Arden Theatre Company to Present CABARET OF DUETS, 12/14

Arden Theatre Company announces Cabaret of Duets, a performance for Arden Drama School teens and local professional actors, on Monday, December 14 at 8pm. The performance takes place at the Arden's Hamilton Family Art Center at 62 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

A-list Philadelphia musical theatre performers including Jeffrey Coon, Kristine Fraelich, Scott Greer and more are paired with teen Arden Drama School students to perform songs. Arden Drama School teens are involved in all stages of planning, writing, and producing the event. In all, 15 teens will sing with professional partners and another 10 will be involved in the production in other ways.

Amanda Morton, Director of the Arden Drama School, says, "This is our second year offering students this valuable opportunity. Students are so excited to perform with the actors they regularly see on our stages. It is a valuable learning experience, and we've found that this culminating performance allows students to use all the skills they've worked on throughout the semester."

Eli Russell, who participated as M.C. at last year's Cabaret of Duets, said of the experience, "The final product was the culmination of many people's hard work and made the event all the more beautiful and inspiring. At the Arden, a lot of emphasis is placed on the process. Everyone was engaged in the process at different stages, bringing their own skills to the table with the common goal of producing a great event."

A full list of professional performers includes:

· Sarah Gliko - playing Rose and others in The Secret Garden, among others

· Ciji Prosser - playing Heidi van Gleck in Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, opening November 24

· Alex Keiper - playing Martha in The Secret Garden, among many others

· Carl Clemons-Hopkins - Ross in Macbeth

· Jeffrey Coon - playing Archibald in The Secret Garden, among many others

· Kristine Fraelich - Diana in Next to Normal, Dot in Sunday in the Park with George

· Liz Filios - Fosca in Passion, among others

· Mary Tuomanen - Cinderella in Cinderella

· Mike O'Brien - Young Soldier/Watson in Parade, Major Rizzoli/Ludovic in Passion

· Rachel Camp - Dame Brinker/Katrinka Vos in Hans Brinker, Ms. Jewel in Wayside Stories, Ensemble in Parade

· Scott Greer - playing various roles in The Secret Garden, among his multitudes of other roles

The Arden recently announced their inaugural Arden Cabaret Series Season, which will also kick off in December, with four cabaret performances by Jeffrey Coon.

Cabaret of Duets tickets are $10 for general admission seating and $20 for reserved seating at cabaret tables. For tickets, call the Arden Box Office at 215.922.1122, visit www.ardentheatre.org or walk-up at the box office at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

Founded in 1988, Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers-on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. Five productions are staged each season as part of the Mainstage series and two productions through Arden Children's Theatre, the city's first resident professional children's theatre program. New work is produced through the Independence Foundation New Play Showcase. The Arden's Education Department includes: Arden for All (AFA), a theatre access and education program for underserved young people; Arden Drama School, the after-school, Saturday, and summer camp classes for students in grades pre K-12; Teen Arden, an immersive after-school access program for Philadelphia-area based teenagers; and the Arden Professional Apprentice Program, a nationally renowned comprehensive theatre management training program. The Hamilton Family Arts Center is the new facility dedicated to education programs and new play development.

The Arden has received numerous honors including 62 awards and 307 nominations from the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The Arden is a winner of four "Theatre Company of the Year" designations (Philadelphia Inquirer), six Philadelphia Magazine "Best of Philly" awards and three "Best of Philly Kids" awards, the City Paper's Reader's Choice Award and the prestigious "Great Friend to Kids Award" from the Please Touch Museum for Arden Children's Theatre work. For accessibility efforts, the Arden was named a "Keystone of Accessibility" by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Arden Theatre Company is a professional, nonprofit 501(c)(3) theatre company and a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the League of Resident Theatres, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Old City Arts Association. The Arden also participates in The Barrymore Awards, a program of Theatre Philadelphia.

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