Business Profile: Centre Stage Inc.

Founder Keely Milliken leads students through vocal warm-ups. – Photo by Gus Herrera

By Gus Herrera

Centre Stage Inc. is a non-profit community theatre company based in Monrovia. Founded in 2000 with the belief that “everyone deserves a chance to discover the joys of music and theatre,” the company creates opportunities for local youth and adults to participate in high-quality theatre productions led by a passionate, experienced group of professionals and volunteers.

In the face of financial hardship, school’s arts programs are, unfortunately, the first things to go. Add in the fact that private classes and programs are seldom affordable, and what you are left with is a recreational landscape for local youth that is devoid of artistic outlets. Since its inception, Centre Stage has worked to fill this void by providing affordable after-school programs, seasonal productions, private classes, and a summer camp. For their main-stage musical productions there is a minimum tuition fee, but no one will ever be turned down for financial reasons, “part of our mission is to keep it very affordable and provide scholarships if they can’t afford it. For most families they don’t even need scholarships because we try to make it affordable by having fundraisers throughout the year to keep the overhead costs low,” explains Keely Milliken, Centre Stage’s founder.

A true professional, with 17 years of experience in the music and theatre industries, Milliken’s passion is fueled, in part, by her local roots, “One reason I wanted to start Centre Stage is because I grew up in Monrovia and there weren’t a lot of Broadway opportunities. Basically you only had church to sing in, there were not a lot of theatre-related opportunities. I wanted to start the company here in Monrovia so kids like me could discover outlets for music and theatre,” she describes.

A graduate of Azusa Pacific University and a former member of the internationally renowned Citrus Singers, Milliken worked as a teacher for several local schools, including Monrovia High School, before starting the non-profit. Fast-forward 16 years later and Centre Stage’s impact is not limited to Monrovia, “recently we started branching out to other areas. We started a program at Fairgrove Academy in La Puente. It’s a lower income school and they couldn’t afford a theatre program, so we came in and, for a nominal fee, put on a show. We got to choose 40 kids from the school, they came in and auditioned. They got the Broadway experience at their school, which normally does not have a program like that. We are trying to find more ways to branch out like this and reach more kids who may not get the opportunity to be in music and theatre,” describes Milliken.

A graduate of Azusa Pacific University and a former member of the internationally renowned Citrus Singers, Milliken worked as a teacher for several local schools, including Monrovia High School, before starting the non-profit. – Photo by Gus Herrera

A little closer to home, Centre Stage has used this same formula to achieve a more tangible form of success. By incorporating a similar program at Arcadia Christian they inspired the school to take matters into their own hands, “it got to the point where they got their own program going, so now they’re doing it themselves, which is great. We helped to get that started, to get the kids interested, and then a teacher said, ‘alright, I’ll take on this project.,’” says Milliken.

2016 will also mark the fifth year Centre Stage produces the Monrovia Days festival. This year’s celebration will be held May 14 at Monrovia Library Park.

Centre Stage’s next Broadway production, “The Music Man,” will run from April 21 to May 1. For more information on programs, classes, or how to get involved, visit www.CentreStageInc.com.

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