Junior Theatre is pleased to announce that Ricardo Valenzuela will return to direct and choreograph our summer production of Pippi Longstocking! Auditions are April 29, 30, and May 1, 4-6pm. Please call the Education Office at 619-239-1311 for more information and to reserve an appointment time.
Ricardo Valenzuela most recently directed Mr. Popper’s Penguins and Junie B. Jones. He is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, NYC, and has performed at the Starlight Bowl, Moonlight Amphitheatre, San Diego Musical Theatre, Hispanic Arts Theatre, San Diego Asian Repertory Theatre, Coronado Playhouse and Christian Community Theatre. Ricardo is also scheduled to teach Junior Theatre’s Advanced Musical Theatre Camp of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. this summer at City College (July 22, 2019-August 2, 2019).
Author Archives: Rippledink
Director Matt Haupert Returns!
Matt Haupert returns to Junior Theatre this summer as the director of The Hunchback of Notre Dame! Matt’s production of The Crucible wowed audiences on the Casa del Prado Stage last fall. Matt holds a BFA in Acting and a BA in English from Drake University and an MA in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University. He currently teaches Humanities and runs the musical theater program at High Tech High North County, where he directed Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. As an actor, Matt has worked with companies such as Berkeley Playhouse, TheatreFirst, Contra Costa Musical Theater, Tibbits Summer Theater, and Hope Summer Repertory Theater. Auditions for Hunchback are April 29, 30 and May 1, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. For more information and to secure your appointment time, please call the Junior Theatre Education Office at 619-239-1311.
Welcome David Romero – SDJT's New Assistant Production Manager
Growing up I had two passions. Swimming and theatre. I went to Mesa College where I completed the two-year theatre program and two years after that I returned to work there as the scene shop foreman. I realized there that teaching and introducing elements of theatre was another passion of mine. I have worked at several theatres as an electrician and lighting designer: San Diego REP, New Village Arts, Cygnet, Moxie and Point Loma Playhouse.
Welcome Susan Jordan DeLeon
San Diego Junior Theatre is proud to welcome Susan Jordan DeLeon as director of Seussical! Susan is thrilled to be joining the Junior Theatre Family in a new capacity. As a parent of a former student she had the opportunity to see first hand the quality of theatre education Junior Theatre provides. Susan has been teaching and directing in a variety of venues from collegiate to professional theatre here in Southern California and abroad and holds an M.F.A. in Musical Theater as well as a B.A. in Theater from SDSU.
Students should make note of some key dates:
Pre-audition meeting: January 24, 4:00 – 5:00 pm in Room 102.
Auditions: February 8 6:00 – 8:00 pm Room 102
February 9, 9:00 – 12:00 pm in Room 102
NOTE: Students must be enrolled in a spring class to audition. Spring enrollment does not open until January 24.
https://juniortheatre.com/auditions/
A Message from Executive Director
San Diego Junior Theatre’s 70th Anniversary Season was a year of celebration and reflection – an opportunity to glance back at our legacy that began in the 1940s and to savor the many achievements and accomplishments that have made us the oldest continually producing youth theatre in the nation.
Our successful 70th Anniversary Party of the Decade event brought together Junior Theatre families both past and present, as well as many of JT’s most notable alumni including 2018 JT Honorees Ahmad Hereford, DJ Sullivan, and Clarke Thorell. Tony award winner Casey Nicholaw, currently represented on Broadway with Mean Girls, The Book of Mormon, and Aladdin, even flew in early to do a Q&A with our current students!
Season highlights included the San Diego premiere of Tuck Everlasting and an exciting collaboration with Disney Theatricals on one of their newest properties, Newsies JR.
Now we look to the future!
It’s Season 71, and Junior Theatre has planned a breathtaking banquet of classes, productions, and outreach programs that will inspire and challenge our students and audiences. We need your help to make it happen.
As you know, only a portion of SDJT’s annual budget is covered by ticket sales and tuition. Donations to the Annual Giving Fund enable Junior Theatre to reach more kids, innovate, and take artistic risks.
Junior Theatre has been the starting point for dozens of professional theatre artists, but for many, many more, it has been a playground to develop important life skills and core values, such as empathy, community, identity, resiliency, and responsibility.
Your gift will ensure that Junior Theatre will continue to be the place where dreams are realized in a safe and nurturing community, and where life-long friendships are born.
Sincerely,
James Saba
Executive Director
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