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Before the opening night of Avenue Q, Conejo Players’ next musical, we are talking with one of the actresses of the show, Sahai Lara. We have seen Sahai in many CPT productions, including RENT and Sweeney Todd, and also enjoyed her directorial work on The Mountaintop and The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee.

Now Sahai is reprising her role as Gary Coleman in Avenue Q.

How did you find Conejo Players?
I first heard about Conejo Players Theater when I moved to the valley from the Glendale area in 2019. I was in my first year of college, and I hadn’t performed with a community theater since my move to California from Connecticut. But then I saw a Backstage.com posting for Sweeney Todd at a theater in Thousand Oaks and it grabbed my attention. I walked into the theater for my audition and all of my nerves melted away. Everyone made me feel like I was already a part of the community, even though they didn’t know me yet.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at CPT?
There are so many to choose from, but I think that my favorite memory is working backstage for High School Musical. I love that we’re given the opportunities to work in different areas of the theater, and being able to work backstage and watch the shows from a different perspective gives me so much joy.

What does CPT mean to you?
To me, Conejo means community. It’s a place where people from all different walks of life can leave their day at the door and just collaborate to make something wondrous.

Please tell us about Avenue Q, the show you are working on now.
I am currently reprising my role as “Gary Coleman” in CPT’s upcoming production of Avenue Q! I feel so privileged to be able to play this role again and use the experience that I’ve gained since seven years ago. Through this experience, I’ve been able to meet so many new and talented actors that I’m proud to say are now my friends.

Avenue Q opens at Conejo Players Theatre on June 5, 2026.

On May 17th you will have a wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with a new play presented by our Readers Theatre program. We are talking with Paul Babb and Scott Quintard, Honorary Life members, wonderful actors, and producers of CPT’s Readers Theatre program.

Can you please tell us why you picked Underdog: The Other Other Brontë?
We chose Underdog: The Other Other Brontë by Sarah Gordon because it is exactly the kind of new writing, we are passionate about with Conejo Players Readers Theatre. It is fresh, fearless storytelling that takes a historical scenario and makes it feel urgent and utterly alive for a modern audience. The script is a revelation in how it peels back the mythology of the Brontë sisters to expose the raw, complex power dynamics between three extraordinarily gifted women, each fighting for space, recognition, and creative voice within the same walls. What moves us most is how Gordon uses this very specific sisterhood to illuminate something far broader and enduringly relevant: the way brilliant women throughout history have been forced to shrink, compete, and survive in the long shadow of male expectation and authority. It is a story told with wit, intelligence, and real emotional bite, and that combination is precisely what great theatre should do.

Please tell us about your rehearsal process.
Because this is a reading rather than a fully staged production, we are liberated from the hours that typically go into blocking, set and staging logistics, etc. The best part of that of that is, even though our entire rehearsal period runs only eight to ten sessions, we typically get to do far more character development work than most full productions ever allow. Every rehearsal is about story and character — who the characters are, what they want, and how that drives the story.

Also, we have to mention University Village and their Life Enrichment Director, Holly Butler. They have been extraordinarily generous providing us with rehearsal space. It is a wonderful partnership, and it culminates in something genuinely special: on our final rehearsal night, before we ever set foot in the theatre, we perform a “dress rehearsal” for the residents of the facility.

Do you have some funny moments that have happened during rehearsals?
Readers Theatre exists to push boundaries; to bring bold, challenging, sometimes uncomfortable writing to the stage and trust that audiences can handle it. And we have learned that Conejo Players audiences are more than up for it. One of the most amusing moments has been pushing those boundaries with our dress rehearsal audience at University Village (a much older crowd). We have exposed them to Grand Horizons (which features an extended discussion about sex toys) and Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight (which has, let’s say, very vividly verbalized sexual content). Each time, we braced ourselves a little. And each time, they surprised us by absolutely loving it.

