About Us
There is an old adage within theatre circles: “The show must go on!” This carries with it the suggestion that whatever hurdles a production may face, part of creating art is the determination to do so even when difficulties make reaching the stage seem impossible. The same can be said for life.
After an unexpected health crisis took Destiny Fletcher Dwyer from the stages of New York City and put a temporary pause to her acting career, she turned to playwriting to process the pain of that loss. Her first play, Glimpses of a Modest Life, was conceived as a one-sided letter to God, questioning fate and the paths that characters (and, by extension, all of us) can take based on our choices and mere chance. This play originally premiered at the Producer’s Club Theatre in New York City; it has since been staged at ACAVEC.
Family on the west coast brought Destiny to California, where she became active in the theatre community, first in North Hollywood then in Lancaster.
Destiny Surrenders Productions
garnered a reputation for heartwarming community shows through month-long rentals of the theatre later to be christened ACAVEC (Arbor Court Antelope Valley Entertainment Center). In 2014, when the property became available permanently, the former company recommended Destiny Surrenders make it their new home, which it would be for the next seven years.
Theatre offers not only a means of entertainment and community connection, but a place of emotional expression for catharsis, for pain to be transformed into purpose. Creative diversity is valued, with previous productions ranging from original works to children’s musicals, to improv, to Shakespeare. In the past few years,
Destiny Surrenders Productions
has come to focus on content tailored towards giving the youth of the Antelope Valley a voice. “Some of these kids don’t have a place where they can be so open with each other,” Destiny said. “Theatre is vital.”
Theatrehearts Newsletter
Bleeding Theatre-Hearts Surrender to Fate as We Embark into New Territory.
Recollections of the last decade scintillate my mind as if beckoning, no, bewitching me to keep going. Tempting as the echoes may be, hunting for the perfect building with ceilings high enough to accommodate stage lights, with fire sprinklers in place for safety, in a decent location with just enough foot/vehicle traffic so the public knows where we are … but not too much so as to have anyone (actor/parent/staff member, etc.) think twice about coming by; the hunt has proven fruitless. It is indeed time for the final curtain; to take a bow and say, ‘so long.’ How fitting that this is all happening at a time that is properly reserved for giving thanks and expressing gratitude. We are infinitely grateful to the Antelope Valley community for welcoming us and taking us in as one of your own. As newcomers to the area 10 years ago, we were looking for a theatre home, unsure of where we were or what sort of people called this place home. Who we found were strangers with open arms, ready to embrace us and readily take part in what we had to offer to the community. Friends we hadn’t met yet, until we did. Whether it was on stage, in a coffee shop on the boulevard, in fellowship at church, or in line in a supermarket, we were made to feel at home. Speaking of theatre homes, stages, and friends…..we had a blast. What a privilege, and how blessed we were to have been given favor to work with young (and not so young) impressionable children (and adults alike) on such fun (sometimes serious), delightful, message-driven, thought-provoking, and wonderful shows! It was an exquisite honor, an experience that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
But alas! Geoffrey Chaucer insists that all good things must come to an end. As we have relocated and now reside in Beverly Hills, Ca., the practical course of action is to relocate our theatre home accordingly. This saddens us, particularly because our current community appears to be floating in an abundance of arts activities (An embarrassment of riches, quite frankly.). Nonetheless,
Destiny Surrenders Productions
will be opening its doors once more come January 5th, 2022.
Before we start on that next chapter, however, we would be amiss if we didn’t express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who took any part in actualizing the dream that is Destiny Surrenders Productions. There are so many who have already moved on but were incredibly instrumental in making the dream work, and must therefore be mentioned. The late Mr. Wayne Berry and his dear wife Margaret Harris Berry for making space. Margaret, I am so deeply sorry to read of Wayne's passing. My heart aches for you and the family. Sending prayers up for comfort and peace during this very difficult time. Nathan, Allison Marie Alverdi, Douglas Stevens, Quentin Ice-breaker Winston, Alejandra Sandoval, Crystal Schumacher, J.C- Juan Carlos, Alyssa Mak, Joana Buchholz, thank you all very much for lending your magnificent talents to the Antelope Valley chapter of what has so far been a thrilling journey. Ms. April and George of Daisy's Costumes, thank you for always helping the young actors get into characters by getting into your fabulous costumes. Thank you! Your hard work was not lost on us.
