Category: News

News and updates from CPT

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The Conejo Players Youth Improv Team is Back!

Conejo Players Youth Improv team is celebrating its second birthday with a show this Sunday, June 21! Established in 2024, the team has performed in three successful shows and two comedy festivals. Audiences love their energy, creativity and great sense of humor.

During rehearsals, members of the team play many different games. We asked some team members to tell us about their favorite game and why. We think their answers will help you get to know these wonderful kids better!

Lyra Eriksen
My favorite improv game is the one where there are three people in the scene and one person has a script and that’s all they can use to talk, this game really pushes me, I love the challenge of making the player’s lines fit the story, and it’s really fun when they say something totally out of left field!

Hatch Ricci
My favorite game is “Four Corners” because it is challenging but also entertaining. It requires a lot of focus to perform since it involves keeping track of a lot of details and people, but the payoff of creating a complex, hilarious story is worth it.

Even Trafican
I love any game where the whole team plays (like “Fly in my Soup”) because I like the enjoyment of bringing everyone together where we can all work off each other’s ideas.

Thomas Strang
“Press Conference” because it’s really fun and we get to be creative.

Layna Trafican
My favorite improv game that we’ve done so far has been the one where there are two investigators and a suspect and you had to hint to them who, what, and why and if the two investigators can’t think of something, someone else goes “ring ring” and they can “call” with a hint. I love this one because it feels the most challenging and fun.

Caelan Anderson
My favorite game is “Four Corners”, specifically with four people. I like this game because not only does it require you to be paying attention, it forces you to remember where you were in a scene and pick up from that same spot, a challenge that is only amplified when everybody is a part of two scenes.

Ava Paolini
“Expert Interview”, which involves two people. Those two people can shine while it’s their turn. I also love it because it allows our imagination to take off as we act out our characters.

Oliver Strang
The game where you go through the alphabet and everybody has to name something starting with that letter and I like it because all of the responses people have are very funny and sometimes unexpected!

Ethan Purdy
It’s called Interview. It’s my favorite because it really challenges our improv skills.

Come watch the funniest kids you know this Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 6pm! Tickets are on sale.

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Tony Award-Winning Avenue Q Returns to Conejo Players Theatre

The Tony Award-winning musical comedy Avenue Q returns to Conejo Players Theatre this June after a successful 2019 run. The laugh-out-loud, puppet-filled production runs June 5–28, 2026, in Thousand Oaks.

Returning by popular demand after its successful 2019 run, the musical tells the story of a recent college grad named Princeton, who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that, although the residents seem nice, it’s clear that this is not your ordinary neighborhood. 

Together, Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates and their ever-elusive purpose in life. Avenue Q is a place where puppets are friends, monsters are good, and life lessons are learned.

“This show is funny, it’s a bit naughty, and it teaches a lot of valuable lessons,” co-director Beth Eslick shared. “In 2019, when Conejo Players first produced Avenue Q (directed by Jeremy Zeller), I was fully invested. I was thrilled with how well the show did and how much the audience loved it. It was heartbreaking to hear people say (after the very short two-weekend run) that they hadn’t gotten a chance to see it. I’m glad CPT gets to share the zaniness of Avenue Q with our patrons again!”

Despite its puppet cast, Avenue Q contains mature themes and language and is recommended for audiences ages 13 and older.

“It’s not just shock value for the sake of it. It’s really about learning to laugh at life, embrace uncertainty, and realize that nobody truly has everything figured out, especially as a young adult navigating major life changes,” cast member Livian Coverdale, who brings one of the Bad Idea Bears to life, shared. “The heart of the show is how grounded and relatable the characters are in contrast to their silly appearances and inappropriate humor.”

Fellow cast member Tony Cellucci, who portrays the puppet Rod, agrees, “This show is admirable not just for its wacky humor, but for how grounded in reality it is. For a musical with a handful of puppets, it bursts at the seams with humanity.”

The only returning cast member from 2019 is Sahai Lara, who reprises the role of famed child actor Gary Coleman. “Returning to Avenue Q feels like such a full-circle moment for me! I feel like I can relate to the show on a deeper level now. I’ve created my own little “avenue” of friends to experience the best and worst parts of life with.” 

Everyone is welcome to visit this neighborhood! Avenue Q runs June 5 through June 28, 2026 at Conejo Players Theatre. Tickets are available at conejoplayers.org or through the Conejo Players box office.

Avenue Q is produced by Kristin Krause, directed by Beth Eslick and Jim Diderrich, choreographed by Layla Ulrich, and music directed by Scott Donohue. Starring Andrew Landecker, Natalie Chavez, Jack Rogers, Tony Cellucci, Charles Woodson Parker, Francesca Barletta, Darian Calderon, Keziah Ann Apostol, Sahai Lara, Livian Coverdale, and R. Shane Bingham.

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Press Coverage: Anne of Green Gables

Broadway World: ANNE OF GREEN GABLES Will Be Presented By Conejo Players

“This production is different from most in that it relies entirely on actor creativity,” director Judy Diderrich shared. “Rather than a direct play of the book, it is about a classroom of students telling, and acting out, the story. Students act out not only the characters, but also the scenery, furniture and transportation. Whatever the story calls for, the students need to become.”

Conejo Vally Guide: Conejo Players Presents Anne of Green Gables May 1 to May 10

“Audiences follow Anne as she navigates school, friendship, and growing up in this charming coming-of-age story.”

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Celebrate NYE with Time in Tune!

Our upcoming special NYE event is featured in The Acorn and on Broadway World.


