Make Plans to See this Musical About Love

Firestone Theatre to Present Akron-Area Premiere of The Color Purple

Powerful Tuner Sure to be a Hit with Students and Community

            (Tuesday, September 25, 2012 – Akron, OH)  -- Firestone High School is set to be one of the very first high schools to present The Color Purple – The Musical.  This popular show was recently made available for amateur and school performances and Firestone Theatre is among the first Ohio schools to present it starting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10, 2012. Additional performances of The Color Purple – The Musical will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, Friday, October 12, and Saturday, October 13, 2012. A single matinee will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

            General admission tickets for all performances cost $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door. Reserved, VIP seats are available for The Color Purple – The musical at a cost of $14.00. Advanced tickets for The Color Purple – The Musical can be purchased by mail. A ticket order form is available for download at www.FirestoneTheatre.com. Advanced tickets can also be purchased online at www.BrownPaperTickets.com and in the school commons from app. 11:00 a.m. to app. 1:00 p.m. on school days starting no later than Monday, October 8, 2012. All seats for the Wednesday evening performance cost $8.00 and are available in advance and at the door. Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330.873.3408 for ticket information.

The Color Purple – The Musical is an inspiring family saga that tells the unforgettable story of a woman who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world.

This musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (and popular 1985 Steven Spielberg film) spotlights Celie, a downtrodden young woman whose personal awakening over the course of 40 years forms the arc of this epic story.

With a joyous score featuring jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music, and blues, The Color Purple is a story of hope, a testament to the healing power of love and a celebration of life. With a  book by Marsha norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, The Color Purple – The Musical premiered at the Alliance Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and opened on Broadway on November 2005. It was nominated for eleven 2006 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, best Book, and best Original Score.

The Firestone Theatre production of The Color Purple – The Musical is under the direction of theatre director Mark A. Zimmerman. Guest artist Cassandra Capocci is the show’s choreographer. Guest Artist Ron Hazelett serves as the music director. Guest artist Randie O. Sass is the production’s costume designer. Guest artist Elynmarie Kazle serves as production manager. Guest artist Christopher Pepe is the sound designer. Guest artist Dennis Dugan serves as the lighting designer. 

The cast of The Color Purple – The Musical is lead by seniors Deandre Hairston (Ol’ Mister), Gregory Hill (Buster), Jacob Jones (Mister), Jalen Mitchell (Harpo), and Sabryna Washington (Church Soloist).

The remaining cast of The Color Purple – The Musical includes juniors Arrik Brown (African Chief/ Minister), Dana Green (Shug), Louis Harmon, Jordan James, Bichelle Jeffries, Lakisha Kirkland, Wynter Mason (Celie), Francine Parr (Jarene), Kari Rodgers (Sophia), D’Angelo Sanders (Grady), and Alex Wescott (Doris).  The cast also includes sophomores Brielle Burley (Squeek), Haley Dickerson (Darlene), Jordan Euell (Pa), Alexis Gattis, Carlton Kibber, Dara Perry (Nettie), Nalani Rodgers, and Greggory Williams. 

Student technical staff for The Color Purple – The Musical includes junior Tayler Trheatt and as stage manager. She is assisted by juniors Samantha Lewis and Rikayla Wright. Senior Ben Wilson serves as the student scene shop foreman. Senior Imokhai Okolo is the student sound designer. Senior Lilith Freed serves as the student  electrician. Junior Alex Friess is the student costumer. Junior Zoe Domonkos serves as student make-up and hair designer.

Job Posting for SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK at FHS

Guest Director (School House Rock Live, Jr.)

Harvey S. Firestone High School in Akron, Ohio, is now accepting applications to fill the position of GUEST DIRECTOR for the upcoming production of School House Rock Live, Jr. The guest director reports to and works closely with the theatre director on the direction of a 45-minute theatre production of a touring production specifically designed for students in grades K through 5. The guest director will be responsible for setting and fulfilling an appropriate rehearsal schedule and to work directly with a student choreographer.

This production of School House Rock Live, Jr. has one scheduled performance to be held at the Akron Civic Theatre on Sunday, November 18, 2012. Auditions are tentatively scheduled to be held Monday, September 24, 2012. Rehearsals are tentatively scheduled to begin Monday, October 15, 2012.

Firestone Theatre is a highly respected, pre-professional theatre education program housed at Firestone High School, a large public urban school with a highly-diverse community of learners.

