Curtains Up on Agoura Community Theater

Center Stage Performing Arts is set to open its doors to the public on June 4th, after a three-year hiatus, with an afternoon of live music, food and a meet-and-greet with the staff.

The neighborhood theater will be taking over the historic building, formerly occupied by Stage Door Theater, which closed in 2008 after 28 years of operation. Considered one of the oldest commercial buildings in Agoura, the structure was previously a gas station and a market at different times.

“We didn’t change much on the outside, but inside we had to bring the building up to code,” said co-owner Roger Newcome.

Newcome said that they tried to preserve the quaint look of the 1920s-era historic building. Even with the remodeling, they were able to preserve the intimate venue appeal that Stage Door was known for, he said. The built-in theater will have a seating capacity of 30 to 40, said Newcome.

“We like to think it will still have that old theater feel,” said co-owner Cindy Pruitt.

There will be year-round lessons offered in acting, musical instruments and vocals, said Newcome. “Those three will be our top focus areas, which we want our future students to excel in,” he said.

According to Newcome, Center Stage Agoura will be a “perform-as-you-learn” venue, where students can showcase their talents after only a month or so of taking lessons. “In other studios, it can take several months or years before students can have a recital, but not here,” he said.

Center Stage Agoura's summer calendar is packed with events and workshops. Beginning June 11, there will be “On Camera Acting” classes on Saturdays with Norma Maldonado, a film and TV actress.

Improv or stand-up comedy classes will also begin in June. Open to all ages, the classes will be taught by Shaun Fleming and Stephanie Callas, trained improv actors who are both graduates of Agoura High School’s Comedy Sportz.

For budding musicians, there’s “Open Mic Night.” It will run every other Saturday night and is open to vocalists and instrumentalists who may want to play solo or jam with the house band.

The intimate venue will also have rooms for private music and acting lessons, and there will be six music instructors on staff, said Newcome.

A summer theater and music workshop is also set to begin in June. The five-week program will welcome students from age seven to 15, who are eager to learn how to act, sing or play a musical instrument, according to Newcome. There will be optional performances or “showcases” at the end of the workshop, he said.

Tuition will include a take-home DVD of on-camera work, scene work, casting tips, music instruction, daily “band jamming,” a headshot photo and a shirt, among others.

Newcome, a musician and songwriter, said part of the new theater’s appeal would be its close ties with industry professionals. “We will have a film-making class that will be taught by a film director, as well as a casting class by a real casting director,” he said.

Newcome himself is a music industry insider, being the original owner of Agoura Music, which he sold in 2003. He will be managing the day-to-day operations of Center Stage Agoura.

Pruitt, a director and writer, will be building up and overseeing the theater program. She said she is looking forward to working with local actors, children and community members “who just want to grow as artists.”

“We want to give them an on-going opportunity to participate, perform and learn in a safe environment,” she said.

All the classes and programs will be run by the in-house staff, meaning space will not be leased to outsiders, according to Newcome.

“There’s nothing like this in the community,” said Newcome, who hopes to attract local residents as well as theater aficionados from the Conejo Valley, the San Fernando Valley and even Malibu.

Aside from the weekly events and summer workshops, Newcome is mum about the rest of the year. “Let’s just say that the only game in town still has a few surprises up its sleeves,” he said.

Pruitt added: “We want to offer something different all the time, so the community can enjoy art on all levels.”