Lewis Wilkenfeld News

Cabrillo Music Theatre proudly announces the 2016-2017 season of shows.   Cabrillo's High-Flying Season features three Cabrillo debuts and one classic favorite not seen in nearly 15 years.  All of Cabrillo's productions are locally produced, auditioned and rehearsed in Southern California, and performed exclusively at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum/book by Burt Shevelove & Larry Gelbart/ music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim/Cabrillo Music Theatre, Thousand Oaks/directed by Lewis Wilkenfeld/choreographed by John Charron/through February 14 A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum is silliness personified from its zany characters and inane plot contrivances to its corny yet witty dialogue. It is clever farce set to music. Mistaken identities, zippity fast exits and entrances...it has no rhyme or reason but is terribly, terribly funny with belly laughs about every two seconds. Cabrillo's current revival is astonishingly good with a delicious cast and superlative direction from Lewis Wilkenfeld. It's a practically flawless production.

Laurel and Hardy must be smiling in the comedy Valhalla. Cabrillo Music Theatre's near-perfect production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which opened last night at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza's Scherr Forum, brings back the classic, broad humor from vaudeville, performed by an inspired cast of crazies who not only aren't afraid of anything going wrong, but are probably HOPING for mishaps that would destroy any other show. This is, of course, because Forum is one of those shows where spontaneity and the unexpected is almost as obligatory as Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart's uproarious script and Stephen Sondheim's witty lyrics.

There are slews of hungry, talented, still-unknown comedians in our community! That's why comedian Jason Love and Cabrillo Music Theatre have partnered to find the comic jewels with COMEDY TONIGHT:  FINDING THE FUNNIEST COMIC ON THE WAY TO THE "FORUM!" One local, and very funny, comedian will win a chance to perform a 10-minute stand-up set preceding a selected performance of Cabrillo Music Theatre's upcoming A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, which makes its Civic Arts Plaza debut January 29 through February 14th.

It might just be the funniest musical ever written! A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM makes its Civic Arts Plaza debut! This hilarious mixture of slapstick, farce, mistaken identity, music and dance has to be seen live to be believed! The winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED... has enjoyed two successful Broadway revivals, and has showcased generations of comic actors from Zero Mostel and Phil Silvers to Nathan Lane and Whoopi Goldberg. Cabrillo Music Theatre's brand-new production opens on Friday, January 29th, 2016 playing until Sunday, February 14th, at the 396-seat Scherr Forum at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Cabrillo Music Theatre kicks off the 2015-2016 season with a brand-new production of the American Classic DAMN YANKEES. Winner of eleven Tony Awards including Best Musical, DAMN YANKEES is sure to be a home run hit. With a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, this ever-popular baseball musical will have fans on the edge of their seats. Check out photos from the show below!

One of the most talented musicians to join the Ventura County musical theater scene in the past few years has been Cassie Nickols. Most audiences haven't seen Cassie before because she has spent most of her time behind the scenes, working first as a rehearsal pianist and then as assistant musical director. But in Cabrillo Music Theatre's current production of Damn Yankees, which begins this evening at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Cassie will be up front, baton in hand, leading the orchestra and the performers on stage as a full-fledged music director. It's been a long road for Cassie, a gifted musician who spent years studying her craft in college before joining the local musical theatre scene. We talked to Cassie about her thoughts behind making this key transition from performer to leader.

You don't have to make a deal with the devil to find laughs, love, baseball and heart. Just come out to the theatre, as Cabrillo Music Theatre kicks off the 2015-2016 season with a brand-new production of the American Classic DAMN YANKEES! Winner of eleven Tony Awards including Best Musical, DAMN YANKEES is sure to be a home run hit. With a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, this ever-popular baseball musical will have fans on the edge of their seats. DAMN YANKEES includes favorite songs such as 'Heart,' 'Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets,' 'A Little Brains, A Little Talent,' and 'A Man Doesn't Know,' among many others.DAMN YANKEES opens today, October 16th, 2015, playing until Sunday, October 25th, 2015 at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. 

Family and community combine with the Arts when 'Broadway In Your Backyard' and Conejo Valley Little League join forces! Cabrillo Music Theatre launches their upcoming production of DAMN YANKEES and the RE-PLAY IT campaign at TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME: A Day of Music, Baseball and 'Heart!'

