OPHS Pavilion opens with grand event

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn BEFORE THE SHOW-Andrew Fox warms up before the grand opening of The Pavilion at Oak Park High School on Sun., Oct. 12.

The inaugural grand opening of the Oak Park High School’s new performing arts facility, the Pavilion, showcased student talent and helped raise more than $10,000 for theater seating and technical equipment.

Mardy Medders, a parent organizer of the event with Ruth Haney, chairwoman of the Oak Park Performing Arts Alliance, said the event was organized in five weeks.

The highly anticipated event earlier this month highlighted a cross-section of students who demonstrated their talents and a wide spectrum of fine art. Visual arts were featured at the school’s "cage." Artwork by advanced placement students was on sale, while a student band, Devon and the Dynamics, performed.

Sheldon Borenstein, an art instructor at San Jose State University and 20-year studio animator, displayed three of his art instruction books, which are currently being used in the Los Angeles Unified School District art curriculum. Borenstein donated an original work of art, a soaring eagle, to the school during the event, to commemorate the school’s mascot.

In addition to tours of the facility and a pre-game fashion show by Frenzy, the Tri-Valley Special Olympics basketball players squared off against members of staff, AYBA youth players and OPHS student athletes. Danielle Jacoby first led the players and audience in the national anthem.

The highlight of the evening was the musical variety show, "Another Opening, Another Show." Even before the gala began, students were performing. OPHS junior Andrew Fox performed a musical piano montage with Alex Pearlman accompanying on guitar.

The theme woven throughout the performance was the "American Celebration Dedication." The Oak Park choir, brass quartet and Men’s Ensemble performed a variety of songs. The school’s treble choir featured soloists Tess Ferrell and Danielle Jacoby, with Eric Garcia accompanying.

Monet Thornburg, an eighth grader at Medea Creek Middle School and member of the California Dance Theater, performed a solo tap dance, "Cool," which was choreographed by Maggie Danielsen.

OPHS Principal Cliff Moore welcomed guests to the first Pavilion event, and gave a brief history of how the vision of a theater arts academy was kept alive over 20 years.

"The pioneering efforts in the early ’80s began with Jerry Hen-derson," Moore said. Henderson is a professor at Pepperdine University. Moore added that Hen-derson’s efforts were followed by parents in the Performing Arts Club, and further developed by artistic director Rick Rhodes and drama instructor Allen Hunt, who together formed the Performing Arts Academy.

"Rick has been an inspiration to all of us," Moore said. "We now have a venue for our kids to showcase their many talents," he added. The California Dance Theater performed "What Dreams Are Made Of," accompanied by the Jazz Ensemble.

Even an Oak Park elementary student got into the act. Jeffrey Zia played Vivaldi’s "Spring," the first movement on violin.

Tammie Fox, an OPHS alum, was a special guest artist and sang "Deh Vieni, Non Tardar." The Oak Park Dance Team performed "My Last Breath" and Jennifer Zhao awed the audience with a solo dance number to Eric Clapton’s "Classical Gas." Autumn Federici of the California Dance Theater choreographed the piece.

Drama students gave the audience a taste of a future event with excerpts from Shakespeare’s "Much Ado About Nothing." (The actual performances are scheduled for the Pavilion today, Thurs., Oct. 23, through Sat., Oct. 25.)

Moore honored several people who were instrumental in bringing the dream of a theater arts building to a reality. Larry Jordan and Paul and Anita Luttrell, organizers of the original Theater Arts Foundation, presented Moore with a check for $20,000, and encouraged further buy-outs of the "Name a Seat" campaign. Previous fundraising efforts geared around the "name a seat campaign" raised $19,000.

Moore also invited Roger and Liz Ruhle to the stage and honored them as "Grand Patrons" of the Pavilion. "Angel" patrons recognized were Richard and Claudia Jones and Family and Ely Mandel and The Community Foundation.

According to Moore, the $3.1 million Oak Park Pavilion designed by Fields and Devereaux, was funded in part by the $40 million bond that was passed by residents to build the first Oak Park schools. "We are nearing the end of that money and this was probably the last big project that the original money will fund," Moore said.

The Pavilion took about 16 months to build and provides OPHS with an expanded kitchen, a multi-use room for indoor eating in addition to theater productions and other functions. There are two classrooms for drama and other courses, a band room and a choral room. Moore added that an additional 50 parking spaces were added to the campus parking area.

Another OPHS alum entertained the capacity crowd. Miss Ventura County Jessica Phillips and her sidekick Daphne, a smart-mouthed "dummy," had the crowd in stitches, especially when she asked Moore, "Where do the books go? This is the library isn’t it?"

Special guest artists Ken Arata and Charles Klapow performed a high energy dance finale. Community guest artist Ann Marie Boskovich sang "God Bless America" to close the event.

An "afterglow reception" followed the variety show for sponsors, $50 and $100 ticket patrons and administrative guests.