An afternoon of Great Expectations courtesy of Santa Ana College Theatre Department

I feel a little bit guilty that I don't take advantage of local theatre productions more often. Southern California has a plethora of community, college and even Preforming Arts High School's that all put out some pretty great productions.

Growing up, my parents exposed me to a lot of music and theatre. They supported my love of the stage by enrolling me in theatre, dance, voice and piano lessons at a young age. They schlepped me to and from my lessons and rehearsals and patiently sat through many recitals and performances. My mother was insistent that I study piano and I played from Kindergarten - high school graduation. I despised practicing and was never a model student. As soon as I hit college I, "retired," and it isn't until very recent that I've started to tickle the ivorys a bit. All of those years of lessons was money well spent as I have an appreciation for music and being classically trained has served me well.

I sang and danced for 15 years and was far from being the star of any show, and was never destined to be Juilliard material. But I enjoyed the camraderie I found singing and dancing and the feeling I got expressing myself through song and dance.

We saw many theatre productions from both community theatres and touring Broadway productions. Some of my fondness memories include driving to Portland from our tiny Central Oregon town to see a Broadway Musical. We were lucky to have season tickets and several times a year we made a weekend of it. We'd buy the soundtrack ahead of time and learn the songs and then belt out the choruses as we traveled. I still love the theatre and wish that I would go more.

Last month, Eric, a mutual friend of Ziad and I starred in Santa Ana College's production of Great Expectations. He played as the prisoner and was fantastic!

"Charles Dickens’ literary masterpiece comes to the Phillips Hall stage with a rich and exciting retelling of the famous classic. The timeless story of Pip’s journey from young lad to adult is artfully conveyed. Meet the beloved people that inhabit Pip’s life story, as he comes of age as a compassionate and admirable human being, truly reaching his “great expectations”.

Pathetically, I've never read Charles Dickens. At least I don't remember reading his works. And now, I will!

Ziad and I

Zee and Eric. They are old friends and have been in several bands together. Their gifts are revealed when they are on stage and behind a microphone. They're naturals!

If you live in Southern California check out Santa Ana's Theatre Department Productions. They have a fantastic program and I look forward to seeing many more of their productions!