Musical Theater Program to Present Curtains
Willimantic—EASTCONN’s Capitol Theater Arts Academy (CTAA) is now accepting student registrations for three different summer programs, which include a five-week Summer Musical Theater Program for youngsters who will enter grades 4-12 next fall, as well as summer dance classes for children, ages 3 and up. Also returning this summer is CTAA’s Summer Musical Theater Program Musicians’ Track. The Musicians’ Track program invites student musicians to join the pit orchestra for Curtains, the comedic musical that will be performed by CTAA Summer Musical Theater Program students.
CTAA, a community arts program of EASTCONN, is housed in EASTCONN’s historic Capitol Theater at 896 Main St., in busy downtown Willimantic.
The Summer Musical Theater Program runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, from July 8 through Aug. 10, 2013. Early and post-program childcare is available. Each day of the students’ five-week-long CTAA Summer Musical Theater Program will be filled with acting, singing, dancing, technical theater and creative learning extensions that will be based on the musical, Curtains. Students will present Curtains to the public on August 9 and 10, 2013.
Curtains’ show-within-a-show plot is set in Boston in 1959, just as the curtain is set to rise on a new musical. But things quickly go awry and it’s “curtains” for some of the main players. Things look bleak until a sprightly young detective arrives to investigate — and he just happens to love musical theater.
CTAA’s Musicians’ Track offers students an opportunity to play in the pit orchestra for Curtains and participate in afternoon activities with Summer Musical Theater Program students. The Musicians’ Track seeks student musicians with four-plus years of experience. They will learn the music for the full- length production, and play during all three public performances alongside professional musicians. The Musicians’ Track program is seeking students who play bass, percussion, clarinet, flute, piccolo, alto saxophone, trombone, trumpet, horn, keyboard, guitar (electric, acoustic, banjo) and oboe. Student musicians may participate in either a half-day or full-day schedule. Students who register for the Musicians’ Track will be asked to meet with the summer Orchestra Director in June.
CTAA’s summer dance classes are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 25 through August 23, 2013. The summer dance classes, whose times vary, are not part of the Summer Musical Theater Program. In the relaxed atmosphere of CTAA’s summer dance program, children can either explore a variety of different dance styles or register for a favorite class. CTAA’s five-week or eight-week dance sessions include classes in Exploring Dance; Tap & Jazz Combo; Jazz/Modern; Hip-Hop; Intermediate Ballet; and Pointe & Choreography for ages 4 and up.
CTAA serves northeastern Connecticut residents, ages 3 and up. Classes are taught year-round by some of Connecticut’s finest arts professionals, who help students explore the arts through dance, theater, cartooning, creative writing and individual music lessons. Classes are offered in both fall, spring and summer sessions.
CTAA is an arts education outreach program of EASTCONN, a public, non-profit Regional Educational Service Center that has been serving the education needs of northeastern Connecticut schools and communities since 1980. Visit www.eastconn.org.
To register or learn more about CTAA and its summer programming, contact CTAA Coordinator Rachel Roccoberton Griffin at 860-465-5636, ext. 1023, or at rgriffin@eastconn.org.