Mountain Play Association

Programs: Breaking a long held tradition, for the first time mountain play (mpa) successfully produced two different shows in the same season. In the spring of 2017 mpa staged a spectacular production of the family musical, disney's beauty & the beast staged on an intricate castle set with three revolving scenes and a dramatic central staircase. Thirteen thousand playgoers were delighted by dancing dishes and moved by belle's unlikely love story. A twenty piece orchestra brought the lush musical compositions to life with a cast of thirty six actors, two of whom were union (aea) professionals. On saturday june 10th, the fiftieth anniversary of the first outdoor rock concert in 1967, mpa produced an extraordinary day of live music headlined by the iconic band jefferson starship which was capped off by a concert production of the iconic musical hair! Two thousand patrons attended the one day festival which attracted a different kind of audience and introduced the mpa and the amphitheatre to new patrons. All seven performances were held in the historic cushing memorial amphitheatre, an outdoor, greek-style stone theatre built by the wpa and nestled at the top of mount tamalpais, overlooking the san francisco bay. At each performance, free transportation from three sites in mill valley was provided for patrons in twenty five school buses. One performance of beauty & the beast was signed for the hearing impaired and five local agencies participated in mpa's community engagement program, receiving free tickets, round trip transportation, t-shirts, lunch, and a guided hike in the state park. In partnership with the boys & girls club of marin, mpa provided two teaching artists for after school students at davidson middle school and at mlk, jr. Academy, leading a 10-week theatre program using drama skills to provide young people a safe space to explore, create and express themselves. Mountain play association works to integrate its annual programming with the whole community, deepening the bonds between the audience and the art through partnerships, education, collaboration, and fun!