The Beck Center for the Arts
Teen Theatre
“Avenue Q: School Edition”
17801 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, Ohio
February 8-10 and 14-17, 2013
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
3:00 p.m. Sundays
Special Student Matinee
Thursday, February 14, 10:00 a.m.
Hit Broadway show still has all the laughs and lessons but geared more for the twelve year old to adult crowd
The Beck Center Teen Theatre proudly presents the first area performance of “Avenue Q: School Edition”. The show will run February 8-10 and 14-17, 2013 and will be performed on the Mackey Main Stage. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m. There will be a special student matinee performed on Thursday, February 14 at 10:00 a.m.
Based on the hit “Triple Crown” winner for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, Avenue Q tells the story of Princeton who graduates from college and moves to a dilapidated apartment clear out on Avenue Q in New York City. Princeton and his puppet friends deal with the everyday struggles we all face of finding jobs, dealing with the world, building relationships and realizing just what their purpose in life is. It’s just like your life…only funny and with a soundtrack.
The show carries a PG-13 rating and is recommended for audiences of 12 and older only but is quite a bit toned down from the original Broadway production.
“Avenue Q: School Edition fits with our commitment to offer an eclectic mix of theater productions and new challenges for our students,” remarked Director of Education Ed Gallagher, MT-BC. “Our teen actors are enthusiastic about this opportunity to perform contemporary material like Avenue Q, along with other classic titles like Our Town this season.”
With music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty, Avenue Q: School Edition is performed entirely by students. Directed by Jonathan Kronenberger, Beck Center’s associate director of Theater Education, Avenue Q: School Edition features a talented cast of 23 actors ages 13 to 19 and more than a dozen puppet characters. The teens have been working since early January to master the art of acting, dancing, singing, and puppetry – a challenge even for seasoned adult actors.
“Since Avenue Q is known by many simply as the ‘show where the puppets do bad things,’ some may wonder why we should do it at all. By softening some of those racier aspects in the School Edition, the audience gets to focus on the heartfelt story of this quirky group of characters as they seek their place in our world.” commented Kronenberger. “At any age, we can find ourselves asking the question again, ‘What is my purpose?’ We may find that dreams don’t often lead to reality and the best laid plans don’t always work out; but that doesn’t mean we should stop dreaming. Sometimes we find a better plan along the way.”
Tickets are $12 for Adults/Seniors and $10 for Children (18 and under) and may be purchased online at www.beckcenter.org or by calling 216.521.2540, ext. 10.
Discounted group rates are available for the student matinee. Call Customer Service Manager Rennie Tisdale at ext. 28 for more information and to schedule your student matinee.
Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. Free onsite parking is available.
This production of Avenue Q: School Edition is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and is made possible by the generous support of Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.
Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for special needs students, and free gallery exhibits featuring local, regional, and international artists. For more information about Beck Center, visit beckcenter.org.
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