FOR THE KIDS : ‘Thunder in the Valley’ Takes Santa Paula Troupe by Storm : High school theater group to perform contemporary musical comedy written by father of six.

By day, George Morgan runs an insurance agency. But by night, the Santa Paula father of six hunches over his computer tapping out screenplays, plays and music.

His goal: Hollywood. But for now he’ll settle for the softer lights of Santa Paula. This month, Santa Paula High School’s theater team will be performing Morgan’s musical comedy “Thunder in the Valley.”

Morgan is also directing the production, with assistance from the school’s drama coach, Basil Augustine. Three of his kids who attend the high school are involved in the show.

The play is a contemporary story about a one-room school in the fictional town of Rio Verde. As the show opens, the students learn the school is going to be shut down to make way for a flashy new subdivision.

“It’s kind of a metaphor for the history of Southern California,” Morgan said.

One of the students, 13-year-old Emily (played by Jamie Laird), organizes a campaign to stop the development and expose the shady goals of the developer, Jake McCormick (Jason Lopez). Kristy Newman plays Emily’s mother, Rebecca, a reserved lawyer whose bra-burning days as a ‘60s hippie inspire Emily to action.

How Emily carries out her mission is very funny. The plot swirls with flung bras, computer intrigue and courtroom drama. The slick developer and his entourage pretend to be just country folk, but they fail miserably, revealed by their constant sneezing from the country air. Morgan captures their foibles in the song, “Concrete Cowboy.”

Morgan wrote all the Broadway-style songs, but they run the gamut: tango, country-western, rhythm and blues and romantic (“Why is Cupid So Stupid”). He orchestrated the music and recorded it on his 16-track synthesizer.

“It’s like having a 16-piece orchestra,” he said.

It hasn’t all been as smooth as it sounds, he confessed. Although the students started rehearsals three months ago, the auditorium was closed for 1 1/2 months for asbestos repair. He has made revisions in the play along the way, adding to the chaos. Despite his day job, Morgan, 41, has somehow managed to fit in three rehearsals a week with the 35-member cast and crew.

“There’s been some serious sleep deprivation,” said Morgan, who directs the students with a calm, quiet presence.

Morgan has written three screenplays and a few plays, some performed by local theater groups. But he’s never sold anything to the Hollywood giants.

“I’ve been read by the best in the business,” he said. “But selling screenplays nowadays is like winning the California lottery. Cracking that fortress door is tough--I’m at it every day.”

With “Thunder in the Valley,” he has come full circle. When he was 16 and living in Canoga Park, he wrote a musical play that was performed by his high school. He dabbled in garage bands and theater, went to college and then put in 15 years in the insurance business while continuing to write and compose music.

A unique theater competition among area churches brought Morgan to the attention of drama coach Augustine. Augustine was invited to judge a competition--in which teams have a 24 hours to create a 15-minute musical play--and Morgan’s team won easily.

“His music was so beautiful, so incredible,” Augustine said.

Although Augustine wanted Santa Paula High to do a Broadway musical, he decided to take a serious look at Morgan’s play. “I brought it to the students,” Augustine said, “and they were excited.”

The play has a special meaning for Morgan, who moved to Santa Paula 10 years ago. He fears that the development that overran the San Fernando Valley while he was growing up will overtake Ventura County.

When he was 5, his father would take him to an open field to fly kites. Then one day his father told him they couldn’t go anymore because houses were being built there.

“That was the last time we flew kites together,” Morgan said.

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The Oaks shopping center can’t get enough sculpture--even with the breathtaking sand sculpture that graces the mall’s main court--so it is holding a sculpting contest for kids May 20. Clay will be provided.

The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with judging at 3 p.m. Winners will be announced at 4:30 p.m. in the JC Penney court. Registration is required by Monday . Entry forms are available at the customer service booth and McDonald’s at the mall as well as Young at Art in Westlake Village and Mittels Art and Frame Center in Thousand Oaks.

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Frank Cappelli, host of Nickelodeon’s Cappelli & Co., will be onstage at the Civic Arts Plaza Forum Theatre today for one-hour shows at 5 and 7 p.m.

Cappelli, whose TV variety show is a hit with little kids, sings in concert, often wandering through the audience with his guitar.

Advance tickets are $6.50, $1 more at the door. For ticket information, call 493-4348.

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Gull Wings Children’s Museum in Oxnard has a new addition: a collection of clowns donated by travel writer Bob Carter of Oxnard. Carter collected the clowns during his travels in the United States and several countries.

The assortment includes one of his favorites, a Greek clown-face mold used to hold ice cream, and a clown that pops out of a box.

The museum is at 418 W. 4th St. For information, call 483-3005.

Details

* WHAT: “Thunder in the Valley.”

* WHEN: 7:30 p.m. May 19-20 and May 26-27.

* WHERE: Santa Paula High School Auditorium, 404 N. 6th St., Santa Paula.

* HOW MUCH: $5 for adults, $2 for students, and $1 for children under 8; tickets available at Mr. Nichols book store, 901 E. Main St., Santa Paula.

* CALL: 933-1931.