Clarksville, TN

Joseph, his father’s favorite son, is a boy blessed with prophetic dreams. When he is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series of adventures in which his spirit and humanity are continually challenged. With lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this delightful and family-friendly musical parable is presented by the Roxy Regional School of the Arts.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat features professional actors Erica Lee Haines as the Narrator, Travis Kendrick as Joseph. The show also features Roxy Regional School of the Arts students Ali Arnold, Christian Boyd, Courtney Collins, Autumn Crafton, Humberto Figueroa, Samantha Grimes, Andrew Hulse, Meghan Judd, Matthew Kurtz, Krista LaRocca, Michelle Lebkuecher, Patrick Long, Annalise Martin, Sidney McCarty, Madeline O’Connor and Amy Wyer. The music features David Lovell on guitar, Tom Thayer on piano and Thad Wallus on drums.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat runs June 24 through July 16, playing Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 6pm and Saturdays at 2pm and 6pm. All tickets are $10 and may be reserved online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931-645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9am-2pm, Monday-Friday).

Poster

The play begins in the small village of Hamelin that has been beleaguered by a rat infestation. Their benches are dilapidated; their children are running scared, and even worse: their apple harvest is threatened. At this time the Pied Piper and his servant Gertrude arrive at the village in search of fame and fortune.

When the Piper sees his opportunity, he quickly offers the services of his father’s magical pipe to rid the town of its rat problem. Mayor Hoffman accepts the Piper’s offer and, believing that such a feat could never be accomplished, he doesn’t even set a price. However, when the Piper completes the task and names the fee, the village’s real problems begin.

The show is rich with audience participation and the story espouses the values of quality leadership, friendship, and the merits of helping others.

The show will be travelling to Tile One Learning Center North on Thursday, April 21st, 2011 at 6:00pm and will be at the Clarksville Public Library on Friday, April 22nd, 2011 at 5:00pm.

A craft activity will begin 45 minutes prior to the start of the show at each location and admission is completely free!

The approximate running time of the play is 30-40 minutes.

For any questions visit us at our website at www.apsu-toys.org or e-mail garcia..

Cast

• Bruno: Chad Stem
• Gretchen: Andrea Coleman
• Veronika: Leslie North
• Mayor: Zack McElroy
• Piper: Humberto Figueroa
• Gertrude: Colleen Darling

Crew

• Director: Edd Garcia
• Stage Manager: Jessica Peters
• Scenic Designer and Properties: Elizabeth Hadden
• Technical Director: Ben McCormack
• Costume Designer: Virginia Torres
• Asst. Costume Designer: Yancy Garcia-Collado
• Touring Manager: Ricky Steven Young

About T.O.Y.S.

T.O.Y.S. is a Youth Theatre Group based on Austin Peay’s Campus in Clarksville, TN. The Organization is dedicated to spreading Theatre for Young Audiences throughout their community and desires to grant students opportunities to hone both their technical and performance skills. T.O.Y.S. was founded in the summer of 2008 and (including Little Red and the Hoods) has put on seven shows so far!

This was the first year that Clarksville Online and Discover Clarksville was selected to document the festival as much as was humanly possible. Roland Woodworth, Ashley and Meghan Hamilton, and Bill Larson were given the job of photographing everything in the tiniest of detail, while Mark Haynes shot hours and hours of raw video footage, and Sue Culverhouse took it all in to get material for her wonderful articles!

Intermittent rain plagued Riverfest early on Friday afternoon.

The festival kicked off on slightly wet Friday, but by the evening things had mostly dried out. The crowds started off slow, but as people became sure that the rain had stopped they began to come out in droves.

Tour D’ Art

Artists and Tour D' Art Guests attending the awards presentation at the Smith Trahern Mansion.

The Tour d’ Art on Friday was jammed pack with a veritable who’s who of the Clarksville Art scene. For more information see Sue Culverhouse’s article.

