Lehigh Valley Charter High School For The Arts Will Perform Original Spring Musical EARTHLAND

The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts (Charter Arts) will present its spring musical, Earthland- Book and lyrics by J. Gulotta, through a variety of events taking place April 25- May 2, 2021.

The original show, written by Charter Arts alumnus, J. Gulotta, with music by Charter Arts faculty member and alumna, Erica Dickson, introduces extraterrestrial audiences to a long abandoned planet repurposed as an alien museum called Earthland! Travel with Floopa and Caaade (the story's trusty tour guides from Alpha Centauri) as they explore the unique earthling phenomena of "song".

Audiences will enjoy this heartwarming and funny family-friendly folk musical, filled with dance and song, as the alien guides share their fandom for Earth on their tour through the museum's various exhibits. This show will make its impact as a celebration of human expression in the age of coronavirus.

Lead roles are played by students, Jolie Lanning-Werkheiser and Tessa Seals with an outstanding supporting cast.

The filmed show is produced by Rae Labadie, the school's Director of Production Arts, and directed by Ashley Weller with choreography by Jennifer Dite-Weaver, music direction by Erica Dickson, videography and editing by Carlo Acerra, and set design by Peter Wrenn- Meleck and student, Kyra Zimmerman. The crew was rounded out with costume design by students, Cyril Neff and Julia DeMore, and make-up design by Abigail Katz-Rehrig.

When asked about the challenge of producing a musical this year, Rae Labadie shared: "Going into this year's musical preparation, our team knew exactly one thing: we were going to put on a musical. What it would be, where it would happen, how we would rehearse, and what format it would take were all up in the air as we continued to teach remotely. Flexibility was non-negotiable, and with a brilliantly creative and capable team from our outside-the-box school, it became clear that this was a perfect opportunity to create something new. Earthland was written especially for our students, to be an adaptable piece in the face of the unknown, to highlight student voices and designs, and ultimately, to celebrate human expression and connection in a time when those crucial pieces of ourselves feel distant."

Due to Covid safety protocols, the cast and crew filmed Earthland over a period of two weeks, incorporating various Southside venues for their locations, including the National Museum of Industrial History and ArtsQuest.

The show will be presented in different forms including an in-person premiere screening at ArtsQuest on April 25, 2021 at 2 PM and 7 PM, a drive-in movie experience at Becky's Drive-In located in Walnutport, PA, April 27-29, 2021, at 7:45 PM, and for those who prefer to view from home, a streamed show will be available on-demand April 30-May1, 2021.

Tickets for the ArtsQuest events can be purchased at steelstacks.org.

Tickets for the Becky's Drive-In and On-Demand events can be purchased through the school's website, www.charterarts.org.

ABOUT THE LEHIGH VALLEY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS (Charter Arts):

Charter Arts is an audition-based public charter school that provides a comprehensive curriculum for high school students, grades 9-12, who have a passion for the arts. Students major in one of seven artistic areas: dance, instrumental music, literary arts, production arts, theatre, visual arts, or vocal music.

Charter Arts' rigorous curriculum fosters both academic and artistic excellence for its students. The school's impressive Future Ready PA Index ranking, Advanced Placement (AP) exam statistics, Keystone Exam statistics, SAT scores, prestigious artistic accolades, and graduation rate, are testaments to the outstanding education that Charter Arts provides.

Charter Arts is proud to celebrate its eighteenth year as one of the most respected high schools for the arts in the nation. Charter Arts was one of only 349 schools in the nation to be named a 2018 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2020, the school earned the Title I Distinguished School designation for the fourth year in a row, placing it in the top 5 % of all Title I high schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Recently, Charter Arts was ranked as #1 Best Public High School Teachers in PA (out of 666) and #1 Best Charter High School in Pennsylvania on Niche's 2021 Best Schools in America Rankings.

Charter Arts is located at 321 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem PA 18015.

For more information, visit www.CharterArts.org.

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