Two Cincinnati Middle School Students Win Grants to Attend the CCM Experience Camp

Two Cincinnati students who participated in the Educational Theatre Association’s JumpStart Theatre program will have the opportunity to attend the CCM Experience performing arts camp at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Thanks to a generous gift to CCM from the Cincinnati Symphony Club, JumpStart Theatre students Keyshawn Townsend from Aiken New Tech High School and Tychod “Jay” Smith from Oyler School will each receive a grant that will cover camp tuition for the students to attend July 9-20.

Tychod “Jay” Smith at JumpStart Theatre.

JumpStart Theatre is a three-year scalable program designed to bring musical theatre into schools that currently do not have a performing arts program, created by the Cincinnati-based national association, Educational Theatre Association, in collaboration with New York City-based companies iTheatrics and Music Theatre International (MTI). Townsend and Smith participated in the program during the 2017-18 school year, which culminated in a showcase performance at Memorial Hall in May.

CCM has contributed to JumpStart Theatre by sharing resources of costumes and props for student productions. The two organizations are also connected through CCM Preparatory and Community Engagement (CCM Prep) instructors Becca Kloha Strand and Dee Anne Bryll, who are both program coordinators at JumpStart Theatre. Strand is the director of the musical theatre track at the CCM Experience, where Bryll is a guest artist. CCM Prep Coordinator of Special Projects and Programs Amy Dennison is the director of the summer arts camp.

Keyshawn Townsend at JumpStart Theatre.

Strand said, “Keyshawn performed the role of Horton the Elephant in Seussical, Jr. last year at Aiken New Tech, as a part of the JumpStart Theatre program. As a leader both on stage and off, he truly embodied the role of Horton. The CCM Experience camp will be a wonderful opportunity for Keyshawn to exercise and grow his talents as a younger performer.”

Tiffaney Hamm, enrichment program manager at Oyler said, “Tychod is a special young man with a lot of talent. We chose him for this camp because his dream is to perform on stage, as he wants to have a life of acting and performing. This was Jay’s first year at Oyler and he came alive, forming great connections with his cast mates and peers. He continues to work hard in school even when obstacles get in the way. He is a really great kid, and I am proud to have him as a student.”

Offered through CCM Prep, the CCM Experience is an exciting new two-week summer program that combines dance, theatre and music for students ages 8-15. Students study at one of the finest performing arts schools in the country and take classes in multiple areas of concentration including instrumental music, acting, musical theatre, voice or dance. Each day students will have the opportunity to try something new, take a tour, make their own props, costumes and instruments, and learn more about how to be a professional artist. The program culminates with a fantastic showcase where students are put front and center on one of CCM’s stages.

“We look forward to our first CCM Experience Camp and are excited to welcome the two Cincinnati Symphony Club scholarship recipients from JumpStart Theatre,” said John Martin, Assistant Dean of CCM Preparatory and Community Engagement. “CCM Prep, the Cincinnati Symphony Club and the Educational Theatre Association share the same goal — to support excellence in the performing arts and provide engaging and accessible arts education to the community at large.”

Learn more about the Educational Theatre Association online at schooltheatre.org/about/mission.

About Jumpstart Theatre
The JumpStart Theatre pilot started in Cincinnati in the 2015-16 school year, and three schools moved to self-sustainability this year after completing three years in the program: Holmes Middle School, Finneytown Middle School, and James N. Gamble Montessori High School. In November 2017, the first expansion to St. Louis and San Diego was announced, and in June, 2018 an expansion to Atlanta for the 2019-20 school year was announced. In total 39 middle schools will have sustainable musical theatre programs where there previously were none.

About CCM Preparatory and Community Engagement
CCM Prep offers a wide variety of programs in music, dance and theatre arts for all ages and levels — pre-professional students preparing for a future in the performing arts and arts enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. Programs are offered throughout the year for youth, teens and adults at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and through numerous satellite locations and community partnerships. We aim to provide excellent and accessible arts opportunities within a highly creative environment that educates and inspires the whole student, serving as a catalyst for transforming and empowering our communities. Learn more at ccm.uc.edu/prep or contact CCM Prep directly by emailing ccmprep@uc.edu or calling 513-556-2595.

CCM Prep Presents ‘Singin’ in the Rain Jr.’ Musical

Students in CCM Preparatory and Community Engagement’s Junior Musical Theatre Intensive showcase their talents in a 70-minute junior version of the classic 1952 movie musical Singin’ in the Rain.

