
Advertise on podcast: Steps To The Stage
Rating
5from
This podcast has
75 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Kirk LaneExplicit
No
Date created
2021/06/05
Latest episode
2026/09/10
Average duration
34 min.
Release period
18 days
Description
A Seventh Street Theatre Podcast highlighting all things theatre related. Our focus is community/regional theatre as well as school drama departments.
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Check latest episodes from Steps To The Stage podcast
The Diary of Anne Frank: Bashert
2026/09/10
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People assume they know The Diary of Anne Frank, then they realize they only know the outline. We’re getting specific about what it means to stage this story today at 7th Street Community Theater in Chino, and why a community theater production can hit with the force of a civic event.
We talk with director Cindi East and cast members Laurie Deards, Jarrod East, and Quetzalli Angulo about the play’s history, its Pulitzer Prize roots, and why Anne’s voice still cuts through noise, denial, and distraction. Cindi shares her personal connection as a Jewish artist and why she calls this the most important show she has ever directed. Jarrod reflects on returning to the material decades after performing it before and now stepping into Otto Frank, carrying the burden of leadership and survival. Quetsy, who plays Anne, walks us through a thoughtful preparation process that connects World War II history, family learning, and the way Anne’s perspective turns the annex residents from first impressions into fully dimensional people.
We also dig into what audiences will actually experience: a set that supports cramped movement and real tension, design choices that make the annex feel present, and a cast that bonded through a group visit to the Museum of Tolerance. Cindi teases immersive elements, an opening night gala with Jewish food tied to the culture of the story, and a talkback tied to a Saturday matinee.
The Diary of Anne Frank opens Friday, September 18 and runs through October 3. Grab tickets at www.chinocommunitytheater.org or call 909-590-1149, then share this with someone who needs a reminder that live theater can still shine a light of hope for all in need. Subscribe, leave a five-star rating on your favorite podcast platform. You can also write a review there or on our Facebook page to help get our stories out there.
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Shakespeare Festival: Romeo & Juliet - A Midsummer Night's Dream
2026/08/09
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Shakespeare can feel intimidating right up until you’re sitting a few feet from the actors and the story starts sounding like real life. We’re joined by directors Mickey Estrella and Marlee Lane to talk about the CCCT Shakespeare Festival at 7th Street Community Theater, running August 20th through the 29th, and why this kind of up-close community theater is the best way to remember what Shakespeare was made for: performance, laughter, tension, and a room full of people reacting together.
Mickey walks us through a bold, joyful approach to A Midsummer Night’s Dream that shifted during callbacks into an all-female cast and a “we’re playing pretend” energy that makes rehearsal lighter and the fairy world feel genuinely magical. We dig into how casting can create a safe learning environment, why fun is a serious directing tool, and how giving performers real ownership, including costume creation, can deepen character work fast.
Marlee shares a modern Romeo and Juliet concept built around the “in-between”, using public transportation as a metaphor for the spaces where people think, change, and imagine. We also get practical about staging: designing one simple shared set for two wildly different shows, coordinating colors and tech needs, and making a festival that feels like a complete experience rather than two separate productions.
If you love Shakespeare, modern adaptations, directing craft, or just want a great night of live theater in Chino, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave a review to help more people find local community theater.
August 20-29th
Chino Community Children's Theatre – It's Great to Be Back!
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The Wizard of Oz: Kids Rise To The Occasion
2026/07/17
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A one-week turnaround, 14 scenes, and 31 kids ranging from age five to eighteen, this Wizard of Oz production is the kind of challenge that reveals what community theatre is really made of. We sit down with members of the production team to share the behind-the-scenes decisions that turn a beloved classic into a live show, even when the schedule is tight and the cast includes plenty of first timers. Along the way, we keep coming back to a simple truth we see in rehearsal: kids rise to the occasion when the adults around them build the right support.
We talk music direction in detail, from adapting 1930s-era vocal writing to modern young voices to finding smart ways to teach skills inside the daily warm-up. You’ll hear how limited rehearsal time changes everything, why chorus parts can be surprisingly tricky for today’s kids, and what it looks like when young performers commit, practice, and start stacking those “light bulb” moments night after night.
On the movement side, we dig into choreography for mixed skill levels, how to teach singing while dancing without losing breath and tone, and how costumes can create real safety considerations when you’re adding tricks, lifts, and character movement. Then we go deep on production design: with only a week to build, the set becomes a blank canvas for projections, and we share how projection mapping and volunteer ingenuity help create Oz onstage without endless scene changes.
Grab your tickets, support your local theater, and if you like what you hear, follow the show, share this episode, and leave us a five-star rating and review so more theater fans can find Steps to the Stage.