Friday Entertainment

Restless Heart playing on the Budwesier Stage on Friday evening

The Entertainment kicked off Friday evening with a great lineup of Christian performers on the Gateway Stage including the multiple Dove Award nominated group Addison Road, and Exit Right. While the Budweiser stage featured performers such as Diana Pelham, Chris Monhollen, Eden’s Edge and comedian James Fyke were Budweiser Stage on Friday night, followed by the Country Band Restless Heart. The Mary’s Music Stage featured some of Clarksville’s Best Alternative, Punk, and Rock bands including local favorite Hometown which headlined the evening.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Riverfest Regatta

The crew of the Escape from City Hall boat with CPD Lt. Ashby

The Riverfest Regatta kicked off Saturday morning. It featured bigger and more ornate boats as competitors from last year took the lessons they learned and improved their entries.

The most ornate were the CDE entry which looked like one of their linemen’s service trucks, and the Tennessee Frame Company’s Queen of Clarksville; it was really great to see the Queen of Clarksville return to the Cumberland River, even if it was only in effigy.

Many in the crowd were sure the CDE boat would capsize and sink due to it’s top heavy nature, but it surprised us all. Though the crowd did ooh and aah every time it leaned a bit to one side or the other. The amber light and the colored smoke from the smokestacks were a great artistic touch. While they didn’t win the race, they were recognized as one of the prettiest boats in it, when they received the “Ship Shape Award”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There were several spectacular sinkings including:

The crew of the CHS boat after it capsized along side the dock.

• The Southside General which was simply too narrow for its two crew members. Perhaps adding an outrigger next year might help!
• The Clarksville High School Boat which sank fairly quickly once its crew boarded. The crew showed their mettle by remaining with their boat in the water until they crossed the finish line.
• The Hui Hawai’i o Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club’s entry the Okole Maluna. The four person boat disintegrated as they crossed the finish line. Roland Woodworth captured the entire sequence of the sinking for your enjoyment.
• The boat “Escape from City Hall” which featured four crew members in Inmate shirts. After their boat sank they were promptly re-apprehended by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and sent back to their continue their imprisonment at hard labor.

Hui Hawai`i O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club's Boat Crew; Brittani Shaw, Kaitlyn Fitzke, Kayli Telfer, Cheyenne Brooks and Michelle Adair

9/11 Rememberence Ceremony

The bugler plays taps during the city of Clarksville's 9/11 Memorial at during the 2010 Riverfest Celebration

At Noon the City of Clarksville held a remembrance ceremony for the first responders who died in the 9/11 attacks in New York City. The 101^st Army Band played a drum roll as the colorguard approached the stage. The Colorguard consisted of three members of the Clarksville Police Department, and two Clarksville Firefighters. They carried three flags. The United States flag, The New York Police Department flag, and the New York Fire Department flag. One of the figure fighters also carried a fire axe that was carried on 9/11. The Clarksville Police Department Chaplin lead a prayer for the victims of the attack, and those who have lost their lives since.

Here’s a video of the Ceremony shot by Mark Haynes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Afterwords, the 101st Army Band continued to play for a bit.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Local Talent showcased

After the ceremony was over it was time to catch some of the best of the local dance academies performing at the Gateway Stage. Represented were the Distinguished Steppers Unlimited, Clarksville Artistic Show Troupe, Natalie’s Dance Network, XPLOSIVE, Lana’s Dance Network, Acro Dance Express, Showtime Dance Studio, Montgomery Central, The Daughters of Hul, Glorious Feet Dance Academy, and STARS Dance Group.While I didn’t get to see them all I wish I could have. The ones I did get the opportunity to see were outstanding.

Dancers performing songs from the musical Annie at the 2010 Riverfest Celebration.

Operation Rising Star Finalists

The Fort Campbell Morale, Welfare and Recreation group logo

After the dance shows it was time for Fort Campbell MWR‘s Operation Rising Star Finalists. These Talented people have been performing at the Sportsman Lodge every Friday evening at 6:00pm. The winner will represent Fort Campbell at the National Operation Rising Star finals. You don’t have to be military to go out and enjoy the competition. For non-military Drive up Lafayette Road until you arrive at 101st Airborne Division Road where you make a left, then make a right into the next paved road which should be Sportsmans Lane Rd. The Sportsmans Lodge is at the end of that short drive.

