FEB 2021

magazine

2021 Season Upcoming Shows The Show DOING THE Must Go On! MOST GOOD Coping with COVID Community Partnerships This Is Me Premier HEARTS Sharing Stories We LOVE Our Volunteers! of Help and Hope www.premierarts.org Join Us for Our Incredible 14th Season!

SEASON TICKET Current Subscribers must renew by March 1st* SUBSCRIBER BENEFITS to retain their seats!

Lost Ticket Guarantee Priority Seating Misplaced your tickets? No problem! Call the As a season ticket holder you will request, and we Lerner box office, and we will reprint your tickets will accommodate, to the best of our abilities, the and hold them for you at the theatre. seats of your choice.

Ticket Exchange Privileges Advance Notice to Premier Arts Special Events Something comes up and you need to exchange When you supply us with your email address your tickets for another performance of the same you will receive information on upcoming special production – we can do that! events and non-season ticket offerings ahead of the general public.

Head to www.premierarts.org, *Each event’s seating and capacity print and mail in a Season Subscription Form to: subject to approval of Elkhart 410 S. MAIN STREET, ELKHART, IN 46516 County Health Department .

Our Team

Craig Ashlea Tanner Zak Melissa Gibson Harrington Smale Harrington Harty Executive Artistic Director of Education Social Media Technical Director Costume Director Coordinator Coordinator

Board of Directors

Elizabeth Bond Patty Brotherson Kristin Mereness Patty Sullivan Lindsay Banks Borden B.J. Jellison Beth North Elizabeth Naquin Borger* Jeannelle Brady Alexis Martin Klose JJ Osterloo Bond Alice A. Martin* Katie McCormick Lisa Gilkey Schoetzow *Denotes Emeritus Member

2 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 2021 MAIN STAGE SEASON

Disney’s Freaky Friday MAY 7-9 When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to make things right again. By spending a day in each other’s shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn self- acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.

Lullaby of Broadway JUNE 25-27

Enjoy the magic of Broadway as we revive one of our favorite former traditions! Hear all of your favorite musical hits ranging from the Golden Age of Broadway to today’s in- stant classics as you’re are transported to a world where a song is powerful and dance is contagious!

Grease the Musical JULY 23-25

Here is Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical. Head “greaser,” Danny Zuko, and new (good) girl, Sandy Dumbrowski, try to relive the high romance of their “Summer Nights” as the rest of the gang sings and dances their way along with them!

The Addams Family OCTOBER 29-31 This comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family – a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend. A Christmas Carol DECEMBER 10-12 Ebenezer Scrooge is a prosperous curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge summates his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but he’s forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts on Christmas Eve lead him through his Past, Present and Future.

ALL YOUTH PRODUCTIONS Not Included with a Season Ticket JULY 24 SEPTEMBER 17-18 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 3 4 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE BUILDING BETTER PERFORMERS CREATING STRONGER CITIZENS

VIRTUAL PRIVATE VOICE & ACTING LESSONS JANUARY 11TH - MAY 20TH For the safety of our students and instructors, we have decided to remain virtual for the second semester of our Theatre Academy. Each lesson and class will take place in real-time over a video chatting app. 30-minute Private Lessons meet weekly via Video Call App Available for all ages • $24 per week Find out available times at www.premierarts.org/private-lessons

VIRTUAL DANCE CLASSES JANUARY 11TH - MAY 20TH Hone your dance ability with classes available for every skill level! Meet virtually with one of our talented instructors in real-time as they challenge and strengthen your skills in jazz, ballet, and tap dance!

TIP, TAP, TOE STEP IT UP LEAPS AND BOUNDS Introductory Musical Theatre Dance Intermediate Musical Theatre Dance Advanced Musical Theatre Dance Tuesday, Jan. 12th - May 18th Wednesday, Jan. 13th - May 19th Thursday, Jan. 14th - May 20th 5:00-6:00pm 5:00-6:00pm 5:00-6:00pm Whether you’re just beginning to dance or For those looking to kick things up a notch, Challenge yourself to the fullest as you you need to take it back to the fundamen- this class is perfect to level up on your perfect your dance abilities with this class. tals, Sarah Robinson will be laying down foundational knowledge of dance. Learn Pushing your body to the next level, Jessica a strong foundation for musical theater to use your body in new ways as Jessica DuBois will teach you how to perform diffi- dance. Learn the basic vocabulary while DuBois helps you understand the art of cult dance styles with precision and grace gaining the confidence to strut your stuff! storytelling in your movement. so you will be ready to tackle any dance endeavor. $20 per class $20 per class $20 per class Instructor: Sarah Robinson Instructor: Jessica DuBois Instructor: Jessica DuBois

