The OC Register’s Bill Alkofer discusses the Tustin Area Fine Arts Council’s production of West Side Story in Peppertree Park.
Monday was the final dress rehearsal for the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts’ production this week of “West Side Story.” 
Invited to watch as the professional actors fine-tuned their performance for the 19th annual Broadway in the Park event were families from local shelters and homeless outreach programs. The council hosts the five-night performance each year as an affordable way for local residents to enjoy theater, organizers say.
“West Side Story” became an instant hit when it debuted on that other Broadway – New York’s – in 1957. The play is an updated version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” exploring cross-cultural love in an ethnically divided neighborhood.
Joanny Sanchez lounged Monday night with her family on a blanket in front of the stage that was built for the performance in Peppertree Park enjoying the rehearsal.
“My grandmother Faustina was an actress of some fame in Mexico. She appeared in 28 films in the ’60s and ’70s, but she wanted to live in America,” Sanchez said. “She gave up her acting career and moved to Tustin to become a cook at the Marine base so she could earn her green card. She had to leave my mother behind to be raised by relatives.”
The production continues through Saturday, Aug. 10. Tickets start at $20. For more information, go to tacfa.org/broadway-in-the-park/west-side-story.
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