LA JOLLA–La Jolla Playhouse announces the cast and creative team for its 2019 Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour production, “Light Years Away,” by Laura Schellhardt, directed by Playhouse Artistic Programs Manager Jacole Kitchen.
The production will tour schools throughout San Diego County through March 30.
Commissioned by the Playhouse, the world-premiere play for young audiences will also have four public performances on March 9 and 10 at 1p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Playhouse.
The cast features Amanda Arbués-Gille (POP Tour production of #SuperShinySara) as Carina, Ciarlene Coleman as Ida, Nicole Marie McEntee as Cal and Wilfred Paloma as Leo.
The creative team includes Laura Schellhardt, playwright; Jacole Kitchen, director; Sean Fanning, scenic designer; Michelle Hunt Souza, scenic designer; Melanie Chen-Cole, sound designer; Blake McCarty, video designer; Shirley Fishman, dramaturg; and Sebastian Perfetto, stage manager.
The year is 2068. Having discovered a new inhabitable planet named YOLO 6, NASA sponsors a contest to discover who should be chosen to live on this new world, and three 5th graders are up for the challenge! They embark on a storytelling journey, learning about the real problems, as well as the real beauty in their current world and what they think should be created in the next. Through their new-found friendship, this individual mission turns them into a team of thinkers ready to lift off on a new path. Audiences will get an opportunity to decide who gets to go to YOLO 6, launching them on their own voyage to dream bigger and celebrate teamwork.
“This year’s POP Tour production is a wonderfully original and smart new play that explores the challenge of moving beyond your comfort zone and into an incredible new world of possibility,” said Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. “Thanks to its humor, wit and lively characters, Light Years Away conveys relatable and compelling messages about taking pride in what makes us individuals, the importance of teamwork and imagination, respect for our environment, and the impact kids can have in charting a course for the future.”
The Playhouse is one of the few theatres in the country that annually commissions world-class artists to create a bold new play for young audiences. Playwrights create an innovative, 45-minute piece that addresses issues in students’ lives. Last year’s POP Tour, Home of the Brave, was seen by nearly 20,000 young people, teachers and families.