Maya Gregory, One of the many talented Operation Rising Star performers at the 2010 Riverfest Celebration.

Gateway to Stardom

One of the Emcees of Gateway to Stardom Samantha Maselli

Gateway to Stardom is an annual talent event which features talented youngsters from age 6 to 21 who compete through a series of preliminary events for the privilege of competing on stage during Riverfest. The judges this year were Kelly Maselli, Art Conn, Rene Ross, Justin Byrk, Samantha Maselli and Chris Monholland. The show was hosted by Samantha Maselli and Justin Byrk.

A young man performing at Gateway to Stardom

The performers at this year’s Riverfest included Julia Appleton, Brianna Carbary, Aaron Carmichael, Michael Cox, Billy Cunningham, Maddie Mauk, Dominique Dy, Shane Fallon, Humberto Figueroa, Madison Fisher, Whitney Gaston, Robert Betts, Kyle Greene, Steven Hawkins, Jordan Hawley, Ashley Hicks, Brooke Hudgins, Kyle James, Brooklyn Lyle, Kyusok Lee, Tae’Shaona Mathews, Adrienne Meadows, Makenna Cleveland, Briana Middleton, Richard Mosley, Martavious Votaw, Wesley Sutherland, Sera Owens, Jayonna Purcell, Cyrus Pryor, Darrion Reddin, Sophia Rodriguez, Ryan Ruppel, Courtney Sanford, Javier Sierra, Christa Waller, Christian Walls and Shaneva Woodard.

Kelli Maselli of Gateway Realty and Investment Group, founded the Gateway to Stardom competition several years ago to showcase the young talent of Clarksville. Raising two teenage daughters, her house was quite often filled by talented youngsters that she felt needed a venue to be seen and heard. Since Gateway Realty has sponsored a stage each year for Riverfest, Maselli felt compelled to give these talented young people that much needed outlet.

Wait Staff Wars

A young woman runs the obstacle course during Wait Staff Wars

This annual event is a highlight for many people at Riverfest. The contest which is sponsored by Chefmart, pits local restaurants servers against one another in a head to head competition to the death! …Just kidding they are tested in their ability to rapidly set three place settings at three tables, to see who’s quickest at navigating a series of obstacles with a tray of drinks, their ability to memorize their customers orders, and last but not least their ability to quickly clear the three tables after their customers leave.

Featured in this years Contest was Edwards Steakhouse and The Hilton Garden Inn, with the Hilton Garden Inn taking the top prize in the contest.

The Competitors at Wait Staff Wars

The Adventure Zone & Toddler Town

The hot air ballon rises skywards above the Adventure Zone on Friday Evening at the 2010 Riverfest celebration.

Located at the opposite end from where it was last year, the Adventure Zone & Toddler Town was located on the newly opened great lawn, part of the North Extension of the Riverwalk. The Adventure zone offered inflatables, a petting zoo, Toddler Town, a static vehicle display from Fort Campbell, Archery Range, Laser Tag, Hot air balloon, train ride, face painting, and of course vendor booths. The Adventure Zone was also the location of the always popular River of Culture Stage.

Clarksville Family Magazine sponsored the Toddler Town area, and one of the most appreciated additions of this year was a dedicated changing station for parents with younger children, another item that was highly coveted was the their designer tote bags.

Carla and Cliff Lavergne publishers of Clarksville Family Magazine greeting guests to Toddler Town.

Carla and Cliff Lavergne of Clarksville Family Magazine, greeting guests to Toddler Town

Saturday Evening Entertainment

Saturday evening saw the completion of the Beaver Country Idol Competition with Steven Whitson from Nashville Tennessee being named the winner of the 2010 Competition. Chris Monhollen the 2009 winner was also on hand to perform for the crowd. Chris has always been a crowd favorite, and is still looking for his big break; so if anyone has connections in the Nashville country music scene, please put in the good word for him!

Country Idol Winner Steven Whitson with the other two finalists.

