Beck Center for the Arts Children's Choirs announce placement auditions for their Performing and Chamber Choirs. Singers, ages nine and up, with unchanged voices are welcome. Auditions are scheduled for August 16, 20, 23, 27, and 30 and in September by appointment. Choirs rehearse on Tuesday evenings beginning in September. For more information or to schedule a placement audition, call the Beck Center Music Department directly at 216-521-2540 ext. 37...

Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham, otherwise known as The Altar Boyz are performing now through August 17th on the Mackey Main Stage at The Beck Center in Lakewood. The fictional group has brought along their Sony Soul Sensor DX12 in an attempt to deliver your soul, but no worries; there are plenty of giggles and even a few belly laughs along the road to salvation in this musical lampoon of a Christian boy band...

The Beck Center for the Arts presents a dynamic art exhibition featuring the works of two talented young artists, Jenna Fournier and Lauren Voiers. Their vibrant paintings will be on display in the Jean Bulicek Galleria now through August 24...

Lakewood, Ohio -- Many changes, from those easily recognized to those less apparent, are occurring around the Beck Center for the Arts campus.

You may have noticed while traveling down Detroit Avenue that the landscape has changed. Beautiful trees, shrubs and rose bushes now line the Beck Center’s entrance drive. This was the big project early last month as Matthew Carlson, a “Life” scout with Troop 435 of the Lakewood LDS Church chose the Beck Center for his Eagle Scout project. Matt worked tirelessly with 30 other members from his troop, along with additional volunteers and Beck staff as the rainy morning turned into blue skies and sunshine. They worked for hours digging out the old and planting the new...

The Pop Shop Gallery in Lakewood (on Madison and Cordova) is currently hosting “The Bad Apple” art show through August 10th which features 15 Cleveland-based artists.

 

“It’s a catch all show,” said Jeff Hulligan, an art director and manager at the Pop Shop, as well as a contributing artist. “It’s the idea that every artist has something kind of twisted to them.

Take a “creative break” this summer! You can learn how to make a simple, yet unique crystal bracelet that also helps local mission teams return to Haiti in the fall. Team members and jewelry artists Lynn Scheerhorn and Shelley Gross will lead a two-hour workshop—open to all—on Wednesday, July 16, from 7-9 pm at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Lakewood, 14560 Madison Avenue...

Beck Center for the Arts presents the rockin’, rafter-raising, soul-saving spoof, Altar Boyz on the Mackey Main Stage, July 18 through August 17. Winner of the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical, Altar Boyz is a fast-paced, booty-swinging musical comedy about a fictitious Christian boy-band performing the last concert of their “Raise the Praise” tour. Join heavenly heartthrobs – Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham as they dance and sing their hearts out to save the souls of the sinful...

Whether you’ve been inspired by an art class or dazzled by a play, it would be nearly impossible to imagine life without the Beck. In celebration and recognition of the individuals whose passion and dedication started it all, the Beck Center invites you to take a journey back in Lakewood’s cultural history. President and CEO, Lucinda Einhouse, says she’s proud to share the inspiring history of Beck’s earliest years… “This is the story of people who not only created a thriving community theater from nothing, they used their passion for the theater to entertain and raise spirits during the most difficult times of depression and war...”

Pleasant and inviting The Local Girl Gallery in Lakewood held the opening for “Architectural Renderings” featuring artwork from Paul G. Jira and John Musarra Jr. Both artists covered the subject of local and regional landmarks thoroughly; some you might expect, others might surprise you...

As Carl Sandburg once said, “Nothing happens unless first we dream.” Did you ever dream about the day you would leave for college, where would you go, what would you study? Or maybe you had a vision of what your wedding would be like? Would you get married in a park, or perhaps a church? How would you fund such an event? Well, that would take a lot of planning. There are so many things to consider, and think about...

The Virginia Marti College of Art and Design’s 21st Student Art Exhibition opened to the public May 16th and is on view until June 30th.

The V.M.C.A.D. students accepted into the juried exhibition have on display works of art that display their technical virtuosity and creative imagination. Many industry professionals view the show and it helps open the employment doors for many of the students. The art exhibition focuses on student creativity with the all too real restrictions of the design industry’s trends, customer analysis, and the need for marketability...

As I watched laundry spin around in the washing machines of Coin Wash Laundry while residents commented on artwork hanging on the Laundromat’s walls, I realized how unique my city really was.

The 2nd Annual Lakewood ArtWalk was a smashing success this past Saturday, May 17th. Lakewood businesses, citizens and artists merged together for the various art showings, events, and activities...

Beck Center presents My Favorite Year, a good old fashioned musical comedy on the Mackey Main Stage through June 8. Based on the 1982 hit film starring Peter O’Toole, My Favorite Year is a nostalgic look at the early days of television, capturing all of the comedy and drama of “live” TV.

