HISTORY
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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CARPENTER PERFORMING ARTS
CENTER
NEWSLETTERS
A
Brief History
Beginning as the Whittier Civic Light Opera in 1952, Musical
Theatre West has grown into one of Southern California's
most respected regional musical theatre companies.
During the past 49 years, we've presented not only
established and well known musicals, but a World Premiere
(Hurry! Hurry! Hollywood! written by Star Search winner
Sam Harris), a Los Angeles/Orange County premiere
(a new version of Phantom by Kopit and Yeston), and
the West Coast premieres of Cole Porter's The New
Yorkers; Eleanor: An American Love Story and a new
version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Many of the performers who received their training with us
have gone on to professional careers on Broadway (such
as Susan Egan, the star of Beauty and the Beast).
Giving these young people the chance to work with
professional directors, alongside seasoned performers,
is an important aspect of what Musical Theatre West
is all about.
For
the first 25 years of its existence Musical Theatre
West performed at various venues in the Whittier area.
Beginning in 1977 the company performed at the La
Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Since 1997
Musical Theatre West has also been performing in the
Carpenter Performing Arts 
Center in Long Beach. Beginning with the 1999-2000 Season, Musical
Theatre West has made Long Beach its exclusive home,
helping to fill the void when the Long Beach Civic
Light Opera ceased its operations and activities.
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Introducing
the audiences of tomorrow to live theatre through
our Youth Cultural Enrichment Program is another major
contribution we are able to make to the cultural enrichment
of the Southern California arts scene.
Mission Statement
Musical
Theatre West is dedicated to preserving musical theatre
as a unique American Art form and enriching the cultural
life of Southern California through the presentation
of established musicals, the development of new works,
and the expansion of our Youth Cultural Enrichment
Program. Musical Theatre West is a California 501(c)3
non-profit organization and is a member of the Long
Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Musical Theatre
West is proud to be a member of the National
Alliance for Musical Theatre and operates under
a LOA/WCLO contract with Actor's
Equity Association.
For
more information call the Musical Theatre West administrative
office at (562) 856-1999 or e-mail us at info@musical.org.
