LA JOLLA–La Jolla Playhouse’s 2017 Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour production, #SuperShinySara, will tour schools throughout San Diego county January 30 to March 31, 2017.
Leading the production is Wesley Middleton, and staged by acclaimed San Diego director and Moxie Theatre Artistic Director Delicia Turner-Sonnenberg (Without Walls Festival 2013’s Counterweight).
Commissioned by the Playhouse, the world-premiere play for young audiences will also have four public performances on March 25 and 26, 2017 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Playhouse’s Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre.
This year also commemorates 30 years since the introduction of the POP Tour in 1987 with the debut of Silent Edward, a musical by Playhouse Director Emeritus Des McAnuff. With this first POP Tour production, which was shared with over 30,000 children, families and teachers through a special week-long engagement and two subsequent tours the following year in 1988, the Playhouse tradition of bringing theatre to San Diego schools was born.
The upcoming POP Tour centers around Sara, an excellent storyteller and a pretty good older sister. Still, her life is nothing compared to the glamorous world of her idol, @ShoppyGoddess – a teenage fashion mogul and megastar on social media. Sara longs to escape into the fabulous online world of photos, fame, and followers. But when a magical event transports her right into the social media feed itself, she discovers that having a super shiny life may not be so perfect after all. Exploring themes of authenticity, deceit, friendship and redemption, this imaginative new play reveals how empowering it can be to create your own story and take pride in who you are.
“In an age where social media dominates what young people know about the world around them, #SuperShinySara is an utterly timely and immensely clever new work. It conveys a vital message about how we process what we see online and the danger of measuring our everyday lives against the ‘reality’ we see on social media,” said Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. “This year’s POP Tour production provides a thoughtful and lively exploration of what is unique and special about our own lives.”
Adds Ashley, “It’s especially rewarding to celebrate the POP Tour’s 30th birthday with a play that examines an issue so of-the-moment with today’s young audiences. It’s a true privilege to look back on all these years of POP Tour shows and see how we’ve worked to nurture and develop productions that are reflective of what’s currently happening in the lives of students, and share that work with them in ways that are accessible and relatable.”
The creative team of #SuperShinySara includes Wesley Middleton, playwright; Delicia Turner-Sonnenberg, director; Sean Fanning, scenic designer; Desiree Hatfield-Buckley, costume designer; and Melanie Chen, sound designer.
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 annually. Playwrights create an innovative, 45-minute piece that addresses issues in the students’ lives. Last year’s POP Tour, Alice Chan, was seen by more 19,000 young people, teachers and families.
“The Playhouse takes great pride in its commitment to bringing what’s new and next in American theatre not only to the audiences that come to our theatres, but also to San Diego students through the POP Tour. Rather than relying on existing work or adaptations of stories and books for our touring program, we extend our dedication to arts education programs by commissioning and developing a brand new work every year that will resonate with young minds,” said Playhouse Director of Education and Outreach Steve McCormick.
Introduced in 1987, the POP Tour travels throughout the county, touring schools, libraries and community centers. The set, costumes and props are designed to fit into a 16-foot truck and, in just 60 minutes, can be unloaded, placed in any space and be ready for children to experience. Prior to each performance, a Playhouse teaching artist visits each school to engage students in an interactive workshop to explore issues and themes at the core of the play. The Playhouse also provides schools with a standards-based engagement guide that enables educators to integrate the play into their existing curriculum. After each performance, the cast and crew conduct a question and answer session with the audience.
The 2017 POP Tour will also be the first time the Playhouse partners with the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (CCAE) to present two school day performances for schools in North County on February 28, 2017. Schools interested in attending one of these performances should contact the CCAE Box Office at (800) 988-4253.
La Jolla Playhouse offers the Adopt-A-School program which provides funding for POP Tour performances at schools that could not otherwise afford it. With the help of the theatre’s Education Committee, Playhouse Board members Judy Smith and Barbara ZoBell created the Adopt-A-School program for those who love theatre and feel no child should be without its transformative power. For more information, contact Samantha Wilson at swilson@ljp.org.
Tickets to the public performances on March 25 and 26 will go on sale in early 2017.
For more information about booking the POP Tour for a school performance, contact Paola Kubelis at pkubelis@ljp.org.
