Auditions for Matilda and The Secret Garden on October 16-17

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Performance dates: January 14-16, 21-23, 28-30
Directed by Kimberly Godfrey Warren
and
The Secret Garden
Performance dates: February 11-13, 18-20, 25-27
Directed by Stephen Rhodes

Auditions for both shows will be held October 16-17, Saturday from 11a.m.-1 p.m. and Sunday from 5-7 p.m.

Please come prepared with a short song in the style of one of the two shows, and a list of calendar conflicts. Both directors will be present at both days of auditions. Both shows feature significant roles for adults and children.

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 “

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.”

Rebekka Ryan as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ballet Theatre Ashtabula’s 2018 production of The Nutcracker

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.

Sensory-Friendly “Junie B. Jones Jr” on Thursday, March 22

Our sensory-friendly performance of Junie B. Jones Jr will be this Thursday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. Sensory-friendly performances are adapted for our audience members on the autism spectrum, or with other sensory-processing issues, and their families. Call (440) 964-3396 to get tickets, and let our box office know about any seating requests or other accommodations you require. Children’s Show Advance Sale Tickets: $13 Adult, $11 Senior/Student/Military, $9 Child 2-12. For tickets at the door, add $2. Tickets are nonrefundable.

Try a dance class for free!

Try a dance class for free! From 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, our Director of Dance Shelagh Dubsky will offer a sample beginning-level ballet class. If your son or daughter is interested in dance, but would like to try a class before committing to an eight-week session, this sample class is for them. Call (440) 964-3396 to sign up. Students should wear clothes that are comfortable to move in and thick socks. (Ballet slippers are not required for this class.)

See Ballet Theatre Ashtabula’s full schedule of winter classes here.