Pasadena Playhouse to hold Stamp Collectors Day

Pasadena Playhouse will host “Stamp Collectors Day: A Celebration of the Stamp” in honor of their 2009 season theme: Women: The Heart and Soul of Theatre, on Saturday, April 11 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Pasadena Playhouse commemorative pictorial postmark (designed by graphic artist Eric Pargac) will be available to the public at the theatre, a designated temporary United States Postal Service philatelic station.

The Playhouse is located at 39 S. El Molino Avenue.

The commemorative postmark is FREE; however, it can only be placed on First-Class Mail ® postage.

Beginning at 12 p.m. on the courtyard, Pasadena Postmaster Ramela Younekian and team will be on-site to sell stamps and hand-stamp materials (such as plain cards, slips of paper, blank envelopes, picture postcards, posters, and other memorabilia) with the Pasadena Playhouse commemorative pictorial postmark. This is a “hand-back service” -- meaning the envelope, card, or other item does not enter the mail stream.

From 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., in the Georgia McClay Friendship Room, two esteemed guests, Don Schilling and Synthia Saint James, will talk about their philately and artistic experiences, respectively.

Schilling is a distinguished member of the American Philatelic Society, Glendale and Bunker Hill Stamp Clubs, and founder of the acclaimed website Stamp Collecting Round-Up.com.

Synthia Saint James is an international award-winning artist and designer of the first United States Postal Stamp for the Kwanzaa holiday. Saint James has written and or illustrated 13 children’s picture books, 3 poetry and prose books, 4 children’s activity books, a cookbook, and a postcard book. Her art also graces the covers of over 60 books including books by Alice Walker, Terry McMillian and Iyanla Vanzant.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to mingle with philatelists, trade stamps, visit the “Celebration of the Stamp” Exhibit, and enjoy live music provided by the Instrumental Women Project. Refreshments at the Playhouse concessions stand will be available.

“Pasadena Playhouse invites you to be a part of history,” says Jonathan Josephson, Interim Marketing Director. “It is a great thrill to partner with nationally celebrated artists such as Synthia Saint James and the United States Postal Service on this exciting event, especially in conjunction with our production of Mauritius, a new mystery play whose plot centers on the emergence of an incredibly valuable stamp collection, the Post Office Mauritius Stamps. Both the play and our “Stamp Collectors Day” will be a very special experience for philatelists and theatre patrons alike.”

The 2007 Broadway smash hit Mauritius is a tale of two half-sisters who vie for the rights to a recently inherited and dazzling valuable stamp collection. As they fight each other for possession, the women also come face-to-face with three con artists who have their own ideas involving the stamps. In real life, Mauritius issued two kinds of stamps in 1847, which are probably the most famous and valuable stamps in the world. The production closes April 26.

For more information, call the box office at 626-356-7529 or visit www.pasadenaplayhouse.org.