Theater-Goers Witnessing APA’s Play CLUE Will Discover 30th Anniversary Cake in the Lobby!
by: April Sharp
Published: April 15, 2024
HUNTINGTON BEACH...Theater-goers witnessing APA’s Play CLUE during the performance on April 21st at NOON will discover celebratory cake in the lobby to celebrate HB APA’s 30th Anniversary.
“It is difficult to believe that APA has already been educating artists and future audience members for 30 years!” says Susan West who joined the team as APA’s Supervisor in 2006.
APA began its arts education program for high school students under the acronym SPA, School for the Performing Arts to provide a creative education that cultivates in students the focus necessary to achieve excellence in the arts. Led by Artistic Director Diane Makas, the name was changed to the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (HB APA) in 1996-7.
“In 1994 colleges were entertaining the idea of eliminating the need for a VAPA requirement on entry applications and the arts programs for high schools were going away due to funding.” shared Bonnie Castrey who has served on the HBUHSD School Board since 1985. “We wanted a pre-professional arts program while continuing to offer visual/performing education in some capacity on all the high school campuses in the HBUHSD. Together, with Superintendent Dave Hagen and Facilitator Steve Schwartz, we proposed the solution to create a magnet program which would serve all the high schools in the District who wanted to continue offering arts education.” This spark began with 36 students learning to dance, act, and sing. Today APA celebrates 30 years of growth and success with its Diamond Anniversary. APA serves almost 700 current students hailing from all 6 high schools in the HBUHSD and covering nine different majors.
What may have begun with a small set of eager performing arts students has now blossomed into a vibrant, artistic academy. The halls of APA are filled with the sounds of singing, buzzing power tools, whirring sewing machines, drumming, actors rehearsing, guitar riffs, violin solos, the clacking keyboards of young playwrights, and toe-tapping taps of tap dancers.
APA is located on the Huntington Beach High School campus. It offers extensive college and career prep classes in nine different disciplines or majors including: acting, costume design, dance, media (film/tv), musical theatre, orchestra, playwriting/directing, popular music, and technical theatre (lighting-sound-/stage construction). Although the program is “arts-focused”, students also enjoy a traditional high school environment. This means that while the APA students focus their attention upon perfecting their skills, they also enjoy getting to know students who have interests in robotics, culinary arts, sports, and MUN - sometimes they even find time to participate in these programs as well! Anybody attending a school in the HBUHSD can apply to be in APA (Edison, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Marina, Ocean View, and Westminster High School.)
Demonstrated as an “exemplary school-to-career program,” the Academy was selected by the California Department of Education as one of nine model school sites for the California Career Technical Education (CTE) Arts, Media and Entertainment (AME) sector. APA also earned the Arts Schools Network Exemplary School Designation in recognition of its commitment to excellence.
“Celebrating 30 years of APA is a testament to the enduring power of arts education. As we reflect on its impact, let us remember that nurturing creativity in students is not only about teaching them to perform, but also about empowering them to innovate, express, and shape the world around them. Let's continue to invest in the arts, for they are the heartbeat of a vibrant and enlightened society.” - Stacy Robison, Special Programs Administrator - APA
"As we mark the remarkable milestone of our 30th anniversary at the Academy for Performing Arts, I am filled with gratitude and pride. Over the past three decades, we have been a haven for artistic expression, nurturing talents that have blossomed into stars on stages around the world. Our journey has been one of passion, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Here's to the 30 years of magic, the countless stories told, the emotions shared, the standing ovations that have echoed through our halls, and to the stages yet to be graced by the brilliance that is born within these walls. As we embark on the next chapter, we carry with us the spirit of creativity, the resilience of the performing arts, and the unwavering belief in the transformative power of expression.” - Andrea Taylor, APA Artistic Director
From April 18-21, 2024 HB APA will present six performances of CLUE on in the historic HBUHSD Auditorium. During the NOON performance on April 21st, there is a very special celebration of APA’s 30th Anniversary featuring clips from APA Alumni interviews and free celebratory cake for theater-goers! Audience members will witness six guests who are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner. Bodies stack up. Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock plus Colonel Mustard anxiously try to figure out where, with what, and who did it! CLUE brings to mind Hasbro’s classic board game with the same title. The play is based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, it is written by Sandy Rustin with additional material from Hunter Foster and Eric Price. The original music in CLUE is by Michael Holland. CLUE is presented by special arrangement with The Araca Group, Work Light Productions, and Michael Barra/Lively McCabe Entertainment, and the Broadway Licensing Group.
“Be sure to get your tickets early!” - Jacob Menke, Department of Dramatic Production
Please visit hbapa.org/see to order your tickets to the production of CLUE and the celebratory cake automatically be included in your ticket if you go on April 21st at NOON.
