Fall Mainstage Play

A Black Comedy by Anne Washburn

After the collapse of human civilization, a group of survivors huddle around a campfire and attempt to piece together the plot of The Simpsons episode "Cape Feare" from memory. Seven years later, this and other snippets of pop culture have become the live entertainment of a post-apocalyptic society, with the story, characters, and morals repurposed to fit the dramatic needs of this fractured world. A tribute to live theater and its enduring players, Mr. Burns is a darkly-funny exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another.

Presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals

APA Orchestra Holiday Show

Ho, ho, ho! Spend a little time away from the modern-day holiday grind as the APA Orchestra department presents their annual celebration of winter holiday cheer. In addition to the festive sounds of the APA Orchestra, the evening will feature special guest performances by the APA Musical Theatre department, MMET department, Surf City Singers, and the Huntington Beach High School Band and Color Guard. We may not have snow or mistletoe, but there will be plenty of joy in this holiday show. Come start a new family tradition with your musical friends at APA.

Original Exploratory Works by APA’s Playwriting and Directing Students

Student playwrights and directors from APA’s Dramatic Production department will premiere their original experimental plays. Join them for two in-house classroom performances, beginning with the 10 Minute Play Festival in December, where each original play will unfold in a quick 10 minutes. In April, the One Act Play Festival will showcase each students’ work in a single, solitary act.

Please be advised that these dramatic works-in-progress may contain sensitive content or mature themes.

Musical Theatre Benefit Performance

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

It’s 1959, and Rydell High School’s senior class is in rare form. The budding romance between hot-rodding greaser Danny Zuko and the sweet new girl in town, Sandy Dumbrowski, is on the rocks. They may have spent the summer together, but peer-pressure and cliques have made their love life more complicated now that they're back in school. Can Danny maintain his cool-guy status and still make demure Sandy his girl? The whole gang sings and dances through this coming-of-age story with hit songs such as “Greased Lightnin’" and "We Go Together," recalling the music that ultimately became the soundtrack of a generation. Starting off with an eight-year run on Broadway, Grease is among the world’s most popular musicals and a force of sheer energy and fun.

Presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals

Spring Mainstage Musical

Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, Music and Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

With the house lights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight. Hailed by New York Magazine as "The Perfect Broadway Musical," The Drowsy Chaperone is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theatre genre.

Produced under license from Music Theatre International

Spring Mainstage Play

One of Sophocles' ancient Theban plays, Antigone tells the story of a teenage girl who wishes to bury her brother, Polyneices, after he has died in a brutal civil war. With the new King Creon desperate to gain control over the war-ravaged city, Antigone openly and intentionally defies his edict to leave Polyneices unburied outside of the city walls. Inevitably, Creon takes action against her, and risks the wrath of the gods in doing so. Originally performed in Ancient Athens, Antigone exposes the dangers of an absolute ruler clouded by his own hubris, and praises one woman's devotion to justice for her family.

Spring Instrumental Music Concert

Entertain your brain and get a little culture if you dare...at Fanfare! The APA Orchestra department celebrates timeless music from the Baroque period to today with a night of exceptional student performances. You will hear from the APA Festival Orchestra, Select Wind Ensemble, Chamber Ensembles of woodwinds, saxes, brass, strings, percussion, and keyboard instruments, and the winners of the APA Concerto Competition. This is a night of beautiful music performed by outstanding young artists, so come elevate your evening with our talented APA instrumentalists.

MMET Department Original Film Screening

When not filming live performances and concerts, the MMET Media Team’s true passion is filmmaking. APA has a great stable of screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, and editors that have spent all year producing their own short films. Join our Media Team creatives for a special screening of their films in an environment that's both intimate and informative, followed by a brief Q&A about their work. This is your chance to witness the next generation of storytellers while celebrating all that our APA filmmakers have accomplished.