For a GOOD CAUSE -- Cindy Rathbun

Young Chang

Cindy Rathbun was here when the Orange County Performing Arts Center

was something people could only talk about.

It was in the late 1970s, before and while Costa Mesa welcomed what is

now the hub of the arts community. The Balboa Island resident remembers

hearing about the architectural design of the Center and then slowly

watching the structure get built.

“I think it was the excitement of seeing a project from the very

beginning,” said Rathbun, who has been a docent at the Center for about

15 years.

Like a parent proud to show off her child, the volunteer gives tours

to visitors and school groups. She teaches about the Center’s history,

its architectural design, acoustical elements and whatever performances

are scheduled to go on stage at that time.

Nowadays, a part of her speech includes the Center’s expansion plans.

Teaching is what attracts Rathbun to community service. A former

flight attendant who also has some background in elementary education,

the docent said she enjoys engaging children with the theater.

“It gets the kids thinking about theater, in general, and what it has

to offer them as youngsters,” she said.

Rathbun, who is also a member of the Center’s Docent Program board,

also attends meetings where speakers from the arts community update the

volunteers on theater news.

“We learn and then we teach,” said the 54-year-old.

For Rathbun, volunteering also helps her keep up on the arts world.

She said she enjoys learning about what happens backstage and what it

means to produce and direct a show.

“When I really started, it was more to get involved in the community,”

she said. “What I didn’t realize was that it would be such an education

in the arts.”