On Stage this weekend at BHS: Pulitzer Prize winning comedy "Harvey" by Mary Chase

Burlington High School will perform Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, “Harvey,” this Friday, December 14, at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, December 15, at 2:00 pm. Performances take place in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center of the high school.

Best known for its 1950s film adaptation starring James Stewart, Harvey is the story of a perfect gentleman, Elwood P. Dowd, and his best friend, Harvey, a six-foot tall, invisible rabbit. When Elwood begins introducing Harvey around town, his embarrassed sister, Veta Louise, and her daughter, Myrtle Mae, decide to have him committed. However, comic misunderstandings ensue, hilarity abounds and, in the end, acceptance reigns supreme! 

Director Kade Hill has assembled a cast of exceptional talent. Leading the cast are David Kolifrath as Elwood P. Dowd, Alison Martin as Myrtle Mae Simmons, Erin Kerr as Veta Louise Simmons, Grace Visco as Miss Johnson, Julianna Grossman as Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet, Emily Campagna as Ruth Kelly, R.N., Rachad Mesnaoui as Duane Wilson, Nathaniel Trofimow as Lyman Sanderson, Luis Villalta as William Chumley, M.D., Caitlin Shea as Betty Chumley, Levi Theirrien as Judge Omar Gaffney and Joshua DeRome Taylor as EJ Lofgren.

Harvey is produced by John Middleton-Cox, set designed by Peter Waldron and stage managed by BHS student Samantha Cobuzzi-Luecke.

Tickets for the BHS production of Harvey can be purchased at BurlingtonTheatre.com, 781-A-FUN-TIC and at the door: $10 for students and senior citizens, $15 for adults. Fogelberg Performing Arts Center, a handicapped accessible venue, is located at 123 Cambridge Street on the campus of Burlington High School.

Hold onto your hats, Burlington! A six foot tall invisible rabbit is about to hit the stage!

Poster by Ishan Suhail

Directed by Kade Hill, Produced by John Middleton-Cox

Set Design by Peter Waldron, Stage Manager Samantha Cobuzzi-Luecke

Comedies have long been a favorite of Burlington audiences so it is with great excitement that Burlington High School announces it will present Harvey, the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy by Mary Chase. Performances will take place on Friday, December 14 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 pm.

Best known for its 1950s film adaptation starring James Stewart, Harvey is the story of a perfect gentleman, Elwood P. Dowd, and his best friend, Harvey, a six-foot tall, invisible rabbit. When Elwood begins introducing Harvey around town, his embarassed sister, Veta Louise, and her daughter, Myrtle Mae, decide to have him committed. However, comic misunderstandings ensue, hilarity abounds and, in the end, acceptance reigns supreme! 

Leading the cast as Elwood P. Dowd is David Kolifrath. He is joined by Alison Martin as Myrtle Mae Simmons and Erin Kerr as Veta Louise Simmons. Also appearing are Grace Visco as Miss Johnson, Juliana Grossman as Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet, Emily Campagna as Ruth Kelly RN, Rachad Mesnaoui as Duane Wilson, Nathanial Trofimow as Lyman Sanderson, Luis Villalta as William R Chumley, Caitlin Shea as Betty Chumley, Levi Theirrien as Judge Omar Gaffney and Joshua DeRome Taylor as EJ Lofgren.

Performances of Harvey will take place in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center, an accessible venue, located on the campus of Burlington High School, 123 Cambridge Street, Burlington MA. Tickets are $10 for students and senior citizens, $15 for adults, and are available at BurlingtonTheatre.com, 781-A-FUN-TIC and at the door.

Ode to the "Legally Blonde, Jr" Village

As we say goodbye to another successful season of the Burlington Educational Summer Theatre (BEST) and this year’s production of Legally Blonde Jr, we would like to acknowledge every individual who was critical to the success of the program. It was through their patience, expertise and dedication that the young participants had a fulfilling and fun learning experience.

It just so happens that to execute a program of this magnitude and excellence, it takes a village! Our village numbered over 40 people who worked behind the scenes to shine the light on our 70 young actors! 

BEST Performing Arts Director John Middleton-Cox assembled a staff of experienced professionals for the production of Legally Blonde Jr, which included artistic director Warren Scott Friedman, music director Steve Black, choreographer Thom Hardy, program manager Kim Cook, assistant director Jamie Cook, set designer Peter Waldron and costume designer Maureen Krebs.

