Starting Jan. 8, it will take all of five acts in one theatrical production to convey close to a century’s worth of its story.
The Long Beach Playhouse will host Tales from the Playhouse, a production of the theatre’s history, on Friday, Jan. 8 and Saturday, Jan. 9 in performances that will detail the eras of the Great Depression, the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and many other moments that had “great success while offering comedies to a war-weary city during the 1940s,” according to the theatre.
Community players, as they were called, were involved in planning for theatrical productions during the 1930s era. They knew that individuals caught up in day-to-day labor needed a type of “escape,” and that comedy was the best solution.
“It’s been a pretty simple equation throughout history— laughter is the best medicine,” said Andrew Vonderschmitt, executive director of the Long Beach Playhouse. “The financial success during that time enabled them to save significant money. I also believe it was good planning. They bought the land and within two years had a new theatre space.”
Eighty-seven years later, and that theatre space is now the Long Beach Playhouse.
The production on Friday will feature five actors, which include Vonderschmitt; Madison Mooney, business and operations manager; Sean Gray, technical director and production manager; and Phie Mura and Liliana Carrillo, who are both volunteers.
This is not the first time this Playhouse production has been performed. It was last May that the Historical Society of Long Beach featured a Playhouse history exhibit that was considered a success based off the reaction of “laughter, tears and applause.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Screen-Shot-2016-01-07-at-4.18.42-PM.png” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”The Community Playhouse Theatre interior in 1951″ captionposition=”left”] “It was great,” Vonderschmitt said. “The Historical Society did a wonderful exhibit about the history of the Playhouse, and this was part of it. We realized that more people might like to see the show, and Jane Nunn, a board member and longtime actor [and] volunteer, suggested that we produce it during our collaborative season when we have time in the studio.”
The production is split into five acts that are supposed to represent significant eras in Playhouse history. Vonderschmitt said it is a way to “segment a nearly nine-decade story into manageable parts.” The play will focus on certain characters during each segment of time and era.
“I think it gives a real clear look at the history of the Playhouse,” Vonderschmitt said.
Longtime volunteers and family members were surveyed in order to acquire information about the Playhouse’s history and to present it all in the Historical Society of Long Beach’s exhibit last May. The Tales from the Playhouse production was made possible from all of the research. Anna Kate Mohler, a past volunteer and current Playhouse staff member, helped write and direct the piece.
Included in its history is the 1933 Long Beach earthquake on March 10 of that year that claimed more than 100 lives. The Long Beach Playhouse structure remained intact.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”350px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/JC-review.jpg” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”The Long Beach Playhouse presented the Jesus Christ Superstar production last August – a play directed by Andrew Vonderschmitt, executive director of the Playhouse. The theatre will spotlight its 87-year history starting Friday, Jan. 8 in a production featuring Vonderschmitt entitled Tales from the Playhouse.” captionposition=”right”] Renowned artists who have performed at the Playhouse include popular noir actor Robert Mitchum, country singer Dwight Yoakam and Deforest Kelly, who was a popular actor in the TV series Star Trek.
More details and elaboration of Playhouse history will be told during the production. Vonderschmitt is indeed taking great pride in telling the story on Friday.
“I always say that it’s a humbling experience to be in charge of such a longstanding institution,” Vonderschmitt said. “The history, the productions, the many people who call this place home or have in the past— I mean, thousands and thousands of people are always in the back of my head, but I never really felt the weight of it all until I read this story. It really is incredible and impressive to think back at what brought us here to today. And it’s an incredible honor to work here and to tell this story.”
The Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., across the street from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. Performances are 8pm on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at lbplayhouse.org or at the box office from 3pm to 8pm.
