MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center Theatre, under the direction of Natalie Smith, is creating a live multimedia theater performance about the experience of the Valley fire, which swept through south Lake County beginning on Sept. 12, 2015.

“It Was So Sudden, I Wasn’t Prepared” will premiere on the one-year anniversary of the Valley fire in September 2016 at the Middletown Art Center. Detail on show times and tickets will be available in the coming months.

This documentary theater production will tell the story of the Valley fire by weaving together experiences of those directly impacted and those who risked their lives.

Stories have been collected and will be used to create a through-line of the events as they unfolded on that fateful day.

“It Was So Sudden, I Wasn’t Prepared” promises to stimulate courage and a survival spirit in the face of tremendous losses.

As stewards of the arts, the Middletown Art Center Theatre is creating this production to capture both tangible and intangible losses and give the community a language which hopes to heal and bring back a sense of identity and belonging by putting the experience into dramatic context.

Auditions for the show will take place Monday, April 18, and Tuesday, April 19, at 6 p.m.

They are looking for several children ages 5 to 12 years old, women ages 13 to 80, men ages 13 to 80, and expressive movement artists/dancers (teens and up). Please visit www.middletownartcenter.org/theatre.html for details.

If you are interested in volunteering as support staff, there are many opportunities for organized, dependable people with good communication skills for jobs including set design, lighting and sound tech, prop and costume management, electrical and more. Email Natalie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the Web site to learn more.

Originally from Germany, Natalie Smith received her BFA in Experimental Theatre/Applied Theatre Sciences from the University in Giessen, Germany.

While working on her MFA in directing/acting at the University of Montana, she also choreographed several spring and fall showcases for the University of Montana inspired by Pina Bausch’s works.

After graduation, she became artistic director of the Kauai Community Players and has directed and choreographed more than 40 productions which include musicals, opera, plays and circus in Germany, Boston, Hawaii, and San Francisco before settling in Hidden Valley Lake with her family.

Find out more about MAC at www.middletownartcenter.org , email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , call 707-809-8118 or visit at 21456 Highway 175 (at junction Highway 29).