Step into the fictional world of Monumental Pictures for CCM Prep’s junior version of Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynold’s beloved musical Singin’ in the Rain. Directed by Dee Anne Bryll with musical direction from Rebecca Childs, Singin’ in the Rain Jr. runs Thursday, May 4, through Saturday, May 6 at CCM’s Cohen Family Studio Theater.

“This version was faithfully and lovingly adapted by Broadway legends Betty Comden and Adolph Green from their original, award-winning screenplay,” Bryll said. “The snappy dialogue, great songs and hilarious situations will guarantee a great night at the theater for the entire family.”

Singin’ in the Rain Jr. is only 70 minutes but still includes all of the audiences’ favorite tunes like “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Fit as a Fiddle,” “You Were Meant for Me,” “Broadway Melody” and “Moses Supposes.”

Students from CCM Prep’s Junior Musical Theatre Intensive (Jr. MTI) previously presented an excerpt of Singin’ in the Rain Jr. at the iTheatrics Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, where they earned an Excellence in Dance award. CCM’s Jr. MTI program has presented at this competition for four years and has achieved recognitions of excellence each year. The competition has also led to individual opportunities for students.

“Our students have won individual awards at the festival and have been chosen as Festival All Stars. We have had several students chosen to go New York during the summer and perform in the iTheatrics’ DVD series,” Bryll said.

CCM Prep’s Jr. MTI program provides real-world training to young musical theatre actors ages 9-15. The students receive instruction in audition preparation, vocal music, choreography and performance technique while working toward a full-scale musical production. Students also have the opportunity to work with guest artists throughout the year.

Come see the next generation of CCM’s “stars of tomorrow” as they take the stage for Singin’ in the Rain Jr. on May 4-6 in the Cohen Family Studio Theater.

For more information on CCM Preparatory and Community Engagement, visit ccm.uc.edu/prep.

Production Staff
Dee Anne Bryll, Director and Choreographer
Rebecca Childs, Musical Director
Becca Kloha Strand, Choreographers
Levi Kiess, Set Design
Elanor Eberhardt, Light Design
Mikaela Acton, Stage Manager

Performance Times
7 p.m. Thursday, May 4
7 p.m. Friday, May 5
3 & 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6

Location
Cohen Family Studio Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to Singin’ in the Rain, Jr. are $15 general, 10 non-UC students, and FREE for UC students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online now through our e-Box Office! Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

____________________

Story by CCM graduate student Alexandra Doyle

CCM Prep Presents Disney’s ‘Mary Poppins, Jr.’

CCM Prep’s talented young performers will present ‘Mary Poppins, Jr.’ May 5-7.

Based on the story we all know and love, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Jr. was designed with young performers in mind. The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory and Community Engagement department is one of a select group of schools invited to perform this new adaptation May 5 – 7 in the Cohen Family Studio Theater.

Typically an hour long, junior musicals are fun for the whole family and are amazing educational platforms for the students who perform them. Like other junior musicals, Mary Poppins, Jr. is “beautifully developed with great additional cross-curriculum materials for teachers and directors,” Director Dee Anne Bryll said.

The students who will perform in this perfect fusion of education and entertainment are participants of CCM Preparatory’s Junior Musical Theatre Intensive program.

“The Junior Musical Theatre Intensive program provides a challenging and disciplined educational experience for students ages 9-14 who have a special interest in musical theatre,” Bryll said.

Five of the program’s students, Morgan Robbins, Malika Dinian, Esther Medlin, Colby James and Trinity Gibson, were invited to be part of iTheatrics New Works video series. Based in New York, iTheatrics is dedicated to connecting young people to quality theater programs. It sponsored a workshop of Mary Poppins, Jr. in the summer where critic Peter Filichia wrote the production “was practically perfect in every way.”

Joining the Preparatory production team is Guest Choreographer David Baum, who appeared in the ensemble of Broadway’s production of Mary Poppins. Baum choreographed “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” for CCM’s production of Mary Poppins, Jr. The Junior Musical Theatre Intensive Guest Artist Fund, through the generosity of Freddie and Myrna Gershon, made Baum’s participation possible.

We are thrilled to present this all-new version of the classic family favorite, Mary Poppins, Jr. in the Cohen Family Studio Theater May 5-7.

Production Staff
Dee Anne Bryll – Director/Choreographer
Rebecca Childs – Musical Director
Theron Wineinger – Scenic Designer
Justin Dudzik – Lighting Designer
David Baum – Guest Choreographer

Performance Times

• 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5
• 7 p.m. Friday, May 6
• 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 7

Location
Cohen Family Studio Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets
Tickets to Mary Poppins, Jr. are $15 general, 10 non-UC students, and FREE for UC students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online now through our e-Box Office! Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.