MAKING A SPLASH W

HEN THE SAN DIEGO theater community gathered for its 19th annual Craig Noel Awards ceremony last March, no one expected a brandnew company to go home with the most awards of the night. But that’s exactly what happened. CCAE Theatricals—launched in 2022 as the theater-producing arm of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (CCAE)—walked away with four awards for two of the shows in its inaugural season—including Outstanding New Production for Witnesses, a world premiere.

It was a dream debut for Jordan Beck and J. Scott Lapp. The producing team has worked together since 2011— spearheading musicals and cabaret shows in Temecula, Riverside and other locations including CCAE. Since its opening in 1994, CCAE has played host to a wide variety of performing arts events, including plays. Yet in 2020, Julianna Crespo, the center’s Director of Performing Arts, decided to take the leap into producing.

Beck and Lapp originally met through a mutual friend and formed a small theater

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