ORPHAN MAGIC - Los Angeles 2001

THEME
A bunch of orphans overhear plans to tear down their orphanage to make way for a greedy businessman's plans to build over their home. They hold a fundraiser to buy the orphanage, only to have the money stolen by two evil headmistresses at the orphanage. They expose the thieves through a magical book of spells which brings forth characters such as Albert Einstein, the Exorcist, Britney Spears and Richard Simmons to help them.

HIGHLIGHT
Love of the theatre brought together young people from all over Southern California, from performing arts schools and the suburbs to at-risk neighborhoods and one who even lived on a boat. One 12-year-old cast member who lived in a low-income housing project, was home-schooled and not allowed out of the house except for a few limited activities. After taking the bus by herself to the audition and arranging for transportation to and from rehearsals, her work and confidence flourished. Encouragement from the cast convinced her to enter her poems in a local poetry contest, winning her support and accolades from not only the arts community, but her local community as well.