New theater group to occupy space of departed Theater District

Alex Coolman

A new theater group is set to showcase plays at the Lab Anti-Mall,

starting in February. The company will perform in the space formerly

occupied by the Theater District, which ended its run in December. The

new company, Trilogy Playhouse, will hold auditions this month for its

first production.

Trilogy, the new incarnation of what had been the Laguna Niguel Playhouse

in Laguna Niguel, will move in to the space Sunday.

Alicia Butler, director of the playhouse, said the organization lost its

lease in its old city and was unable to locate an appropriate alternative

venue before coming to Costa Mesa.

“We couldn’t find anything” in Laguna Niguel, she said. “We looked for

two and a half months.”

Timing worked in Trilogy’s favor when Mario and Joan Lescot, who formerly

ran The Theater District in the 66-seat space, decided this month that

the rent on the theater was too high to handle.

The new tenants plan to showcase “adult theater for mature theater-goers,

youth theater productions for families and children, and drama

workshops,” Butler said. A musical theater camp and a “Saturday Night

Summer Showcase” are also in the works.

For its first production, the playhouse will present Ira Levin’s

thriller, “Deathtrap,” a production scheduled to run Feb. 24 through

March 12. Auditions for the play will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 21 at

the playhouse.

Producers are looking for three men between the ages of 25 and 55, and

two women between the ages of 35 and 50. Actors should be prepared to

perform a two-minute comedic monologue and should bring a picture and

resume.

The theater is at 2930 Bristol St., Building C-106, Costa Mesa. For more

information, call (949) 475-7405.