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People assume they know The Diary of Anne Frank, then they realize they only know the outline. We’re getting specific about what it means to stage this story today at 7th Street Community Theater in Chino, and why a community theater production can hit with the force of a civic event.

We talk with director Cindi East and cast members Laurie Deards, Jarrod East, and Quetzalli Angulo about the play’s history, its Pulitzer Prize roots, and why Anne’s voice still cuts through noise, denial, and distraction. Cindi shares her personal connection as a Jewish artist and why she calls this the most important show she has ever directed. Jarrod reflects on returning to the material decades after performing it before and now stepping into Otto Frank, carrying the burden of leadership and survival. Quetsy, who plays Anne, walks us through a thoughtful preparation process that connects World War II history, family learning, and the way Anne’s perspective turns the annex residents from first impressions into fully dimensional people.

We also dig into what audiences will actually experience: a set that supports cramped movement and real tension, design choices that make the annex feel present, and a cast that bonded through a group visit to the Museum of Tolerance. Cindi teases immersive elements, an opening night gala with Jewish food tied to the culture of the story, and a talkback tied to a Saturday matinee.

The Diary of Anne Frank opens Friday, September 18 and runs through October 3. Grab tickets at www.chinocommunitytheater.org or call 909-590-1149, then share this with someone who needs a reminder that live theater can still shine a light of hope for all in need. Subscribe, leave a five-star rating on your favorite podcast platform. You can also write a review there or on our Facebook page to help get our stories out there.

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Shakespeare can feel intimidating right up until you’re sitting a few feet from the actors and the story starts sounding like real life. We’re joined by directors Mickey Estrella and Marlee Lane to talk about the CCCT Shakespeare Festival at 7th Street Community Theater, running August 20th through the 29th, and why this kind of up-close community theater is the best way to remember what Shakespeare was made for: performance, laughter, tension, and a room full of people reacting together. 

Mickey walks us through a bold, joyful approach to A Midsummer Night’s Dream that shifted during callbacks into an all-female cast and a “we’re playing pretend” energy that makes rehearsal lighter and the fairy world feel genuinely magical. We dig into how casting can create a safe learning environment, why fun is a serious directing tool, and how giving performers real ownership, including costume creation, can deepen character work fast. 

Marlee shares a modern Romeo and Juliet concept built around the “in-between”, using public transportation as a metaphor for the spaces where people think, change, and imagine. We also get practical about staging: designing one simple shared set for two wildly different shows, coordinating colors and tech needs, and making a festival that feels like a complete experience rather than two separate productions. 

If you love Shakespeare, modern adaptations, directing craft, or just want a great night of live theater in Chino, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave a review to help more people find local community theater.

August 20-29th

Chino Community Children's Theatre – It's Great to Be Back!

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A one-week turnaround, 14 scenes, and 31 kids ranging from age five to eighteen, this Wizard of Oz production is the kind of challenge that reveals what community theatre is really made of. We sit down with members of the production team to share the behind-the-scenes decisions that turn a beloved classic into a live show, even when the schedule is tight and the cast includes plenty of first timers. Along the way, we keep coming back to a simple truth we see in rehearsal: kids rise to the occasion when the adults around them build the right support. 

We talk music direction in detail, from adapting 1930s-era vocal writing to modern young voices to finding smart ways to teach skills inside the daily warm-up. You’ll hear how limited rehearsal time changes everything, why chorus parts can be surprisingly tricky for today’s kids, and what it looks like when young performers commit, practice, and start stacking those “light bulb” moments night after night. 

On the movement side, we dig into choreography for mixed skill levels, how to teach singing while dancing without losing breath and tone, and how costumes can create real safety considerations when you’re adding tricks, lifts, and character movement. Then we go deep on production design: with only a week to build, the set becomes a blank canvas for projections, and we share how projection mapping and volunteer ingenuity help create Oz onstage without endless scene changes. 

Grab your tickets, support your local theater, and if you like what you hear, follow the show, share this episode, and leave us a five-star rating and review so more theater fans can find Steps to the Stage.

July 17th through August 8th

Chino Community Children's Theatre – It's Great to Be Back!

