Vlogs: A Sneak Peek

Very soon, we'll be featuring video posts! These vlogs will include interviews with the cast and designers of AC's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a look into the world of Shakespeare's beloved comedy.

Here is a sneak peek at some of what you can expect to see!

The Pucks
(Matt Winer and Natalie Carlyle)

The Rude Mechanicals
(Top row: Keri Eastridge, Brandon O'Donnell, Jessica Welch; bottom row: Melissa Paper, Ashanti Cooper, Tom Matera).

Photos by Erin Drum.

Be sure to check back soon for the vlogs themselves!

And remember, Midsummer opens August 4th! Tickets on sale mid-July! Please visit our website and Facebook page for more info.

First Look: Midsummer Rehearsals!

Here is a first look at AC's A Midsummer Night's Dream's rehearsal process!

'Midsummer opens August 4th and runs through the 14th. For more information, visit our website or our Facebook page.

The company.

Matt Winer (Puck), Natalie Carlyle (Puck), KeiLyn Durrel Jones (Oberon).

Phyllis Stanley (Aegea) and John Sisson (Demetrius).

John Sisson, Katie Tyler (Helena), and Chris Sisson (Lysander).

Grace Anastasiadis (director).

Ashanti Cooper, Keri Eastridge, Tom Matera, Jessica Welch, Brendan O'Donnell, and Melissa Paper (The Rude Mechanicals).

Jenny Male ( John Sisson, Rachael Sinnot (Hermia), and Chris Sisson.

Katie Tyler and Chris Sisson.

Natalie Carlyle, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, and Matt Winer.

Photography by Erin Drum.

Announcing: 17th Season Line-Up!

As we here at Arts Collective like to say (quick shout-out to Steppenwolf)... TODAY IS THE DAY! Today, we are so proud to announce the Arts Collective's 17th season line-up!

We'll be posting full details for all of our shows next week, but for now you can check out all the great productions we have in store for you this season. Let us know what you're most excited about!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

August 4-14, 2011

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Grace Anastasiadis

Shakespeare's classic, comic tale of powerful and mischievous fairies and foolish young lovers comes to life as AC kicks-off it’s 17th season. Just as the pair of lovers are transported to a magical world beyond their imaginations, so too will audiences experience the journey in HCC's beautiful and very cool Smith Theatre —for a Dream unlike any other.


A Passion for Broadway: A Cabaret

October 7, 2011
Presented by the Arts Collective
Directed by Grace Anastasiadis and Jenny Male

Arts Collective brings passion to the stage this fall! Keith Tittermary will tickle the ivories for HCC's wildly gifted students, alumni and guest artists as they croon and belt their way through Broadway's most moving and passionate musical theatre hits! Visit AC’s website after September 10th to view the cast and musical numbers included in this one-night-only cabaret!

Spring's Awakening

November 10 – 20, 2011
Co-Presented by HCC’s Theatre Program and the Arts Collective
A Play by Frank Wedekind
Directed by Michael Stebbins

Frank Wedekind's lyrical, thoughtful, and provocative 1891 play reflects on the mysterious and complex passage from innocence to adulthood. Over a hundred years after being banned throughout Europe for its starkly honest depiction of adolescent emotions and sexuality, this masterpiece went on to inspire the Tony award-winning musical.


What Improv Group?!?!

December 9, 2011
Presented by the Arts Collective
Directed by Susan G. Kramer

HCC's only improv troupe, What Improv Group?!?! (W.I.G.), returns to the stage! Crafty storytelling and rich characters define W.I.G.'s distinct take on improv, featuring everything from the absurdly hilarious to the deeply touching, and everywhere in between. Visit AC’s website mid-October to view the cast and what W.I.G. is up to… just for you!


Student Playwright Showcase

February 2 - 3, 2012
Co-Presented by HCC’s Theatre Program and the Arts Collective

Following the success of last year's debut showcase, audiences are invited to once again sit back and relax in HCC’s amazing Monteabaro Recital Hall! This exciting event features readings of brand-new works written and performed by HCC students and special guest artists. Support today’s fresh voices right here at Howard Community College!


Dance Company Performance

March 1– 4, 2011
Presented by the Arts Collective
Directed by Renée Brozic Barger

Now in its 6th Season, AC's outstanding Student Dance Company will perform the stellar choreography of visiting professional guest artists and faculty. A moving celebration inside dance and imagination, following the same magic featured in last season’s Spring Forward. A tremendous experience for student dancers, local choreographers and audience alike.

Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration

April 17, 2012
Co-Presented by HCC’s Theatre Program and the Arts Collective
Director TBA

Come frolic with us on the back-lawns of HCC’s most magical performance space: Dreier Stage. This spring’s annual celebration will honor the Bard’s reflections on desire and jealousy featuring HCC students, staff, special guests and more! All are invited to this fun, free event which promises sonnets, stage combat, readings, and of course, birthday cake!

Urinetown

May 3 – 13, 2012

Presented by the Arts Collective
Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann, book and lyrics by Greg Kotis
Directed by Jenny Male
Musical Direction by Keith Tittermary

In this smart and hilarious satire of American business, no one – and no musical theatre genre – remains unscathed. Due to a 20 year drought, the poor are forced to scrounge for pennies to pay for the privilege to pee. Bobby Strong has the courage to stand up to a tyrannical empire, rousing the poor with musical numbers that parody Broadway’s biggest shows. Through it all, the people fight for love, justice, and the enduring hope of peeing free. Urinetown: the Musical was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won three in 2002.

From the AC Desk: Countdown to Season 17!

A Note from AC's Producing Artistic Director

July 1^st : The day when we announce Arts Collective’s 17^th season right here! We’re beyond excited to share with you AC’s most eclectic, imaginative, inspiring line-up yet! Check back on Friday!

In the meantime… we wanted to take a moment to celebrate last season; a tough act to follow, as AC’s 16^th was our most successful to date! It was a season which included a plethora of firsts: a first subscription series, a summer partnership with Steppenwolf West, a first “mainstage” co-production (1001) and a first Student Playwright Showcase with HCC’s Theatre Arts Program, a first-time experience flying actors (Peter Pan), and a first summer production—A Midsummer Night’s Dream! AC’s 16^th Season also broke many records with the number of audition opportunities offered and the overwhelming number of stellar actors, dancers and singers who came out and gave their all! AC’s still celebrating last season’s record-breaking, unprecedented audience attendance, which brought in approximately 1,500 more patrons than the year before!

We didn’t want to put AC’s 2010-2011 season to bed without taking a moment to extend armfuls of appreciation to everyone who participated on and off the stage… from the performers, crew, designers, stage managers, directors, choreographers and music directors to our supportive and enthusiastic patrons! Thank you all for always inspiring us to grow and evolve!

Susan G. Kramer, Producing Artistic Director, Arts Collective @HCC

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A Note on the Blog:

We here at AC have been toying with things for the last season, trying to figure out the best way to communicate with you, our wonderful extended family.

Which brings me to the big, awesome, blogosphere-changing news: we’re officially relaunching the blog with a snazzy new layout, new weekly features, video content, and more!

So just what can you expect from this blog to destroy all other blogs? Just in time for last season’s production of Peter Pan, we began to make a series of sweet video blogs (vlogs for my fellow nerds out there) that you can find here on our YouTube page, and found a lot of success with them. So expect lots more video content to be posted: from behind-the-scenes exclusives like interviews with cast, crew, and designers to show trailers and more.

What else can you look forward to? For this summer’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream we’ll have a weekly series of posts following the entire process from the first company meeting to the shows themselves, and everything in between. And of course, the blog will once again be your one-stop-shop for the latest AC news (like the announcement of our 17th Season and subscriptions, coming soon!), audition opportunities, workshops, and pretty much anything you’ll ever want or need to know about ANYTHING! (As long as it’s related to AC, that is. You’ll still have to go to your favorite trashy pop culture website to read about political scandals and view celebrity mug shots.)

In all seriousness, Arts Collective’s 17th season is going to be one to remember, and we want YOU to be a part of it! So keep on checking in with AC Bloggin’ and we promise to continue bringing you the exciting AC content you want.


Sincerely,
The Arts Collective Staff


P.S. - In the meantime, please find us on Facebook here, “Like” us, and then write on our page about your favorite AC productions and/or let us know what you want to see from AC in the future. You can also check out pictures and blog posts from past productions using the links on the right panel of this interweb page; view vlogs, past productions, and other fun videos on our YouTube page; and check out our ever-growing collection of pictures on our Flickr page.