Performing arts students from Burlington High School played an integral part on the staff as counselors and technical staff. Included in these positions were dance captain Kellsee Lynch, assistants to the director Ivy Saltsman and Christina Charmant, stage manager William Waisnor III, assistant stage manager Samantha Cobuzzi-Luecke and production assistant/prop master Stefanie Sganga.

Legally Blonde Jr tech crew was critical to its success!

Also part of the staff were lighting technicians Sanjana Manghnani and Ethan Sehr, sound technicians Alex Johnson and Owen Johnson, and spotlight operators Scott Czerwinski and Sean Donovan. Joining them behind the scenes as running crew members were Gina Anastasiades, Adam Cobuzzi-Luecke, Maddy Doherty, David Kolifrath, Cole Lasco and Audrey Waisnor.

Senior counselors during the three-week theatre experience included Ivy Saltsman, Luis Villalta, Christina Raposo, Christina Charmant, Scott Czerwinski, Christian Weisse, Grace Visco and Caroline O’Callaghan; they were joined by junior counselors were Sean Donovan, Cam Noonan and Katelyn Conley.

Public relations and media contributors were photographer Chet Maguire (who also took on the role of publicity imaging and carpenter), videographer Alan McRae and publicity manager Vanessa Ovian; office manager was Anna Choi and house manager was Connor Pustizzi.

Orchestra members included conductor and keyboard I player Steve Black, Keyboard II player Lianne Goodwin, woodwinds player Jenny Connors, percussionist Jack Butler and bass guitarist John Grealish.

During the same three weeks of rehearsal for “Legally Blonde, Jr,” BEST also held three one-week workshops for young students in grades one through five to focus on performance skills that encourage self-esteem and build self-confidence. The workshop was led by director Erin Lane, with counselors Erin Kerr and Mary Kate Murphy.

Finally, BEST had a little help from "friends" Faydeen Sateriale, the BHS IT Department, administration and custodians.

A hearty congratulations to one and all for making this season of the Burlington Educational Summer Theatre such a success…we’ll see you all next year!

IT'S THE BEST SUMMER MUSICAL: LEGALLY BLONDE JR GOES IVY LEAGUE!

Burlington Educational Summer Theatre goes Ivy League in this summer’s presentation of Legally Blonde the Musical JR, on July 27 at 7:30 and July 28 at 2:00 pm. Performances will take place in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center of Burlington High School.

Based on the award-winning Broadway musical and the smash hit motion picture, Legally Blonde, The Musical, JR. follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. When Elle's boyfriend, Warner, dumps her and heads to Harvard, claiming she's not "serious" enough, Elle takes matters into her own hands, crafting a showy song-and-dance personal essay and charming her way into law school. Befriending classmate, Emmett, and spunky hairdresser, Paulette, along the way, Elle finds that books and looks aren't mutually exclusive.  As Elle begins outsmarting her peers, she realizes that law may be her natural calling after all.

Sara Gluck leads the cast of 70 as Harvard’s beloved blonde Elle Woods. Also featured in the cast are Henry Wright as Emmet Forrest, Jade Kim as Margot, Isabella Gill as Serena, Erin O’Neil as Pilar, Aleczander Fulciniti as Warner Huntington III and Julia Lane as Kate. Joining them are Julia Svartsman as Vivienne Kensington, Maya Koffie as Whitney, Katie Clifford as Paulette, Valerie Reynolds as Brooke Wyndam, Bobby Nevola as Dewey, Julia Valanzola as Chutney Wyndham, Jackson Powers as Kyle, Joseph Arkalis as Winthrop, Aaron Shutz as Ryan Brown, Madison Chute as Sabrina, Erica Czerwinski as Enid, Henry Estes as Professor Callahan and Vittoria Rodrigues as Gaelen.

Performing the roles of Bend and Snappers/Delta Nu/ Jump Roper are Julia DeVito, Natalie DeVito, Mia Gesualdi, Jillian Gillis, Mia Grinnell, Leah Marshall, Rozzie Moe, Maeve O’Callaghan, Taylor Papagno, Emma Sampson, Emerson Waisnor and Ella Woods.

