THEATER REVIEW:Playhouse seeking stars of tomorrow

Where will the Laguna Playhouse find its star performers of the future? Possibly from one of a series of three acting and musical theater programs being offered for young people this summer.

The playhouse has announced its summer program of instruction geared for prospective actors, singers and dancers from ages 7 to 17. Prospective performers will have three sessions from which to choose.

The “Kids on Broadway Musical Theater Workshop” for children 9 to 12 is targeted for beginners to advanced students and will be presented in two sessions. Classes will focus on acting; music; choreography and movement; presenting a song; monologues; and group numbers.

Classes will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at Laguna’s Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Anne’s Drive. Each workshop will culminate in a showcase production, and the course fee is $500.

Small fry are beckoned to the playhouse’s “Acting Camp,” offering two sessions for ages 7 to 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students will explore acting theater games, improvisation, storytelling, character building, memorization, movement, music, costumes and the creation of a project.

The workshops also will wind up with a showcase project. One class started Tuesday, while the other will begin next Tuesday, each at a fee of $425. Classes meet at the playhouse’s production center, 23404 South Pointe Drive, Laguna Hills.

The third course is a “Teen Acting Workshop” with one session offered for students aged 13 to 17. It runs from July 17 to 28. This will be a “crash course in acting for motivated and curious teens,” according to the organizers and will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the production center. The teen classes will focus on scene work, monologues, audition and relaxation techniques and ensemble work. The fee is $300.

Those interested should contact Mandy McGowen at the playhouse, (949) 497-2787, ext. 207.

Veteran TV newscaster Ed Arnold, currently the anchor man on KOCE’s “Real Orange,” will be heard (though not seen) as the voice-over reporter in the Laguna Playhouse’s summer production, “Shear Madness,” which opens Saturday after a week of previews.

Arnold has been a newscaster and sportscaster in Southern California for more than 40 years and has been honored with a Golden Mike award and an Emmy nomination. He came to Orange County in 1958 as a member of the Marine Corps and stayed on to launch a broadcasting career.

“Shear Madness” is an audience-involving comedy which doubles as a murder mystery. The show plays nightly (except Sundays and Mondays) through Sept. 3 at the playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road.dpt-titus-CPhotoInfoBO1SSLVR20060714h3hei2kfCredit: Caption: (LA)