The Acorn: TV nostalgia takes center stage at Conejo Players’ New Year’s Eve shindig

“A television-themed musical cabaret, complete with live performances, audience-friendly games, and a midnight toast will headline the Conejo Players Theatre New Year’s Eve celebration.”


Broadway World: Conejo Players Theatre to present Time in Tune: A CPT Special Presentation

“Conejo Players Theatre will present Time in Tune: A CPT Special Presentation, a New Year’s Eve cabaret-style event drawing inspiration from the history of American television. The program traces television eras from the 1950s to the present through musical theatre selections performed by artists from the Conejo Valley, Central Valley, and Los Angeles.”

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A Chorus Line in the Press!

Our production of this iconic musical is being spotlighted online and in local newspapers.


The Acorn: A Chorus Line marks 50 years of Broadway brilliance at Conejo Players Theatre

“Few musicals have captured the heart and hustle of Broadway quite like “A Chorus Line.” Now, 50 years after its groundbreaking debut, Conejo Players Theatre is bringing the iconic show to life for a new generation of theatergoers, now running through Nov. 30.”


Broadway World: A Chorus Line Begins In November At Conejo Players Theatre

“Conejo Players Theatre will mark the 50th anniversary of A Chorus Line with a new production of the groundbreaking musical, opening November 7, 2025, and running through November 30, 2025. Directed and choreographed by Mirian Durrie-Kirsch, this revival brings the enduring story of Broadway dancers’ hopes and heartbreaks to life for the Conejo Valley community.”


Thousand Oaks Acorn: Singular sensation takes the stage

“At its core, A Chorus Line follows a group of dancers auditioning for a spot in a new Broadway production. As each performer steps into the spotlight, they share their story, including their hopes, heartbreaks and sacrifices.”

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Moorpark Reporter: Conejo Players Theater concludes local production of Broadway’s ‘Anastasia’

The Moorpark Reporter took a look at our run of Anastasia and talked with director Erin Fagundes and CPT president Dana Marley-Kolb.

“Directed by Erin Fagundes, the Conejo Players Theater production starred Maya Puterbaugh as Anya, Tony Cellucci as Dmirty and Benjamin Mitnick as Vladimir Popov. It also featured Kobe Burton as antagonist revolutionary Gleb, Amie Woolweber as Vladimir’s love interest; Countess Lily Malevsky-Malevitch and Deidre Parmenter as Anastasia’s Grandmother; the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Director Fagundes said her favorite part of the process was watching the cast come together. “[It’s] watching a group of people who mostly didn’t know each other at all evolve into the most incredible family who has each other’s backs, will do anything to support each other, bring each other laughter and joy, check their egos at the door, all while still beautifully accomplishing the number one goal – storytelling,” Fagundes said…

This “A-game” was brought in all respects, from the musical repertoire of the show to large ensemble dancing to en pointe ballet. Multi-part splits, smooth transitions and visual storytelling abounded, with clever humor throughout.”

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Broadway World: VELVETEEN RABBIT Comes to Thousand Oaks

Our upcoming youth play The Velveteen Rabbit: A Toy Story is featured on Broadway World Thousand Oaks. We are so excited to bring this classic story to life.

“Conejo Players Theatre has announced that their new youth play The Velveteen Rabbit: A Toy Story opens on Friday, May 2, 2025 in Thousand Oaks. Margery Williams’s classic toy story will be brought to life by some of the Conejo Valley’s most talented young thespians and will run until May 11, 2025. A special sensory-friendly performance will be held on Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 4pm. When the Child gets a Velveteen Rabbit for Christmas, she is disappointed in her gift, but after the two take a journey through her storybooks she realizes just how real her love is. Featuring a mix of your favorite vintage toys brought to life, including Timothy The Jointed Lion, the Wind-up Mouse, Dinosaur, and the Skin Horse, and historic figures such as Shakespeare & Mozart! This is the Velveteen Rabbit as you have never seen it before!”

The show opens on Friday, May 2, 2025!

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Broadway World: HOTBED HOTEL to Open Conejo Players 67th Season

Broadway World is featuring our upcoming comedy play Hotbed Hotel, which will open our 67th Season!

“Hotbed Hotel is a delightful, very fast-paced farce. Terri (Cassie Kelso-Bucey) and Brian Cody (Drew Orlando) are hoping to sell their “One Star Hotel” in the Florida Keys to the only man, Mr. Lewis (Don McGreevy), who has expressed interest in buying it. They are not expecting him for a couple of weeks, and are caught off-guard when they receive a phone call informing them that he will be arriving in the afternoon. Unfortunately, they have so few guests they are afraid that Mr. Lewis would feel that the hotel is a bad investment. So, Terri and Brian devise a plan to make the hotel appear busier and more prosperous than it actually is. Their staff will masquerade as paying guests, thereby giving Mr. Lewis the impression that the hotel is overflowing with loyal customers and vacationers. Their plan has one hitch, their entire staff consists of a maintenance man and a sexy housemaid. What could possibly go wrong?”

The show opens on Friday January 10, 2025!

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Broadway World: The Conejo Improv Players Return Next Month

Broadway World featured an article about our upcoming Conejo Improv Players show.

“The performance is on Saturday, August 3 at 8pm. The Conejo Improv Players will present a hilarious night of improvisational comedy featuring skits, scenes, and music — made up entirely on the spot from audience suggestions. Enjoy an evening of interactive comedy that blends the comedic stylings of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Saturday Night Live in a hilarious show you won’t want to miss!”