July 17th through August 8th
Chino Community Children's Theatre – It's Great to Be Back!
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The Spongebob Musical: Junior University Theatre
2026/07/06
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SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical isn’t just a cute cartoon onstage, it’s a full-scale community theater build with real spectacle, real heart, and a whole lot of teamwork. We sit down with Melissa (director) and Marissa (board member) from Junior University Musical Theatre to talk about bringing Bikini Bottom to San Bernardino with a cast of 50+ performers ranging from ages nine to ninety-nine. If you love family-friendly musicals, youth theater, or simply want a great night of live theater in the Inland Empire, this one is for you.
We get into what makes SpongeBob such a smart choice for a broad audience: an eclectic score with songs written by different pop artists, a story built on friendship and collaboration, and the kind of humor that lands whether you grew up with the show or watched it with your kids. Melissa also shares what it’s like directing an educational theater organization where students learn alongside experienced alumni and “seasoned” community actors, building skills and confidence in a supportive environment.
Then we zoom out to the bigger story of Junior University, founded in 1963, and how the group adapted after COVID by moving from outdoor summer productions at Perris Hill Bowl into the San Manuel Performing Arts Center on the Aquinas High School campus. We talk about the value of that community partnership, the perks of a state-of-the-art venue, and the details audiences actually feel, like a lobby experience that drops you straight into Bikini Bottom plus tech magic from bubbles to dry ice to black lights.
If you enjoy hearing how community theater gets made and why it matters right now, subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.
Junior University Presents: The SpongeBob Musical
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Something Rotten Takes The Stage
2026/06/12
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Tap battles, rapid-fire jokes, and a cast juggling dozens of characters can sound like chaos. For us, it’s the fun kind of chaos, and it’s exactly what makes Something Rotten such a thrill to bring to 7th Street Theater. We sit down with co-directors Luke and Sarah Hoganrad to talk through the real work behind a big musical comedy, from the first creative conversations to the practical problems that only show up once you’re on your feet in rehearsal.
We dig into why this Broadway musical still lands so well, and why its story about two brothers hits even harder when the directors are siblings themselves. Luke and Sarah share how they lead a teen theater cast (ages 14 to 22) through a demanding process that includes long musical numbers, quick scene pacing, and constant character switching. You’ll hear how they think about giving notes, why it’s a great sign when rehearsal shifts from “fix the basics” to “try a stronger acting choice,” and what it looks like to push young performers beyond what they thought they could do.
Then we get delightfully specific about production: teaching tap to first-timers while staging full numbers, keeping tap volume from overpowering vocals, and designing a set that preserves open space for big choreography. We also spotlight the wider community theater team making it happen, from music staff and assistant choreo to stage management, scenic build, and costume creations that include more eggs than you’d expect. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.
https://chinochildrenstheatre.org
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Dead Man's Cell Phone - re-release
2026/05/28
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A phone rings in a cafe. A stranger answers. And suddenly a whole life gets rewritten in real time. That’s the haunting spark behind Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, and we can’t stop thinking about how accurately it predicts the way modern technology shapes our relationships, our attention, and even our grief.
We’re joined by director Melissa Bossard and cast members Lauri Deards, Mark Agars, and Saverio Guccioni to talk about building this production for the Theater on the Edge Festival at Chino Community Theatre. We unpack the play’s central paradox: smartphones and social media can reconnect old friends and create community, yet they also train us to live at a distance from our own bodies, our tables, and the people right in front of us. Along the way, we dig into character choices for Jean, Dwight, and Gordon and the bigger question the script keeps asking: who are we when everyone only sees the version we choose to show?
We also go behind the curtain on community theater craftsmanship, including black box staging, shared festival set pieces, projections, lighting, and the practical teamwork that makes experimental theater possible. One of the most exciting surprises: original music composed and arranged specifically for this production, created from the emotional world of the script. We even discuss why bringing in an intimacy and fight director matters for actor safety, trust, and better storytelling.
If you care about live theater, identity in the digital age, or the real cost of always being “reachable,” hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a theater friend, and leave us a review and a five-star rating. What’s one way your phone has changed how you connect with people?
May 15th-30th
www.ChinoCommunityTheatre.org
Box Office 909-590-1149
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POTUS: Theatre On The Edge
2026/05/11
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A farce can be silly, sharp, and still feel like a mirror, and POTUS pulls that off in a way that had us laughing while also nodding a little too hard. We sit down with director Paige and cast members Mary and Ren from Chino Community Theatre’s Theater on the Edge Festival to talk about why Selina Fillinger’s POTUS is more than a “day in the White House.” For us, it becomes a story about the work women do, the credit they do not get, and the way communities survive by taking turns holding each other up.
