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The Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse is a 73-seat, not-for-profit,
Community Theater that has been serving greater Orange County for over 40
years. The Playhouse is dedicated to presenting affordable, quality, live
theater in a comfortable and intimate setting, and to offering the talented actors,
singers, dancers, and stage craftspeople of Orange County a welcoming environment
in which to practice their craft. With a season running from September through
June and five productions per season, the Playhouse offers a diverse array of
plays and musicals to our theatergoing public.
The Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse operates under the
stewardship of a volunteer Board. All board officers and members donate their
time in support of the overall organization and also act as producers for
individual productions. Most of the behind the scenes duties at the theater,
including set construction, facility maintenance, and ticketing/reservations to
name just a few, are performed by the Board and a small group of community
volunteers.
Funding is provided by revenues generated by ticket sales,
generous donations from our patrons, and the various fundraisers the Board
organizes throughout the season. The Playhouse receives an in-kind donation
from the City of Costa Mesa for the use of our facility at the Rea School
campus, but receives no monetary support from the city. All revenues are
directed back into the productions at the Playhouse and toward general
operating costs. Donations are greatly appreciated, and you can
volunteer
to help. Getting involved with the theater is a great way to
contribute to your community
In general, the majority of funds for a production are focused
on securing the rights to the show, set construction/materials, costumes, production
staff fees (director, musical director, choreographer, set design, lighting
design), and when possible, advertising. When musicians are hired, they are
generally professionals and require payment. Since funds are extremely
limited, the cast, crew, and producers receive no compensation for their time,
energy, and dedication to each production.
Despite the limited availability of funds, whenever
possible, the Playhouse strives to give back to the community. Some of the
ways we are able to do that is by offering the use of our space to community
groups for theater related activities such as acting classes or rehearsals,
donation of free performances to local school children and their families along
with in-class sessions related to the piece being performed, and donation of a
portion of our proceeds to community groups relating to our productions such as
veterans groups or AIDS organizations. While financial obligations do not
always allow us to do everything we want, we enjoy being creative in finding
ways to give back.
The critics agree, the 2007 -
2008 season has kicked off with a great production of "Earthlings
Beware!"
If you didn't have the opportunity to
attend any of the 2006 - 2007 season's productions, you missed some
wonderful performances. All four shows, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild,"
and
"A Little Night Music" won critical acclaim and were
warmly received by patrons of CMCP. To read all the reviews,
click on the "Reviews" and the "Reviews Archive" tabs on the menu.
The dedicated and talented cast and
crew at CMCP has donated many hours of hard work to perform for you.
Make plans to enjoy the fruits of their labor by visiting our online
box office today.
Thanks for visiting us on the web. We’d love to see you in
person at the Playhouse!
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