Evan Hilsaback Hired as Managing Director of CCPA

Coralville - A new Managing Director will soon take the stage at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Evan Hilsabeck will join the City of Coralville in June as the new leader of the Center. Most recently, Hilsabeck has served as the Managing Artistic Director for the Spencer Community Theater in Spencer, Iowa. Similar to the CCPA, Hilsabeck has overseen the programming and operations of their 266 seat house. He has been responsible for the technical and creative elements of producing theater works, developing a robust volunteer program, overseeing a rental costume shop operation, and leading both annual and major gifts campaigns. "I'm thrilled to be joining the team at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. There's such tremendous programming happening at the CCPA, and I look forward to meeting the many artists and patrons who call this theatre home," comments Hilsabeck.

Hilsabeck is a graduate of Gustavus Adophus College and the Eugene O'Neill National Theatre institute. He serves as a board member on the Iowa Arts Council. Hilsabeck will begin with the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts on June 8.

(Source: CCPA email)

A Review of Into the Woods

photo by Jackie Blake Jensen Photography

by Sharon Falduto  

Iowa City - Stephen Sondheim’s 1986 musical Into the Woods has cast a powerful spell on audiences for nearly 30 years and is always popular in revival, which is why the corridor was able to support two performances of the show in the same season that Disney released a movie.

My 11 year old daughter sold Girl Scout cookies to the cast of City Circle Acting Company of Coralville’s Into the Woods when they were still rehearsing in their street clothes. Without the benefit of props, costumes, or set, she stood enthralled as the actors dug into the prologue of the piece. Naturally, she was my accompaniment for the premiere of the show on April 24, 2015.

The show interweaves and overlaps several Grimm fairy tales. We see Cinderella, longing to go to the King’s Festival but hindered by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. Jack, of future Beanstalk fame, and his mother are in desperate need of food, and his mother demands that he sell his pet cow, Milky White. Little Red Riding Hood is off to visit her Granny, but runs into some trouble along the way. A childless Baker and his Wife long for the child who does not come. A wicked witch explains that she has cast a spell on the Baker’s family that his household will always be barren (which, if you think about it, is a pretty short-sighted spell). The only way to overcome the spell is for the Baker to retrieve four objects; “the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold.”

Footliters' Pinocchio - Only Two Performances This Weekend!

Coralville - The Young Footliters will present Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, as adapted by Kathryn Schultz Miller, this Friday April 17 at 7:00 PM and Saturday April 18 at 2:00 PM at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. The production features performers in grades K-4 and is directed by Jean Grewe. Tickets are $5 for youth and $7 for adults.

According to director Jean Grewe, "It has been a total joy and blessing working on this show! The kids are acting, building the sets, and working as running crew; they have really been involved in every part of the show, and are having a great time doing it! And the parents have really stepped up as well - costumes, props, set, working backstage, helping in the Green Room, you name it, they did it!"

Tickets are available through the CCPA Box Office at 319-248-9370.

Pinocchio has been cast!

Coralville - The Young Footliters have announced the cast for their next show, Pinocchio. This show consists of a cast of children in Kindergarten through fourth grade.The show will be presented April 17th and 18th at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Director Jean Grewe has also recruited older children to handle a number of the backstage tasks.

Cast:
Pinocchio- Dillon Croco
Hickory Cricket- Jack Furlong
Lorenzo- A J Murdah
Geppetto- Massimo Biggers

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Opens January 23

Coralville — "Nolte Academy will present a new musical production, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, January 23rd through January 25th, 2015, at the Coralville Center For The Performing Arts. The fourth in a series of musical productions presented by Nolte Academy for Corridor audiences, Snow White features local singers, actors and dancers from ages 6 to 19, who will perform with a live orchestra.

A Year With Frog and Toad is Simply Delightful

By Leah Gehlsen Morlan

Coralville - Produced by City Circle Acting Company, A Year With Frog and Toad is a darling show suitable for all ages. The production is based on the much-loved books by Arnold Lobel and adapted for the musical stage by Willie and Robert Reale. It comprehensively tells the story of besties Frog and Toad over the course of one year, opening and closing with the end of their winter hibernation and including daily interactions with a host of animal friends.

A Year With Frog and Toad is a run-down of the ultra-simple lives of some super-quiet folks, which translates to a full-length song about Toad looking ridiculous in his bathing suit, entitled "Getta Loada Toad" (a number led by the charming Katherine Boothroyd – cast her in your next show, folks), a song about the merits of spending time by oneself, "Alone," and a song about a delicious batch of sweets, expertly entitled "Cookies" (beautifully-timed at the end of Act I, directly before releasing an audience-full of children to wander about the snack-filled lobby during intermission). Frog is the measured and sweet foil to Toad’s curmudgeon with a soft heart. The slice-of-life, day-to-day elements of this play are further strengthened by the way that Frog and Toad navigate them. This is, essentially, a play about two dudes hanging out and living life. And it’s lovely.

Free Opera Performances

Coralville - UI School of Music Opera Scenes Program at the CCPA

On Saturday, December 6 at 8pm, The UI School of Music presents an evening of performances from Don Giovanni, HMS Pinafore, Der Rosenkavalier, The Coronation of Poppea, Les Pecheurs de Perles, and A Little Night Music. Free and open to the public.


Source: CCPA press release

Free Children's Tickets to A Year With Frog and Toad

Coralville -"City Circle Acting Company's holiday production is the delightful family musical A Year With Frog and Toad, adapted by Willie and Robert Reale from the beloved books by Arnold Lobel.

This heartwarming production, directed by Liz Tracey, tells the story of a year in the life of forest neighbors Frog and Toad and their many woodland friends.

