Arts

In collaboration with Baldwin-Wallace College Music Theatre Program, the Beck Center for the Arts presents the Tony Award-winning rock musical, “Spring Awakening,” Feb. 3 through March 4 on the Mackey Main Stage. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are now on sale.

Hi Observer readers, Erin O'Brien here.

I grew up on the corner of Lake Avenue and Parkside drive, right next to Lakewood Park. I'm a 1983 LHS graduate and still get a Christmas Card from Mr. Sors every year (yes, that Mr. Sors).

I lived in a walk-up brownstone on West Clifton after graduating from Ohio University in 1987 and drank my share of (ahem) cold ones at the Riverwood Cafe. Now I have a husband and daughter and although I live in Broadview Heights (think: Parma Heights with a little less glam), Lakewood is always first in my heart.

On Thursday, Feb, 2 at 7:30 p.m., Red Giant Books and will be launching my book of humourous nonfiction, The Irish Hungarian Guide to the Domestic Arts at Local Girl Gallery. It won't take long for you to find Lakewood amid the pages of The Irish Hungarian. My old hometown plays a big part throughout, starting in the introduction.

In partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Beck Center for the Arts proudly presents a series of two PNC Musical Rainbow concerts designed specifically for preschool children on Saturdays, January 21 and April 28, 2012, on the Mackey Main Stage.

Children ages 3 to 6 years will enjoy this fun, interactive way to learn about the instruments of an orchestra. Children have the chance to sing, clap, and move to the music as they have fun learning all about instruments during this 30-minute program. The Cleveland Orchestra's PNC Musical Rainbow concerts are sponsored by PNC and the PNC Musical Rainbow Series is endowed by the Pysht Fund.

This winter, beat the blues, get out of the house and join us at the Beck Center for the Arts for some creative fun! Learn a new skill, develop a hidden talent and make lifelong friends at the Beck Center. We offer more than 200 classes for all ages and abilities in dance, music, theater, and visual arts – including Broadway “Glee” Club, Cut Paper Illustration, Kids-N-Tunes, Hip Hop, Suzuki Violin, Public Speaking, Tone & Stretch, and Family Clay Time-- to name just a few.

Start a new holiday tradition with your family and friends – experience live theater at the Beck Center for the Arts this season. Beck presents an encore production of last year’s smash hit musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, on the Mackey Main Stage through December 31. Back by popular demand, the talented creative team and many original cast members are joined by some fresh new faces in this entertaining extravaganza which is guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages - from preschoolers to great-grandparents. You and your family will be mesmerized by the magical music, delightful dancing, and radiant rainbow of colors bursting to life on stage. Tickets are selling fast for this holiday favorite. Don’t wait and disappoint the little ones when the show sells out, order your tickets today.

'Twas the week before Christmas when all through the town
Not a shopper was finished, not even one.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that some handmade awesomeness soon would be there.

Several Lakewood High graduates and students will perform Christmas music for all to enjoy on Sunday, December 18 at 3:30 p.m. at Lakewood United Methodist Church located at 15700 Detroit Avenue. This concert is for everyone including families and children. No tickets are needed. There will be a free will offering taken.

Beck Gift Cards

Looking for a unique gift to give that special someone this holiday season? Give the gift of the arts! Our gift cards may be used to purchase tickets for our outstanding performances or to register for classes and lessons. And Beck gift cards make great stocking stuffers. Stop by Customer Service or call 216.521.2540 x10.

Start off your family’s weekend creatively with Super Saturdays @ Beck Center. Each month Beck Center offers a free hands-on arts experience for children ages 10 and under. Join us this month on Saturday, December 10 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and create a holiday take-home craft with Usbourne Books, one of Beck Center’s community partners. Super Saturdays are sponsored through the generous support of the Lakewood Arts Festival Association. For more information, call Ed Gallagher at 216.521.2540, ext. 12.

The Beck Center for the Arts invites you to stop by and enjoy its annual Holiday Art Show in the Jean Bulicek Galleria through January 1, 2012, featuring the extraordinary artwork of five talented local artists: Ann Caywood Brown (pastels and photo transfers), Bonnie Gordon (pottery), Joseph Gregg (photography), Mardel Sanzotta (painting), and Debra Sue Solecki (drawing). This annual showcase provides an opportunity for outstanding visual artists to share their art and creativity with the community.

Lakewood Guitar Consort presents their Sounds of the Season concert on Sunday, December 4, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. at Lakewood Public Library Auditorium. The library is located at 15425 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio. Admission is free. Lakewood Guitar Consort is a classical guitar ensemble based at Lakewood's Beck Center for the Arts and is under the direction of Chris Ellicott. New members are welcome. For more information contact Mr. Ellicott at elkkit@aol.com or (216) 398-1401.

