Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre Hosts A Murder Mystery Fundraiser

It's 1940 and the Hollywood broadcasting studio of KPUT is buzzing. The "Buck Tinney Hour" is due to be broadcast tonight, but there's a problem-a deadly serious problem. Don't touch that dial and Stay Tuned for Murder!

Stay Tuned for Murder is the latest musical murder-mystery fundraiser to be produced by The Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre. Written by Tom Shelton and Alyssa Canann and featuring young actors from The Laguna Playhouse Youth Conservatory, Stay Tuned for Murder will be presented February 5 & 6 at the Neighborhood Congregational Church, 340 St. Ann's Drive in Laguna Beach.

"The kids in our youth conservatory really enjoying rehearing and performing this murder mystery every year," says Donna Inglima, The Playhouse's Director of Youth Theatre, Education and Outreach. "It's one of our largest Youth Theatre fundraisers of the year. We added an extra night this year to accommodate the demand for tickets."

A February 4 "pizza preview" performance is already sold out. Tickets are still available for the February 5 and 6 performances (catered by Mark's Restaurant) and include dinner, adult beverages, a silent auction, a champagne raffle, a centerpiece contest, 1940s-era characters and songs, and of course mayhem and murder. Attendees are encouraged to wear 1940s period attire.

Tickets to Stay Tuned for Murder are $75 each. To purchase tickets, call 949.497-2787 or visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.

Since its early days, The Laguna Playhouse recognized the value of offering plays for young audiences. In the 1980s, what had been a sporadic history of producing children's theatre was transformed into a formal program called The Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre. The current program offers a two play subscription series of plays and musicals based upon popular books or stories aimed primarily for children of elementary and middle school ages.

What makes the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre Season unique in the region: the plays are directed and designed by theatre professionals and are fully-mounted with The Playhouse's technical resources. The staff for each production is drawn principally from The Playhouse's Youth Conservatory Program. Open casting is "age-appropriate," which means that young people play young people in the plays. The content of the plays is typically similar to G-rated or PG-rated films.

Founded in 1920, the Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating theatres on the West Coast, and has evolved from an amateur theater into a professional League of Resident Theatres (LORT).

More than 100,000 theatergoers annually attend performances at the Laguna Playhouse. Noted for its Award Winning Youth Theater, Education and Community Outreach programs, The Playhouse's continued growth, expansion, artistic excellence, audience popularity and critical acclaim have helped make it one of Southern California's most important nonprofit theatre companies.

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