La Mirada Presents JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, Begins May 15

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts presents the award-winning Storybook Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk. Performances are Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Storybook Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk is an interactive, musical version of the centuries-old fairy tale. A rapping giant, a talking goose and chases up and down the beanstalk await the adventurous hero, Jack, in this fun-filled telling of a favorite children's tale. There are plenty of songs and audience participation to delight the whole family as members of the audience help to hide Jack from the giant. The play features book and lyrics by Lloyd J. Schwartz, who also directs, and music by Ben Lanzarone. The cast includes Melanie Wahla, Caitlin Gallogly, Jason Galloway, Adam Conger, Barbara Mallory Schwartz and Stephen Reynolds.

About the Creative Team

Barbara Mallory SCHWARTZ (Producer, Jack's Mother) began her career with the famed Minneapolis Children's Theatre before coming to Los Angeles to appear in many film, television, and stage roles in everything from Heidi, to Squeaky Fromme in Helter Skelter, to The Ring 2 and this season's cable series "Shameless." She recently won the Best Actress in a Comedy Feature award at the Los Angeles Global Film Festival for her role in Watch Out For Slick. In addition to producing all of the Storybook Theatre plays at Theatre West, she has appeared in Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. She is a recipient of several VAlley Theatre League Awards and the initial Red Carpet Award from Women in Theatre.

LLOYD J. SCHWARTZ (Director, Book and Lyrics) A prolific writer/producer in TV and film (all the Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island variations including Executive Producer of the upcoming Warner Brothers feature, Gilligan's Island), Lloyd is proudest of his accomplishments in theatre, which include thirty-three produced plays. Lloyd has won eighteen VAlley Theatre League awards...not only for Storybook Theatre plays for children but for his best original play, Much A Dieux, and for best book and lyrics for You & Me and directing and writing A Very Brady Musical. Lloyd is the co-author of Gilligan's Island: The Musical, which recently completed a national tour.

Ben Lanzarone (Composer) A winner of ASCAP's Most Performed Composer Award, his music has been performed on commercials, records and soundtracks and has traveled with a wide variety of artists including Frank Sinatra, Art Garfunkle, Mary Travers, Anthony Newley, Petula Clark, Lainie Kazan and Mason Williams. He has composed scores "The Tracey Ullman Show," "Jay Leno Comedy Hour," "Dynasty," "Love Boat," "Happy Days," "Laverne and Shirley" and others. He was Musical Director on Broadway for Grease and of the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival's A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as being the arranger and orchestrator for the Broadway productions, Via Galactica and Truckload. Ben composed, arranged, produced and performed his score for You & Me, which won a VAlley Theatre League Award. Besides this show, he has written music for two other Storybook Theatre children's musicals. Ben also received a Grammy nomination for Baby's Broadway Lullabies he arranged, performed and co-produced with his wife, well-known actress Ilene Graff. He is the proud father of Nikka Graff Lanzarone, who is performing on Broadway.

Nikki D'Amico (Choreographer) has appeared on the Los Angeles stage in productions of: Cats, Evita, Chaplin, Gypsy, The Fantastiks, West Side Story, and Nunsense, to name a few. She has toured the country in the nightclub acts of Dom DeLuise and Sergio Franchi, as well as the National Company of A Chorus Line. Nikki loves children's theatre and was thrilled to be a part of Theatre West's productions of Sleeping Beauty, The Pied Piper, The Princess and the Frog and The Ugly Duckling.

La Mirada Theatre's Programs for Young Audiences is designed to give children exposure to a diverse mix of national and international touring stage acts. The 2010-11 season will conclude with The Disney Channel's "CHOO-CHOO SOUL WITH GENEVIEVE!" on July 10, 2011.
All seats are $8 for children and $12 for adults. A two-show mini subscription is available for $12 (Children) and $18 (Adults).Tickets are available online at www.lamiradatheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada, CA. Parking is free. Wheelchair access and Hearing Assist devices available.

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