To everyone else we had the pleasure of getting to know, if you happen to have played a role (whether backstage, tech, on stage, or otherwise) in any of the following shows:
*Glimpses of a Modest Life
*Grace’s Anthony
*Patching Up Tomorrow with Yesterday’s Pieces
*Age of Grace
*Lessons Learned
*Boo Barry’s Burial Ground
*Bully-Free Zone
*Kill’em with Kindness
*Valentine’s Last Dance
*All Give Some but Some Give All
*Our Neighbor’s Child is in Forster Care
*Ms. Banister’s Class
*Princess Whatsername
*Enchanted Sleeping Beauty
*Aladdin and His Wonderful Magical Lamp
*The Emperor’s New Clothes
*Pocahontas
*The Best of Both Worlds
*Mirror Image
*The Pies Piper
*Enchanted Bookshop Musical
*Aboard the Dream Train
*A Midsummer Camp’s Dream, thank you!
ACAVEC’s semi-annual one-act play festivals were near and dear to our hearts. After working with some extraordinarily talented people, it was crystal clear that the community was hungry for an outlet. The answers came in the form of ACAVEC’s open mic nights, One-act plays Competition Festivals, and Musical Theatre Summer Camps. Through those platforms, we enjoyed Craig Tappa’s “Precinct 5150”, China Franklin’s “The Many Faces of Agnes Johnson”, and Glynis Fuller’s “A Sticky Situation”. Trinity Marino & Kate Checkwood joined their brilliant creative brains and debuted “Shadow: A Social Anxiety Story”. Not to be upstaged by his own daughter, Andy Marino granted us a glimpse at some of the thoughts that may bombard the mind of an individual living with ADHD in his “Life Imperfect”. Brent Lark wrote and produced “Sitch” and his then 9-yr old daughter Tehya Mae wrote “The Adventures of Leo & Jack”. It is easy to see that the community had plenty to express! There were so many, many more. We are going to miss it all!
Craig Tappa’s “The President’s Little Angel” debuted on the ACAVEC stage, as did “Message in a Garment” by DeNaeya Brown.
Our last Musical Theatre Summer Camp (2021) at ACAVEC was quite memorable; it unveiled works of young budding writers such as “Mystery Murder” by Tayelor Bermudez, Desiree Claiborne, & Aman Glasgow; “The Bond Beyond Blood” by Ora Glasgow &Darcel Watley’ and “The Thing I Didn’t Tell Her”, by Inca Glasgow and Taylor Victoria Gadsden. It was the best possible way to a final curtain. Thank you Jowail Mbarkeh and Jaylee Vogel for all your help with summer camp! DSP’s Musical Theatre Summer camps were something wonderous; and speaking of new horizons, the Glasgow family participated in at least one summer camp session every single year, and they will be dearly missed. Die allerbesten Wünsche an die Familie, wenn Sie ein neues Kapitel in Portugal beginnen
Because we operated ACAVEC like a community space, we had the profound pleasure of welcoming and facilitating such classics as “Little Johnny Jones”, “The Importance of Being Ernest”, “A Winter’s Tale”, “Rape of the Belt” and “Antigone”, all produced by A.V.on Shakespeare and directed by the company’s founder, Glynis Fuller.
We watched Zebra (AV’s best Improv Comedy group, led by Chris Murphy and later passed down to Brittney Pettus and Daniel Meza) grow and blossom into a dynamic and spectacular entertainment troupe.
Kelsey Kiefer and Stage 28, Tiffany Poitevint Humphreys and Just Dance, Sam Middleton and the Untamed Babes, Nancy Gutierrez, and La Love Burlesque & Cabaret, and Amped were just a few of the many different troupes we enjoyed hosting regularly at ACAVEC. Thank you for choosing our theatre home for your performances. We wish you all continued success and prosperity!
We are fortunate to have found people so special that it makes saying ‘good-bye” a very difficult thing. But then we are reminded that “if you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho And on a "good traffic day", we're only about 2 hours away and we enjoy having friends over. So plan a visit!
~Farewell friends,
Destiny Surrenders Productions
As the company embarks on a new chapter, we are excited about what is yet to come and simply can’t wait for you to join us!