BRIEFLY IN EDUCATION

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at high school

Laguna Beach High School’s Park Avenue Players will present “Fiddler On The Roof” in an all-out musical production beginning Thursday.

The musical, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905, centers on a father of five daughters trying to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions.

Tevye must deal with the actions of his three older daughters, who want to choose their own husbands in defiance of the established custom of arranged marriage “” and also with the Jews’ eviction from their beloved village.

Directors Mark Dressler and Amanda Hastings have a student cast of almost 50 who have gone through a demanding rehearsal process to prepare for the show.

“Over the years ‘Fiddler’ has been the title that people have most requested,” Dressler said. “When our vocal director, Roxanna Ward, told me that we had the cast to deliver the goods on this beautiful vocal score, Amanda and I felt it was time to bring this forever classic title to our stage.”

Daniel Thomson, the high school’s new music teacher, makes his first appearance as pit conductor, with a talented student orchestra executing the musical score. Tracey Bonner, a recent Broadway transplant, brings years of professional choreography experience.

“Fiddler on the Roof” will be performed at 7 p.m. Thursday, and March 20, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28. Matinees are at 2 p.m. March 22 and 29. Tickets are $12 for students and seniors; $15 for adults; $20 for premium reserved seats.

Call the Artists’ Theatre box office at (949)497-7769 to hold tickets.

SchoolPower gala raises $190,000

The good times were rolling at SchoolPower’s Annual Dinner Dance on Feb. 28. Laguna school supporters were treated to a memorable evening thanks to event chairwomen Gwen Grierson and Stacey Spurlock, in addition to volunteers and staff, who brought a bit of Mardi Gras to the Montage Resort & Spa.

The efforts of auction chairwomen Nancy Glenn and Cindy Landsiedel and generous donors resulted in approximately $190,000 raised for the local school district.

SchoolPower President Jeff Spurlock welcomed guests and Supt. Robert Fraisse spoke of the progress that Laguna Beach schools have made in providing students access to state-of-the-art technology as a result of the “Simply Integrated” Fund-a-Need.

“A three-year fundraising effort to significantly upgrade classroom technology in the Laguna Beach Unified School District was brought to a successful conclusion,” Fraisse said. “Community members enthusiastically responded to raise the remaining $25,000 of a $439,000 target goal.”

Thanks to SchoolPower Endowment’s Large Grant of $65,000 and SchoolPower’s Fund-a-Need, the technology initiative was completed ahead of schedule, and has taken Laguna’s schools from the bottom in terms of technology and lifted them to the top when compared with other schools in Orange County.

This program alone raised $39,000, with the Hearts of Montage leading the way with an extremely generous $10,000 donation “” for a total of $25,000 from the Montage for the night.

Chris Loidolt, board member of the Hearts of Montage, said she was “humbled by the generosity of the families in our school district.”

Auction items included stays in homes in Aspen and Cabo San Lucas, special events at an Angel game, a BMW or Mini-Cooper courtesy of longtime supporter Crevier BMW, and a luxurious resort vacation thanks to Bill and Cindy Shopoff.

After the Kooks turned the dining room into a dance party, guests were treated to a casino night. Blackjack, roulette and craps tempted guests to try their luck.

The highest roller, Jerry and Helen Hayden, won a Ladies Rolex watch, courtesy of Fredric H. Rubel Jewelers.

To learn more about the “Simply Integrated” Fund-a-Need, to make a donation or to get involved with SchoolPower, visit www.lbschoolpower.org or call (949) 494-6811.

SchoolPower is a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization whose mission is to enrich the education of all children in the Laguna Beach Unified School District.

Color It Orange opens Sunday

Color It Orange, Orange County’s most extensive youth art exhibition, opens Sunday at Laguna College of Art & Design.

Now in its 35th year, Color It Orange encourages artistic expression among school children and honors art teachers.

The public is invited to attend the opening reception and scholarship award ceremony at noon Sunday at the college, 2222 Laguna Canyon Road.

Color It Orange includes art from public and private school students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

More than 4,500 juried entries are expected from many different genres: drawings, paintings, sculpture, prints, and photography by hundreds of students.

More than 600 exceptional pieces will be exhibited in several studios as well as the main gallery at Laguna College.

“This event inspires our youth, encourages their creative talents and presents an opportunity to enrich our children’s lives,” said Nancy Lawrence, president of Designing Women, which organizes the show, and coordinator of Color It Orange.

“Over the past three and a half decades, thousands of young people have been given an opportunity to exhibit their work publicly and have been recognized for their talents.

“By valuing creativity, by celebrating the work of children, and by honoring the dedication of their teachers, Color It Orange has added inestimable value to the life of Orange County and has been instrumental in strengthening the arts throughout the region.”

In addition, 10 high school students will receive scholarships to attend the summer Portfolio Development Class at Laguna College to further their talents.

Color It Orange will run to March 22 and is open to the public at no charge; ample free parking is available. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, call (949) 499-3580.

Former Disney animator at college

Former Disney Directing Animator David Pruiksma has joined Laguna College of Art & Design.

For nearly 30 years, Pruiksma has worked in virtually every aspect of the production of character animation.

Most notably, he is a member of a very small group of Walt Disney Feature Animation Supervising/ Directing Animators mentored by Eric Larson and others of Walt Disney’s renowned “Nine Old Men.”

As a result of this training and experience, he has been instrumental in bringing to life numerous Disney characters on more than 18 of the studio’s animated features and shorts, commencing with “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” and continuing through nearly all studio productions including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King” and more.

He has also created and administered several training and development programs for Walt Disney Feature Animation and various other studios as well as having done extensive lecturing, recruiting and publicity for many of the Disney animated films of the past two decades.

Since leaving the Disney Studio in 2001, he has been engaged in a wide variety of projects, most notably lecturing on and teaching animation, both nationally and internationally.

“I find teaching and lecturing very satisfying and wherever I teach, the students seem excited and very eager to learn about what are considered the cornerstones of successful character animation: performance, personality, clarity and communication,” Pruiksma said.

Pruiksma began teaching full time at Laguna College this spring.

Students seeking their bachelor of fine arts degree in animation experience a curriculum that has been carefully designed to meet the evolving needs of the entertainment industry and to meet the industry’s standards of excellence.

In addition to teaching a mastery of digital technologies, the LCAD Animation major requires a solid grounding in traditional skills.