Theatre Americana, one of California’s oldest independent production companies, is hosting a Halloween-themed musical and dance concert as part of ArtNight Pasadena on Friday, Oct. 13. The presentation will unfold on the steps of City Hall.
Donna Scarantino, President and Artistic Director of Theatre Americana, said they’re offering the presentation to give the community a unique and entertaining experience, and to show their commitment to continue contributing to Pasadena’s cultural enrichment.
“We’re very active in the community and we’ve contributed quite a bit to the arts and culture of the past new community,” Scarantino said.
Theatre Americana will perform a combination of several dances, Scarantino said.
“We’re dancing to ‘Ghostbusters’ and we’re dancing to ‘Thriller,’” she said. “Also we have a variety of music from Country Western to pop to some of the iconic songs of the 60s.”
With the Halloween-themed musical and dance concert, Theatre American wants to offer an opportunity for Pasadena residents and visitors to enjoy a night of artistic performances and entertainment. The live performances will capture the essence of Halloween, creating a spooky and festive atmosphere.
Scarantino said the outdoor venue will be just as impactful as a traditional theater setting.
“We have to consider the safety because we are on the stairs of City Hall,” she said. “So when I choreograph the pieces that we’re doing, I take into consideration the safety of the dancers and also the logistics and the mobility. How can we move about the staging area to make it effective? Which we will, there’s no doubt.”
In addition to Theatre Americana’s concert, ArtNight Pasadena offers various other activities, including a spooky succulent workshop where participants can plant their tiny gardens, and the opportunity to grab a snack from the Pie ‘N Burger food truck. They can also catch a free shuttle, walk, or drive to their next chosen venue, so they can explore and experience the diverse range of artistic offerings throughout the night.
Theatre Americana was awarded a mini-grant by the City of Pasadena, in recognition of their contributions to the cultural enrichment of the city. Scarantino said the grant will greatly ease operating costs and enable them to put on more of these performances for the community.
“The most important thing it helps us with is to pay for rehearsal space so we could ready ourselves for these productions,” Scarantino said.
The pre-production process for the show began about two to three months ago, after the group found out they were going to be the recipient of the ArtNight grant. With rehearsals starting at around 11 a.m. and lasting up to 9:30 p.m., plus the review and polishing process, it has been very costly for Theatre Americana, such that the mini-grant is such a welcome gift, Scarantino said.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, the troupe goes down to City Hall to actually rehearse on the front steps.
“So what we’re going to do is choreograph the dance pieces, ‘Thriller’ and ‘Ghostbusters,’ to be done in place and then move about the stairs,” Scarantino said. “That’s what we’ll have to do because we don’t have the luxury of bringing everybody there ahead of time because of their time, their jobs, and so forth.”
On ArtNight next Friday, Theatre Americana will be dancing to more than 40 songs.
“We are going to do some numbers from Chicago, we’re going to be doing Earth, Wind and Fire, we’re going to be doing some country songs, we have a country line dance to ‘Footloose,’ we’re doing a lot of pop music and some Motown,” Scarantino said. “So it’s a mixture of a lot of genres of music that we’ve done in the past.”
With Theatre Americana there at ArtNight Pasadena, attendees can look forward to a night filled with Halloween-inspired music, dance, and artistic performances.
For more information about Theatre Americana and their upcoming events, visit http://theatreamericana.com.
For more about ArtNight Pasadena, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/
