I and PLAY ON!

Teachers reverse roles as they step out from behind their desks into the spotlight  and take the stage. Do you think your teacher can dance?   This show has it all: singing, dancing, skits, duets, and a few surprises!   You’ll walk out of the theatre with smiles and lots of stories to tell.  The cast features many faculty and staff members, including Principal Lizarraga.   Come and see everyone “strut their stuff “ for a good cause!

The show will take place in the Florence Johnson Grand Theatre.  Tickets are available on-line, and now includes the new feature allowing patrons to print tickets as well. It’s first-come, first-served, so get your tickets now. 

Remember, the season is just starting so you can still order season ticket series.  The next show will be the compelling drama PIECE OF MY HEART, which deals with how the Vietnam War affected six women in their struggle to make sense of a war that irrevocably changed them.  It opens November 13, 2008.

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