WHBPAC to Present First-Ever Arts Education Program Musical Theatre Production

Young actors who love singing and acting are in for a treat this season as the WHBPAC's Arts Education Program introduces its brand new Musical Theatre Classes & Performance Program!

The Arts Education Program offers the most innovative performing arts training for all ages and skill levels in a nurturing, positive and safe learning environment and is continually developing new ways to engage students while fostering an appreciation for the performing arts. This year, teens, preteens, and even younger students will work with the very best teaching artists, directors and choreographers from October - January then apply the skills they learn in class to WHBPAC's first ever full-scale musical theatre production on its world-class stage!

Registration is open to students ages 5 - 17. And the title of the show is "top secret" so visit the website www.whbpac.org to find out all the details.

The Program's youngest performers, Cowboys and Cowgirls, ages 5 - 7, will meet on Mondays (October 21 - January 20) from 4 - 5pm in a class taught by professional singer, actress, and teaching artist Valerie DiLorenzo. The class will focus on stimulating the imagination, beginning acting, movement and singing and will culminate with students sharing the stage with their older peers in the Program's musical production. Fee $450

The Young Ensemble, ages 8 - 10, will meet with teaching artist Valerie DiLorenzo on Mondays (October 21 - January 20) from 5 - 6:30pm. Actors will hone their skills in singing, acting, and movement as they rehearse speciAl Small group numbers to be prominently featured alongside the Senior Ensemble in the Program's musical production! Fee $500

The Senior Ensemble, ages 11 -17, will meet on Mondays (leads and small groups) and Thursdays (full ensemble) from 7 - 9pm. As students rehearse their lead and featured roles in the Program's musical production, they will hone their performing arts skills working with professional directors and choreographers. All registered Senior Ensemble members must attend the placement audition on Sunday, October 27. Registered students will be contacted by Julienne Penza to schedule a private audition on Sunday, October 27. Students are asked to prepare 16 bars of a song and a two-minute monologue and bring sheet music for the accompanist. Fee $720.

Beginning Monday, October 28, the cast will rehearse for thirteen weeks, including Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January, 20 from 11am - 4pm. Then, from January 27 - 30, the cast will meet daily from 5pm - 9pm for an intensive rehearsal process using costumes and sets, culminating in two public performances at 7pm on both Friday, January 31 and Saturday February 1.

The Senior Ensemble will work with Joe Minutillo as the Director, Peter Pece as Musical Director, and Kathryn Lerner as Choreographer. Joe Minutillo helmed Eastport/South Manor's landmark theatre arts program. He's also currently producing and starring in an off-Broadway evening of two plays: Love Slap/Michael in Room 2.

Peter Pece has been the musical director of Gateway Playhouses Children's Theatre where he has directed over 30 musical productions. He is also the director and arranger for "Courting the Jester: A Salute to Danny Kaye" and "That's Amore" A Musical Salute to the Composer Harry Warren.

And Kathryn Lerner is an accomplished dance teacher with performance credits in several films including Step Up 2: The Streets.

For more information on this program:

Call: Julienne Penza: 631-288-2350, ext 114
Email: JulienneP@whbpac.org
Visit: www.whbpac.org.

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