Archive for April, 2009

April 30th, 2009 | No Comments »

It’s nearly time to break out the popcorn (still FREE!) and soda (still FREE!) for another trip down memory lane with the 2009 Michelob Ultra Cool Films Series. Full details are being added to our website as we speak!

Our annual salute to classic Hollywood is back with one of its biggest lineups ever! This summer’s tableau features 13 films, ranging from the silent era through the 1970s … plus one “modern classic” for good measure. As in past years, the films were chosen “by popular demand,” based on the results of audience surveys conducted during last summer’s films.

The Seven Year Itch, July 3 – 5

White Christmas, July 10 – 12

The Sting, July 17 – 19

Jimmy Stewart Weekend, July 24 – 26
This summer, the Michelob Ultra Cool Films Series pays tribute to the great Jimmy Stewart, with three of his best: Vertigo, July 24; Harvey, July 25; The Philadelphia Story, July 26.

An American in Paris, July 31 – August 2

To Kill A Mockingbird, August 7 – 9

Funny Girl, August 14 – 16

American Graffiti, August 21 – 23

Phantom of the Opera Weekend, August 28 – 30
Spend a weekend in the underworld of the Paris Opera House, as we celebrate the return of The Phantom of the Opera to the Schuster Center stage in June 2010. We will present the classic 1925 silent version with Lon Chaney (featuring live organ accompaniment), the 1943 Claude Rains version, and the 2005 film version of the Broadway musical. Individual tickets for the Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Broadway Series presentation of The Phantom of the Opera will also go on sale that weekend.

The best part about the 2009 Michelob Ultra Cool Films Series? You can see all these great films for the same low price as last year. Tickets are just $4.75 each, or $24 for a 10-ticket passbook – a great entertainment bargain in these economically tough times!Passbooks are available in advance through Ticket Center Stage and go on sale May 5. They may be purchased at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton, by phone at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630, or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com – click on Victoria Theatre Association, then Michelob Ultra Cool Films.

Individual tickets are available day-of-show at the Victoria Theatre box office, beginning one hour prior to showtime.

Films are shown at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays in the air-conditioned comfort of the Victoria Theatre. Recreating the feel of the old-time movie palaces, guests may enjoy free popcorn and soda in the lobby beginning one hour prior to showtime, an NCR Mighty Wurlitzer organ concert beginning 30 minutes prior to showtime, and a classic cartoon just before the movie.

Once again, the series is made possible through the generous support of Heidelberg Distributing Company.

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April 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

Victoria Theatre Association is partnering with the Miami Valley Literacy Council’s Back Pack Project Book Drive during the Chase Broadway Series presentation of Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple.

Collection bins will be available in the Schuster Center during all remaining performances of The Color Purple for book donations. The project is seeking children’s books of any age level and teen novels. Please consider bringing books to donate when you attend The Color Purple!

More information about the Miami Valley Literacy Council and The Back Pack Project is available online at www.discoverliteracy.org.

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April 22nd, 2009 | No Comments »

Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple wowed audiences when it opened last night at the Schuster Center for a one-week run in Dayton, as part of the Chase Broadway Series.

Click Here to read the Dayton Daily review of last night’s performance.

Click Here to read Dayton City Paper’s interview with cast member and American Idol alum LaToya London. Speaking of LaToya London, you can see her on the FOX 45 morning show tomorrow (Thursday) – the interview is scheduled to air at 8:40 a.m.

WROU will be broadcasting live from the Schuster Center tonight, and they will be interviewing Lynette DuPree, who plays Sofia.

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April 17th, 2009 | No Comments »

We’re sorry to report that Elvis has left the building …

The producers of All Shook Up have decided to cancel their upcoming tour, but don’t despair! We have found something amazing and new to replace it on the 2009-2010 Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Broadway Series: The Aluminum Show.

The Aluminum ShowThe Aluminum Show has been described as a space-age mix of Blue Man Group, Cirque and STOMP … but clad in shimmering aluminum and uniquely its own! A sensational hit around the world, this stunning and incredible production offers a theatrical experience that is totally unique, combining amazing special effects, acrobatics, jazz and modern dance, puppetry, dazzling aluminum costumes, and phenomenal lighting. Dayton has never seen anything quite like The Aluminum Show – you won’t want to miss it! Performance dates remain the same, March 9 – 21, 2010, at the Victoria Theatre.

