Steps To The Stage

Send us Fan Mail A “cursed” school show, a trapdoor tragedy, and a new teacher determined to stage it anyway. That’s the delightfully spooky setup behind Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium, and we’re getting you ready for it with a behind-the-scenes conversation that’s packed with community theater craft. We’re joined by director Andrew, returning for his second time on the podcast...

Send us Fan Mail People assume they know The Diary of Anne Frank, then they realize they only know the outline. We’re getting specific about what it means to stage this story today at 7th Street Community Theater in Chino, and why a community theater production can hit with the force of a civic event. We talk with director Cindi East and cast members Laurie Deards, Jarrod East, and Quetzalli Angul...

Send us Fan Mail Shakespeare can feel intimidating right up until you’re sitting a few feet from the actors and the story starts sounding like real life. We’re joined by directors Mickey Estrella and Marlee Lane to talk about the CCCT Shakespeare Festival at 7th Street Community Theater, running August 20th through the 29th, and why this kind of up-close community theater is the best way to rememb...

Send us Fan Mail A one-week turnaround, 14 scenes, and 31 kids ranging from age five to eighteen, this Wizard of Oz production is the kind of challenge that reveals what community theatre is really made of. We sit down with members of the production team to share the behind-the-scenes decisions that turn a beloved classic into a live show, even when the schedule is tight and the cast includes plen...

Send us Fan Mail SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical isn’t just a cute cartoon onstage, it’s a full-scale community theater build with real spectacle, real heart, and a whole lot of teamwork. We sit down with Melissa (director) and Marissa (board member) from Junior University Musical Theatre to talk about bringing Bikini Bottom to San Bernardino with a cast of 50+ performers ranging from ages nine...

Send us Fan Mail Tap battles, rapid-fire jokes, and a cast juggling dozens of characters can sound like chaos. For us, it’s the fun kind of chaos, and it’s exactly what makes Something Rotten such a thrill to bring to 7th Street Theater. We sit down with co-directors Luke and Sarah Hoganrad to talk through the real work behind a big musical comedy, from the first creative conversations to the prac...

Send us Fan Mail A phone rings in a cafe. A stranger answers. And suddenly a whole life gets rewritten in real time. That’s the haunting spark behind Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, and we can’t stop thinking about how accurately it predicts the way modern technology shapes our relationships, our attention, and even our grief. We’re joined by director Melissa Bossard and cast members Lauri De...

Send us Fan Mail A farce can be silly, sharp, and still feel like a mirror, and POTUS pulls that off in a way that had us laughing while also nodding a little too hard. We sit down with director Paige and cast members Mary and Ren from Chino Community Theatre’s Theater on the Edge Festival to talk about why Selina Fillinger’s POTUS is more than a “day in the White House.” For us, it becomes a stor...

Send us Fan Mail A phone rings in a cafe. A stranger answers. And suddenly a whole life gets rewritten in real time. That’s the haunting spark behind Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, and we can’t stop thinking about how accurately it predicts the way modern technology shapes our relationships, our attention, and even our grief. We’re joined by director Melissa Bossard and cast members Lauri De...

Send us Fan Mail Beetlejuice Jr is a big, weird, high-energy musical and the Don Lugo Theater Company is using it to show what student performers can really do when a school backs the arts. I’m joined by Don Lugo director Candida Celaya, alumni-turned-VAPA specialist Andrea, and student leaders Bella (Lydia) and Jesse (Beetlejuice) for a candid conversation about building a high school theater pro...

Send us Fan Mail A musical about six unemployed steel workers who decide to strip for cash sounds like a punchline until you look closer. We’re staging The Full Monty at Chino Community Theater, and what keeps surprising us is how much heart sits underneath the laughs: pride after a layoff, fear about providing for family, friendships that turn into lifelines, and the messy work of rebuilding conf...

Send us Fan Mail A president we never hear. Seven women we can’t ignore. We sit down with Eleve' Theater Company to unpack the whiplash world of POTUS by Selina Fillinger, a ferocious farce where doors slam, spin cycles faster than the news, and the people holding power together aren’t the ones at the podium. Melissa, the director, shares why art should unsettle and how this script spotlights...

