Casting call for student film roles
This is a project that may be of interest to our some of our young actors. We were contacted by Bobby Housel, a student of film and business at the University of Michigan, who is casting two roles in a short student film:
“Some fellow college screenwriting students and I have put together a project for a script we’ve written, entitled ‘Rabbit.’ We are looking to cast two boys to play characters around the 10-15 age range. Rabbit is a roughly 10 minute short film, a coming of age story about a young boy who goes on an adventure through the forest with his (imaginary) friend. There will be two days of shooting on a weekend sometime in Mid-December.
If you/your son/any young boy you know is interested in auditioning/learning more about one of the two parts we’re casting, please let me know, and I’ll set up a time for my co-producer and I to meet with you and your parent(s) over Zoom. Note that previous acting experience is preferred, but not required by any means. This is a great experience for young actors looking to be involved with a high production project and get into the film/tv acting world, as well as develop their portfolio and acting reel.
It should be noted that all relevant Covid Masking and Social Distancing guidelines will be followed in the creation of this project.
Anyone who is interested or has any questions is encouraged to reach out to me at 440-221-8710 or at bhousel@umich.edu.
Also, if interested, a sample of my most recent work can be found at https://youtu.be/wRue9C1cl8Y “
Reservations for Dining for the Arts will open Monday, July 6 at noon
You can make reservations for this year’s Dining for the Arts events, which are all carry-out from local restaurants & wineries, beginning Monday, July 6 at noon. Purchase here or call (440) 964-3396. Contact the restaurant to arrange pickup.
Dining for the Arts Menus:
DftA 2020 menu flyer
Reserve your meal below, or call (440) 964-3396.
Crosswinds Grille
Reserve Now
Theater group takes storytelling into their own hands during COVID shutdown
Looking for a good story? Check out Quarantine Radio 19, created by a crew of actors and production staff (Jordan Malin, Kimberly Weston, Stephanie Figer, Benjamin Gates, Sadie Portman, Anneli Curnock) – most of whom met at the AAC!
Production crew of Radio Quarantine 19
“I had posted on Facebook asking if anyone in senior living facilities, or just those living alone, would want to be entertained,” says Jordan Malin, the group’s organizer. “I honestly had no idea so many of my theater friends — past and present — would want to be involved. Since so many of us involved in the arts are out of work right now, we are also getting an opportunity to create, express. It gives us time to escape for a while, and we hope it does the same for those listening.”
Quarantine Radio 19’s Facebook page can be found here.
Rennick Meat Market is supporting Ballet Theatre Ashtabula dancers this season
Rennick Meat Market is helping young artists in our community this month. From November 1 through December 6, Rennick will donate 10% of their lunch sales, Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., to Ballet Theatre Ashtabula School of Dance. Based at the Ashtabula Arts Center, BTA School of Dance has been teaching young people for over fifty years, and making The Nutcracker a community tradition for thirty-eight years. BTA offers classes for recreational students, dancing for fun and fitness, as well as for pre-professional students, providing foundational ballet training to those working towards a career in dance.
Alex Asteinza, co-owner of Rennick Meat Market, has been a staunch supporter of Ballet Theatre Ashtabula, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ashtabula Arts Center. “Coming from New York and the arts culture there, I think it’s great to have this resource here. We had Lincoln Center right there, and then you come to Ashtabula and see these dancers working with professionally-trained teachers, in a studio with the same floor as Lincoln, putting on full productions – it’s a great asset for the community. I’m happy to be able to support what they’re doing.”
“BTA alumni have gone on to professional careers as performers, choreographers, teachers, and founders of dance companies and schools throughout the country,” notes Clover Robinson, director of BTA. “Just to name a few, we’ve had Katherine Horrigan, who is the co-founder of Company Danzante and the director of dance at Adagio Ballet School of Dance in Arlington, Virginia. We’ve had Tim Kolman, who’s currently dancing professionally with Ballet Tucson. Cara Seymour is a Juilliard grad dancing in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera. Rebekka Ryan, who just last Christmas was dancing in The Nutcracker at the Arts Center, is now at Marymount Manhattan College.” Robinson herself started dancing with BTA when she was three years old, coming up through the program and going on to obtain a BFA in Dance from Wright State University. She toured internationally with Hubbard Street 2, and was a faculty member with Lou Conte Dance Studio and Dayton Ballet School, before coming back to her hometown and the dance school she started in as a child. “This was my second home growing up. I wanted dance to continue to be a part of my life after I retired professionally, and I wanted to be closer to my family. Teaching at the Arts Center, and then becoming the artistic director after Shelagh Dubsky retired, let me do that. This dance program has continued to grow, and that’s been personally and professionally important to me. I firmly believe that dance is for everyone. It’s an outlet for self-expression, and we all need that in our lives. If you want dance to be your career, we can provide you the training to make that possible, as well as a network of alumni to connect with. This summer we had Lonnie Davis Jr in as a guest instructor and choreographer in modern and contemporary dance. Lonnie and I danced together professionally, and it was wonderful to be able to give our kids and other dancers in the area the opportunity to work with him. If you just love music and dancing, and you want to do it purely for fun, you’re welcome here, as well – you don’t have to have professional plans to dance with us. Whatever a student’s reasons for dancing with BTA, they will get high-quality classes and performance opportunities. We invest in our students’ growth. We want them to discover their own unique potential.”
One of those performance opportunities is The Nutcracker, which BTA presents every December for three weekends. Rennick’s Dining for Dance event will culminate on December 6, the same day this year’s production of The Nutcracker opens. “It’s wonderful to have this tradition that brings our community together every Christmas. We have multiple generations of families who come see it year it after year. It’s such a special thing to be part of. And as an educator, being able to offer students this kind of performance opportunity, whether it’s The Nutcracker or our Spring Dance Concert, is invaluable. Every dancer is learning customized choreography that is adapted to challenge their particular abilities and showcase their strengths. It’s a tremendous experience for a young performer. I’m so grateful to Rennick for helping BTA serve our students.”
Rennick Meat Market is located at 1104 Bridge Street in Ashtabula. Ballet Theatre Ashtabula’s production of The Nutcracker will run December 6-8, 13-15, and 19-22; get tickets here. BTA’s dance classes will resume in January; call (440) 964-3396 for registration information.
Art in an Hour event before “Sunday in the Park” on Mar. 30
Art in an Hour
Saturday, March 30
6:30 p.m.
Join us before the performance of Sunday in the Park with George and see some of our local artists create original pieces in just an hour! Finished artwork will be raffled off at intermission. Everyone who attends the performance will get 1 raffle ticket; additional tickets will be available for purchase.