The evening also featured performances by Burger Run, DJ 40 0z, Everlife, Guest, James Fyke, Jimmy Wayne, July Lee, Kingbilly, New Planet, Possum Holler, and Shmuck.

Jimmy Wayne is the consummate performer. This man knows how to work up a crowd and keep them at a fevered pitch. During his forays out into the crowd he really kept the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies on their toes. He also took the time during his performance to pose for pictures with crowd members including one very young girl who was in foster care as her foster mother looked on in joy.

Jimmy Wayne performs at Riverfest 2010

July Lee

July Lee was also something to see according to Roland Woodworth, “There were many great bands to perform on the two stages this year. From local bands like Chris Monhollen ( Awesome ) to more well know bands like Restless Heart who filled in for James Otto after he was admitted to the hospital and had to cancel. One of the better ones ( my opinion ) was July Lee. These girls have great sound and a great performance. These girls along with the Stagebreakerz can put on a show. At one point they selected a couple guys out of the crowd to help them perform one of their songs. These guys seemed to be having alot of fun on stage with July and Treia. This is one band that you will not want to miss their next show. You can check out their music on facebook or myspace.”

Riverfest is a marathon of things to see and do, but the effort was well worth the return! We hope to see you there next year!

Photo Gallery

For more images of the 2010 Riverfest Celebration visit Discover Clarksville.

Maselli of Gateway Realty and Investment Group, started the Gateway to Stardom several years ago to showcase the young talent of Clarksville. Raising two teenage daughters, her house was quite often filled with talented younsters who she felt needed a venue to be seen and heard. Since Gateway Realty has sponsored a stage each year for Riverfest, Maselli felt compelled to give these talented young people that much needed outlet.

This year’s chosen few are: Julia Appleton, Brianna Carbary, Aaron Carmichael, Michael Cox, Billy Cunningham, Maddie Mauk, Dominique Dy, Shane Fallon, Humberto Figueroa, madison fisher, Whitney Gaston, Robert Betts, Kyle Greene, Steven Hawkins, Jordan Hawley, Ashley Hicks, Brooke Hudgins, Kyle James, Brooklyn Lyle, Kyusok Lee, Tae’Shaona Mathews, Adrienne Meadows, Makenna Cleveland, Briana Middleton, Richard Mosley, Martavious Votaw, Wesley Sutherland, Sera Owens, Jayonna Purcell, Cyrus Pryor, Darrion Reddin, Sophia Rodriguez, Ryan Ruppel, Courtney Sanford, Javier Sierra, Christa Waller, Christian Walls and Shaneva Woodard.

They will perform on the Gateway Realty Stage between 4:00pm – 7:00pm on Saturday September 11th. The show will be hosted by Samantha Maselli and Justin Byrk.

Admission to Riverfest is free and runs Friday September 10th from 5:00pm to 11:00pm and Saturday September 11th from 10:00am to 11:00pm, with headliners, James Otto and Jimmy Wayne.

For more information go to www.clarksvilleriverfest.com.

When a Baker and his Wife learn they’ve been cursed with childlessness by the Witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell, swindling, lying to and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red, Rapunzel and Jack (the one who climbed the beanstalk). In the style of “The Princess Bride,” well-known stories by the Brothers Grimm, as well as other childhood tales, are woven together into a colorful parable about the human search for “happily ever after.”

INTO THE WOODS features Ryan Bowie and Heather Stricker-Dispensa as the baker and his wife; Hannah Church, John Moser and Rachael Fogle as Rapunzel, her prince and the witch; Gregory Pember and Jackie Ostick as Jack and his mother; Kera Halbersleben, Lisa MacAfee, Hannah Carmona, Kari Muller, Bill Colclough, Humberto Figueroa and Josh Bernaski as Cinderella, her stepmother and sisters, her father and her prince; Sarah Levine, Josh Bernaski and John McDonald as Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf and Granny; and Ted Jones as the narrator.