We get personal about the paths that bring people back to the stage: Mary’s journey from childhood acting to a theater degree to environmental law, and Wren’s return to community theater after stepping away for school and shyness. We also unpack what makes community theater so powerful for both artists and audiences, especially when it may be someone’s only chance to experience live performance close to home.
From directing nerves and ensemble trust to physical comedy, last-minute casting changes, and the behind-the-scenes miracle of props, sound, lights, and stage management, this conversation is a love letter to the village that makes theater happen. If you’re local, POTUS plays May 16, 22, 30 at 7:30 p.m. and May 17, 23, 31 at 2:30 p.m., with tickets at chinocommunitytheater.org. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a five-star review so more people can find Steps to the Stage.
Box Office: 909-590-1149
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Dead Man’s Cell Phone: Theatre On The Edge
2026/05/11
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A phone rings in a cafe. A stranger answers. And suddenly a whole life gets rewritten in real time. That’s the haunting spark behind Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, and we can’t stop thinking about how accurately it predicts the way modern technology shapes our relationships, our attention, and even our grief.
We’re joined by director Melissa Bossard and cast members Lauri Deards, Mark Agars, and Saverio Guccioni to talk about building this production for the Theater on the Edge Festival at Chino Community Theatre. We unpack the play’s central paradox: smartphones and social media can reconnect old friends and create community, yet they also train us to live at a distance from our own bodies, our tables, and the people right in front of us. Along the way, we dig into character choices for Jean, Dwight, and Gordon and the bigger question the script keeps asking: who are we when everyone only sees the version we choose to show?
We also go behind the curtain on community theater craftsmanship, including black box staging, shared festival set pieces, projections, lighting, and the practical teamwork that makes experimental theater possible. One of the most exciting surprises: original music composed and arranged specifically for this production, created from the emotional world of the script. We even discuss why bringing in an intimacy and fight director matters for actor safety, trust, and better storytelling.
If you care about live theater, identity in the digital age, or the real cost of always being “reachable,” hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a theater friend, and leave us a review and a five-star rating. What’s one way your phone has changed how you connect with people?
May 15th-30th
www.ChinoCommunityTheatre.org
Box Office 909-590-1149
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Don Lugo High School: Beetlejuice Jr. STTS Drama Department
2026/04/20
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Beetlejuice Jr is a big, weird, high-energy musical and the Don Lugo Theater Company is using it to show what student performers can really do when a school backs the arts. I’m joined by Don Lugo director Candida Celaya, alumni-turned-VAPA specialist Andrea, and student leaders Bella (Lydia) and Jesse (Beetlejuice) for a candid conversation about building a high school theater program that keeps growing in the Inland Empire.
We get into the origin story of the department and the reality behind producing theater at a public school: choosing shows, securing rights, managing rehearsals, creating playbills, and finding the people who make it all happen. Andrea shares how “Visual And Performing Arts” support and Prop 28 funding can translate into real training for students, from choreography and stage management to lighting design and music direction. If you’re curious about tech theater careers, community theater pathways, or how arts education builds confidence, this one has a lot to take home.
Bella and Jesse also open up about why these roles matter beyond applause, including how Lydia’s story can connect to real loss and how a dream role can push a student to grow fast. Don Lugo’s Beetlejuice Jr runs April 23rd, 24th, and 25th at 6:30 PM, with tickets on GoFan and updates on their Instagram. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find local theater stories like this.
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Full Monty, Full Heart
2026/04/05
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A musical about six unemployed steel workers who decide to strip for cash sounds like a punchline until you look closer. We’re staging The Full Monty at Chino Community Theater, and what keeps surprising us is how much heart sits underneath the laughs: pride after a layoff, fear about providing for family, friendships that turn into lifelines, and the messy work of rebuilding confidence when life knocks you flat.
We sit down with our director Toni and cast members Justin, Ralph, and Sam to talk about what it takes to mount a bold community theater musical in an intimate space. They share their theater paths across California, the military, and beyond, plus what it feels like to come back after years away. We also get honest about process: juggling music rehearsals and choreography, adapting when scripts arrive late, and why Toni pushes us to create our own characters instead of copying the film or a past production.
You’ll hear why the musical version can hit harder than the movie, how ensemble chemistry can make a show live or die, and the behind-the-scenes work from costumes to set design that makes the big moments land. If you love live theater, musical theater, or stories about finding dignity after a setback, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a theater friend, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show.
