Association, an actor’s union of which most local community actors are not members of. “That was a choice that the founders made and I’m proud to honor,” said Langbehn. “There are a lot of really good non-Equity actors working in the Bay Area. We try to give them a home where they feel like they can learn and grow as artists as well.” In addition to the main stage productions, CCCT has also recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of their kids summer camp, most of whom come from El Cerrito, Kensington, Albany and North Berkeley. All programs are two weeks in length. “They learn all kinds of skills that they’ll need not only if they decide to go on and become actors, which probably most of them won’t, but there’s nothing like a good, grounded arts education to give you the skills to succeed in life,” Langbehn explains. “Like communication, cooperation, the ability to analyze problems and come together as a team … the kids have a great time. We get returning kids year after year, it’s really quite remarkable.” If you’ve never been to the theater much before, Langbehn recommends you give it a shot. “There’s nothing like being able to sit and watch a story unfold in front of you with real, live human beings telling that story,” she says. “It’s a very different experience than being in a movie theater or watching TV; theater tells a story in a specific way because the energy between what happens on stage and what happens in the audience Upcoming productions include To Kill A Mockingbird, Doubt: A Parable, The Foreigner, The Sound Of Music, as well as an all new staged reading series. Keep up to date at www.ccct.org or call (510) 524-9012. sonoMa BayLands , conveyed to refuge works together to tell that story—you have a chance to experience a story as part of a community.” As Artistic Director, often times Langbehn will see the same show multiple times during the course of the production run, and despite being the same script and the same cast, it’s always a new experience. “That’s the best thing about live theater is it’s never the same,” she says. “It’s human beings on stage so it’s going to change every single night.” (L to r) Mark frazier as dylan thomas, aidan cooney as Jim, and Will reicher as tom plot to scare away the town hill Boys in contra costa civic theatre’s production of a chiLd’s christMas in WaLes, directed by Jack phillips, music direction by scarlett hepworth; photo by mellopix.com. ann Kendrick as violet in ccct’s august: osage county, directed by Marilyn Langbehn; photo by Ben Krantz. the cast sits down to christmas dinner in contra costa civic theatre’s production of a chiLd’s christMas in WaLes, directed by Jack phillips, music direction by scarlett hepworth; photo by mellopix.com
Contra Costa Marketplace - Dec 2014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above