CMSD Students Present AIDA as 14th Annual All-City Musical

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will present itsfourteenth annual All-City Musical, AIDA to crown the District's 2012-13 series of All-City Arts Programming. The production features the talents of over fifty CMSD students from across the District and will take place on the stage of the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare,May 31 - June 2, 2013. Tony Sias, Director of Arts Education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, co-directs the production with Kimberly Brown. Aida, which features music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, is based on the book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang. It was originally directed on Broadway by Robert Falls and originally produced by Disney Theatrical Productions. The CMSD All-City Musical production is produced through special arrangement with Music Theater International (www.mtishows.com).

The fourteenth annual All-City Musical is presented with generous support from The Abington Foundation, The Bruening Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and The Human Fund.

The All-City Musical is an enriching experience for the students involved in the production, according to the CMSD's Director of Arts Education, Tony Sias, who has served as the director of the All-City Musical for eleven consecutive years. "The All-City Musical is an extraordinary program that provides students with a structured arts-based experience that refines individual talents, stimulates critical thinking, focuses creativity, strengthens social skills and affords students an informed perspective on the world," said Sias in a recent interview about the upcoming production. "These young people are amazing."

The All-City Arts Program's Managing Director, Kimberly Brown, furthered Sias's statements and emphasized the show's relevance for its participants. "The students in the cast of Aida identify with the themes of love, sacrifice and redemption. They have such a wonderful opportunity to learn about the rich history of the Nile Valley region of Africa."

Aida is a timeless tale of destiny, duty, and devotion set among Egypt's ancient pyramids. When the forbidden love between a soldier and an enslaved Nubian princess is discovered, the young couple is forced to part forever or face death. Together, they transcend their impossible choice and set a shining example of commitment that unites their warring nations and heralds a new age of peaceful prosperity. With its contemporary, pop-rock score and stirring ballads, Aida proves that love can conquer all.

The production team for the fourteenth annual All-City Musical is a distinguished group of professional artists from across northeast Ohio. Dr. David Manning Thomaswill serve as Musical Director for the production. Kevin Marr II and Jessica Oliver will co-create Aida's choreography. Fritz Lombardi and Terry Martin will serve as co-scenic designers while Inda Blatch-Geib will design costumes for the production. Colleen Dowling will design lights.

Opening Night for the fourteenth annual All-City Musical Aida is scheduled for Friday, May 31st at 7:30 p.m. The production will continue with a Saturday evening showing on June 1st at 7:30 p.m. and a closing matinee performance on Sunday, June 2nd at 3:00 p.m.

All tickets for the fourteenth annual All-City Musical, Aida are $15 and are available by phone at (216) 241-6000, online at www.playhousesquare.org or by visiting thePlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. All seating is general admission.

The primary goal of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District is to become a premier school district in the United States of America. The Cleveland Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, orientation, age, religion or disability.

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