Beck Center for the Arts will host a community celebration of the arts. INSIDE the Beck, a free family fun open house event and sale of vintage costumes and stage items, takes place on Saturday, June 7, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Beck Center in Lakewood – 17801 Detroit Avenue...

Saturday, May 17th: starting at 4pm

Artists and art lovers will fill the sidewalks and businesses of Madison Avenue on May 17th, for another Madison Avenue- Lakewood ArtWalk. The Lakewood ArtWalk (formerly the MAMA LIA ArtWalk) was designed to increase exposure for participating local artists, organizations and area businesses, as well as further establish Madison Avenue as a vibrant and evolving neighborhood with a meaningful connection to arts and culture.

The Art Walk is a collaborative effort between MAMA (Madison Avenue Merchants Association) and LIA (Lakewood is Art) with the support of the Lakewood Observer and Cox Cable(who will be filming the event this time). Committee Members from LIA and MAMA worked together to give the community another opportunity to gain exposure to the various art that is abundant in our area...

Why Dance? “Every original act asserts our commitment to living. Our program encourages our students to strive for their personal best. This helps them learn to experience life fully. When we create, we plant ourselves firmly in the moment and teach ourselves that what we do matters”--Miss Donna

How has Donna Rakerd, aka Miss Donna, succeeded in building a vibrant dance studio in town? A clue might be in west side location, one of two of Silhouette’s dance studios in Lakewood. More evidence might be found in it’s large picture windows, pristine dance floor and lofty ceilings that heighten interest from those walking or driving by while affording to students a positive learning environment. Another clue would be the table lined with a multitude of upcoming dance classes from Ballet to Jazz to Acrobatics to Hip Hop to Yoga and Bellydance...

The much anticipated evening of music with the talented Lakewood Guitar Consort will take to the stage June 1st. Months in the making, this concert featuring the seven-member classical guitar ensemble, under the direction of performer/teacher Christopher Ellicott is sure to be a highlight for late spring concert-goers.

 

 

 

The concert will take place Sunday, June 1st, 7:00pm at Cove United Methodist Church, 12501 Lake Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio. Refreshments will be served following the concert. Admission is free. A free-will offering will be taken. If you'd like more information, please call 216-702-4523...

Beck Center for the Arts announces its 2008/09 season featuring the much anticipated return of some ‘oldies but goodies,’ an electrifying new drama, plenty of scandalous entertainment, and the Mother of Blues.

“I feel like we’ve hit the mark yet again!” says Scott Spence, Beck Center’s Artistic Director, referring to the eclectic mix Beck has become known for. "Beck continues its tradition of providing Northeast Ohio audiences with a great balance of titles they know, and area premieres…all directed by some of the area’s most respected directors."..

Beck Center for the Arts presents My Favorite Year, a good old-fashioned musical comedy written by Joseph Dougherty with music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, on the Mackey Main Stage, May 16 through June 8, 2008...

In 1968, Robert Lawther was serving as Mayor of Lakewood and singing tenor in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Frustrated by the lengthy commute required to sing on the East Side, Lawther became determined to form a chorus of equal quality and professionalism closer to home...

A hip, youth-oriented rock concert series, Band2gether, will feature the sounds of talented local musicians of middle school and high school age. This free, outdoor youth concert series, which kicks off this Summer in Lakewood, is expected to draw many people downtown and to give Lakewood’s young musicians an opportunity to showcase themselves...

Beck Center for the Arts presents My Favorite Year, a good old-fashioned musical comedy written by Joseph Dougherty with music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, on the Mackey Main Stage, May 16 through June 8, 2008. Based on the 1982 hit film starring Peter O’Toole, My Favorite Year is a nostalgic look at the early days of television, capturing all of the comedy and drama of “live” TV...

A local family foundation has issued a challenge grant to the Beck Center for the Arts: the foundation will match dollar-for-dollar every contribution the Beck Center receives – up to $35,000 – from individuals in the community. The Beck Center for the Arts is a non-profit, performing arts organization which for over 75 years has been dedicated to enriching the quality of life for the West Shore community, offering professional theatrical productions with curriculum-based education in creative arts therapies, dance, music, theater, and visual arts...

Beck Center for the Arts Youth Theater presents The Wizard of Oz (An adaptation of the film by John Kane of the Royal Shakespeare Company), a musical fantasy on the Mackey Main Stage, April 18 through 27. Directed by Douglas Collier, this adaptation is based on the classic motion picture starring Judy Garland. Audiences, young and old, will be swept “over the rainbow” as they follow their favorite characters – Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Toto too, on their journey along the yellow brick road...