header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 18
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel


Raising the Curtain Foundation, through their Grand Ovation program, honored Jim Sudik and Paco Vela on Thursday, June 1 by naming the dressing rooms at the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts after the duo.

The pair were longtime parent volunteers who created programs and spaces for students at the school to perform and learn about the craft of putting on a show, transforming students one script at a time.

City of Santa Clarita Arts Commissioner Patti Rasmussen, who organized the dressing room fundraiser, said it was important to her that Sudik and Vela have the honor of being the first named with a place in the venue, because of their dedication to children’s theater.

Vela died in 2013, but Sudik’s memories of working with his fellow actor and stay-at-home-dad are vivid.

“He would teach acting, dancing, tech. He could build any kind of costume from scraps of fabric and cardboard. He was Mr. Backstage, doing all sorts of odds and ends at the school. But we always had fun with the kids. It was playtime,” Sudik said. “I’m a good second banana.”

Vela’s flair wasn’t confined to the stage. He helped out the math teachers by donning a costume and cape and riding to school on his horse to play “Zero the Hero” for the young learners. He also worked as the school’s gardening coordinator, teaching kids how to grow their own healthy vegetables.

“Paco had a charm and a calmness about him. They were both so patient. They showed what everyone could learn from each other. They worked as a team, Jim was serious, gotta get things done; Paco was softer, calmer,” said Kimberle Wooten, one of the founding members of Theater Arts for Children.

Sudik knew he was destined for the stage because he was the kid that his one-room-schoolhouse teacher saw “needed a diversion.”

“I thought I was Dick Van Dyke,” he said.

Sudik started acting, learned puppetry, wrote scripts and songs and continued this dramatic curve through high school and college, where he met his lifelong co-star, Dee, who joined him on stage and on the road. After stints in community and regional theater in the Midwest and East Coast, the family moved to California, where the movie industry beckoned. Sudik tried his hand at films and TV, but waiting for calls to work challenged the young family and when Dee got her teaching credential, Jim became a stay-at-home dad.

Vela, who hailed from Texas, got his start on stage when his elementary school needed boys for a dance performance, which led to his involvement in theater groups in junior high and high school. After a short stint in the Navy, he did some Equity dinner theater and began honing his technical chops. He played a bad guy in a Clint Eastwood movie and guested on TV shows “Hill Street Blues” and “St. Elsewhere.” He was also a stay-at-home dad interested in issues related to his children’s school. Vela and Sudik met when they attended a site council meeting.

One of the issues they addressed immediately was finding performance space and establishing programs that brought more theater to the school, where the once-elegant theater was being used as a warehouse space for the district.

With a goal of inspiring creativity in all students and nurturing young performers, they created theater programs at Newhall that gave kids a home away from home and a way to express themselves. They held improvisation workshops and theater activities after school. Kids performed on makeshift stages built in the multipurpose room or out in the community in parks and plazas.

They created NEST (Newhall Elementary Story Theater) and MASK (Making Art Special for Kids), free programs for any student who was interested to learn. They worked with Newhall Ellipses Theater in concert with the Repertory Theater to offer theater to at-risk kids.

Grant funding provided the debut of their original play, “Viva Chavez-Si Se Puede” at Newhall. And their play “A Christmas Carol Para Todos,” presented simultaneously in English and Spanish by kids in the NEST program, brought cultures together. At that time, more than 80 percent of the students at Newhall Elementary School primarily spoke Spanish. Sudik and Vela broke those barriers by presenting the show in both languages.

“The holidays. What better time to challenge borders, boundaries, fear and ignorance with a classic story of change and some good music? And who better to tell it to us than our future, our hope, our children,” Sudik said.

In their programs, drama lessons always included a side of social responsibility.

They entertained the crowd at the dedication of the Jan Heidt Metrolink station and put on a show during the Country Fair, a fundraiser organized by Theater Arts for Children, a group of parents and community leaders, including Sudik and Vela, that were determined to turn the theater at Newhall Elementary back into the Art Deco theater it once was.

Serious efforts to that end began in 1994 by Theater Arts for Children and renewed with a bond measure supported overwhelmingly by the community in 2011 that funded the complete restoration of the performance space.

Vela never saw the completion of the theater. In 2016, there was a groundbreaking for the restoration of the theater and the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts was dedicated to students and the community in 2018.

Sudik remains active in the performing arts community and coaches softball at Hart High School, where his granddaughter plays on the team. Regardless of the field, he is still considered a mentor by many.

“(It’s) the joy of storytelling, of communicating and passing stories on, resolving through drama or rehearsal opinions and attitudes,” he said. “Teaching kids to be confident in themselves and generous to who you’re on stage with. Discover your talents and enjoy your talents!”

For information on the Grand Ovation Program and naming opportunities at the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts, visit www.raisingthecurtainfoundation.org.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NONPROFIT LINKS

NONPROFIT HEADLINES
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024
Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, Inc. is proud to announce their continued partnership with the William S. Hart Union High School District.
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024
Auditions for "The Play that Goes Wrong" and "Neil Simon's Come Blown Your Horn" will be held at the Canyon Theatre Guild in Old Town Newhall.
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024
Children’s Bureau is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
Tuesday, Mar 12, 2024
The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley has announced its highly anticipated annual auction, Tiki Hideaway, set to take place on Saturday, June 1. This year's theme, "Tiki Hideaway," promises to transport attendees to a tropical paradise filled with enchantment and excitement.
Friday, Mar 8, 2024
The Placerita Canyon Natural Area State Park will host a Community Drum Circle on Sunday March 17. Become one with the rhythms of nature during this free, family friendly event.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com