So, being new here, I find I need to post lots of fun things before I can access the rest of the forum, so I chose the easiest places to post first.
Lighthouse Repertory Theater has been continuously producing live theater on the Northern California coast for the last 36 years. For some communities, that's not such a big thing. But up here in Del Norte County, where the entire county has a whopping 40,000 or so people, it's a big thing. Heck, our only incorporated city, Crescent City, comes in at just under 5,000 people.
Our normal season includes a spring musical, a summer patriotic melodrama and a fall straight show. We also do a yearly gala/fundraiser and a children's theater day camp to help get kids and teens interested in theater. Past spring shows include "Fiddler on the Roof", "Pirates of Penzance", "Wizard of Oz", "Cinderella", and "9 to 5" (among LOTS of others). Fall shows have included "MASH", "Nuncrackers", "Christmas Story" and our most recent, "This is Crescent City".
"This is Crescent City" is a show about, well, Crescent City. Norman Randal, who grew up in Crescent City, is returning to be a history teacher and discovering that all is not well. Budgets are being cut, with clubs (and the history club he wants to start), being the first on the chopping block. After a rousing discussion with the school board, it is decided that all clubs can meet, as long as the school district doesn't have to pay thing for them, including teacher salaries!
The story follows him and his students, most of whom show up to the club for the pizza Norman buys, as they explore the history of Crescent City and their families. We learn about the Tolowa, the Hmong, and the Portuguese immigrants that settled in the area, and about the Chinese that were driven out. Love blossoms between Norman and Louise, and each character comes to terms with the fact that history, though not always pretty, is important.
Next up for LRT is "Oklahoma!", our second running of the show. While I will only be doing sound design for it (being a S.M. for TiCC was intense), it will still be fun to watch the production crew and talent grow into the show and their characters respectively. We are looking at "The Glass Menagerie" for our Fall 2014 production, though "Our Town" has been tossed around some, too.
Did I mention that we are an entirely volunteer driven organization? We have no paid staff, actors or musicians. All of the participants in our shows donate their time and energy and money! "This is Crescent City" earned more than 3,000 volunteer man-hours for the production! I am astounded that such a small community can produce such excellent shows! And in the local Middle School's theater! Yep, that's right, we run out shows in a Middle School theater, the only raked live theater in the county. Sure, we have a multiplex movie theater with raked seating, but putting a live show on in any of them would be impossible!
One last plug for our group, then I'm done, honest! Recently, we had a movie shot up here in our Redwoods. "Love in the Time of Monsters" was shot at Patrick's Creek Lodge just north-east of town. Several of LRT's members, and 2 board members, appear in the movie. LRT helped with casting calls for local extras and crew, and Del Norte Search and Rescue provided safety and security for the production. Once the movie was completed, the producers came back to Del Norte county for a special, promotional showing of the film. All proceeds from the showing were split between LRT and DN Search and Rescue. We filled up 3 theaters! almost 600 people came to see the movie, and the pre- and post-show parties were AMAZING! "Love in the Time of Monsters" is currently being marketed to the film industry with a public release date yet to be announced, but watch for it!
JD
