Six months ago, Erik Austin was living on the streets of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Now, he is making his San Diego debut as the co-founder of Kelrik Productions, a production company he started with his sister Kelly 30 years ago in the basement of their childhood home.<\/p>\n \u201cI chose the season [Miracles] based on life. We are all just like Dorothy from \u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019 traveling down the yellow brick road searching for answers from some magic guru. When he is finally revealed he’s just an ordinary man like us,\u201d Austin said. \u201cThis horrific street experience of the homeless in LA completely blew my mind and there were so many times I was frightened for my life. As I explore new venues, meet new people, and experience new things both good and bad through the world of theater, I will never forget the lessons I have learned from being thrown to the street. I believe it is a miracle I am alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Since its inception, Kelrik Productions has produced more than 120 myths, parables and fables in San Luis Obispo. After going through the life-changing experience of homelessness, Austin is ready to bring his company to San Diego, kicking off the Miracles season with \u201cPinkalicious\u201d playing now in Downtown.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to see what San Diego does for the company,\u201d Erik said. \u201cThe Lyceum Theatre is beautiful, and the Horton Plaza area is gorgeous. I\u2019m happy to see the happy kids. They get to meet Pinkalicious after the show and they all leave so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Based off the 2006 children’s book by Elizabeth Kann & Victoria Kann, \u201cPinkalicious\u201d is the interactive story and musical performance of Pinkalicious, (Lauren Ashley), a little girl who loves everything and anything pink.<\/p>\n \u201cOther shows are about the artistry, but this one is about putting on something appealing and exciting for kids,\u201d said Ashley. \u201cThis is a show really for the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n One day, along with her mother, father and brother, Pinkalicious made pink cupcakes. Like many children, she didn\u2019t want to stop at eating just one pink cupcake. Her mother explained to her that \u201cyou get what you get, and you don\u2019t get upset,\u201d but later in the night Pinkalcious snuck into the kitchen to gobble down more pink cupcakes.<\/p>\n Suddenly the stage turned into a pink-cupcake wonderland with doodled clouds looking like coloring book cut outs, cupcake puppets with googly eyes, and dancing cupcakes (played by Olivia Gale Berger and Daniella Mae Sebastian).<\/p>\n Pinkalicious awoke from her pink dream to find that her skin and hair turned pink. Although she was delighted with her new color, her mother, (Kylie Harper), and her father (Edgar Diaz-Gutierrez), were worried about her and her brother Peter (Kyler Waitley), who was extremely jealous.<\/p>\n The family then took a whimsical family bike ride to the doctor, making a pit stop at the park. While there, a more significant theme colors to the surface \u2014 pink is for everyone.<\/p>\n This is revealed when Peter wants to play catch with his dad using a pink ball. Mr. Pinkerton warns Peter that pink is not a color that boys can use, and they should play catch with a football.<\/p>\n An entire number, \u201cThe Pink Blues,\u201d is dedicated to Peter\u2019s desire to wear pink and live his life without imposed boundaries.<\/p>\n This goes along with Kelrik\u2019s principle of \u201cedutainment\u201d by shedding light on the effects of placing gender roles on children. While Pinkalicious gets to bask in the glow of her pinkness because she is a girl, Peter is forced to remain in the traditional young boy role that fears pink and barbie dolls and doomed to the life of blue and monster trucks.<\/p>\n But, the leading message for kids watching Pinkalicious is that too much of a good thing is never good and you get what you get, and you don\u2019t get upset.<\/p>\n Throughout the play, the theme \u201cpink is love, pink is joy\u201d is seen as it is revealed that the whole Pinkerton family secretly loves the color pink.<\/p>\n \u201cThe brother isn’t allowed to love pink, but the father has always loved pink,\u201d Erik said. \u201cAt the end of the play, everyone is in pink. There’s so much going on in the world right now and so much craziness. But you can come here for 60 minutes and get to be super happy and pinkalicious.\u201d<\/p>\n The Miracles season is a collection of four plays with \u201cPinkalicious,\u201d playing April 28\u2013May 6 at the Lyceum Space Theatre.<\/p>\n \u201cOliver\u201d at La Mesa Church from October\u2013November, \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d at the Lyceum Theatre from Feb. 1\u20133, 2019, and \u201cPippin\u201d at the Lyceum Space Theatre from April 12\u201321, 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cPinkalicious\u201d with music by John Gregor, lyrics by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann, and artistic direction from Erik Austin, is playing at the Lyceum Space Theatre in Horton Plaza from April 29-May 6. 2019, kicking off the season of Miracles 2018.<\/p>\n For more information about Kelrik Productions, visit kelrikproductions.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Miracles](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pinkalicious-play_0050.jpg\")
![\"Miracles](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pinkalicious-play_0028-e1525455044440.jpg\")