La Mirada Theatre to Present L.A. Opera's THE MAGIC DREAM, 2/17

Eli Villanueva (Director) has earned outstanding credentials as a performer, and has
become a respected name as a stage director and published composer. He has appeared internationally in leading baritone roles including Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Marcello and Schaunard in La Bohème, and Falke in Die Fledermaus with such noted companies as the San Francisco Opera Center, LA Opera, and for the Cultural Arts Festival in Cortona, Italy. In addition to directing the acclaimed productions of Noye's Fludde and The Festival Play of Daniel at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles in previous seasons for LA Opera, he created an English translation as well as a new orchestration for The Festival Play of Daniel. With Maestro James Conlon conducting, these events combined a community cast and orchestra of nearly 500 as well as professional artists from LA Opera. This April at the Cathedral, he will be directing the revival of Britten's Noye's Fludde in celebration of the composer's 100 birthday. Presently, Mr. Villanueva is the resident stage director for LA Opera's Education and Community Programs Department. For their In-School Opera programs, he teaches and directs more than 1,500 students annually in original productions. These one act operas include his very popular compositions, Figaro's American Adventure and The Marriage of Figueroa, working with his brother Leroy Villanueva as librettist. Mr. Villanueva's compositions are praised for their appeal to audiences and performers alike. In addition, compositions ranging from solo vocal to choral works to popular handbell songs, can be found through publishing companies like Fred Bock Music and Laurendale Associates. Mr. Villanueva has appeared as guest stage director for universities throughout Southern California.

LA Opera began producing opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center of Los Angeles County in 1986. The Company currently performs six to eight operas a year, as well as several operas for students, such as The Prospector, which tour Los Angeles area schools.

La Mirada Theatre's Programs for Young Audiences is designed to give children exposure to a diverse mix of national and international touring stage acts while enriching their lives. The season will continue with ArtsPower's The Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle on March 3, 2013, American Family Theater's Beauty and the Beast on March 17, 2013 and will finish with Fred Garbo's Inflatable Theater Company on May 19, 2013.

All seats are $8 for children and $12 for adults. Subscriptions for all four shows are $24 for children and $36 for adults. Tickets are available online at www.LaMiradaTheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada, CA. Parking is free. Wheelchair access and Hearing Assist devices available.

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