Live theatre came to Lake Forest late night and it got thunderous applause from a full audience. Modjeska Playhouse held an open house in advance of their opening on April 3.
The theatre is located at 21084 Bake Parkway (Suite 104) which is near the intersection of Bake and Trabuco, right behind The Wine Artist. There is a 49 seat stadium theatre with a large stage area.
Modjeska Playhouse is a not-for-profit organization that began as an idea whose seed was planted in 1990 at Trabuco Hills High School. It was a love for the theatre that brought Joe Alanes, Joshua Stecker and Christopher Sullivan together in the early 1990s as students at THHS. All three, after graduating THHS, went on to professional careers in the performing arts as actors, directors, writers and educators while their friendship continued to grow.
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In late 2007, after years of “tossing around” the idea of starting a theatre company, they decided that now was the time to put their dreams into action and the Modjeska Playhouse was born. It was named after Helena Modjeska, a Shakespearian actress who also called the Saddleback Valley area home; and the Modjeska Peak, the northernmost peak of the Saddleback mountain range.
Modjeska Playhouse, its artists, and supporters are committed to producing quality professional theatrical works in the Saddleback Valley. The three founding artists and its Board of Directors were either born in and/or raised and live in South Orange County (Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest and Laguna Niguel) and are aware of the need for more cultural arts experiences and education in the local community.
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In attendance at the open house were Council members Gardner, Voigts, and Robinson, as well as Mission Viejo Councilman Greg Raths (pictured above). They were joined by more than 50 others, including former Parks and Recreation Commissioner John Irish and his wife Rosalie, Chamber of Commerce stalwarts Margie Matsil and Rick Lancaster and Saddleback Valley Soroptimists leader Anne Breuer.
Tomorrow we’ll look at the upcoming program and suggest ways you can get involved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.
Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 2 pm to 5 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every moth. The next meeting will be March 14 from 2 to 4 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.
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