This is a part-time position with somewhat flexible hours generally scheduled for weekdays between the hours of 3:30 and 7:00 p.m.

Tasks, Activities, and Responsibilities

The Guest Director will:

·              assume responsibility for all creative aspects of a production with a cast of not more than 9 students

·              collaborate with theatre director in the creation an appropriate rehearsal schedule

·              maintain established rehearsal schedule to the greatest extent possible

·              establish good attendance practice by starting and ending each rehearsal according to the published schedule

                ·              conduct rehearsals without the direct supervision of the theatre director

·              make consistently positive contributions to the creative process

·              serve as a mentor / role model to high school students, sharing knowledge, skills, and guidance

                ·              maintain and reinforce an environment of safety for all students and staff

·              assume reasonable responsibility for the general upkeep of rehearsal space

                ·              work collaboratively with theatre staff, student leaders, and parent volunteers on the creative process as appropriate

·              maintain an “open door” policy for all rehearsals so that other members of the production team and/or school administrators may observe without prior notice

Skills and Qualifications

The candidate must:

                ·              be an experienced educational theatre professional

                ·              have demonstrated creative experiences working collaboratively with young performers

·              be subject to an official background check before working with minors

·              possess at least a high school diploma or GED

The outstanding candidate will:

                ·              possess excellent organization and communication skills

                ·              be reliable with a strong work ethic and professional behavior

                ·              practice patience, creativity, and flexibility

                ·              easily work collaboratively as part of a team

                ·              work well with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Potential Rehearsal Schedule

A successful candidate will:

                ·              plan an appropriate rehearsal schedule with approval of the theatre director

                ·              work a mutually agreeable but as yet undetermined number of rehearsal hours

                ·              be available mostly during the after-school period weekdays from 3:30 – 7:00 p.m.

                ·              be available for production and other meetings as appropriate

Details of Compensation

The Guest Director will:

                ·              be paid a mutually agreeable stipend as a community resource, seasonal employee

·              not technically be an employee of Harvey S. Firestone High School or the Akron Board of Education.

                ·              not be eligible for any fringe benefits

To Apply:

Send cover letter and resume to Theatre Director, Harvey S. Firestone HS, 333 Rampart Avenue, Akron, OH 44313.

Deadline:  Wednesday, August 29, 2012. E-mail applications will also be accepted to FirestoneTheatre@gmail.com

Program Description

Harvey S. Firestone High School is the home of the high school component of the district’s nationally recognized Visual and Performing Arts Program. Students select from five successful programs: choral music, dance, instrumental music, fine art, and theatre. Each program is intensive and designed for the serious student who is intent on pursuing an arts career.

Firestone Theatre is the play production component of this program and features a full season of plays and musicals. We provide students with pre-professional opportunities to appear on stage and to contribute to the creative process via a backstage or support role. Firestone students are not just actors but also designers and technicians; our students design sound, lights, scenery, props, ad many other aspects of production.  Students run the equipment, pull props, play an instrument for the musical pit, focus lights, sell tickets, serve as ushers, and record sound effects as well as build, paint, and move scenery. A few especially talented students have earned the privilege of directing a production in the annual festival of one-act plays.

Firestone students are active in state and area activities of the Educational Theatre Association. Hundreds of students have attended conferences and other events as part of the Thespian Troupe 5570. A number of students have received the Bob Fose Memorial Scholarship which represents the highest individual award given to a Thespian in the State of Ohio. Dozens of Firestone students have successfully competed in the Individual Theatre Events Competition at the State Thespian Conference. Students have earned first place in categories such as Monologue Performance, Solo Pantomime, Duet Pantomime, Duet Musical Theatre, Solo Musical Theatre, Stage Management, and Prop Design.

Six Firestone Theatre productions have been selected by the Ohio Educational Theatre Association since 1997 as featured, full-length productions at the State Thespian Conference. Those plays include Macbeth (2008), for colored girls who have considered suicide /  when the rainbow is enuf (2006), The Servant of Two Masters (2004), Dear Gabby: the Confessions of an Over-Achiever (2010 and 2000), The Seagull (1999), and Much Ado About Nothing (1997). These selections represent the highest honor available to high school theatre productions in the State of Ohio.

One Firestone Theatre production, The Seagull, was invited as a featured production to the International Thespian Festival in 1999.