Are you tired of virtual experiences? THEATRE WORKSHOPS: Then register today for one of our new Theatre April Showers Workshops! Children ages 5-15 will have the LIVE AND IN PERSON! opportunity to sing, dance, act, and grow in Saturday, April 24th these fun 2-hour intensives. With unique themes 10:00-12:00am Workshops: $25 for each workshop, your child will be able to 1:00 - 3:00pm Ages 5 - 15 stretch themselves in all new ways. To ensure safety, group sizes will be kept small which 4:00 - 6:00pm Register today at: means slots will fill quickly. www.premierarts.org

PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 5 CELEBRATING BEST OF BROADWAY 12 Last summer marked the 12th consecutive year of our annual Best of Broadway Summer Camp and we were determined to hold health and safety at the forefront of our planning.

Along with the regular temperature checks and required facial coverings, we also built in ample time between the youth and the teen camps for sanitization of each shared space. We were delighted to see so many new and returning faces excitedly entering the theatre on that first day. During the one-week intensive, campers learned a medley of songs and dances while being challenged to push themselves in their abilities. Over the course of just five days, they memorized and perfected a full production which was performed outdoors in front of our Quilt Garden next door to the Lerner Theatre. By the end of the exhausting week, campers, counselors, and staff alike went home with a smile on their faces knowing that there is still so much reason to celebrate.

BLACK This LIVES is Me! MATTER

We are proud to be a part of a community that is vibrant and diverse, so when it was time to stand up for members of that community, we were ready. On June 10th, we premiered a performance of the timely song from The Greatest Showman, “This is Me.” The video showcased many Premier Arts family members from the black TAP HERE community as well as several others who were ready to make the statement that TO WATCH Black Lives Matter. FULL VIDEO

In just one night, the performers gathered on the Lerner stage, learned the powerful choreography, and recorded the video. Though it is just one small act, we felt it was something that needed to be done. Since the premiere of the video, it has sparked many positive and educational conversations on how we all can work together toward much needed change.

6 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE THE SHOW MUST GO ON! COVID-19 RESPONSE

We have a saying in the theatre, “The show must go on!”

This indomitable idea pulls us through when a cue is missed in a performance as well as when a global pandemic stops us in our tracks. Like many of you, the Coronavirus forced us to make some quick and dramatic changes in our plans for 2020; however, it also offered us an opportunity to find new ways to get creative and to celebrate the arts virtually.

When it was evident that there was a need for masks and face coverings, our Costume Team got to work right away. They quickly created an easily reproduced method for sewing masks and sent out kits to volunteers in the community. Together, they made hundreds of masks that were hand delivered to medical professionals, family members, and neighbors.

When our dance classes and lessons could no longer meet in person, we set up our Virtual Academy. This allowed students to hone their performing skills from their own homes while video-chatting with their instructor. In addition, we uploaded daily craft tutorials, dance workshops, acting exercises, and fun creativity challenges through social

PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 7 media to keep minds and bodies active during the Stay-At-Home order. In response to the feeling of hopelessness growing in the nation, the Elkhart County Convention & Visitor Bureau asked that we give our community a boost. So, we enlisted the help of 34 Premier Arts Family members to sing “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie. The separate videos were edited together to create a unified chorus of hope.

Beginning on Mother’s Day last year, we created a free virtual performance series that we called the Cabin Fever Cabaret. Viewers could tune in for the live premiere on our YouTube channel or watch it back later as several of our Premier Arts Family members performed hit songs direct from The Lerner stage.

We may not be clear of the virus quite yet, but because of your continued support this “show” will continue to go on!