April 17-May 3rd
Landing page for Seventh Street Theatre
909-590-1149
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POTUS Eleve Theatre Company: STTS IE
2026/03/09
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A president we never hear. Seven women we can’t ignore. We sit down with Eleve' Theater Company to unpack the whiplash world of POTUS by Selina Fillinger, a ferocious farce where doors slam, spin cycles faster than the news, and the people holding power together aren’t the ones at the podium. Melissa, the director, shares why art should unsettle and how this script spotlights women leading from the shadows—strategizing, firefighting, and finding solidarity under pressure.
We trace Eleve’s origin story from a string of no’s for “Wit” to a mission built on yes: yes to edge, yes to new work, yes to women-centered plays the community rarely sees. With a grant-backed partnership at Chance Theater’s 48-seat black box in Anaheim, the team brings a DIY ethos to life—hand-built doors for farce timing, self-sourced costumes, and prop lists wild enough to ping a delivery algorithm. The intimacy of the space becomes an asset: the audience is part of the charge, close enough to feel the speed of decisions and the shock of consequences.
Cast members dig deep into character and context. Leyna’s Harriet, the chief of staff, carries strategy and stamina; Sej’s Jean, the press secretary, maps the White House to corporate corridors where women navigate promotion politics and pay the tax of honesty; Cydney’s Stephanie embodies the under-credited labor that keeps the day moving. Together they show how systems pit women against each other even as they build alliances to make it through an impossible 24 hours. The result is comedy that tells the truth at speed—tragedy accelerated until it’s hilarious and uncomfortably real.
If you’re hungry for smart political theater, community grit, and an ensemble that elevates each other, this conversation will pull you in. Join us for craft talk, candid stories, and a look at why representation onstage changes what audiences feel and remember. Don’t miss the run: March 13–15 at Chance Theater in Anaheim, already more than half sold. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show.
Elevé Theatre Company presents POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive | Chance Theater
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Peter Pan Jr.: Where Hook Has Layers And Peter’s Kind Of A Jerk
2026/03/02
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What if Neverland isn’t a place you fly to but a world you build together? We’re pulling back the curtain on our reimagined Peter Pan Jr., where the nursery anchors reality and the stage reshapes itself with moving blocks into forests, ships, and hideaways. That design choice isn’t just clever staging; it’s a manifesto about how play transforms what we see and how young actors can hold a complex story with honesty and joy.
We dive into the heart of the concept by turning light and shadow into living forces. Tinker Bell appears as pure light with a musical voice, while the crocodile becomes a shadow presence—time, fear, and consequence embodied—linked to both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook, played by the same actor. This lens lets us find layers in every role: Hook as more than a villain, Peter as a charming whirlwind who can also be selfish, Wendy as the spine that learns to lead. The result is a children’s theater production that treats kids as artists and the audience as smart partners in the story.
Our creative team is a mentorship story in motion. Former students now lead choreography, music, art design, costumes, lights, and sound, guiding a cast of 30 young performers with care and high standards. You’ll hear how we direct without micromanaging, why confidence is a daily choice, and how tiny details—clock numerals stitched into Hook’s coat, twig toothbrushes and bark slippers for the lost boys—help actors discover behavior and make scenes breathe. We also honor the founders whose educational vision still fuels everything we do.
If you love theater that balances clarity with risk, tradition with fresh craft, and spectacle with soul, this conversation will light you up. Join us to celebrate five years of growth, 25,000 downloads across 79 countries, and a community that keeps lifting each other higher. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave a quick review to help more people find the show—then tell us: which character’s arc surprised you most?
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Lost Girl: Wendy After Neverland
2026/02/20
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What if the story didn’t end at the window? We sit down with director Debbie and cast members Sophie (Wendy), Evangeline, Jandy, and Gavin to explore Lost Girl, a daring, female-forward play that follows Wendy Darling’s life after Neverland. Instead of chasing pixie dust, we trace the quiet shock of coming home: the disbelief of others, the ache of a promise never kept, and the courage it takes to reclaim a voice that was written off as a side note to Peter’s legend.
Debbie shares how playwright Kimberly Bellflower centers young women with nuance and grit, using a chorus labeled ABC to embody Wendy’s inner thoughts and stitch time together through subtext. The cast breaks down how this device turns emotion into movement, letting us feel the pull between memory and growth. We talk modern themes—agency, closure, and healing—and why Wendy is neither invincible nor helpless. She’s a person finding her footing after an untidy ending, which makes her deeply relatable.
