Theater

Johanna Smith is a Professor of Theatre Education, Improvisation, and Puppetry at CSU-San Bernardino. Her research and practice focuses on integrating puppets into classrooms as well as professional Theatre for Young Audiences. She has served as a puppetry artist for Broadway-bound extravaganzas to museums to colleges to preschools and often directs tours for CSUSB. Her production of The Odyssey (director, puppet design) toured to the PuppetFair puppet festival in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2008, followed by a tour of 4 major Chinese cities for the Chonqing Children's Theatre season in 2009.

Los Angeles Arts Group (L.A. Arts Group) is committed to excellence in arts education and believes the arts are powerful tools for expression and communication and vital to the development of every child. Our goal is to provide high quality, standards-based arts education for grades K-12 in creative environment that promotes collaboration and respect. Our programs aim to engage students, teachers and the community to provide learning in and through the arts. L.A. Arts Group consists of trained and experienced professional artists in dance, music, theatre and visual arts.

Each year we serve 20,000-27,000 youth ages 5-18. This year we have also renewed our family classic The Patchwork Girl of Oz, touring to NC, also sponsored locally by the Children's Literature Department of the LA Central Library. We also produce the annual San Pedro Festival of the Arts, which presents 20-24 professional dance companies. Thousands of sponsors include LA County Museum of Art, Mark Taper Auditorium, and Kidspace; we tour locally for the LA and SB County School Districts, expanding to 22 states, MX and Taipei.

In just less than three decades of existence, LA Opera has become, under the leadership of Eli and Edythe Broad General Director Plácido Domingo, the United States' fourth largest opera company and "...stands out as a newly important force in American Opera." (Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times). LA Opera created a sensation with its inaugural production of Verdi's Otello starring Plácido Domingo in 1986.

MKM BollyStars is a dynamic dance company that prides itself for its high quality performers, rich dance heritage, & authenticity of dance styles. Energetic, graceful, and passionate, the company comprises of versatile industry dancers straight out of Hollywood. A rich dance heritage, a visionary artistic director, and a cultural and creatively diverse team, provide the backbone for what transpires to be truly memorable and statement driven work. MKM Bollystars is the only company in Los Angeles that professionally covers the span of Indian dance from Classical to Bollywood.

Musical Theatre West is a professional musical theatre company dedicated to enriching the lives of Southern California Residents. We offer four mainstage musicals each year along with other arts events throughout Long Beach. We have a diverse educational program dedicated to ensuring that each student gets the opportunity to be exposed to the arts.

Since its founding in 1991, P.S. ARTS' purpose has been to ensure high-quality, sustainable arts education for children in under-resourced public schools. Our programs are designed and continuously revised to be in alignment with the needs of the communities we serve, contributing to children's wellbeing and elevating their future school and career prospects. P.S. ARTS was created in response to significant education budget cuts in the 1970s and 1980s that resulted in the near elimination of arts programs in California public schools. Now in its 25th anniversary year, P.S.