The Long Beach Playhouse Transforms Into 1943 Stage Door Canteen on September 13

Join the Long Beach Playhouse on September 13 as they step back in time to 1943 when this was a Navy town and Stage Door Canteens were the place to be!

The downstairs stage, bar and solarium will be transformed into a USO-type canteen complete with 1940s-era celebrities, a floorshow, casino tables, food, a tattoo parlor, fortune teller and celebrities around every corner. Guests are welcome to dress in 40s attire!

The Canteen is part of a yearlong celebration of the 85th anniversary of the Playhouse. "We wanted our party to be something special. We realized we had everything we needed right here in our own location," said Jane Nunn, project manager for the Canteen. "All of the talents of the Playhouse will be on full display from acting to set design."

Terra Taylor Knudson is writing and directing the floorshow. She has produced shows for the Playhouse Collaborative season and has assembled a cast that includes Bob Hope, the Andrews Sisters, Mae West and Jane Russell. Mingling with the guests in the casino and bar will be Errol Flynn, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart and Miss Long Beach.

"We promise the Canteen will be a lot of fun for our guests," said Nunn. "If there's one thing the Playhouse knows how to do, it's put on a great show and that's what the Canteen will be."

Tickets can be purchased on the LBP website on the Special Events page or by calling 562-494-1014 X 506 or in person at the box office during its normal operating hours.

Proceeds from the Canteen benefit the Long Beach Playhouse including productions in its Mainstage and Studio theatres, its acclaimed New Works Festival and its outstanding youth and adult education programs.

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