CCA Presents 'Teen Version' of Forever Plaid at New World

Students from the California Conservatory of the Arts (CCA) will present Stuart Ross's The Sounds of Plaid for one performance only on Thursday, March 22 at 2:30 pm at New World Stages.

The Conservatory of the Arts, located in Orange County, California, is a comprehensive pre-professional training ground for young performers with aspirations for careers on Broadway, founded by Executive Director David Green and boasting a faculty of professional working artists from Broadway and Hollywood. Mr. Green's alumni include Tony-nominees Susan Egan (Beauty and the Beast) and Matthew Morrison (Light In The Piazza), Stephanie J. Block (the Pirate Queen), Kamilah Martin (original cast Hairspray), Anneliese Van Der Pol (the final "Belle" in Beauty and The Beast) and Chad Doreck --- one of the four finalists in NBC-TV's "Grease, You're The One That I Want" to play Danny Zuko in the upcoming Broadway revival --- among others.

One of the cornerstones of the Conservatories' intensive musical theatre department is producing new works and working hand-in-hand with the creative team. Last year the students presented a staged reading of a new musical, How the Nurse Feels, which starred Broadway veterans Stephanie J. Block and Harvey Evans (Follies) at New World Stages.  In December, the CCA worked with Andrew Lippa to produce the Southern California premiere of his new musical, A Little Princess.  The Sounds of Plaid is a collaboration between the school, Ross and Music Theatre International (MTI).The production is directed by Tony-nominated Broadway and television actress Jonelle Allen (Two Gentelmen of Verona).

"The Sounds of Plaid is the new 'teen version' of Forever Plaid which MTI looks to market nationally in the near future. It tells the story of the
Pleasantdale High School Glee Club who, on the way to sing their first big concert, were struck by lightning in their big yellow school bus and killed instantly. They are given the chancce to come back for one night and do the concert they never had the opportunity to do in life. It features the familar Plaid characters -- Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge --- along with a cast of sixteen new characters and all of the original songs and great harmonies that made Forever Plaid such a musical theatre success," state press materials.

Tickets to The Sounds of Plaid at New World Stages are free and open to the general public, but sdvanced reservations are required to be admitted to the theatre. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Conservatory of the Arts directly at 949-487-7253.

Photo of CCA alumna Susan Egan by Linda Lenzi