INTO THE WOODS runs July 16th through August 28th, playing Thursdays at 7:00pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, with a 2:00pm matinee on Saturday, July 24th. The Saturday, July 17th, performance comes with a dinner and theatre option, in which patrons can enjoy dinner at Edward’s Steakhouse on Franklin at 6:00pm, followed by the performance at the Roxy at 8:00pm. (The evening’s menu features Edward’s Famous 6-oz. Steak, House Salad, Loaded Baked Potato and Dessert. The children’s menu includes a Choice of Steak, Shrimp, Sliders or Chicken Tenders with Fries, or Macaroni and Cheese.) Tickets for dinner and show are $35.00 (adults) and $25.00 (ages 13 and under). Show-only tickets are $20.00 (adults) and $15.00 (ages 13 and under) and may be purchased online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931-645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am-2:00pm, weekdays).

So, when I heard that the Roxy was planning on staging Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. as part of their 2010 season I was excited as I saw it as as chance to revisit my first musical. And I wasn’t disappointed. Watching those young actors and actresses performing their hearts out, renewed that feeling of wonder that I experienced when I sat in the seats watching my very first show at the Roxy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The show stars the very talented Humberto Figueroa (Austin Peay State University) as the beast; Hannah Carmona (Western Kentucky University) & Brianna Fuller (Clarksville Academy) will be switching out the role of the Enchantress/Belle for various performances.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast features some intricate vocal and dance numbers, and the students of Roxy School of the Arts nailed each one of them. Don’t let their age fool you, these students have had a lot of training, and that has allowed their talents to shine. The show features a large ensemble cast, some of whom passes through the audience at various points during the performance.

The Mob Song

Patrick Long (Maurice) and Webb Booth (Lumiere)

Each show has standout performers and in the performance I enjoyed, that honor goes Humberto Figueroa, Hannah Carmona, Webb Booth, Kari Muller, Christian Redden, and Haedyn King. All of the performers should be commended for their part in making this a must see show.

The sets were done using painted backdrops in pastel colors, which were accentuated by the stage lighting. Adam Kurtz has done an outstanding job with the lighting & sound on each of the productions he has been involved in.

Beauty and the Beast Jr will be running at the Roxy Regional theatre from May 21st through June 12th at 6:00 pm each night. So gather up the family and go down to see this wonderful show.

Photo Gallery

You can view photos from the production in our Photo Gallery at:

http://www.discoverclarksville.com/photogallery/roxy-regional-theatre/2010/disney-s-beauty-the-beast-jr-/

The Cast

Musical Numbers

Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Book by Linda Woolverton
Presented by the Roxy Regional School of the Arts.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by Music Theatre International, 421 West 54^th Street, New York NY 10019. Script, music and all other material ©2008 Disney Enterprises, Inc. Beauty and the Beast Jr. and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. are registered trademarks of Music Theatre International. All rights reserved.

Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Jr. runs May 21st through June 12th, playing Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 6:00 pm, with 2:00 pm matinees each Saturday. (There is no performance on Friday, May 28th.)

Tickets are $10.00 and may be purchased online at http://www.roxyregionaltheatre.org/, by phone at (931) 645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00 am – 2:00 pm, weekdays).

Jonathan Larson’s rock musical is the joyous, breathtaking and inspiring story of a group of New York City East Village artists struggling to find their voices and find love in today’s tough times, broaching controversial themes like homelessness, AIDS and drug addiction with compassion.

Based on Puccini’s La Boheme, RENT stars Justin Barnum as Roger, Chase Kamata as Mimi, Matthew Burns as Mark, De’Lon Grant as Tom Collins, Taylor Hilt Mitchell as Angel, Alicia Kelly as Maureen, Kami Smith as Joanne and Brendan Cataldo as Benny.  Amanda Bailey, Chad Parsons, Humberto Figueroa, Skye Mangrum, John Moser, Anesha Ross and Hannah Carmona round out the cast.

Although the national tour has played Nashville, the Roxy Regional Theatre is proud to be one of only two regional theatres in Tennessee granted the rights to this award-winning musical.

RENT runs July 10 thru August 21, playing Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, with a 2pm matinee on Saturday, July 18.  Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org or by phone at (931)645-7699 during regular box office hours (9am-2pm, weekdays).  This production is strongly recommended for mature audiences.