(sin-er-jee) / noun. 1. Combined action or operation 2. A mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct participants 3. A mainstage dance show of spectacular movement and dedicated dancers. Centered around APA’s Dance Ensembles, this show will make for an unforgettable evening of groundbreaking dance showcases. The evening includes works by APA faculty, special guest choreographers, and collaborative works.

APA Theatre Guild Fundraiser and Dinner Show
APA Studio Theater (Black Box)

It’s a big evening for the nervous, plain librarian Cinnamon Schmidt. She has invited her fiancé Hobart over for dinner so their mothers can meet. Her friend Dee Dee arrives to see if Cinnamon needs any help, only to find out that Cinnamon has witnessed a bank robbery! Dee Dee is shocked, but Cinnamon doesn’t want her mother to find out. What Cinnamon doesn't know is that her mother has been winning money at the racetrack and signing Cinnamon’s name on the receipts. Joe, a federal agent, arrives to inquire about the unpaid taxes on the gambling cash, only to get word of the bank robbery. Joe thinks Dee Dee is Cinnamon, which begins an evening of mistaken identities and confusion. Soon, the bank robber’s lewd lady friend turns up to warn Cinnamon that the robber is coming to kill her. When the robber arrives, things really kick into high gear—including an out-of-control vacuum cleaner and more fast-paced dialogue in this wildly funny farce!

Presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

APA's Fall Musical

Speculated by many to be the greatest American musical of all time, Gypsy tells the story of the dreams and efforts of one hungry, powerhouse of a woman to get her two daughters into show business. Based on the 1957 memoirs of dancer Gypsy Rose Lee, the musical focuses on the story of Gypsy’s mother, Rose, and her efforts to raise two daughters to perform onstage in the 1920s Vaudeville circuit. With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents, Gypsy is considered one of the crowning achievements of the 20th century's conventional musical theatre art form.

Based upon Gypsy: The Memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee
Music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents

MMET Department Fundraiser and Show
First Christian Church of Huntington Beach
Underclassmen perform hits of 1969 at 6:00 PM

In this fifth and final installment of a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles, we will look at every song they wrote and recorded in 1969. Never ones to rest on their laurels, even in the throes of breakup, the Beatles kept working on new material. They spent nearly every day of January 1969 amassing a pile of media that would eventually become the album and film Let It Be. The project culminated in their last live performance on the rooftop of their office building. A few months later they reconvened in EMI studios, working harder than ever before to create what they knew to be their swan song. They named the album after the studio - Abbey Road.

APA's Fall Play

Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone is phenomenal at math, but has a lot more difficulty in dealing with people. He would rather be alone since he finds people confusing and dislikes being touched. Late one evening, he discovers his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, has been murdered. Christopher sets out to solve the mystery even though his father has forbidden it. Seen though Christopher’s video-game-like view of the world, this funny and moving story leads him to a thrilling revelation that changes his world forever. Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel inspires this play about difference, being an outsider, and seeing the world in a surprising and revealing way.

A drama based on the novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens
Presented by Special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service

Holiday Celebration Show Presented by APA Orchestra Department

HO! HO! HO! Plan to spend a little time away from the modern-day holiday grind as the APA Orchestra Department presents their annual celebration of winter-holiday cheer. Aside from the festive sounds of the APA Orchestra, the evening will feature special guest performances by APA's Musical Theatre Department, Music Media and Entertainment Technology Department (MMET), Surf City Singers, and the Huntington Beach High School Band and Color Guard. Come start a new holiday tradition with your musical friends at APA - and don't forget to bring a new, unwrapped toy for our Toys for Tots drive.

Musical Theatre Department Fundraiser and Show
Eight performances - APA Studio Theater (Black Box)

The rare instance of a musical thriller, Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barber-sim and culinary crime tells the infamous tale of the unjustly exiled barber who returns to 19th-century London seeking revenge against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. His thirst for blood soon expands to include his unfortunate customers, and the resourceful proprietress of the pie shop downstairs soon has the people of London lining up in droves with her mysterious new meat pie recipe. Sophisticated, macabre, visceral and uncompromising, Sweeney Todd nevertheless has a great sense of fun, mixing intense drama with howlingly funny moments of dark humor: audiences find themselves laughing hysterically one moment and gasping in surprise the next.

Based upon Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler

APA's Spring Musical

On a small Greek island, Sophie dreams of the perfect wedding — one which includes her father giving her away. The problem? She doesn’t know who he is! Her mother Donna refuses to speak of the past, so Sophie decides to take matters into her own hands. Sneaking a peek in her mother’s old diaries, she discovers three possible fathers: Sam, Bill, and Harry. She secretly invites all three to the wedding, convinced that she’ll know her father when she sees him. But when all three turn up, it may not be as clear as she thought! Told through the legendary music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! delivers non-stop laughs and explosive dance numbers that make it the ultimate feel-good musical.

Music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, book by Catherine Johnson

APA's Spring Play

Follow Alice down the rabbit hole to the marvelous world of Wonderland! In this fast-paced series of 14 episodes from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll's colorful and comic world comes to life onstage. Alice is a remarkable heroine as she travels through this unusual land in a quest to find her way back home. Join her in this timeless patchwork of action and amusement that brings all of her quirky friends to life!

Based upon works by Lewis Carroll, adapted by Brainerd Duffield

A Celebration of Dance

(sin·er·jee) / noun. 1. Combined action or operation 2. A mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct participants 3. A mainstage dance show of spectacular movement and dedicated dancers. This evening includes works by APA faculty, special guest choreographers, and collaborative numbers. Centered around APA’s Dance Ensembles, this show will make for an unforgettable evening of groundbreaking dance showcases.