There's something about being free and alive at night in Lakewood. From bars with their mixes of down to earth weirdos to the vibrant, friendly neighborhoods between main thoroughfares, people are open, friendly, and having fun. We create ourselves through one another. We generate culture within culture. There is so much diversity, and yet such connectedness - no wonder it’s such fertile ground for the arts.

Back by popular demand! Beck Center for the Arts presents an encore production of the smash hit musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat®, December 2 through 31, 2011 on the Mackey Main Stage. Start a new holiday tradition and bring the entire family to enjoy live theater at Beck Center. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Special matinees will be held on Saturdays, December 10 and 17. Weeknight performances have been added on Wednesday, December 28 and Thursdays, December 22 and 29, plus a special New Year’s Eve performance at 7:30 p.m. There are no performances on December 24 or 25.

Beck Center’s Dance Workshop and Dance Education program present Nutcracker…Jazzed Up!, a contemporary twist on the classic Tchaikovsky tale, December 3 and 4, 2011 in the Recital Hall of the Music-Armory Building at Beck Center. Performance times are 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 and 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 4.

If you're like me, you'll remember being a young child and heading down to the Twigbee shoppe.

Local Girl Gallery would like to rekindle that kind of memory with our Secret Santa Shoppe.

On December 4 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Local Girl will invite all children 12 and under to shop for family and friends in a fun, festive atmosphere. All gift items will be priced $5 and under and children will be able to design their own complimentary giftwrap! Parents may drop off their children, then we'll nibble on treats and our helpers will help your child choose just the right gift. Remember, this is just for children...but feel free to send along a wishlist with your child.

Playwright, David Mamet, is a fearless political force in American theater and film, no question about it. And let’s face it, America loves a good tousled , tricky controversy explored through the arts- and if you were around during the protests outside the Beck Center during Jerry Springer: The Opera, you know that Lakewood is no exception.  It’s no wonder Mamet had the prowess to launch his 2009 play Race directly to Broadway. (Of course his Pulitzer and Tony nomination don’t hurt his clout either). It’s also no wonder that the Beck Center has put Race in their studio theatre’s line-up, directed by the always fresh, always relevant Sarah May.

Get a jump start on your holiday shopping! Beck Center for the Arts will host “Beck the Halls” – a unique holiday boutique on Saturdays, November 5 and December 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For your shopping pleasure, local artists and artisans will display extraordinary original works of art in Beck’s main lobby. Shoppers can browse and select from a wide array of creative gifts including drawings, jewelry, photography, pottery, prints, and watercolors. Avoid the crowded, commercial malls and buy unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your list – and support the arts in our community! Admission is free and convenient, onsite parking is available.

Beck Youth Theater presents Charlotte’s Web, based on the classic children’s book by E.B. White about “Some Pig” named Wilbur and his special friendship with a spider named Charlotte. Performances will be on the Mackey Main Stage, Nov. 3-6, 2011. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The student matinee on Thursday, November 3 is sold out.

Mark your calendars to save the date for the 4th Annual Mayor's Ball hosted by Lakewood Mayor Michael P. Summers on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at the Beck Center for the Arts. Guests will enjoy elegant hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and live entertainment. The evening's festivities will also include an exciting raffle, silent auction and presentation of the Key to the City. All proceeds from this event support the Beck Center’s quality arts education and theater programs which benefit our community. Tickets are available online at www.beckcenter.org. For more information, contact Holly Lauch at 216.529.6602 or holly.lauch@lakewoodoh.net.

Beck Center for the Arts presents the regional premiere of David Mamet’s Race in the Studio Theater, October 21 through November 20, 2011. Show times are 8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3:00 p.m. Sundays. There is no performance on Saturday, November 12.

Who doesn’t like to create a painting for the world to see...on the front of a local building? The answer is apparent as participation in the Annual West End Halloween Window Walk, presented by the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and Beck Center for the Arts, continues to grow. This great community event, now in its seventh year, is a boo-tastic way for the community to share its creativity and talent up and down the west end of Detroit Avenue.

If you’ve driven past the Beck Center lately, you may have noticed a new outdoor mural on display. Measuring 33 feet by 18 feet, it’s hard to miss! The canvas art mural, entitled “A Night at the Opera,” is a replica of an original work by internationally acclaimed artist Natasha Turovsky. The mural was installed on the west side of Beck’s annex building on September 19. Art dealer and Beck Café owner Paul Sykes worked in collaboration with the Beck Center to bring this impressive piece of art to Lakewood.