The Frisch Marionettes take our Stage March 27 and 28, 2012

Firestone Theatre presents the Frisch Marionettes of Cincinnati, Ohio, in a symphonic double bill at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Advanced tickets for all performances are available for $4.00 and tickets are available at the door for $5.00. All performances will be held in the Linda B. Kersker Auditorium at Firestone High School.
In this thrilling musical program, sight and sound are wonderfully combined to form a symphonic treat for the whole family. Peter and the Wolf performed to Sergei Prokoviev’s beautiful musical story, leads off, followed by The Frog Prince set the lively music of Dimitri Kabalevsky.

This is an unusual puppet show in which “large as life” marionettes share the stage with puppeteers! Magnificent handcrafted puppets will captivate young and old alike as they recreate two classic tales.

An order form is available at www.FirestoneTheatre.com. Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330-873-3408 for additional information.

Firestone High School is located at 333 Rampart Avenue, Akron.

How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the BLONDE

Selecting a season of plays and musicals is one of the most difficult aspects of any theatre director’s job. Settling on a musical for each spring is especially arduous for me. The decision to present Legally Blonde starting February 29 is not one we entered into easily.

There is a wide range of criteria to consider in selecting the musical . . .  probably more than we can reasonably discuss here. We choose our musical based on its potential for educational opportunities, artistic and technical challenges, and an ability to attract an audience. We ultimately must like a show enough to spend three or four months working on it.

Legally Blonde is a musical that has been on our radar for a few years. We like it because it is new and  hip. We also like Legally Blonde because it is based on a recent, popular movie and features a fun score and outstanding opportunities for dance. It is a well-known and popular show with our students because the national tour had recently left the road and the New York production had been taped live for rebroadcast on MTV. Legally Blonde includes many opportunities to feature our very talented students both on and off stage.

We initially requested the rights to Legally Blonde for spring of 2011 – before Hairspray had become available to us. Those rights were denied because the show had not yet been released for amateur performance. However, Legally Blonde was now officially on our screen and we resolved to present the show at the earliest possible moment.

Over the past summer, we learned that the amateur rights to Legally Blonde would be available starting in the fall. Our heart was set on Legally Blonde – The Musical for spring of 2012 and all we had to do was get the stars to align in time.

We waited to announce a new season for an official opportunity to secure the rights to Legally Blonde. Several calls to the licensing agency, Musical Theatre International (MTI), were promising but yet no official release. I was told that the delay was because the authors were making changes to the script based on adjustments that had been made as part of the tour and successful European productions. There was no telling how long this would take and we would just have to be patient. We were told that the amateur rights to Legally Blonde would be available starting in January.

We decided that we could not wait that long to announce the musical for the 2011-2012 theatre season. We need to sell a subscription series and that is very difficult to do without having a well known musical to help tent-pole the season. We met several times and had many discussions about the kind of show we wanted to do with the students we had this year and finally decided that How to Succeed in Business was a good fit for us. How to Succeed is available to amateurs and is easily cast with our students. It is a funny show with legit dance opportunities and a very successful Broadway revival still on the boards. It would work for us just fine  . . .  even though we still longed for Legally Blonde.

The school year started and we got busy. We printed brochures and posters featuring How to Succeed as our musical. Press releases went out. The website was configured. Word-of-mouth was doing its thing as some people were already looking forward to our musical. Rehearsals were underway for the first play of the new season and we were making plans for the rest. We sold a few subscriptions and people seemed to be interested in our season.

Then the stars aligned.

We got the word from MTI that the amateur rights to Legally Blonde were now available. The changes to the script had been made, the books were printed, and it was ours for the taking. We talked about it briefly and decided to make the change. It was better to present a show we loved than the one we liked. New press releases went out. Announcements were made in school. Facebook statuses were posted. Our website was updated. Audition notices were posted. Posters were printed. We even scored a feature article in the local paper featuring our entire season – including the change of musical.

I have no doubt that our production of Legally Blonde will be a big success. I already know that the onstage performances are excellent. The technical elements are coming along. We have already sold a fair amount of tickets and people are talking excitedly about the show. We will attract an audience – maybe more than the record-setting crowd we attracted to Hairspray.

It is inconvenient to change the musical once one has been announced. A few people might be confused because there is still a season brochure out there. But in this case, it is worth it because I know the audience will love our Legally Blonde just as much as we do.

Students get their Tech on for LEGALLY BLONDE

Preparations are underway for our upcoming production of Legally Blonde -- The Musical. Rehearsals have been underway since early January and technical students are hard at work preparing the physical elements of the production.

