Sinclair Community College’s Theatre Department has announced a summer partnership with Encore Theater Company (ETC), according to Patti Celek, marketing director for the Theatre Department.
ETC will be showing two performances in Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theatre. The first, from June 16-18, is called “Altar Boyz” and is directed by Lauren Morgan. It’s described as a musical comedy, by Celek.
The second performance is “In My Blood,” formerly known as “The Cure.” It will run from July 14-16 and is directed by Kimberly Borst. Theatremania.com described the show as “the right combination of romance, conflict, humor and drama.”
Celek said the importance of Sinclair’s partnerships in the area cannot be ignored.
“Partnering with ETC offers many educational opportunities to Sinclair students and continues to bring audiences and community on campus . It utilizes a facility that is traditionally ‘dark’ during the summer as a place to create,” Celek said.
The shows also give students the opportunity to meet professionals, Celek said.
“While putting two musicals on stage during the summer gives students two more opportunities to perform, design and produce theatre, it also offers chances to network with all kinds of people,” Celek said. “Be it students in other theatre programs, to theatre grads, to award-winning directors and musicians.”
Celek said she believes that it helps students to work on different types of productions, and the partnership with ETC is a part of that.
“Any exposure to live theatre is great experience. Successful students thrive by being active in this creative process,” Celek said. “A well-rounded student who has knowledge of both performance and technology is usually more employable. Add to that the myriad genres of theatre including musicals, classic, contemporary, and others. There’s a lot to discover in theatre.”
Being partners with ETC in particular has its own benefits not only for students but for the Theatre Department as a whole, according to Celek.
“Because ETC is a well-known entity among up-and-coming writers, they often come to Dayton to work on their scripts with students,” Celek said. “These creators of new works are often using Dayton as their out-of-town tryout before going to off-Broadway or other venues. That’s pretty cool and we’re proud to be part of it.”