Send us Fan Mail What if Neverland isn’t a place you fly to but a world you build together? We’re pulling back the curtain on our reimagined Peter Pan Jr., where the nursery anchors reality and the stage reshapes itself with moving blocks into forests, ships, and hideaways. That design choice isn’t just clever staging; it’s a manifesto about how play transforms what we see and how young actors can...

Send us Fan Mail What if the story didn’t end at the window? We sit down with director Debbie and cast members Sophie (Wendy), Evangeline, Jandy, and Gavin to explore Lost Girl, a daring, female-forward play that follows Wendy Darling’s life after Neverland. Instead of chasing pixie dust, we trace the quiet shock of coming home: the disbelief of others, the ache of a promise never kept, and the co...

Send us Fan Mail Courage looks different under stage lights. We sit down at Chino Hills High School’s theater to unpack how a training-first program turns nervous auditions into confident performances, and how a tight-knit ensemble carries each other through missed cues, costume malfunctions, and the rush of opening night. With director Kerry Rupe at the helm and students Anthony, Drake, Angie, an...

Send us Fan Mail A storm rattles the windows, the timetable is no comfort, and a ghostly locomotive refuses to be just a rumor. We’re bringing Arnold Ridley’s The Ghost Train to life with a bold 1930s aesthetic—think noir shadows and comic-book color—that turns a small station into a pressure cooker where fear and wit trade jabs. Sage Patel walks us through the vision: why an old thriller still la...

Send us Fan Mail This holiday story gets new gears. We sit down with the Riverside Community Players team bringing a steampunk A Christmas Carol to life—complete with in‑the‑round staging, layered costumes, and a cast that looks and sounds like Riverside. From the first “God bless us” to the final curtain, the conversation uncovers how a first-time director balances reverence for Dickens with the...

Send us Fan Mail A small stage, a big cast, and a 1940s reset bring fresh heart to Miracle on 34th Street as we explore belief, courage, and community. We share how volunteers, teachers, and first-timers shape a classic into something intimate, warm, and alive. • why we chose Miracle on 34th Street and set it in the 1940s • how a large ensemble, kids to grandparents, powers the show • Doris Walker...

Send us Fan Mail Power is easy to claim and hard to carry—especially when the rules fall away. We take you inside a bold staging of Lord of the Flies led by a first-time director who turns rehearsal into a living workshop on leadership, morality, and what it means to build a tribe. The twist: two full casts, one male and one female, telling the same story from different lived experiences to expose...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when dreams wait too long? This timeless question drives Lorraine Hansberry's masterpiece A Raisin in the Sun, now coming to life at Chino Community Theater under TonI Lynd's passionate direction. Set in 1950s Chicago, the play follows a family whose members each nurture distinct dreams while sharing cramped quarters in a run-down apartment. As director Toni...

Send us Fan Mail Dive into the fascinating world of forgotten theatrical treasures with our premiere episode of Steps to the Stage Inland Empire! We're pulling back the curtain on Agatha Christie's "Towards Zero," a mystery play with a remarkable history that vanished from the stage for decades after its American debut in the 1940s. Director Christopher Diehl and cast members E...

Send us Fan Mail Step into the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss as 7th Street Community Theatre presents "Seussical the Musical," a production where imagination takes center stage and the boundaries between reality and fantasy beautifully blur. This episode of Steps to the Stage takes listeners behind the curtain with the creative team bringing this beloved show to life. At the heart of this...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when actors become directors? The latest episode of Steps to the Stage takes you behind the scenes with the creative team of "Urinetown the Musical" as they prepare for opening night at 7th Street Community Theatre. Co-directors Luke Hooganraad and Marcy Pinedo share the exhilarating and sometimes overwhelming experience of their directorial debuts after yea...

Send us Fan Mail Dive into the enchanting world of "The Mole Hill Stories" with director Jesse Pyle as she unveils the creative journey behind Chino Community Theater's latest production. This magical bilingual adaptation transforms three beloved children's tales by Lois Ehlert into a celebration of friendship, nature, and cultural diversity. What makes this production truly sp...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a teacher trusts students to create theatrical magic? In this captivating conversation from Ayala High School's drama department, we discover how one unexpected career twist transformed English teacher Madeline Sherritt into a theater director who puts students firmly in the driver's seat. Technical Director Aiden Kitavis and Assistant Director Karly We...