By Roz Rogoff
About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and...
(More)About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and saved my barbs for my Commentary page. I had some political differences with the City Council at that time and particularly with the majority dubbed "The Gang of Three," by the San Ramon Valley Times. In 2003 new Council members were elected and the Council was more balanced and fiscally conservative, but I continued to write the Observer until 2009. At that point I decided I wanted to concentrate on my commentaries. So I requested a meeting with the editor and publisher of the Danville Weekly about taking over the San Ramon Observer. My timing was very apropos since the parent company, Embarcadero Media, was planning to release an online San Ramon Express that April. I was offered a "blog" under the name "San Ramon Observer" for my commentaries. I like to inform residents about what is happening in San Ramon, especially on city government and local politics. When I don't have anything to write about on those topics, I just write about anything I am doing or thinking about.
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Last month I received an email from Margarita Ryan about the upcoming production of Aida the Musical at St. Joan of Arc Church in San Ramon.
She wrote, "Here are the times and dates of the musical Aida that I am choreographing for the Teens at St Joan of Arc that I mentioned at our last Arts Advisory Committee meeting."
Fri March 18 8PM
Sat March 19 8PM
Sun March 20 3PM
Fri March 25 8PM
Sat March 26 8PM
Sun March 27 3PM
One of Margie's photos of a dance rehearsal is posted with this blog entry.
When she said they were doing Aida, my first thought was "the Puccini opera?" No it is a musical version of the same story by Elton John and Tim Rice. The cast is made up of over 40 area youth representing virtually every high school in the San Ramon Valley area. Another 25 teens will be in the orchestra and helping out behind the scenes.
I emailed Margie for more information and she asked Youth Players founder Craig Heiting to answer me. This is his 8th annual musical extravaganza for the Church.
"We have an amazingly talented cast and orchestra, a brand new state-of-the-art sound system, and we will be performing our production in a theatre-in-the-round," Heiting wrote. "Our audiences will be elevated, surrounding the stage," he continued, "creating a more close-up and intimate theatre experience."
The production will be performed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from March, 18 to March, 27 at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 2601 San Ramon Valley Blvd. in San Ramon.
General admission tickets are only $15 and are on sale now! Tickets may be purchased online at
or at St. Joan of Arc Church. For more information, call 925-830-4720.
