Out of the Wings: Shirley Johnston

Shirley Johnston
San Diego Junior Theatre welcomes back Shirley Johnston as Director/Choreographer of Pippin! Previous Junior Theatre credits include our 2016 production of Pinocchio at Roosevelt Middle School. Shirley began her professional career in musical theatre in 1999 at the Starlight Bowl in Some Like It Hot. Since then she has worked with San Diego Comic Opera, San Diego Lyric Opera, Lamb’s Players Theatre, The Coronado Playhouse, Sledgehammer Theatre, Vista’s Broadway Theater, Moxie Theatre, Ocean Beach Playhouse, Onstage Playhouse, Moonlight Stage Productions, and Dicapo Opera in New York City. In September Shirley will be direct and choreograph Little Shop of Horrors at the Coronado Playhouse.  The pre-audition meeting for San Diego Junior Theatre is on April 15 at 10:00 am in the Casa del Prado Theatre.

Out of the Wings: Ricardo Valenzuela, Junie B. Jones, The Musical

Ricardo Valenzuela
San Diego Junior Theatre is pleased to announce that Ricardo Valenzuela is set to direct and choreograph Junie B. Jones, The Musical. The pre-audition meeting for San Diego Junior Theatre’s summer productions is on April 15 at 10:00 am in the Casa del Prado Theatre. 
Ricardo Valenzuela is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, NYC.  As an actor, he recorded two full seasons as a lead character in the Latin American television show titled Dos y Dos. He has performed at the Starlight Bowl, Moonlight Amphitheatre, San Diego Musical Theatre, Hispanic Arts Theatre, San Diego Asian Repertory Theatre, Coronado Playhouse, Christian Community Theatre, and on the Holland America Cruise Line as a contestant of Dancing with the Stars at sea with celebrity judges Kym Johnson and Carson Kressley.  Ricardo comes to us from our neighbor program San Diego Civic Dance Arts where he choreographed countless musical theatre style numbers for recitals, productions, camps, and their award winning showcase Collage for over 11 years.

Out of the Wings: Carlos Mendoza, The Wizard of Oz

Carlos Mendoza Headshot

Carlos Mendoza is the founder of the Hispanic Arts Theatre, an innovative theatre company that promotes Hispanic cultural awareness. One of his main projects has been creator and producer of The New Mambo Kings, a musical revue with a blend of Latin culture through voice, music, and dance.   Carlos has an extensive resume as actor, director, choreographer and producer. He has won several awards: San Diego Critics Circle Awards for his productions of West Side Story and Ragtime; the 2014 BRAVO (San Diego) award for body of work , the 2015 National Youth Arts Award for his production of In the Heights at San Diego Junior Theatre and the Inland Theatre League Award for his production of   In the Heights at Performance Riverside.  In addition, Carlos choreographed two full seasons of Dos Y Dos for the Latin American Multimedia Corporation, a groundbreaking educational TV/DVD Series. When not working in theatre, Carlos can be seen sailing the seven seas as Cruise Director for Holland America Line. He is currently a project coordinator for Beyond the Bell Broadway, for the San Ysidro school district.

Out of the Wings: Justin Lang, A Midsummer Night's Dream

JUSTIN LANG HEADSHOT
Justin Lang is slated to direct SDJT’s upcoming production of  A Midsummer Night’s Dream!
Justin has been teaching and directing Shakespeare in San Diego high schools through an education and outreach program he co-created, with Dan Windham with New Village Arts. Directing credits include: Lord of the Flies, The Tempest, As You Like It, Henry V, Macbeth, and The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). Favorite acting credits include; Of Mice and Men (George Milton) [nominated for a San Diego Critics Circle Award for Best Dramatic Production], Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Azolan), The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence (Watson), It’s A wonderful Life (Sam Hinds “Live Foley”), As You Like It (Orlando), Romeo & Juliet (Romeo).

Out of the Wings: Meg DeBoard, A Wrinkle in Time

We are thrilled to announce Meg will have her SDJT directorial debut for our upcoming production of A Wrinkle In Time!
Meg DeBoardMeg DeBoard is a San Diego-based theatre director and movement director. She most recently directed Hänsel und Gretel for Point Loma Opera Theatre. She lived in London for two years, learning from acclaimed directors Stephen Unwin of The Rose Theatre and Melly Still from The National Theatre. She learned play adaptation from James Caird (Les Miserables) and movement from the resident movement director, Emily Mytton, of War Horse in London. Since moving to San Diego about a year ago, she has worked on Hollywood! and Blueprints to Freedom, both at La Jolla Playhouse, and When the Rain Stops Falling at Cygnet Theatre, all as assistant director. Directing credits include: And Then They Came For Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, Lulu, Seussical, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Hawai’i Premiere), Into the Woods, Urinetown, The Wizard of Oz, Annie, and The Little Mermaid. She has an MFA in Theatre Directing from The University of Essex in England.

Out of the Wings: Ira Bauer-Spector

Meet the director of our premiere of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Ira Bauer-Spector! Ira Ira-Bauer-Spector-headshot1is a San Diego-based theatre artist whose directing credits at San Diego Junior Theatre include: James and the Giant Peach (National Youth Arts Award – Outstanding Production), Flight of the Lawnchair Man, HONK!, Zanna, Don’t! (AMT Camp), Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale (SDJT Alumni), Pinkalicious: The Musical (Rippledink’s Repertory), The Stinky Cheese Man and other fair(l)y stoopid tales (Rippledink’s Repertory) and Jingle AARGH the Way! He has worked at many theatre companies in San Diego including The Old Globe, Diversionary Theatre, North Coast Repertory, American Rose Theatre and ACT – San Diego. He has also performed as an actor extensively across the country.
He is the Founding Artistic Director of Breakthrough Workshop Theatre, an education-focused nonprofit organization. There, he wrote, directed and starred as Miss M in the world premiere, semi-autobiographical play Miss M Saves the Universe! and directed/performed in Thomas Hodges’ award-winning song cycle, The Things We Never Say, both as part of the San Diego International Fringe Festival. The cast recording of BWT’s The Things We Never Say is currently available on iTunes and Spotify and the 4th Season of Breakthrough Workshop Theatre projects will begin in January 2016. Ira also currently serves as Marketing & Communications Coordinator for the historic San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, and is proud to be a part of the thriving youth arts education community in Balboa Park.