The 2007 Lineup "A Few Good Men" by Aaron Sorkin January 19 through February 17 "The Last Five Years" book, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown March 9 through April 7 "Driving Miss Daisy" by Alfred Uhry May 18 through June 16 "Shakespeare in the Park - Midsummer Nights Dream" June 2007 365 Days/365 Plays July 9 through July 15 "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" based on the books by Robert Fulghum; conceived and adapted by Ernest Zulia September 21 through October 20 "The Unexpected Guest" by Agatha Christie November 9 through December 8 The 81 Series "Spinning Into Butter" *** by Rebecca Gilman April 20 through April 22 "Betty's Summer Vacation" *** by Christopher Durang July 6 through July 9 "The Eight Reindeer Monologues" *** by Jeff Good December 14 through December 16 *** pending rights

It's Friday evening and you're thumbing through the local movie theater listings.

Nothing new there - a pair of predictable sequels, another inane romantic comedy and a handful of big-on-the-budget, small-on-the-story "blockbusters" you'd rather wait to catch on DVD.

Disappointed, you set the paper aside and resign yourself to another Friday-night pilgrimage to Blockbuster or worse, another night sacrificed on the altar of cable or satellite TV.

But it doesn't have to end like this.

For Santa Clarita Valley residents looking for entertainment, there is another option - an intriguing, even elegant alternative to the Friday (or Saturday) night routine.

How about a couple of hours of a live performance put on by a professional group with professional-grade theater actors?

How about a night at the theater?

The Repertory East Playhouse (REP) on San Fernando Road in Old Town Newhall has released its 2007 schedule and from the looks of it, SCV residents will have a lot to choose from in the months ahead.

The great movie complexes don't yet hold the entertainment monopoly.

"Movies are great," says REP Artistic Director Ovington Michael Owston. "They're fun for seeing high-tech effects and computer-generated characters. But there's nothing like the romance of getting dressed up and going to the theater at night, especially professional theater."

The REP has been offering professional theater to the Santa Clarita Valley since 2005, with an emphasis on professional. It's what is known as an equity waiver house, which means it can employ professional actors at a price that makes it a viable option for the theater and the community.

"This is the quality of theater you'd have to drive to L.A. to see," Owston says.

According to Owston, one of the theater's greatest assets - in addition to the professional actors - is its intimate atmosphere. Seating is limited to about 80 people, so everyone has a great view.

Moreover, everyone feels like a part of the performance.

"There's a sense of elegance when you come to the theater and we want to maintain that." Owston says. "We serve wine on opening nights - it's a great atmosphere. "It's like a home away from home, like your living room but without cell phones and all the other distractions."

The 2007 REP season offers a broad selection of choices from titles borrowed by Hollywood such as "A Few Good Men" and "Driving Miss Daisy," to classics like the June "Shakespeare in the Park" series and Agatha Christie's "The Unexpected Guest."

The REP will also be unveiling its 81 Series, which will feature brief engagements of productions that tackle some of today's social and political topics.

"We're excited to see how the 81 Series works out," Owston says. "It will address the issues that are going on in our society today."

The REP will also participate in the "365 plays in 365 Days" project, which involves only the best theater groups in specific cities across the nation.

The project, inspired by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks' commitment to write a play a day for a year, will see each of those plays performed across the country in rapid succession.

The REP will perform seven Parks plays a day for seven busy days in July.

Owston admits it's a monumental undertaking, but it's the kind of project he hopes will bring more people into the theater - or at least let them know they have the option.

"It's a slow process," Owston says of building a tradition of theater in the SCV. "But the return on that process has been fantastic. We have a pretty good crowd of regulars."

Is it enough of a crowd to shorten the Friday-night line at Edwards Theater? Maybe not.

But the REP, with the strength of two good seasons behind it, is building a tradition. Season three is simply the next elegant step.