Heirloom Home, located on Lakewood’s west end, is a unique resale shop with a philanthropic purpose. All proceeds benefit the student scholarship fund at the Beck Center for the Arts. Owner Brenda Ellner’s love of the arts inspired her to open the establishment last year, just blocks from the Beck Center. Since then, store sales have helped many area children, who may not otherwise have the financial means, to enroll in Beck’s arts education classes.

Beck Center recently kicked off another exciting new season of extraordinary theater – an electic mix of award-winning musicals, Off-Broadway hits and compelling drama – including six regional premieres! You can see any of these shows for free when you volunteer at Beck. As a nonprofit organization, the Beck Center relies on volunteers to help as ushers, ticket takers, concession helpers, and coat checkers during its professional theater season. In return, all volunteers see the show for free. For more information, contact Rennie Tisdale at rtisdale@beckcenter.org or call 216.521.2540 x28.

Jukebox musicals on (and off) Broadway today are about as pervasive as simple love songs on radios of the 1950’s and 60’s. This month at the Beck, you can get both for the price of one in the upcoming production of The Marvelous Wonderettes.

Judging by opening night’s dancing baby boomers and gen Y-ers alike, it’s clear that the golden age of pop music still lives inside a lot of American audiences. But the “jukebox musical” genre has gotten a pretty bad rep critically—and with good reason. With thin, predictable plotlines tied together only by unrelated and re-purposed pop songs, the “jukebox musical” doesn’t push any boundaries or show us anything new. Of course, we know that adage that there’s nothing new under the sun, and it’s true; adaptations often stand alone as beautiful, entertaining stories in and of themselves. But on top of the jukebox movement, the Disney empire has simultaneously been converting Shrek, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid and so many more Disney classics into stage musicals with varying degrees of artistic and box office success. It seems this unsurprising recycled material in general is overstaying its welcome.

Each month, Crafty Goodness is going to select a different charity and host a crafting benefit to raise awareness and donations. Giving back to the community is so very important, be it on a small or grand scale.  Remember, every little bit helps! For September we will be crafting for the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center of Greater Cleveland. Stop in at Crafty Goodness (15621 Madison Avenue)on Saturday, September 24between noon and 7 p.m. and help support this wonderful organization. We will be making glass tile pendants at the shop, a very fun and low stress activity. All age groups are encouraged to attend, great activity for kids and adults. Create as many as you want to take home with you, the cost is only $4 each and the proceeds will be donated to the shelter. Glass Tile Pendants also make great gifts, start early on your holiday crafting AND support a great cause. Not really crafty? Don't worry, we will teach you! Snacks and drinks will be provided, but please feel free to bring whatever you would like to share as well.

American folk music often stirs citizens about current events, or preserves the memory of past ones. A recent song may be the first that preserves history yet to unfold.

John Lennon sang to "Give Peace a Chance." Gordon Lightfoot immortalized "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Pete Seeger reminded those fighting for civil rights that "We Shall Overcome."

And Jack Mizenko chronicled the hypothetical reversal of S.B. 5 in "John Kasich."

"I was actually fooling around with the song 'John Henry' with some fifth-graders here in the spring, and the song 'John Kasich' sprung out of that," he recalled. A retired Cleveland teacher, and now a teaching artist with local arts organization Roots of American Music, Mizenko has spent as much time in the classroom as he has with The FlipSide, a folk rock band, in which he sings and writes folk songs, and plays a bevy of instruments.

It's not too late to register for fall classes at the Beck Center. Classes begin the week of September 6. The fall class catalog is available exclusively online at www.beckcenter.org and now students can register 24/7 with our convenient, easy-to-use online registration. We have many new offerings this semester including dance for musical theater, beginner group lessons in brass, strings and woodwinds, Shakespeare for young actors, Broadway “Glee” Club, cut paper illustration, and more.

Windsong, Cleveland's Feminist Chorus, welcomes new members for the 2011-2012 season. Rehearsals are Sundays 1:45 to 4:00pm, beginning September 11, at Lakewood Presbyterian Church, 14502 Detroit Avenue. 

New Yorker Michael Schiavi, author of the new book, Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo, will speak at Liberation United Church of Christ on Friday, September 9th at 7:30 p.m. Russo was a gay rights giant at the center of the gay cultural and political turning points in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. He witnessed the Stonewall riots in 1969, emceed NYC’s earliest Pride Parade rallies, and hosted America’s first gay show on public television, “Our Time”. He was a co-founder of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) and was a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which presented its 2011 Vito Russo Award to singer Ricky Martin.