8 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE PREMIER ARTS AT SUMMERSCAPE

In partnership with the Elkhart Education Foundation, we participated in their Summerscape Day Camp where we taught a week-long Theatre & Improv Camp. Elkhart students, ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade, participated in acting exercises, improv games, and lessons in social and emotional growth. At the end of the week, the campers performed short skits for their families safely in an outdoor setting. Though each child was sad to see the week come to an end, they left feeling more confident in themselves and proud of their individual growth.

ENRICHING STUDENTS AT EDCAMP

Last Fall, Elkhart Schools moved to a hybrid in-person and e-learning education for students which created a scheduling obstacle for families who require childcare during the day. That’s where the Elkhart Education Foundation spotted an opportunity for bridging the gap. EdCamp is an extension of the classroom for families who need support with e-learning, social services, and childcare. Premier Arts also stepped in to assist with this endeavor teaching weekly enrichment classes in theatre, dance, and art. This will help students with the social and emotional skills that are not fostered as effectively through a computer screen.

For just $10 a day per student, each child receives support with their e-learning, enrichment classes with us as well as in areas of science and fitness, transportation from their ECS neighborhood school, and Before/After Care. Learn more and register for EdCamp at: www.OneCityOneMission.org/EdCamp

PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 9 Celebrating Liberty and Justice For All :

Women’s TAP HERE TO WATCH Equality FULL VIDEO “We are a hundred years of progress, united to celebrate the women of the past and to uphold Day 2020 their vision for a world they couldn’t see but felt within their hearts.”

It’s been 100 years since the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Our talented actresses shared words and speeches Constitution allowing women the right to vote has been of six extraordinary women including Abigail Adams, ratified. On August 26th, National Women’s Equality Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anne Sullivan, Day, we unveiled a video project commemorating the Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Eleanor Roosevelt. In their last century of positive change. The 15 minute video words—adapted by Mallory Hill—one can hear the need featured several actresses portraying notable female for progress, not only in their culture but throughout all figures throughout history who were heavily influential time. The series culminates in an anthem for all women in the women’s suffrage movement. to support one another as they honor the women who came before and to work toward an increasingly equal and just society for all.

If you’ve recently tuned into WSBT on a weekday morning, you may have noticed a familiar face. Our own Executive Artistic Director, Craig START THE Gibson, is now the co-host of a new daily morning talk show: HomeTown Living! Along with his co-host and Premier Arts alumni, Jackie Jerlecki, they feature local guests, talk about the latest trends, and showcase MORNING reasons to love your hometown.

OFF RIGHT! When asked how he was enjoying this new experience, Craig said “Learning more about what our hometown has to offer has been very exciting and the opportunity to share Premier Arts with a wider audience has been very rewarding.TV is a bit harder than theatre for me, though. The biggest difference is the energy you get from a live audience cannot be replicated by a camera with a light on top. But the best part has been telling the stories of our community that I didn’t know. Unlike the theatre, you never know who is watching or how far the impact will reach.”

Catch Craig and Jackie every Monday through Friday from 9am to 10am on WSBT-TV.

10 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE THEATRE IN THE GARDENS

When “social distancing” became the buzzword of the year rehearsal process lasted less than 2 weeks as the cast quickly and limitations were put in place for indoor gatherings, we learned their parts, choreography, and solos from home knew we were going to have to make some fast changes to and in small groups. Over the course of 7 performances, our 2020 season. With an emphasis on health and safety, Broadway Under the Stars was attended by nearly 1,000 The Lerner Theatre closed its doors to the public, shutting people. In lawn chairs and blankets, those in attendance down the possibility of our Summer productions being could safely distance themselves from other groups while performed as originally planned. We decided to have a enjoying the live performances they had so dearly missed. conversation with the Executive Director of The Wellfield Botanic Gardens, Eric Garton. Together, we immediately set After proving to ourselves that we could successfully forth to bring our productions outdoors surrounded by the perform theatre al fresco, we then set out to produce an lush beauty the Gardens have to offer. all-youth production of Disney’s Moana Jr. Casting was strategic to ensure that rehearsals could be kept to small The first production mounted at The Wellfield was Broadway groups that would be more easily distanced while in our Under the Stars, a fast-paced cabaret style production that rehearsal spaces. Temperatures of each cast member were took attendees through the last 100 years of Broadway. The taken at every rehearsal, and masks were required while

PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 11 they learned their songs, dances, and blocking. Even with close while still remaining apart. It would seem that Mamma these new restrictions, the hearts of the children in the cast Mia was exactly what members of our cast, and this community, were lifted from the fact that they could once more do what needed to pull them through this difficult season. Just as the they loved most. Moana Jr. went off without a hitch under the Wellfield Botanic Gardens are a beautiful respite from the summer sun in mid-July. hustle and bustle of the city, we are thrilled to have been a similar escape for so many this Summer. Finally, we ended our Summer with five sold out performances of Mamma Mia. With a cast of less than 30 members, they And the best part? masterfully navigated the recommended health regulations Not one single performance was rained out. during rehearsals. It was amazing to watch the cast grow so

12 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE We would not be the organization that we are without the talent and sacrifice of so many volunteers. AT THE Whether it’s creating the beautiful costumes for our productions, managing communication with the casts, watching over the younger members of our shows, or transforming wood and foam into fantastic sets, volunteers are the heart of everything we do. April was National Volunteer Month, so we took that HEART opportunity to begin recognizing those members who ‘play a part’ in our success. Here are just a few of OF PREMIER ARTS our Premier Hearts.

PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 13 After 6 months of dark stage lights and empty seats, The Lerner Theatre woke up last October as eager patrons and nervous actors The Lerner once again filled its halls. With a limited capacity of 250 attendees per performance, we safely produced a full production of The Sound is Alive with of Music. Patrons were required to wear masks and received a temperature check before entering the theatre and social distancing was enforced throughout the lobbies and auditorium. Many The Sound attendees took to social media lauding the quality of the show along with praise for the new safety protocols. At the end of the run, The of Music Sound of Music played 10 performances to over 1,300 patrons.

A LERNER CHRISTMAS A New Spin on Our Classic Tradition

December in Elkhart County forced us to rethink how we would present our beloved tradition, A Lerner Christmas. COVID numbers were rising and The Lerner Theatre made the responsible decision not to allow in-person performances. Being that we were already mid-rehearsal process for the show, we decided to get creative and push our video team to the next level. As a free gift to our community, we filmed and edited an hour-long presentation of A Lerner Christmas. Filled with special effects, premium sound quality, high energy dance numbers, and pristine lighting, our full-length filmed production aired three times on WHME-TV 46 and can still be found on our YouTube channel!

14 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE Bringing Christmas Cheer to Main Street

Christmas time has always been a wonderful time to visit The Lerner. The lobbies transform from a beautiful slice of history to a magical Winter Wonderland covered in trees, lights, and snow. Unfortunately by the end of the year, The Lerner was forced to halt all in-person performances and close the lobby to visitors thereby cutting off community members from enjoying what has become a tradition for so many families. So, to offset this tragedy, The Lerner teamed up with us to create extravagant window displays in the theme of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Each window told a bit of the story celebrating everyone’s unique qualities and gifts. The displays were open through the New Year and visited by hundreds of local families. We’re excited at the possibility of making this a new annual tradition!

PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 15 “DOING THE MOST GOOD” Through Technology

Last year, we found ourselves growing in our abilities to meet the community at a digital level through our implementation of our Virtual Academy, Cabin Fever Cabaret videos, as well as transitioning our annual Tribute to the Arts to occur entirely online. Due to these successful endeavors, our video production caught the attention of another local non-profit that needed our assistance in order to ‘do the most good’.

The Salvation Army of Elkhart County wanted to also transition their annual Christmas Gala to go virtual but lacked the means and the knowledge to do so. So, our team worked with Lieutenants Wayne and Katy Benedict to help them celebrate their participants and reach charitable donors through a twenty-minute fully-edited video presentation. This video, which featured vocal talents from our Premier Arts family, interviews with honorees, and a strong call to support, was aired on WHME-TV 46 and garnered donations that far exceeded expectations. We are thrilled that, in this time of uncertainty, we were able to create a new opportunity to support our community as well as create a new revenue stream for our organization.

16 PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE PREMIERARTS MAGAZINE 17 410 S Main Street Elkhart, IN 46516 [email protected] (574) 293-4469 www.premierarts.org