The Bravo Players Guild, a local theater company, is now occupying the 3,000-square-foot former Stein Mart building at the Los Osos Core Area Project in Mission Viejo.
The performance company has been in collaboration with the city since May, said Tiffney Beckloff, executive director of Bravo Players Guild. And in September, the City Council unanimously voted in favor of allowing the Guild to have a home in the Los Osos Core Area for 15 months.
“Our new rehearsal space for our Players is amazing and will allow us the flexibility to rehearse and elevate our productions and performances in a way that we had previously only dreamed of,” said Beckloff.
During the Sept. 26 meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Trish Kelley said: “I think that this is a fantastic idea. I really love this idea. I think it would be wonderful to see this venue utilized for the performing arts.”
This occupancy is temporary, according to the agreement, and once the lease is up, the building will be given back to the city. Details on what the property will become then were not specified.
But after those 15 months are up, said Beckloff, the company is hoping to stay in the area, ideally in Mission Viejo, in order to stay central to a lot of the families who are in the company.
“I think this is fabulous,” said Councilmember Wendy Buckman. “Being married to someone who performed in high school, it means a lot.”
“This is a great enhancement to the area,” she said. “Anything that supports our youth and where they are in good, healthy groups where they belong is a great interest that I will support.”
The company is already using the building as it rehearses for its Nov. 15-18 performance of “The Lion King Jr.” With its productions, Beckloff said, the Bravo Players Guild is committed to bringing a unique level of “show” to the performing community.
“What these kids go through in terms of the audition process, the rehearsals and how the shows are run is exactly what professionals in Broadway shows go through,” said Beckloff. “It is to give them the whole taste of the world. And they just thrive and love it.”
With the new space, Beckloff said she hopes to start offering more acting, dance and vocal classes for the community in addition to more summer-intensive acting camps.
“We want to bring more of the arts to the kids in the community,” said Beckloff. “If we are able to offer more shows, after-school programs, that is a good niche area to grow our talent in the city.”
Since 2017, Mission Viejo has been working at Oso Creek to expand the area to include a one-of-a-kind shopping, entertainment and event plaza called the Los Osos Core Area. Located at the Village Center off of Marguerite Parkway and La Paz Road, the 22,736 square-foot plan has been taking over the older shopping center and connects to the greater project on Oso Creek.
Recently, Mission Viejo conducted an in-field walking tour for the Los Osos Core Area project, giving residents a chance to see the budding project and provide feedback.
The tour allowed community members to view the entire site, including the areas where Mission Viejo will eventually expand later in the project.
The next phase of the project includes connecting the North Paseo area, which includes the shopping center, to the north bridge that expands over Oso Creek. This will be the central point for the portion of the Oso Creek Trail that runs on the eastern side of Oso Creek back to the shopping center.