Watch Video

“One of the highlights of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival … It was happy, it was unthreatening… escapist fun for kids and adults alike,” raves FringeGuru.com. Time Out Magazine calls it, “a ravishing and engaging show. A finely orchestrated visual collage. The music envelops the performance with precision. Rush there and be dazzled.”

Look for full details soon at www.victoriatheatre.com/broadway.

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April 13th, 2009 | No Comments »

Victoria Theatre Association’s 2009 education project, In the Footsteps of Celie: Using Art to Empower Youth, reaches its conclusion in April.

The six-week project is tied to the Chase Broadway Series presentation of the musical Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple and uses the life of the show’s main character to engage 55 students in an intensive, uplifting experience. The project is organized and coordinated by our Education and Outreach Department.

The project pairs 55 high school students from Dayton Public Schools with 55 area college students who serve as their mentors. Using the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Alice Walker, the Academy-Award winning film from Director Steven Spielberg, and the Tony-winning Broadway musical, the students trace the steps of the story’s central character, Celie, and learn through her journey the importance of becoming strong, independent and responsible citizens in a modern age – in essence, learning that triumph over adversity is within everyone’s grasp.

“As an organization, Victoria Theatre Association has gained a greater understanding of the community we serve, created new partnerships and strengthened existing partnerships within the Dayton area community,” says Education and Outreach Manager David Brush. “Our hope is that this type of project can serve as a model for further development of this demographic, which is in such need of positive role models, educational opportunities and powerful exposure to the arts.”

The students and their mentors are currently mid-way through the project, which culminates with them attending the opening night performance of The Color Purple at the Schuster Center on April 21.

The In the Footsteps of Celie education project receives support from The Dayton Foundation, The Dayton Power and Light Company Foundation, The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, the Levin Family Foundation and anonymous gifts.

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April 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »

Enjoy the heartwarming story of a fruit bat’s journey as she loses her mother but discovers a new family, friends and herself, when Stellaluna concludes this season’s Young at Heart Family Series, April 4 & 5, at the Victoria Theatre.
 
Stellaluna is based on Janel Cannon’s best-selling children’s book. Cannon wrote Stellaluna in 1994 to transform young people’s fear of bats into informed affection. She also wanted to share a story about a friendship between two different kinds of creatures, a bat and baby birds.

Baby bat Stellaluna’s life is flitting along right on schedule – until an owl attacks her mother one night, knocking the bewildered batlet out of her mother’s loving grasp. The tiny bat is lucky enough to land in a nest of baby birds, but her whole world is literally turned upside down.

Stellaluna’s adoptive bird mom accepts her into her nest, but only on the condition that Stellaluna will act like a bird, not a bat. Soon Stellaluna has learned to behave like a good bird should – she quits hanging by her feet and starts eating bugs. But when she finally has an opportunity to show her bird siblings what life as a bat is like, all of them are confounded.

Stellaluna discovers she has different abilities than her other family members, and she eventually learns that being different doesn’t matter and doesn’t mean that you can’t have different friends. Anyone who has ever been asked to be someone they’re not will understand the conflicts and possibilities Stellaluna faces. This production of Stellaluna is a wonderful new adaptation, utilizing music and elaborates puppets to tell the story.

Click here to watch a video preview.

Stellaluna is on stage at the Victoria Theatre, Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5. Performance times are 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day. Come out early and enjoy special pre-show lobby activities, beginning one hour prior to each performance.

Tickets are priced at a family friendly $17 for adults and $15 for children (ages 12 and under). Tickets are on sale now through Ticket Center Stage, and may be purchased at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton or by phone, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Ticket Center Stage hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday, noon – 4 p.m., and two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

We also just announced next season’s Young at Heart Family Series – for more information, visit www.victoriatheatre.com/youngatheart.

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April 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »

Thank you to everyone for the tremendous response to our JPMorgan Broadway University  summer camp, GOING BLONDE, to be held June 16-18 in conjunction with the Chase Broadway Series presentation of Legally Blonde The Musical at the Schuster Center. The camp is now full and registration is closed.

The JPMorgan Broadway University program offers area theatre students the chance to participate in master classes with the stars of our stage. It is a unique opportunity for them to strut their stuff and get feedback from professionals working in the field.

Bookmark and Share Posted in Chase Broadway Series, Education & Outreach, Schuster Center