PowPAC Prepares for its 30th Season

PowPAC is turning 30 years old this year. To celebrate its birthday, recently announced its season lineup.

The 30th season, which includes a drama, four comedies, Readers’ Theatre and special events, begins this June. Co-Artistic Director Sherrie Colbourn said she is very excited about the theater’s milestone.

“To me, the theater is like a true 30-year-old,” she said.  “It’s gone through its baby stages. When you’re in your 30s, you pretty much are starting to hit your career stride, and you should have about 20 solid years of success ahead of you by all the groundwork you’ve done to get to your career. That’s how PowPAC is—it’s at its best career stage right now.”

Colbourn, who has worked alongside fellow Co-Artistic Director Debbie David for four years, has big plans for the theater's future.

“It will continue to grow because as things become better, you get more and more people interested,” she said.

While PowPAC’s staff is very appreciative of their current facility—which is located in the Lively Center at 13250 Poway Road—Colbourn said they would eventually like to have their own location. The current facility is located in an older building, so there are a lot of maintenance costs, Colbourn explained.

 “The costs we have to put in just to keep the theater functioning—sometimes you just wish you could build a new boat instead of patching the old one,” she said. “At these economic times, that’s not so realistic. But I think we should be throwing out there a five-year plan to try and find a piece of property here in Poway and build our own theater…It would be nice to see that happen.”

In addition, Colbourn would like the theater to offer adult acting classes and technical theater classes in the future. She also hopes to get more local students involved in the theater as well.

“We have some very talented kids in this community,” she said. “When we do shows that feature young people that’s great, but there are lots of ways for them to participate and get their face known.”

Dario Burgess, 17, is the stage manager for PowPAC’s current production, Skin Deep. Colbourn said the Poway High School senior has been a great addition to the theater.

“Once we get people trained, they frequently go on to other work, which is fine,” Colbourn said. “That’s what we’re here for—to give people a chance to learn skills that they can maybe take with them either as they pursue careers in the theater, or if they go on with their educational goals or whatever strikes their interest.”

Colbourn, who moved to Poway in 1998, became involved with PowPAC as a retired actress. She, too, launched her career in community theater.

“Our goal is to bring the highest quality entertainment, so we are not just a mom-and-pop-type theater,” she said. “We are geared toward bringing really talented people to the stage, so that the experience is as good as theater as we can possibly put together for people.”

For this reason and many more, Colbourn said PowPAC has been an important part of the city of Poway.

“We’re trying to bring more and more people into Poway to have dinner, do shopping and see a show,” she said. “I think our hearts are in the right places. We live in Poway for a reason. The bulk of the people who work at the theater are actual Powegians.

“I know I’m very proud of the City, and I raised my family here. I’d like to grow old here and continue to work as long as I’m allowed in the theater.”

PowPAC was formed by a small group of who saw a need for a community theater in 1981. The formation of PowPAC came out of their involvement with individuals in the first Fireman’s Follies in May of 1979. The vaudeville show was a fundraiser to help purchase paramedic equipment for the Poway Fire Department.

“The founders are still active in this theater 30 years later,” Colbourn said. “That’s love and commitment. I’m so proud to get to work with people like that. I hope I’m as energetic and committed as they are for the rest of my life, too.”

PowPAC is run by volunteers like the founders.

“We operate in the black, and we’ve done it pretty much standing on our own two feet with the support of individual community members. I think they give to us because we give a lot back to the community,” Colbourn said.

Without PowPAC’s many volunteers, Colbourn said Poway’s Community Theatre wouldn’t be as successful as it is today. The theater is always looking for more volunteers to add to its family, she said.

“We have the nicest group of volunteers,” she said. “I really think this is a pleasant place for most people to put their efforts into.”

PowPAC's 2011-2012 season

Colbourn said she and David read about 50 plays each year to pass along to its play selection committee.

The directors and committee members decided that the 2011-2012 season will open with Wonder of the World, a modern comedy by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Raylene J.  Wall. The show will run from July 22 through Aug. 21. 

The second show is the romantic comedy The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash, which will be directed by Mary Smith. The show will run from Oct. 21 through Nov. 20. 

The third show is the comedy Don’t Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti and adapted by Robin Hawdon.  It will be directed by Sherrie Colbourn. The show will run Jan. 13 through Feb. 5, 2012. 

The fourth show is the drama The God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza.  The show will be directed by Mark Zweifach and will run March 2 through March 25, 2012. 

The fifth and final show of the season will be Romantic Comedy by Bernie Slade. The show will be directed by Kate Hewitt and will run April 20 through May 20, 2012.

This season, PowPAC will also begin New Playwright presentations. PowPAC plans to present a show written by a new playwright each June. This June,  the theater will offer Life Cycles by Paul David Halem, which will be directed by Grant Gelvin. Life Cycles will open June 10, 2011 and run through June 26, 2011. 

The PowPAC Melodrama, which is part of Poway Days, will run Sept. 16 through Sept. 25. It will be directed by Missy Hendrick. 

PowPAC's holiday show will be Mr. Scrooge and Mr. Dickens, which is written and directed by Charles Carr.  It will run for three weeks from Dec. 2 through Dec. 18.

*Please note that rights may be pending for some of the selected shows.  If PowPAC is not successful in obtaining the rights to stage these shows, other shows will be substituted.

While PowPAC prepares for its 30th season, theatergoers can check out its current production, a comedy about middle-age dating called Skin Deep. The play opened last week and will run through March 27.

Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday shows begin at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $13 for students, seniors and active military. 

For tickets, call the PowPAC box-office at (858) 679-8085 or e-mail boxoffice@powpac.org. For more information, visit www.powpac.org.

There’s a lot happening at the as well.

The Poway Center for the Performing Arts Foundation is hosting the Missoula Children's Theater for the 12th season.

On Monday, the participatory children's theater company held auditions and cast local children, kindergarten through 12th grade, in The Wizard of Oz. The more than 50 local students will participate in a theater camp this week to prepare for two full-scale productions.

Performances of  will be held at 3 and 7 p.m. this Saturday.

Tickets cost $17 for adults and $5 for youth 18 and younger with the purchase of an adult ticket. The Poway Center for the Performing Arts is located at 15498 Espola Road.

On Sunday, the San Diego Indian American Society will present the “Seasons of India” at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

The event will showcase leading Indian dance teachers of San Diego, as well as Indian music and dance.

Tickets range from $10 to $50 for the show, which begins at 3 p.m. To purchase tickets call 858-405-3353 or e-mail ram.seshan@yahoo.com.