High School in the Spotlight: The Academy for the Performing Arts

Based on user demand, BWW is taking our commitment to arts education one step further with the launch of the BWW Student Center - High School Edition. This directory features upcoming show listings for more than 1500 high schools nationwide with more being added each week. Schools can register for 'enhanced' listings on the site - adding in photos, cast lists, videos, links and more. Productions that take advantage of this will receive highlights on our listing pages, extra editorial mentions and potential spotlight features.

And just like we do with our College Center, each week BWW will be selecting a high-school program and featuring it as our 'School in the Spotlight: High-School Edition'.

Today, in our latest spotlight series feature, we're excited to showcase The Academy for the Performing Arts (APA) in Huntington Beach, California!

The APA is a national and international award-winning magnet program of the Huntington Beach Union High School District that has been serving students in the Huntington Beach area for over thirteen years. The program offers pre-professional, extracurricular arts education in a high school setting for students in grades 9-12. Admission is by audition-only with over 200 to 250 students admitted to the program each year. The school has six different departments: theatre, musical theatre, technical theatre, dance, music media and entertainment technology, and orchestral theatre. The Academy's reputation has earned wide acclaim having most recently been acknowledged by the Orange County Department of Education with an award for Outstanding Contributions to Education.

For more information on the APA's program of studies, click here.

Paramount to the success and appeal of the APA is the lively production season consisting of musicals, plays, solo recitals, concerts and dance showcases. Shows such as 'Les Miserables', 'Barnum', 'Thoroughly Modern Millie', 'The Drowsy Chaperone', and 'Leading Ladies' have been produced on the APA stage in recent years.

'Damn Yankees', the hit musical about America's favorite pastime opened last weekend on Friday, March 23, and will run through April 1 in the Huntington Beach School Auditorium. Check out a video montage below - and scroll down to see production shots from the musical! 

For tickets, please call 714.536.2514 ext: 4025 or visit http://www.hbapa.org/shows.html for more information on the 2011-2012 production season. 

To learn more about The Academy for the Performing Arts, visit http://www.hbapa.org/

Congratulations to everyone affiliated with the APA on your successful school year so far, and on being selected as this week's School in the Spotlight!

Photos: APA