It has been almost a year since I graduated from Culver High and the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts. Java was always my favorite show of the year because it was when all the students of the AVPA got together to showcase their work one last time. Java is truly a team effort and this year the students and faculty of the AVPA, with the AVPA Foundation and Centre Theatre Group put together a great performance.
In the last four years, Java has changed transformed from a theatrical show called Java Drama, performed at the Ivy Substation, to a fundraising benefit and performance that the Kirk Douglas Theatre has hosted for the last two years.
“The opportunity for students to work in a professional space and interact with experts who operate the theatre on a regular basis is really a great experience – the kids who work in the booth are especially lucky,” said a parent.
Being at Java made me nostalgic for my time at the academy. But it was nice to see what the AVPA has become and how much it has changed in the last year. It was nice to see new faces on the stage just as well as the old, and it made me remember that the academy is a home for anyone who needs a creative place to grow. The AVPA was the highlight of my high school experience and I realize only now how lucky I was – how lucky all AVPA students are to have such an amazing program. A reception of food and drinks kicked off the night in the lobby of the Kirk Douglas Theatre, where student art was exhibited, live music played and a silent auction was held to money for the AVPA. Auctioned items included gift baskets, Disneyland tickets, gift certificates for restaurants, specially priced haircuts, handmade jewelry by art student Amy Wong (one piece of which I took home) and other tasteful gifts.
The show began with music by the jazz combo and a film before Culver City Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Gwenis Laura spoke to the audience about the AVPA’s accomplishments this year, which included The Blurred Vision Theatre Company’s first-place award at the California Educational Theatre Association for The Laramie Project, The Pink Elephant Music Company’s first-place award for the jazz combo, concert band and chamber singers at the Music in the Parks Festival, the $50,000 grant gifted to the Danger Zone Dance Project from the SURDNA Foundation, the Starving Young Artist’s MOCA exhibition called Not for Sale and the Young Filmmaker’s entry into film festivals at schools such as Santa Monica High School and their film premier at Sony that will take place Friday, June 10.
The evening continued with multiple performances from each department. Favorite pieces include the Film Composition Class’s Metropolis Project, in which four episodes of the 1927 silent film, Metropolis, were shown with musical composition by four separate music students; iDate, directed by Young Filmmaker participant Ben Mullen; He Had It Coming, performed by the Danger Zone Dance Project; and the Blurred Vision Theatre Company’s The Fun House, written and performed by the company’s senior class.
Also during the show, students from each department spoke about what their company had done in the last year. The AVPA students and faculty expressed gratitude and heartfelt regards to all the parents, grant writers, organizations and other donors who help keep the academy running.
The show ran smoothly thanks to the effort of the backstage crew, including stage managers Katie Mills-Orcutt and Tara Griffo, lighting designer Eric Mitchell and all the parents who put together the reception. My applause goes out to the whole AVPA cast, crew, teachers and family for a job well done.