Beck Center's class catalog is now available exclusively online at www.beckcenter.org. Students enrolling for the fall semester can now easily access all class descriptions, schedules and information, and register for classes 24/7 with Beck's new online registration software. This transition addresses the changing needs of today's families, decreases paper consumption and waste, and eliminates registration fees.

What do you get when you cross Mods vs. Rockers on W. 117th and the Car Kulture Show on Madison Ave? Hell On Wheels, obviously! Mods vs. Rockers is the ultimate scooter/bike rally, and the Car Kulture Show is the place to check out 1972 and older vehicles. Back in the day when cars were fun to drive, and looked it! August 20 will be a busy day filled with classic cars, hot rods, mopeds, bikes and of course crafts. Madison will be closed down from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. between Warren and Hilliard, and the bike rally will be going on from noon until at least 6 p.m.

This summer, the Vance Music Studio’s student ensembles might be playing at some of your favorite performance venues. I have seen the bands play at the Library’s Summer Concert Series, The Phantasy, and the Winchester. I even met members from some of the bands at Rock On camp. I try to see as many performances by the VMS bands as I can. They are always fun.

Chris Vance has been my electric bass teacher since April of last year, and my guitar teacher since last August. He is a very nice teacher, and a very good one. He has taught me so much, it would fill up this whole page! I have met many of his students, and they have all told me how great Chris is.

July is almost over, but there’s still plenty of summer left! Beck Center invites you to attend Summer Enchantment 2011 – two exciting parties in spectacular homes this month and next. A sequel to last season’s successful Spring Flings/Summer Socials, these fabulous parties are hosted by generous Beck supporters in their magnificent homes with all proceeds benefitting the Beck Center, one of the area’s most comprehensive performing arts and arts education centers.

Asian Fusion Adventure on the Lake

Saturday, July 30

You’ll forget you’re in Northeast Ohio when you embark on this Asian Adventure! Take in panoramic Lake Erie views while touring this award-winning Lakewood home. Enjoy a taste of the East as you sip tropical cocktails and dine on Asian delicacies. Complete the evening with performers singing favorite selections from Madama Butterfly, Flower Drum Song and The King and I. Cost is $125 per person and includes open bar and entertainment.

Crafty Goodness, Rockflower Studio and Goddess Blessed will be hosting an Art Walk on Saturday, August 13 from noon to 6 pm. Come and check out all the great local art found on the Western end of Madison Avenue. All three shops feature acrylic & oil paintings, mixed media pieces, photography and so much more from many talented artisans who live right here in the Cleveland area. We invite all the attendees to decorate our sidewalk areas between our stores, chalk provided at each location. Let's bring Madison Avenue alive with art! There will be many events planned throughout the day, great for all ages.

Serendipitous Lakewood High School Connections

Our daughter, Julie and her husband, Steve Meadows (both'90) happened to see Phyllis and George Fannin (retired LHS teachers - 1969-1998) at the opening of the Cleveland's W. 78th Street Studios. Phyllis mentioned that she had entered the 54th annual exhibition of Contemporary Art at the Chautauqua Institution; NY juried show and would be there at the opening. My husband, Jack ('60) and I went to the Strohl Art Center to meet Phyllis and her husband, George, to witness the announcement of the awards.

Welcome to the 60s! …or at least the caricaturized version, where “The Corny Collins Show” is all teenagers care about (other than their hair of course) and race relations in 1962 are fixed with good old song and dance! Beck’s production of Hairspray is just plain fun- palpable, intoxicating contagious, fun.

As the first locally produced professional production of Hairspray, this show accomplishes a lot. The set, lighting and costumes are generally well-suited to the style of the show and the choreography uses clever and complex formations, but it’s the individual performances that stayed with me at the end of the night.

Beck Center for the Arts presents the Tony Award-winning hit musical, Hairspray, on the Mackey Main Stage, July 8 through August 14, 2011. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Buy tickets online at www.beckcenter.org or call 216.521.2540 x10.

Welcome to the ‘60s! Break out the Aqua Net and cheer on pleasantly plump Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad as she pursues her dream to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. Change is in the air as this loveable, larger-than-life heroine manages to replace the program’s reigning princess, integrate the television show, and find true love – all while singing, dancing, and never mussing her hair.

Whether you are a new patron, former student, self-proclaimed "Beck Head," or looking to expand your interests, the Beck Center for the Arts invites you to be a part of a newly-created group that will enjoy the art and culture of the Beck Center in a unique way. “Membership in Connect to Beck, or C2B, is designed to introduce new audiences to Beck through social, cultural and insider events,” says Erin Currie, co-chair of the group. “We are hosting an informal meeting on Monday, June 20 at 6 p.m. at the Beck Center, which is open to anyone interested in learning more about C2B.”