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!