What are the challenges of staging a Readers Theatre production?
The biggest challenge is resisting the urge to keep adding. There is always a temptation to bring in a costume piece here, a prop there, a little more staging, etc. And before you know it you are pushing a reading toward a full production. It comes from a good place; directors and actors want to serve the story, and the instinct is to reach for familiar tools. But Readers Theatre teaches you to put those tools down. The discipline is learning to trust the story, trust the script, and trust the actors’ ability to bring it fully to life with their voices and their presence. When you do that, something remarkable happens: the audience’s imagination fills in everything else, and often more powerfully than any set or costume ever
could.

What would you like to say to your audience?
If you love theatre that is fresh, modern, and unafraid to push boundaries, then Readers Theatre is for you. Come ready to think, laugh, to squirm a little, and to be moved. Underdog: The Other Other Brontë is exactly the kind of bold, vital new piece that reminds you why live theatre matters.

Learn more about the Conejo Players Readers Theatre.

We met this friendly smiling face during rehearsals of Lend Me a Tenor, the first show of 2026 season. He came and immediately won us over because he was so interested to learn, help, and be involved. He said: how can I help?, and you all know, these words are beautiful music for people who work on a show.

Now Andrew (affectionally known as Argyle!) is working with the Legally Blonde costume team and he loves it! He is very busy, but had a few minutes to answer some questions for us:

Why did you choose to work with costumes?
I already knew that I wanted to support the theater, since I’ve been watching the shows here for years. When I saw there was a call for volunteers, I wanted to try something completely new. I love learning new things!

What’s your first impression of CPT?
No other theater feels quite as authentic to me as CPT. That’s what always pulled me back, show after show. And that’s what made me want to sign up to help out!

Your first show was Lend Me a Tenor. What was most difficult for you?
Difficult? Well, everyone is just way too nice and charming here, how am I supposed to get any work done?! Really, everyone has been so patient with me learning a new skill, and that acceptance and kindness in our community has made the whole experience just feel easy.

Please tell us about your team work for Legally Blonde.
I’m being trained by the incredible Beth Eslick, and working on a team of absolutely incredible designers, directors, creators, and masterminds. I’m constantly astounded by the attention to detail, let alone the passion that’s gone into this play. Getting to know the entire cast and crew has been an honor and delight.

Everyone who has worked at Conejo Players the last few years knows Kristin Krause and her wonderful family. Kristin, Joe, Belle, and Hunter work on almost every show, helping with sound and lights, working backstage and doing everything to make every show run smooth. We talked with Kristin about her experience, her interests and plans.

Which Job is more interesting for you and why?
That is difficult to choose as each show brings its fun and challenges.

As a producer I get the opportunity to make more connections with the cast and crew as I tend to be hands-on, going to a lot of rehearsals and really trying to be that liaison between actor and director.

Which production was a real challenge for you?
From a backstage standpoint, Velveteen Rabbit was a challenge, from helping design the toy costumes, implementing ideas, and then designing all the faces.  That was the first time having to do stage make-up for an actual show.  From a producer perspective, I would have to say Sleeping Beauty as we had understudies to balance rehearsal, last minute cast changes, and illness.  I enjoy the challenges though as they push me to expand my theatre knowledge and talents.  I have learned how to do more than I thought I could.

Is the production of Lend Me a Tenor different from others and why?  
Many aspects of being a producer on this show are the same as other shows. This show was different for me because I do not have any real knowledge of Opera music. Trying to make sure the music you are going to use is in the key the actors learned it, when you are not familiar with that style of music, can be tough.  The other challenge on this production was time. I had to teach and work with the make-up artists (they did awesome!) to make sure they could get the clown face on and off in the allotted time, which was not much and making sure the mic stayed clean. Trying different ideas to save time was difficult.

Each job has been a learning experience and will continue to be. I seem to keep finding new ways to do things, whether it is simply better organization or making rigging to be able to better hide mics. My most favorite thing is that we get to do all this as a family.

What else does this season bring you?  
I will be doing light design for Anne of Green Gables, produce Ave Q, and help run sound for Beetlejuice Jr.

We are so happy to have such great people in our theatre! Best wishes to Kristin and her family! CPT is a lucky theatre having so many wonderful families, which generation after generation, are bringing their beautiful art to the community!