Cabrillo Music Theatre Reaches Fundraising Goal; 2014-15 Season to Continue with MEMPHIS

Cabrillo Music Theatre is thrilled to announce that that it has met its fund-raising goal to keep its doors open and launch its 2014-2015 season, featuring MARY POPPINS, MEMPHIS, OKLAHOMA and COMPANY. The Board of Directors is thrilled and touched at the surge of community support and donations Cabrillo has received to date. With, at last tally, $211,259 and 84%, and almost 800 donors participating, Cabrillo is on the path to success of the overall goal of $250,000 and beyond.

Ticket sale expectations have fallen short, due to both a lack of marketing funds and public uncertainty about Cabrillo, and so as the Board has decided to move ahead with the 2014-2015 season, it will at the same time, keep pushing forward with the fundraising campaign that can help offset the subscription shortfall. Meanwhile, a fully-funded season marketing plan will be launched, giving the public another chance to lock in great seats at the lowest prices for MEMPHIS, MARY POPPINS, OKLAHOMA, and COMPANY. Additionally, to insure that financial shortfalls are a thing of Cabrillo's past, it has brought on a new Managing and Development Director, Julie Prince, who has previously served on Cabrillo's Board of Directors.

Comments Cabrillo Music Theatre's Artistic Director Lewis Wilkenfeld, "I'm very excited to move ahead with next season! Even as fundraising continues, and we shift our focus to season subscriptions, I've been setting staff and elements for our shows. There's no time to kick back -- we start auditions for MEMPHIS this Saturday in Thousand Oaks! I'm personally very grateful for the outpouring of support I've received across the community. Not just the donations -- the well wishes, the thumbs-up -- the public is really caught up in this effort, and they've been rooting for us. That means a lot! I'm very happy that Julie Prince is joining Team Cabrillo. Julie, like many involved with us, started as a mom of a performing child, but she's provided incredible strength and leadership. She initiates ideas and follows them through, and brings real-world experience and spirit to Cabrillo. We'll miss her on the Board of Directors, but I look forward to collaborating with her to make Cabrillo Music Theatre stronger than ever!"

ABOUT JULIE PRINCE - Julie Prince comes to Cabrillo Music Theatre with a proven track record in business development, group and corporate sales, membership cultivation and fundraising. Most recently, Prince was responsible for launching the Barkley Pet Hotel & Day Spa and overseeing operations, strategic marketing and business development. Prince served as Director of Sales for Vari-Lite, Inc., an entertainment lighting company, and spearheaded the creation of sales offices and dealership relationships in the U.S. and European markets. She also worked for a membership resort company, Thousand Trails, Inc. where she managed the membership cultivation and regional marketing of nine California locations. Prince spent over five years with Six Flags California first in Public Relations then in the Group and Corporate Sales Department as a Regional Sales Manager. Prince is passionate about supporting non-profits. She served for two years as PTA President, has chaired many fundraising events and has been a member of numerous non-profit organizations including Westlake Village Junior Women's Club, Lakeview Museum of Arts & Science (Illinois) and Junior League of Plano (Texas). Prince's love for the theatre began during her year of study abroad in London, England. There, she took a British Theatre class at the University of London and saw a theatrical production in the West End every week. One of her most memorable productions was PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Prince, a Cabrillo subscriber, reports her favorite Cabrillo shows to be ANNIE staring Sally Struthers, and the most recent BYE BYE BIRDIE with Jim J Bullock. Prince received her bachelor's degree in Communications from California Lutheran University. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two children having recently visited Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.

CABRILLO MUSIC THEATRE's 2014-2015 Season will open with MEMPHIS (November 14-23, 2014), then "travel" to England with MARY POPPINS (April 17-26, 2015), and make a stop in OKLAHOMA! (July 17-26, 2015). Next season also includes a "bonus" show in the Civic Arts Plaza's Scherr Forum Theatre, COMPANY (January 23-February 8, 2015).

Single show and Season Tickets are available. And don't forget BYE BYE BIRDIE, Cabrillo's 20th Anniversary Season finale, July 18th through the 27th, with an added full performance on Wednesday, July 23rd, 11AM. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com or at the Civic Arts Plaza Box office, or at www.cabrillomusictheatre.com.

Cabrillo Music Theatre is the Ovation Award-winning Resident Musical Theatre Production Company of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and a non-profit theatre organization. For over three decades, Cabrillo has been enriching the cultural life of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties and the surrounding areas by providing an extraordinary performing arts experience through live, Broadway-quality productions of musical theatre. It is Cabrillo's mission to provide the highest quality musical experience, to foster educational opportunities, and to promote cultural and artistic enrichment to enhance the quality of life in Southern California. To this end, Cabrillo Music Theatre goes "Beyond the Footlights" with programs to give back to the community, and to provide enhanced theatre experiences for all audiences. Since the inception of "Beyond the Footlights," over 39,000 underserved children, in-need seniors, and active military have enjoyed Cabrillo Music Theatre's productions at no charge. In addition, Cabrillo provides ASL signed performances of every production; talkbacks with cast and staff; and Cabrillo's Animal Rescue program, which raises funds and awareness for homeless and abused dogs and cats.