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News Release Archive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. COC-08-114
June 6, 2008

Students Cast in Festival of New American Musicals Show

College of the Canyons will present the workshop version of the musical “Sing Me a Happy Song,” with music and lyrics by Georgia Stitt and David Kirshenbaum, as part of The Festival of New American Musicals. Performances will be held in the PAC Black Box Theater Saturday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. COC instructor Andrea Slominski will direct the workshop production.

“Sing Me a Happy Song” will be cast entirely with students drawn from the college’s Theatre 190 “Summer Cabaret Series” production class. In addition to working on “Sing Me a Happy Song,” students enrolled in the course will participate in a series of master classes and workshops with professional artists, actors, directors and theatre industry professionals underwritten by The SCV Theatre Project. Master classes and workshops include Jean-Louis Rodrigue (Alexander Technique), Kay Cole (Director/ Choreographer), Tony Abatemarco (Classical Acting), and William Kilroy (Acting The Michael Chekhov Method).

The SCV Theatre Project, founded in 2005 by COC instructors Mark Salyer and Andrea Slominski, is a non-profit professional theatre company dedicated to enhancing and promoting the performing arts throughout the Santa Clarita Valley, developing educational and professional performing arts training, nurturing the development of new plays and musicals, and developing a regional theatre company offering Broadway-caliber productions at affordable prices.

“Sing Me a Happy Song,” penned by two of Broadway’s newest voices, Stitt and Kirshenbaum, is a contemporary musical revue about finding heart in these material times. With songs about modern-day relationships, searching for yourself on the Internet, striving to have everything but never having enough, love, family and your gay best friend, this five-character show is at once comic and poignant, smart and silly, emotional and timely.

"I am so grateful to College of the Canyons and Adam Philipson, managing director of the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center, for coming along exactly when they did. ‘Sing Me a Happy Song’ needs a development opportunity, and they need something to develop. It's a perfect match," said Stitt.

Admission to the workshop production of “Sing Me a Happy Song” is $20 for adults and $15 for students with school ID, seniors 60 and older and children 12 and younger. For more information or to purchase tickets call the PAC box office at (661) 362-5304 or visit www.canyonspac.com.

College of the Canyons
Valencia campus: 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355 • (661) 259-7800
Canyon Country campus: 17200 Sierra Highway, Canyon Country, CA 91351 • (661) 476-3800