Theater shares stage with those that have no performance space.

On January 19, the Canyon Theatre Guild will launch a new program, "Five- For-Fun and  Philanthropy, " which will present five weekends of different productions. Each show ill donate 50% of the proceeds to a different non-profit organization.

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On January 18 and 19 the Canyon Theatre Guild will bring back the golden days of radio with a production of "The Man With Bogart's Face," a radio comedy/drama. A man, who has his face altered to look like Humphrey Bogart, then becomes a private eye and gets
involved in a Maltese Falcon-type caper – filled with "dames," bad guys, and lots of laughs. This production will benefit the SCV Senior Center.

Then Hands Down Productions will be the guest artists with two different offerings. On Friday, January 25 they will present a staged reading of the comedy “The Perfect Party” by A. R. Gurney, and on Saturday, January 26 they will present a second staged reading of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Dinner With Friends” by Donald  Margulies. Both of these plays are for mature audiences. This production will benefit the SCV Homeless Shelter.

On February 1 and 2, Jason Johnson and his Santa Clarita Playhouse actors will present a radio show production of Noel Coward's "Private Lives." This quintessential cocktail comedy of two parts bad manners, one part dry humor and a dash of verbal repartee, shaken and served with a cynical twist, is both entertaining and sophisticatedly sexy. Said to be Noel Coward's best play, he claims to have written it in only four hours. Proceeds from these performances will benefit the student outreach program entitled Shake Hands with Shakespeare, which has been touring elementary schools in the Santa Clarita valley, Ventura and Los Angeles.

On February 8 and 9 "Calypso," an original production written by Phil Lantis will be presented by Eclipse Theatre. Calypso is a human comedy about a couple celebrating their anniversary at a Caribbean resort. This play is not for children. This show will benefit the Special Children's Art Foundation.

On February 15 and 16, Eddie Frierson will present his acclaimed one man show, "Matty: An Evening With Christy Mathewson." Called one of the 10 best plays of the year by National Public Radio, this play is more than a one-man show about a baseball player, it is the history of a hero brought to life. Clive Barnes, critic for the New York Post said that "Matty" is "A lively visit with a fascinating man…A perfect pitch! Pure virtuosity!" The show's director, Kerrigan Mahan, says "We need real heroes, heroes of the heart that we can emulate. We need the heroes in ourselves. I believe that is what this show you've come to see is all about. In Christy Mathewson's words, "Give your friends names they can live up to. Throw your BEST pitches in the `pinch.' Be humble and gentle and kind." Matty is a much-needed force today, and I believe we are lucky to have had him. I hope you will want to come back. I do. And I continue to reap the spirit of Christy Mathewson." This is a performance not to be missed. A portion of the proceeds from this show will be donated to the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry.

All of these performances will be at 8:00 PM, and tickets are $10 each or you may buy a series of tickets for all five weekends for $25. Reservations may be made through the Canyon Theatre Guild box office at 661-799-2702. The Canyon Theatre Guild is located at 24242 Main Street in Old Town Newhall.