Youth theater line-up unveiled

If its big brother can produce premieres right and left, why not the Laguna Playhouse’s Youth Theater?

The ambitious junior department of the city’s 85-year-old professional theater has unveiled its upcoming 2006-07 season, which will include a pair of West Coast premieres as well as something brand new ? an evening of improvisation.

Leading off the Laguna Youth Theater season next October will be the first of these premieres ? “The Great Squirrel Uprising,” a full-fledged musical by Dan Elish, who’s created the book, music and lyrics for this adaptation of his own children’s novel. Youth Theater director Donna Inglima will stage the production.

This fanciful tale focuses on Scruff, a squirrel who ? fed up with humans’ rudeness and their trash ? mounts a rebellion in New York’s Central Park. The two-legged polluters are astonished to find a line of squirrels successfully blocking traffic at one entrance to the park.

The squirrels and their furry comrades are aided by 10-year-old Sally March, who saves the day and wins the grudging admiration of Scruff. The show is carded for a two-weekend run from Oct. 25 to Nov. 5.

An old favorite, “Anne of Green Gables,” will be presented a year down the road, scheduled in the May 9-20, 2007, slot. The stage adaptation by R.N. Sandberg is taken from the popular children’s novel by L.M. Montgomery.

This family classic tells of an orphan girl who’s adopted by a family who were expecting a boy, but reluctantly keep her anyway. Anne’s fiery temper, love of melodrama and romance and penchant for misadventures keep the story ? recommended for ages five and up ? moving.

Each season, the playhouse Youth Theater presents Theater for a New Generation, a more substantial offering for teenagers, their parents and educators. This year’s play in that category is Laurie Brooks’ “Everyday Heroes,” which Inglima will direct and which will run May 14 to 17, 2007.

The heroes of the story are young brothers who have spent their lives protecting their alcoholic mother.

When an accident leads to a devastating fire, they are catapulted into a media frenzy and Win becomes a reluctant hero ? but is the admiration justified?

“‘Everyday Heroes’ raises questions about the meaning of heroism and explores issues surrounding the power of the media and the silencing of boys’ emotions in our society,” Inglima said.

Next season will see a fourth element in the Youth Theater schedule ? an evening of improvisation. The teen-age actors will stretch their interpretive talents from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, 2007.

More information about the playhouse’s Youth Theater season may be obtained by calling the theater at (949) 494-2787.

Imagination Celebration performance

Of more immediate note, the Playhouse will present “Stuart Little” by E.B. White as part of its THEATEREACH Program, which is part of the 2006 Imagination Celebration, a county-wide arts program for young people.

The children’s show focusing on a precocious mouse will have one performance at 10 a.m. Saturday, at the playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road.

THEATEREACH is a touring program of the playhouse that brings professional productions into area schools. The plays are one-hour stage adaptations of books included in the K-6 literature and history school curriculum. The content is similar to G-rated films.dpt-titus-CPhotoInfo131QJUUV20060505h3hei2kf(LA)