Student technical staff for Legally Blonde – The Musical includes junior Will Banno Rothman and sophomore Samantha Lewis as stage co-managers. They are assisted by sophomores Tayler Threatt and Rikayla Wright, and freshman Nalani Rodgers. Senior Dred Geib serves as props designer. Junior Imokhai Okolo is the sound designer. Sophomore Lani Skelley serves as make-up designer. Senior Kristen Giaquinto serves as the student costume chair.

Dozens of other students have provided support on set construction, props, light, sound, costume, and props crews. Nearly 15 percent of the Firestone student population will assist the musical in some way.

Legally Blonde -- The Musical was recently made available for amateur and school performances and Firestone Theatre is among the first Ohio schools to present it starting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. Additional performances of Legally Blonde will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, 2012. A single matinee will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2012.

General admission tickets for all performances cost $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door. Reserved, VIP seats are available for Legally Blonde at a cost of $13.00. Advanced tickets for Legally Blonde can be purchased by mail. A ticket order form is available for download at www.FirestoneTheatre.com. Advanced tickets can also be purchased in the school commons from app. 11:00 a.m. to app. 1:00 p.m. on school days starting no later than Tuesday, February 21, 2012. 

All seats for the Wednesday evening performance cost $8.00 and are available in advance and at the door. Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330.873.3408 for ticket information.

A Good Cast Makes for a Great Show -- Legally Blonde

Firestone Theatre is among the first Ohio schools to present Legally Blonde starting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. Additional performances of Legally Blonde will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, 2012. A single matinee will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2012.

General admission tickets for all performances cost $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door. Reserved, VIP seats are available for Legally Blonde at a cost of $13.00. Advanced tickets for Legally Blonde can be purchased by mail. A ticket order form is available for download at www.FirestoneTheatre.com. 

Advanced tickets can also be purchased in the school commons from app. 11:00 a.m. to app. 1:00 p.m. on school days starting no later than Tuesday, February 21, 2012. All seats for the Wednesday evening performance cost $8.00 and are available in advance and at the door. Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330.873.3408 for ticket information.

The cast of Legally Blonde – The Musical is lead by seniors Jon Bozeka (Callahan), Hannah Curlee (Vivienne Kensington), Alexis Dolin (Serena), Conor Downey (Aaron), Matt Harp (Warner Huntington III), Gabey Hicks (Pilar), Suzanne Magazenni (Elle Woods), Eric McDonnell (Emmett Forrest), Hannah Pryseski (Kate), and Maddie Williams (Enid).

The supporting cast of Legally Blonde – The Musical includes seniors Kristen Giaquinto, Jacquie Hailstock, Lauren Herr, Geonah Miller, and Evan Yetter; juniors Abby Ball, Mackenzie Bolyard-Pizana, Emily Carlier (Brook Wyndham), Deandre Hairston (Nikos), Gregory Hill, Jada Langston, Madeline Piscetta (Paulette), Zoe Sapienza, Renee Shaffer, Kylie Thanasiu, and Max Winer (Kyle the UPS Guy); sophomores Carly Ameling (Margot), Brandon Kline, Shelby Namsick, Francine Parr, Alan Pickett, D’Angelo Sanders (Padamadan), Lani Skelley, Leah Struhsaker, and Matt Williams; and freshman Morgan Csejtey (Chutney Wyndham), Haley Dickerson, Olivia Doria, Karson Fitzgerald, Alexis Gattis, Brian Hirsch, Christopher Humbert, and Evan Pol.

Become our fan on Facebook.

Omigod, you guys!

Omigod, you guys, Legally Blonde – The Musical is set to take the Firestone stage for five sure-to-please performances! 

This popular show was recently made available for amateur and school performances and Firestone Theatre is among the first Ohio schools to present it starting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. Additional performances of Legally Blonde will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, 2012. A single matinee will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2012.

General admission tickets for all performances cost $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door. Reserved, VIP seats are available for Hairspray at a cost of $13.00. All seats for the Wednesday evening performance cost $8.00 and are available in advance and at the door.

Advanced tickets for Legally Blonde can be purchased by mail. A ticket order form is available for download at www.FirestoneTheatre.com. Advanced tickets can also be purchased in the school commons from app. 11:00 a.m. to app. 1:00 p.m. on school days starting no later than Tuesday, February 21, 2012. 

        

Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330.873.3408 for ticket information.