Newly formed Solana Beach Community Theater launches with a youth production of ‘Cinderella’

The recently renovated Ritz Theater in Escondido will host the Solana Beach Community Theater’s youth production of “Cinderella” Jan. 13-16.

Director Jolene Dodson Bogard said in a news release, “We have four different casts of Cinderella giving four local actresses the opportunity to embrace the title role.” The production is produced by Heyjojo Productions and supported by the Solana Beach Community Theater, according to the news release.

Dodson Bogard cast Kylie Connell of Carmel Valley for the Enchanted cast; Maleia Carter of Solana Beach for the Transformation cast; Kaelyn Kenneally of Carmel Valley for the Magical cast; and Savannah Whitby of Escondido for the Wish Makers cast.

“We like to create spectacles on our stages. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many stages in coastal North County to do so,” Dodson Bogard said in the news release. “We produced ‘Aladdin’ at the abandoned Staples store on El Camino Real in Encinitas last June with fog machines, projections, a moving elephant…we went all out. As I was looking for a venue this fall, it was a lot like 2020. I either needed to be in a parking lot or toss in the towel.”

But Dodson Bogard didn’t give up. She drove all over town, and from a tip from a fellow theatre owner she found The Ritz, owned and operated by the Renovation Arts Organization.

Dodson Bogard is no stranger to the local community. Daughter of former Solana Beach City Council mayor and councilperson Marion Dodson, she has been making waves with her local youth theater Heyjojo Productions for a few years. “There is a need for quality children’s theater in North County,” Dodson Bogard said in the news release. “Our goals are to help schools create afterschool programs, procure amazing venues with amazing lighting and sound, provide scholarships to unserved youth, provide tickets for everyone to see live entertainment and, of course, put on the best possible show.”

For Cinderella, Dodson Bogard and her choreographer Brenda Vitali-Jimenez visited a local Escondido Quincenara shop Bella Bloom to find the coveted dress for Cinderella. Along with costume designer Jared Davis, they tried to keep the resources local procuring many items from Bella Bloom for the production.

Each of the four different casts gets two performances for a total of eight shows. Opening night is Thursday, Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit heyjojoproductions.com.

Heyjojo Productions is supported by the newly formed Solana Beach Community Theater, a 501c3 tax exempt nonprofit and public charity, according to the news release.