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SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical isn’t just a cute cartoon onstage, it’s a full-scale community theater build with real spectacle, real heart, and a whole lot of teamwork. We sit down with Melissa (director) and Marissa (board member) from Junior University Musical Theatre to talk about bringing Bikini Bottom to San Bernardino with a cast of 50+ performers ranging from ages nine to ninety-nine. If you love family-friendly musicals, youth theater, or simply want a great night of live theater in the Inland Empire, this one is for you.

We get into what makes SpongeBob such a smart choice for a broad audience: an eclectic score with songs written by different pop artists, a story built on friendship and collaboration, and the kind of humor that lands whether you grew up with the show or watched it with your kids. Melissa also shares what it’s like directing an educational theater organization where students learn alongside experienced alumni and “seasoned” community actors, building skills and confidence in a supportive environment.

Then we zoom out to the bigger story of Junior University, founded in 1963, and how the group adapted after COVID by moving from outdoor summer productions at Perris Hill Bowl into the San Manuel Performing Arts Center on the Aquinas High School campus. We talk about the value of that community partnership, the perks of a state-of-the-art venue, and the details audiences actually feel, like a lobby experience that drops you straight into Bikini Bottom plus tech magic from bubbles to dry ice to black lights.

If you enjoy hearing how community theater gets made and why it matters right now, subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.

Junior University Presents: The SpongeBob Musical

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Tap battles, rapid-fire jokes, and a cast juggling dozens of characters can sound like chaos. For us, it’s the fun kind of chaos, and it’s exactly what makes Something Rotten such a thrill to bring to 7th Street Theater. We sit down with co-directors Luke and Sarah Hoganrad to talk through the real work behind a big musical comedy, from the first creative conversations to the practical problems that only show up once you’re on your feet in rehearsal. 

We dig into why this Broadway musical still lands so well, and why its story about two brothers hits even harder when the directors are siblings themselves. Luke and Sarah share how they lead a teen theater cast (ages 14 to 22) through a demanding process that includes long musical numbers, quick scene pacing, and constant character switching. You’ll hear how they think about giving notes, why it’s a great sign when rehearsal shifts from “fix the basics” to “try a stronger acting choice,” and what it looks like to push young performers beyond what they thought they could do. 

Then we get delightfully specific about production: teaching tap to first-timers while staging full numbers, keeping tap volume from overpowering vocals, and designing a set that preserves open space for big choreography. We also spotlight the wider community theater team making it happen, from music staff and assistant choreo to stage management, scenic build, and costume creations that include more eggs than you’d expect. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.

https://chinochildrenstheatre.org

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A phone rings in a cafe. A stranger answers. And suddenly a whole life gets rewritten in real time. That’s the haunting spark behind Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, and we can’t stop thinking about how accurately it predicts the way modern technology shapes our relationships, our attention, and even our grief.

We’re joined by director Melissa Bossard and cast members Lauri Deards, Mark Agars, and Saverio Guccioni to talk about building this production for the Theater on the Edge Festival at Chino Community Theatre. We unpack the play’s central paradox: smartphones and social media can reconnect old friends and create community, yet they also train us to live at a distance from our own bodies, our tables, and the people right in front of us. Along the way, we dig into character choices for Jean, Dwight, and Gordon and the bigger question the script keeps asking: who are we when everyone only sees the version we choose to show?

We also go behind the curtain on community theater craftsmanship, including black box staging, shared festival set pieces, projections, lighting, and the practical teamwork that makes experimental theater possible. One of the most exciting surprises: original music composed and arranged specifically for this production, created from the emotional world of the script. We even discuss why bringing in an intimacy and fight director matters for actor safety, trust, and better storytelling.

If you care about live theater, identity in the digital age, or the real cost of always being “reachable,” hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a theater friend, and leave us a review and a five-star rating. What’s one way your phone has changed how you connect with people?

May 15th-30th

www.ChinoCommunityTheatre.org

Box Office 909-590-1149

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A farce can be silly, sharp, and still feel like a mirror, and POTUS pulls that off in a way that had us laughing while also nodding a little too hard. We sit down with director Paige and cast members Mary and Ren from Chino Community Theatre’s Theater on the Edge Festival to talk about why Selina Fillinger’s POTUS is more than a “day in the White House.” For us, it becomes a story about the work women do, the credit they do not get, and the way communities survive by taking turns holding each other up.

