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MARCH 15, 2024 | Volume XXI, Issue 11
LBHS Theatre’s ‘Mean Girls’ a Must See This Weekend
Pageant of the Masters to Host Second Casting Call on March 28
By Sophia Callisto, Special to the Independent On Friday, March 8, the LBHS Theatre Program opened its Spring musical production of Mean Girls, and it was—you guessed it—so fetch. The cast and crew of nearly 60 students and staff have been working for the past 10 weeks under the direction of Meghan Minguez-Marshall to bring this production to life. Mean Girls, originally a film written by Tina Fey and later adapted for the stage, opened on Broadway in 2018. It tells the story of Cady Heron, a naive teenager who transfers to an American high school after growing up homeschooled in South Africa. There, she encounters The Plastics, the school’s A-List girl clique. At the persuasion of her two new friends, Janis and Damian, Cady infiltrates The Plastics and devises a plan to take down the group’s infamous leader, the queen bee, Regina George. The story engages the audience in a raw and real look at the realities of social structures and stereotypes, interpersonal relationships, and the journey of one’s growth and personal LBHS, PAGE 13
By LB Indy Staff The Pageant of the Masters is holding a second open casting call on Thursday, March 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Forum Theater on the Festival of Arts grounds. This casting call aims to primarily recruit female volunteers for its upcoming summer production, “À La Mode: The Art of Fashion,” which will run from July 6 to Aug. 30. Following the successful turnout at the casting call held in January, the Pageant is still seeking women applicants of diverse ages and ethnic backgrounds, specifically those with heights ranging from 5’1” to 5’5” and 5’8” to 5’10.” Additionally, there are some opportunities for male roles as well. No prior theater experience is necessary, the only requirement is the ability to stand still and have fun. Volunteering in the Pageant also allows high school students to achieve 109 hours of community service in one summer. This casting call will coincide with a Pageant rehearsal, offering casting hopefuls a glimpse into this year’s production and the process of making a living picture. Since rehearsals are typically closed to the public, attending the casting call provides a rare
Senior and powerhouse vocalist TJ Simmons (standing on table) plays Regina George in Laguna Beach High School Theatre’s performance of Mean Girls. Photo courtesy of LBHS Theatre
Residents’ Concerns in Deep End Over City’s Pool Project By Jackie Connor, Special to the Independent Laguna Beach city council members voted unanimously to explore options for building a new 25-meter community swimming pool as an alternative to pursuing joint use of Laguna Beach Unified School District’s (LBUSD) planned expansion of a 50-meter pool at Laguna Beach High School,
with the option to pursue both. This comes after LBUSD announced they would spend $150 million to expand Laguna Beach High School’s facilities, despite decreasing student enrollment. Mayor Sue Kempf and councilmember Bob Whelan, appointed as the subcommittee in October 2023, shared that after extensive discussions
with LBUSD, Sensible Laguna community members and city staff, Kempf and Whelan asked the community to weigh in on three options presented by staff: jointly use and help fund the $19 million 50-meter pool with LBUSD, and contribute upwards of $13 million toward the pool’s remodeling project; build a separate 25-meter community pool at an unde-
termined location costing up to $13.3 million, which includes infrastructure and staff, or pursue a combination of both options. Mayor Kempf shared that the subcommittee aimed to make sure LBUSD considered the city’s in reference to various aquatics programs, such as lap COMMUNITY POOL, PAGE 1
POM, PAGE 11
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