To help families share this experience, ACT is sponsoring 100 free children's tickets for the Friday, December 12 performance! These tickets are available to youth under age 18 with the purchase of at least one full-price adult or senior ticket in each party. (Not applicable to previously purchased tickets; not available for premium seating; may not be combined with any other discounts or offers; subject to availability on a first-come, first-served basis.)

Volunteers Needed at City Circle

Coralville - Our volunteers are working hard to comb through, purge, sort, catalog and move our enormous supply of costumes and costume-making supplies. We need to be out of our current space and into our new space this weekend, so we'd love to have anyone and everyone pitch in on Saturday [November 8]. Volunteers will be at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. If you have an hour or more to spare, please consider coming by and lending a hand. BONUS: There are many yards of fabric that will be given away to whoever wants them, so if you're a tailor, a quilter, a crafter or a costume creator, or you know someone who is, come claim some part of our fabric surplus! Thanks to all who have already donated time and effort to our cleaning, purging, sorting and moving endeavors!


Source: City Circle newsletter

Special Performances of A Year with Frog & Toad

Coralville - City Circle's holiday musical A Year With Frog & Toad is well underway, and it's going to be very popular with theatergoers of all ages! Read more about the show on our website. There will be a Student Matinee on Wednesday, December 17 at 12:30 p.m., so if you're a teacher or a school administrator, look into booking seats for your students. Tickets to the Student Matinee are only $5.00. For all other performances, we currently have a discount available: $5.00 off all non-premium tickets purchased before November 14. Use the discount code TREAT to save, but only for ten more days [until November 13]! You can buy tickets here.


Source: City Circle newsletter

Festival of Trees: City Circle's Annual Fundraiser

Coralville - City Circle's Festival of Trees moves to the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts! This November 29, kick off the holiday season with an evening of festive performances, food, fun, and fabulous decor!

DiNO-LIGHT at the CCPA

Coralville - The Coralville Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to bring Lightwire Theater’s production of DiNO-LIGHT to the Coralville on Tuesday, November 11, with a public performance at 6:30pm and a special 12:30pm matinee for school groups.

Created by Corbian Visual Arts and Dance, DiNO-Light (also known as Darwin the Dinosaur) is a heart-warming original story that features a friendly dinosaur who wanders away from home and discovers a world of creatures who light up the darkness and help him find the true meaning of love. The story is told through electroluminescent puppetry, music, sound, and movement and has delighted children and adults around the world.

Pandora's Circus at the CCPA

Coralville - Iowa circus performer, Laura Ernst, owner of the Iowa Circus Academy, has created and produced a unique cirque style show that will be hitting theaters all over Iowa and the Midwest starting in Nov of 2014.

This show is a Cirque-Style theater show inspired by Greek mythology that follows Pandora who opens the box full of vengeful spirits that drag her to the Underworld.

ConcertIA presents An Evening of Opera

Coralville - Shari Rhoads and Chaz'men Williams-Ali will guide you through an evening with Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Strauss, Wagner, Bizet, Delibes, and Gounud. Perfect for opera lovers and novices alike! This concert is a fundraiser for the March 2015 production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.

Tickets are $10-$25, with a $75 "Gold Ticket" that includes a post-gala reception at TheLuxeZone and "after-glow" casual concert with the artists. Tickets are available online, by phone at 319.248.9370, and in person at the CCPA box office and Coralville Rec Center.


Source: CCPA Newsletter

Xanadu Opens October 10

Victoria Vaugnh  and
Skyler Matthias

Coralville - "City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will present the Broadway hit musical Xanadu for six performances October 10-19 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Adapted from the Universal Pictures cult film by Douglas Carter Beane and featuring music by Jeff Lynne (of the Electric Light Orchestra) and John Farrar, Xanadu follows the journey of the magical and beautiful Greek muse Kira, who descends from Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first roller disco! But when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds. The musical adaptation contains all the great Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John music from the film, plus four additional classic songs.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Opens Sept 12

Coralville - Young Footliters presents Joseph Robinette’s adaptation of the C. S. Lewis novel The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for 4 performances, September 12-14 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. The production features 32 local children in 4th grade through 10th grades and is directed by Matt Falduto. Hills Bank is the supporting sponsor.

City Circle New Play Festival & Catching the Babies

Coralville - Two upcoming productions at the CCPA:

Auditions for Xanadu

Coralville - "Come audition for the musical comedy event of the fall! Xanadu features all the great music from the terrible 1980s movie, but with a fresh, new, actually coherent script!

Featuring the music of the Electric Light Orchestra, the Tubes, Olivia Newton-John, and Gene Kelly, this musical is a mash up of Greek Mythology and 80's Disco culture.

There are roles available for a wide variety of singer-actors. Visit citycircle.org for a list of characters and the audition sign-up form. Email director Christopher Okiishi with questions or to see a perusal script.

For the audition, prepare a short comedic monologue (less than 1 minute) and one verse/chorus of an 80's pop song; bring sheet music in the correct key. Roller skating ability is a plus!"


Source: CCPA Newsletter

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Coralville - The Mystery of Edwin Drood was the first Broadway musical with multiple endings! Tony-Award winner Rupert Holmes adapted the musical from Dickens' unfinished novel, allowing the audience to vote on each performance's ending.

Auditions for Bye, Bye, Birdie

Coralville - In the world of musical theater, many of the juiciest roles are written with youngsters in mind. If you missed the chance to play some of these roles in high school or college, you're out of luck. We're all used to watching teenagers play older roles in school (or in City Circle's annual teen musical) - it's time to turn the tables!

For the CCPA's 3rd birthday celebration, we're seeking "vintage" actors for a minimally-staged production of the American musical classic Bye Bye Birdie! Auditions are June 10 and 11. Find out more.


Source: CCPA Newsletter