At 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, East LA Classic Theatre (ELCT) will perform “Shakespeare with Mariachis…Much Ado About Nothing” at North High School. Students will participate as technicians. Tickets are $10, and proceeds will benefit the North High School Drama Department.

In addition, students at North High School will have the opportunity to see the production that afternoon. Workshops led by Tony Plana, ELCT artistic director (see bio below), will be offered to students that morning. A post-show discussion about Shakespeare and the acting profession will be held until the end of the school day.

Pre- and post-play workshops are offered to: introduce students to the arts and crafts of theatre and the performing arts; prepare students for the performance event; provide disadvantaged youth with role models and stimulate consideration of post-high school training and education; introduce students to jobs and careers in the entertainment industry; and demonstrate the measurable economic and social benefits higher education can make available.

East LA Classic Theatre has been recognized for its dynamic approach to Shakespeare and other classics through presentations specifically created for minority youth with little or no theatergoing experience. This approach includes: multi-cultural, multi-ethnic casts; international musical styles; an emphasis on contemporary themes and issues; adaptations and texts re-shaped for cultural relevance; participative, environmental staging; and production elements created to maximize audience involvement.

East LA Classic Theatre takes Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” to universities, inviting high school students to tour the campus, meet recruiters and visit with the theatre company. College-educated actors of differing cultural backgrounds perform for and interact with students, focusing on the importance of literacy and higher education in the realization of personal and career goals.

Tony Plana was educated at Loyola-Marymount University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree through the Honors Program in Literature and Theater Arts, graduating magna cum laude. He received his professional training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. Plana recently starred as the widowed, Mexican-American patriarch Roberto Santiago in Showtime’s landmark, groundbreaking hit series “Resurrection Boulevard” for which he received 2001 and 2002 ALMA award nominations for best actor. It is the first English speaking weekly series in the history of television to be produced, written, directed by and starring Latinos. “Resurrection Boulevard” is the first of its kind to be renewed for three seasons on a television network.

North High School is located at 2960 N. Speer Blvd. For more information, contact Jose Mercado at North High School, 303-964-2700.