Family and community combine with the Arts when "Broadway In Your Backyard" and Conejo Valley Little League join forces! Cabrillo Music Theatre launches their upcoming production of DAMN YANKEES and the RE-PLAY IT campaign at TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME: A Day of Music, Baseball and "Heart!"

You don't have to make a deal with the devil to find laughs, love, baseball and heart. Just come out to the theatre, as Cabrillo Music Theatre kicks off the 2015-2016 season with a brand-new production of the American Classic DAMN YANKEES! Winner of eleven Tony Awards including Best Musical, DAMN YANKEES is sure to be a home run hit. With a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, this ever-popular baseball musical will have fans on the edge of their seats. DAMN YANKEES includes favorite songs such as "Heart," "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets," "A Little Brains, A Little Talent," and "A Man Doesn't Know," among many others.DAMN YANKEES opens on Friday, October 16th, 2015, playing until Sunday, October 25th, 2015 at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. 

Cabrillo Music Theatre, coming on the heels of last year's successful event, announces its' 2nd Annual, 24-hour DANCE MARATHON! This exciting community fundraising event aims to unite marathon contestants of all ages and abilities, your favorite Cabrillo Characters, and local businesses for 24 hours of dance, Zumba, Stretch, music, food, prizes and special guests! Cabrillo's 2nd annual DANCE MARATHON will take place from this weekend, August 7th to August 8th, at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest, Thousand Oaks, 91360.

Cabrillo Music Theatre, coming on the heels of last year's successful event, announces its' 2nd Annual, 24-hour DANCE MARATHON! This exciting community fundraising event aims to unite marathon contestants of all ages and abilities, your favorite Cabrillo Characters, and local businesses for 24 hours of dance, Zumba, Stretch, music, food, prizes and special guests! Cabrillo's 2nd annual DANCE MARATHON will take place from August 7th to August 8th, at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest, Thousand Oaks, 91360. All proceeds go to Cabrillo Music Theatre's outreach programs. Dance the night away for Cabrillo Music Theatre!

OKLAHOMA! opens tonight, Friday, July 17th , 2015, playing until Sunday, July 26th, and features an added mid-week matinee on July 22nd, at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Cabrillo Music Theatre celebrates its' partnership with the Westlake Village Inn by hosting an "open mic" night at Bogie's, the popular nightspot at the Inn. 

For the ninth straight year, Cabrillo Music Theatre is presenting a free concert as part of the Westlake T.G.I.F. event series, and this time they're bringing some friends! Buckles and Bows, the Square Dance Club of the Conejo Valley, will entertain the guests with their music and moves, as part of the evening. The concert, titled PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE, showcases the songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and will feature a preview of Cabrillo Music Theatre's upcoming production of the famed team's OKLAHOMA!. PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE performs for one night only, Today, June 26th, at the Westlake Village Civic Center, 31200 Oak Crest Drive, Westlake Village.

For the ninth straight year, Cabrillo Music Theatre is presenting a free concert as part of the Westlake T.G.I.F. event series, and this time they're bringing some friends! Buckles and Bows, the Square Dance Club of the Conejo Valley, will entertain the guests with their music and moves, as part of the evening. The concert, titled PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE, showcases the songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and will feature a preview of Cabrillo Music Theatre's upcoming production of the famed team's OKLAHOMA!. PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE performs for one night only, Friday, June 26th, at the Westlake Village Civic Center, 31200 Oak Crest Drive, Westlake Village.

Director of Development Maureen O'Boyle Feldman and Artistic Director Lewis Wilkenfeld proudly announce Cabrillo Music Theatre's first-ever Annual Campaign. Dubbed the CABRILLO CORNERSTONE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN, this drive will roll out over the next three months, culminating in a grand concert fundraiser that will become the 'place to be' for entertainment and support for the community. Along the way will be numerous events surrounding Cabrillo's summer production of OKLAHOMA!, plus the return of one of Cabrillo's most popular and successful events, the Cabrillo Dance Marathon. The CABRILLO CORNERSTONE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN takes place at various locations in Thousand Oaks and surrounding areas between now and August 29th, 2015.

OKLAHOMA! opens on Friday, July 17th , 2015, playing until Sunday, July 26th , and features an added mid-week matinee on July 22nd , at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. 

Today, the Nederlander Organization and Hollywood Pantages Theatre announced final nominees for THE 4TH ANNUAL JERRY HERMAN AWARDS, a celebration of the achievement and excellence in high school musical theatre in Los Angeles.