Design choices amplify the story rather than distract from it. A near-bare stage revolves around a single window and an aged nursery, symbols of waiting and stasis that contrast Wendy’s slow, brave steps forward. Modular blocks and a small turntable ease shifts from the nursery to the city, while recurring sound motifs become the heartbeat of Wendy’s journey. The team also reveals a smart collaboration with the upcoming Peter Pan Jr., creating visual continuity and a shared creative language across productions.
Along the way, we celebrate the ensemble’s craft: how young actors tackled layered subtext, how casting shaped chemistry, and how Slightly’s gentle loyalty reframes what support looks like. If you care about contemporary theater, fresh adaptations, and stories where girls write their own endings, this conversation will hit home.
Tickets for Lost Girl run February 27 through March 7. Grab your seats at chinochildrenstheater.org or call 909-590-1149. If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves reimagined classics, and leave a quick review—your support helps more people find us.
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Chino Hills HS Theatre: STTS Drama Department
2026/02/10
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Courage looks different under stage lights. We sit down at Chino Hills High School’s theater to unpack how a training-first program turns nervous auditions into confident performances, and how a tight-knit ensemble carries each other through missed cues, costume malfunctions, and the rush of opening night. With director Kerry Rupe at the helm and students Anthony, Drake, Angie, and Shelby sharing the mic, we trace real journeys from backstage to center stage—and the life skills that stick long after the curtain falls.
We dive into the choices that built a powerhouse program: closing some productions to class members to strengthen commitment and shared vocabulary, then keeping the spring musical open to discover hidden talent school-wide. The team breaks down how ambitious titles like Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies, Puffs, and Legally Blonde come to life with serious sets, lighting, sound, and costumes. You’ll hear why tech isn’t background—it’s a character with its own voice—and how stage management and design develop leadership, empathy, and precision. Along the way, students explain how theater became their community, contrasting the scoreboard pressure of sports with the ensemble mindset that meets people where they are and grows them.
We also explore how the program reaches beyond the stage. From the Princess Tea fundraiser that doubles as long-form improv training to PR crews mixing hallway posters with TikTok and Instagram, this group treats outreach like part of the craft. Cross-school partnerships boost attendance and celebrate a bigger truth: there’s room for everyone when the goal is great theater. As Little Shop heads into tech week, energy runs high, ticket sales climb, and students reflect on dancing, timing, and playing iconic roles with fresh choices. It’s a portrait of arts education at its best—bold shows, steady mentorship, and a culture that turns fear into fuel.
If you care about student creativity, community theater, or the behind-the-scenes alchemy that makes a musical sing, hit play and share this one with a friend. Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and tell us: what moment first made you fall in love with the stage?
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The Ghost Train rides into CCT
2026/01/11
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A storm rattles the windows, the timetable is no comfort, and a ghostly locomotive refuses to be just a rumor. We’re bringing Arnold Ridley’s The Ghost Train to life with a bold 1930s aesthetic—think noir shadows and comic-book color—that turns a small station into a pressure cooker where fear and wit trade jabs. Sage Patel walks us through the vision: why an old thriller still lands today, how a tight room can hold thirteen distinct voices, and why the train itself must feel alive through sound, light, and clever stagecraft.
You’ll meet Jamie Putnam, who crafts Miss Bourne with tenderness and steel, and Craig A. Jackman, leaning into the mischievous curiosity of Teddy Deacon. Together we dig into how people perform bravery when they’re stranded with strangers, how costumes can telegraph independence or insecurity, and how props become actions rather than decorations. We also pull back the curtain on the ensemble’s casting surprises, a scenic design inspired by Dick Tracy’s saturated world, and the invisible heroes who make suspense sing: lighting, sound, carpentry, and front-of-house. Community theater is the engine here—mentors teaching tools and timing, techs shaping breath and silence, and a crew that treats every detail as story.
If you’re local to the Inland Empire, come ride with us: The Ghost Train runs January 16–31 at Chino Community Theater. Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30, with a gala after opening Friday, a two-for-one phone-only special on Saturday, and a Sunday talkback with the cast and crew. Grab your seats at chinocommunitytheater.org or call 909-590-1149. Enjoy the episode, share it with a theater-loving friend, and leave a rating and review to help more people find the show.
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Podcast reviews
Read Steps To The Stage podcast reviews
KathyLasagna 2026/05/11
Smiling Everytime
I just found this podcast because it’s my local theater and it is SO MUCH FUN! I love hearing the behind the scenes accolades, updates on whatever sho...
MudlingerREL 2022/03/22
Great job!
Enjoyable and interesting podcast. Appreciate the perspective of those that create and participate in local theatre productions.
storybookgirl87 2021/06/05
Interesting!
I really liked this podcast. If you are involved with a community theatre this has great insight into how productions are brought to the stage. I can’...
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