Harvard Law Students/Courtroom Spectator/Ensemble members are Aakansha Agrawal, Diana Alepidis, Lauren Aucoin, Julia Boldezar, Bella Bouras, Allison Boyle, Ava Brehm, Ciara Cameron, Natalie Carey (Bookish Salon Student), Tayah Ann Fulciniti, Sophia Gazza, Natalie Gluck (Video Performer), Molly Haggerty, Chloe Harbert, Elise Harbert, Nicole Hatch, Annika Held, Mariela Hopkins, Mya Koffie, Sophe Lacombe, Zohar Lavi, Ashlee MacKinnon, Angie Malnati, Paige McCorry, Grace Melo, Emily Murphy, Rucha Panke (Saleswoman, Workout Video performer) Isabella Petrizzi, Grayson Reidy, Angelina Riley, Clare Soucy, Alina Zhang.

Multiple role performers are Jack Haroutunian (Professor Lowell/Frat Boy/Ensemble), Jack Carey and Brendan Murphy (Frat Boys/Court Room Spectator/Ensemble), Paul Conti (Court Room Spectator, Workout Video Performer, Ensemble), Clare Soucy (Judge/Harvard Law Student, Ensemble), Theo Dewer (Jet Blue Pilot, Court Room Spectator, Ensemble) and Steven Noonan (Store Manager, Frat Boy, Court Room Spectator, Workout Video Performer, Ensemble).

Burlington Educational Summer Theatre was created in the Summer of 2009 to provide the young students of Burlington with a solid base of experience and knowledge in theatre arts so they can grow and develop as performers. With an emphasis on making the process fun and efficient, performers are coached by teachers and staff members who are highly trained professionals and counselors high school students who have performed on stage at Burlington High School.

Now in its ninth year, previous BEST shows include Annie Jr, Little Shop of Horrors, Alice In Wonderland Jr, Willie Wonka Jr, Disney’s Aladdin Jr, Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr, R&H Cinderella Jr, Shrek Jr, Seussical Jr, and Disney’s The Lion King Jr.

Executive Director John Middleton-Cox is joined by a full staff of professionals including director Warren Scott Friedman, choreographer Thomas Hardy, music director Steve Black, scenic designer and technical director Peter Waldron, costume designer Maureen Krebs, and program manager Kim Cook.

Tickets for Legally Blonde JR range from $10 and $15 and can be purchased online at BurlingtonTheatre.com, by phone at 781-A-FUN-TIC, through cast members and at the door. All seats are reserved.

Fogelberg Performing Arts Center, an accessible venue, is located at 123 Cambridge Street, Burlington, MA, on the campus of Burlington High School.

Inaugural event: All Town String Concert wows crowd

Welcome to ArtsBurlington, the source for information about the arts in Burlington Massachusetts.

There is no better day and no better way to kick off this blog as Burlington Public Schools celebrates the first annual All Town Strings Concert, held tonight in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center of Burlington High School. 

4th through 8th grade string players on stage of Fogelberg Performing Arts Center.

It all started five years ago with a pilot program in two elementary schools that introduced the violin to a few eager young players. The program, implemented by John Middleton-Cox, Director of Music/Performing Arts for Burlington Public Schools, began with that handful of students and  has since grown into a program of 182 string players who span from third to ninth grade. What began with a single string teacher has grown to three: Nathan Samulak, Jennifer Rzasa and Rebecca Schauer, who all took their turn as conductor at this evening's performance.

What a proud moment to enter the auditorium and see the entire stage and first three rows of seats filled with string players, and a majority of the seats in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center filled with eager parents and grandparents, all with cameras and cell phones at the ready to capture the evening.

The evening's concert consisted of the combined third grade players performing "Hot Cross Buns" and "Au Clair de la Lune," followed by the fourth grade in "French Folk Song" and "Ode to Joy" (Ludwig von Beethoven). Along came "English Round" and "Theme from New World Symphony" (Antonin Dvorak) by the combined fifth grade strings, and finally the Middle School players in "Habenera" from Carmen (Georges Bizet) and "Uptown Funk" (Bruno Mars, arr. Michael Story), featuring Mya Koffie on voice and Tony Mathew on drums.

The finale combined all students in grades three through nine in "Strings Will Rock You" (Queen, arranged by Jennifer Rzasa).

The All Town Concert Series (Band, Strings and Chorus) have been designed to showcase the music students who have worked hard all school year to learn their instrument. It is the perfect opportunity for parents to see and hear where their students are heading or where they've been. 

Fogelberg Performing Arts Center was filled with parents and relatives.

Ultimately, the program will develop through the high school grades and boast a complete ensemble of accomplished string players.

ArtsBurlington is thrilled with tonight's All Town String Concert and know you will agree:

THE ARTS ARE ALIVE IN BURLINGTON!