We get personal about the paths that bring people back to the stage: Mary’s journey from childhood acting to a theater degree to environmental law, and Wren’s return to community theater after stepping away for school and shyness. We also unpack what makes community theater so powerful for both artists and audiences, especially when it may be someone’s only chance to experience live performance close to home.

From directing nerves and ensemble trust to physical comedy, last-minute casting changes, and the behind-the-scenes miracle of props, sound, lights, and stage management, this conversation is a love letter to the village that makes theater happen. If you’re local, POTUS plays May 16, 22, 30 at 7:30 p.m. and May 17, 23, 31 at 2:30 p.m., with tickets at chinocommunitytheater.org. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a five-star review so more people can find Steps to the Stage.

Box Office: 909-590-1149

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A phone rings in a cafe. A stranger answers. And suddenly a whole life gets rewritten in real time. That’s the haunting spark behind Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, and we can’t stop thinking about how accurately it predicts the way modern technology shapes our relationships, our attention, and even our grief.

We’re joined by director Melissa Bossard and cast members Lauri Deards, Mark Agars, and Saverio Guccioni to talk about building this production for the Theater on the Edge Festival at Chino Community Theatre. We unpack the play’s central paradox: smartphones and social media can reconnect old friends and create community, yet they also train us to live at a distance from our own bodies, our tables, and the people right in front of us. Along the way, we dig into character choices for Jean, Dwight, and Gordon and the bigger question the script keeps asking: who are we when everyone only sees the version we choose to show?

We also go behind the curtain on community theater craftsmanship, including black box staging, shared festival set pieces, projections, lighting, and the practical teamwork that makes experimental theater possible. One of the most exciting surprises: original music composed and arranged specifically for this production, created from the emotional world of the script. We even discuss why bringing in an intimacy and fight director matters for actor safety, trust, and better storytelling.

If you care about live theater, identity in the digital age, or the real cost of always being “reachable,” hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a theater friend, and leave us a review and a five-star rating. What’s one way your phone has changed how you connect with people?

May 15th-30th

www.ChinoCommunityTheatre.org

Box Office 909-590-1149

Find STTS:
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Beetlejuice Jr is a big, weird, high-energy musical and the Don Lugo Theater Company is using it to show what student performers can really do when a school backs the arts. I’m joined by Don Lugo director Candida Celaya, alumni-turned-VAPA specialist Andrea, and student leaders Bella (Lydia) and Jesse (Beetlejuice) for a candid conversation about building a high school theater program that keeps growing in the Inland Empire.

We get into the origin story of the department and the reality behind producing theater at a public school: choosing shows, securing rights, managing rehearsals, creating playbills, and finding the people who make it all happen. Andrea shares how “Visual And Performing Arts” support and Prop 28 funding can translate into real training for students, from choreography and stage management to lighting design and music direction. If you’re curious about tech theater careers, community theater pathways, or how arts education builds confidence, this one has a lot to take home.

Bella and Jesse also open up about why these roles matter beyond applause, including how Lydia’s story can connect to real loss and how a dream role can push a student to grow fast. Don Lugo’s Beetlejuice Jr runs April 23rd, 24th, and 25th at 6:30 PM, with tickets on GoFan and updates on their Instagram. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find local theater stories like this.

Home | Don Lugo Hs Theatre

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Don Antonio Lugo High School Events and Tickets by GoFan

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A musical about six unemployed steel workers who decide to strip for cash sounds like a punchline until you look closer. We’re staging The Full Monty at Chino Community Theater, and what keeps surprising us is how much heart sits underneath the laughs: pride after a layoff, fear about providing for family, friendships that turn into lifelines, and the messy work of rebuilding confidence when life knocks you flat. 

We sit down with our director Toni and cast members Justin, Ralph, and Sam to talk about what it takes to mount a bold community theater musical in an intimate space. They share their theater paths across California, the military, and beyond, plus what it feels like to come back after years away. We also get honest about process: juggling music rehearsals and choreography, adapting when scripts arrive late, and why Toni pushes us to create our own characters instead of copying the film or a past production. 

You’ll hear why the musical version can hit harder than the movie, how ensemble chemistry can make a show live or die, and the behind-the-scenes work from costumes to set design that makes the big moments land. If you love live theater, musical theater, or stories about finding dignity after a setback, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a theater friend, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show.

April 17-May 3rd

Landing page for Seventh Street Theatre

909-590-1149

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